

First Venus period (1876-1896)
For a frame of reference, we can examine what happened during the first Venus Period in US history, which ran from April 1876 to April 1896. That said, being over 120 years removed in time introduces another challenge, to comprehend events even if much information has been lost over the intervening years. However, from historical accounts we know that this twenty year period witnessed continued expansion of the USA in terms of the use of new territories as the land was connected from shore to shore by railway tracks and with vast numbers of people moving to settle in the new frontier, which was termed the Wild West due to lawlessness as many conflicts arose when people fought over land, wealth or opportunities. Moreover, this is what we would expect during the period of a planet ruling the natural resources, including the land, and communal harmony (or lack of it). From an economic point of view, this period is also known as the Long Depression, which began with the Panic of 1873 and some say lasted until 1896. Meanwhile, others have identified recessions at intervals over this period. For instance, during the 1882–85 recession the boom in railroad construction came to an end, resulting in the Panic of 1884. During the slight recession of 1887–88 investments in railroads and buildings weakened and in 1890–91 a slowdown took place which was somewhat more pronounced than the preceding recession. The Panic of 1893 resulted from the failure of the United States Reading Railroad and withdrawal of European investment led to a stock market and banking collapse. This Panic was also precipitated in part by a run on the gold supply. The Treasury had to issue bonds to purchase enough gold. Profits, investment and income all fell, leading to political instability, the height of the U.S. populist movement and the Free Silver movement. It is also known that social and economic justice was lacking during this period, expressed by the rise of the Populist movement. Benjamin Harrison was a one-term president while reigning during the „Billion dollar Congress“. He oversaw the Sherman Anti-Trust legislation which was aimed at clamping down on the monopoly practices of the unscrupulous “Robber Barons“. Moreover, the hoped for progress in racial acceptance and integration did not materialise following the Civil War (Mercury period) and Reconstruction (Ketu period). Rather, following their emancipation from slavery, African Americans continued to be treated as second class citizens as white supremacy was re-imposed following the civil-war and the reconstruction period, with the nadir of race relations considered to be at the turn of the century.


Second Venus period (1996-2016)
In the current Venus period, we can explore the time line of historical events and see if there is a running thread that fits the expected dynamics.
In terms of the functional indications of Venus as 4th lord, we can explore events linked to housing, natural resources and social harmony.
Housing
Housing bubble inflates and bursts: A historic housing bubble developed in the 1990s which burst in a spectacular fashion in 2007, producing the worst financial crisis in the country since the Great Depression of the 1930s. As the housing market affects most families, a difficult housing situation is likely to be reducing the happiness of many.
Natural resources
Gulf of Mexico oil spill: Following the collapse of the oil price to $10 per barrel in 1998 it rose to over $150 in 2008. This huge price rise resulted in increased focus on domestic energy resource extraction, with President George W. Bush in July 2008 lifting a 1990 executive order by George H. W. Bush banning offshore drilling. Two years later, on April 19, 2010, an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, sending millions of gallons of oil into the sea. It is the worst oil spill in American history. Americans have yet to experience the full brunt of the pollution, when it lands on shore and the deleterious effects on the eco system become better understood.
Collective harmony
Centennial Park bombing: The Summer Olympics Games were opened in Atlanta, Georgia by U.S. President Bill Clinton on July 19, 1996. These games were marred by the Centennial Park bombing of Olympic tourists on July 27, which killed one person and injured one hundred and eleven. In May of 2003, police arrested Eric Rudolph for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing. This event was disturbing at the time, affecting as it did the Olympic games, being hosted by the USA.
Murder of a child: On December 25, 1996 a child beauty pageant contestant, Jon Benet Ramsey, was found murdered in the basement of her parents' home in Boulder, Colorado, United States, eight hours after being reported missing. The case drew national attention in the United States when no suspect was charged and suspicions turned to possible family involvement. The case caught the national attention and has special interest in that it involved a beauty contestant, which is an indication of Venus. This case caused much concern over the safety of children.
Monica Lewinsky scandal: A case that would polarise the political establishment and upset the nation, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, begins on January 26, 1998 when U.S. President Bill Clinton denies his relationship with the White House intern in a televised interview. This denial, and other denials to a grand jury investigation, would lead to the impeachment of the president. On February 12, 1999, President Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Senate trial, which began January 7 and needed a 2/3 majority to convict, ended with a 55-45 not guilty vote on the charge of perjury and 50-50 vote on the charge of obstruction of justice. Despite being whitewashed, this episode was very disturbing to the nation, with much anger and disappointment expressed at the leader of the nation for his conduct in the White House.
Anti-globalization: On November 30, 1999, the first major mobilization of the anti-globalization movement occured in Seattle, Washington, during the days before the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings. The protests and rioting caused the cancellation of the WTO opening ceremonies. The event is interesting as it highlights the desire for more domestic control of policies, an indication of the 4th lord, Venus.
Post-election crisis of 2000: On November 7, 2000, George W. Bush, son of the former President, and Vice President Al Gore held a virtual dead-heat for the presidency, with a disputed vote in Florida holding off the naming of the winner of the President Election until the Supreme Court of the United States voted in favor of Bush on December 12. This ruling gave Florida to the Bush camp by a 527 vote majority, and a victory in the Electoral College, 271-266, despite gaining less popular votes than Gore. This situation created a disturbance in the national life with tensions over the result remaining for years afterwards.
Columbine High School massacre: On April 19, 1999. Two teenage students murder 13 other students and teachers at Columbine High School. It is the deadliest mass murder at a high school in U.S. history. The event is very upsetting for the nation, with movies being made criticising the US gun culture.

