Civil Rights Act of 1964 -
Invalidation of Defense of Marriage Act

 As the Bob Dylan song goes, "The times they are a changin."  The Supreme Court's invalidation of the Defense of Marriage Act heralds a new definition of not only marriage but of "family values."   

Planetary cycles start with the conjunction of two planets.  The Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the 1960s heralded changing social, political, and moral values.  

 The Civil Rights Act passed on July 2, 1964 outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities and women.  It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, workplace, and public accommodations.  Its powers were initially weak but supplemented in later years.  Congress asserted authority over the states under the power to regulate interstate commerce. 

 As would be expected, the bill's passage in both the House and Senate was divided along geographic areas. The eleven states that made up the Confederacy primarily voted against the bill.  Only seven Southern Democrats out of 87 in the House of Representatives, and only one Southern Democrat out of 20 in the Senate voted for the Bill. Only one Northern Democrat, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, voted against the Bill (after a lengthy filibuster). 

 In July of 1964, the exact conjunction of Uranus and Pluto, signifying dramatic social and cultural changes, had yet to occur.  (Uranus and Pluto were 6 degrees apart.  The first exact conjunction occurred on April 1, 1965.) This illustrates how significant planetary configurations affect an overall timeframe, starting before they become exact and continuing for a period of time afterwards.

 Given the landmark bill and the conflict leading up to its passage, it's no surprise that the chart for July 2, 1964 (drawn for noon in Washington DC) is full of conflict.  It includes a T-square among Uranus and Pluto conjunct in Virgo, Saturn in Pisces, and Mars in Gemini.  This is a particular feisty combination of planets, with the forces of change being opposed by the status quo.

 Jupiter in Taurus was opposite Neptune in Scorpio, perhaps showing both idealism and conflicting values.  Venus in Gemini was square to Chiron in Pisces.   The Moon in Aries was square to the North Node, and Sun in Cancer.  The Sun was parallel the North Node.    

 The North Node at 2 Cancer conjoined Venus at 2 Cancer in the US chart.  (I'm using the Gemini Rising chart for the US.)  Venus was Retrograde at 21 Gemini 54, conjoining the US Mars at 20 Gemini 57 and forming a square to the US Neptune.  The legal ramifications of this Act facilitated social, as well as legal, transformation. 

The Defense of Marriage Act was passed on September 21, 1996 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton (something to think about for those who see, or saw, Clinton as a social liberal).  The Supreme Court ruled this law invalid on June 26, 2013.  I consider this invalidation an extension of the initial Civil Rights Act as it extends the civil rights under federal law, this time for gay and lesbian couples.  This Supreme Court decision occurred during the first square of Uranus and Pluto, following its 1965 conjunction.  (The court decision was based upon a suit brought by   Edith Windsor is an 84-year old widow, who was forced to pay $363,000 in federal taxes after the death of her female spouse because their marriage was not recognized under federal law.)

Interestingly enough, in progressing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to June 26, 2013, we find an almost to the minute trine from the progressed Sun in Leo to natal Ceres in Sagittarius (27 Leo 37 to 27 Sagittarius 36).  The Sun rules authority, Ceres representing issues relating to family.  In addition, on June 26 transiting Jupiter had just entered the family sign of Cancer where the Sun, Mercury, and Venus were already posited.  While this Supreme Court decision dealt with marital status, it ultimately affects the definition of what constitutes a family under the law.   

Planetary placements on June 26 include six out of ten celestial bodies in the same signs as in the US chart—Jupiter, Sun, Mercury, and Venus in Cancer, the Moon in Aquarius, and Mars in Gemini, so the energy is simpatico.  And the Solar Arc Jupiter in the Civil Rights Act had moved to 5 degrees of Cancer, the same degree as the Jupiter in the US chart. 

The chart of the Supreme Court decision included an exact grand trine among the Sun in Cancer, Saturn in Scorpio, and Neptune in Pisces, as well as Jupiter in Cancer in this grand trine.  The Sun was parallel Mars and Jupiter and Saturn and Neptune were parallel (as well as trine).   

The position of Pluto in the Invalidation of DOMA chart was exactly opposite the Sun in the Civil Rights Act chart and had Uranus less than 2 degrees past its square.   Neptune (part of the grand trine among Neptune, the Sun, and Saturn) conjoined Saturn in the Civil Rights Act chart, and the North Node conjoined Neptune. 

Needless to say, this many planetary connections are unusual.   The Defense of Marriage Act chart of September 21, 1996 shows no such connections.  As such, it looks like "game over" legally for the conservative Christian forces.

Interestingly enough, at the time that same sex marriage officially began in Massachusetts on May 17. 2004, Mars and Saturn were conjoined in Cancer.  Saturn was at 10 degrees of Cancer conjoining the Civil Rights Act chart Sun (in the exact same degree) and the US Sun (at 12 degrees of Cancer).  Saturn represents the task master of the Zodiac.  It's as if these conjunctions were holding the country responsible for its actions and set the stage for further change.   

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