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Rock Chronicles: Aquarius Ray Manzarek, Keyboardist for The Doors
Happy Birthday, Ray! I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a chance encounter I had with the legendary keyboardist of The Doors, back on Jan 23, 2002 when I took a trip up to The Bottom Line in NYC.
Ray was doing a tour to promote his book The Poet in Exile and on this particular night he was appearing with Jim Carroll. I found a link of someone who recorded the evening, here.
Anyhow, I managed to take a bus up there and I brought my copies of Ray’s books: Light My Fire and The Poet in Exile. As soon as I walked into the club, I spotted Ray sitting at a table with a few people. My heart jumped and I waited to see if anyone else had noticed he was JUST SITTING THERE LIKE HE WAS A NORMAL GUY AND NOT A ROCK-N-ROLL LEGEND!!!
I finally mustered up the nerve to walk over to his table and ask if I could just shake his magic hands. He smiled at me and let me shake them. YAY! Then, I asked if he could sign my books which he did as well.
As if that wasn’t enough to make my heart fill with extreme joy at the chance to connect with the man who fingered the keys for Light My Fire, Crystal Ship, When the Music’s Over, etc, etc, for the band that began my journey into poetry and rock—during Ray’s piano and storytelling he asked to read an excerpt from MY COPY of The Poet in Exile. Yes. He looked down at me and said, “this young lady has a copy, would you mind if I read from it?”
So, that’s my story. I also saw Ray later that year when he came to the Keswick Theatre, along with Jefferson Starship. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to get backstage to meet him again but, hey, I’m not complaining.
National Political Astrology: Jupiter in Pisces and SCOTUS Campaign Finance Ruling – Gemini John Edwards’ Road to Redemption
[tweetmeme]I’ll tell ya, that planet Jupiter sure knows how to make an entrance! I was reading the headlines today and thought, “what the hell kind of alignment is occurring now?” Well, according to Astro.com’s current transits, Jupiter is at 0 degrees Pisces. Not only did the Supreme Court of the United States (or SCOTUS) overturn campaign finance restrictions for corporations, but John Edwards decided to start his Baby Mama, Road to Redemption PR campaign in Haiti.
Now, I’m no expert on Supreme Court rulings or the history of campaign finance in America, but boy, oh boy, the reactions to the freedom of corporations and nonprofit groups to spend freely on campaign ads are sure to dominate our political scene for the upcoming 2010 elections. Not to mention, President Obama decided to take on the banks in an address today. Many astrologers have been writing about the current Saturn square Pluto transit, and I find it interesting that, on the day of this court ruling, Jupiter has entered into the sign of Pisces while the transiting Sun and Venus in Aquarius have entered into aspect with the Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn square. Further explained:
- Transiting Jupiter is making a 60 degree (sextile) aspect to transiting Pluto as well as a 150 degree (quincunx) aspect to transiting Saturn
- Transiting Sun and Venus are making a 120 degree (trine) aspect to transiting Saturn, as well as a 30 degree (semi-sextile) aspect to transiting Pluto
When I use astrology, I tend to look for patterns in planetary movement, so when I see…
- Jupiter, which represents the law, entering a sign of Pisces (ruled by Neptune), which represents the dissolution of boundaries, enter into aspect with
- The Sun and Venus, which represents identity and money, and
- With Saturn which represents rules and boundaries, and Pluto which represents power and destruction
… my analytical, Virgo eyes take notice. AND THEN, there is our beloved John Edwards (Gemini), former Democratic VP candidate in 2004 and Presidential candidate in 2008. (Note: John was born on the same day but different year, June 10, as fellow Gemini Eliot Spitzer, who I discussed in an earlier post.) Oh, John, I won’t trash you because the popular media and American people can do that themselves. And lord knows, my critical Virgo nature is salivating at the opportunity to talk shit. But right now, I just want to peek at your astrology chart and see what the HELL is going on. Sigh…
Hello Pluto! Transiting Pluto has decided to get all up in John Edwards’ dirty business and expose the truth as it opposes Edwards’ natal Mercury and progressed Moon/Venus conjunction in Cancer, not to mention forming a trine with his natal Venus in Taurus. His progressed Sun is also approaching a conjunction with natal Pluto. You CANNOT hide from Pluto. Pluto digs, Pluto exposes, and Pluto destroys, but it also clears the way for a new beginning. You have to hand it to a slick Gemini to time a paternity scandal with a redemptive trip to Haiti, as well as media highlights on service work in El Salvador. I find it interesting that the transiting North Node is also conjunct Edwards’ natal Chiron, a planet associated with healing that I also referenced in my post yesterday regarding Governor Ed Rendell’s orphan rescue in Haiti. There is also some natal South Node activity as John’s progressed Mars forms a conjunction, and in addition, transiting retrograde Mars is forming a conjunction with his progressed Sun. Mars doesn’t only provide energy, fight, and courage—in this instance, it is marring or damaging this man’s reputation. Not that it is unwarranted. Yes, I’ve been reading Game Change and Edwards sure had it coming. (Chart below with 6am default birth time- actual birth time unknown.)
