National Political Astrology: Mr. Scorpio Speaker of the House- John Boehner, (R) Ohio

[tweetmeme] In the funeral wake of the loss of Democratic power in the U.S. House of Representatives during the current Venus Retrograde in Scorpio, I wanted to shine the light on the power of the new Speaker of the House: Scorpio, John Boehner, (R) Ohio. As astrology will tell you, the sign of Scorpio, ruled by the power planet, Pluto, is strong-willed, extreme, powerful, obsessive, secretive, and probing. Speaker Boehner will assume his new leadership role, after Aries, Nancy Pelosi, (D) California.

I find it interesting that soon-to-be former Speaker Pelosi’s Aries Sun is ruled by Mars, while soon-to-be Speaker Boehner’s Scorpio Sun is ruled by Mars’ higher octave, Pluto. In fact, astrology lore tells us that Scorpio’s former ruler was Mars, before Pluto was discovered in 1913, and there are still many astrologers who uphold Mars‘ rulership of both Aries and Scorpio. The point being, we are not losing a fighter in the U.S. House of Representatives—we have a different warrior.

I decided to pull up Speaker John Boehner’s astro chart, born November 11, 1949, and look at the progressions and transits on election day, November 2, 2010. I’ve used a default 6am birth time as I do not have an exact time of birth, so the Ascendant, House positions, and Moon will not be taken into account. Aspects of note are listed below:

• Note: Boehner’s Natal Moon can be anywhere between 11-26 degrees Libra, based on the day of birth and the Moon’s travel speed. This is important as the planet Saturn is current traveling around 12 degrees Libra (its sign of exaltation) and can bring rewards for hard work.
• Natal Sun/Mercury conjunction in Scorpio square Pluto in Leo. Progressed Sun/Mercury conjunction in Capricorn, conjunct natal Jupiter: This is a very important set of aspects! Nothing says “Speaker of the House” better than the Sun and Mercury in harmony, with planetary aspects to powerful Pluto, expansive Jupiter, in the backdrop of public recognition in the sign of Capricorn?
• Transiting Mercury in Scorpio approaching conjunction with natal Mercury in Scorpio: Boehner’s Mercury Return occurred soon after the election. Another nod to Mercury, the ruler of communication.
• Natal Venus in Capricorn trine natal Saturn/Mars conjunction in Virgo. Progressed Venus opposite natal Pluto: Another reinforcement of transiting Saturn, exalted in Libra (ruled by Venus). John Boehner is known to be a fiscal conservative, among other things, and his natal chart reflects delayed gratification, small business, favoring lobbyists, etc, with Venus in Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) in aspect to Mars and Saturn. It is also extremely interesting to see Pluto and Venus (power and money, big business) together. Restructuring of finances, anyone?
• Natal Mars/Saturn conjunction in Virgo: Hard…work…sustained…effort…steady…climb…to…the…top…criticizing…all…the..way…
• Natal Uranus in Cancer opposite transiting Pluto/North Node conjunction in Capricorn/conjunct transiting South Node in Cancer: Boehner was able to tap into the will of the people (South Node in Cancer) who wanted dramatic change (Uranus) in government leadership (Pluto/North Node in Capricorn).

PA Political Astrology: DemFest 2010 and Social Media

Photo courtesy of micahmj11

[tweetmeme]When I heard the snowmageddon was coming, I was prepared for a comfortable, snowed-in Saturday. What I wasn’t prepared for was the phenomenon of #DemFest on twitter this morning and afternoon. I’m not a political insider in the traditional sense, so I wasn’t invited to attend the actual Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee endorsement gathering, known as DemFest. I don’t really rub shoulders with powerful people either but I read and watch a lot of news like MSNBC, FoxNews, CNN, Daily Show, Colbert Report and pay attention to local political blogs like PoliticsPA, Pa2010, Capitol Ideas, and subscribe to CapitolWire‘s Under the Dome email newsletter. What I also do is follow people that are interested in politics on twitter.

Lucky for me, I was able to pick up on the gossip of DemFest 2010 as it was happening thanks to the #demfest twitter hashtag and the wonderful political twitterati and bloggerati that kept us all up to date. Some, like @micahmj11, even had live video and pictures of the event that they shared with their tweet updates. It’s funny that while I was immersed in the PA Drama, I also clicked on a link tweeted by @spedwybabs (also partner in Progressive PST) on How Scott Brown friended, tweeted, and LOLed his way into the people’s Senate seat. Back in January, I tweeted about how Scott Brown had 3x more twitter followers than Martha Coakley. I even wrote a post comparing their astrological charts to see who’s chart looked more favorable for the special election (Brown’s did). And even though I was ultimately disappointed in the unsurprising endorsements by the PA Dems of Arlen Specter for PA Senate and the disappointing drop of Joe Hoeffel from the 1st round of ballot voting, I found out that I wasn’t alone and that I am still connected for change.

