How do I use Zoom?

Please click and follow these instructions if you are new to Zoom video conferencing. Do not hesitate to email me with questions at aligninglightastro@gmail.com. If worse comes to worse, we just use the phone!

How do I use Sliding Scale pricing?

I offer a sliding scale at the following rates:

$60-$100 USD for 75 minutes

$40 - $80 USD for 60 minutes

$30-$50 USD for 45 minutes

These rates are for:

Those who face or have experienced systematic/other oppression or violence due to gender, race, religion, place of origin, sexual orientation, those who are disabled, immigrants or displaced people, victims of the the US prison-industrial complex, students, veterans, sexual and domestic abuse survivors, single parents, sex workers, those affected by care-giver burden, those in poverty or struggling with basic needs*, or of any other marginalized identity not mentioned here. *If you are considering using the sliding scale due to financial hardship and are unsure how much to pay, check out this model by Alexis Cunningfolk to help decide.

No questions asked, and no need to provide proof of income.

Email me at aligninglightastro@gmail.com requesting a sliding scale session, and I’ll create a unique discount code for you to book on this website.

Why do I offer a sliding scale? Accessibility, equity, and my personal spiritual practice and beliefs:

• I offer a sliding scale because I believe astrology is such a helpful tool that it should be accessible to everyone

• The sliding scale is also my opportunity to give back, cultivate social equity, and care for my community

• I want to share resources I have with others, because all of our well-being is connected

Choosing between a birth chart or forecasting reading?

Choose a forecasting reading if:

• You want to talk about the future

  • we can explore smaller and larger frames of time; I have techniques for both

• You want to talk about the future in days, weeks, months, or years ahead

• You're looking to loosely strategize future timing of various life moves**

• You’re wondering when to do xyz or how to best navigate future circumstances you know will occur

• You want to orient yourself in Time, exploring where you are timing-wise in larger story arcs

• **If you’re looking for more precise timing to take a specific action, fine-tuned to your birth chart (electional astrology), I recommend ordering an Electional Astrology report instead of a forecasting session.

Choose a birth chart reading if:

• You're looking to do more of a "strengths, challenges, opportunities, threats" sort of assessment in general or for specific life topics

• You want to come back to, or remember yourself

• You want to get to know yourself

• You’re looking for affirmation and encouragement regarding both strengths and challenges

• You’re looking for my honest astrological opinion on how well certain things might work out, and if there are challenges, how to mitigate them or where we can find help from other areas of life

• You want to explore past events together and discuss the astrological meaning behind them

• If you want to get a general idea of how favorably or unfavorably certain life topics will unfold in the life. This helps validate and accept life circumstances.

What I can and can’t do:

If you want to ask astrology a sort of binary/yes-no/”will it or won’t it happen” type of question: this is for Horary Astrology.

I will not be able to tell you the day, week, month, or year a certain thing will happen or if it will happen for sure. I can tell you when the probabilities for that thing to happen will be higher or lower, and I can give you a life time outlook on the overall favorability or challenge with certain life topics. But again, I can’t say “you’re going to get married in a year and a half and you’ll have that perfect job definitely by next fall.”

**Those looking to discuss timing or outcome of medical procedures - READ BEFORE BOOKING:
Despite my time in the medical field, I am not the best person for these queries. And please be incredibly discerning about the astrologer you choose to do this kind of work. My biggest fear is sowing seeds of fear that are unwarranted, or providing a false sense of confidence that later leads to disappointment or confusion, which I have seen happen to folks too many times from other readers. It’s not that I think astrology isn’t helpful for this kind of question, I just can not provide good service in this regard at this time. Please see Abigail for medical astrology.

What if I don’t know my birth time?

