Continuing the discussion of the asteroid Pallas (Athena), this month the focus shifts from her connection to the immune system to that concerning voting rights. This asteroid goddess played a role in the passing of the 19th Amendment in 1920 that gave women in the U.S. the right to vote, amidst the Spanish Flu pandemic raging at the time. One hundred years later, as we now celebrate the centennial of this momentous event, voting rights has become a key issue in the integrity of the 2020 election. And, the asteroid Pallas is co-present in the historic triple Jupiter/Pluto Capricorn conjunctions this year.
Ancient writers preserved the heart-breaking mythological story where Pallas Athena was indirectly responsible for Athenian women losing their right to vote. Athena and Poseidon (Neptune) were rivals in a contest for winning rulership of Athens based upon who could offer the better gift to the city. Athena planted an olive tree atop the Acropolis which could be used for food, shelter, and shade while Poseidon struck the rock with his trident from which emerged a salt spring. The victor was decided by a vote of the citizens, both men and women; the women who all chose Athena outvoted the men by one. In retaliation, Poseidon threatened to flood the land. In order to appease his wrath, the men inflicted a triple punishment upon the women. Women were to lose their vote, they could no longer give their name to their children, and could no longer be called Athenians, after their goddess (Saint Augustine, City of God, 8.9).
Starting with the historic Seneca Falls convention in 1848, several generations of suffragettes devoted their lives to securing a woman’s right to vote. During the final two-year push (1918-1920) the entire country was being ravaged by widespread influenza infection, illness, death, fear, prohibition of public gatherings and speaking, and bitter disputes in federal and state legislatures opposed to granting women the right to vote, especially for African-American women. All of this took place against the background of the U.S. involvement in World War I.
One suffragette stands out for her leadership role in this campaign, Carrie Chapman Catt, the President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She herself, struck by the flu and chained to her bed for many months, continued to orchestrate the women’s rights strategy for passing the amendment that was contingent upon the 1918 midterm elections. This included replacing four suffrage opponents who were up for reelection in the Senate with challengers who had pledged to support the federal amendment. A second line of attack was assisting several more states to pass their referendums for women’s voting rights.
Here is her chart cast for noon as there is no recorded birth time. Note the close conjunction between the asteroid Pallas at 17 Capricorn and the Sun at 19 Capricorn. Here we see the confluence of her solar destiny with the goddess of war, known for her strategic planning, fighting to restore the voting rights of women in the midst of a pandemic. Pallas and the Sun are joined by Vesta and Ceres, two others of the four major asteroid goddesses.
The suffrage bill was passed by the new Congress in June 1919. It then needed ratification by three-quarters of the states. In a tense battle, Tennessee put the 19th Amendment over the finish line on August 18, 1920. The senator who gave the final affirmative vote was persuaded by a strongly-worded note from his mother hand-delivered to him during the deliberations. The amendment was adopted into law on August 26, 1920 at 8 am in Washington, D.C., occurring at the very moment that morning when Pallas had just stationed retrograde at its maximum intensity at 0 Taurus and received a trine aspect ray from the Sun (3 Virgo) and Jupiter (30 Leo). Pallas was also conjunct the South Node of the Moon, indicating the long-time struggle to overcome past injustices.
In a forthcoming presentation at the Astrology University Summit October 2020, I will discuss how Pallas is playing a key role in the U.S. election, looking at both the historic Jupiter/Pluto conjunction marking the election and the public figures who are spearheading the movement to protect voting rights.
In the meantime, you can follow my new work on the asteroids
Asteroid Goddesses 2020 Webinar on June 20, 2020
Asteroid Signatures, a 4-week online course beginning July 13, 2020 – info coming soon