A Verified Astrological Prediction on President McKinley’s Second Term

     “In presenting to an indulgent and much-abused public my quadrennial Astrological prediction upon national affairs, I deem it but just to offer some slight excuse for so doing. I also consider that they are entitled to a measure, so to say, of my ability in the art of casting national horoscopes. I conclude, therefore, that a slight introduction in the shape of a resume, or sketch, of past achievements in this line may be acceptable. If, after perusing them, it should be found that the predictions quoted have been fulfilled, then may I be pardoned for again offering my slight contribution in this mysteriously fascinating line to please the fancy or feed the mind.
     Astrology—Whence comes it? Who founded it? By whom was it first practiced? These and many others are queries which no man [257][258] knows and no one ever will know. Buried ’neath the veiled mists of antiquity and shrouded in the gloom of a Brahman night, its early history must forever remain an unsolvable mystery. This much, however, is known; the early classics teem with its beauteous references; history is replete with its remarkable fulfillments. The Bible contains many beautiful illustrations of the remarkable truths embedded in its teachings, and embodied in its practice. We read in the first chapter of Genesis, 14th verse, ‘God said let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years.’ Let us look at this in an astrological sense. ‘Let them be for signs.’ What signs? Why the signs are the twelve signs of the Zodiac formed by lights of the empyrean, viz.: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius and Pisces. ‘And for seasons.’ The four seasons are ushered in when the Sun in his yearly circuit of the heavens touches the first point of each of the four cardinal ‘signs’ of the Zodiac, viz.: Aries (spring), Cancer (summer), Libra (autumn), and Capricornus (winter). The various seasons begin, as we all know, about the 20th of March, June, September and December, hence these four seasons bid us prepare for the various physical phenomena sure to follow the Sun’s entry, as before noted. These then are the ‘signs’ for the ‘seasons.’ Pursuing along the same lines a little further, we see that Aries, (the ram) or spring, is in opposition to Libra (the balance) or autumn, and when the Sun rises with Aries in the spring it heralds the planting time, but when rising with Libra in the autumn it signifies the period of harvest time; so, too, Cancer (summer) is opposed to Capricornus (winter); we see, therefore, that these signs are for the ‘seasons,’ which man, guided by intelligence, makes all due provisions for. ‘And for years’—in the eternal, ceaseless, myriad years, unnumbered in the past and hid in the limitless expanse of dim futurity, the symbols or ‘signs’ of the Zodiac, which in the form of a circle can have neither beginning nor end, may properly represent years, i. e., eternity. The first point of [258][259] Aries, however, has long been settled upon as a proper point of beginning of the solar year, because it signifies the return of the Sun to his increase of power. This being the beginning, then from this point to the last degree of Pisces (the fishes) constitutes one year. As the Sun passes (or appears to pass) through the twelve ‘signs’ of the Zodiac, transferring the influence of one season to another, he completes the year and begins a new one as he passes the last degree of the ‘sign’ Pisces and enters once more the ‘sign’ or house of returning strength—Aries (spring), thus metaphorically welding the years together in the forge of eternity’s time. The foregoing explains in an astrological sense the meaning of the passage alluded to. There are many other purely astrological references, but the above will suffice for this article.
     Four years ago I submitted my predictions to the editor of THE METAPHYSICAL MAGAZINE, of New York. The paper was published the following August with a few editorial interpretations, which, however, did not alter the sense of the article in the least, being merely of an explanatory nature. The following predictions were made at that time.
     ‘An American policy abroad.’
     ‘Martial men and martial affairs will play a prominent part.’
     ‘Army and navy will be increased.’
     ‘Appropriations for military affairs.’
     ‘Riot and disorder in Illinois.’
     ‘Rebuff or treachery from some foreign power.’
     ‘Suffer a serious naval loss.’
     ‘Spain sinks beneath the heavy hand of fate.’
     ‘McKinley will be re-elected.’*
     The reader will note that all were fulfilled to the letter.
