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DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS:
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"An educated consumer is our best customer."
Sy Sims, Discount Retail Magnate
"No two are exactly alike!"
Vendors of specialty items, hand crafts and personalized services take pride in the individuality of their merchandise. Even mass production items often mimic this trend, like those once popular and ubiquitous Cabbage Patch Dolls, which were "genetically engineered" (by computer, of course) to create millions of different combinations of facial features and coloring. No two were exactly alike. While "vive la difference" may be a strong selling point, the multiplicity of products (many of the same genre) in the modern marketplace can overwhelm even an educated consumer. A "one size fits all" mentality is obsolete in a retail universe of multi-functionality and customization. Our options are as diverse as our needs. Choosing the right cell phone can be as challenging as choosing the right doctor, lawyer, therapist, spiritual advisor...or astrologer.
An Ounce of Prevention
I recently advertised in a local women's magazine that reaches an audience somewhat outside my usual purview. The responses I received alerted me to preconceptions and misconceptions much of the public still has about astrology. So, I thought I'd better find a way to educate those folks about my work. I revised my promotional literature and felt prompted to write this article.
A Crowded Field
During summers in my youth, I dropped a fair number of nickels in the fortune teller machine at the boardwalk arcade in Atlantic City. "She knows all and tells all" the inscription read. You put your money in and the automaton Gypsy woman moved her hands over a crystal ball and delivered a printed card from a slot. Alas, for the good old days of simple solutions!
Astrologers have often been equated with fortune tellers, and for centuries plied their trade as predictors of destiny. While segments of the profession continue in this path, astrology has evolved and become more sophisticated. Contemporary culture, modern psychology, quantum physics and New Age spirituality have influenced the field dramatically. Astrologers are now a very diverse community. There are medical and financial astrologers, vocational and locational astrologers, business and relationship astrologers, horary and predictive astrologers, mundane, spiritual, shamanic, karmic, esoteric, evolutionary, etc. etc. etc. And those are only the Western varieties! The East has its own ancient and established traditions such as the Chinese and Vedic systems. Practitioners of every stripe are now available, locally or via the internet, to any consumer seeking their counsel.
While widespread advanced degrees in astrology are still a future dream, in recent years highly credentialed professionals from many other fields have integrated astrology into their practices. These include investment advisors, nurse practitioners, teachers, life and career coaches and psychotherapists. The influx of experts from other fields is expanding the practical applications of astrology.
Need a Road Map?
How does one navigate the field? By becoming an educated consumer! If you are in the market for an astrologer, a referral by a like-minded friend is often your best bet. However, if none is available, there are some guidelines. The importance of following your own intuition cannot be overstated in making these decisions. Akin to shopping for a doctor or therapist, you may need to interview several before you find one who shares your values and with whom you feel comfortable. Some astrologers have written books that provide insights into their approach. Many astrologers have websites; browsing will give you information as well as a 'feel' for a given individual's energy. Google searches can turn up specializations like medical or career astrology. Often, the best way to find the "right" astrologer is to let them find you. The Universe is a vast networking machine and as one law of metaphysics states, "what you are seeking is seeking you". Let your intention be known and then wait for the book to fall on your head. I have heard many such stories of synchronicities.
Subject to Interpretation
I grew up on a tree-lined street in one of Baltimore's older, in-city suburban neighborhoods. My mother and I took a streetcar downtown on Saturdays, a ride which afforded me a first hand look at the wider world. As we meandered along major corridors, I wondered why we passed so many big churches in such close proximity. One prominent intersection boasted a church on every corner. Only many years later did I understand that, while all were Christian, each was a different denomination with different beliefs, rituals and customs.
Similarly, due to recent growth in the orthodox Jewish community here, a multitude of small shuls (synagogues) have sprung up along thoroughfares in the Northwest section of town. Whole blocks of houses have been converted into places of worship, each serving a different sect. While the same holy books are revered by all, enough differences in interpretation exist to create passionately independent followings for a whole host of rabbis (or teachers as the word translates into English). In a country with constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and religion, divisions among Christians, Jews and others, including Muslims, are everywhere evident. Scripture, whether Torah, New Testament or Koran, is subject to interpretation.