Barack Obama elected President: One result of the global financial crisis in September 2008 was the election of challenger Barack Obama as President of the USA. The color of his skin was a defining issue and triumph for those fighting for equality of opportunity regardless of race, color or creed. This issue is linked to the 4th house, due to the conjunction of natal Ketu with the most effective point of the 4th house.
Tea Party protest movement: On April 15, 2009, after a succession of big government spending projects beginning in the Bush administration and expanded under President Obama, 750 grass roots Tea Party protests spring up across the nation. More than one half million citizens concerned with increased deficits due to such actions such as the bailout of the banking industry, car industry, potential cap and trade legislation, and other administration projects that project a ten trillion dollar deficit over the next decade take part. When the new Health care legislation was being debated in early 2010, the rage of this movement exploded in town halls across the country.
In terms of the functional indications of the 6th house, where Venus is placed, we can examine financial stability, conflict, health issues and court cases.
Financial stability

International financial crisis of 1998: Following the financial collapse of the Russian government on August 19, 1998, a mini international financial crisis developed, when financial contagion led to the collapse of the LTMC hedge fund in the USA, with the US Federal Reserve quickly reducing interest rates to forestall a widening financial panic.
IT bubble: A bubble in information technology (IT) developed in the late 1990s following the interest rates reductions of 1998 and reflecting advances in productivity from the internet. This bubble burst in spectacular fashion in April 2000 after interest rates had been raised again. As these were speedily reduced again, the crash did not affect the banking system and an economic recovery emerged in the spring of 2003, with stock prices rallying from the lows reached.
Enron scandal: The Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world. In addition to being the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history at that time, Enron undoubtedly is the biggest audit failure. Public outrage was evident over the fraudulent corporate practices of the leaders, which served prison time.
Major financial crisis of 2008: After the housing bubble burst in 2007, the banking system went into crisis, which peaked in mid-September 2008 with the fall of Lehman Bros bank and the seizing up of the interbank lending market. The US crisis had global ramifications, leading to the collapse of banks in Europe, with the entire financial system of one country, Iceland, imploding. The US government spent trillions of dollars to salvage the US banking system and interest rates were again reduced to very low levels. US public debt is fast approaching World War II levels with the budget deficit now running over 1 Trillion dollars per year. A sluggish recovery has been in the making from the autumn of 2009. There were numerous scandals involving ponzi schemes that ended up defrauding investors to the tune of billions of dollars, for example the Madoff case.

All of these developments are consistent with what we would expect during the period of this planet in the SAMVA USA chart and they recall the sluggish economic developments and financial panics of the earlier Venus period.
Conflict
Khobar Towers bombing: The Khobar Towers bombing on June 25, 1996 leaves 19 U.S. servicemen dead in Saudi Arabia. It was carried out by Islamic terrorists seeking removal of the U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia.

“9/11“ and its aftermath: On September 11, 2001, 19 Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijacked four U.S. airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Over 3,000 US citizens were killed. The plot is attributed to the Al-Qaeda organization led by Osama Bin Laden.

US Patriot Act: On October 2001, the Patriot Act was passed. The Act gave the authorities new powers to intercept and obstruct terrorist activities, both at home and abroad, including by dramatically reducing restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records. The act also eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and broadening the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism. Needless to say, the act raised concern that the US was on its way to become a “Big Brother“ society, anathema to those beholden to the individual liberties of the US Constitution.
Homeland Security Act: On November 25, 2002, the Homeland Security Act was passed. It was introduced in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and created the United States Department of Homeland Security in the largest federal government reorganization since the Department of Defense was created via the National Security Act of 1947. The HSA includes many of the organizations under which the powers of the US Patriot Act are exercised and a new cabinet-level position of Secretary of Homeland Security. The term “homeland“ is representative of the 4th house.
US-led Invasion of Iraq: For years of Saddam Hussein refused proposals from the United Nations for weapons inspections, part of the cease-fire agreement and Iraq’s terms of surrender in the 1991 Gulf War. In 2002, after the Bush administration presented evidence to the United Nations that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction, the United States Congress passed on October 2, 2002 a resolution giving the President of the U.S. the authority to use the military forces of the country as he thinks necessary. On November 8, 2002, The United Nations passes Resolution 1441 in a unanimous Security Council vote. It forces Saddam Hussein and Iraq to disarm or face serious consequences. Finally, on March 20, 2003, a US-led invasion of Iraq, termed Operation "Iraqi Freedom", began. Participating with troops in the operation was the United Kingdom, along with smaller contingents from Australia and Poland. The invasion itself was concluded on May 1, 2003. The aftermath involved thirty six other countries. Despite Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq, being captured in a small bunker in Tikrit by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division on December 13, 2003, the war began to go badly with an increasing death toll on civilians and US troops.