Some parents’ recollections of the birth time are extremely reliable, but frequently, the exact time that is recalled is unreliable. I’ve seen parents be wrong despite their certainty, and hospital clocks on the wall can also be wrong, times could be rounded. So, we have to be careful about these things if we’re serious about astrology. So what’s most important to me, as an astrologer, is the case-by-case story. The more details folks have around the birth story, the more likely it’s accurate in my experience. Hospitals can be wrong, because people can be wrong. So can parents. It was a big, exciting day! It’s understandable how memories can be skewed, so I like to rely on official documentation if available, or something that was written down as close to the time of birth as possible by a family member, knowing this isn’t the final word if the client has more story to offer. Sometimes a difference in one minute can drastically change the chart, depending on what we are looking at, so it’s worth pursuing as accurate information as possible.

*BIG ASTERISK: If the rising sign is unclear based on unknown accuracy of birth time provided, we can still get a lot of very useful information from the chart, and we can still use timing techniques like transits and secondary progressions. However, I will not read the chart with the use of the houses. This will result in a loss of specificity in the kind of information I can provide, but we avoid inaccuracy by not reading houses we aren’t sure of. Thank you for understanding.

How do I find my birth data?

You can make a public records request, look through personal records, baby books, family religious books or other important family documents, contact the hospital or vital records department from where you were born.

If all else fails, ask parents or relatives about the details of your birth in attempt to get a vague timing (which is very helpful) for instance:

“You were born sometime in the morning”

“…right after evening chores”

“…in the evening”

“…during the 1994 Winter Olympics opening ceremony”

I am still unable to provide any birth data, but I know my age/know my date of birth:

We can still get plenty of useful information from your chart! We will lose some specificity, and some timing techniques will be out of reach. That being said, there is PLENTY to work with outside of the houses. Most people in the history of people have not known their birth time. We can do it!

Another option is a process of reverse engineering the birth time called Rectification. An experienced astrologer can compare the timing of important life events with your natal chart to validate the rising sign. I recommend both Catherine Urban, Patrick Watson, and Cameron Cassidy for this service.

Can I book a session to read my child’s chart?

My stance about this has shifted over the last seven years, however this is my current policy:

I generally do not read children’s charts with a parent, unless there are extreme circumstances (i.e. severe disability or barrier to communication paired with having exhausted other possible professional help, AND I’ve already read with the parent and feel they are able to hold astrological information about themselves and others reasonably/responsibly). You can read more about my thoughts on this topic here. I currently recommend Amy if you’d like to get an astrological view on family dynamics, especially complex ones, or ones involving children.

Synastry Readings: What is Expressed Permission or Consent?

Synastry readings are when the charts of two people are compared and analyzed as a pair to see where strengths and challenges might show up in the course of relationship. The best synastry readings happen with both people present, however it’s difficult to schedule around one person’s schedule so I understand if only one person can make it. That being said, I don’t talk about a third person without them in the room. This is why I require that any person not present let me know it’s a-ok we proceed without them, usually by email. I keep this requirement in the name of my own personal beliefs but also what defines ethical astrological practice.

This service is for all relationships (romantic, family, business, platonic, etc), but please see the above FAQ regarding minors and parents wanting to read their child’s chart.

Why don’t you do gift cards or gifted readings?

The energy has been off too many times with these types of readings, and this doesn’t happen when people organically book with me. Too many people have no-showed, or sat through the reading when it was clear they were not interested in my services. Some people never booked the readings gifted in the first place, and it feels wrong to take money and not provide a service in the end. I realize this is normal in many businesses, however I do not agree with it. Given all of this, and while I hugely appreciate people sharing my work through word of mouth, I have stopped doing gifted readings or gift certificates. Thank you for understanding!

[and for those who are fluent in Human Design, I’m a projector, and I can tell the above issue is entirely about The Invitation not unfolding properly. I never have these problems with people who organically invite me into their sphere.]

Refund Policy

• No show: no refund.

• I am also very happy to reschedule last-minute, and I’ve never had a case where this wasn’t possible. I realize life happens, just email me!

• I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime, including mid-reading.

• I reserve the right to consider refunds on a case by case basis.

Are these sessions confidential and is my information protected?

