Sun Signs Everything Under The Sun!
Counseling Astrology for a New Client
In the previous article, we explored the very first contact with a prospective client — how to know whether to accept the person as a client or to refer her to another astrologer and how to set up the first appointment. This article on Counseling Astrology describes the preparations to be made before the arrival of the client and the beginning of the consultation.
Counseling Astrology
Know your Clients
I know of astrologers with over thirty years of experience who work for two to three hours on a chart before they see a client. It is essential to take all the time you need to feel comfortable with the consultation.
I find that if I work a long time on a chart before I meet the client, I tend to start forming judgments about the person, her issues, and the cause of her issues. These judgments can undermine my purpose in counseling astrology — to guide the client through the self-discovery process rather than telling her about her issues.
So I usually work on the chart until I get a good idea about the apparent psychological background of the client. I look at apparent areas of strength and areas of conflict. Using the progressed and transiting planets, I look for the areas that have demanded the client’s attention in the recent past and present, as well as those that will be doing so shortly.
Counseling Astrology
Meeting New Clients
During this process, I do my best not to make any decisions about the person I am about to meet. I need and want to meet the client with an open mind, for the chart indicates only potentials; I do not know how the person has used these potentials nor the person’s level of self-awareness.
Some astrologers proceed methodically, starting with the Ascendant, its ruler, the aspects of the ruler, etc. My experience is that the first aspect I notice is often a good clue to the underlying issue that surfaces for the client during the consultation.
Other aspects seem to build themselves around the first one I notice. If the consultation is canceled and I review the chart for the rescheduled date, the chart appears very different to me, and I may well start my preparation with a different aspect. It is another day, and it embodies different energies for me, as well as for the client.
How do you remember all the aspects? Some astrologers have training and experience, plus an excellent memory that allows them to identify the aspects as they work with the client. Other astrologers have more visual memory and therefore draw the aspects on the chart, usually using some means to differentiate the aspects (varied colors or varied types of lines).
While you prepare for your client, a wealth of information comes to you about him. If you are afraid to forget what you have found in the chart, take notes, and keep the information you found handy during the session. You will not necessarily tell the client all you “see” nor relate it in the sequence in which it came to you. As we will see in future articles, discrimination in sharing information is key to proper counseling.
Counseling Astrology
Good Counseling
Recording the consultation is a must. You and your client discuss many important issues in an hour or two. There is no way the client can remember it all. If the client is reluctant to have the conversation recorded, discuss the reasons. Most such clients will say that they do not need it and will remember everything.
If so, gently point out that, as we listen to the same recording several times, we hear it differently each time simply because we are in a different state of mind. Suggest that the conversation be recorded, and the client can do whatever she wants afterward. However, if the client expresses privacy issues, do not record it! Similarly, in the middle of the consultation, a client might ask for the recording to be stopped: do so immediately.
In most cases, the current topic will make the reason quite visible but do not hesitate to talk to the client about the reasons if you are not sure. The client may be holding a secret that needs to come out in the privacy of the consultation. When the topic changes, do not forget to ask the client if the recording can be resumed and do so upon agreement.
Counseling Astrology
Professional Astrologer
As a professional, the astrologer has the responsibility to provide a good-quality recording of the session. Good quality 90-minute cassettes cost 50 cents to $1.50 each. You should invest in a good dependable cassette recorder; you can pass on this investment to your clients by raising your consultation fee a few dollars.
Many astrologers give the client a hand-drawn chart on preprinted ornate wheels; others provide a computer-generated chart. My practice is to give the client not just the natal chart but a professional-looking folder. I use a clear report cover. The first page contains the client’s name and birth date in a prominent place, plus my name, address, and phone number.
The second page is an overview of my concept of astrology. Then comes the computer-drawn chart (natal and progressed to the day of the consultation). The last page is a list of dates at which psychologically significant events may have occurred in the past. The total cost of the folder runs between 25 and 50 cents, including the cost of paper and photocopying.
If the client is an astrologer, depending on the experience she has, I include other data such as relocation charts, solar arcs, mid-points, Arabic parts, asteroids, etc. I give enough information to be useful, but I am careful not to overwhelm the beginner. Whatever you choose to give, the client must have a clean, professional look. Prepare a handout you are proud to give. Your handout enhances your image and the image of astrology in general.
