Only ever heard of your Sun sign?
That is just one part of a huge array of planets, asteroids, and the connections between them that define your "birth chart". Astrology is, to me, one of the best tools for self-exploration, self-acceptance, and self-growth. It is an impartial and objective view on your personality- your struggles, your desires, your weaknesses and strengths.
The birth chart is a map that shows your psychological dynamics, the nature of your character, your temperament, and how that influences what happens to you.
It's amazing how personality quirks and deep, internal tug-of-wars are revealed by looking at the stars. You can take a topic like career and get a full picture of why you chose your path. You can look internally and see what you truly need, and how that might be at odds with what you want. In order to benefit from Astrology, you need more than an open mind: you need to be able to look at yourself accurately and without judgment, to analyze your behavior impartially, and to recognize that you have the strength, ability, and skill to become the person you want to be.
Working Together
One benefit to hiring an astrologer is that they know how to read the whole chart, how to interpret it for you, and they give you that information without judgement or bias.
By working together, we can best read your inner universe.
How I read
Astrology, to me, is a wonderful tool for gaining self-awareness and navigating personal transformations. My astrology looks at your past habits and tendencies and tries to shed light on negative cycles that need to be broken. I look at your childhood, at your personality and temperament, and your potential. By looking back, we can together establish the foundation and base of who you are now. From there, we can project to the future and see who you want to be, and how to best achieve that life. I love to look at strengths and avenues of joy for people: career, vocation, passions, hobbies, and creative outlets.
Diving In: Some Basics of Astrology
You have three major placements in your chart, talked about often: Your Rising Sign, Sun Sign, and Moon Sign.
Your Rising Sign, or ascendant, defines how you see the world and how others see you. It shows the path you take during this lifetime.
Your Moon sign governs how you relate to others, how you feel, how you nurture and are nurtured, and what you need to be secure, happy, and content. It's your past, and your internal world.
Your Sun sign (the sign that almost everyone knows) shows your direction, your life path and desires, what you want, your ego. It's future-focused, and forward moving.
This combination produces a unique image of you, and can explain why you may not fit your generalized 'Sun Sign'. That Virgo Sun of yours is practical, humble, and analytical, but with a Leo Rising and a Cancer Moon you become much more interpersonal, relateable, and confident than other Virgos. That Sagittarius Sun might be fun and lively, but add in a Capricorn moon and a Scorpio Rising and this personality becomes more private, reserved, introspective.
Still, those are just three placements. Your personal cosmos consists of five personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) that describe core parts of your personality, two social planets (Jupiter, Saturn) that show how we interact with our world, and three generational planets (Neptune, Uranus, Pluto) that show how you interact with the world at large and the governing forces of your generation. There are also major asteroids that give insights to personal traumas, or hidden artistic abilities, or romantic needs. Don't forget that rising sign we mentioned earlier, as well as other key chart points like your Midheaven, IC, and Descendant. All of these placements are further separated in to twelve houses, twelve areas of life, and are then seen in the context of what sign they occupy, what house they reside in, and how they are interacting. Astrology transitions from simple horoscope in the newspaper to complex language requiring translation very quickly.
Technicalities: What style do I read with?
I use a mix of modern, ancient, and psychological astrology. This is an eclectic mix from self-study. I read with Whole Sign Houses, and I use traditional rulership while still paying attention to modern rulers. I read the 10 recognized planets, the asteroid Chiron, and (if relevant) the four Female Asteroid Goddesses Juno, Ceres (shown drawn), Pallas Athena, and Vesta. I pay special attention to the lunar nodes, and have been influenced by Evolutionary Astrology (although I am not an Evolutionary Astrologer) to also look at Pluto in detail.
Types of Charts:
In my practice I focus on Natal Chart Work mostly because I feel that a strong foundational understanding of who we are is vital to becoming who we want. The metaphor of language above, that Astrology is like a complex language, is key for me: I think of myself as a translator, working with you to unlock the secrets of your chart. I try to empower the individual to accept the totality of themselves, to say it is okay to be yourself, and to change views of percieved weaknesses and turn them to strengths.
Astrology is fascinating because it does show equally where we have an easy time in life and where we find challenges. It gives us insights to our true life path, and gives us the power to create the world we wish to be in.
Chart types offered
Natal Chart
A description of the sky when you were born (natal). It can tell you about your family, about your life path, about your goals, and about your weaknesses. It is usually what I do with the Art-Charts. However, I can also go through your natal chart with you in a consultation (go for at least an hour), or via email. If you want to dive deep in to "shadow work" topics, we will probably want to meet for multiple sessions. It's impossible to cover everything in one consultation.
Child's Chart
This is a short, age-appropriate chart for your child. What is their temperament, according to their astrology? This is designed to help you understand them as a parent, and to encourage understanding and positive growth in their development. The chart can be presented as an Overview Art Chart, or it can be typed up and sent via email.
Synastry & Composite Charts
These are two different types of charts with a similar goal: to understand how two people interact with each other. Synastry charts compare two charts, and give insights to how each person affects the other. These are fascinating, and can be done between friends, between parents and children, between employers and employees, or between lovers. Composite charts are a single chart, made from the combination of two other charts. Essentially, they calculate the midpoint of each of your planets. One of you may have a Virgo Sun, the other a Sagittarius sun; together, you have a Libra Sun. This type gives insight in to the relationship itself- your strengths & weaknesses as a unit.
I can do either Synastry or Composite as an Art Chart, preferring to do the Composite. These can be available as Simple, Overview or Basic charts, but not as a Full Chart. These are also available as a consultation, or typed via email.
Transit Chart
We've all heard of the Saturn Return at this point, but what about all of the other major life transits? For Children, the first 5-7 years are packed with milestone transits from all of the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars). At 6 & 12, Jupiter makes it's first opposition & return. We also experience Saturn as a Square, Opposition, Square (again) and then Return. These cycles keep going and repeating. Between 36 and 44 we have a series of transits with Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune- the "midlife crisis". And don't forget about your 2nd Saturn return between 56-60, and perhaps a 3rd at 84-87.
If desired, this can be paired with a Simple Natal Chart. Let me know in your email that you want the Art Chart, but rather than a reading on your Natal Chart you'd like an analysis of your transits. It can be nice to have these as a reference for after you've completed your transit. Otherwise, this can be discussed in a consultation. I'm also available for email correspondence.
Birthday Specials: Solar Returns & Secondary Progressions
These two charts are great for looking at how the next year of your life will be. They are easy to discuss in a consultation, or for me to type up and send via email, but if you already have an Art Chart they make great additions- Add a new page every year!
Resources for learning
I'm all about gaining knowledge!! If you wanted book reccomendations, see what's On My Bookshelf. Otherwise, here are some great articles and podcasts to check out.
Chris Brennan's Podcast: The Astrology Podcast
Kirah Tabourn's Podcast: The Strology Show
Bob Marks: The Basics, In Depth