From: cbwillis@netcom.com (C. B. Willis) Subject: Willis' Astrology FAQ v1.7 Message-ID: Organization: Netcom On-Line Services X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] X-No-Archive: yes Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 16:07:33 GMT Lines: 291 Sender: cbwillis@netcom21.netcom.com Xref: news.kbfi.ee alt.astrology:83087 alt.divination:5621 CAROL WILLIS' ASTROLOGY FAQ version 1.7 (C) Copyright by Carol Willis, 1996-1997. All rights reserved. WHAT IS ASTROLOGY? Astrology is a conversation. Astrology is an opening. Astrology is about creating the future. Astrology is about the relationship between you and the cosmos. This relationship is one of a mutual mirroring. You mirror the cosmos, the cosmos mirrors you. An astrology chart gives a configuration of symbols, and a set of emphases, and shows where your attention and talents are likely to be focused in order to gain life-experience and mastery. How you play out your life and chart are up to you, according to your CHARACTER, which is formed according to your ethical-religious- spiritual path. Consider that your astrological chart is a map that you can use or not use to get where you want to go. If you have any uncertainty about how to get where you're going in unfamiliar territory, most people would agree that it's just plain easier and prudent to use a map or ask directions, rather than proceed by trial and error in unfamiliar territory. Once you get close to where you want to go, i.e., get to an intersection or to an address, then what you do there is up to you. However, astute coaching may help you even there, depending on your goals for the situation. NO LIMITS Astrology and your birthchart do not limit you at all. In fact, what I have found in 26 years of professional astrology is that people who are very much in their own energy, who have been very "worked-on" in therapy and personal growth, will most easily exemplify their birthcharts and usually enjoy _more freedom_ and life-success. These people are also very interested in how they relate to the larger universe in all dimensions. Those who are NOT in their own energy, i.e., who are operating off of conditioning and programming, and have unresolved trauma in their past, do not exemplify their charts as clearly, and they are also far less successful in life - though paradoxically more defiant about not wanting to be limited by anything or anybody, while being very limited in ways they do not see or are not willing to resolve. We should never use astrology to elicit fear, to excuse failure, to avoid responsibility. Ideally, astrology will help you engage more fully with life - win on many levels, and help others win, too! Developmentally, we move from being other-determined, to being self-determined, to being whole-determined. It will be the other-determined people who are most adamant about not being limited by something they see as external to themselves - these people are trying to break free of conditioning, programming and slavery. Self-determined individuals also want maximum freedom, now also freedom-to, not just freedom-from. Once self-determined folks discover that each factor in an astrological chart has a full spectrum of possible manifestation, identifying and choosing the highest potentials makes sense for both short and long term success. Self-determined individuals welcome the additional assessment data leading toward life-success that good astrological consulting provides. We do not exist in a vacuum, and eventually the self-determined individual broadens his horizons to consider that the microcosm and macrocosm reflect and mirror each other, as do all of the people in his life. Life becomes even more fascinating as issues of contribution, collaboration, co-creation, aliveness, and harmony rise to the top of his list of wants. Astrology helps get you into the ballpark of success. How you play the game after that is up to you - your character and application of self. HOW DOES ASTROLOGY WORK? We really don't know how astrology works. I say this quite honestly to you after 26 years of professional service. We know that early astrologers noticed correlations and documented those. Much astrological theory in recent times has been derived from mythic symbolism, esoteric principles, and therapeutic process. Oddly enough, most professional astrologers got their start by setting out to prove that astrology doesn't work! The more they studied, the farther away they were from disproof, and the closer they got to seeing the value of astrology in understanding themselves and others. Western astrology is called "tropical" and doesn't even work with correct physical planetary positions today. Because of the precession of the equinoxes, which make for "ages" such as the Age of Aquarius, Western astrology works instead with a more conceptual or ideal viewpoint. Eastern or Vedic astrology is "sidereal" and more true to physical realities. I have studied both Western and Eastern approaches, and now use Western astrology exclusively only because I am most familiar with it, and know that it does work. My conclusion however, is that astrology "works" not because the planets cause anything [they don't], or because there is any exact mapping of events to planets [there isn't], but because the practice of astrology - the conversation of astrology - is A COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT ABOUT REALITY AT A VERY DEEP LEVEL, an agreement about life-process, soul-experience, what we're learning individually and collectively, and what meaning we place on our experience. The birthchart provides an ACCESS POINT to open up a conversation about how the person is creating his life, how he can best maximize his talents, and achieve his goals for the future. WHAT ABOUT NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE COLUMNS? Newspaper and magazine columns use primarily the sun sign, though you can also read for your rising sign. Columns are mostly for the purpose of entertainment, and to interest people in looking more deeply into astrology and metaphysics. Because columns may use as little as one or two factors, as opposed to the dozens of factors an astrologer takes into account in reading your own chart, the information is limited, and the accuracy of the reading is limited. Everyone loves to read their horoscope, but few columns are written to speak to readers on a deep level, if only because they're dealing with such a few factors. When I write my column for the Berkeley PSYCHIC READER, I use all the planets at