The Red Maple Leaf (February 15, 1965)

For those of us old enough to remember this day, the new flag caused a lot of consternation (my polite way of saying that a lot of people hated it). Up until then, our flag had been the Red Ensign, which completely showed our links to the United Kingdom and the British Monarchy. The change to a single maple leaf was a stroke of genius, however, because it could then symbolize ALL Canadians together.

Hmm. Gemini Ascendant conjunct the North Node. Obviously significant for a country of two nations (English and French: First Nations weren’t taken into account then). The Cosmic Cross with oppositions involving most of the planets is significant, too (hence the hoo-ha over the flag’s adoption). The energetic undercurrent is expressed by the four inconjuncts.

Sun Inconjunct Mars

You have a rather strong will, which may be difficult to control. This is because your way of doing something tends to interfere with what you want to gain by doing it. Your actions in some situations may surprise people by contradicting what they have learned about you…

Planets in Youth (page 80) by Robert Hand (1977)

Venus Inconjunct Uranus

You feel mixed up about whether you want to be close to others or be free. It will take you several years to understand yourself enough so that you can strike a balance between these two needs, so be patient.

Ibid (page 201)

Venus Inconjunct Pluto

This aspect may mean that you are very possessive and demanding of your loved ones. You may not want to accept the fact that your friends can love other people besides yourself. Love for friends and relatives should be given freely, not used as a way to control them. If you do that, you will lose their love.

Ibid (page 206)

Neptune Inconjunct Ascendant

This aspect can be a sign that you feel you must give way to others in order to get along with them. As you get older, if you do not learn to stand up for your rights, this problem will get worse, because you express your unconscious resentment as a martyred attitude, which makes it impossible for others to appreciate or use anything they get from you. Thus the results of your sacrifice are totally negative, because you are not happy with giving and they are not happy with receiving.

Ibid (page 339)

It’s almost as if the inconjuncts have come home to roost, these sixty years later. Under the threat of tariffs from the American administration presently in power, all four descriptions seem to be playing out.

And yet, the very flag that foretold this situation is now being proudly displayed for all the world to see.