Why should I have a consultation?
Do you want to know why you're here? Do you want to understand yourself better? Have you ever wanted to know why you do what you do, and believe what you believe? Do you want to have better, more fulfilling relationships? Do you want to improve your life, have more inner and outer peace? Do you want to be more in touch with your true nature?
Consultations with me can address all of these things and more. While I specialize in existential questions and work with deep wounding, symbolized in this work by Pluto, I can help with any issue.

What is astrology?
Astrology is an ancient science rooted in correlation of the movement of the planets and events/behavior. It's a symbolic language we can use to understand why we are the way we are and, thereby, come to be able to honor the way we are.

What makes Evolutionary Astrology different than other kinds of astrology?
The definition of Evolutionary Astrology, as developed by Steven Forrest and Jeffrey Wolf Green:

1. An acceptance of the fact that human beings incarnate in a succession of lifetimes.
2. An acceptance of the fact that the birthchart reflects the evolutionary condition of the soul at the moment of incarnation.
3. An acceptance of the fact that the birthchart reflects the evolutionary intentions of the soul for the present life.
4. An acceptance of the fact that the circumstances of the present life, both materially and psychologically, do not arise randomly, but rather reflect the evolutionary intentions and necessities of the soul.
5. An acceptance of the fact that human beings interact creatively and unpredictably with their birthcharts; that all astrological symbols are multi-dimensional and are modulated into material and psychic expression by the consciousness of the individual.
6. An acceptance of the fact that human beings are responsible for the realities they experience, both internally and externally.
7. A respectful intention to accept and support a person seeking astrological help, no matter the evolutionary state in which such an individual finds himself or herself.
Copyright 2000, Steven Forrest and Jeffrey Wolf Green

Why should I believe in astrology?
Astrology is a symbolic language we can use to understand ourselves and each other. It doesn't require that we believe in it for it to be useful.  Do you believe in economics or sociiology?  If you didn't believe in either, would they cease to be meaningful when applied to real-world situations?

What is channeling?
Channeling is communication with spirit helpers, whether you call them angels or guides, or your higher self or any other name. Everyone has such guides and can learn to communicate with them, and learning to listen to the loving guidance they have to offer enriches our lives immeasurably.

So, you channel...how does that affect a reading?
Of the myriad possible forms chart analysis can take, I allow myself to be guided to the topics, information, questions and answers that will facilitate your growth in the best way in that moment. What comes through is what Spirit helpers, angels or your higher self (or any other name you want to use) would like you to know about what's happening, and why.

What is the human energy system? How does it come into play in a reading?
This is another name for the chakra system (chakra for wheel in Sanskrit), the energy centers overlaid the human body. In a reading, it could become clear that a client is overrelying on one or several of them, not able in the moment to develop true understanding of the messages coming from Spirit because of energetic blocks. In such cases, I might point it out to the client for his or her awareness, or, with permission, help him or her recenter his or her energy in the heart center, the place we always serve ourselves better by working from within. For a client with an overreliance on the 5th or 6th chakra (speaking and thinking/planning, respectively), making a lot of noise about reasons and justifications, centering in the heart (4th) chakra can reveal what's going on. All parts of us are valuable tools, but leading with the one with the by-default loudest voice can get us very quickly where we probably don't want to go and don't enjoy being. By centering in the heart, it is easy to see just how valuable each part of us is as a tool, and for many of us, critical is learning to honor the various parts of ourselves while making decisions that work for us (see Who's Running the Show? in the Articles page).

There are also specific issues a client might wish to explore that lead us to blocked or stagnant energy in the body that may not have to do with the chakra system. Often in these cases I'll use what is called symbolic sight (please see the next FAQ, below).

