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Wine nearly as old as the United States discovered



Neptune (Dionysus) – the wine maker


A restoration project at a New Jersey museum unearthed cases of wine nearly as old as the United States.  The Liberty Hall Museum in Union says it discovered almost three full cases of Madeira wine, a fortified wine, dating to 1796 while restoring its wine cellar. NJ.com (http://bit.ly/2sHP4uh ) reports the museum also found 42 demijohns — large glass jugs sometimes used for holding spirits — dating to the 1820s.  The museum said the monetary value of the wine cannot be made public.  The original 13 colonies imported about 95 percent of the wine produced on the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira, according to historical accounts. Bill Schroh, Liberty Hall's director of operations, said Madeira was the best wine to ship during the 18th century because it almost never spoils — even centuries later if stored properly. July 12


Understanding the world around us depends on our power to perceive patterns of meaning, to make the right connections,  recognize what belongs with what. And we must be prepared for surprises. By linking things which do not at first sight seem to be linked, astrology reveals that happenings we accept at face value  are fraught with deeper significance.





To understand the news and its deeper implication, we begin with the chart for the Solar Eclipse of September 1, 2016. This New Moon eclipse lies in the midst of the stars of Leo and  Alioth of Ursa Major. Ursa Major represents the Great Mother Bear, and the adjacent constellation, Ursa Minor, represents her cub so that it emphasizes the nurturing quality of this constellation. On the other hand, Leo the Lion is linked to warfare.

"Who can doubt the nature of the monstrous Lion, and the pursuits he prescribes for those born beneath his sign? The lion ever devises fresh fights and fresh warfare on animals, and lives on spoil and pillaging of flocks. " [Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century AD, p.237.]





In his essay on the eclipse entitled, New Directions, Nick Fiorenza explains that this eclipse is asking us to choose between being nurturing or warlike to maintain totalitarian control of the Earth.
The eclipse forms a T-square with Mars-Saturn-Neptune and when progressed to July 12, the date of the news, the T aligns perfectly with the horizon axis and is thereby triggered.  Neptune is placed amid stars of the Arabic Lunar Mansion "The Lucky Star of Hidden Things or Hiding Places"; which is  good for finding things that have been lost. Here of course, the casks of wine!

Johnson and Ariel Gutman, in their book Mythic Astrology, make a strong case that the astrological Neptune’s secondary archetype is Dionysus.  Historically, Dionysus or Bacchus, the god of wine,  is portrayed as a multifaceted god. He represents extreme violence and possession but is also a charming god and a giver of intoxicated joy to his believers. So a simple interpretation for Mars-Neptune in this  combination can be an intoxication (Neptune) with war (Mars). When Saturn acts on  this combination, it is a good time to sober up. A more responsible approach to our inner landscape can clear up foggy, unclear behavior. Discerning Saturn energy can help reveal delusions we’ve bought into, cutting through our mental haze to reveal what’s real.

The cases of Madeira wine that have been discovered date back to  1796. This was the year George Washington, the first President of the United States, in his Farewell Address to the nation, warned his countrymen to avoid the creation of an overgrown military, which he saw as a great threat to liberty, especially the republican liberty that the United States had created. In 1796, transit Saturn conjoined the Sibly Mars placed amid the stars of the Hunter-Warrior Orion.  As mentioned before, Mars is square Neptune in the radix implying an intoxication (Neptune-Dionysus) with war (Mars).  Saturn which also stands for the leader or President was trying to put the brakes on military adventurism.

As Saturn is stationing to go direct in August at [22sa] , it is opposite Sibly Mars [22ge] and square Neptune [22vi]. In other words, the discovery of the old wine under a Saturn transit is symbolic and warns of the need to get out of the addiction to war. Neptune’s weakness is its passion for mind-numbing illusion. It does not want to listen to Saturn, but it must. 

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