The Evolution of Australia's National Psyche

The Evolution of the Australian National Psyche

The most popular horoscope for Australia is calculated for a ceremonial event held on the afternoon of 1 Jan 1901, in Sydney. This gives Australia an Aries Ascendant, but the legal beginnings of Australia were in Melbourne that day at 00.00 hrs and this chart shows Libra rising. Relocating this to Canberra, Australia’s capital, also gives Libra rising, which is highly descriptive of Australia’s collective persona. 

Libra rising suits the Australian national psyche to a tee. As a nation, we carry a rather large chip on our collective shoulder. We have always sought endorsement and validation for our existence from other countries and visitors to our shores. We have also entered into many conflicts and wars, not because we are aggressive by nature (which would be the case if Aries were rising) but at the request of our Allies. We always join in, even when Australia is in no way under direct threat. Libra rising reflects our collective tendency to want to be viewed favourably by others.

In this chart, our Mars in Virgo resides in the 12^th house, located quite close to the “Gauquelin zone” for sporting achievement, which aptly describes our passion for sport and our competitive interest in almost every sport from swimming to cricket.

Cancer on the Midheaven speaks volumes about our collective aspiration towards home ownership, which is one of the highest per capita in the world. Saturn and the Sun make a conjunction to the IC, representing our security consciousness and the intense conservatism that underpins our collective psyche. Despite the fact that there is a stellium of planets in Sagittarius, which reflects our wide-open spaces, the concept of the “lucky country”, our sport loving nature and the fact that we are largely populated by people from other cultures, we have a strongly conservative side.

Neptune in the 9^th house opposes Mercury/Chiron/Jupiter in the3^rd, so Australians tend to be unconscious of any deception, communication errors or downright lies we read, hear or see in the media, or perhaps we just don’t care. Collectively, we project Neptune. We want to be seen as a friendly, outgoing, sport-loving, generous people, but we are very open to deceptive forces and manipulation.

Process of transformation – Pluto transit

There can be no doubt that Australia as a nation has undergone immense transformation over recent years. Terms such as “losing our innocence” have been used in the media to describe this process of change. Transiting Pluto has been gradually, but relentlessly, pressing on the host of Sagittarian planets in Australia’s chart.

Since Pluto entered Sagittarius in 1995, it has made conjunctions to our North Node, to Venus, Uranus and Jupiter, and in the next two years will make conjunctions to Mercury and Chiron. These transits have dramatically transformed our social and cultural identity. Education, media and communication have all been undergoing this process of profound change. As Pluto transits Australia’s 3^rd house, propaganda too is rife.

Under Howard, the Goods and Services Tax was introduced on 1/7/2000. This took place with transiting Pluto at 10.48 Sagittarius and Chiron at 12.24 both making tight conjunctions to Australia’s Venus at 10.14 Sagittarius, ruler of the 1^st and 8^th houses.

Before Pluto was making its way through Australia’s 3rd house, Pluto entered our 2^nd house of money and values in late 1990, when we went through the “recession we had to have” which also coincided with the deregulation of the banking system.

Saturn transits- fear and restructuring

The recent transit of Saturn in Cancer opposed Australia’s Sun, which added to the serious mood of the nation, bringing about a culture of fear concerning border security and equal concern over mortgage interest rates.

Transiting Saturn was in the 9^th house of foreign relations during the federal election campaign in late 2001, when nationalistic xenophobia about invading refugees and terrorism reached paranoid levels. Political manipulation of the media for propaganda purposes was rife.

Now, Saturn is moving through Leo. Politically, this cycle is associated with censorship, the abortion debate and regulations that restrict personal and creative freedom. Saturn will continue to transit Leo until September 2007.

Should an Australian Republic ever come to pass, we will have a new horoscope. This seems unlikely at the present time, but could occur when transiting Pluto gets to Australia’s Sun in Capricorn, which will be around 2012-13.

US relations

If we compare the US (Sibly) chart to Australia’s horoscope, the US Jupiter, Sun and Venus sit on our Midheaven, highlighting our aspiration to all things American. In addition, the US Saturn is exactly on our Libran Ascendant highlighting both our fear and respect for that nation. Meanwhile, Australia’s Uranus in Sagittarius sits on the US Ascendant, so they think we are quirky, eccentric and unique!