In my career as an astrologer, I've done over 1000 natal chart readings for clients, friends, and family.
Like all disciplines and skills, there are some insights about the practice that can only come through applying the knowledge. In this article, I'm going to share three such insights I've learned over the years with you now.
These are things that I wish I would've known when I was just starting out, that profoundly inform my own astrological practice.
If you are a professional astrologer or aspiring astrologer, then I hope that these insights help you as you continue to perfect your own craft.
Before I jump into them, I want to give a courtesy reminder that early-bird enrollment is closing on friday for GNOSIS, the course I teach on horoscopic astrology, meditation, and ritual magic.
You can get a discount for signing up during the early bird enrollment period. I also won't be teaching this class again until August 2026. So if you don't want to wait sign up until next year, now is the time to sign up for the best deal.
The Senenmut Decans - on the ceiling of Senenmut's Tomb
1. Theoretical learning is just the beginning
I wouldn't trade the books I've read on astrology for the world. But they only laid the foundation for my understanding of astrological symbolism.
Books will introduce to the symbolism, but you get to know the symbolism so much more by watching it play out and affect people's lives.
It's the difference being reading someone's biography, vs. interacting with them and watching them interact with others for many years. The biography would give you a great foundation through which to getting to know them, but you wouldn't really know them.
It also provides external feedback for your understanding of the symbolism. Any mistake about their symbolism with fall flat in a chart reading. You have to be clear on what the astrological symbolism actually is - any metaphorical musings not rooted in reality will crumble.
Looking back, I would say that 90% of what I know about charts has come through the consistent reading of charts for an extended period of time.
This is why I always encourage my students to start reading charts as soon as possible. For the same reason, we spend hours examining example charts in the courses that I teach on astrology.
That way, you can immediately start seeing how the planets actually work in people's lives, and use that knowledge to inform your learning process.
2. Astrology is pattern recognition
The more you look at charts, the more you see configurations and alignments repeat themselves.
Likewise, you'll notice extremely similar life experiences coming from people with similar configurations.
Everyone with the Sun in the 10th house behaves in a similar way. They have a particular element of experience that holds true, regardless of the other placements in a chart.
It doesn't take long before you start seeing those commonalities too.
These patterns can be extremely telling about how the pieces of astrology impact people's lives. You become more and more familiar with the planets, signs, etc. because you see them showing up in similar ways over and over again.
For instance, I've seen at least 8 clients with a Mars-Saturn conjunction in Scorpio. And there are very specific experiences they each share across the board.
Of course, the meaning of these configurations will shift depending on the house it occupies, or how they aspect the moon, etc. But these subtle differences between the charts helps to illuminate the symbolism too. I've especially learned a lot about houses by looking the same conjunction in multiple different houses.
Over time, you'll identify familiar placements in new clients whose charts you've never seen before, and you find that you already have a good feel for their life before you even meet.
3. Astrology is a spiritual practice.
Astrology was traditionally used in tandem with magical and spiritual practices. There is an explicit understanding in the tradition that, with this craft, we are seeking counsel from the Divine.
To be sure, there are absolutes about the mechanics and symbolism of the chart that don't necessarily require a deep spiritual connection to tease out.
But in my experience, the capacity to unlock some of the deeper essences of astrological symbolism takes more than an understanding of the mechanics of astrology.
It requires being in integrity, having a clear connection to one's own heart and inner guidance, and being a clear channel for the wisdom that wants to come through in a reading.
Different wisdom traditions have had different ways of keeping this channel clean, from fasting, meditation, retreats, and ritual. In some parts of India to this day, vedic astrologers have mantras they recite spefically to help ensure they only tell the truth in a reading.
In my own practice, I have a prayer that I recite asking the keepers of this wisdom tradition for clarity and insight. I also have my daily spiritual practices I do to keep me in alignment. I don't think it matters so much what you do, so long as you do something.
In sum, start reading as many charts as possible to begin interacting with the symbolism directly...
...paying attention the similarities and patterns you uncover with different placements and different experiences...
and keep up a daily spiritual practice while you do it.
It won't take long before your connection with the symbolism of astrology feels profound, and you're blowing away your friends and family with accurate assessments based on their chart.
It just takes practice!
Merlin
P.S. I'm running my course GNOSIS for the 9th time in August, and it's currently available for an early-bird discount!
P.P.S. I'm not running it again for a year until august 2026, so if you don't sign up now you'll have to wait a year to do so again.