Sarah Palin (R-Aquarius): A FOX-Y Failure in the Fog of Neptune
[tweetmeme]Ah, Siobhan, if it hadn’t been for your timely facebook reminder of this travesty, I would have went to bed without posting. So, FOX News has finally acquired its finest ASSet to date by bringing Sarah Palin into the fetid warmth of lies within its ignorant embrace. And why not? Why wouldn’t the Elephantine, Grand Ol’ Party of No say “Hell Yes”—no, wait—”HEAVEN Yes” to Sarah Palin? To be honest, I had the fleeting inclination to consider John McCain for the Presidency (because he’s a fellow Virgo…superficial, I know) but that decision went straight to the Pagan den of HELL to rot with Hades and Persephone when, along came Sarah Palin (Aquarius). She proved to be a disgrace to the modern American professional woman. Instead of presenting herself as an intelligent, cultured, and respectable leader in American politics, Sarah Palin damaged the likelihood of a woman winning a spot in the Executive Office.
Let’s look at a brief list of prominent female figures: Hillary Clinton (Scorpio), Nancy Pelosi (Aries), and Condoleezza Rice (Scorpio)— all very accomplished with outstanding academic and/or professional backgrounds. When they are seen in public, they exude confidence, refinement, and mental acuity, even more so than many of their male colleagues. Whether or not this is an accurate or authentic representation of who they really are, it fits in with the current standard of what is expected of our Nation’s leaders. Now, let’s look at another brief list of prominent female figures: Britney Spears (Sagittarius), Paris Hilton (Aquarius), Lindsay Lohan (Cancer)—all known for their pretty faces, perfect bodies, and entertaining lifestyles but could never be taken seriously enough to be considered for any kind of respectable position in society, let alone political office. What does this comparison serve to illustrate? That we have been conditioned to believe that smart, respectable women are conservative in appearance with less than extraordinary physical features, while unintelligent and scandalous women are outlandish and scantily clad in appearance with impeccable physical features. We have few examples of both intelligence and beauty integrated into a prominent female figure who is also taken seriously and believed to be on the same mental, physical, or political level as a man with the same qualities.
Sarah Palin has a favorable mix of physical attractiveness and conservative appearance. While the Presidential campaign exposed the truth of her less than spectacular educational background, she could have played her role as Vice-Presidential candidate a bit smarter…literally. I don’t mean to downplay the accomplishment of her election to the Governor’s office in the state of Alaska, as well as holding the office of the Mayor as well—both positions would require a wide array of skills, acumen, and intelligence. However, those attributes were not what she presented to the American public and International audiences. Instead, she came across as a stereotypical backwoods hick, “hot” chick in a suit, ignorant of the world around her, and worse…a woman who can’t rear her own family properly.
The issues of femininity, gender roles, professionalism, and public opinion are age-old and ever-changing. There are some that will argue in favor of Sarah Palin either because they believe it was the fault of the McCain campaign and the Republican Party for even thinking of choosing someone who was clearly unqualified for the job. There are others who would say that she was unfairly targeted because of her looks and that someone else may not have been subjected to the same probing questions, invasions of privacy, and snap judgments that she had to endure. On the other hand, appropriate public appearance and favorable public opinion are vital factors in politics. Being a hypocrite is only bad if one is actually caught being a hypocrite; otherwise, for the most part, it is of the utmost importance to maintain an ideal image, by any means, if one wants to remain in office and stay employed in the world of governmental affairs. It is even more important for women to play their public and professional cards very wisely, as there is still a long road ahead in order to compete and thrive in the public space with their male counterparts. Had Sarah Palin taken her role as a groundbreaking female political figure a bit more seriously, she could have been another addition to the small but growing list of exemplary women for younger generations to model themselves after for future success. Instead, we are left to wonder if perhaps a woman just isn’t quite ready to take on the role as President just yet.