What in tarnation is symbolic sight?
Symbolic sight is a way of seeing a thing and the cause of a thing. In my counseling work, it can come into play in one of a few different scenarios. Examples:
1. In investigating the roots of emotional issues as they're stored in the body. This can look like paticular parts of the body that call out for attention during the counseling process (as reaction to something that's happening or revelatory of what's happening - another layer to add to the work being done) such as a minor ache that begins when I mention something specific. I would likely encourage you to find out if it's a general ache or some kind of tiredness from energetically performing the same gesture again and again. An example of this is certain kinds of arm and shoulder pain that might be rooted in the feeling of need to push someone or something away from the body/self.
2. In uncovering past-life memory, there are times when the injuries and wounds can still be felt in some way. The physical body will manifest the disruptions and inconsistencies in the energetic bodies, and so we can find people for instance with emotional memories of having been stabbed in the chest in prior lives manifesting in this life heart or lung trouble. Working with symbolic sight in this way is a variation on that outlined above, with the intention of healing the old causes that create new problems.

I'm a [insert sign here], but have never really felt/seemed like one. Why is this?
When someone says, "I'm an Aries," she's saying that her Sun is in the sign of Aries. When we talk about someone in terms only of the day of the month in which she was born, we're doing Sun sign astrology, which doesn't take into account the signs in which any of her other planets sit, or the houses in which any of them sit or the relationships between all of them. This approach seems useful to have boosted newspaper sales generations ago (not to mention lay the groundwork for a fundamental misunderstanding of what astrology is and does), but doesn't even begin to get at the complex story each one of us is.
The woman in the example may identify deelply with an archetype of a different sun sign, for example, there are people with an Aries Sun and 5 planets in Pisces or Virgo who don't always relate to what she's heard of Aries.
The placement of the Sun is very important to know and work with, but it's not the only thing to know and work with.

I'm a [insert sign here], and I heard that it's a [masculine/feminine] sign. In no way am I  [masculine/feminine], and I'm not sure where to send my angry letters of protest, which have lately been piling up in a cartoony fashion.
The terms masculine and feminine as they apply to the astrological signs refer not to gender or sex, but to whether they are associated with the external expression of energy or the internal focusing of energy.  In this thinking, masculine signs (Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius) send out/give off energy, while feminine signs (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces) focus inward and are receptive to energy.  If you look at the wheel of the zodiac as a single process, a process of unfolding energy, you will see each sign's work as a response to the work of the previous sign.  Aries bursts forth with a fiery energy which announces that it exists, and Taurus follows is by learning to slow down and develop stability because fiery energy will burn itself out pretty quickly.  Gemini follows Taurus with a curious nature bent on exploring the external environment - once survival is established, exporation can occur.  This continues all the way around the wheel until all flavors have been played out in terms of this impulse alternating between external and internal focus.

Do I have to know my precise birth time to have a reading? What if I don't know?
For a personalized reading it's important to make every effort to have the correct time. Without it, though, valuable work can still be done. If you're sure the time you have is within a few minutes a reading can certainly be done.  If you have no birth time and no way to find out, a less-involved reading can be done involving the play of the archetypes in the chart.

I've heard that there are two zodiacs. How can there be two zodiacs? Which one's the right one to use?
There are indeed two zodiacs, the Tropical (sometimes called Western) and the Sidereal (used mostly by those practicing Jyotisha, also known as Vedic or Hindu astrology). The difference between them is the day they use to begin the astrological year. The Tropical zodiac treats the first day of Spring, the Vernal equinox, as the beginning of the astrological year. The Sidereal zodiac treats the day the Sun enters the constellation of Aries as the beginning of the astrological year. So, then, the Tropical zodiac is based upon the seasons (Tropical means "movable"), and the Sidereal zodiac is based upon the constellations.

Neither is the right or wrong one to use.  If you've heard that in Tropical astrology you're a Pisces and in Sidereal you're an Aquarius, and you're wondering how this is even possible, remember that the two systems are set up differently.  In Jyotisha, for instance, the Ascendant is of primary importance, followed by the Moon and then the Sun.  In each system the Sun is taken to be the significator of ego, but in the Eastern culture in which astrology was born and grew up, there is a different relationship to ego taught and expected.  It is important to understand the context and aims of other systems you study, and be careful not to dismiss out of hand what at first glance is so different from what you already know.

The question of which is the right one to use can only be answered by experimenting with each.  I recommend De Fouw & Svoboda's Light on Life as an excellent primer on Jyotisha.

I use the Tropical zodiac in my work.

Do you do relationship readings?
Yes. Please see the Consultations page.