WHO WAS VICTORIA WOODHULL ?

Victoria Woodhull was one of the most fascinating women of the Gilded Age in America. With her sister, she worked as a psychic, counseled J.P. Morgan, opened a brokerage firm on Wall Street and started a newspaper among other things. There is a wonderful biography by Mary Gabriel Notorious Victoria for those who want to learn more about this scandalous and exciting woman...Oh, and she was a Presidential candidate before women had the right to vote. It is appropriate to remember her in this historic election year.
Presidential candidate

Woodhull was nominated for President of the United States by the newly formed Equal Rights Party on May 10, 1872, at Apollo Hall, New York City. Her nomination was ratified at convention on June 6, 1872. Former slave Frederick Douglass was nominated for Vice President. Douglass never acknowledged this nomination. Instead, he served as a presidential elector in the United States Electoral College for the State of New York.

While many historians and authors agree that Woodhull was the first woman to run for President of the United States, some people have questioned the legality of her run, usually citing one of the following reasons:

* The government declined to print her name on the ballot.

This criticism is not valid as the government was not responsible for printing ballots. In 1872, political parties were responsible. This practice changed in the United States between the years 1888-1892 with the adoption of the Australian ballot. The Washington Post, about fifty years after the election, claimed that the Equal Rights Party published ballots bearing her name and that they were handed out at the polls. Because no Equal Rights Party ballot for 1872 has been preserved, this claim cannot be confirmed. The first woman to appear on a presidential ballot printed by the government was Charlene Mitchell in 1968.

* She was under the constitutionally mandated age of 35.

This is the most cited criticism in the 20th and 21st centuries, but was hardly noticed in the 19th. The presidential inauguration was in March 1873. Woodhull's 35th birthday was in September 1873. Some contend attorney Belva Lockwood was the first woman to run for President, because she was over the age of 35 when she ran in 1884 and 1888. However, some of the other criticisms about the legality of Woodhull's run also apply to Lockwood. There also is no legal primary evidence that Woodhull was born in 1838. Ohio did not require the registration of births until 1867. The probate court in Licking County, Ohio, burned down in 1875, destroying all previously recorded records except land records.

* She did not receive any electoral and/or popular votes.

While it is true that Woodhull received no electoral votes, there's evidence that Woodhull did receive popular votes that were not counted. Official election returns also show about 2,000 "scattering votes." it is unknown whether any of those scattering votes were cast for her. Supporters contend that her popular votes were not counted because of gender discrimination and prejudice against her views, while critics contend the votes were not counted because they had other legal defects besides gender. The first woman to receive an electoral vote was Libertarian Tonie Nathan, who received a vote for Vice President in 1972.

* Women could not legally vote until August 1920.

Although it is true that most women could not legally vote until 1920, some women did legally vote and hold public office prior to 1920. Susanna M. Salter was elected Mayor of Argonia, Kansas, in 1887, and Jeannette Rankin of Montana was elected to Congress in 1916. In New York, Woodhull's state of residency, the state took away the right of propertied women to vote in 1777. In 1871, Woodhull went to the polls for a local election in New York and was allowed to register, but when she returned to vote, her ballot was refused by election officials. Some believe that when the 19th amendment passed giving women the right to vote, it implicitly gave women the right to run for President. For that reason, they contend Senator Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to run for President in 1964 when she was put forward as a possible nominee at the Republican Party San Francisco convention. Smith is often called the first woman to be nominated for President by a major party, but the July 6, 1920 issue of the Bridgeport Connecticut Telegram reported that Laura Play and Cora Wilson Stuart of Kentucky were put forward as possible Presidential nominees at the Democratic Party San Francisco convention and received "the first vote cast for a woman in the convention of either of the two great parties."

* She was a woman.

This was the most cited legal impediment in the 19th century. Some of Woodhull's contemporaries believed that because she was a woman she was not a citizen and, therefore, not entitled to vote. Since the Constitution required that the President be a citizen, she would also be excluded from holding the office of President. Others believed women were citizens, but that the states had the right to limit the franchise to males only. Some Woodhull supporters believed that even if Woodhull could not vote legally, that would not have excluded her from running for public office. United States law has its roots in English common law, and under English common law, there was an established precedence of women holding public office.

