Our Ft Sumter. Have The First Shots Been Fired?

 

 

In my new moon report, I discussed Neptune’s journey into Aries (March 30).   I pointed out that it takes 164 years for Neptune to go around the zodiac and the last time we were here was April 13, 1861 which was a Saturday.   The day before on Friday April 12^th, the first battle of the US Civil War began at Ft Sumter.

 

I wrote:  

 

“I do not always go this deep into history, but for this event I think some context would be helpful.   In November 1860 Abraham Lincoln won the Presidential election.   Lincoln was opposed to expanding slavery into the western territories.  Southern politicians and power players saw the writing on the wall that if new states (carved out of territories) did not have slavery, then their pull in Congress would diminish which could end their right to own human beings.   Imagine that. 

 

The response to Lincoln’s win was almost immediate, South Carolina seceded from the USA a month after Lincoln’s win.   Then within six months ten other states joined the Confederacy.   In response, Lincoln authorized the Union troops to protect Ft. Sumter.   

 

On April 12, the Confederates shot the first bullet and a two-day skirmished ensued.  The Union lost the battle.   During the fight, civilians watched the battle from the shore.  If those South Carolinians took comfort in the Confederate’s quick win, they would not see their side victorious at the end.   If Lincoln and the Union thought the war would just be a few skirmishes and then they would be victorious they would get one part correct, the Union would win but it would not be a short war.   It lasted four years with 620,000 Americans confirmed dead and 400,000 missing.   It was long and bloody.    Did Neptune know any of that was our future when it entered Aries in 1861?   It remained in Aries until 1875 which then included reconstruction, industrialization, and the expansion of the West.  While slavery was abolished, civil rights were not equal among races and genders.  And of course, laborers in all areas were subjected to abusive work environments, including child labor.  Of course, after the Civil War America became a muscular international force.    Now on this Neptune return to the Civil War of 1861 we would not be wrong to take a big gulp and be concerned about what is on our horizon.   To be clear

Neptune’s entrance in Aries does not have to be another Civil War.  It could be different type of battles.   Perhaps cyber?  Financial?  There can be a dissolving of boundaries and borders in some way.   It is hard to say but given the history between Lincoln’s election and Ft Sumter it seems reasonable to assume that whatever comes up on our horizon may not be a surprise since it certainly wasn’t a surprise to anyone in 1861.”  

 

So, that was what I wrote a few weeks ago.   Where are we now one week after Neptune moved into Aries?  

The man who said he loved tariffs during his campaign and said he would go strong on tariffs did exactly what he said he would do four days after Neptune entered zero Aries.   On April 2 with Donald Trump’s  “Liberation Day” (How Aries) announcement, the USA would activate high tariffs immediately.    Like confederates shooting at Ft. Sumter, Trump's tariffs were no surprise.   The response was breathtaking as trillions of dollars evaporated out of the economy.  

 

Leaders in Wall Street weighed in.   

“There is a fear among some on Wall Street that Trump’s surging tariffs will stunt growth, reignite inflation and lift unemployment.”  “JPMorgan has raised its likelihood of the US economy entering a recession before the end of the year to 60% as President Donald Trump’s tariff plans upend markets worldwide.” 

 As of this writing, the futures for Monday April 7 began trending at a loss of 1,500 on Dow Jones.   Across April 3 and April 4, U.S. stocks lost $6.4 trillion in value—a figure comparable to the market capitalization of Amazon, Apple, and Berkshire Hathaway combined. It was the U.S. stock market's largest two-day loss in history by over $2 trillion.^[204]

By any measure it looks like shots have been fired and our modern Ft Sumter is activating a self created financial world war.   Historically there have been only two extraordinary harsh tariffs in the history of the USA and both were political and financial disasters.   Now these tariffs are in our modern electronic landscape which means large volumes are moving at the speed of light.   The consequences may be catastrophic on steroids.  However, the current White House is confident there is nothing to see here.   Are they correct?   

Let’s look at the chart for the USA. 

Using the Sibley chart, the USA’s Venus at 3 degrees of Cancer is impacted by square with this fresh Neptune in Aries (3-degree orb).  Venus rules money and financial values.  Neptune dissolves things.  The evaporation of 6 trillion dollars over two days is on brand for a Neptune Venus square.   Neptune’s motivation can be inspired, fuzzy or delusional.  In 1861 South Carolinians were willing to go to war and fight to death to preserve their inhumane slave labor.   One hundred forty years later it is easy to argue that motivation was delusional.  

 

So, now here we are.  How will these tariffs seem to historians of the future?   Inspired or delusional?    We’ll have to see how this rolls out.  But at first blush it seems like we are in the midst of our FT Sumter.