The Art of Astrology
Art by Cheryl Sorg
“We will make our voices heard to those in power.”
Our ancestors, from whichever land they came, created grand stories that played out across the theater in the sky. Stories that taught us about ourselves and offered clarity about the future. Yes, I’m talking about astrology.
Astrology offers us a way to see ourselves as the extraordinarily complex beings we are. It not only illuminates our unique character, it celebrates it.
The constellations mirror the synapses in our brains and the incredibly intricate roadmap of our thoughts. The very people we descend from looked up into the night sky and were compelled to connect the dots, teaching us that everything is interconnected.
The planets and stars have been around long before us and will be here long after we’re gone. They’ve watched us across the epochs and reflect back the lessons we need to learn in this lifetime, if we’re willing to listen.
So it seems fitting to ask the heavens exactly WTF is happening down here these days?!
I mean, really. Am I right?
Which is why I scheduled a call with keen.com astrologer, Leslie Hale. You might know her as the one Bustle rings up when they need a little clarity of their own.
Leslie is a woman who knows her stuff. In fact, she knew things about me just by looking at my chart that, frankly, blew my mind. I’m talking about things no magazine horoscope or astrology website ever revealed.
We talked about some of the biggest misconceptions people have about astrology, the challenges the US will face in the coming months, and just how she got into this whole thing in the first place.
I also asked her what the sky has to say about 2020. And boy, the stars are brining it!
What led you to astrology?
I always had an interest in what you might call ‘other worldly’ concepts, even as a child. I got my first personal reading at age 17 and began to study metaphysics. I began to study astrology as a teenager and took a course in college. At that time, it seemed so complex I thought it was just over my head and I would never understand it. I was dying to be a broadcast journalist so I focused on that instead eventually going into the work force in my field.
About 10 years later, I met someone who became my astrology teacher and mentor. I was fascinated by the fact that she was always correct in what she predicted and astrology became the most interesting thing in the world. I spent the next 10-15 years studying and have never looked back. Even now, I learn something new almost every day.
How long have you been practicing?
I began reading for friends and in the late 90s. Eventually, a friend referred some Texas oil men to me. I was correct in my predictions and they insisted on sending me a check for my time, and suddenly my business was born.
In 2001 I had a friend who introduced me to Keen.com and suggested I give it a try. My thought was if they call I will do this, and if they don’t, nothing lost. I really didn’t think it would work out, although in retrospect I don’t know why! My first call was from a lady truck driver on the road. The phone kept ringing after that, and I have never looked back.
What are some of the biggest misconceptions you encounter about astrology?
There are quite a few misconceptions about astrology. The first misconception is that an astrology reading is like a psychic reading, or that I am a psychic. I call myself intuitive, but it’s really all about what is in the chart. Using astrology you can see important dates, or just day-to-day situations depending on what the person is interested in. But when reading, I am looking at specific dates and transits in the chart as opposed to a psychic answer.
Another misconception is that astrology cannot really predict things. This is not correct. Astrology takes trends into account but you can ask any specific question. It’s always possible an astrologer can miss something or be wrong but the astrology itself never lies.
There is also much more to astrology than your basic Sun sign, which in many cases is the least of it. There are 12 houses in the chart that describe each segment of life and Western astrologers use 10 planets that all have meanings depending on where they are placed in the chart.
An astrologer cannot control anything or make anything happen in someone’s life. An astrologer can point out pitfalls and dangers to what the client hopes to achieve but personal responsibility lies with the client and their actions. Astrology is not based on magic or the paranormal.
Astrology is not limited to newspaper horoscopes. Sometimes horoscopes are correct depending on who writes them, but as everyone’s chart is different. Horoscopes are generalized, not individualized.
There is not a 13th sign that ‘old fashioned’ astrologers refuse to recognize. Western astrology adheres to the tropical zodiac based on seasons and this was codified for Western astrology in the second century. While the Sun does not align with the constellations at the same time of year it did millennia ago, this is irrelevant for Western-based tropical astrology.
“Astrology is so much deeper than just questions about a current love interest.”