Coming Full Circle
After digressing to make this point, let me analogize it to the interpretation of a natal chart, an esoteric enterprise at best. A chart contains no recognizable written language; it is visual and symbolic--a mandala of twelve pie slices containing pictographs which are utterly incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Years of dedicated study are required to decipher their meanings. Therefore, much like the congregant and his preacher, a client is entirely dependent on the knowledge, point of view, ability, and ethics of the astrologer for a translation. The content of a reading can vary widely depending on the orientation of the individual practitioner. Like preachers and teachers, all astrologers share a common body of knowledge and tradition, yet each has a personal lens. No two astrologers are exactly alike!
Science or Art?
A controversy has raged for years over whether astrology is a science or an art. Some argued that astrology could be proven scientifically if empirical testing, objectively applied, yielded consistent results over a large sample of data. Limited success was achieved in this realm, but not enough to silence critics. However, empirical science may be the wrong yardstick for measuring the validity of astrology. Contemporary physics is revealing a conscious non-material universe in which astrology can finally take a seat at the table as a legitimate metaphysical science.
By and large, astrology remains subjective. Therefore, the nomenclature "art" seems more appropriate, yet still incomplete. The missing ingredient, one which I believe is essential to extracting meaning from a chart, is intuition. If pressed to define astrology, I would call it an "intuitive art". Nevertheless, astrologers cannot rely solely on intuition; like all artists, they must first master the tools of their craft.
Do You Read Me?
In a large astrological universe, it behooves prospective clients to know what they are looking for in terms of guidance. The traditional "reading", generally based on a predictive model, relies primarily on an astrologer's interpretation of data in the chart with minimal input from the client. This model is giving way to a more client-centered counseling approach. In my opinion, the distinction between counseling and reading represents the deepest division in the field today. The client has a passive role in a reading, while counseling is an interactive process. Predictability has an appeal, especially in uncertain times, however it also has a downside. The exercise of free will can become a casualty of prediction (the "will it/won't it happen?" or "wait and see" syndromes) and predictions invite self-fulfilling prophesies. Readings are generally based on the more traditional sun(what's your sign?) centered astrological model, and are adept at reflecting an accurate picture of a client's personality and modus operandi. They can offer insights into issues such as compatibility, health, work and career, etc. What this approach does not address is the client's potential for change and growth.
Forever Jung
Psychological astrologers, many of whom are also psychologists and therapists, view the natal chart as an empowerment tool (both for themselves and for the client) and mine it for insights into the psyche. These practitioners integrate astrology into an on going counseling relationship. The goal of counseling is increased self-awareness, personal growth and change. Jungian astrologers are a special brand. They have a transpersonal orientation. It is a little known fact that Carl Jung, a prominent Swiss psychiatrist (1875-1961) whose contribution to modern psychology is considerable, cast horoscopes for his clients and more than dabbled in astrology and alchemy. Jung was well advised to keep his mysticism in the closet during his lifetime, but since his death, his theories have been reintegrated into astrology by contemporary practitioners.
Spiritual Astrologers
This is the last category I will address, and the one in which I place myself. My own teacher, a karmic astrologer, once had a lucrative practice in predictive astrology which she gave up after a life altering experience. She realized that she could no longer, in good conscience, use prediction to try to insulate clients from difficult circumstances, as these are created by the soul for our benefit. Karmic astrology explains our present life circumstances and challenges in terms of the evolutionary journey of the soul over lifetimes. Used in combination with transpersonal psychology it rolls back the fog of unconsciousness and offers opportunities for healing and transformation. It is not for the faint hearted.
I Don't Do Readings
I am careful now to explain to prospects that my ideal clients are individuals who are committed to the quality of their lives, take a proactive approach to personal growth and believe they are the architects of their own reality. My goal is to increase their self awareness and understanding of their life purpose, empower them to live more consciously and effectively, assist them in clearing karma from the past, taking positive steps and making critical changes. I won't (and can't) predict how things will work out in the future. It's their creation!
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