Whether your astrological reading with me is your first or your twentieth, here are five tips to make it a worthwhile and rewarding experience.
1. Take notes of (or record) your reading.
My astrological readings last a minimum of an hour; some are two hours long.
We cover a lot of information (including, but not limited to): the family dynamic you were born into, emotional triggers, psychological blind spots, default thought patterns, advice to help you navigate relationships, and important dates in the future to keep in mind.
There are also things I say that you may not even consciously hear (or may not understand the significance of) until a subsequent listen weeks, or months, later.
If you are an avid note taker, take notes. However, many people find it challenging to take notes while simultaneously hearing someone talk. In that case, I highly encourage you to record your astrological reading.
Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts (I can do readings on any of those platforms) offer free recording capabilities. If you choose to do your reading with me over the phone, there are a few apps you can try:
- Call Recorder Free by Component Studios (iPhone only)
- Call Recorder by Boldbeast (Android only)
- IPadio (iPhone only)
Transcribing a reading, or even typing out notes to e-mail clients, is very time-consuming (it can take me as long as the reading itself — sometimes longer).
That’s why I don’t offer written notes as an add-on service; the charge for that would be equivalent to, or more than, the reading you’ve already paid for. And, frankly, I don’t think that’s a good use of your money considering all the free recording tools you can use.
2. Be an active participant.
A dialogue with a client is a much better experience (for both of us) than me delivering a monologue.
The point of an astrology reading is to have a conversation (about you!) using your birth chart as a helpful guide. By all means, ask questions as we go along. And, if I say something that doesn’t resonate or is confusing, tell me right then and there. This is your time and your money, and our time together is supposed to be illuminating and helpful for you.
Some who are new to astrology may expect something akin to a “psychic reading” at a carnival, where you just sit there while someone tells you about your life. Not quite.
While a birth chart provides me with a clear picture of the road that has been traveled by, and lies ahead for, my client, I sometimes need my client to fill in some of the details.
For example: if I see a Pluto-sun opposition in a client’s chart, I know that power, control, and authority are “hot button” issues (nine times out of ten related to a father who was a tyrant and ruled with an iron fist) that can very easily become imbalanced.
However, as is the case with any opposition, the person who has it in their chart tends to identify with one end of that spectrum.
Some people with a Pluto-sun opposition become extremely domineering themselves because that’s the only way they know to command respect and attention (and to make up for the powerlessness they constantly felt as children).
Other people with that same opposition, though, cringe at the thought of power struggles and authority; they want nothing to do with it. Instead, they (subconsciously) attract that energy — aggressive and domineering people continually show up in their lives while they have a hard time asserting themselves.
Either way, a Pluto-sun opposition needs to be consciously balanced. But, I need my client to tell me how they have experienced it so I can provide meaningful and relevant advice.
Some people think it’s best to not say anything during an astrological reading so as to not “give anything away”. The thing is, your birth chart speaks for you. I’ve studied it prior to our reading, and I already have my talking points ready (some of you have seen my papers filled to the brim with chicken scratch!).
Remember, too, that astrological principles are universal. Every astrology textbook will describe a Pluto-sun opposition as a classic sign of someone who either finds themselves consistently playing the role of domineering bulldozer or powerless victim (until they become aware of this dynamic and consciously address it). There are, usually, significant emotional scars from childhood associated with the father (yes, these can be resolved and that relationship can actually become quite close later in life, but childhood is another story).
So, if you have this aspect in your chart and you share an anecdote about the tenuous relationship you had with your intimidating father as a child, you aren’t feeding me information that I will then repeat back at you as if I had come up with it myself. I always explain to my clients why I say something, and I also often encourage them to look up a particular aspect (so they can see that a particular anecdote they shared is the epitome of a particular aspect in their birth chart that we discussed).
3. Be Open to Objective Assessment
As a tool of insight, astrology acknowledges our assets and gifts… as well as our blind spots and areas for improvement.
