Beyond Predictions: How Astrologers Encourage Client Agency

As an astrologer, I am mindful of approaching each consultation with humility, recognizing the potential for interpretive errors if I fail to correctly apply one of the many complex astrological techniques to someone’s natal chart. Even more concerning is the possibility that I could inadvertently turn someone away from astrology or discredit it as a profession if I say something that offends the client or triggers their fear or worry. Both of these scenarios have the potential to create anxiety when I’m preparing for a consultation and can sometimes leave me paralyzed, mind completely blank and empty of inspiration, when I’m most in need of spiritual insight and intuition.

In this week’s article, I’ll discuss the astrologer’s role in setting the tone and establishing boundaries as an objective observer and guide, while encouraging client agency to foster a collaborative and free-flowing exploration of their life experiences.

The Astrologer’s Role

I still cringe when I recall my first astrology reading and the desperate state of confusion I was in at the time, dreading the thought of being in such a position again. I was struggling with my career and searching near and far for any kind of direction that would help me move past my feelings of being stuck, helpless, and enslaved, for the rest of my life to unfulfilling and soul-draining work.

I had tried everything I could, on my own, to find a solution to the mental torment I was experiencing – journaling, talking to close friends to get different perspectives, taking up new hobbies to distract me from my dissatisfaction, reflecting on my dreams, meditating and reflecting on detachment, and even making a 1,400 mile move across the country – just to see if a change in environment was the answer. The move was a significant but temporary improvement – my struggles had managed to pack their bags and hitch a ride in the U-Haul with the rest of my belongings.

After at least two years of struggling without a sense of purpose in my work, I turned to astrology. My first reading was with a Vedic astrologer. At the time, I was exploring the principles of Ayurveda and the works of Deepak Chopra so Vedic astrology, or Jyotisha, fascinated me as a potential tool that could help me find clarity. The only obstacles were the overwhelming ocean of content on the internet, no clear path for figuring out how to interpret this symbolic language on my own, and an internal sense of frustration that I just didn’t have the luxury to spend years of my life getting up to speed on the ancient techniques of Vedic astrology. The impatience and urgency I felt in finding a solution to my problems was all consuming, like a worm burrowing its way through my bones.

So I gathered my courage, found an astrologer online that I was convinced could help me, and evidenced my trust in his abilities by paying a respectable fee to book my session. The image of the astrologer I found online spoke of self-assurance, spiritual discipline, steady calm, and a person that had reached a greater level of self-awareness and connection to the divine than I had. I was excited to finally get some answers and be on my way to the next exciting chapter of my life. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself smiling with new-found inspiration and clarity at the revelation of my sacred life’s purpose.

The day of my consultation finally arrived and quickly replaced the image I had created of the wise, spiritual guru, with the reality of a flesh and blood human being. Even though the consultation went well, and I left with fresh insights and wisdom, the feelings of uncertainty remained.

What I learned from this experience, was that the answers I’d been searching for externally, could only come from within me. From my own inner connection to source and truth. Not from someone I viewed as wiser or more spiritual than myself, and certainly not from a quick-fix, step-by-step approach to the problem. I resigned myself to accepting patience as my lesson in suffering and began to pay closer attention to my own guiding light. When I stopped searching for external validation of my purpose, I began noticing small clues in my day to day life experiences that were subtly guiding me to my next steps.

My purpose in sharing this memory is not to discredit the value of consulting an astrologer, but to set realistic and healthy expectations for the role of an astrologer—or any advisor—who may assist clients on their journey.

Client Agency

Many people seek advice and spiritual or metaphysical guidance when they’ve exhausted their own resources and continue to struggle, feel pain, and are desperate for some form of relief. Astrology can be a profound, life-changing tool to enhance self-reflection and open someone’s eyes to new perspectives – but it’s power depends on the client’s ability to connect with the symbolism and trust their own inner wisdom and guidance.

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”

— Henry David Thoreau (American Writer, Philosopher, and Naturalist)

In many cases, this source of inner wisdom and guidance has already been speaking to the client, but fear and doubt have silenced its voice. As astrologer’s we can relax knowing that our job isn’t to come to the consultation with an answer to the client’s problem. In fact, it’s best to clarify that from the start – to set the expectation and the tone for the session that as the sacred owner of the natal chart, the client is the agent of their own life and as such, they hold the keys to unlocking their destiny.

As guides, astrologers play a crucial role in helping their clients find themselves and trust their inner guidance. I frequently remind my clients that each of us has a unique perspective on truth and not one of us can proclaim that we have the “answer.” In some ways, a reminder that everyone struggles with uncertainty, even astrologers, can be comforting and enough to reassure someone to keep moving forward – one shaky step at a time.

My personal goal as an astrologer is do whatever I can to help the client recognize that they are the source of their own solution. That no one is above them, and no one is below them. And what this means, is that they have great responsibility and even greater potential to make decisions that help them light up this world and claim their own space in the intricate tapestry of life.

“Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.”

— Richard Feynman (Quantum Physicist)