How do you become a professional astrologer?
It had happened overnight, during a Uranus transit to my natal Saturn – I had become an astrologer. My Feng Shui and counselling training kicked in immediately and my past experience in sales and marketing meant that I realised the importance of having a business Facebook page, terms & conditions and a confidentiality clause. Hard to believe looking back, but that was all done within a short week.
The family I was working for came back from their UK trip and it was back to the gruelling, 50-hours-a-week day job, for the princely sum of €150. Let me tell you, hell on earth is forcing seven and eight-year-old boys to do summer homework in temperatures of more than 100 degrees!
I had a small weekly government allowance for setting up my business which now covered astrology instead of photography. However, this allowance dried up in August 2015.
No pressure on the astrology then so!
Astrocartography
As I was the only astrologer in the women’s business group, which was primarily based in Australia, I had a high profile from day one and due to the favourable time difference between Italy and Australia, it was easy enough to arrange all my appointments, whether free or paid, for first thing in the morning. Within a few weeks I was seeing up to five clients a week and also took the courage to do in-person astrology sessions where I lived.
From the get-go, astocartography was part of my sessions. I was seen to be hugely authentic in this field, having relocated from Ireland to Italy, apparently seamlessly!
The day job never materialised into a long-term position, so seeing the writing on the wall I moved to another nanny job and during the ensuing year in Italy I moved between paid and voluntary day work, often going back to live in the glorious Ostello San Frediano for weeks at a time.
Over the following year I built a real and solid life in my beloved Lucca, joining a gospel choir, giving astrology talks, travelling to both Florence and Pisa to see clients.
Pluto transit to Venus
And my enigmatic and mysterious Italian man? Well, that fizzled out once I arrived to live in Lucca full time. He ran a mile! I was far too close to home for him. However, what I learnt from the encounter was that he was in a Pluto transit to Venus at the time, hence meeting me triggered a complete change in his value system – Pluto symbolising utter transformation at the deepest level, and Venus representing that which we love, how we love and who we love. He valued me for me, and loved and supported my photography and creativity in all its forms. A new experience for me.
Then later through astrology, I came to understand why he had come into my life and what he had taught me – the vibrancy of living in the moment, the thrill of taking a chance, the aliveness and vivacity of the Italian lifestyle.
Neptune trine Neptune – he lit the fire underneath me, which helped me realise a dream life like never before. Writing this, I still pine for the elegance and simplicity of Italian life, glorious sunshine, endless blue skies, Mediterranean diet, loud and lively family outings, passionate arguments.
Oh – and endless espressos! I have indeed measured out my life in coffee spoons (T.S Eliot – The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock).
Main image – The Magic Carpet, Courtmacsherry, West Cork © Martha Clarke

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