What can and can’t an Astrologer do?
When people ask the inevitable, ‘What do you do?’ question at social gatherings, I have to quickly scan the crowd and have a think about what I’m going to say. More often than not, I’ll answer ‘graphic designer’, which is the trade I learned 30 years ago. It’s the easy answer - familiar enough that people will nod and the conversation will move on, but not interesting enough for them to ask further questions.
Why do I lie? Well, I’ve learned the hard way that answering ‘astrologer’ results in 2 general responses…
Blank stares as people try to fathom how the star sign columns they’ve dismissed for years could possibly be a job. Or…
Many, many questions from people who do have some sense that astrology is more than those columns and who are suddenly very, very curious about how I spend my time.
Either way, it’s a conversation shifter as people suddenly look at you differently, assuming you’re a psychic, a witch, a crazy lady or far more stupid that they’d previously thought.
So if you find yourself chatting to an Astrologer at a BBQ, here’s astrology 101 …
Astrologers spend years studying the systems developed by mathematicians, astronomers and academics over the past 2500 years (that’s a conservative estimate, it actually goes back further). We learn the mechanics of the solar system, and constantly watch the shifts of planets around the geometric framework that the Ancient Greeks developed and that we still overlay onto the sky. We watch planets shift signs, planetary cycles, seasonal cycles and eclipses.
We then try to give these placements MEANING, by interpreting them via a system of symbols that have been fine tuned over centuries. This is where we shift from being Scientific and observational, to being subjective. And this is why astrology is not considered a ‘Science’. For example, Astrologers consider ‘Venus’ not as a planet in the sky, but as the symbol of ‘relating, taste, desires and love’. Which is decidedly un-Science-y.
So we’re looking to facts and data for placements, and assigning symbolic influences. Every single planet, many asteroids and mathematical points are imbued with a tapestry of rich meaning and influences that are constantly changing, minute by minute. An astrology chart is a snapshot of the sky at any particular moment. With the planets locked into position, Astrologers can ‘read’ this energy, and understand the unique blueprint that goes along with it. This is what a natal birth chart is - it’s the snapshot of the moment when someone or something is born. We can see personality, instincts, potential and challenges. We can see how life is likely to unfold for that person, business, marriage or event.
As a consulting Astrologer, we then sit with a client and use a range of counselling skills to talk through their life. We identify the issues, dig into unused strengths and assess how current energies are interacting with their birth chart to assess their energetic ‘weather’.
It’s a massive, fascinating, rewarding job that I LOVE. But it has it’s limits. So here’s my rundown of what astrologers CAN and CAN’T do…
We can see personality. We can understand why you instinctively respond to things the way you do.
We can see what sort of relationship you’ll have with yourself, with your bank balance, your partner, how you’ll parent and if you’ll love your career. We can see what attracts you to a partner, what your capacity for ‘fun’ is, and whether you’ll resist change or push for adventure. We can basically see the whole of who you are and who you can be.
We can also see how you evolve as a person (using progressions), and why you feel different now to how you felt at 18. We can see how you’re likely to negotiate all the challenging stages of life that we go through (think midlife crisis).
We can understand influences that are particular to you. These are highly personal and explain why you’re having a shit time while everyone around you seems to be thriving.
We can help to guide you through, and understand what any difficult times in your life are about. We can show you what to expect with the current energy and help you prepare to either endure or benefit from upcoming influences.
We can guide you to plan events for auspicious times.
We can define periods of time when things are possible.
We can’t guarantee you that something will happen. Because we all dance between fate and free will, and modern Western life is full of choices that only you can make.
We can’t know the future. You need a psychic for that. And a good psychic is hard to find.
We can’t know your past lives. ‘Evolutionary Astrology’ claims to do this to an extent. I can’t see your past life, but I can see hints about gifts and talents that you started life with. Is this from a past life? I’ll leave that up to you. Some hypnotherapists do offer past life regressions.
We can’t make decisions for you. We can offer an astrological perspective, but ultimately your decisions are yours.
We can help you on a both a practical and spiritual level. We can help you understand your troubles with money or your boss, and we can help you understand what the higher purpose and meaning of your life could be.
We CAN definitely offer a super interesting conversation about life, the universe and everything. As I like to say, ‘come and see how an hour can change your life’. There’s something incredible about having a stranger know you so well. It raises questions of ‘how?’ and ‘what’s this all about?’ that can trigger a huge turning point in your life.
Book a session with me now! I’m nice, practical and woo-woo all at once. And I’m easy to talk to. I love to chat on Zoom, or at my office in Newport, Sydney.