I Tried It! Evolutionary Astrology Reading
In the almost three years since I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, I have tried SO MANY “alternative” healing modalities, metaphysical techniques and spiritual practices. From working with crystals, to reiki energy healing, to Human Design, to bodywork, to Ayurveda, to acupuncture, to tarot cards and psychic intuitive readings. I’m super drawn to the alternative, the occult and anything that promotes healing and doesn’t involve a pill.
I thought that sharing my experiences with all of these alternative practices would be both helpful to those of you who are seeking and perhaps thinking of trying some of these things yourselves, and just plain fun. Haven’t you always wanted to know what goes on in a past life regression session?! I’m SO curious (haven’t tried that one out yet.) Plus, let’s be real - these things are often expensive luxuries that we splurge on and hope they go well. Personally, I love spending my money on woo woo shit and I’ll try anything once so, please, let me be your guinea pig guide through the world of alternative healing.
To kick off I Tried It! I’m going to be discussing my very first astrological natal chart reading. I LOVE astrology and have been into it since I was in middle school. Back then, it was mainly learning about sun signs (that’s the sign that most people associate with their birthday) and compatibility with friends and preteen love interests. And who didn’t love reading their horoscope in the back of a magazine? But real talk, astrology is so much more complex than that and the nuance is where it’s at. You’ve got your rising sign, your moon sign, the houses, the effects that the planets can have on you at any given moment in time and so much more. I’ve heard lots of people say they think astrology is bullshit, that it’s generic and meant to be twisted to fit what you want it to fit. I suppose that’s true if all you’re doing is looking up your ‘scope in Cosmo every month. However, I challenge those people to get a full, personalized reading with a good astrologer and then see what they think.
Astrology Take the Wheel magnet by Emily McDowell
I have found astrology to be such a useful tool - not as a way to predict the future but as a way to analyze my own personal psychology and how to better tap into my innate gifts or work with my not-so-perfect qualities. So, when I stumbled upon an astrologer here in Los Angeles who offered evolutionary astrology readings, I was intrigued. To break it down to the basics, evolutionary astrology believes in using astrological charts to provide insight into each individual person’s soul blueprint. It believes in past lives, karma, karmic patterns and that your soul arrived on this earth with these patterns already in existence as well as with a higher purpose. Using your astrological chart is a tool that can help you to break free of any karmic bonds that may be holding you back in this life so that your soul can find peace and you can get closer to finding your purpose. The better able you are to break those karmic patterns and fulfill your purpose, the more your soul can evolve towards its higher Self. Yes, please, sounds good. Take all my money.
Arriving at the astrologer’s (beautiful) house, I was a bit nervous. I’ve never had an astrological reading before, but I really enjoy researching it on my own so I have some knowledge already, and I wondered if I was about to be told lots of information I already knew. I also wondered if I was nuts for going into a random Los Angeles woman’s home alone (for the record, I had my husband drive me and wait nearby!). But as soon as I passed through the gates and met her two sweet dogs (one of whom was named Bunny. And since rabbits/bunnies are my “sign,” that the Universe is with me, I took this as reassurance!), I felt at home and at ease.
What followed was an in-depth two hour reading based on my natal chart (your natal chart is the chart that reflects what was going on in the sky at the exact time and place of your birth). My astrologer was extremely down to earth and personable and I was able to ask as many questions as I wanted. She went through everything that a regular (i.e. non evolutionary astrology) natal chart reading would cover, that is, the location of each planet in the sky at the time of my birth and how that may affect my personality, psychology and life trajectory. My Sun sign, Rising sign and Moon sign were explained in depth, with specifics for my personalized chart, along with other planetary influences. All of this was extremely spot on and resonated with my experiences. She was even able to glean that I was a teacher (for real, she’d written “teacher?” in the notes she’d used to prep my reading) and into yoga, among lots of other specific details that turned out to be pretty accurate!
