On Becoming An Astrologer: My Story Excerpt from: Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer

On Becoming an Astrologer~My Story

I can still feel my hand trembling as I opened the latch to the basement chapel door. There was a faint light in the room, a musty smell, and a few people sitting in the pews. I slipped into a middle pew where a few other long-haired women sat, and looked up. There she was…golden and glowing; a radiant Leo. Mary had insisted I go hear this woman, Isabel Hickey, because she was “a real wise woman.” I can’t remember where Mary was that night, but it seemed right that this should be a solitary experience.

It was 1968 and I had just turned 2I. This was my last year at Boston University and at the very least I could chalk this one up as an “experience”. Little did I know that this was the beginning of the adventure of my life: astrology. After Isabel, I would follow a trail of wise teachers throughout my life because these were the ones who spoke to my Soul. I don’t remember exactly what she said that night, but Isabel was not one to mince words; we were responsible for our lives and we mattered. We were One Soul with many lives, and what we did in this life had repercussions both now and later. I can’t say that I became more comfortable the more I listened; I didn’t. But I came back week after week because it seemed as if Truth was being spoken.

Isabel Hickey and those that followed her were a true gift from the universe, because I saw myself as always having to work hard for everything I received. I must have had difficult karma by the look of my work life and love life: half a dozen waitressing jobs by that time, and I’d still have another half dozen to go…and my heart had just been broken yet again.

But it was Mary who had heard about an astrologer who was speaking every Friday night in a basement chapel on campus and told me to go. Isabel Hickey, would be speaking in an underground chapel, known as Marsh Chapel, where recently there had been a double-blind study done on 20 theological students who were given LSD or placebos to see if the drug could produce a mystical experience. The results were largely positive in that 9 out of the 10 who were given the drug confirmed they had a “mystical experience”. This was an exciting as it was unnerving, but of course, no psychedelics were given out this evening. Just words, wise words, and lots of them.

The history and atmosphere of the chapel might have had something to do with it, as I was soon to find that I loved sitting in that dimly lit space staring at the stained glass window behind one extraordinary woman.

I was intrigued with it all. I was hungry for a spirituality of some sort, as both my Catholicism and Existential viewpoints weren’t holding me up anymore. It was 1968: I was soon to graduate college and my consciousness had been expanded in the typical way of those times, through the smokey marijuana rooms of music. It was all very Neptunian I was to learn, as my Sun conjuncted Neptune as well. What could contain what I needed? I had no idea…but being in an experimental mode I was ripe for the experience. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was ready for a change with my transiting North Node on my Ascendant and Neptune conjuncting my South Node. In retrospect, it seems as if an inner part of me (the North Node) drew me to this place and person, while the old self was both confused and needing inspiration (Neptune on my South Node).

So that was it: week after week I would go to hear the formidable Leo herself, Isabel Hickey, standing on the altar speaking “words of wisdom.” I don’t remember exactly what she said, but I was too intimidated by this formidable woman to ever approach her for a personal reading.

In later years I heard that the now famous astrologer and Jungian analyst, Liz Greene, had also met “Izzy” about that same time and did ask for a reading with her that didn’t go so well. The story goes that for some reason, they reacted like oil and water to each other, and Izzy refused to give Liz a proper astrology reading. This apparently intrigued or angered Liz Greene so much that she began her lifelong successful journey with astrology right then and there. She was going to do it herself, and so she did! And so did I, but in a more round-about way.

Isabel Hickey, author of “A Cosmic Science” was one of the pioneers in astrology, who was known for her no nonsense approach and rather harsh views of karmic reality. Or so it appeared. I was mesmerized by her words because for the first time I felt I was hearing a cosmology that made sense and one in which I mattered. It was based in Hindu theology, and the words of the Theosophist, Dane Rudhyar who had taken astrology out of the world of fortune telling and into the respectable worlds of the upper-class American and British philosophers.

