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PA Political Astrology: Lancaster County Democratic Women’s Association Honors Janice Stork (D-Scorpio)
(Middle, at the podium) Janice Stork, a Scorpio, the first female Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who served from 1990-1998.
This afternoon, I had the pleasure of attending my first “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” luncheon hosted by the Lancaster County Democratic Women’s Association (LCDWA). The LCDWA, headed by Sue Stoltzfus (Scorpio), presented the first annual Catherine Baker Knoll (a fellow Virgo, yeah!) Award to Janice C. Stork (Scorpio), who served as Mayor of the City of Lancaster, PA from 1990-1998. (Just a quick note: Catherine Baker Knoll shares a September 3rd Virgo birthdate with Joe Hoeffel, who is getting my vote for the next Governor of PA!) Janice currently has a one-line Wikipedia entry, as of today, but Tracey Lynn Arriola, Secretary of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee (LCDC) and member of the LCDWA, is working to change that. The luncheon had a great turnout at The Press Room of over 50 people, which included many male and female local officials such as Bruce Beardsley, Chair of LCDC; Craig Lehman, Lancaster County Commissioner; Nelson Polite, Lancaster City Council; and State Rep. Mike Sturla (Aquarius), among others for the males, as well as Lois Herr (Capricorn), candidate for PA Congress (16th District); Pat Brogan, Lancaster Mayor’s Office; Susan Rutt, PA Federation of Democratic Women; and Pat Coller, Lancaster City Council, among others for the females.
I cast a chart for the CBK Luncheon and thought the Cancer Ascendant was quite a nice indicator for honoring females in politics, considering the Moon rules Cancer and is symbolic of women, political favor, nurturing and emotions, and the public. The Moon in Aquarius is separating from a recent conjunction with Neptune and Chiron in the 9th house of the higher mind, philosophy, and freedom. (See chart below.) Check out my tweetphotos of the event here and my Picasa Web Album here.
I almost didn’t make it to the lunch, however, because last night, my beloved 1991 Buick Riviera—that I just poured money into, repairing the fuel pump and rear windshield—finally blew its transmission. How fitting a time for my car to give out as transiting retrograde Saturn (ruler of delays and restrictions) passes over my natal Mercury (ruler of communication and transportation), while transiting Mars (ruler of action and aggression) goes stationary direct on the cusp of my 3rd house of communication and transportation. ¡Que Lastima! Thankfully, I got a ride from my brother and was able to meet up with my new found LCDC and LCDWA friends, Sue Stoltzfus, Martine Elianor, Janet Spleen, Kathy Rammer, and Renee Martin, and I met a few new ones as well. In case you missed it, you can read how I met these wonderful women at DemFest and the LCDC Convention.
PA Political Astrology: Lancaster County Democratic Committee Goes Joe!
Well, well, well … after attending demfest via twitter hashtag, then tweeting up afterwards with one of Cocalico’s finest, I was finally able to attend Saturday’s Lancaster County Democratic Committee endorsement convention. Woot-woot! Click here for the twitter hashtag roundup: http://twubs.com/lcdc.
I got a ride with Sue (@susan1030) and a few of the Cocalico Democrats. We arrived at the Lancaster Host Resort and I checked-in on foursquare at 8:07am. (See chart cast for this time below.) It was then that I met Lancaster County Commissioner, Craig Lehman, and put my name on Joe Sestak’s petition for PA Senate. I even took one to get more signatures, so if you are a Lancaster, PA resident, are registered to vote, and haven’t yet signed a petition for Benedict Arlen DisreSpecter, come sign my petition for Joe Sestak! Then, I signed Sue Stoltzfus’s petition for PA State Committee, as well as 5 other petitions for Lancaster Committee people. I was introduced to Renee Martin at the Jack Wagner for Governor table, then I grabbed some coffee and finally got to meet Martine (@politicslovr) who was working the Lois Herr for Congress table. Lois Herr is a Capricorn, running against Libra, Joe the Pitts of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the Affordable Healthcare for America Act. After Martine and I chatted, I looked on my UberTwitter and saw that Beth Becker (@spedwybabs) had arrived and was looking for me. The funny thing was that as I told Martine that Beth was looking for me, she said, “Oh, Beth is right over there.” Beth was within 10 feet of where I was, haha! So, we got a picture together and proceeded to tweet away about how the convention was progressing.
