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As above,
so below is wondrous to observe! On June 30, 2000, just as Jupiter was
entering the communications sign of Gemini, President Clinton signed
into legislation a bill that gives the same legal validity to a signature
or record sent through cyberspace as a pen-and-paper document. Now at
the click of a mouse, businesses can conclude multi-million dollar deals
and individuals can finalize a home mortgage, buy a car and enter into
other contracts without even setting foot in an office.
This bill
has been two years in the making, and was strongly endorsed by President
Clinton, who said it would "encourage the information technology
revolution." Both the House and Senate passed electronic signature
bills last year, but could not reach a compromise, partly because of
concerns from the White House and some consumer groups that it would
expose consumers to abuses (i.e., businesses could send email notices
of rate hikes or recalls to customers without the computer skills or
technology to get the information).
The final
bill specifies consumers must "opt in" to electronic signature
agreements and must agree to get records and documents electronically
rather than on paper. Notices of termination, such as health insurance
lapses, electricity cut-offs or evictions, would still have to be delivered
by paper.
The
Electronic Signatures Act is Born
“President
Clinton signed the bill into law late Friday morning at Philadelphia’s
Congress Hall, just a few feet away from the area in which the Declaration
of Independence and the Constitution were signed.” CNN stated.
 Looking
at the chart for The Electronic Signatures Act, one might think that
the President had his own personal astrologer! At the time of signing,
Friday, June 30, 2000, at 10:34 am EDT, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
we find that Jupiter, which was just entering Gemini, is positioned
in the Ninth House, conjunct the Midheaven of the chart! Jupiter, the
planet associated with laws, legalizing, legislation and Congress is
comfortable in its natural place, the Ninth House. The sign Gemini is
linked to information, communications, computers, names, handwriting
and signatures. All of this seems very appropriate just days before
America’s birthday on July 4, 2000, and 224 years after the Declaration
of Independence was signed!
The President
first signed the bill with pen and ink, much the same way John Hancock
autographed the historic document that established the United States.
Shifting to today’s technology, President Clinton then demonstrated
the digital signing technology that will allow consumers who shop online
to also seal their home mortgage or car deals with a click of a mouse.
In
looking at the chart of the U.S.A. for July 4, 1776, we see that America
has a Cancer stellium, including Venus, Jupiter, the Sun and Mercury.
The E-Signatures Act chart also has a Cancer stellium, with the Sun,
Mars, Venus, Mercury and North Node conjunct America’s Cancer stellium!
The Moon represents the public, and is in the sign of Gemini (associated
with names and signatures) trine Uranus in Aquarius (linked to email,
technology, Internet and cyberspace). And to top it off, the signing
occurred within a day of the Cancer solar eclipse that conjuncted transiting
Mars and the U.S. natal Sun!
This powerful
moment etches an important milestone in the history of the United States
and the world (Jupiter), as we set the pace in global e-commerce. The
transiting Cancer North Node is conjunct America’s natal Mercury, opposing
natal Pluto in Capricorn, which validates the concerns of some consumer
groups that it would expose consumers to abuses.
Your
Legal Mark
Under the
existing statute (Jupiter) of frauds, any contract involving $500 or
more requires a "signed writing," in the lingo of the law,
“a mark made with the intention to be bound.” A signature (Mercury)
on paper meets that standard, as does an "X" mark or even
a thumbprint. “Signing one’s name online will soon become a common way
to hire a lawyer, sign a mortgage, open a brokerage account or sign
an insurance contract,” stated President Clinton.
Of course,
this doesn't solve the whole problem of e-commerce. The lender—or anybody
on the other side of an online transaction—still must check your credit
worthiness or business credentials, and you have to come to terms on
a deal, just as you always did. And you still have to satisfy yourself
that the person on the other side of the computer screen is who he/she
claims to be, and not some mail clerk who sneaked into the boss' office
to use the PC.
In any
case, we have entered a new era in which an electronic signature has
the same legal weight as ink on paper. The doors of commerce and communication
are opening to accommodate the rapid technology changes of our times.
The world will never be the same again.
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