Looking at her book now I see the kinds of things she would say: “It is as if we have a built-in bookkeeping system. We have debits, and we have credits. Some of us come into this life with a great deal of capital in our spiritual bank books. This is earned income from a past life…”

Really? I had never considered reincarnation before or the effects of my current actions on my future lives. As she would say: “Your subconscious self has hidden in it the sum total of all your experiences to date. You will find as you study that you will be developing your intuitional facilities for you are dealing with powerful energies that will aid in your spiritual on-going. Remember: any knowledge gained through outer study takes you as far as your conscious mind. (But) there is a Super-conscious Mind beyond that area, where you can gain direct knowledge from the source of your Being. Astrology is one of the means of knowing that SELF.”

I was hooked. She was my first wise woman mentor, and it would be many years before I met and studied with my “second wise woman” Alice Howell.


 (To be continued in Part Two) Excerpted from the new book in paperback and Kindle: "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer" on amazon.com)

What Your Astrologer Doesn't Tell You~What is "beneath the veil" in the ...

Relationships: Are we compatible? Sex, Intimacy and Red Flags-Part #3 from 'Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer'

Contacts between the North and South Nodes of one person chart to any planet on the other’s chart strongly suggest that there has been a former past life connection, and you’ve come together again for a reason. Why? We don’t really know—it could be because of some unfinished business where there was great love or great hate, injury, or simply a need to complete a relationship that felt unfinished. Because this contact has meaningfulness to it, I’d give it a green light.

And what about sex? What are Venus and Mars doing in the two birth charts and in the comparison/synastry chart? If they are conjunct each other, or in any aspect, there will be strong sexual attraction. However when Venus is squaring Mars in either the birth charts or in comparison charts there are classic male/female problems which are particularly stubborn to change.  There could be unconscious family influences that undermine or influence the relationship negatively. I tend to see Venus Squaring Mars as one of the red flags, although it often doesn’t show up immediately in a relationship.

What about the stability of a relationship? Can it weather the hard times? This is when Saturn or Jupiter contacts are good, and Uranus poses a threat. Uranus tends towards de-stabilization and likes change and freedom, so again, strong Uranus contacts to planets in either the birth or comparison chart are unsettling.

                                                ***

What about the major life transits such as the Saturn Returns at 29 and 59, and the Uranus Opposition around the age of 40? You guessed it—change wants to happen at these life portals, so many relationships either start or end at these major turning points. Divorces are common at these times because there was some reason why the relationship wasn’t for the couple’s highest good after a period of time. However, marriages at these times or slightly afterwards have a better track record because you’re marrying into who you’ve become, not who you were. Change is in the air at these times.

Here’s another scenario: a client is confused and unclear about their feelings in a relationship and can’t understand why. This is the hallmark of a Neptune in transit time. When you or your partner has Neptune strongly aspected in your chart, expect to be unclear. It is best not to make any decision about the relationship at this time, but rather to accept what is and to reflect on it. Wait. Classically, astrologers have always said “Never sign anything on the dotted line until a Neptune transit has passed.” The left brain is simply not working the usual way and misunderstandings abound. Go to psychotherapy or find other ways to inspire yourself with your Neptune aspects and transits.

All of these planetary aspects are particularly powerful if they are conjunctions, a little less so if they’re squares or oppositions. Sextiles don’t count so much in this. But it’s a good idea to do this: look at your chart and see what kind of a relationship partner you might make, and then look at your partner’s chart. Do you both have difficult relationship aspects in your birth charts? That’s a consideration. When you look at them together, do you have a balance between the grace and grit? Ask yourself what you’re really looking for in a partnership: is it stability, sexual excitement, or nurturance? Does the other person have the capacity to give it to you?

Let’s say you’re a person who wants stability and nurturance and can’t stand arguments. You might be wise to find someone with water and earth planets—especially some good Cancer and Moon aspects or 4^th house conjunctions. Or let’s say you like passionate conversations (maybe someone would call that an argument but you call it a conversation) and you end up making love afterwards. You’ll be best with the air and fire signs, and maybe some 8^th house activity, with Scorpio or Pluto undertones in the chart.