Tension over Iran and Israel: On October 26, 2005, Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calls for the destruction of Israel and condemns the peace process. In summer of 2010, the US committed increased military resources to the Middle East, sending one carrier and 9 battle ships to the Persian Gulf. This situation has increased concern over a possible conflagration in the region.
The conflict of the USA has been quite pronounced during this period. Arguably, it has involved protecting US strategic and economic interests abroad, such as in the Middle East. It is interesting that the trend of terrorist threats to US soil began under the second Clinton Administration, which is consistent with what could develop during this period.
Health issues
Anthrax attacks: On September 18, 2001, Anthrax attacks by mail from Princeton, New Jersey against news and government targets began. Federal officials announce the first case on October 4. Several people died and many got ill. Years later a likely suspect was identified, who worked in a research lab with access to such deadly compounds. However, he was never charged and has since died. It is interesting that the attack is based on a bacterial compound, given that the 6th house rules illness and Venus rules medical knowledge and drugs.
Court cases
US vs Microsoft: On May 18, 1998, the United States Department of Justice and twenty states file the anti-trust case, U.S. versus Microsoft, concerning its Windows operating system and related corporate practices. On November 5, 1999, a preliminary ruling stated that Microsoft had monopoly power. Settlement was 4 years later in Nov 2001. This recalls the monopoly busting tendency of the earlier Venus period.
We can also explore the events in terms of the general indications of Venus, such as the comforts in life, including the climate (also a natural resource issue), women and air travel.
Climate and weather

Hurricane Katrina: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast, inundating the city of New Orleans with water from Lake Pontchetrain when the levees that maintain the below sea level city break. Over one thousand three hundred people perish from Alabama to Louisiana in one of the worst natural disasters to strike the United States. The home comforts of hundreds of thousands of Americans are disrupted.
Women
Women in politics: Political figure Madeline Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99-0. She was sworn in on January 23, 1997. Democrat Nancy Pelosi becomes first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after the November elections in 2007. On November 7, 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton wins a seat for the United States Senate from New York. It is the first time a former First Lady wins public office. On August 29, 2008, John McCain chooses Sarah Palin, 1st term Governor of Alaska, as his running mate, making the contest between Barack Obama and himself, the first time a presidential election included both an African-American candidate and a woman amongst the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees for president among the Democratic and Republican tickets. Two leading female candidates in the Presidential elections of 2008, lose out to their male competitors, Senator Hillary Clinton and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. In 2009, Clinton becomes the second female Secretary of State in the Obama Administration, while Governor Palin resigns as Governor to devote her energies full time to national causes.
Love issues
Sex scandals: The Monica Lewinsky scandal developed into a crusade about the mal-treatment of women by powerful men, with many women coming forward making accusations of sexual harassment by President Clinton. In August 2008, a sex scandal envelopes presidential candidate John Edwards, which leads to his eventual divorce. Later he acknowledges the paternity of a love child by his mistress. In December 2009, world famous US golfer Tiger Woods is caught up in a big sex scandal, which leads to the break up of his marriage and his temporary withdrawal from golfing. In June 2010, shortly after separating from his wife, former Vice President Al Gore is accused of being a “sex-crazed poodle“ by a female masseuse in Anchorage.
Air travel
Trans World Airlines Flight 800: TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747-131, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 230 on board. TWA 800 was a scheduled international passenger flight from New York City, New York to Rome, Italy, with a stopover in Paris, France.
Valujet Flight 8592: On May 11, 1996, a Valujet flight crashes into the Florida Everglades killing all 110 on board. Improperly stored oxygen generating canisters were the source of the fire.
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster: The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas stretching from Trophy Club to Tyler and into parts of Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107.
Conclusion
When comparing the major developments during two Venus periods in the SAMVA USA chart, we can see that some of the same underlying dynamics have emerged in the national life, while the historical circumstances are quite different. Racial equality has improved, manifest notably in the election of President Barack Obama. However, there have been plenty of other things disturbing the social harmony of the country in the present Venus period, including the US participation in foreign wars and terrorism striking on US soil as well as a major financial debacle and a deep recession. Excesses of corporate bosses has also provoked the ire of many. Of interest is that the US suffered major problems with marginal groups in both periods, such as indigenous indians in the 19th century and foreign muslim extremists at the present time, consistent with the placement of Ketu in the most effective point of the 4th house in the chart - ruled by Venus. These issues are expected to remain for the duration of the Venus period, or until 2016, when a more robust Sun period begins, which is expected to imbue US national life with a sense of vibrancy.
References
http://americasbesthistory.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment