Happy Birthday, New York City!

Guess whose birthday is today, May 16?
Well, yeah, I gave it away in the title – and I’m HERE now!

Since I feel very connected to New York City, and at the very least I find the City fascinating, and since I got ‘her’ birth chart(!), and since I visit her these days:  Here’s to honour and celebrate HER – not only, but definitely: TODAY!

 

 

There are a few dates and times for the ‘Birth of the City of Dreams’ and ‘Big Apple’, depending on which event is considered the initiating one.

In 1625, Fort Amsterdam was designated the capital of the province of New Amsterdam, the colonial Dutch settlement which would later become the City of New York. The first Dutch settlers actually arrived in the region in 1624, and the town of New Amsterdam was incorporated in 1653.
The City of New York  was consolidated at a flag raising to the top of the pole over City Hall at 00:00 midnight of 1 January 1898.

So, what about May 16 then?
393 years ago, on May 16, 1626 a historic purchase was made (very TAURUS – very PLUTO / SUN / VENUS in TAURUS actually – see chart below): Peter Minuit bought Manhattan Island for 60 gilders (value of something like $ 1500 today) from the Lenape tribe – or, as the story goes, ‘made gifts for the use of their land’. And what a legendary ‘land use and development’ it’s become! We’ll see some of this theme in New York’s chart.
Maybe the first, definitely the biggest capitalist / land speculation coup in history – a pretty famous one anyhow. And now – she’s the capital of capiral
Never mind the indigenous wisdom:
You belong to the Earth – the Earth doesn’t belong to you. 

Photo: Wall St. Bull (Wiki)

But, as history has it, humanity had to take a ‘detour’.
And Manhattan owes its ‘birth’ to this historic deal:

It’s May 16, 1626 chart sports PLUTO / SUN / VENUS in TAURUS (the sign of the Settler, the Land, the Bull, assimilation, purchases, money, value…. and yummy things like APPLES in the Garden of Eden).

 

So, let’s take a look at the chart, and what it tells us.

Whoa…. soo much encoded in it, so many stories in these Archetypes – worth of much deeper and broader research and exploration.
But hey, let’s get the ball, or shall I say: Apple, rolling, on ‘HER’ Birthday:

 

 

 

• With the time I have for the transaction, 9:33 am EST, the Rising sign is proud and glamourous LEO, ruled by the solid TAURUS SUN – ‘coming out of’ PLUTO, and next to VENUS, in the 10th / 11th house. EARTH is the predominant element.
  But that’s just the first glance…

 

• What a powerful (overpowering?) purchase (PLUTO / SUN / VENUS in TAU) – given the VALUE of the land, as history has shown.
  Let me put it in neutral terms: A model to the world (10th house) of what transforming and developing the potential of the land value(PLUTO in TAU) can do. And proudly showing it (LEO Rising) to the world. Definitely not shy. Definitely Celebrity City.
  

 

• Early LEO has an ARIES undertone – pioneer spirit shows. NYC has always been so innovative and creative. Here is where the individual can rise and shine – if…. they also got something potent, valuable, and attractive (PLUTO / SUN – Ruler of the AC / VENUS) to put out to the world.

 

• The AC on the CAN / LEO cusp is also the Spirit of Creativity and Welcome! (MOON / SUN ruled). Both definitely signatures of the City – with the hallmark of the Statue of Liberty.

 

• SUN / VENUS in late TAU on the 10th – 11th house cusp: Purpose (10th) for the future (11th), from the perspective of 1626, was – with the human PLUTO shadow attached – to create something ever so attractive, through craftiness, ingenuity, and smart, skillful work(late TAU has a VIRGO undertone). The VIRGO undertone also brings us to the Sacred Feminine.
  You probably know that the Statue of Liberty was donated by France in 1886. Researchers speculate its intentional, masonic placement was, in short, invoking the Egyptian Goddess Isis! Lots of fascinating material out there.

 

• On that note, NYC’s North Node ‘happens to be’ on the ‘Sphinx Point’, also in early VIRGO in ‘her’ 2nd house, next to SATURN: A mandate for NYC to: “Know yourself!” Know what you can do, be in integrity, and don’t loose energy by getting pulled into others’ agenda (South Node in PI in the 8th house).
  Well, there have been more than a few fishy, shady, criminal things going on in NYC’s history that made her infamous… yet, ‘cleaning up’, esp. in the 1990’s became the talk of not just the town but a model of what’s possible. Check out this City Journal article. In the 1990’s, NYC had its Nodal Return in VIRGO, and also SATURN, URANUS, and NEPTUNE were moving through ‘her’ 6th house in CAP. Serious clean-up business.

