1707 - Anniversary of the Act of Union

May 2007 marks the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union which created Great Britain from Scotland, England and Wales. On 3rd May there will be Scottish Parliamentary plus local government elections in Scotland. Politicians and political commentators alike are highlighting the results as pivotal for the future of the union. So what does astrology have to tell us about this relationship?

Examining key moments in the history of the relationship between Scotland and England shows that it resonates to the Uranus Return cycle and the Saturn-Uranus cycle. There is also a resonance around 10 degrees of the signs, particularly the Leo-Aquarius polarity, with a secondary area around 16-17° of the same signs.

The Declaration of Arbroath, which urged the Pope to recognise Scotland's independence from England, resonated with the 10 degrees area of the Zodiac, however it is the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton eight years later which marks the base point of the Uranus Return cycle and the Saturn-Uranus resonance.

This treaty was an agreement between England and Scotland, and it stated that the Kingdom of Scotland was and would remain "...separate in all things from the Kingdom of England, whole, free and undisturbed in perpetuity, without any kind of subjection, service claim or demand." Clearly this resonance is pointing to something that still lives and requires addressing.

This table contains milestones in the independence and union of Scotland and England (plus Wales post-1536)

Date	Event	Planetary Cycles
April 1320	Declaration of Arbroath	Saturn square Uranus (10 Aries to 10 Capricorn)
March 1328	Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton	Uranus 10 Aquarius Saturn novile Uranus (20 Cancer to 10 Aquarius)
March 1603	Union of Crowns	Uranus 11 Taurus; i.e. Uranus square its March 1328 position - quarter return - and trine its 1320 position
May 1707	Act of Union	Uranus 9 Leo i.e. opposite its 1328 position - half return Saturn undecile Uranus (5 Gemini to 9 Leo)
July 1978	Scotland Act Royal Assent	Uranus 12 Scorpio i.e. square 1328 position and trine 1320 position Saturn quintile Uranus (1 Virgo to 12 Scorpio)
March 1979	Referendum	Saturn quintile Uranus (11 Virgo to 21 Scorpio)
January to June 1988	Scottish Constitutional Convention Committee	Saturn conjunct Uranus within 2 degrees orb from January onwards
July 1988	Publication of Claim of Right	Saturn conjunct Uranus (28 Capricorn)
September 1997	Referendum - devolution	Uranus 5 Aquarius Saturn quintile Uranus (20 Aries to 5 Aquarius)
November 1998	Scotland Act Royal Assent	Uranus 9 Aquarius i.e. Uranus Return Saturn novile Uranus (28 Aries to 9 Aquarius)
May 1999	Elections - Scottish Parliament	Saturn novile Uranus (8 Taurus to 17 Aquarius)
July 1999	Scottish Parliament opens; Scotland Act enters into force	Saturn square Uranus (14 Taurus to 16 Aquarius)

 

Here follows the above table in graphic forms.

The first graphic (left) shows the cycle of Uranus to its place in 1328 when Scotland and England agreed the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton, which recognised Scotland's separateness from England.

 

Next, the cycle of Saturn-Uranus (below). In looking at this diagram it's interesting to note that the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) was born during a Saturn-Uranus sextile, and its long-standing leader Alex Salmond was born as Saturn approached a trine of Uranus. This cycle shows the importance of the lesser-used aspects: quintiles, noviles, undeciles, also known respectively as fifth harmonic, ninth harmonic, and eleventh harmonic aspects.

The 1988 constitutional convention produced the Claim of Right, which warrants closer attention because it is this that will be to the fore during the Saturn-Uranus opposition of 2008-2010. These years are likely to be a time of direct confrontation on the issue of the state of the union, and the decision about changing the relationship.

The Claim was signed by Gordon Brown, who was at the time a relatively unknown MP, but who now of course occupies a very different position. It asserted Scotland's right to form its own Parliament, and was motivated by a desire for full independence¹, based on the view that Scotland had suffered as a result of being part of the union.

The May 2007 elections take place with Saturn quincunx Uranus, showing the relevance of the elections to the union. This aspect suggests irritation with the status quo and a tense, frustrated desire for reforms to it. Jupiter is involved too, trining Saturn and squaring Uranus, so the society-building nature of the time is clear. Saturn will simultaneously be opposite Neptune, resonating with Tony Blair who has Saturn conjunct Neptune, and the Labour party which has Saturn trine Neptune, reinforcing the idea that this is indeed a pivotal time for the balance of power within the union.

At the time of writing, the SNP is ahead of Labour in Scottish polls², and has said it would hold a referendum on Scotland's independence by 2010, just as the Saturn opposition Uranus is completed³, the culmination of its waxing phase and the external expression of the seed that was planted in 1988.