New interview by Mystic Mag
August 17, 2024Bounced: The true story of how an astrologer took down a skeptic
August 25, 2024How to Become an Astrologer in 26 Easy Steps
Astrology for Millennials suddenly became a big thing in the past few years! But what does it take to become a qualified astrologer?
How can anyone know the difference between a qualified astrologer and one who has learned a few things about clever marketing? To answer this, I’ve devised this handy, slightly tongue-in-cheek guide to how to become an astrologer in 26 easy steps.
A quick commercial break!
I hate to remind you but summer is almost finished and it’s almost time to get ready to go back to school! I know you parents are happy! And all you teachers out there, I sympathise.
I have a little sweetener: a little gift especially for those who are parenting or teaching 12 year olds: a little PDF I put together to help you make the most of this important year of development. The link can be found here.
In the coming days, I will be writing my yearly back-to-school guide for all the Jupiter signs so you can start the new school year with a little help from the stars. Subscribe to my website to join my newsletter to keep on top of special offers.
In the coming days, I will be writing my yearly back-to-school guide for all the Jupiter signs so you can start the new school year with a little help from the stars. Subscribe to my website to join my newsletter to keep on top of special offers.
If you’re an astrologer and you’d like to learn about how to support parents and their children with astrology, why not join me for the International Society of Astrological Research Intensive webinar starting in a few weeks?
More resources for parents and teachers
How could even think about starting the school year without knowing where Jupiter is this year? If you don’t know where Jupiter is in your chart, then here’s a free chart calculation service.
For just $19.99, you can order an Adolescent Astrology Report straight from my website. It’s beautifully illustrated and is packed with important information about your child’s potential so you can support them during the most critical time of their lives. You just enter your details, pay via PayPal and then download your report. It’s that easy. Other types of reports also available.
My book “Growing Pains: Astrology in Adolescence” is packed full of information to help you understand how your child learns. You can buy it on Amazon or you can purchase a signed copy here. Here are some reviews.
If you’d like a family consultation, you can place your order here.
If you enjoy my work, you can now buy me a coffee so I can pass the donation onto a child who needs it.
Thank you for supporting astrology in education!
Be Like Flammarion
It occurred to me that non astrologers (or even beginning astrologers) might not understand the process of becoming an astrologer. Or how to take those first, life affirming steps like our friend Flammarion in the picture sticking his head out of his bubble and looking at the true wonders of the universe. (I’ll bet he thought “Fuck me, there’s a lot of stuff up there!”).
So I thought I would try to re-trace my astrological path. There are a few tidbits on my astrology blog too if you care to scroll through.
I chose to formalise my astrological education eventually but I was a free-wheeling astrologer for a long time before that. Overall I’ve studied astrology for about 30 years. I don’t say this to boast because I accepted long ago that there was no way I was ever going to know everything about astrology. I have also accepted that I will never be able to call myself the best astrologer (although I have been known to don a tiara every now and again).
These days I chill and enjoy learning, sparring with other astrologers and picking and choosing what I want to learn. Having finally finished my astrology diploma from the Faculty of Astrological Studies, the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology from Bath Spa University (2007) and a few other astrology courses, I’m studying Vedic astrology. I have written Sun Sign columns after being a Sun Sign skeptic for 29 of those years I’ve been studying astrology. And I’m glad I don’t have to do it for a living. I have discovered my niche (Astrology of Education) and I have a balance in my life.
Can you see where I’m going with this?
Finding My Own Path
I was going to add a hyperlink to some of these topics as a means to guide you to really good resources on the internet. But I didn’t want anyone to think this is meant to be an exhaustive list! So I just thought you could google some of these topics yourself or go straight to Skyscript (for primary texts), Cafe Astrology (for interpretive texts) or Astrodienst (to cheat on chart calculations).
In astrology, no one can dictate to you what you should learn or how you should learn. This is all part of the beauty of studying astrology. You’ll meet someone who will take the piss no matter how “qualified” you are. How deal with the criticism is all part of the path.
Do your research. Find your own path.
Nevertheless people do ask me about my astrological journey. So I tried to trace it all the way back to the beginning.
I think you have to get through steps 1-8 (the rest are in no particular order) before you can call yourself an astrologer in public–just my opinion. And if you have a different opinion, why not leave it in the comment box?
26 steps to becoming an astrologer:
1. The “Eureka” moment when you understand astrology is a complicated system. For me this happened when I discovered my Moon was in Leo. As I was born at night, my Moon sign makes far more sense and “feels” better than my Sun sign (which is Cancer).
2. Having a really thorough understanding of your own Sun sign and how it is different to other signs
3. Having the realisation that there are other planets involved in astrology besides the sun and what these planets mean in their signs
4. The celestial coordinate system. . .yeah that
5. Thinking to yourself “Oh dear God, what have gotten myself into?” and being able to laugh at astrology sceptics instead of panicking that they might have some good points
6. Understanding that all the planets are in continuous yet predictable motion and getting to grips with aspects and what they mean
7. Being able to read an ephemeris, calculate the angles of a chart and draw a natal (birth) chart. Having the compulsion to draw everyone’s birth chart
8. Falling in love with Ptolemy and wishing you were Greek
Turning the Corner
9. Turning against Sun Sign astrology (but changing your mind back and forth)
10. Crying over the loss of the Library of Alexandria
11. Appreciating Arabic scholarship, falling in love with Abu Ma’shar and wishing you were Arab.
12. Realising the influence of Abu Ma’shar on Bonatti and Lilly and wishing you were English
13. Realising just how important the Fall of Constantinople was and falling in love with Ficino
14. Never looking at Renaissance art the same again and wishing you were Italian
15. Bawling your eyes out when you finally see the Galilean Moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn through a telescope
16. Falling in love with Tsou Yen and wishing you were Chinese
17. Not caring that asking everyone for their sky stories makes you look like a lunatic
18. Wondering what hideous karma must have befallen on you that you couldn’t have been born a Mayan
19. Accepting that staying up all night reading an ephemeris has become normal behaviour to you
20. Finding another astrologer and then spending a whole weekend talking about astrology. Check out my article on astrology conferences!
21. Realising that other astrologers must be found and spending all your money on conferences
22. Becoming totally addicted to History because of Mundane astrology
23. Discovering the Sidereal system and spending weeks in a darkened room converting all your accumulated Western charts to Vedic ones. Falling in love with Bhrigu and wishing you were Indian.
24. Struggling to communicate with Muggles. What is wrong with these people?
25. Realising just what a nerd you’ve become when a lecturer stumbles on the name of the Greek who first proposed a heliocentric solar system and you smugly shout out “Aristarchus!”
26. Realising that if you don’t engage with Muggles about astrology then you are actually actively participating in killing the subject and thus making the sceptics very happy.
So happy studying and if you haven’t done at least steps 1-8, keep your opinion about astrology to yourself, OK?
How did you come to astrology? I’d love to hear! Leave a comment below.