All of that was great and I loved it. The part that was most impactful for me, however, was the evolutionary astrology twist to the reading. There were two components to this: the “wounds” and gifts your soul entered this world with (these are your karmic patterns. These were present with you already at the moment of your birth, perhaps passed down through past lives,) and the path to take overcome these wounds and embrace your gifts, find your life purpose and work towards your soul’s evolution. The way to identify these aspects in your astrological chart is to look at the North and South nodes of the moon (stay with me, here!). The sign that the South node is in represents your karmic past; patterns you should release or that may be holding you back from evolving. The sign that the North node is in represents your soul’s potential and how to reach it.
My North node is in Pisces and my South node is in Virgo. My astrologer explained that with a South node in Virgo my negative habits would include perfectionism, self-discipline, workaholic tendencies, being extremely organized and detail-oriented, feeling that nothing is ever good enough, being a tireless servant to others often to the point of self-sacrifice, and the uncanny ability to scan any person, place or situation and identify how it could be changed or improved. Even though some of these can be viewed as gifts (I’m organized! I want to help others! I’m dedicated and principled!), when they’re out of balance these qualities can be really detrimental. For instance, dedicated perfectionism and the ability to sharply criticize everything is at its most useful when I’m using it to judge myself. The idea of the “thankless servant,” really resonated with me and I can see how it’s played itself out time and time again in my life. Of course, my job as a teacher immediately comes to mind. I often felt as if I was slogging along, working myself to the bone doing what was right, but no one cared or appreciated me. And honestly, that’s somewhat (although not totally!) true, so clearly I was picking up on something there. My astrologer mentioned that I may have been in some sort of servant or assistant role in a past life, at the beck and call of someone else and never feeling appreciated or seen. Wild!
So, how do I grow from this? How does my soul evolve and break those Virgo karmic bonds? By looking to my North node in Pisces. The astrologer explained that this meant surrendering. To intuition, to the Universe or a Higher Power, to softness, to faith. Ultimately, I need to cultivate trust that even when I can’t control everything, things are going to be OK. I need to be soft rather than rigid, intuitive rather than analytical. Stop planning and start dreaming. Spirituality and creativity. That’s the Pisces lesson. Interesting, right? Lucky for me, I’ve already propelled myself onto that path without consciously knowing I was supposed to do so (score one for intuition!) I am still so far from really surrendering, though. My natural inclination is one of control, perfectionism and, thus, anxiety. I knew this even without confirmation from the stars. So, I’m for sure still stuck in those patterns even in my new life situation. But understanding that that’s what’s supposed to be happening was a revelation. There’s a reason for it; this is my soul’s lesson to learn here in this lifetime. I’m supposed to be working at this for the rest of my life. And now that I have the roadmap, I can work at it more effectively and take the proper steps (as I’m typing this I’m realizing how I’m framing all of this within the context of work, details, and being effective. Ahhhhh…karmic patterns!).
The entire framework of evolutionary astrology and how it applied to me personally made this natal chart reading SO worth both my time and money. It really put into words things that I’d been feeling at very deep levels, but had no idea how to articulate or even that they should be articulated. So, would I recommend an evolutionary astrology reading? Yes, 100%.
Here are the nitty gritty details for those of you wondering out there.
What: Evolutionary Astrology Natal Chart Reading
Who: Aubrey Thorne
Where: Los Angeles, California (she also does Skype sessions!)
How long: 2 hours (intended to be 1.5 hours)
How Much: $250
If for whatever reason a reading is not for you but you’re still interested in finding out about your North and South node specifically, you can get your chart for free on Astro.com or a variety of other sites. Look for the North Node (sometimes called True Node) and see what zodiac sign is there. There are also some sites that show lists of birthdays and their corresponding North nodes. Once you know yours, you can Google the sign + North node and read up on different interpretations, including analysis of your South node. North Node and South Node signs are always 6 signs apart on the zodiac wheel, thus appearing in fixed pairs. All Pisces North nodes have their South node in Virgo, for example. If your North Node is in Aries, your South node will be in Libra. If your North Node is in Taurus, your South node will be in Scorpio. And so on.
Have you ever had an astrology reading, evolutionary or otherwise? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