     The foregoing predictions were made in March, 1897, two days after McKinley had been inducted. The prediction was copyrighted, March 8th. We were at peace with the world, the war [259][260] with Spain had not cast its shadow o’er the political horizon, and the politicians of the land believed that McKinley would never be re-elected. Thus Astrology survives, and I apprehend that it will continue to, until some dillettante [sic] philosopher arises in his supereminent might, and waging a Quixotic warfare against it, crushes it to earth once more, when I suppose it will retreat only to arise at some other time.
     Astrologists maintain that a horoscope cast for any very important event occurring, such, for instance, as the moment of birth of a child, or commencement of any important national work, not entirely controlled by will, will in general reveal the events likely to transpire during a certain period. Assuming that to be the correct astrological method, I have erected the following scheme, or horoscope, of the heavens for the moment when President McKinley took the oath of office, succeeding himself, and I subtend my judgment thereon:
     At the moment President McKinley took the oath of office, the planets had assumed the positions indicated in the accompanying diagram of the celestial dome. The 18th degree of the sign ‘Cancer,’ which the Moon rules, was rising. The Moon is, therefore, the President’s ruling planet during this term, and is fortunately placed in good aspect with the lordly ‘Jupiter,’ who rules the house of commerce and trade; a very fortunate testimony for the people; and for the President also, as it denotes that he will be very successful in carrying out his ideas. It also denotes that the people (as the Moon is general ruler of the public) shall thrive and have abundant crops, and meet with much success from all natural sources. Saturn is usually author of misery and woe, but as he is so very strong, and in good aspect to the Sun (the Sun is the President’s general significator), I look for marked and unusual success in all our foreign relations; but as the Sun is afflicted by ‘Uranus,’ ruler of the 8th house (commonly understood to be the house of death) from the 6th house, it denotes a very serious illness for the executive and grave danger of death. He will be in grave danger of accident or some [260][261]

[261][262] such event while on a long journey. The aspect of ‘Mars,’ practically in the 3d house, indicates some danger of a tremendous strike on some railway, which will probably cause Congressional action in the way of adopting some labor legislation. The civil service will also be subject to violent attack, but with no success. The aspect of ‘Mars’ threatens some breach with a near neighboring nation, and we shall be in danger of rupturing pleasant relations with some foreign power, drifting into another war. I do not, however, believe it will culminate. The same position is also a very distressing one, as it denotes many bitter, acrimonious debates and feuds in the Senate and Lower House. The aspect of ‘Uranus and Mercury’ is also very evil; it denotes a sort of uprising or protest by the general public directed against the powerful landed interest of monopolists, hence disastrous disputes between labor and capital may be looked for ere long; in this controversy labor will win a notable victory. Our foreign trade will increase by leaps and bounds, far overshadowing the past. The opposition of the Moon and the Sun will cause much annoyance to the President, for he will suffer much criticism and lose considerable prestige and popularity; there is also a strong probability that some of his friends in Congress and other personal ones will be likely to prove recreant. As Venus rules the 4th house, which denotes the party in opposition to the government (the Democratic, etc.), is afflicted by ‘Mars,’ it denotes that they are still like a ship at sea, without pilot or rudder; however, they will make strong gains in the Congressional elections two years hence. An epidemic of some strange disorder will infect many of our people; it behooves our health authorities to be on constant guard. A grave accident to one of our men-of-war is also denoted. An especially vexatious and serious time may be looked for during the early part of June, 1901. The President will be in danger of illness or accident about that time; in fact, the President is under aspect somewhat similar in nature to those in operation when Lincoln and Garfield assumed office. The President’s present Cabinet will not all serve their full terms, for a radical change therein is [262][263] denoted. The present high rate bullish stock market will suffer a disastrous reverse, destroying some powerful commercial combination and a serious though sort-lived [sic] panic will swamp many speculators. Much difficulty will be experienced regarding important treaties and trade agreements with foreign countries, but as the Sun is in favorable aspect with Saturn (ruler of foreign relations) we will bring all such matters to a gloriously successful termination. A Treasury scandal is likely to startle us, or else some concerted action by some commercial powers on the Treasury will be made, and continued appropriations for increased military maintenance may be looked for. A frightful holocaust in some mine will horrify the country. Toward the close of this administration the Democratic party will make almost superhuman efforts to heal all past wounds, but it will avail them naught. The Republicans will preserve much harmony in their ranks, and in 1904 they will place a notable man in the palaestra of political contest, who will go in with a tremendous majority of the popular vote, greater, in fact, than any ever before cast.”