I value compassion and empathy. I also take my role as an astrologer very seriously, which requires that I truthfully share whatever is evident in the chart. Sometimes, that’s a puffed-up ego (Jupiter square sun), emotional volatility (Uranus square moon), or mismanaged and problematic aggression (Mars conjunct the sun and square Pluto) that needs to be curbed.
This is not done to put anyone down (I have my own challenges in my chart), but rather to cut to the core and provide helpful advice on what you need to master to support your personal evolution. As anyone who has had a reading with me knows, the hour and a half (or more!) flies by. I need to cut to the chase.
If you’re not psychologically ready to look in an emotional and spiritual mirror that leaves nothing to the imagination, I recommend that you hold off on getting an astrological reading.
And, as with any assessment, you will walk away from a reading with many things to think about and suggestions on what to consciously work on and address.
4. Seek Clarity, Not Answers.
I can — and do — provide advice on how to best proceed based on your chart’s coming landscape. However, you have free will. I don’t like to think of myself as — nor do I want to put myself in the role of — an omniscient guru whose orders must be followed.
Please! My Virgo moon highly values self-efficacy!
If I see that Uranus will be challenging your personal planets over the next nine months, I will highly recommend embracing detachment during that time and remaining flexible since things will be changing significantly.
That information should be sufficient to inform your choices.
So, asking me: “I was thinking of moving to the other side of the country in three months; should I do it?” is a moot point. It depends. My hope is that you will apply the newfound knowledge you gained from our reading to help you decide.
Consider these two very different scenarios:
1) If that move comes up unexpectedly as a result of a job offer you get after randomly meeting someone at a dinner party (which is all very Uranian), it would be worth pursuing since it embodies the energy of the Uranus transit currently happening in your chart.
2) If, however, that move is fear-based and about returning to something that feels safe and familiar, you would be going against the very things Uranus is trying to teach you: freedom, independence, and trying new and unfamiliar things.
You are welcomed to book mini “check-in” readings or very focused readings for important events (e.g., launching your new business) so I can help with date selection, but my purpose as an astrologer is to empower you… not to foster co-dependency.
5. Think “Cycles, Lessons, and Themes”.
I don’t do “doom and gloom” astrology. I also don’t wear rose-colored glasses.
So, yes… objectively, a transit of Jupiter trining (120 degrees away from) your sun is a lot more pleasant than Pluto squaring (90 degrees away from) your sun.
However, the Pluto transit is happening for a reason. It has nothing to do with “bad karma”, suffering for the sake of suffering, or you being a helpless puppet on planet Earth that is controlled by a planet tens of thousands of light years away.
Think of planets as renowned professors in certain subjects. When they come around and pay a visit to your sun, moon, sensitive angles, or personal planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars), you have been enrolled in one of their classes. It’s now time to show up to class, study, and prepare for the occasional pop quiz — and, at the end, a final exam.
The nature of your birth chart indicates just how steep your learning curve will be. If, for instance, you have a lot of Uranus aspects in your birth chart (and/or a lot of planets in Aquarius), a Uranus transit will be easier for you than for someone who has a birth chart loaded with Saturn aspects.
Planetary transits inculcate lessons and themes. Pluto, for example, demands that you face your shadow (often times, so you can finally kiss it goodbye). Do precisely that and you’ll evolve to the next level.
Okay, but what if you don’t grasp Pluto’s lessons? In that case, the transit will feel especially heavy (and Pluto will continue to throw tests your way during its transit).
If you don’t pass the final exam, you aren’t suddenly “cursed” or “forever doomed”. It simply means that, once the transit ends, you’ll still have to grapple with the issues Pluto meant to help you with — but, this time, without Pluto’s assistance. You can do it, but the window of time when you would have had a renowned expert helping you out has come and gone.
If you’d like to book a reading with me, head to my services page! I look forward to working with you and helping you navigate the cosmic landscape.
There’s lots to say about the current global situation and the many shifts we can expect over the next few years, so let’s get right to it.
Free will — the ability to act at our own discretion — and astrology may appear to contradict one another. After all, isn’t a birth chart a predestined account of who you are, what you’ll do, and where you’ll be headed?