It was not just her gender that made Woodhull's campaign notable; her association with Frederick Douglass stirred up controversy about the mixing of whites and blacks and fears of miscegenation. The Equal Rights Party hoped to use these nominations to reunite suffragists with civil rights activists, as the exclusion of female suffrage from the Fifteenth Amendment two years earlier had caused a substantial rift. The circumstances leading up to Woodhull's nomination had also created a rift between Woodhull and her former supporter Susan B. Anthony, and almost ended the collaboration of Anthony with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Stanton, who had unsuccessfully run for Congress in New York in 1868, was more sympathetic to Woodhull. When Anthony cast her vote in the presidential election, she voted for Grant.

Like many of Woodhull's protests, this was first and foremost a media performance, designed to shake up the prejudices of the day. Vilified in the media for her support of free love, Woodhull devoted an issue of Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly (November 2, 1872) to a rumored affair. She alleged an affair between Elizabeth Tilton and Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, a prominent Protestant figure (who incidentally was a supporter of female suffrage). She published this article in order to highlight what she saw as a sexual double-standard between men and women.

On Saturday, November 2, 1871, just days before the presidential election, U.S. Federal Marshals arrested Woodhull, her second husband Colonel Blood, and her sister Tennie C. Claflin for sending obscene material through the mail.[5] The sisters were held in the Ludlow Street Jail for the next month, a place normally reserved for civil offenses, but which contained more hardened criminals as well. The arrest was arranged by Anthony Comstock, the self-appointed moral defender of the nation at the time, and the event incited questions about censorship and government persecution. Woodhull, Claflin, and Blood were acquitted on a technicality six months later, but the arrest prevented Victoria from attempting to vote during the 1872 presidential election. The publication of the Beecher-Tilton scandal led Theodore Tilton, husband of Elizabeth Tilton, to sue Beecher for "alienation of affection" in 1875. The trial was sensationalized across the nation, eventually resulting in a hung jury.

Woodhull attempted to secure nominations for the presidency again in 1884 and 1892. The newspapers in 1892 reported that she was nominated by the "National Woman Suffragists' Nominating Convention" presided over by Anna M. Parker, President of the convention. Mary L. Stowe of California was nominated as the vice presidential candidate, but some woman's suffrage organizations repudiated the nominations, stating the nominating committee was not authorized. Her 1892 campaign was probably taken less seriously because newspapers quoted her as saying she was "destined" by "prophecy" to be elected President of the United States in 1892.

[edit] Life in England

In October 1876, Woodhull divorced her second husband, Colonel Blood. Less than a year later, exhausted and possibly depressed, she left for England to start a new life. She made her first public appearance as a lecturer at St. James's Hall in London on December 4, 1877. Her lecture was called "The Human Body, the Temple of God," a lecture that was previously presented in the United States. Present at one of her lectures was banker John Biddulph Martin, the man who would become her third and last husband on October 31, 1883. From then on, she was known as Victoria Woodhull Martin. Under that name, she published a magazine called The Humanitarian from 1892 to 1901. As a widow, Woodhull gave up the publication of her magazine and retired to the country, establishing residence at Bredon's Norton.

[edit] Death

She died on June 9, 1927 at Norton Park in Bredon's Norton, Worcestershire, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom.[6]

[edit] Views on abortion and eugenics

Her opposition to abortion is frequently cited by opponents of abortion when writing about first wave feminism.

"[t]he rights of children as individuals begin while yet they remain the foetus." [From an 1870 Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly article]

"Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth." [From an 1875 edition of the Wheeling, West Virginia Evening Standard]

Woodhull was outraged by the concept of human eugenics while she was politically active, though she believed that states of mind were inherited, and that the circumstances of a birth affected the character of the child. Her interest in these issues was likely motivated by the profound mental retardation of her son, which she believed was affected by the drunkenness of his father. She argued that because a parent's state of mind could affect the character of a child, the system of sexual relationships between people needed to be as free as possible. Later in life, after renouncing much of her previous feminist stances, she indicated support for eugenics. This was in stark contrast to her earlier works in which she advocated social freedom and opposed government interference in matters of love and marriage.