COMMENTS ON THE McKINLEY HOROSCOPE.

     A curious phase of intellect may be noted from the fact that in all the various prophecies quoted in the Bible, the prophets, who doubtless understood Astrology, were content to merely indicate or prophesy the bare event; rarely did they set a specific time for its culmination, yet these prophecies are looked upon with considerable wonderment, if not actual awe, by the people to-day. But, an astrologer of to-day venturing a prediction and treading the dangerous ground of detail by even setting a probable time for its occurrence, is watched like the quarry by the searching eye of the hawk; and, if it does not eventuate within a few days of the time specified, he is held up to scorn and ridicule, and astrology denounced as untrue, in unmeasured terms. Why this difference? Simply because the people of to-day do not understand or care to study the infinite operation of these divine laws unless they can see dollars in it. Of course I do not assume that an astrologer is more gifted with [263][264] these divine powers than is any other mortal; contrarily, my experiences with them have been that they are quite worldly; but all of them have become interested in this philosophy by actual experimentation in the laboratory of astral phenomena. All, and I write advisedly, have passed the three moods of man, who first despises or pities, then investigates, and finally embraces. I have been a conservative though earnest student of this celestial art for many years and am quite free to confess that I have found many anomalies, lapses, anachronisms and apparently unaccountable variations in its operation on mundane affairs; but, the failure or success of a predicted event may be properly charged or credited to that inexhaustible reservoir of all knowledge, divine and material—the human mind, which has but one limitation common to all creation—fallibility.
     In the original prediction of McKinley’s second term, the candid reader will note that the prediction reads as follows:
     “But the Sun is afflicted by ‘Uranus,’ ruler of the eighth house (commonly understood to be the house of death) from the sixth house—house of sickness;—it denotes a serious illness for the Executive and grave danger of death. He will be in grave danger of an accident or some such event while on a long journey.”
     Later the same was further emphasized by stating:
     “An especially vexatious time may be looked for during the early part of June, 1901. The President will be in danger of illness or accident about that time; in fact, the President is under aspects somewhat similar in nature to those in operation when Lincoln and Garfield assumed office.”
     The reader will note the absolute verification of both paragraphs and remember that he certainly did have a very vexatious time during May and June when his wife became ill in California. No doubt this did cause him great worry. The reader will also note the ominous sentence—“Uranus, ruler of the house of death” afflicting the Sun which is the President’s general significator. Second, the “accident” would occur while on a journey. Third, aspects [264][265] similar in nature to Lincoln and Garfield. Could aught be plainer? A literal translation could not convey any other meaning. He did suffer a similar “accident”—and while on a journey. Garfield and Lincoln were shot in Washington. Hence note the detail of “journey” thus furnishing another startling proof of stellar influence over mundane affairs.
     Continuing this intensely fascinating subject I wish to call the astrological student’s attention to a few remarkable aspects. When the President was shot, the sign Capricornus was rising with Aquarius intercepted in the ascendant. At his inauguration these signs occupied the seventh and eighth houses respectively; these two houses denoting “enemies” and “death” were rising at the moment Czolgosz so treacherously and foully shot him. The Moon, his significator at inauguration, was operating her exact conjunction with the mysterious Neptune in the twelfth house (house of assassins, secret foes, etc.,) of inaugural figure. The Sun had reached the opposition to his own place and was posited in the sign “Virgo,” ruling the stomach and was in exact quartile (evil) aspect with “Uranus,” who in turn had reached the exact quartile degree of the Sun at the inauguration. Venus, ruler of the fourth house of inaugural was placed in the fourth house, the house of the “earth” and the “grave,” thus symbolizing the melancholy end. At the moment of the illustrious patient’s death, the Moon was in exact square (evil) aspect with Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter. Uranus had reached the exact quartile aspect of the Sun on March 4th. Saturn had just turned direct on that very day, after his retrograde motion.
     All of these testimonies contain a fund of astral information for the careful astrological student.