There are an equal number of gracious green flags to look for in relationships, but we tend to focus in on the difficult ones and the ones we can’t see. But in general, contacts between Venus, Jupiter and Neptune to another’s personal planets feel good, and can be idealistic. With Venus, Neptune and Jupiter well placed you can make an intention to make the relationship work—and it will—even when the grit is knee deep.

 A well placed Venus helps too—like one person’s Venus contacting the other’s Moon. Once you know the basic nature of the planets and signs it becomes somewhat intuitive. However remember not to isolate one aspect and doom the relationship—you need to meditate on the charts and layer the information bringing in all the pro’s and con’s.

Making the intention to hang in there and work on a relationship is what marriage is about—it’s a 7^th house characteristic. But anyone—no matter what the combinations of red flags or green flags you have—can still make a relationship work if you both have the intention to make it work and that includes looking at your own unconscious projections, expectations, and what falls beneath the radar. If you’ve got some strong addictions, then you are essentially married to your addiction first, and the partner comes second. It can work, but it’s not a marriage made in heaven and when a crisis comes, especially during a strong life transit such as a Uranus Opposition, it may break apart.

Our relationships reflect back to us our own character. We fall in love with ourselves through others…why? Because we are seeking to develop in a relationship to that which is incomplete in ourselves. And when you compare two relationship charts you see that what is blocked or difficult in one chart will be mirrored in the other. We attract what we need; even when and especially when, it’s unconscious. Alchemists would say that it’s a wonderful opportunity to grow and become oneself through the experience of another and we can do that—or we can place all the blame on the other person’s shoulders and be blind to our part.

And so it goes on. You’ll find your own observations of grace and grit in relationships as you work on couple’s charts. Put two charts side by side, or have your computer create a bi-wheel. Comparison of two people’s charts aren’t terribly easy because you really have three charts here; each person and what arises from their chemistry; the third. We can see that third in a composite relationship chart. I put more emphasis on the comparison and I’m sure there are other red and green flags that other astrologers look at, including the time of the commitment or wedding. But this is what I do; these are my priorities that I consider, and there are other worthwhile things to ponder. (Ask another astrologer; we each have our own priorities in looking at charts.) But perhaps the most important thing to remember is the phrase my husband, who is a potter, inscribes around many of his pottery bowls: “Love is the only ingredient that really matters.”  www.elizabethspring.com

 

 

Relationships: Are We Compatable? Sex, Intimacy, and Red Flags (Excerpt from "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer")

It might be likely that our Leo man would draw to himself Scorpio/Pluto people and situations in order to learn from them. And yes, if he leaves her, he will find the same woman in a dozen other forms till his unconscious attraction doesn’t hook him in. If he is mature enough to honor their differences, to listen to his self-talk and to openly listen to her, then they can still love and enjoy each other in their similarities and differences.  

Here’s another interesting thing about couples: I’ve been surprised to find that one person’s Saturn having a strong contact with the other’s Sun or Moon (or a personal planet like Venus or Mars) actually works like a “glue” in keeping two people together. (I’ve seen this when two people say they want to divorce but keep coming back together.) It also works with Neptune contacting the Sun or Moon because it can bring up mutual idealism and intention.

To a certain extent this can even work with Saturn conjuncting Venus or Mars, although these are harder, because Saturn/Venus can often feel unloved in the relationship, and Saturn/Mars creates a situation where one person wants to “go for it” and the other wants to be cautious and go slow. But when these energies can be made conscious and each is aware of them, the relationship can work quite well.

Pluto contacts between a couple can be the most challenging, and I’d call them Red flags. I say this because Pluto likes to work “under cover” so there’s usually a communication problem and one person, or both, may be doing things secretly or doing things that unconsciously undermine the relationship. Pluto contacts are powerful and a relationship can work with them, but we can’t mince words here: they are about gritty transformation and growth between two people and many people want comfort more than  You need to ask yourself how much you can take on in a relationship. These contacts will push your buttons but if you are resilient and willing to do the emotional uncovering that Pluto contacts between two people create, well then go ahead.

