What Sign Rules Your State?

by Robert Wilkinson

Today we revisit an article outlining which signs rule which states. I've also included the Moon signs and the sign of the planet ruling each state's Sun since the dispositor of the Sun sign exerts a major influence in how that Sun is expressed. If you've wondered why certain states appeal to you or turn you off more than others, this may explain why. Obviously this article is geared to those living in the US, but every country, state, city and village in the world has its own astrological character, so no matter where we are, we can benefit by knowing the astrology of the place we're at.

You may ask how a city or state can have a birth chart. The birth chart of any legal entity is its incorporation date, or when it was founded by charter or declaration. That is when the entity formally began to exist. For a state, it is when it is accepted into the Union and agrees to be part of our Federal Republic. The original 13 colonies are calculated from when they ratified the Constitution, the supreme Law of our land.

Usually a chart calculated for noon is used, since it elevates the Sun and supposedly shows how that entity will "shine" in the world. Noon charts are often used as a substitute for sunrise, or "Solar" charts for individuals as well. The jury is still out as to which is more accurate, or if they're both equally valid to use for delineation. I use sunrise charts, since that supposedly "begins" the day, and holds the promise of that day in its patterns.

Still, there are unresolved questions about the subject of which signs actually rule the states. From a related but different article:

"... some signs are over-represented, (7 each for Gemini, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn) while others don't occur at all, like Aries and Libra. 38 states are represented by only 6 signs. I've always thought that seemed strange, but this world can be pretty strange indeed. At least with the states there would seem to be no confusion as to their "birth" sign, since it is determined by when they were accepted into the union. Of course, that raises the question as to whether some of them have a different sign if they were part of the Confederacy, since they left the union only to rejoin it several years later.

Another possible factor that could change these listings is that the states ratified the Constitution before their acceptance into the US, which may produce different results. And a curveball is that all charts are done for Washington DC (the Capitol city is where they were accepted into the US) even though early in our nation's history Philadelphia and New York were the national Capitols before DC. For now, though, I'll give you the signs for when each state was accepted into the United States, set for DC at noon. As an aside, most of them have an Ascendant square to the Sun sign, but not in all cases. I left out the state of Confusion, since we all live there from time to time. ;) Enjoy!

Now that I've hopefully whetted your appetite, here's What Are The Moon Signs of the States? where you can find out what signs predominate over the state in which you live. All information is taken from Horoscopes of the U.S. States and Cities by Carolyn Dodson. And if some of you historians want to offer alternative historical dates, please feel free to do so. One such comment stream clarified when New Orleans was actually "born."

© Copyright 2007 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Matt Shulman]

hey Robert -- just wanted to drop in and say hello -- CD release July 24th!!

hope you are well,
Matt

[Matt Shulman]

oh, and check out the video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=05SNZwhpbAA

[Patricia H.]

Washington State is Scorpio with a November 11, 1889 birthdate.

And the city of Seattle is also Scorpio and boy, can you feel it! Many Leo types who flourish in Los Angeles find Seattle to be cold and unfriendly, as if people are suspicious of them.

peace,

Patricia

[Robert]

Hi Matt - Thanks for checking in. To all who read this, you MUST check out this amazing talent! He's the most original and entertaining performer I've heard in a long time. If you can catch him live in the NY area, do so - you won't regret it. And by all means, buy the CD. His music is amazing!! Here's my post of when I caught him live in the Hamptons, and it was incredible.

Hi Patricia - I believe I listed Washington state as a Scorpio in the "Moon sign" article, but according to my source Seattle was "born," aka incorporated, Jan 14, 1865, making it a Capricorn.

[Patricia]

Wow! Some local astrologers have been placing Seattle under the sign of Scorpio for a long time.

I wonder what date they are using to come up with this sign?

The city certainly fits under Scorpio with a multitude of healers, constant transformation, a secretiveness and other Scorpion traits.

Perhaps that's Washington State's Scorpio traits coming through? I am familiar with Capricorn and this city does not feel Capricorn to me. If it is though, then I should be able to succeed here since I have a strong Capricorn-Saturn signature in my chart.

peace,
Patricia

[Kyle]

Actually, the founders (Denny, et al.) landed in what was to become Seattle on 13 November, 1851, making Seattle a Scorpio town. But, if you look closer, Denny's scouts laid claim to the area 28 Sept. 1851, and if you go by that, then Seattle's a Libra city. The Collins party, first European settlers in the area, tried to stake claim 14 Sept. 1851, so then it's Virgo... but since they weren't successful, then it's not.

Most of this comes from the wikipedia entry about Seattle, WA. What it does not say is what day(s) the city was incorporated. If I recall correctly, it was first incorporated 13 November, 1865. Then it was UNincorporated and then REincorporated sometime later in February 1869. So Seattle could very well be Aquarius, too!

I tend to think, depending how you look at it, Seattle has either a Scorpio personality or an Aquarius one.

At least we KNOW about Tacoma. 12 November. Scorpio. LOL

[Robert]

Hi Kyle - Traditionally, in Astrology we take the date of "last" incorporation. So "New Amsterdam" had a chart, Manhattan had a chart, but the one we use for NYC is the incorporation of the 5 boroughs. However, all previous time marks are important in establishing some element of that town's identity. When someone first landed is not as important as when they created a municipal entity. In the case of some towns in CA, NM, and FL, it's when the first Mass was said by the Spanish priest, as long as the occupancy is unbroken since then.