[edit] References

1. ^ Wight, Charles Henry, Genealogy of the Claflin Family
2. ^ 1850 federal census, Homer, Licking, Ohio; Series M432, Roll 703, Page 437; father listed as Buckman, brothers incorrectly transcribed as Hubern and Malven
3. ^ About WFF at www.woodhullfederation.org
4. ^ Constitutional equality. To the Hon. the Judiciary committee of the Sena

Reincarnation and Natal Moon phase

Many of my clients and students ask about reincarnation and Moon's nodes and phases.
This is not my work but why invent the wheel?

NEW MOON

When a person is born under the influence of the New Moon it is thought that in terms of reincarnation, this person has been born into the first incarnation of an eight fold sequence. This person possesses a quality of spontaneity, thus, planning ahead is not always met with success. They view life as a grand adventure with unlimited possibilities. Living in the moment, the past is not important to them. Being born when the Moon sheds no light, they have come to learn to respond instinctually and to act on intuition. They are able to navigate without maps and arrive at their destination with time to spare. They are often criticized for being overly self involved, but there is a need for them to learn about who they are and to project it into the world.

Initial urge Instinct Projection

CRESCENT

A key word for the Crescent Phase is breakthrough. It is a time when what was begun during the New Moon is carried forward. It is a time of struggle because it often has to wrestle with the ghosts of the past which were in effect before the new cycle began. This new identity needs to overcome old standards, attitudes and structures in order to become fully functional as a whole and free individual. People born during a Crescent Moon often find themselves emotionally tied to the past. They may be drawn to habitual behaviors, wanting to stay within their comfort zones, feeling the need for security. They can be vulnerable to emotional blackmail, falling victim to those who want to "keep them the way they are", not supportive of their growth. Crescent Moon types may find it difficult to leave home until well into adulthood. It is imperative that they establish their life force in independence. It is important for them to understand that the first step is the hardest, but that once it is taken new opportunities will open up. Their final challenge is to take those opportunities and act on them.

Activation Striving Future

FIRST QUARTER

The First Quarter Moon can be referred to as "crisis in action". It is a time in which the challenge is to manage the energy which is released by crisis and then to restructure it into its new form. People born during this phase are able to rise to the occasion of any emergency. They are able to make split second decisions and act on them. They have the ability to tear down old structures and to recreate new ones. They are the pioneers, the trail blazers, the hero and the heroine. It is important not to unconsciously create havoc in their lives just for the sake of excitement even though the crazier it gets, the better they get. It is likely they will create conflict in the lives of those entrenched in the status quo. You may find them working in emergency rooms and driving ambulances.

Clearing Action Building

GIBBOUS

Those born during the Gibbous Phase have an innate desire for perfection. Having sharp, analytical minds, they have a need to understand. Looking at a subject from all angles, they experience sheer joy when delving into the core of the matter. Bringing things to the essence of their being, the truth will be revealed. They live their lives in anxious expectation augmented by the breath of the coming revelation. Children born at this time will not be happy with the answers, they will want to know why and how the answer came about. Gibbous Moon people make good apprentices as their goal is to learn all they can and become as good as they can get.

Perfecting Analysis Interpret

FULL MOON

The Full Moon brings about the completion of all the hard work that came before it. It is the time in which the structure having attained perfection experiences the urge to become infused with meaning and purpose, the breath of life. It is time when all that was instinctual becomes deliberate action, all that was felt before will now be made visible. The ideals are to be realized, brought forth into the world for all to have. It is the debut. People born under the Full Moon are idealists. They may spend a lot of time searching for belief systems that they can relate to. Relationships are important to them and they need to be fully conscious of the effects their words and actions have on others. It is hard for them to find the ideal relationship in this material world and they will often turn to religion or an ideal cause. In looking for the right relationship, one needs to proceed through the clarity of the light of consciousness and not get caught up in the emotional bog of sheer desire.

