Political Fortune: Bonnie Garcia

Bonnie Garcia was born when the Sun, ruling her character, was in the sign most known for its leadership qualities. As a Leo, she naturally is drawn to positions of leadership, especially as the Moon, ruling her emotions, is in the equally ambitious sign of Capricorn. As Capricorn is also her Ascendant, ruling the personality: She is practical, hardworking and down-to-earth, adding to her Leo qualities of enthusiasm, zeal, vivaciousness, steadiness and self-assurance.
But Ms. Garcia is not your typical Leo. She is much more practical than the average Leo, as three of her four major points–the Ascendant, the Moon and Mercury–are all in down-to-earth signs, thus emphasizing the pragmatic side of her nature, which may be why she promotes student courses useful for the workplace more than theoretical subjects. Speaking of higher education, her birth chart indicates she has four planets, including the Sun and Mercury, in the Ninth House of higher education, foreign travel, politics and the law. As she has involved herself in all these activities, it would seem she has found her destiny.
Of particular interest in her chart is Mercury in the health-oriented sign of Virgo conjunct the Sun, Pluto and Uranus (with Uranus and Pluto also in Virgo). This concentration of Virgo energy in her chart is ideal for dealing with health issues of all kinds. (Virgo is more concerned with health than any other sign of the zodiac.) This may be why she wants to improve health issues of all kinds, such as increasing access to health care, eliminating childhood obesity and diabetes, and also why she works on the Committee for Children's Physical and Mental Well-Being.
Interestingly, Venus is her most elevated planet and is in the Tenth House of Occupation, implying that her success in politics may be due to one or more of the following Venus qualities: beauty or fine clothes, charisma, ability to compromise, diplomacy and charm. Not that she isn't assertive–she is, with the Sun in close sextile to Mars, the planet ruling the ability to be aggressive.
Her Ninth House stellium (many planets together in conjunction with one another) is the focal point of her chart. Here we have the Sun conjunct Uranus, which makes her unusually independent and/or individualistic. With Mercury also conjunct Uranus, she is an independent thinker as well, less inclined to follow the ideas of others simply because they fit the status quo. With the latter large combination of planets in stress aspect to Jupiter (ruling expansion), she will have to be careful not to be too nonconforming in thought and/or too outspoken, as this planetary combination tends toward nonproductive verbiage. This aspect is perhaps her most challenging.
Another asset is her ability to penetrate to the heart of a political problem, as Mercury, ruling the reasoning mind, is in very close conjunction to Pluto, so she likes to get all the facts before making a decision, especially as Mercury is in the fact-finding sign of Virgo.
With the Moon, ruling her emotions, conjunct Saturn, ruling restriction, both in the Second House of money, emotional security would seem related to sufficient money or possessions, especially as Saturn in this house implies her early poverty, having been born one of five children raised on the lower east side of New York City. Her Ninth House stellium of planets reflects her teaching of history.
Her main challenges, as indicated, have to do with an afflicted Jupiter, especially since all her other planets are positively aspected. The stellar state of Jupiter, with its many oppositions, implies a tendency to be, in general, too expansive, too self-willed or too nonconforming at times within the context of a given situation. Overall, however, with twice as many harmonious aspects as inharmonious, the Sun in the sign of leadership and an ambitious and practical nature, her future in politics seems bright.
David Jones has practiced astrology for 25 years. He teaches evening classes in astrology at Bucks County Community College near Philadelphia. He has published more than 20 articles on astrological theory in such astrology journals as Aspects Magazine and Mountain Astrologer.