The number one problem facing aspiring astrologers

At the Astrology Career Institute, we have found that the biggest problem facing aspiring astrologers is getting people to actually sit down and read charts.

To gain speed and confidence in reading charts, there is no substitute for practice.

But many people sometimes need a push.

For this reason, we are delighted to be offering a series of tele-conferences devoted 100% to reading charts.

On these calls, Sam Reynolds will choose a series of celebrity charts (to make this program even more fun) and read them according to his step-by-step system. You will learn how to get to the bottom of a chart and do a sound reading. You can even suggest a celebrity!

If you are at all interested in accelerating your ability to read charts, or want to experience how a successful astrologer does it, you have to be part of these calls.

There will be six 30-minute tele-calls in total, and each will go through the key points of 2 charts. So we will cover 12 celebrities in all. Of course, Sam will stay on the calls to answer any questions you have, and we will keep these calls small to ensure that they are interactive (as always).

Participants also receive links to the calls so you can download them and listen to them at your convenience (and so that you don’t have to worry about missing a call).

Calls will begin in January and take place every other week through the end of March.

All students who join the program before the end of December (and those who joined after October 1) will be invited to join these calls at no charge. These calls are included with your program.

If you are thinking about joining our Practicing Astrologer program, now is the time. Space is limited and so you should sign up right away.

http://www.astrologycareerinstitute.com

Don’t miss out on this opportunity. To become a seasoned strologer, you absolutely have to continue to read charts and make chart reading a practice. Learn from one of the best, and accelerate your progress.

Sincerely,

Andrew Neitlich, Program Administrator

http://www.astrologycareerinstitute.com

P.S. If you want to join these calls and don’t want to join our program yet,  you can for only $99. Contact me at info@astrologycareerinstitute.com .

Why a focus on anticipation is far more effective than a focus on dread

As some of you may or may not know, Jupiter went into Sagittarius yesterday (Friday).  This means that for the first time in 12 years or 8 (if you count Pisces), Jupiter is right at home.  For me, it means that Jupiter will be sailing over my midheaven and I’m elated.  I’m expecting a lot of good things to happen this year, despite the fact that Jupiter will be squaring my ascendant, my natal Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto.  I spent a good portion of the morning mapping out my goals, my check-in points of those goals and plans of action.  I’m very excited.   I believe what I’m doing is one of the right ways to use astrology.

I often read and listen to astrologers use astrology the wrong way.  They cultivate more dread than anticipation.  “Well, when Saturn goes over your Sun, honey, you can expect to be depressed,” I’ve heard said.  This is, literally, dreadful, and only partially true.  There are other things you can expect besides depression and it depends on whether you’re cultivating dread or anticipation.  The key differences between dread and anticipation are awareness and attitude.
Dread, in my opinion, hooks itself into the fatalistic sense of astrology.  “Here comes the “axe,” Virginia, so you better watch out!,” one says in cultivating dread. Dread taps into the feeling that we’re helpless before the mechanics and movement of the cosmos.  In fact, we’re little more than stellar roadkill in this view.  There are some basic truths being expressed here.  There might be a symbolic “axe” coming our way.  However, if we use anticipation, we see something different.

The symbolic “axe,” if we anticipate it, is still coming, but our reactions can be different.  For instance, we can grab the metaphorical axe and use it to chop our way through a psychological or physical impasse.  We also can do something as simple as duck by stepping away from a challenging relationship as described by the stars.  Anticipation is more emotionally engaging than the resignation of dread.  It is embracing what’s to come, being prepared and yet staying present all at the same time.

So as Jupiter transits through Sagittarius and all my “mutable” realities, I actually do something rather “cardinal” and plan.  I take advantage of the boon that Jupiter augurs by coming up with a game plan.  I did a similar thing as Jupiter traveled through all my Scorpio planets.  It was during that transit that Andrew and I formed the Astrology Career Institute.  I didn’t know that I was going to meet Andrew when the transit started, but I made a commitment to myself to STAY OPEN.  I didn’t focus on Jupiter’s square to my natal Moon.  I didn’t freak out about Jupiter going through my eighth house of death.  I anticipated the best and worst possibilities, but focused on the best.