 

• Re: Early VIRGO North Node, with SATURN, reminds me immediately also of Woody Allen’s movie Manhattan (which I first saw in German, called Der Stadtneurotiker – the City Neurotic – which is what early VIRGO can also turn into, ha-ha!). Woody Allen has a SAG SUN and VIRGO Rising. Makes sense, with his humour. No wonder he is / was one of NYC’s movie trademarks.

 

• The MOON in late CAP (with the VIRGO undertone), in the VIRGO related 6th House – NYC had a CAP MOON Lunar Return earlier today too (rare on a birthday): Well, lots of hard work that pays… in the end, if you have resilience, perseverance, and… know the right people – a trine to the SUN / VENUS on the 11th house cusp.

 

• The City that never sleeps (MARS in cozy CANCER in ‘her’ 12th house), and always strives (the MOON – ruling CANCER – in CAP in ‘her’ 6th house).

 

• NYC’s MOON connects with the U.S. PLUTO in late CAP, both transited by PLUTO, for the first time in history in 2020 – 2022 – a development that can change everything… A major political event? An Evolution that’s already under way…. ? How well do we use resources and time???! Maybe a Revolution at the same time, since the NYC MOON, and the U.S. PLUTO are on the ‘Prometheus Point’ in the Zodiac, where CAP turns into AQUARIUS – rules by… URANUS. Prometheus bringing the ‘Fire of the Gods’ / the privilege of the Elite to Humanity.

 

 

‘Golden Boy’ Prometheus at the Rockefeller Centre NYC, surrounded by the Zodiac belt. Prometheus the Awakener is the Archetype related to the Planet Uranus!

 

• And in contrast: There’s also ARIES, namely: NYC’s Midheaven, recently transited by URANUS: The spirit of innovation and revolution…Technologically, start-ups, new wave of entrepreneurs, and: Women’s March. URANUS in ARIES (2011 – 18) has brought lots of fast paced innovation, and acceleration of processes, big time via technology, but also in general, for human consciousness. Wake-up calls, and awakening spirit. Independence is a big theme there for URANUS on NYC’s MC.
  More Uranian square activation for the U.S. PLUTO to come, this year, mixing things up, for outmoded controlling forces and structures. Liberty!
  So much fast paced, competitive energy on the ARIES MC – if you can make it there… yet, perhaps nowadays not JUST NYC anymore – the Uranian spirit is everywhere…

 

• Speaking of URANUS, it sits on NYC’s 2nd house cusp in LEO – thank Goddess for eccentricity, and unique creative ways of standing out! We love you for that, Big Apple!
  The Total Solar Eclipse over the U.S. on Aug 21 will be on NYC’s URANUS – a new beginning for Liberation and Independence of Self Expression!

 

• JUPITER / NEPTUNE in LIBRA in ‘her’ 4th house – City of Dreams – Dream BIG!
  So many hopes (JUPITER) and dreams (NEPTUNE) have brought so many people from many cultures (LIBRA) to New York. And what a cultural and art scene there!
  Plus: The ‘energy exchange’ of the original deal between Peter Minuit (which means midnight in French) on the ‘midnight point’ of the chart, represess to the land and ‘home’ itself, was a big time (JUPITER) give-away (NEPTUNE) / gain. Speaking of ‘balance’!!!
  New York will have ‘her’ JUPITER return this Sept (first contact was already in Jan / Feb) – goes to show, LIBRA’s notion for fairness, justice, and balance is also BIG this year – now that could lead to a whole political discussion…

 

• Lastly, the NYC CHIRON in late PISCES in ‘her’ 9th house also returns (every 50 years!) 2017 – 18. The ‘melting pot’ for people from across the world. Once again, we see how vulnerable one can be when looking for a new shore, or simply: surviving. 

 

Let’s be compassionate. We are all in this together.

 

 

 

Birthday Blessings to NYC, and to the NEW YORK SPIRIT in all of us!

© 2019 by Melanie Lichtinger

 

 

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