Yes, and yes. Your privacy is important to me and I respect the information provided to me. This respect is necessary in order for me to provide services well. What’s said in session stays in session, and I am not a mandated reporter when acting as an astrologer. I also do not collaborate with government authority in this way, out of my own beliefs. Please see my privacy policy for more information.

Ethics Statement

People frequently find out I’m a pharmacist and ask me medical questions. In the current “wellness” landscape, it’s important to explicitly state my competencies and limitations regarding what I am reasonably able to provide. I am committed to keeping a comprehensive referring provider list.

Though I have over a decade of experience in health counseling and medical triage, I am not a diagnostician. I am not a therapist or healer. I believe people heal themselves using the tools around them, medicine being one. Astrology being one. Medical Astrology being another. I do not practice medical astrology at this point in my journey. I use medicine and astrology as separate lenses through which to view the world, and the only two I claim an understanding adequate enough to serve the public with. In astrological consult, I use ancient timing techniques and chart analysis, relating that information back to the client. Any medical concerns will be considered through a material-world lens per my qualifications, and/or deferred to a personal physician or provider, or a medical astrologer as needed. More concisely, I will never contribute to delays in someone getting necessary medical attention.

My main trepidation thus far in pursuing medical astrology as a field of study is the knowledge of all the things that are and could be in a patient’s electronic medical record (EMR) that I do not have access to. While the patient is the main source of info always, when it comes to complex matters like co-morbidities or invasive therapies, forgotten details are common and inevitable (even with all our best efforts). When I was a pharmacist, I often found critical missing details myself in the EMR that both patient and physician failed to either relay to me, or to each other, resulting in all sorts of downstream problems in providing proper healthcare in a timely and accurate manner (e.g. medical errors, delays in care, unnecessary medications, failures to discontinue medications). This is still a huge problem in medicine today. I have not figured out how to reconcile this gap and complexity in communication. I have not yet found a way (for me) to feel safe practicing medical astrology without being properly integrated with the rest of the patient’s care team. I really want to trust people to provide all necessary info, but again, I’ve witnessed failure in communication of critical health history/lab work even when we’re integrated, so I can’t imagine the extent of what I’m not knowing being as unintegrated as I am as an astrologer. I realize I could pursue a release of information, but this assumes that a release of info request would even granted to an astrologer, and in many cases, astrology clients don’t want their physician to know they’re working with an astrologer due to stigma and unaccepting attitudes of many mainstream providers.

See Terms of Service for more detail.

What Am I like in session?

I’m a very informal person with very formal training. I take my work seriously, but I also like to have fun. I spent decades of my life being in serious, stiff, professional situations that lacked warmth and humanity in many instances. I embrace being soft and casual now, and I hope you will embrace being casual with me as well. It doesn’t mean our work isn’t serious or precise (ask my Mars in Scorpio and Virgo South Node). If you can hold space for both sides of this coin, we’re going to have a great session! No expectations, only possibilities!

I can predict the future in archetypal terms, not tell the future in specific terms. E.g. If I see conflict in the future, depending on other factors it could be a sporting match or a verbal fight, or a family playing a competitive board game. I need the client to share their context to sort out the most probable manifestations.

I can give us an idea of general quality and probability of various events. For instance, I am not going to tell you that the love of your life “will surely arrive this month and year”. I am not that powerful of a seer. But I can tell you “this is a good year to put yourself out there for love”. This is where hearing about your life context can really help, to see which of the myriad possibilities are most likely in your life. Also, I am not here to tell you who you are. I am not here to tell you what you should do. The information or insight gained in the session is meant to help validate or clarify the understanding of self, or guide future actions that are personal to you. I can see an outline of the future, but I can not cure the discomfort of uncertainty about the future. For that, I recommend insight meditation or vipassana.

We can record the session so you don’t have to memorize everything we say. The future is now and we have the technology. However if you don’t want a recording, that’s ok, too. I delete all recordings after 1 month, so please download within that month, otherwise the recording will be lost.