I exchanged tweets with 4 wonderful twitter “entities” that are also in my voting area: @Susan1030, @politicslovr, and of course @spedwybabs / progressivepst. This is wonderful for me because I recently relocated to Lancaster County (see also Lancaster Democrats), after having lived in Montgomery County my whole life (see also Montco Democrats), and haven’t had the chance to meet a lot of local Democrats because I commute to Philly for work everyday and still spend the majority of my time there. From these twitter connections, I’m looking forward to having a tweet-up and talking with and ultimately organizing a nice grassroots social media group for 2010 and beyond. Oh, what fun!

Stay tuned as I begin to analyze the astrology charts of our candidates for the upcoming Senatorial and Gubernatorial races. For the Democrats, we’ve got Aquarius Arlen Specter and Capricorn Joe Sestak against Republican Scorpio Pat Toomey for PA Senate, as well as Democrats Virgo Joe Hoeffel, Capricorn Jack Wagner, Aquarius Dan Onorato, and Pisces Anthony Williams, against Republican Leos Tom Corbett and Sam Rohrer. You can read my previous posts on Jim Gerlach, Tom Corbett, and Ed Rendell to catch up on what I’ve seen so far. Please feel free to tweet me, too: @signon2nine.

MA Political Astrology: Martha Coakley (D-Cancer) vs Scott Brown (R-Virgo) for late Sen. Ted Kennedy Seat

[tweetmeme]First, I want to start by sending a positive energy wave to the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Pisces). You are missed and I hope your good work will never be forgotten.

Now, for the nitty-gritty question: Who will be voted to succeed his place in the Massachusetts Senate special election that takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, January 19, 2010? Well, I’ll tell you something— I’m not a fan of “predicting” things with astrology because I believe in free will as much as I believe in the planets—but when I looked at the charts of Martha Coakley (born July 14, 1953, Cancer) and Scott Brown (born September 12, 1959, Virgo), I couldn’t help but notice Brown’s chart is stronger at this point in time.

Now, for one thing, as superficial as it sounds, this guy, Scott Brown, is good looking, not to mention he posed nude in Cosmopolitan. (Um, Neptune, anyone?) I can admit to being superficial and in politics you have to take into account that many voters are very superficial when it comes to choosing their candidates. It’s sad but it’s true. Looking at Brown’s Progressed/Natal chart (below), my first glance is focused on the Sun, Venus, Neptune, and also the Moon but not so much because I don’t have an accuarate time of birth. Instantly, I see Neptune, the planet of glamour, smoke and mirrors, escape, Savior-syndrome, and all the delusion and salvation that it conjures up in humanity. Not only are Brown’s progressed Mars and Sun conjunct his natal Neptune, but also transiting Neptune is in a wide opposition to his natal Venus. The Venus/Neptune aspect also exists as a sextile in his natal chart. Transiting Jupiter is also in almost exact opposition to his natal Venus and progressed Venus in a separating conjunction to his natal Sun. Another Venusian indicator is transiting Saturn currently in Libra (and the sign of its exaltation) conjunct his natal north node. In short, these transits can be seen as “favorable” in astrology especially in regards to popularity, which is a superficial and fickle thing but it gets people elected.

A quick note on Brown’s Moon, a planet that is a strong indicator of popularity. It can be anywhere between 18 degrees Capricorn and 1 degree Aquarius with his 9/12/59 birthdate. Why is this important? Well, currently the transiting north node is at 21 degrees Capricorn and if he also has a Moon/Node connection, in addition to the Saturn North Node transit I mentioned earlier, he’s got favorable planetary timing on his side. The North Node in astrology is almost always a positive auspice to be hoped for in times such as these. Also, his estimated progressed Moon is lurking around in a conjunction with his natal Jupiter, another good indicator of likability and positive public opinion.

Moving on to Martha Coakley’s chart, I see no such indication of the “Wow-Factor”—something that is desperately needed in a special election. Besides having a natal Venus/Jupiter conjunction, natal Sun/Mars/Uranus conjunction, and likely Moon/Pluto conjunction (no birth time-no exact accuracy on Moon position), I don’t see any current transits or progressions that are strong enough to combat the favorable activity in Scott Brown’s chart. Whereas Brown had a double-whammy of North Node activity, Coakley has a double-whammy of the South Node: 1) transiting her natal Sun/Mars/Uranus conjunction and; 2) natal South Node in a wide conjunction with progressed Venus conjunct natal retrograde Mercury. In astrology, the South Node is less-known for granting material success; however, it represents ease, spiritual gifts, and pitfalls in some instances. In Coakley’s case, it looks like complacency set in. It was said that Coakley did not do the things needed to win this election—for example, she did not get out and knock on doors, speak with voters, and get her face in front of people. What did Brown do? He got endorsed by Doug Flutie and Curt Schilling, two prominent sports figures in Massachusetts. What can I say? Even her chart looks a little boring (below). I hope the Massachusetts Democrats prove me wrong and go out and vote blue, otherwise, Mr. Glamour-and-no-substance may just get elected into a seat once held by our Last Lion, Ted Kennedy.

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…