Comments on Lunar Tunes Astrology: Written Astrology Readings: A Response to Lynn and...

I have some thoughts I would like to share.While i...

2007-02-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

I have some thoughts I would like to share.

While implementing astrological science, does it not occur to astrologers that perhaps we don't KNOW all the ramifications yet? That the sum of astrological science and wisdom is, perhaps, incomplete?

And what was the source of all the science in the first place if not the insight or intuition of individuals like ourselves, but that they actually wrote it down somewhere?

I think that the entire science of astrology is based on the accumulated insight and intuition of practitioners in the first place. I would also say that trusting one's insight and intuition is necessary to advance the science of astrology for the future.

As a client, I prefer to get written readings. The...

2007-02-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

As a client, I prefer to get written readings. There's only so much I can absorb when I listen and I like going back to read something years later.

As an amateur astrologer and total neophyte, I've only done written profiles and in that instance, I use my writerly instincts (I write short stories and essays): it's like when I write a story and the character takes over and I know that I best listen to where that character is going or the result will sound contrived. Well, I do the same thing when I write a report and sometimes I've gotten some stuff that I myself didn't understand but that the person I was reading for totally agreed with. It does take A LOT of work but I find that in writing I'm freer than I am in living my own life. I can go with my gut when I'm writing (I use my Pisces North Node conjunct Pisces Moon) but I can't use that aspect in my real life AT ALL!!

As a client, I'm like April, I'm looking for perspective. Oftentimes, it's when I feel utterly hopeless and I can't see the road ahead. I just need someone to say: Yes, there is a road at around 400 meters from here. You'll see it when you get there, just keep driving.

Thanks, Neil. I always had the impression you had ...

2007-02-08T09:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Neil. I always had the impression you had a big heart.

Wanted to leave my thoughts too - you hit it on th...

2007-02-08T03:29:00.000-05:00

Wanted to leave my thoughts too - you hit it on the head when you said that we as Astrologers attract clients right for us - vibrationally their "issues" are ours.
I dedicate each Reading to the Higher Self of each person I read for, it gets "me" out of the way. It's a lot of work as we know, but I usually end up feeling very excited, energized and that good-tired from sharing such an intense soul bond for a moment in time and helping someone navigate through it with clearer eyes.

Just my thoughts - all is energy isn't it, if we're enjoying ourselves we're on the right path!

Thanks for all your comments. For the record, I'm ...

2007-02-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all your comments. For the record, I'm not either/or about live/written readings. I've done and still do email readings. I just have a preference for dialogue.

Writing the reading out and going over it with the client -- wow, that is a lot of work. I take copious notes and record the conversation and send the client a CD. It's interesting to see how different astrologers go about their business!

Well, I do both! I prepare a written report and th...

2007-02-07T00:23:00.000-05:00

Well, I do both! I prepare a written report and then go through it with the client and hit on the main points in an in-person or telephone consultation, their choice. To a one, my clients have all told me how much they appreciate the written report, because it's much easier to refer back to. Some mark it with Post-It notes!

What I typically hear from my clients is that the information I present to them is often too much to digest all at one sitting. They need time to process it, and a written report is helpful toward that end. During the consultation, I answer their questions and get a feel for where they are, but after a session with me, they usually aren't in the same place. As part of the price of the consultation, I give them two short follow-up phone calls or e-mails.

For sure, it takes me a long time to prepare the reports. I don't use report-writing software, because I haven't found one that is able to synthesize the way I do.

As for the healing aspect, the root of "heal" comes from "whole." Giving someone a new perspective certainly contributes to wholeness. I would say that's PRECISELY why clients come to us. They need to connect or reconnect to a piece of themselves. I can't think of anything more healing than that.

I lurv your heavy Pisces 7th house - and sorry, I ...

2007-02-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

I lurv your heavy Pisces 7th house - and sorry, I think I got a little Gemini 7th house Moon carried away there with my response!

But yeah, I guess that's all I was trying to say: we all get the clients that are right for us, and vice versa.

Rock on, you two!

I tend to be more of a counselor too which is why ...

2007-02-06T17:53:00.000-05:00

I tend to be more of a counselor too which is why I prefer the phone readings. I want to know where the individual feels stuck and how they can work through their issues.

The typed readings are more psychic and less counseling, and I think some people end up with what they need rather than what they want.

But we all have a different take on the craft as evidenced in our blogs, which makes it interesting for us to read each other's work. It's good that our readings tend to be different as well!

I'm sure I've written the above post from a Pisces...

2007-02-06T16:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I've written the above post from a Pisces-heavy 7th house. I agree that perspective is valuable, and I have of course been profoundly impacted by the writing of astrologers; otherwise I would not be so committed to my own writing.

What I get from your last paragraph is that astrologers attract the clients most appropriate for them and how they work. I know that different writers "speak" to me in different ways and at different times, and I have felt drawn to connect with them as the result of that recognition.

But Jeff, you are a trained counselor... most astr...

2007-02-06T16:14:00.000-05:00

But Jeff, you are a trained counselor... most astrologers are not. I'm certainly not, and I suspect this is exactly why I often feel out of my depth in doing counseling. (Again, more so on the phone because of the limited nonverbal cues.) I think without the kind of training you've received, my skill set lends itself better to "readings" - rather like a painter who is commissioned to paint someone's portrait - rather than counseling; perhaps that's why the one-way readings work best for me.

As for the healing aspect of astrology - you make a good point, and I'll bet most people would agree with you that the person-to-person interaction is a big part of what makes astrology healing. But it's not 100% the case. I've been amazed by letters I've received over the years from people who had a sort of "healing" experience from reading something I'd written in an article, something that's not written about them personally at all, but which speaks to something in their experience.

But that aside... is healing what everyone seeks from an astrology consultation? Speaking as a client , what I seek from astrology readings is perspective - and I haven't necessarily found a correlation between two-way sharing and gaining that perspective. The most valuable reading I've ever had, in fact, was taped by someone who knew nothing about me other than my chart. It gave me just what I needed - a helpful frame for understanding a difficult road ahead. In fact, I never listen back to my two-way readings because I don't want to listen to myself babbling away - I want to hear what the astrologer has to say!

I think you hit the nail on the head in pointing out that there are lots of different types of astrologers who work within a broad spectrum of interaction with clients. I think I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, somewhere between the purely research-oriented astrologers and the few who, like you, are equally at home in the worlds of astrology and therapy. Fortunately, clients also vary in their need or desire for interaction with the astrologer; and so our clientele seems to be fairly self-selecting. People who are in serious, immediate crisis or who really need that person-to-person interaction simply are not going to commission one of my taped reading anyway. And I'm glad I have colleagues like you to whom I can refer those folks who need to hear a friendly voice on the other end of the phone!