Perfection Completion Conscious Illumination

DISSEMINATING

The Disseminating Phase of the Moon is the second phase of conscious operation. That which came into completion at the Full Moon is ready to be distributed now. People born during this phase are natural communicators. They are what they believe and their purpose is to spread it to the world. They share and communicate information acquired from their own experience. They are the teachers and philosophers. If they have no message to share they can become despondent. It is their lesson to realize that they are not responsible as to whether the message is received or not. It is not the role of everyone else to act on what they say, but it is the role of the person born in the Disseminating Phase to say it. They make good publicists and reporters as long as they believe in what they are saying.

Imparting Convey Awareness

LAST QUARTER

The key word for the Last Quarter is readjustment. It is the hardest to identify as many of its characteristics are hidden. As the First Quarter experiences "crisis in action", the Third Quarter experiences "crisis in consciousness". Old systems and values are becoming useless. It is hard for people born at this time to relate to life in the here and now. They often appear to be living in a world of their own, when in actuality they are going through an internal process of reorientation. They will present to the world an acceptable face as they are quietly developing on the inside. At the point when their own internal self has been completed, a brand new, fully developed person emerges. This butterfly is quite different from the caterpillar it had been, and is quite the surprise to those who thought they "knew" them. These people need the time and space to find themselves. If pressured to conform, they may revolt causing others to regard them as uncooperative and rebellious. As children, they require a lot of "alone" time and may need more rest than others as they process much in their sleep and in meditative states.

Readjustment Correcting Disillusionment Elimination

BALSAMIC

The Balsamic Phase is the last phase of the Moon's cycle. This is the time of adjustment from one cycle to another. It is the bridge between the past and the future. People born at this time are finishing an eight phase cycle of lifetimes. Therefore, this lifetime is a very karmic one. There is a pattern of very intense, all-consuming although short term relationships with people from the past including other lifetimes. These karmic ties are in need of resolution before continuing on into the next new cycle. These people often have pronounced psychic abilities. They are the visionaries seeing years ahead of their times. As children they often feel apart from their peers; they are loners. Balsamic Moon people are able to take the true meaning of a situation, distill it into its wisdom essence and plant it into the awareness of others. They are the gurus. Their job is the transmission of essential knowledge which will germinate at the next level during the next Lunation Cycle.

Prediction of the Outcome of the Presidential Election 2008

This prediction was made on my website www.readingsbymaryanne.com on September 8, 2008

PREDICTION OF OUTCOME OF THE 2008 ELECTION

A branch of astrology known as horary is the technique used to predict the outcome of any contest. There are a number of theories of choosing the time and place of the “birth” of Election Day. Should it be Washington D.C. at 7:00 AM? Or rather, as I have chosen, Eastport Maine where the first polls in the U.S. open. Both Barack Obama and John McCain have placements consistent with previous presidential charts. John Mc Cain has his Moon sign in Capricorn, Barack Obama has Saturn in Capricorn (currently the planet Jupiter is in Capricorn). Additionally, Michelle Obama has her Sun sign in Capricorn and Cindy McCain’s Moon sign is in Capricorn. Capricorn is the sign of the Executive. Wow. Is it any wonder that each candidate won the nomination of their party.

The next element are the significators of the the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. It is generally accepted that Jupiter rules the Republican Party and Saturn rule the Democratic Party. Whichever planet is strongest in the Election Day chart points to the winner. Sparing the reader further technical details, this chart shows that the Democratic Party is stronger on election day….BARACK OBAMA WINS!

On September 12,2000 this ame

ELECTION PREDICTION UPDATE

This is an amendment to my posting entitled Prediction of the Outcome of 2008 Election

* Some readers on my other web site have asked NOT to be spared technical details (of my horary reading). Okay, the planet Jupiter (Republican Party) is in the sign of Capricorn which is ruled by Saturn which in turn rules the Democratic Party. Therefore, according to ancient horary rules, Saturn (Democrats) disposes of --trumps-- Jupiter (Republicans). Additionally, Saturn is in the powerful 10th House (public standing) while Jupiter is in the relatively obscure 3rd House of the Election Day chart.

It is interesting to note thank John McCain is a Virgo with the Moon in Capricorn, Barack Obama is a Leo with Saturn in Capricorn. It is possible that when the dust settles, these two men may actually work together to effect some real change.

ndment was added: