Humanae Vitae
The most infamous and well-known magisterial document
Humanae Vitae is one of the ballsiest things the Vatican has ever done. In the midst of the “sexual revolution” Catholics were debating whether Catholics could use “the pill.” The Vatican held comittees and studies to study the issue. The comittee came back telling Pope Saint Paul VI that contraception is cool. Pope Saint Paul VI rejected it and nuked contraception from orbit, spread its ashes across the sea, and salted the earth by issueing an infallible dogmatic encyclical that not only condemned The Pill, but condoms, IUDs, and pulling out. PIV only for Catholics for all eternity. No take-backs, now.
The response was nuclear in return. It is with Humanae Vitae that the modern conception of dissent in Catholicism was birthed. Catholics want to try to downplay the infallible authority of the document and forget that even if it was not an infallible decleration, it is still straight from the Pope and thus owed intellectual assent of the mind and will. This might be news to some people, but Catholics are to obey the Pope.
For those who may find such a decleration bizarre, it was only in the 1930s that Christians (protestants) became okay with contraceptive methods. In fact, even the masters of the spirituality communities were against contraception back then. People seem to forget how rapidly and suddenly things have changed in a few decades.
Astrologer and master of the prenatal charts, E.H. Bailey spoke strongly against contraception in his, now rare, book “Astrology and Birth Control” written in 1929. In this book, Bailey shows, via astrology, that no birth is by chance and birth can only happen under certain astrological conditions. In regards to “birth control” in the sense of preventing births from occurring, Bailey says:
“If this is the sum-total of what Birth Control implies, then it can only be regarded by all pure and naturally minded people, as the preliminary to a species of inverted morality, a degeneracy which conduces to moral self-deception, the inability to distinguish between what is real and unreal, and what is false and true.
The teachings of this cult can only lead to a gradual lowering of the physical standards of humanity and the production of a race of physical, mental, and moral degenerates, unfitted for all departments o f human life and activity, and if persisted in, will bring about the gradual decay of the human race.
Put into operation, as it is at the present day, it becomes a pitfall and a snare, a vile interference with the laws of nature, and a putrid conception of all that is unnatural. It can only tend to the ruin and degeneration o f the sexual instinct in man, and is fraught with the most terrible consequences to the physical and moral faculties of the parents, and even more so on the greater possibilities of the unborn generation.”1 Bailey later concludes: “The sexual act, the function of the generative organs, is for one purpose only, and should not and must not be used for any other purpose.”2
Dion Fortune, in Esoteric Philosophy of Love and Marriage (1924), wrote against both contraception and abortion. Fortune wrote that sex creates a contract with God to allow an “ego” to incarnate on this plane of existence. To prevent that is to break a contract with “the Lord and Giver of Life” and is comitting a “serious offense” against the soul which desired to incarnate. Dion Fortune, however, gave allowance for preventing the births of the disabled, but “Those being in the position to provide incoming souls with sound physical bodies, selfishly refrain from doing so, sin against life itself.”3
Regarding abortion, Fortune says, “Abortion is the murder of an unborn child and is only justifiable in order to save the life of the mother. It must be remembered that life enters into the ovum at the moment of fertilisation, and it is none the less the vehicle of a living soul because it is microscopic.”4
I am sure prenatal and conception charts fell out of favor among astrologers due to the wish to believe there is no life at conception nor that the planets are conspiring to bring a new life into being.
Humanae Vitae’s proclamation, through the sainted pope, is this:
”Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. Equally to be condemned, as the magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary.
Similarly excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means.
Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that such intercourse would merge with procreative acts of past and future to form a single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these. Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general. Consequently, it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.”5
THE CHARTS
Humanae Vitae was issued at a Vatican Press Conference on July 29th, but I am using the Pope’s signature date as that is when the decision was made and the document came into being. As is often the case, the time is unknown, however, in constructing the chart, I found there was a new moon that day, thus, I created a chart timed to the new moon. I find this to be the likely astrological time for the document, as it aligns in interesting ways with the Vatican’s chart.
The first thing to notice is that the Pope issued this document on a new moon and Sun and Moon are ingressing Leo. These are two of the most important signs in mundane astrology. Both mark major, new events. Granted, Sun is at 2 Leo and thus is a few days past its initial ingress, but this chart is on a New Moon. So, even without calling an ingress, it is showing a new event happening.
At 2 Leo, the Lights are of Mars and Mercury. Conceive (Moon) + Life (Sun); plus Mars and Mercury = “Declaring (Mercury) Defense (Mars) of Conceiving (Moon) Life (Sun).” The conjunction of Sun and Moon is also to be interpreted as regarding the ruler, the Pope, (Sun) and conception (Moon). Thus, read as a conjunction (and not as a new moon) Sun/Moon conjunction shows something of the Pope regarding conception.
Jupiter at 6 Virgo spells: “Declares (Mercury) Perfect (Jupiter) Judgement (Jupiter) Against (Mars) Sterilization (Saturn).” This document is an infallible judgement of The Church. What this means is that the Pope made a judgement that can not be in error and can not be reversed. There are lesser grades of judgements and teachings that the Pope and Church can make, but this was of the highest grade.
On Pope Saint Paul VI’s chart with Humanae Vitae, we see some interesting things.
The first thing to notice is Uranus conjunct his Mercury at 26 Virgo. With just the two planets, we get “Decleration (Mercury) of Reproductive Sex (Uranus).” Jupiter, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune are the rulers of this degree. With only Saint Paul VI’s Mercury, this reads as “Communicates (Mercury) Perfect (Jupiter) Judgement (Jupiter) Dogma (Neptune) of Sex (Pluto).” The Catholic Church is also represented by Neptune, and we could add Uranus to speak of generative sex in the sentence. Thus, we see the Humanae Vitae event in the Pope Saint’s natal chart.
Juno is ingressing Scorpio on the Humanae Vitae chart in House 5 (Children). Juno is famously of marriage (relevant here), but it is also about events outside our control (sometimes can be called“fate”). The first half of Scorpio is ruled by Saturn. Saturn can also represent marriage (“marriage bonds”). The second half of Scorpio is Uranus (generative sex). Thus, Juno has begun it’s Scorpio transit when Humanae Vitae was signed to show the sealing of contraceptive on marriage and sex. Juno at 0 Scorpio is in a 0’ semisextile with Pope Saint Paul VI’s Venus. Venus is love, “marry,” romantic sex, and pregnancy. Juno ingressed to move the Pope Saint to sign Humanae Vitae at this time to protect marriage and sex.
Now for the Vatican’s chart:
I brought up the angles on this chart because they are interesting. You can see the transitting Ascendent/Descendant axis on Vatican’s Venus (love, marriage, children, pregnance…). Transit Ingrees Juno is also in opposition to Vatican’s Venus (remember it’s aspect to Saint Paul VI’s Venus). The transit nodal axis is also on this point of 0 Scorpio and 0 Taurus.
The new moon is concunct Vatican’s Vertex axis at 0’37”, showing a fated event. Transit Vertex is conjunct Vatican’s Moon by 2” and Sun by 4”. Transit Vertex is parallel Vatican’s Sun showing a fated event for the Pope. Transit Medium Caeli is parallel Vatican’s Mars (Action) and in a broad conjunct with it.
Transit Mercury is conjunct Vatican’s Pluto. This is a communication regarding sex (Pluto). Many planets are about sex, but in different ways. Primarily, Venus is romantic sex, Mars is penetrative and rape, Neptune is nudity, promiscuity, and irregular relations (poly), Uranus is about the mechanical reproductive aspect, and Pluto is about the pornographic and fetishistic side. Pluto is also sin. Mercury transitted to move the Vatican to speak about sex and sin.
Transit Jupiter is on Vatican’s Ascendant at 6 Virgo. Virgo is ruled by Jupiter. Thus, we have Perfect (Jupiter) Judgement (Jupiter) from the Vatican (Self/Ascendant).
Bailey, “Astrology of Birth Control.” P. 10-11.
Bailey, p. 18.
Dion Fortune, “Esoteric Philosophy of Love and Marriage,” Chapter 22, Esoteric Teaching Concerning the Prevention of Conception and Abortion.
Id.
Humanae Vitae para 14.