Dread only focuses on the worse case scenario. Dread, in life and astrology, will keep you at the same level or lower as you function now.  We are made to grow.  Jupiter relays this symbolic meaning more than any other planet in our pantheon.  It’s up to you to use the movements of the heavens to anticipate the miracles you want to happen in your life.  Or you can use dread.  The only requirements of either state are our attitudes and awareness.  Astrology gives us the awareness, but how is your attitude?

All the best, always, in all ways,
Samuel F. Reynolds, M.A.
Director, return2thesource, inc.

www.return2thesource.net — A whole new way to outSource.
www.zodiaclounge.info — A roving spa, coming near you.
www.astrologycareerinstitute.com — Become an astrologer.

Is certification required for Astrologers? What about licensing?

Greetings!

I received this comment recently, and I think that a general answer could be illuminating. Here’s the original comment from the blog:

Hi Sam and Andrew,

I was a student of Astrology in India and learnt the basics of Astrology (to preapre charts, Vimshotari Dasha System, Transit, double transit etc. etc.) and in the mean time I migrated to Canada. Now I am living in Canada and wana to practice Astrology.

My question is that, can I practice in Canada / America without any certficate and or a certficate from Indian Institute of Astrlogical Sciences showing the detail of marks in differnet subjects be sufficient to practice OR I need to be certified from Canada / America to practice??

I shall be highly appreciated to know your comments.

Sincerely,

Kulwinder

The question of certification is an interesting question.

Often I think people get licensing confused with certification. In fact, there is NO licensing requirement to be an astrologer in North America, to my knowledge. In fact, in many parts of the States, astrology, if not stated to be explicitly for “entertainment purposes,” is illegal. I think that’s heinous, but that is the actual law in some places, including where I live in New York City. So to give the worse case scenario, if an undercover cop came to an astrologer and she purported to “divine” his future without clearly stating that it was for “entertainment purposes,” she could be arrested and tried for a misdemeanor. Again, we can debate the merits of these laws (and there are good and bad points to such laws–more on that in a little bit); however, the “illegality” of astrology as a practice other than for entertainment rules it out as a field needing licensing.

However, these same said laws don’t rule it out for certification. Certification is about competency. Period. A license does not necessarily establish that you are competent. (Just look at some car or bus drivers.) However, certification means that you have undergone a training process that highlights that you have some measure of competency as an expert in that field. Likewise, it is possible for people in many fields to have multiple certifications, depending on their interests and abilities.

As it stands now, you don’t have to be certified to be an astrologer. And, fittingly, there are a lot of bad astrologers out there, who probably should be arrested. A certification assures you and your clients that you know what you’re talking about and that you have done more than just read one book on the subject. A certification program gives you the confidence that someone else has assessed your abilities and that you’re not just a maverick. One of the most painful aspects of my early career as an astrologer is that it was so autodidactic. This means that I relied on books, random encounters and sessions with astrologers for my education. This is how many astrologers have learned their craft. For the most part, it’s okay. However, at a certain point, it’s important to know that you’re good; that you’re pronouncing words correctly, like when a student of mine came to me and kept pronouncing a trine as treen; that you can do the job you’ve set out to do.

So, Kulwinder, and anyone interested in certification, do you need to be certified to be an astrologer to practice? No. However, to be a good astrologer, someone who has tested the mettle of his or her studies and abilities with someone as skilled or more so, I would say it’s essential to be certified. I pursue certifications all the time, because I want to be the best that I can be. I want the best for my clients, because they deserve it. Someone who decides they’re above certification has decided that the needs of their clients are beneath them and they’re above learning more. That isn’t someone I would want as my astrologer. Would you?

All the best, always, in all ways,

Samuel F. Reynolds, M.A.
Director, return2thesource, inc.
www.return2thesource.net — A whole new way to outSource.
www.zodiaclounge.info — A roving spa, coming near you.
www.astrologycareerinstitute.com — Become an astrologer.