A few years back, a friend told me about rising signs. I had no idea they existed and once I figured out mine, I understood why people saw me the way they did. It kinda blew my mind! Are there other things in our charts that can help paint a more full picture of ourselves than our sun sign, which is the one most people know.
The Moon describes our emotional life and what we are searching for emotionally. The ascendant describes our physical appearance and the ‘face’ we present to the world as opposed to our Sun sign. Mars represents our actions and in a woman’s chart it describes the men in her life. Mercury rules our mind and the way we think and perceive things. Venus rules our love life, what our values are, and in a man’s chart it describes the type of woman he is attracted to. Jupiter describes our luck and what area of life we will find it in. The Sun also describes the men in a woman’s life as well as our core being. Saturn shows us where our limitations lie and what we have to work at to achieve.
Astrology is very complex and each house of the chart, along with the planets in that house make a difference. We are so much more than our Sun sign!
Is there any way to alter our astrological fate, or buffer it? I guess what I’m asking is this: is there something I can do to be less influenced by the planets?
Knowledge is power. Let’s say your chart shows financial problems two years down the road. If you have this knowledge you can save, pay your debt down and whatever causes the financial problem won’t hit as hard. The same goes for daily life. Let’s say there is a significant harsh Mars (the God of war) transit. This generally translates into a lot of frustration or even an argument. With this knowledge you can be prepared and step back from things and approach a contentious subject on another day. So yes, our fate can be buffered to a pretty good extent.
Can you explain a little about the planetary influences affecting our time? I mean with COVID, politics, etc, it seems something big must be going on in the sky!
Saturn was conjunct Pluto in Capricorn during January 2020. This is a dark and harsh transit that was bound to affect the world in negative ways. It also describes crime and abuse of power. January (2020) marks the point that COVID was spreading rapidly across China even though it took a couple of months to appear in the US. The last time Saturn was conjunct Pluto in Capricorn was in 1517 when the dancing plague occurred in Europe along with a decree that reignited the slave trade. Also Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church which was the political power of the time. This of course, ignited decades of bloodshed over Catholicism versus the Protestant religion. While all of this was and is negative, the end result brought change for the better. But it was not easy.
This combination will remain with us until late December when energies will shift in a different direction. As Jupiter is also in Capricorn, Pluto conjunct (or together) with Jupiter will expand whatever it touches whether it is COVID or extremism that is so rampant today. This (Jupiter conjunct Pluto) will actually occur again in November for the last time. Jupiter-Pluto was present during the 1918 flu pandemic. Saturn-Pluto last occurred in Libra (which rules relationships) in the early 1980’s when AIDS was discovered and spread across the world.
Also, if we look at the US natal chart, and yes, countries have charts, Neptune is square Mars and opposing Neptune. The last time this occurred was in the 1860’s and led to the Civil War. The civil unrest we are seeing at this time is partly due to the US chart along with the powerful Pluto-Saturn conjunction. This is why we are seeing so much news concerning race relations. It is also worth noting that during the 1860s more died of infectious disease—typhoid, diphtheria, etc.—than in the war itself. We are in a time when race relations will have to be addressed and hopefully resolved. I do not see a Civil War, or at least a civil war like 1861. There is, however, a powerful war of ideas.
In December 2020 both Jupiter and Saturn enter Aquarius. This will represent further changes in the world and as Aquarius rules the 11th house of the collective or all of us, we will make our voices heard to those in power. We saw the tip of the iceberg with Saturn in Aquarius late March-early July this year, with all of the protests. For the next 2 1/2 years we will be focused on finding our own place within the collective.
What do you think some of the biggest challenges facing astrology/astrologers are these days?
Overcoming newspaper horoscopes and fostering an understanding that astrology is so much deeper than just questions about a current love interest.
How can people find you and your work?
I can be found on keen.com, and my work is published in many places across the internet.
Finally, are there any questions you’ve always wished someone would ask?
Yes! What is my true life purpose, how can I best utilize my talents and abilities to serve myself and mankind in the most positive manner?