I like to explore things I don’t fully understand. High level finance, for example. The meaning of life. Relationships. Of all types.

When I discover something in the world that has been around forever, it sparks my curiosity. I want to know more. I may not make my exploration a full-time pursuit but I am usually wiser having found out more about it.

I was a faithful church goer at one time as I tried to fathom the depths and mysteries and sticking power of Christianity. I wanted to know what this Christ guy was all about and what he was trying to teach us. I was particularly intrigued by how he has held so many people in such thrall for such a long time.

I have thrown runes. In Norse mythology, runes functioned as letters, but they were much more than just letters. Each rune was an ideographic or pictographic symbol of some cosmological principle or power, about which I understand zero to nothing. 

Even if my interpretation of the stones I drew was facile and superficial, I loved how cool they looked. And even tarot card readings. Again, pretty cool looking pictures regardless what the symbols were trying to indicate.

Ancient cultures developed their own methods for seeking guidance from the spirit world. Historically, all peoples needed and eventually found some methodology to help them work through the mysteries of life and living.

Is there a parallel spirit world out here with guardian angels and demons and all manner of unknown entities that act on us in our daily lives? Damned if I know.

Yesterday, I had an astrology reading. If that revelation hasn’t moved you to close your device, I want to explain the value I took away from that session. To start with, I chose a reputable astrologer dianabadger.com.

I sent her details of my birth earlier in the week with the day, date and time. When we went online to meet yesterday at about 4:30 PM (EST), she opened by displaying my birth chart. The only impression I had from the visual was an enormous amount of activity in one of my houses down in the far right corner.

To her, this was instructive and meaningful. My fifth house showed strong fire and creativity. I was born with Aries rising. It also revealed my tendency to run slipshod over people’s feelings in my drive to accomplish in the world and get things done. That resonated, if a bit uncomfortably.

So I am going to stop right there. Because saying anything more about what Diana told me would undermine the nuance of Diana’s work and would likely be dead wrong or garbled. I tried to listen more than I talked.

Diana validated many things I already knew from other explorations in counseling and Myers-Briggs testing and enneagrams and readings in the whole wide world of self-help literature. A lot she said I already knew about myself.

So my question was, how did she do that? How is it that there can be such accurate revelations about a single individual in a chart based on when, and where you were born?

She said my chart indicated I was turning away from pursuing public accolades and accomplishments and evolving into a person with a greater sense of service and community.

You likely have passing familiarity with the archetypes of the zodiac signs. If you do, you would know what a course correction that is for a flamboyant and attention-seeking Leo (and c’mon … are you telling me you never once read Jeanne Dixon’s horoscope for your sign to see how the day was likely to turn out?)

She said my chart indicates I am heading toward the influences of Aquarius which should make my approach to life more balanced and egalitarian. Dear God, I hope so. My connection to the Earth and Nature is likely to become stronger.

In summary, Diana told me I am moving toward a greater sense of “me” to “we.” I sure hope so. It can be lonely being a lion that people may respect but avoid out of fear. Diana accurately nailed difficulties I had in my life “getting a seat at the table.” She suggests that will happen naturally with surrender and by letting go.

For a self-reflecting, hyper-vigilant, control freak like me, letting go is pretty intimidating, to say nothing of surrender. I am not even sure I know what that would look like, if I’m honest.

But I guess I am going to have to learn.

Wish me luck.

Thanks for the insights and the nudge, Diana. I’ll let you know how it’s going.