A window into the soul

I never thought that my affinity for astrology would begin to take the form of something real and concrete that I practice in my life and share with others. As a barista in my early 20s, I would gab with coworkers about our horoscopes in the newspaper, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced me to horoscopes by Chani Nicholas in 2016 that I began to start reading them weekly. Chani is a very popular astrologer in North America with a pretty strong cult following. At the time, she was publishing weekly horoscopes and I ate them up. Their clarity, depth, and focus on self-discovery and healing helped me uncover layers of my identity while also advocating for my well-being. But what hooked me to her the most was her astrology-for-the-people mindset that guides her practice. The intention behind her work is to help people discover, own, and share their power, and I fuck with that.

Throughout the years of covid lockdown, I spent a lot of time learning about my own natal chart and it opened me up into greater and more expansive ways of thinking about life and being alive. This art of interpreting the cosmos allowed me to tap into something beyond the boundaries of my own body and my self-imposed limitations. I began to be more compassionate toward myself, softening the inner critic and embracing all parts of me with love. We could say that using astrology was the thing that allowed me move beyond my own ego and into my soul. Life became a journey of lessons and teachings that I could approach objectively.

As I moved through 2024, the feeling inside me to take this more seriously grew. As the year progressed, I found myself increasingly unhappy with the work I was doing. The work itself and the people I was working with weren’t the problem. Rather, it was the way I was relating to others that needed to change. I enjoyed doing creative visual work, but a new vision of myself was emerging. I was paying attention to this side of me that loves relating to people over their hopes, dreams, fears, and challenges. I knew that astrology could be a vehicle for me to connect more authentically with others.

Astrology forecasts for the year pointed to transformation, and I felt it deeply. Some of the most intense moments for me happened around the eclipses. Throughout history, eclipses were seen as omens marking the fall of a king — moments of sudden change. But as one thing falls, another rises. Last September, there was a lunar eclipse in Pisces that was sitting with Saturn at the same part of the sky that both my Sun and Mercury are at in my natal chart. In the months leading up to it, I knew this marked serious change for me. I knew that a form of structure (Saturn) that was connected to my sense of self identity and how I make income was due for a shakeup. And then the events around this time started to naturally unfold — I resigned from the org that I had spent the previous 4 years with. This was hard but I knew it was right. I was also searching for an astrology class to take, one that met in real time with other students and not something self-paced through prerecorded videos. On the actual day of the eclipse, I received an email announcing a course through Sher Institute of Astrology & Metaphysics. I looked into Jim Sher and his new book Astrology as a Spiritual Path: Birth of the New Human and knew this was the one for me. His practice as a licensed counselor married with astrology spoke to me more than anyone else I had come across. I registered and class began in October.

Since then, my appetite for this has become insatiable. However, outside of class I haven’t had the community to help me along this path. I’m starting this newsletter to not only aide in my learning, but to also establish a community of support. I hope that this can be a source of light throughout the week and act as a bridge of connection between you and me.

In the following weeks, I’ll incorporate other elements aside from just personal reflection, but I first wanted to give a short explanation of how I got here. Thank you for reading along.

I’d love to hear from you. What drew you to astrology? What are you curious about? Reply to these emails at any time and let me know your thoughts and questions.

Until next time,
~Ry

PS ~ I must acknowledge that I already failed to send this out on Sunday night, whoops. Truthfully, I had a full draft written by Friday, but then I tore it apart and started overthinking. I realized my own fear was creeping in and perfectionism was taking over. I now know that this is an opportunity to push through my limiting beliefs and embrace the messy process.