I got a question recently from a new client that really made me giggle (not a high bar as I am a bit of a giggler by disposition thanks to jovial Jupiter at my ascendant!): if you know so much about astrology, why aren't you rich?
I laughed because I asked an astrologer, Mitch Lewis, the very same thing back in the '90's in New York City. I was working on Wall Street at the time, and Mitch was a bit of a fixture in those environs in those days since he was, primarily, a financial astrologer. Though, in reality, he was so much more than that, as we all exceed our labels. He exceeded his fantastically. He was a musician, a composer, a novelist...he was an artist who became a mentor and a friend. He was also my first astrological teacher. Mitch shook free of his mortal coil in 2023. The world that knew him holds a communal candle. Long live his light.
The really funny thing is that I don't have a better answer than the one Mitch offered: It just doesn't work that way. If so, every astrologer worth her salt would be rich, in fruitful relationships, and living a life that seems divinely blessed.
It's just not the case.
I know a ton of astrologers, some of them very good, and they inhabit lives that are as complex, messy, and filled with doubt, anxiety, heartbreak, and financial woes as the next person. They are supremely human. And this is part of their magic. They understand the human condition because they partake in it on every level.
This does not mean that astrologers themselves can't benefit from their own gifts - how sad would that be?! But they benefit from them in a limited sort of way. The gift is best shared with others. The sight, and insight, is clearest when it is not applied to their own sphere.
I have often wondered about this, and, if I am being honest, bemoaned it. I don't understand it except that it is likely a sort of aporia, or blindspot, that keeps the astrologer on an equal plane with the rest of humanity.
I told the client as much, that I have NO FREAKING IDEA why this is the case, and also that I appreciated his doubt. Because I do appreciate doubt, in him, in myself, and in general. Doubt is a powerful tool against brainwashing but doubt alone is not the answer. Doubt should lead to inquiry, which should lead to learning. Doubt in a rigid mind is easy. Doubt in a flexible and open mind is a door.
To my delight, my client possesses a wonderfully agile mind able to enter into an experience armed with doubt but not overwhelmed by it. It led to good things.
Bring me your curious doubt along with your questions. Both will find a welcome home.