NRA founded by Union General and Colonel to Promote and Encourage "Rifle-Shooting on a Scientific Basis"
by Jude Cowell
After the Civil War, Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate were disappointed over the "lack of marksmanship shown by their troops" so they founded the National Rifle Association for the betterment of shooting guns. Guess not enough Confederates had been maimed or killed to suit them.
The state of New York granted a charter to set up the organization on November 17, 1871 with Sun in Scorpio (Mars-Pluto) and Moon in Capricorn (Saturn) until 6:10 am that morning, Albany NY, then the Moon sailed into Aquarius (Saturn-Uranus.) The following remarks detail both Sun-Moon blends of that day but primarily I'm looking at a noon horoscope with Sun @24Sco56 and Moon just risen at 3AQ28 (the degree of Jupiter in the 2009 Inauguration horoscope, near the presidential Sun and Mercury Rx. Hmm.)
Mars Rules Weapons and Those Who Use Them
A major influence on Nov 17, 1871 is a harsh Mars-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn--7:44 and 7:04, respectively) which transit Pluto has now triggered. Pluto, planet of death and transformation, updates the 1871 chart by midpoint picture: natal Mars-Saturn = tr Pluto: the need to take control; forcing an issue; strong anger. (Tyl.)
NRA natal Mercury (planet of charters, but also of young people) is in the 3--4 degree range of Sagittarius, Mercury's Rx Station position on Election Day 2012--which basically timed a Mercury Return for the NRA as the public re-considers its support of the rifle-loving organization, while Congress' says it's re-viewing the assault weapons ban they neglected to re-new a few years ago under Bush-Cheney (who shotgunned his lawyer friend in the face on a hunting trip. Guess Dick didn't like the advice his lawyer gave him. Yet as you know, gun accidents do happen, don't they?)
In the 1871 noon chart, Mercury @3Sag40 returned to its natal degree on Nov 3, Nov 9 (Rx), and Dec 13, 2012, the day prior to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. As noted, Mercury is the planet of young people and of reporters on the beat.
Yes, coverage is necessary, yet my feeling is that the press is now glorifying the tragedy 24/7 which may encourage other unstable personalities to long for similar publicity and recognition.
Sun Sco-Moon Cap (Water-Earth = pragmatism is a blend of tough and tenacious energies that thrive on public crusading. Impatient with the weaknesses of others, it shows moral and physical courage, a brooding nature, and has two interesting "Images for Integration" (conscious + unconscious) in view of the NRA's political power to sway and control Washington politicians, Hollywood's obvious promotion of our violence-glorifying culture, and the period of national mourning now in effect:
"A general leads his troops to victory...A film director plans each shot to maximize its emotional impact." (My italics, the Harveys' Images from Sun Sign-Moon Sign.)
Here are two quotes which may apply from people who share natally the Sun Sco-Moon Cap blend:
"Puritanism...helps us enjoy our misery while we are inflicting it on others." --Marcel Ophuls
"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash." --Gen George Patton
The Sun Sco-Moon AQ blend (Water-Air = ethereal mist; tears) reveals a sense of integrity, pride, and passion. It has a 'law unto oneself' attitude and radically independent views with a strong need to achieve; plus, survival instincts are strong. Principled yet intolerant, interested, then indifferent, this blend 'blows hot and cold emotionally', and has a deeply possessive streak with a lack of faith in others that won't give them a fair chance.
"Images for Integration: A hovering hawk surveys the world, at one with nature...A moth emerges from its chrysalis, in perfect form, a specimen of the sublimity of nature's intelligence." (Harveys.) (Does the first Image sound like a sniper poised with a long-range rifle? jc)
Sun Sco-Moon AQ is shared natally by scholary churchman Robert Burton who said, "How much more cruel the pen is than the sword." (Ah, but the gun! jc)
The blend is also shared by Albert Camus who asserted that, "Integrity is in no need of rules," one of those Enlightenment (Uranus-Neptune) sorts of rational statements that leaves out how men without rules easily sink into all kinds of chaos, mischief and sorriness, including violence.
Now isn't it long overdue how Washington politicians are giving lip service to 'doing something' about the horror of violence in the US? How long do you think their attention will last with NRA agents lounging about the Halls of Power? Will mental health issues finally be addressed and funded?
Yes, even Hollywood is having to take notice this time for openings of Tarantino's violent film Django Unchained and Tom Cruises's new Jack Reacher (which opens with a sniper scene--oh goody) are now scaled down, postponed, or canceled out of respect for the families and victims of the Sandy Hook School massacre.
Or did the movie industry make a cynical calculation that audiences would stay away in droves out of their own respect for the victims and a new awareness that violence is not and ought not to be entertainment?
Being mindful that it's December 2012, you'll find over at Learning Curve on the Ecliptic Twilight's excellent article The Raising of Our Roots concerning Saturnalia, that Saturnian celebration of Roman times which a certain church hierarchy morphed into 'Christ's mass', or 'Christmas', as we've learned to call it through the centuries. One point that's always seemed important to this particular Protestant: lambs are born in the Spring. jc