We Are Ambassadors of our Birth Charts
Astrology and English came into my life when I was a child.
I must have been 8 or 9 years old when the Muse of Astrology invited me into her presence. I remember being at the playground during recess in Elementary School asking my friends: ‘What is your sign?’ I’m not sure how I learned about the zodiac signs, for astrology was not something discussed at home. Still, I remember being fascinated that each person fell under a zodiac sign, and that helped me understand who they were.
Then English came into my life when I was ten years old. That’s when my family immigrated to the US. All I knew was how to say ‘hello,’ ‘thank you,’ and count to 10. I was immediately placed in 5th grade, and my immersion in the English language started. Within a year, I went from a few words in English, to speaking in complete sentences, reading books at a 5th-grade level, and understanding the movies on television.
Four things helped me to learn and love English: a compassionate ESL teacher, my love of books and reading, my appreciation of American sitcoms and movies, and seeing English as a symbolism of a culture, something that surrounded me and invited me to engage with the environment.
The experience of coming from another country, Brazil, and being immersed in English and American culture, has informed my approach to astrology. Not only has it taught me not to take curiosity for granted, for when one comes from a different country, one is forever under the guidance of the threshold gods/goddesses. One might as well embrace this position of an outsider and make good use of one’s observation skills. This experience has taught me that Astrology isn’t ‘out there,’ but it’s also all around us. I see it as a symbolic language that is to be experienced, and as a language, it invites us into a conversation. The kind of conversation that astrology invites is one that helps us see that we are part of a more significant dance and that our life’s wheel matters. Astrology helps us see that being more fully who we are is the gift we have to share with the world.
Think of it this way: your birth chart is like your cosmic country. It has its distinct language, culture, and you are its ambassador. As an ambassador of your own unique cosmic country, this sacred ground that represents your psyche and Self, it’s essential to get to know this territory, to engage in the conversation.
That’s my approach to an astrological session: it’s a conversation and a journey that we are having through your cosmic country. Each planet, sign and the aspects they make to each other defines your cosmic culture. Your birth chart is more than a potent life roadmap, it’s also your territory, and it awaits you to get to know it, explore it, and make the best out of it.
I find that approaching my work with astrology from the perspective of a conversation and curiosity is more empowering and creative. While there may be challenging aspects in your birth chart (we all have something challenging), it’s more potent to engage in the conversation and not be passive. The astrological archetypes come alive when you learn their language, and with that, your life will also be enriched.
Astrology is ancient, and it has survived upheavals and transformations, to now be revitalized in a time when we have at our disposal the possibility and potential to take the gifts it grants us in a co-creative manner. The Muse of Astrology invites us to participate in the conversation and step up as ambassadors of our cosmic territory: our birth chart.
Vanessa will be leading a talk at the store Saturday the 22nd and will be giving private astrology readings on Saturday from 3:30-6:30. Call the store at 206.523.3726 to make an appointment.