love yourself better

Yeah, who knows?! There's lots of ideas, and the one (I did not come up with) that I like the best so far is that the planets are like a clock that tells us about the quality of time. When we’re born, the moment of our first breath marks the start of our lifetime. Looking at the configuration of the planets at that moment tells us about the energy we were born under and that we'll carry with us throughout our life. Some astrologers feel certain the planets are exerting physical force on us; I don't feel certain about anything, especially human explanations for the bananas mystery that is existence, so I remain undecided re: that, but open to the possibility.

Like a typical Mercury in Sagittarius, I have digressed. But I can say that while we don't know why exactly astrology works, it does seem to work. Every time I prepare for a reading, I worry this is the one time astrology won't work, and every time, astrology works. 

If you want to know more about the why and how of astrology, I'm a huge fan of (a complex and technical read) Richard Tarnas's Cosmos & Psyche in which he writes (among many many other things) about how our connection to the ensouled universe has suffered during the industrial and post-industrial ages and left us in this vacuum of rationality where we over-rely on the intellect at the expense of our natural intuition and inherent magic. It's been interesting to watch how as we arrive at the crisis point of climate change, we're also experiencing a renaissance of interest in the mystical dimensions like astrology and tarot, and seem to be reconsidering how humanity fits in with the rest of our family that live on and include this planet. 

To ignore the magic of being sentient meatsuits flying around on a ball of rock powered by a massive sky fire is a weird way humans try to feel in control of our environment, but existence is wild, beautiful, and magic, and astrology is one of the tools we can use to connect with the mystery of who and why we are.

I tell you who you are and provide you a detailed manual with all the answers for living a fulfilling life free from suffering  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

JK lol yeah right, I'd be so rich.

What really happens is we have a conversation where I'm gentle and kind but also super real with you about your astrological potentials. Unless you've got a lot of Scorpio in your chart (hello, my beautiful privacy-valuing Scorpionic friends!) you'll probably talk more than me, and that's great because understanding your astrology is a collaborative effort. The astrologer brings the knowledge of astrological symbols and archetypes, you bring the knowledge of your life, and together we work on untangling the threads of meaning between them. I try to make it a fun experience, and I truly love helping and teaching people and talking with them about their lives and trying to solve the puzzle of how to live in greater wholeness.

Sessions are over video chat and I offer you the option to record the session.

It can be hard, even for me, an astrologer! One thing I've heard from every teacher I've studied under is that people tend to gravitate toward astrologers in a weird way. We seem to be attracted to astrologers who practice a particular style that will work well for our charts. There's lots of different techniques astrologers can use, different specializations they can focus on, and different philosophies they can hold about life, the universe, and everything. So if you're here, that's cool, it might be for a reason. If you're still not sure I'm the right astrologer for you, read on. If you're sure I'm not the right astrologer for you but you still want to see an astrologer, feel free to send me a message about what you're looking for and I'll try to connect you with a good fit.

FWIW, I seem to draw and/or have direct experience with: feeling the identity being pulled in opposite directions/finding inner balance; Plutonic obsessiveness and drive/channelling your energy productively and with respect to your limits; the intersection of confidence and fear/battling the "should" monster; issues of self-worth/needing help recognizing and embracing your unique value and values; striving for/finding meaning in a capitalist system (hot take: it's about how we treat each other); burnout; creativity; coping with the embarrassment of being human.

I mean, yes, you could, and a lot of people do. However, the beauty of astrology lies in its complexity and its magic, the combination of technique and art. It reminds me of how I feel about delicious food. I'm able to cook. I know how to make food I enjoy. But if I want something truly delicious, I go to a restaurant and let someone with more experience and passion use their better equipment and wider range of ingredients to create a delicious meal for me. That way I get the best part of the experience (for me, a person who does not enjoy cooking fancy meals for herself) without all the effort. I'm able to enjoy the food without having had to learn to make the food. 

If you do want to explore your astrology on your own, you have a lot of options (and I write of each of these with love, as I have been there bb). You can...

Scavenge aka search online yourself - Cool, with some parameters. Remember that if you search "5th house Sun", what you're getting back on the internet might be written by literally anyone. Best practice #1: look for named authors, and side-eye any content that has no listed author. When in doubt, refer to The Mountain Astrologer. Best practice #2: know that any description you read that's written for a general audience (i.e. does not take the full scope of ALL your astrology into account) may not fully apply to you. So if you read a description of Venus in Aries and only half of it applies to you, great, focus on that half. Take what resonates and don't worry about the rest. Again, nothing that's written to apply to everyone (the astrology community calls these "cookbook descriptions") is going to compare to the full picture that an astrologer can give you.

Use an app - The apps get more specific than general descriptions you'll find online because they  seem to have more specific descriptions (a planet in a sign in a house instead of just a planet in a sign or a planet in a house). Apps are great if you just want to casually engage with astrology. You can get some info about some of the ways your potentials might be manifesting and how to work with them and see if that matches your experience (but again: remember that as the authority on your own lived experience, YOU get to decide what's relevant to you and chuck whatever doesn't apply. Don't ever let an app tell you how to live). 

