Today we continue our
astrological look at forgotten women of history with Martha Johnson Patterson,
daughter of the 17th President, Andrew Johnson. One of the quickest
ways to disappear into the mists of the past is to be a relative of an
unpopular politician. Your personal accomplishments never outweigh the memory
of the person the country would like to erase. This was the case with Ms. Patterson,
eldest daughter of a highly unlikeable and eventually impeached president.
Born October 25, 1828 in
Greenville, Tennessee, family records indicate that her birth-time was around
2:00 AM. As I mentioned yesterday, as a karmic astrologer who tracks the soul’s
progression from life to life, I pay very close attention to the South Node,
the marker of our past life personality. Because we remember that life
subconsciously, we look to it again for our personality traits.
Ms. Patterson’s South
Node was in Aries, the sign of pure drive. Ruled by the planet Mars named for
the god of war, Aries are determined achievers who refuse to quit. If the time
of birth is correct, her Aries South Node was in the eighth house, the house of
death, rebirth, and regeneration. It was her rebirth and regeneration of the
White House that should have earned her historical prominence.
Although Johnson’s wife,
Eliza, was alive during his turbulent presidency, she was an invalid. The
duties of White House hostess fell to her daughter Martha who was the wife of
Senator David Patterson.
The Civil War years had
ravaged the building. Troops slept in the East Room marking their paths with the
dirt and horse manure that clung to their heavy boots. During the six weeks
after the Lincoln assassination, with Mary refusing to leave the White House, souvenir
hunters rampaged through the house taking everything including snippets from
curtains.
With very little Congressional
money to refurbish the Mansion, Martha worked tirelessly along with the staff, to
pull up the rugs wash, dry and recut them to look presentable. She mended
curtains and scoured the tobacco-stained floors with lye.
She supervised the
building of a colonnade off the East Entrance, marking the beginning of what we
know as the “East Wing.” She installed water closets for staff and ordered the
destruction of old and dangerous stables.
Ms. Patterson instituted
several changes still in place to this day, such as having a permanent steward with
an office located on the first floor of the mansion. She also started the first
White House tours and ordered the rugs protected with oilcloth when people came
through. She created a political stir when she had guards stop someone snipping
off a piece of an East Room curtain and forever forbade that practice. Although
office seekers strolled freely through for a few more generations, she was the
first to limit their effects on the building. Finding forgotten pictures of
past presidents in the attic, she had them hung around the State Floor,
starting the tradition of presidential portraits in the White House.
It is no surprise that
her North Node*, her soul’s desire, was in Libra, in the second house. Both
Libra and that house vibrate to Venus, the goddess of beauty and creativity.
The second house is that of safety and security. She used her Aries drive to
bring beauty, to the Nation’s home after years of war and death. Thus, she
fulfilled her “goal” of using the South Node attributes in service to embody
the North.
Had she a chance to see
my cookbook, “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook” I would
have referred Ms. Patterson to the section on Libra. My Duo of Roasted Butter
Nut Squash and Apple Soups would make a lovely addition to the many casual Johnson
White House luncheons.
Tomorrow we will pay
homage to the Rosie the Riveter generation.
*For more information on the North and South
Node visit my website, www.joansastrology.blogspot.com.
Joan Porte is the author of “Signs
of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook.” It is available at Amazon,
Barnes and Noble and www.signsofthetines.com.
For karmic soul chart readings contact Joan at Joansastrology@gmail.com or visit her blog at www.joansastrology.blogspot.com.
Download her podcast Astrological Cooking at http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/astrological-cook/.
Download her podcast Astrological Cooking at http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/astrological-cook/.
No comments:
Post a Comment