Creative Connections & Client Communications
How Far Do Planets Go?
Yesterday, one of my clients was a woman running and now owning her family business, an art-design company. Her Midheaven of 00 Pisces was clearly corroborated through aspects with Neptune and the reality focus of her professional life. The consultation went as smoothly as I could ever hope, and, after appreciating the developmental steps and pressures and learning throughout her life, we came to the present and future time.
“What do you project for yourself, Doreen?” [Just think about the words of that question. What was she projecting for herself out of the developmental network and pace we had shared, into the future. The planets were not at issue; her volition, planning, and reality inertia were.]
She said, “Well, we’ve had such a remarkable time with all the big changes in my life, identifying them and all that, and I think I’m facing another one now·it’s..” -At this point, I interrupted her -unplanned, spontaneously, and really unnecessarily- because my eyes were on her SP Moon exactly on her Neptune, her Midheaven ruler, this month, and tr. Pluto was beginning its three oppositions to her Moon in Gemini: “Yes, and now it’s some new vision for your company, some new development that’s·
And SHE interrupted me, saying, “Exactly! I’m planning a whole new image for my company and·”
“And a move into bigger quarters?,” I added.
“Yes.” She was most impressed.
The conversation continued in this kind of give-and-take fashion, most constructively. She was in the beginning stage of a major Arc –SA Pluto=MC- and everything just fit for a change of perspective within her big business. [I made the judgement that it was NOT going to be a sale or cessation of the family business since the Arc was not a conjunction, square, or opposition, but a sesquiquadrate; very important, but empirically less powerful.]
That’s all there was to it, astrologically. Together we saw the objective, “the other side of the stream of development”, and we started strategizing the stepping stones to get there, between now and the final Pluto transit in October 2000, along with tr. Saturn square her MC.
What’s important here is that the astrological infrastructure was so obvious and the corroboration was present in her reality, that I the astrologer quickly ceased being some exalted seer; I became “a partner in development.” The planets could do no more but show us the time-way to attempt what was natural in the development of her business (and life). I talked business strategy with her, and felt comfortable with the ‘little’ astrology along the way supporting the flavor of my discussions.
How was I capable to talk business strategy with her? Well, I’ve taken a formal business negotiation course, I was creative director of my own Public Relations and Advertising agency for 5 years, I have a library of business consulting texts (order through JosseyBass.com (specialists in Psychology texts and Business texts); get free catalogues; shop around; books like The Executive Guide to Strategic Planningor The Passion Plan -A Step-by-Step Guide to Discovering, Developing, and Living Your Passionor Emotional Resilience -Simple Truths for Dealing with the Unfinished Business of Your Past)etc., etc. And, before doing astrology or at the same time, you have had other professions; you know your stuff in other fields. Well: become an expert; study further!
The point is that we astrologers are consultants not magicians. We must know as much as possible about life in order to bring astrology TO life.
Part of knowing a lot about life is knowing what we do not know. I have a very tidy list of what I do NOT know, and that makes me quite effective with what I do know. It helps attract to me the clients who need me (what I know), since they learn about me from other clients and from things I write, both of which channel my special points of expertise out to the market.
So, I ask us all: what are we doing to learn about things in life that sharpen our skills as consultants? How many books have we studied about early-family concerns, emotional developments in the early home? About starting one’s own business? About the emotional and legal concerns about getting a divorce? How many specialist books, monthly? –This is what brings our astrology to life. The planets do not do anything. Astrologers do.
***Please note that The Creative Astrologer, my new book to be shipped from Llewellyn December 17 (1-800-THE-MOON for pre-order), deals with counseling effectiveness in a single-session format. There are some 700 creative connections to guide us throughout planetary and aspect symbolisms into deep analysis of the human condition: the art of questioning, inviting disclosure, and specific objectification therapies. And for the first time in the literature, you will see verbatim consultation transcripts!***