Buy helluv books and lone wolf your way through - IMO, this is where the descent into the rabbit hole truly begins, but I'm into it. This is how my own fall happened: I wanted to learn about a specific technique so I bought a book and while learning the first technique, I discovered a second technique that I hadn't heard of so I bought another book to understand the second technique and discovered a third technique...and thus the cycle continued until I was sitting on the living room floor amidst a pile of books with no idea what to read. "I need help," I thought, and so I enrolled in a program. But if book reading is the right fit for you, I have really enjoyed the way the curriculum at Astrology University has unfolded (and they post their reading lists on the site).

If you don't want to devote substantial time to learning astrology (which, I mean, I GUESS I GET IT BUT ALSO ???) you can work with an astrologer who can take all the technical information in their head and add it to the experiential information you share and help you synthesize meaning from the two. A good astrologer will have a strong background in myth, history, and technical understanding combined with an intuitive sense that connects them to the cosmos (something you can't get from an app).

I see my role as a translator who helps you understand the story of the stars through the lens of your life, and the story of your life through the lens of the stars. I practice Western astrology using Placidus houses, but I don't hate other house systems and am happy to use a different one if you have a preference (why yes, I do have some Libra placements, why do you ask?). I also think it's valuable to explore your chart in a variety of house systems so if you haven't done that before, give it a shot (with someone who uses a system that's new to you), it's cool. 

Another idea I resonate with but didn't invent is that each person represents a highly specific incarnation of the energy of creation that's come to this plane of existence to have the intentional and important experience of being you. More simply, the universe wants you to be the most YOU possible. I've experienced first-hand the damage that living inauthentically can do, and the way the universe seems to rejoice when we live in accordance with our true selves, and I want that for every person in the world.

I view astrology as a path toward greater authenticity of self-expression and my goal is to help you articulate who you are and what you need so you can then articulate it to others and have the beautiful, profound experience of living in your truth. We can't articulate our story until we have the vocabulary to do so. Astrology (along with yoga, mindfulness, meditation, supportive community, and therapy) has helped me understand and embody my authentic self and I can't say enough about how strongly that's impacted my life for the better. 

For my technical babes: I primarily focus on counseling others through astrology using the natal chart. I look at secondary progressions, solar arcs, and transits (among other things) as part of my chart analysis.

Astrology is a tool we can use to deepen our understanding of ourselves through focused and intentional exploration. 

I cannot (and will not try to) predict the future, nor will I tell you what to do.

I can use astrology to help you recognize patterns, problems, and talents and together we can discuss ways you might adjust your perspective or behavior to more authentically express yourself. In my experience, having new language to frame yourself to yourself can open up huge avenues of growth that lead to a greater sense of wholeness and a more fulfilling embodied experience. 

It'd be awesome if astrology could make everything better immediately. It can probably make some things better immediately, but much like meditation, therapy, yoga, and other self-development practices, the process takes time. Even though it's a magical, mysterious tool, it's just a tool. A hammer can help you fix your house, but getting a hammer is not going to  transform the house into a perfect specimen of architecture. You have to use the hammer to make improvements, along with your other tools and supplies and the help and support of others. 

Astrology is also archetypal, meaning each symbol represents a universal aspect of the human experience. The trickster, the lover, the wise man, the warrior--these are universal characters that exist within each of us, whose energy we encounter and express as we move through our lives. What thrills the lover in you--an adventure, a near-death experience, a home-cooked meal? Is your warrior being stifled by your sense of responsibility? What happens when your head wants one thing and your heart wants another? How do you find balance amidst an ocean of needs? This is what astrology can help us articulate and understand.

In plain English: my core operating principle is a drive to care for those who matter to me through responsible joy and universal nurturing. I'm highly creative and grew up in the Bay Area jazz scene with two jazz musician parents, jazz aunts, uncles, grandparents, godparents, and extended family. I love tapping into my creative drive and while I have a talent for singing and performance, I'm paradoxically shy about the spotlight. I'm finding myself better able to shine publicly as I mature, though. I'm a creative writer, a gymnast and gymnastics teacher, and recovering disordered eater. I love discussing Big Topics and have a strong intuitive sense for how the river of experience might flow and how to promote healing at the soul level.

In astrolingo: I have a Capricorn Sun at 0 degrees 23 seconds. It's in the 5th house in Placidus but bonks over to the 6th in whole sign houses. I have a Cancer Moon at 5 degrees right at the 11th to 12th cusp which also often bonks over to the 12th house in some systems (but also  doesn't in others). I have a T-square featuring that Sun-Moon opposition (full moon baby!) and a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Libra in the 3rd. I have Pluto conjunct my IC and exactly square my Capricorn Mars, North Node in Leo in the 1st house conjunct my Leo AC, Aries MC, and Venus, Mercury, and Neptune all in Sag in the 5th as well. Neptune is conjunct my Sun and Mercury.

Both paragraphs basically say the same thing. One of the roles an astrologer plays is to look at your astrology, synthesize the meaning, and translate what they see, which is what I did to turn my astrolingo paragraph into the plain English version.