The Path to Re-Enchantment: Returning to the Foundations of Astrology

the spark that lead me to offering my Foundations of Astrology course (and the unexpected inspiration I've found along the way)

Look, not to beat a dead horse, but I’ve alluded to the tremendous amount of change, upheaval, and transition I’ve been moving through in my life as of late. September was one of the most disorienting months of my life, but as I eyed the astrology from afar, I thought surely October would be when the dust would settle, I’d find my footing, and likely even catch a bit of inspiration and motivation as to how things were going to looking moving forward, particularly in my professional, public-facing astrology practice, which has been, in and of itself, in its own transitional moment. And dear reader, little did I know that things would continue to get more uncertain, unstable, and therefore unchill, as I moved into October. Now as we cross the threshold into November, I’m pleased to say that despite some big question marks lingering over me, I feel myself finding my own rhythm again. However, over the last couple of months of my life rapidly transforming before my eyes, it became difficult to figure out how and where my professional practice fit into the picture. Even my personal, private practices had fallen by the wayside in a way that has felt disorienting, like I’d lost the anchor that grounds me in my mundane, day-to-day life. With both my public and private astrology practices in nebulous spaces amidst a tumultuous and changing external life, it left me feeling disconnected from the integral role astrology has played in my life for so many years and wondering where and how astrology even fit into my life anymore.

If you’ve spent any extended amount of time studying, practicing, working with, and especially professionally practicing something you love passionately, you’re very familiar with the ebbs and flows of curiosity, excitement, revelation, understanding, and engagement, that is often followed by a disorienting disconnection that can create a deep sadness where something essential once lived. But this is often followed, eventually, when the time is right, by finding the path towards re-enchantment. It’s an interesting cycle where, the longer you spiral through it, the more you realize there is an inevitability that the shifts and changes of life, both voluntary and involuntary, will catalyze the various stages of this cycle and sometimes that means not knowing how that passion fits into your life anymore. You lose sight of the spark and aren’t sure how you connect to the material anymore. The first few times this happens it can feel like that thing is slipping out of your fingers forever, creating a deep grief of uncertainty. Fortunately, as someone who’s now been studying astrology for 11 years, I’ve been through this cycle enough times (especially since setting out on the journey of establishing a professional practice) to know that the things that are truly a part of you will always come back around, but that doesn’t make it any less painful in the moment, especially when it feels like other areas of life are crumbling around you.

When I set out to put together my upcoming Foundations of Astrology class, my main priority was to bring together a group of people in a cozy, intimate container where we would connect over astrology together and build community by finding common ground through this cosmic art, practice, and language. I knew that in order to really create a space where these connections could develop organically, I would need to create a setting and container that extended longer than just a two hour workshop; I would need to facilitate an experience that would continue to bring our group back together to build further on the depth, connection, and storytelling we’d be weaving together. With that intention sitting at the core of my percolating offering, it seemed like a no-brainer to create a class that centered around the foundations and basics of astrology: something accessible at any level, taught in a way that would be digestible to complete beginners while also offering up depth and inspiration to folks already fluent in the astrological language. What I did not realize, however, in setting out to compile and craft foundational course material, is that it would bring me back into relationship with the foundations of astrology in a way that would re-enchant my relationship to this art at a time where I was grieving letting go of the role this practice was previously playing in my life.

This process has reminded me of one of the most valuable things we can do for ourselves as advanced practitioners: continually return to the basics. In doing so, we’re fortifying the foundations of our own practice; we’re returning to the essentials with new eyes, new minds, new hearts. We’re picking up on details, perspectives, and developing gnosis that speaks to us at this current moment in life, re-developing our relationship to the celestial art as the person we are now, the person we’ve become. We’re giving ourselves the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the core of what we do, and in the process re-enchanting the why of it all—why we engage with this language, the role it plays in our life, and how we integrate it on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and even lifetime levels.

My upcoming Foundations of Astrology class is taking place in-person in Brooklyn, NY, and kicks off next Monday, November 10. We’re shaping up to have an incredible group so far, comprised of folks at varying levels of astrology knowledge (exactly as I hoped it would come together!). Not only can I not wait to be a part of this cohorts’ astrology journey, I also cannot wait to see the wisdom, knowledge, and (non-astrology) life experience of each member of our group as we all bring our own magic, perspectives, and thoughtfulness into our time together.

Of course, this class isn’t just for intermediate and advanced folks looking to deepen or re-enchant their practice! I have been at work carefully crafting the foundations course that I wish I had as a beginning astrologer (and in-person at that!): course material that goes beyond memorizing the ABC’s of astrology and delves into the tradition in a way that paints a picture of why astrology works the way it does, as well as build upon traditional, accurate technique with mytho-poetic, animistic perspectives that link the inner-workings of our psyche to the way astrology manifests in the natural world around us, linking us to something bigger than ourselves (as above, so below, after all!). In other words, I’ve carefully crafted this course in a way that aims to emphasize the layers of nuance in astrology, honors the lineage of this practice and how that lineage impacts astrology in the modern world, and most importantly, demonstrates how our natal charts anchor us into the past, present, and future of our own lived stories.

I’ve been slowly watching our cohort come together and carefully reading everyone’s intake forms and am so excited to continue to craft the content of this course around the intentions and hopes that come through with each member of our group! There’s still seats in open and time to secure yours!

and a post script:

I’ve been genuinely surprised at the number of people who have responded to this offering expressing that they’d sign up in a heart beat if I lead a virtual version of this course! Which of course has my brain percolating and considering the possibilities there…if you’re not local to NYC and would be interested in joining a foundations course with me (you can check out an outline of the course materials on the course website), I’d love to hear from you! If there’s enough interest I’d love to extend the offer. Let me know via DM, on instagram, via email, or however else you’d like to get in touch with me!