Recently I’ve been doing more typed readings. Typically I prefer telephone readings because they’re more interactive, but the typed readings are powerful because there’s no instant feedback, no assurance that I’m on the right path. Just me and the computer and the birthchart, and the voice in my head that directs me which I have to trust completely.

When I first began learning about astrology I did “readings” for friends, telling them about their charts and connecting the astrology to what I knew about their personality. When I started doing readings for the public it was terrifying since I knew nothing about them; I had to jump right into the birthchart and let it reveal itself. This was a vivid lesson in the power of astrology – knowing nothing about the individual before me, the inner workings of their personality were revealed.

Ten years ago the internet brought clients to me from other parts of the country and I started doing phone readings which took the session a step deeper. Now there was no one to see, no way to gauge whether I was “on target” or not. Just me and the birthchart, and the client. The typed reading takes this a step even further and requires me to have faith in the process and start typing, requesting and trusting that what comes out will be the perfect message for the client at that time. Sometimes the immediate response is not what I would hope for; occasionally a client is unhappy at what is written and would have preferred different information. But it’s rare that such an event occurs that the client doesn’t write me back later and let me know that the information turned out to be correct after all.

There is a well-known study, which I was unable to find for this post, which debunks astrology because in this study astrologers describe the personalities of their clients differently than the clients describe themselves. To me this merely demonstrates the fact that the astrological symbolism of the birthchart describes the underlying personality dynamics that often operate at a subconscious level. Often a client will deny these subconscious dynamics at first, but later realize that in fact they were correct. We spend most of our lives trying to suppress some of our more uncomfortable inner conflicts and it may take a while to bring them into the light of day. But then the experience is similar to having watched a play with the curtain closed: suddenly the curtain opens and you can observe and identify the players within and learn to become a better integrated individual.

After nearly 30 years, I no longer look to the client for affirmation that I’m “on target,” but trust the voice within that interprets the astrological symbolism that dances before me. It’s such a privilege to be able to do this work, and I am so grateful.