Eventually, everyone settled into their seats as Bruce Beardsley, the Lancaster County Chairman called the meeting to order and gave the introductory remarks. We then broke out into workshop sessions, of which I attended the “Computer Sampler” with Ken Ralph, Common Ground newsletter editor. After the first session, I moseyed over to the Joe Hoeffel for PA Governor table, signed his petition, and then met Jena Grosser (@jena_grosser) who I had been following on twitter since DemFest 2010. The second breakout session I attended was “How Not To Do It Yourself,” led by Ken Ralph and Sally Lyall.
Lunch was a blast, where I met Sonya and Sandy Duncan of Columbia Borough, and sat with my committee person and district leader, Bill Sheaffer, as well as the LCDC office manager, Tracey Lynn Arriola. It was also during the lunch break that the candidates for PA Governor showed up: Dan Onorato the Aquarius came by our table first, then Jonathan Saidel the Gemini (Lt Gov), and finally Joe Hoeffel the Virgo. I got a picture with Joe but am waiting to get it from Bill’s camera. You’d better believe it will be on my facebook and twitter! I’ve been a fan and supporter of Joe Hoeffel since I met him at the Ambler R5 train station when he ran for Congress in 1998. I was a Sophomore at Temple University and rode the SEPTA from Ambler to Philly 5 days a week and was impressed to see Joe out on the tracks, greeting the commuters. Then, in 2005, he agreed to read my poem, Closet Rebel (email me if you’d like to read it), that I wrote for the Montgomery County Wissahickon Democrats, “Thank You” party for volunteers. To top it all off, Joe is also a Virgo, born on September 3rd, my astrology sign as well. We Virgo’s are awesome. Organized, hard-working, virtuous, practical, and down-to-earth.
You can bet I was sooooo totally stoked when Joe not only lit the room on FYRE with his speech but then clinched the endorsement for PA Governor from the Lancaster Democrats. Hell yea! Then, Joe Sestak the Capricorn shows up in his green military jacket and takes the floor. He didn’t speak from the podium like the other candidates—he stood with the people and walked up and down the aisle speaking to us with passion and conviction. (He did the same at the Chester County Dems meeting. See YouTube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozJF9z0tXLQ) I must admit, I almost cried. The only candidate that didn’t show, was of course, Arlen DisreSpecter. And guess what, he got NO LOVE from Lancaster County. Joe Sestak received the endorsement. And although Gemini Jonathan Saidel didn’t get endorsed by the Lancaster Dems, I got a chance to talk with him and to hear him speak. He’s already been endorsed by the state committee and many other county committees. Doris Smith-Ribner (no birth date known yet) is great as well—in fact, she’s amazing. I wish I had known who she was prior to Saturday’s convention but I have time to learn more and hope she stays on the scene for a while.
All in all, I had a great time at the convention—I even got to be “mic runner” for all the committee nominations. I shook a lot of hands and actually remembered to hand out business cards. I should probably thank the recent new moon at 26 degrees Aquarius, that was conjunct my MC, the angle for career and reputation, for the public exposure I had this weekend. I cast a chart for the actual convention below. The time was set for when I arrived, a little after 8am, which was the time the convention was scheduled to begin. I like the Aries ascendant that had our group fired up but also in good spirits—note the chart ruler, Mars in the 5th house of recreation. The north node is in close conjunction with the 11th house of groups and associations, and power-monger Pluto is sitting very high in the chart near the MC, in the sign of Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. The moon in Taurus was set in the 2nd house of values, its home position as Taurus rules the 2nd house, and it was nice to hear Chairman Beardsley touch on Democratic values during his opening speech, mentioning how there are now over 100,000 registered Dems in Lancaster Co, 50 state offices are held by Lancaster officials, the PA State Democratic organization used Lancaster’s strategy as a template for the state, that power flows upward from the districts to the state level, and that we must keep in mind that for the primary we are running and competing against friends and allies. I’m optimistic that that Saturn in Libra on the cusp of the 7th helped to forge some fortunate alliances and partnerships for this year’s election cycle. More to come! Go Dems in 2010!