Have everything ready before the client comes to avoid unnecessary tension for both you and your client. In other words, plug in the tape recorder, have cassettes, note pads, ephemeris, water, and whatever else you need to assemble as conveniently as possible.
Counseling Astrology
Consulting Room
Having the room, the chart, and your material ready is only the external preparation. Being ready on an inner level is equally important. You need to be as clear as possible within yourself before the client arrives. When you are concerned about a personal issue, do your best to work it out beforehand.
If you are processing so many emotional issues within yourself that you sense you cannot clear them to give your full attention to your client, do not hesitate to call the client and reschedule. A doctor with a contagious disease would withdraw from practice until he is not contagious. Strong emotional upset is also highly “contagious”, especially in a counseling situation. Briefly explain to your client that you are not up to seeing him for personal reasons. In most cases, you will receive a very appreciative response because the person realizes that you practice what you teach.
On the other hand, suppose you have an issue that is not clear and it seems that this new client is working on a similar issue. If you know you can give your client’s process full attention and keep your issue in the background, consider giving the consultation and make special efforts to keep an open mind. The client’s work may reveal the solution to your issue.
You may hear yourself say something about the client’s situation that applies equally to yourself, or the client may say something or share an experience, that is exactly what you need to hear.
Consultation
Most astrologers would agree that the consultation is a mutual learning situation where they learn from the client; it is always a two-way street. Being open to a specific spiritual or psychological learning from a consultation simply shows more conscious respect for that mutual learning opportunity on the part of the astrologer.
Being with a client means being ready to be fully there as a person for them. Therefore, our process is always ‘online’ during a consultation, but it should be definitely in the background. If you suspect you would consciously or unconsciously manipulate a consultation to further primarily your process, it is time to consider canceling and rescheduling.
Now everything is ready. You are at peace with yourself. The client rings your doorbell.
Let’s be human and recognize that, no matter how used to meeting people we are, our adrenaline level usually runs at least a touch higher as we open the door. You are going to be the key to a new experience for the client. Her adrenaline is probably also running higher than usual, whether she acknowledges it or not.
In addition, traffic may have been terrible; she may have had trouble finding your address, etc. In any case, she may not be centered. It is your responsibility to bring her, as much as possible, to a calm, centered open place.
As Californian (!) as this may sound after my client is comfortably seated (I may or may not offer a cup of coffee/tea, or a glass of water), I start by leading the client into a short meditation/relaxation exercise. Many clients, not used to this practice, are surprised; others are delighted.
My explanation for this practice varies with the response of the client. The basis is always the need for the client to leave the traffic jam, work issues, family problems, and whatever else behind and to be completely present. I also suggest that he does his best to let go of all the questions he may have had in mind to ask. Letting go of expectations allows the psyche to organize these questions in the way they need to be addressed.
I suggest they attune to their spiritual/religious beliefs and ask for guidance for both of us. I often add that I need a minute or two to be sure I am completely with the client. Depending on the client’s knowledge of these matters, I lead him through the meditation. Or I let him do it by himself. In any case, I take time for myself to experience the energies of the person. I consciously open myself to the coming session.
It is now time to start recording the consultation. Most astrologers make one recording and give it to the client. I have the equipment to make two simultaneous recordings. My experience has shown me that it is smart to do so! Before starting the recording, I explain to the client that one recording is for her. The other is in case something goes wrong with the first one. I explained that I keep the second tape for about a month and then recycle it. At times, I also want a recording because something of importance may come up during the session. I may want to do further work with it for the client or myself.
Starting the recording with today’s date and the circumstances of the recording can be useful for the client. In addition, this information should be on a clean label on the cassette.
How much astrological verbiage should you use during the consultation? The easiest way to know is to ask the client how much she knows about astrology. Find out how interested she is in it. Some clients do not want to have anything to do with the astrological “stuff”. Others want to understand how the information is derived from the chart. Without transforming the session into a class, this information gives the astrologer a framework in which to express herself.
Counseling Astrology
Concept of Astrology
Now is a good time to explain your concept of astrology in more detail than during the initial contact. Briefly but clearly explain what astrology means to you. Define it in your own words. Make sure the client understands. I made a special effort to explain my concept of astrology during the first client contact. But, I recently had a first consultation where the client expressed surprise at me stating that I do not believe the planets rule our lives!
Whatever way you choose to handle all of these preparations, I believe that they are important in creating a conscious environment, a clear and safe space where communication is at its best for the good of the client and of the astrologer.