This is where I
could give you a boring bio, but instead I'll tell you a story, one
that I hope will inspire you...at least a little bit.
I've studied astrology
for almost 40 years (wow, that's a long time!), and I've been reading
charts for others for close to 30 years. But that doesn't mean I started
out wanting to be an astrologer. Oh no. I wanted to be a writer.
It seemed to be foretold in my chart (Mercury conjunct sun). From early
grammar school on, I received recognition for my stories and essays.
Family and friends encouraged my pursuits. I got a degree in English
and then a Master's in Professional Writing.
But...the universe
seemed to keep throwing obstacles at me, both inner and outer (I saw
some real doozies in the obstacle department). I was doing astrology
as well, but usually giving my services away for free, even when people
were willing to pay. I volunteered to give them away (self-sacrificing
Venus in Pisces, always volunteering to help a soul in distress). People
told me I had a "gift" for astrology. They sent their friends
and family to me. But did I listen?
Of course not. (Sound
familiar? Do you have a gift you try to ignore?) No, I wanted to bang
my head against the wall of trying to be a certain kind of "writer."
The going was so tough, I was forced to turn to other fields to make
a living. I eventually became quite successful in one of them (law),
far more successful than I ever anticipated.
Let me tell you,
there's nothing like being a success in a field that's not your life's
passion to make you do some soul searching. It's a terrible feeling,
really, and one that's hard to let go of. How, I asked myself, did I
get so far off-track? How did I end up so far along a path that I knew
was a dead end for me spiritually?
Then one day I was
meditating on my own chart. I was trying, quite frankly, to understand
what was "wrong" with me. I was trying to understand what
inner demons and flaws seemed to have me repeating patterns that I didn't
approve of and didn't feel good about. On that day, with a little help
from the universe, I suddenly "got it." I interpreted my chart
in a whole different light, let go of being "wrong," and started
to see the big picture. I saw the phases of my development and what
they were intended to lead to.
I got so excited
by my new way of looking at charts that I started interpreting everyone
else's chart in light of my discoveries. Suddenly, accepting money wasn't
a problem for my Venus in Pisces, for I was offering something of real
value. Something that produced visible results for others. And I was
applying my insights to my own life, too, with a surprising result.
Happiness.
If you'd have asked me during my years of feeling "off-track"
if sustained happiness was possible for me, I'd have said no. I'd have
said there were too many internal conflicts in my chart (and myself)
to ever allow me to be happy for long. I was wrong. I had simply
been interpreting my life according to certain concepts that weren't
helpful. Surprisingly or not, my writing career took off, too. After
all those years of frustration, who'd have thought? Truly, once I started
cooperating with the universe and my own nature, amazing things happened.
But that was just
the icing on the cake. The cake itself was the inner feelings of contentment
and gratitude and happiness and freedom I experienced almost daily.
The cake was feeling "on track." The cake was feeling okay
with myself and my life. The cake was an almost tangible feeling of
burdens lifted, goals achieved, and even a sort of pride. The cake was
my life.
Did I become perfect?
No. Did I get rid of all my character flaws? Hell, no. Did I attain
some sort of unnatural Zen-like mastery that allowed me to live without
ever experiencing emotions like irritation, surprise, sadness, frustration,
confusion or anger? Nope. Did I get more than I ever could have imagined
from applying the techniques I discovered? Oh yeah. Did I get and do
I continue to get what I ask the universe for? Definitely. Have I seen
equally amazing results in the lives of others? You betcha. In fact,
it is the successes of others that continue to inspire me and that contribute
to my happiness on an ongoing basis (that Venus in Pisces again). I
have been given an extraordinary gift, and by that I don't mean a talent.
I've been given
the gift of being allowed to be a witness to and a participant in the
happiness, growth and satisfaction of others. It's thrilling, much more
so than a little webpage can convey. Of course, I'd like to be a witness
to and participant in your happiness. When you're ready.