Astrology is not fortune telling

Regular followers of my content will often hear me repeat the phrase “Astrology is not fortune telling.” Let us talk about the importance of an astrologer, or any practitioner of runes, tarot and other divination, avoiding interference with another person’s free will.

The birth chart, which is a snapshot of the skies when the native was born, can act as a map, or guide, throughout the person’s life. An astrologer will look at transits to identify general themes that are coming up for the client. Transits are relationships that the planets in the sky, which are always in motion, make with the static birth chart planets. Some other ways to make general predictions about a person’s life in the future include solar returns which are charts cast on a person’s birthday (or the day before) when the Sun returns to the same sign and degree as it was when the person was born. We can also look at eclipses and regular lunations, progressed charts and solar arcs.

Astrology is most useful when the birth chart owner uses it as a tool for self-growth. For example, a client comes to me to discuss reoccurring problems that she has had in her life and I can clearly see the problematic planets that are responsible in her birth chart. There are multiple ways to improve her situation and I can advise her on the steps that she needs to take and make her aware of any influences that she might not be aware of. The rest is up to her. No ethical therapist, astrologer, or rune reader will ever take away their client’s power by giving her instructions. Only suggestions and options. 

No ethical astrologer will say with absolute certainty that they know exactly how a specific astrological transit will turn out. Astrology is not fortune telling but it makes certain things more likely to happen. Only the fates know the exact outcome of a transit.  

Every transit happening in a certain house of a person’s birth chart can manifest in multiple different ways as one house has multiple meanings connected to it.

I would never create an unhealthy dependency by making my client believe that only I have the secret to her happiness. I can guide her in the right direction, I can let her know about hidden energies that are working against her, such as ancestral wounds, and I can inform her about the condition of certain planets which are causing issues for her, but I will never do the work for her.

Using an example, I look at my client’s chart and see that they have a solar eclipse in their 7th house of relationships coming up in a few months. Then I see that Jupiter is going to be transiting that house around the same time as her progressed moon is entering her natal 5th house. This looks like an ideal period for her to seek a relationship as these transits make it much more likely that love will come into her life. I also suggest some spiritual remedies that might help her (I do this for all of my clients). I also will provide her with information that I might see in her birth chart that indicate any blockages with relationship and suggestions on how to improve them. But I will not do the work for her. My client has a choice here which is to take my information on board or to sit and do nothing.

 I once had a client many years ago who complained about being single for decades. The lady lived on a very small island which had a limited amount of available men. When I suggested internet dating to her, she recoiled in horror and shot down the suggestion immediately. Then she asked me when she was going to meet her soulmate!

A popular reading that I offer is a relationship reading which includes the analysis of synastry and composite charts between two people. Usually, only one of the parties is present for the reading and wants my opinion on the potential for the relationship. I will be completely honest about everything that I see in the astrology, including the bad parts, but I will never, ever, tell my client to walk away from that person (or to stay) as it is absolutely not my place to influence my client and prevent her from growing.

If you are having financial problems, an astrologer can give you some suggestions on how to find a career in an area where you are more likely to become prosperous. Certain planetary transits very clearly will restrict money and a good astrologer can tell you when the situation is going to end or improve. An astrologer can not tell you how to pay your rent when you have 100 dollars in your bank account and rent is due in three weeks. As a professional astrologer, I have actually been asked this question before and was expected to come up with a solution.

Having an astrology reading can be life changing as long as the client is open to working on themselves and following any suggestions from their astrologer which might include working on ancestral issues, or even therapy from childhood abuse or considering a different career path. It should never be treated like a reading from a crystal ball, and an astrology client should not expect their astrologer to make life decisions for them.  We are fated with a certain birth chart and we have no control over that whatsoever. What we do have control over is working on healing ourselves and making the absolute best out of the birth chart that we have.