Pluto often brings out issues around power struggles, money, and sex. Pluto-Mars contacts can be manipulative or create quite a power struggle at times, and with Pluto-Venus aspects there can be a fear of intimacy or an ability to only be intimate for a short period of time and then there needs to be space. People who have Venus-Pluto contacts in their birth charts or in a relationship chart may often find that if one person is away part time, like in the military or away on business quite a bit, this contact can work very well. (Sue Tompkins book “Aspects in Astrology” explains these contacts wonderfully.)

Pluto contacts can be seen as a red flag, but sometimes they are also the kinds of relationships we get obsessive/compulsive about and they can be very “juicy.” They’re Red! These contacts can be some of the best for passionate affairs which are both ecstasy and torture. Or we see the potential problems and decide that the gifts in the relationship are worth the work. With Pluto, something will be activated in the deep psyches of each person and great growth can happen….but if you’re looking for the phrase: “and they lived happily ever after” then think again.

 (To be continued...from "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer")

Relationships: Are We Compatible? Sex, Intimacy and Red Flags

Excerpt from Chapter Nine: "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer

Years ago astrologers wanted to see in “relationship charts” lots of easy flowing trines and compatibility with little stress or “grit.” But today we’ve come to know that grit is what makes us grow and learn and experience more, so a mixture of both grace and grit is the ideal. I don’t care if some gritty aspects are there, but I don’t want to see too many red flags.

But let’s look first at the old familiar question: What sign is the best for me? There isn’t any. Not really. You have to look at the whole chart of each person because certain challenging aspects can be offset by graceful positive aspects. Grit and grace.

However there are planets that are square and opposite each other—who therefore don’t get along because they see things so differently—and there are planets that are conjunct or trine each other and so are simpatico. So the simplest answer is to look to see if your Sun or Moon is in a challenging or complementary flowing relationship with the other person.  

Sun signs of the same element tend to get along well—so if you’re an earth sign Taurus you’ll innately understand a Capricorn or a Virgo. You share some of the same values and style of doing things. If you’re a fire sign Sagittarius, you’ll innately understand the other fire signs of Aries and Leo. If you’re an air sign Libra, you’ll get how a Gemini or Aquarius is thinking, and if you’re a water sign such as Cancer you’ll feel a natural compatibility with the other water signs, Scorpio and Pisces.

Going deeper: there’s a wonderful compatibility that can exist between having the Sun sign of one person be the same as the Moon or Ascendant in the “Other.” I see this a lot, and there’s a natural attraction between people who have these contacts. That’s a definite green flag. Even having the signs being in the same element—earth, air, water, or fire helps. There’s an understanding built in with this—

However, let’s say your Sun sign squares your lover’s Sun sign or is opposite it—this doesn’t have to be either a red or green flag. If it’s a square aspect that person is going to bring into your life just what you aren’t all about and what you’re uncomfortable with…and an opposition…well, opposites are magnetic because they compensate for each other and attract! They are also similar in some ways as they’re on the same axis, but they see things from a different angle or viewpoint. So the square is somewhat of a red flag (pink?) and the opposition is almost neutral (faded pink?) You’ll learn a lot from each other with these aspects and the combination of you two as a team suggests that you could be successful in whatever you choose to do together—because you’ll approach things from a similar but different angle. It may be irritating at times, especially if one person is always attached to his point of view. 

 For example, let’s say you are a Leo man who prides himself on his generosity, open-mindedness and charismatic personality. And you meet a woman who is a fascinating Scorpio (Suns are square!) who appears to love listening to you, and you find her sexy, intelligent, and emotionally intense. You want to learn from her and you respect the fact that she is private in many ways. She is attracted to you because of all those wonderful qualities you have and that she lacks—she’s not really generous, but more possessive, etc. And she is amazed that you are so innocently self-revealing and she feels as compulsively drawn to you as you are to her.