PA Political Astrology: Governor Ed Rendell (D-Capricorn) Touches Haiti Ground and Catches Some Hot Air from CNN’s Anderson Cooper (Gemini)
Haiti has been on my mind since I saw a friend’s troubling facebook status update last week when the earthquake hit. Yesterday, when I opened my gmail and read the email blurb from CapitolWire about Governor Rendell (Capricorn) rescuing 53 orphans from Haiti, I thought, “Whoa, that was the last thing I expected to read in my Under the Dome email!” Of course, the story doesn’t end there. As I was perusing the headlines on Politicspa, I saw that Anderson Cooper (Gemini), the “Silver Fox” of CNN, had something to say about Ed Rendell’s trip. In essence, Cooper wants to know why the Governor could gain access to enter Haiti while many rescue workers still cannot. It’s a valid question, no doubt. But is Anderson just a little jealous because he couldn’t be the one to throw some power around and be the on-the-ground savior of the day? The bottom line is, 53 Haitian children are away from the dangers that still exist in Haiti—not just the imminent dangers of aftershocks, dehydration, and starvation—but the dangers of kidnapping and trafficking.
So what would motivate the Governor to attempt such a daring act? Apparently, he is writing an autobiography, according to a PennLive article. But what else could have inspired him to leave the comforts of the Governor’s mansion and the political parties in Harrisburg, to fly to Haiti, still in a state of chaos and tragedy, just to help out a few orphans? Let’s check out the chart. (See below. 6am default time used- birth time unknown.)
Bang! Eddie has a natal Mars/Uranus conjunction while transiting Uranus is not only squaring his progressed Mars but also conjunct his progressed Sun. The Governor has spontaneous action written all over his chart. He doesn’t play around and he didn’t during this 22 hour rescue mission. Also, looking at his estimated natal Moon position, ranging from 13-26 degrees Taurus, he’s also got the compassion of a transiting Neptune square natal moon and progressed Moon conjunct transiting Saturn and natal Neptune. There’s emotion mixed with duty and compassion, right there. And it’s not just the moon under Neptune’s spell. His progressed Venus is conjunct transiting Chiron and Neptune, plus his natal Jupiter is receiving an opposition from those planets as well. I know I’ve trashed Neptune on numerous occassions but here is an example of Neptune’s good side: compassion and service. Judging from his comments on seeing the children, his natural sense of justice and service for good was moved to initiate immediate, charitable action:
“I don’t care about [criticism from Cooper]. If you had seen the faces of these kids … it would have absolutely melted your hearts,” Rendell said.
I mentioned Chiron earlier, as it is transiting close to his progressed Venus, but his natal Chiron is opposite his progressed Mercury as well. Chiron is most often referred to when speaking about healing and sacrifice. Perhaps, as our beloved and notorious Governor is winding down his final year in office, he found a way to redeem himself amidst constant attacks on his character and affiliations. Yea, so he used his political weight and contacts in the Secretary of State’s office to get entry into Haiti when most people are trying to get the hell out. He also gave 53 orphans a new chance at life. I’ve got no problem with that. Do you?
PA Political Astrology: Narrowing down the candidates for Governor (Part 1)
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…
PA Political Astrology: Pisces Jim Gerlach (R) drops out of 2010 Gubernatorial Race
While I was fluttering about on twitter, I came across a tweet by Politicspa about Jim Gerlach’s withdrawal from the PA Governor’s race. My immediate reaction was, “Well, that sounds very Mercury Retrograde-esque,” and then I decided to check the planets. I found a birth date of February 25, 1955 on Wikipedia, and plugged it into Astro.com. I’ve used a default birth time of 6am, though exact time is unknown- I will not be taking house positions or rulerships into account. (See chart graphic below.)
The first thing I noticed was good ‘ol Uranus- the King of Unexpected. Gerlach has a natal Venus/Uranus opposition, though Jupiter is also conjunct Uranus which adds an element of expansion or luck (good or bad) into the equation. This opposition is currently being hit by a conjunction of the transiting North and South Nodes. In addition, his progressed Venus is sitting in a conjunction with transiting Uranus. To me, this signals an unexpected change in a financial situation. God knows, finances are key to succeeding in politics. It could also indicate issues with a spouse but I don’t know anything about his personal life. We’ll see if the news sheds any light on this issue.
I also noticed that transiting Pluto is conjunct Gerlach’s natal North Node, which is also being squared by transiting Saturn. Pluto always brings a heavy load with it- even when it’s good. He could be going through a major change to his lifestyle or career path, though I’d need further details on house positions to see that. There is talk that he will instead, run for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. (See articles on Politico, Politicspa, and Capitol Ideas.) In any case, I do wish him the best in whatever he decides- he is a good looking guy, even for a Republican. I’m no longer hostile towards him since he defeated Lois Murphy…twice. She has just been elected as the first Democratic Judge in Montgomery County. You can also follow him on twitter: @JimGerlach.