I am a problem solver by trade given my last profession, and while I don’t seek to fix everything, I love problem solving mode if you need it. I love encouraging people to take the first step in meeting their challenges head on. Astrology is helpful because it points directly to where the challenges are, when they are, and points to areas of support to mitigate those challenges.

I am an educator and I find this a necessary part of the process, most sessions. Of course if you want, I can share my interpretations without any qualification or explanation. But I find that when I do this, most people ask follow up questions. If I say “hey, the next month isn’t great for starting new business contracts with people” most people want to know why I’m saying that, and that’s totally welcome. Feel free to ask me questions at any point in the session if you’d like me to show my math. On the other hand, if this is overwhelming, I can just give you the headlines as I see them.

I believe in my clients and their ability to learn new things, and it can deepen your understanding of yourself in the process. When I was in medicine, I tried my best to empower patients with knowledge so they understood WHY I would provide the guidance I would. This way, they could make informed decisions about how to take care of themselves. I employ a similar approach here.

It’s the difference between,

“You’d benefit from red yeast rice for your high cholesterol.”

vs.

“You’d benefit from red yeast rice for your high cholesterol. Only 30% of cholesterol in the body can be managed by diet. The liver (not diet) produces 70% of your cholesterol, and this medicine can help your liver manage that.”

I do this same thing with astrological information. I can tell you “hey, be careful and explicit about collaborations.” which on its face just sounds sort of scary and ominous. Or can tell you “Hey, your planet of collaborations is conjunct a planet of confusion, and they show a potential for collaborations leading to suffering from confusion or missed details, so you’d probably benefit from being extra explicit and careful in collaborations and with sharing resources over the next year while this transit is happening.”

The second explanation gives a sense of severity of the challenge, how long it is expected to last, as well as guidance to help navigate said challenge. The first explanation is more parental and doesn’t include the client in the reading nearly as much.

What are whole sign houses? Why do you use them?

I use more than one house system depending on what I’m looking at. That being said, the foundational concepts of “western” astrology were crafted within a whole sign* framework. This is known thanks to translations of ancient astrological texts written in their original language, unavailable to the mainstream until relatively recently. If I am to use Hellenistic-era timing methods like profections or zodiacal releasing, it makes the most sense to use the house system those techniques were designed/discovered within. I use whole sign houses to assign life topics.

However, I do also observe the sky through a quadrant house lens. If planets are near an angle, I still assign house topics to that planet based on whole signs, however I will determine planetary dynamic strength by its proximity to the angle, as well as if it is angular or falling away from the angle (cadency). For instance, if your Sun is in the 1st whole sign house, but the 12th quadrant house, I’m going to use both of those pieces of info in my interpretation.

*Whole sign houses are defined by the 1st house sharing the same 30 degrees as the entire zodiacal sign in which the ascendant degree is found. If you are a Scorpio rising, your entire first house will be Scorpio, and your ascendant degree will no longer be at the cusp of the house, but floating within the sign/house.  Each house spans 30 degrees, which is different from other systems where houses can cross more than one sign and be larger than 30 degrees. In this way, using the example above, the second house shares the degrees of Sagittarius in the whole sign system, the 3rd house holding Capricorn, and so on. You can learn more here from The Astrology Podcast on the many different systems of house division!

What if a different house system completely changes my chart?

Do not panic. Read the above three paragraphs on whole sign houses where I explain further. House systems are like different languages. Even if they sound different, they each have a role to play in the narrative of your life.  Think of it like looking at an object from different angles - the object doesn’t change, we just get a different point of view that we can put together with other points of view to get a better overall picture. Just because something in your chart changes between house systems, that doesn't mean you were mistaken or read your chart incorrectly. Both lenses are valid to look through and can provide useful information. In fact, I find it really illuminating to compare charts in multiple systems/using multiple house calculations.

To give an example of how I handle this in session, if your Sun is in the 1st whole sign house, but the 12th quadrant house, I’m going to use both of those pieces of info in my interpretation.

You can learn more here from The Astrology Podcast on the many different systems of house division!

The information provided in consult does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical, legal, or financial advice.