Now if these two people are young, say younger than their first Saturn Return, they probably don’t know themselves very well. And the attraction they have for each other as opposites (which in this case is actually a square between Leo and Scorpio) will likely become irritating and they will project blame onto the other for their own missing qualities. Power conflicts might arise and they will probably each complain that they always seem to attract the same kind of partner! They do that because they project onto that person what they love and hate about themselves and which they aren’t aware of. It’s unconscious.

That’s why it was written about the Temple at Delphi: Know Thyself. Isn’t the Leo always generous? Is a king, or child, or aristocrat always generous? No….but he will instead see her lack of generosity in spades. And what about those secrets of hers? He was never jealous before; it was always women who were jealous of him. He hates jealousy in any form but now her privacy feels like secrets and stirs up feelings of….jealousy. They each hold each other’s shadow qualities.

The relationship isn’t doomed. Perhaps the Leo man has Scorpio on his ascendant—the ascendant being descriptive of his journey in life, and his way of operating in the world. Here is a little green flag…they are perhaps meant to dance together in this life for just a while. Or perhaps this Leo man has a moon in Scorpio….here is another green flag, as combinations with the Sun of one person matching the Moon of the other is a green flag! So the similarity of the Moon or Rising Sign tones down the red flag of the squared Suns. Following me?  (to be continued in next post)

(c) Elizabeth Spring   elizabethspring@aol.com  (If you wish to reprint or copy "Relationships: Are We cCompatible? Sex, Intimacy and Red Flags" please include my name and the name of the book---  "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer" and that it is available on amazon.com   ~thanks~

Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer: Excerpt from "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own ...

Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer: Excerpt from "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own ...: Excerpt from: Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer"   What Your Astrologer Doesn’t tell You~ What is “beneath the ...

Just released on amazon.com: "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer"

 The Book is finally out! And....I'm birthing it by giving a Workshop~ Come if you are near Newport, Rhode Island~

 

“What’s happening with me now?” In this workshop I'll look at your astrological chart--birth and current transits--for answers to that question, and I’ll  give you a copy of my new book "Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer." Using the book and your charts you'll come to a unique understanding of yourself and what's happening with you now. What is stressing you? Where should you be focused? Are you stuck and looking for new opportunities? Is this a time to wait or act?

 

We'll look at the location and effect of the current Grand Cross on your chart, as well as Saturn (what you need to focus and work on now) and Jupiter (where you are likely to find abundance, natural talent, and grace.)  I will also talk a little on medical astrology, and the North and South Nodes as they relate to life direction and soul purpose. I’ve has been a professional astrologer for over 20 years, and am the author of 3 astrology books. My hope is that by using what you learn in the class, with the book, you will be on your way to becoming your own best astrologer.

 

The class will be on Sunday, April 27^th from 1:00--3:30. You'll need to register with me at elizabethspring@aol.com (best option) or call me at: 294-5863 with your birth date, year, approximate time of birth, and place of birth, as well as your phone number, so I can prepare and notate your chart.

It will be held at Kerstin Zettmar’s studio, upstairs in the Newport Congregational Church on the corner of Spring St and Pelham St. The fee is $45 (cash or check at door) which includes the book (or you can buy the book on amazon.com for 21.95.) Class size is limited, and on a first come basis--don’t forget, you must have preregistered for the class with your birth date to attend.

Hope to see you there!  ~Elizabeth

New Book to be released next month: Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer

If you can't find the right book, wait till next month! I'm hoping my book:  Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer will be out then. Just in the last phases of finishing up....I've included comparison charts of Hitler and Charlie Chaplain as well as art work and diagrams. Giving the power to you. Of course I'm telling you my story of how I became an astrologer and what it would take you to become a professional astrologer today....as well as meanderings and musings on Carl Jung, Existentialism, and transits/transitions as we age.

Astrology: Myth, Magic and Mystery~Excerpt: North Node Astrology

North Node Leo, South Node Aquarius (+playlist)

Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer: Existentialism and Archetypal Astrology...a Path t...

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Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer: Making Transits Work for You! Understanding Transi...

Lifting the Veil; Becoming Your Own Best Astrologer: Making Transits Work for You! Understanding Transi...: An excerpt from the new book.