Astrology is my first love. Above and beyond any other spiritual language there is, it is the one that resonates the most deeply with me. It has always been this way, from a very young girl, first picking up a book by Linda Goodman and being amazed by the words that leapt out at me – a combination of mystic truth and excellent writing.

I meandered for years, dipping my toes in and out of the art, blocked by the religion I was tied to and always feeling guilty about what was proclaimed “divination”, “witchcraft”, and “abomination”. I read Linda in secret, and tried to hide my passion from myself. I prayed for deliverance yet starved for more.

It was only much later when I let go of the ties that bound me that I decided to delve deeper into this ancient art. What I found blew me away and changed my life forever.

You see, Astrology is not for the faint hearted. Within it lie deep truths, and wondrous patterns of the universe in all its perfect chaos. There is an order, a symmetry to our lives and when one studies Astrology, you become ever more awake and alive to everything. The stars, the planets, the universe, nature and the energy that created all of these glorious things.

From childhood, I was a tortured soul. I kept bumping my head against the same wall, and was a slave to my toxic patterns of belief.

My first birth chart reading happened at the age of 26, and the awakening was hard, and harsh. I say it again: Astrology is not for the faint hearted. You have to be 100% ready and open to the truths you will hear. What I heard about myself, my patterns, was at the same time astonishing, terrifying and ultimately enlightening. It took me months to “recover” and assimilate the information given to me – it was the first time I had heard or understood the good, the bad and the ugly about myself in a truthful, non-biased way.

After assimilating the information, everything shifted. I enrolled for full time studies in Traditional Astrology, and I began understanding and working with my weaknesses as well as my strengths and I stopped resisting life. I began to surrender. My life is 100% better since that day – my relationships have improved, I am finding my true calling and I no longer beat myself up at my perceived “shortcomings”. I, simply, accept them. I accept myself. Most days, anyway.

Astrology, you see, is not simply confined to our sun (star) signs. It comprises of an intricate weave of planets in signs and houses interacting with one another in a very unique way. Our birth charts are maps of our personal karma and no two are the same (there is a way to discern & differentiate between twins, by the way). Your birth chart is as unique to you as your fingerprint

Astrology is also not just Venus in retrograde, or a full Moon in Scorpio. These cycles have a collective effect, but you need to know your own birth chart intimately to understand the effect that these movements will have on you personally. We will all feel a little wobbly at Full Moon (especially as women) or have our relationships challenged during Venus Retrograde, or find communication a little more challenging during Mercury Retrograde. There are a multitude of things that could make these cycles stronger or weaker for you depending on your own birth chart. Understanding these cycles will bring you a much deeper understanding of how these things will play out.

Understanding our own Astrology can give us the great gift of acceptance – of ourselves, and most of all, of the cycles we are in. It is an art that allows us to take a real step back from the chaos, see its purpose and use the experience for growth and understanding. The wondrous thing is that it reveals to us that all is cyclical, what is born, grows and dies again, and so the wheel turns. This has been a great relief and reprieve to know & understand and has helped me personally to handle the difficult stages with much more ease and grace.

Astrology is experiencing a reawakening. Science doesn’t have all the answers, and Astrology is one of the most amazing tools that marry Science, Mathematics and Metaphysics. It is the fine blend of the spiritual and the scientific. It has a perfect place in this day and age where the two are becoming ever closer, just as originally intended

I am so proud to be part of this movement and to have the privilege of upholding this noble Art. In India, your birth chart is cast as you are born, which has the incredible effect of people understanding their parts to play in life from the day they enter this world. Indians understand their karma unlike any other nation in the world, and this, I believe, is what makes them so able to adapt to difficult, sometimes impossible life circumstances. I dream of a world in which Westerners give themselves the same gift – the great gift of consciousness and understanding. And, I believe, we are getting there.

For all of us who hunger for more depth, more answers, even to understand our purpose and life path – get your chart read, yesterday. It will be one of the best decisions you have ever made.