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Political Fortune: Patty Berg

Patty Berg has an unusual horoscope in that she has five planets in Gemini: the Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.

The latter four planets are conjunct the Sun (ruling her character), indicating that she has the ability to obtain much through will power and the strength of her character and that many of her abilities are related to the sign of Gemini.
Due to Gemini's influence, she is versatile and adaptable (especially as her Moon is also in a versatile and adaptable sign, Pisces). She can juggle a variety of legislative problems at once (versatility), as Gemini likes variety and loves to delve into many professional and personal interests at the same time. During her life, she has filled many roles: administrator, social worker, crime fighter, teacher, community activist, master gardener, wife, mother, grandmother, and now Assemblywoman. The adaptability of her many Gemini planets suggests an ability to seek to compromise on legislation, especially as Venus, the planet that seeks compromise, unity, and a balance between opposing views, rises on the eastern horizon and is one of her strongest planets.

The strong Gemini influence in her chart also gives her an analytical mind (Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the planet ruling conscious reasoning). She has the ability to dissect problems in a dispassionate way to come up with solutions. Her mind is also naturally attuned to legal and political affairs, as Mercury is in close conjunct to Jupiter, which rules the law, politics and teaching. The Gemini influence also confers the power to come up with new ideas and develop many alternative solutions. Because her stellium (grouping) of planets hovers about the Second House of Money, the implication is that she has the power to focus her energies on practical problems. Mercury in Gemini implies the ability to debate effectively in general, and Mercury square Mars indicates the ability to debate well.

She is an independent person (Sun in Gemini and conjunct Uranus) who is outgoing (Sun conjunct Jupiter) and assertive, especially emotionally (Moon trine Mars). Nine planets on the left hand side of her chart imply she is self-motivated and a self-starter and can pull herself up by her own bootstraps, so to speak. Gemini implies a sociable nature, especially as Jupiter, the planet of expansion, is conjunct the Sun (character), Moon (emotions), Mercury (mentality), and Venus (love and friendship).

Although she has a strong character, strong will power and analytical mind, there is another side to her. Her chart indicates a compassionate nature, as the Moon is in the sensitive, empathetic and sympathetic sign of Pisces, with Neptune, ruler of Pisces, having many aspects in her chart, adding to the strength of her Pisces Moon (which rules the emotions). Perhaps this explains why she obtained a degree in Sociology and Social Welfare and founded and became the Executive Director of the Area Agency on Aging, serving Humboldt and Del Norte counties for 19 years. Much of the legislation she supports has to do with care for the less fortunate (her Moon is in the Twelfth House, which deals with pain and suffering). She has worked to improve health care for those without it, to improve senior care, to create a legal right to die with dignity, and to reduce global warming, as well as other humanity-oriented legislation too numerous to mention. Her liberal agenda is shown in her chart by the Sun conjunct Uranus, the planet of liberal thinking, and Saturn conjunct Uranus, which creates a kind of Aquarian Age mentality. She is at present chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long Term Care.

Like the rest of us, her chart shows challenges. Her many stressful Neptune aspects imply a tendency to oversensitivity, to unrealistic goals concerning compassionate legislation (at times), and/or disillusionment about the inability of others to agree with her humanistic agenda. Too, she may be too emotionally expansive occasionally with the Moon in square aspect to Jupiter. She may also be too assertive in relationships at times with Venus square Mars.

That she is a "master gardener" is no surprise. Taurus, ruling agriculture, is her rising sign and especially prominent as Venus, ruling Taurus, also rises, making the planet as well as the sign prominent. Venus rules the arts and she is a co-founder of the Redwood Coast Music Festival, which helped generate 14.5 million dollars for her community. She is a member of the Agriculture Committee (Taurus rising) and health committee (Moon in Pisces), among other committees.
Not mentioned thus far is that her chart shows her to have unusual self-discipline as Saturn, which rules such matters, has all positive aspects and is conjunct her Sun. With eight planets below the horizon, she has a strong private side, as well as a public side.

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.

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