Looking at Palin’s chart (born February 11, 1964, per Wikipedia), the most obvious influence she’s been under over last few months has been transiting Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron conjunct her natal Sun, Mars, Saturn conjunction. This triple conjunction of the natal Sun, Mars, and Saturn is also squared by her natal Neptune. Additionally, her progressed Venus is in wide opposition to her natal Neptune. What does all this mean? Well, she’s under one hell of a Neptune, god-like aura, “It was God’s plan,” make-me-a-celebrity, delusional transit. The qualities associated with Neptune can soar to the heights of the beautiful, ethereal, sublime, and spiritual. Neptune can also fall under the guise of false prophets, drug addicts, liars, and cheats. It seems as though Palin’s sudden rise to fame and constant life in the spotlight triggered her narcissistic streak to the Nth degree. Designer clothes, $100,00 speaker fees, the “God’s plan” assertion all stink of Neptune’s influence. Not to mention, good old larger-than-life Jupiter is lending to the extremes in her feelings of “specialness.” Well, Sarah Palin better buy a pair of those new Reebok Easytone sneakers to build up her gluteal muscles so that she has some padding as she falls down on her dumb ass when the transit finally passes. (See chart below. Default 6am birth time used- actual birth time unknown or unverified.)
PA Political Astrology: Narrowing down the candidates for Governor (Part 1)
[tweetmeme]The race for PA Governor has taken a slight turn during this lovely Mercury Retrograde (ending this Friday, January 15, 2010), in that Jim Gerlach (R-Pisces) has decided to withdraw and, instead, run for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. This leaves only two GOP candidates left—Tom Corbett and Sam Rohrer—both Leo Suns (though Corbett is on the Leo-Virgo cusp). The Democrats, however, still have four candidates (that I’m aware of) in the mix: Joe Hoeffel (Virgo), Dan Onorato (Aquarius), Jack Wagner (Capricorn), and Tom Knox (unknown- if you know his birthdate, please share it). Fortunately for me, I can avoid experiencing the Democratic, decision paralysis that comes with more than two options—if you know me personally, then you know who my choice for Governor has always been and will be when I walk into the booth, then out of the booth, and on with my blue-blooded life. However, for the sake of the science of astrology—which has no “favorites”—I will remain relatively objective-ish and save my opinion for twitter, facebook, and casual conversation. 🙂 I’ll hold off on breaking down the natal charts of the Democratic candidates until after the field has quieted down. I wish them all luck in raising money and bolstering confidence and name recognition amongst the voters for the Primary—plus, I’d like to see some Lt. Governor action so I can have a clearer picture of what’s in store.
I will say that it’s almost obvious who the Republican candidate will be: Tom Corbett (Leo), Attorney General. I mean, come on, he has the name recognition and is the Republican poster boy leading the charge of investigating corruption in the PA House of Representatives. He’s probably investigating you right now. (Damn, I may have just been targeted…) He squatted and claimed the domain name “www.attorneygeneral.gov” before anyone else did and is very interested in technology. (I only know this because I watched him being interviewed on PCN TV a few months ago and this is what he said.) Plus, he’s got a bit of the Jimmy Johnson thing going on. So, unless some miraculous manipulator gets him to withdraw from the race in order to continue his post as Attorney General on a Legislative witch hunt, it will be Corbett who faces the “chosen one” on the Democratic side of the ballot.
When looking at political candidates, I always look at the Moon and Venus first because those two planets deal with popularity and finances—two very crucial components for getting elected. Because I don’t have a birth time for Corbett’s natal chart, I’m using 6am. (This is a standard that I use as a default when I want to see how the planets are relating to one another.) I can only estimate the position of his natal Moon since it moves so quickly in the course of 24 hours (approx 13 degrees per day). At 6am it was at 5 degrees Leo, however, it can range between 2 to 15 degrees Leo on his recorded birth date of August 22, 1949, per Project Vote Smart. If it’s in the early degrees of Leo, his nata; Moon is favorably aspected by natal Venus (usually a good thing) and also the progressed Moon is conjunct the progressed Sun- forming a Progressed New Moon (also viewed as favorable). However, if his natal Moon is more toward the mid-degrees of Leo, it forms a tight conjunction with Pluto (a very powerful planet for good or ill) and also would be forming a favorable aspect to progressed Venus. Additionally, transiting Pluto is forming a T-square with his natal Venus and natal Uranus, an indicator of dramatic and unexpected changes to finances and popularity, or females in one’s life. Any way I look at it, he’s got a strong chart, which can be seen by his current station in PA politics.
What is interesting is transiting Saturn is conjunct his natal Venus, which is also involved in the T-square with Uranus and Pluto. Saturn always adds an element of restriction, and when involved with Venus it can signal monetary restriction. However, that may not be a big deal because of his apparent lack of need for campaigning (See header: Tom Corbett’s Free Campaign). On the other hand, Corbett has been accused of targeting Democrats over Republicans for investigation, most recently in the case of Senator Jane Orie. Time will unravel all the exciting details—his natal Sun is being supported by the energy of progressed Mars (even though the rest of us are experiencing the Mars retrograde), though opposed by the Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron conjunction. Also, the transiting north node is passing over his natal Jupiter. His chart (below) is nothing to scoff at but stay tuned…