the beginning of the month. I recommend that people read also for their Rising Sign [or Ascendant] if they know it. The rising sign is determined by the full birthdate, exact time of birth, and location of birth - especially the time. The exact time of your birth is normally shown on your birth certificate. You can find out your rising sign by having your chart professionally calculated and/or interpreted. HOW DOES ASTROLOGY FIT WITH RELIGION? Anything that would come before God and direct spiritual information in the major and/or immediate decisions of life should be avoided by the religious person. Astrology can instead be used to _complement_ religious life, not usurp it, and helps you to fulfill your talents, life purpose, and achieve success in all areas of life. It's documented in the Bible that the 3 Wise Men (Magi) followed the bright star to find the baby Jesus. The birth of the Son of God in the flesh - the divine incarnation - represents the potential for the birth of the Christ Consciousness in the heart of Everyman. As given in Genesis, we too are sons and daughters of God, made in the image of God as creative spirit unlimited. THE ETHICS OF ASTROLOGICAL CONVERSATION There is an ethics to astrological conversation. There are ways to talk that foster fear and are negatively-programmatic vs. ways to talk that foster personal empowerment and responsibility and are positively inspiring. I have pioneered in astrological ethics and have championed the use of ethical language in astrological consultations. HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE? Have your chart calculated and/or interpreted. Better yet, have a studio or phone reading and ask your questions about life issues and direction - this will make your astrology reading most meaningful for you. You can find many quality books at your metaphysical bookstore and larger used bookstores. Here are a few to start with - the out-of-print books will often be found at larger used bookstores: Davison, ASTROLOGY. Out of print. Goodavage, WRITE YOUR OWN HOROSCOPE. Out of print. Forrest, INNER SKY and CHANGING SKY. Llewellyn, A TO Z HOROSCOPE MAKER AND DELINEATOR. Because of time changes due to daylight savings time, war time, and for births in southern latitudes, it's best to have your chart professionally calculated for accuracy. PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND - CAROL WILLIS, M.A. For those of you who don't know me, I've been a professional astrological consultant since 1970. My degrees are in philosophy, and I taught Philosophy at the community college level for 7 years, privately since then, focusing now on advanced applied metaphysics. Running in parallel with the academics, I was studying astrology, metaphysics, world religions, alternative therapies, personal growth, business management, business development, classical voice, opera, and gardening. So I'm able to bring a multi-disciplinary approach to an astrology consultation that clients find extremely valuable. My work is results-oriented, and life-process-oriented. In addition to astrology, I may work with a client in executive development, hiring and personnel development, professional effectiveness, communications, trauma and abuse resolution, and spiritual direction. Clients find I save them many thousands of dollars in therapy and other consulting, and many years of time in reaching their goals. My readings are interactive, more interactive than those of many other astrologers. I tell people that "I'm not in the business of pulling rabbits out of hats, but in helping you learn about the dynamics of HOW YOU CREATE your life and your future." I'm somewhat conservative in actually predicting the future, making a statement only when I'm see a high probability vector and, as such, I've had a very consistent 90-100% accuracy rate in readings over the years. Of course, if you don't like a probability - you can change it. And if you do like a probability, help it along by staying attuned to the possibilities and by taking initiative. Astrological specialties include career, life purpose, relationship compatibility, relocation mapping, life-process, corporate, horary, and electional. HOW DID I DEVELOP MY APPROACH TO ASTROLOGICAL READINGS? I go for AT LEAST one major breakthrough for clients during the consultation, many of which are only 15 minutes long. My goal is, IF I never saw the person again and IF they never had another reading or other personal growth work, what could I tell them in that short amount of time that would make the most positive difference for their lives? What do they need to know NOW? I wanted something that was at once practical, deep, and wide-ranging in applicability - something that illustrated metaphysical principles in a way the person would remember. Those were the questions I posed to myself very early on in this game of perception, when I was reading at psychic fairs, reading 10-20 people ("strangers") in an afternoon, 15 minutes each. I was using astrology and tarot at these fairs. My "game" was to give people one or more major insights or breakthroughs in that short amount of time. As a mad scientist metaphysician, I wanted to see how quickly and how elegantly this could be done, so was constantly looking for ways to cut through to "bottom line," to give people high value and high accuracy in very short periods of time, sometimes even in 5 minutes or less. Sure, lots could be said, but what would be of most value to the person, and put in a way they could hear and accept, do something with, enjoy the process, even confront difficult issues now in a constructive way. That was my "game." It still is my "game" much of the time in working with consultations. Longer consultations give more opportunity to facilitate more breakthroughs. However, much depends on the manner in which things are said, whether people can hear and accept an idea for consideration. So again we're back to languaging perceptions about the person and his life-process, creating what I call "breakthrough conversations" that open up a person's future. -- CBW *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* LIST OF SERVICES [Inquire by email regarding List of Services, phone consultations available.] (C) Copyright by Carol Willis, 1996-1997. All rights reserved. Version 1.7, June 9, 1997. ---------------- Carol Willis, MA Professional Astrologer since 1970 Sunnyvale CA (408) 734-9110 cbwillis@netcom.com For free subscription to my bi-monthly astrology column and related articles, send message SUB ASTROLIST. --