Ani Black

by Gloria Carol, M.Div. 

Recently, I ran across an article I had been meaning to read for ages. When I first saw this article, entitled “Why Do People Turn to Pastors?”, written by a minister named P. Pruyses, I had a feeling it might contain interesting information for astrologers. After reading it, I realized that, while we astrologers have modeled our work on that of professional consultants or psychotherapists, in fact, what we do has more in common with ministers and rabbis than with any other profession. 

I’d like to take some of Pruyses’s thoughts and apply them to our experience. Doing so will help us clarify the particular niche that we hold in the world of helping professionals. In addition, as Pluto moves into Sagittarius, and the misconduct of organized religion becomes increasingly public, more and more people will be disillusioned by mainstream religion. They will turn to alternative philosophies to fulfill their spiritual needs, and astrologers who understand what people are looking for will be uniquely qualified to fill the gap. 

First, let me say that I’m not endorsing any particular theology, or suggesting astrologers set ourselves up as ultimate moral authorities or manipulate our clients to behave according to our personal religious beliefs. I’m sure none of us want to pattern our work on the negative aspects of mainstream religion. However, there are ways in which the clergy has played a positive role in communities and individuals’ lives, and I think astrologers play the same positive role. 

To understand what that role is, I’d like to take the title of Pruyses’s article and put the question to you this way: Why do people consult astrologers when any number of therapists, lawyers, social workers, and specialized agencies are available to them? After all, our clients come to us with legal, psychological, medical, and career issues that are more appropriately handled by professionals trained in those fields. Why do they consult us in addition to, or instead of, those other professionals? What unique perspective do we offer? 

I believe the answer lies in the fact that astrologers, like pastors, represent some kind of connection to a higher power, a larger cycle, and a deeper meaning. Some clients may consult us for simple information, such as whether they’ll win a court case, while others may want psychotherapy from us to understand or modify their psychological dynamics. I believe that, no matter what clients say they want from their readings, each one is asking questions that lawyers, doctors, consultants, and most psychotherapists are not equipped to handle. Our clients ask us to frame their issues in the context of a higher power and deeper meaning. They want to know where they stand in the universe. 

Our clients want to know what the divine intention is toward them. What does the universe have in store for them? They want to know why bad things happen to them and how they can grow from adversity. Also, I think forgiveness is a big question that comes up during readings. Most people feel guilty about something in their lives, and the chart helps them understand that painful experiences are not just “their fault”, but rather part of a larger growth cycle. Finally, in my opinion, the most important question has to do with life purpose. Clients want to know, “Why was I born? What am I supposed to accomplish in this lifetime?” 

Most psychotherapy helps people connect to their unconscious psychological processes and with their past experiences. Astrologers, pastors and a few enlightened psychotherapists are the only helping professionals who connect people to a sense that they are part of a divine plan. The people who consult us see us as mediators of a spiritual or metaphysical knowledge that helps them connect their personal world to universal cycles. 

So, while it is appropriate, even necessary, to bring non-astrological skills to our work, they are not the reason why clients seek us out. The core of our work is the intuitive knowledge of universal cycles which gives us a unique perspective on people’s problems. I think that is the particular thing that sets us apart from other helping professionals and motivates people to pick up the phone to schedule an appointment. As we build the profession of astrology, we can model parts of our practice on the clergy as a symbol of connection to the cosmic order.