Читать книгу Astrology For Dummies - Rae Orion - Страница 41

Like bell-bottom jeans or gladiator sandals, astrology fades in and out of fashion. When I learned astrology, it was in the air and on the pop charts. For the first time, an astrology book — Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs — had climbed atop the New York Times best-seller list, and all the people I met, including those who claimed to be skeptics, seemed to know their sign. I landed a part-time job casting horoscopes for a metaphysical bookstore and another — believe it or not — teaching astrology at an alternative public high school. It was the heyday of astrology, I thought.

But I was wrong. This is the heyday of astrology, right now. Besides books, magazines (The Mountain Astrologer in particular), an endless stream of e-mail horoscopes, and a growing community of astrologers, there are websites, webinars, conferences and retreats, videos, apps, and podcasts, not to mention starry postings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever social media I have inadvertently omitted. Among them are Hellenistic astrologer Chris Brennan (@chrisbrennan7); Astro Butterfly (@Astro_Butterfly); Mary English and her delightful homemade podcast, Learn Astrology with Mary English; the AstroTwins, Ophira and Tali Odit, and their website, https://astrostyle.com; and the following:

 Anne Ortelee. On her down-to-earth weekly podcast, she imagines the planetary dance as a sort of reality show, full of demanding personalities and shifting alliances. Similar energies, she explains, will be manifest in situations you might (and in my experience, almost certainly will) encounter in the week ahead. Check her out on Twitter (@AnneOrtelee) or listen to her podcast, Anne Ortelee Weekly Weather.

 Susan Miller. Her popularity is worldwide, and not just because that she’s a top-notch astrologer, although she is. Her optimism and warmth, her sense of possibility, her deep knowledge of the subject, and her practical view of the world are what distinguish her. She writes long, and her monthly forecasts can be downright uncanny. She also explains the significance of eclipses, delves into retrograde Mercury, offers daily forecasts, produces a yearly wall calendar and an annual book of predictions, and is all over cyberspace. Her followers adore her. Connect with Susan on her website (astrologyzone.com), on Facebook (Susan Miller’s Astrology Zone), on Twitter and Instagram (@Astrologyzone), and via her mobile app, Daily Horoscope Astrology Zone, available for iOs, Windows, and Apple Watch. As with many other apps, there’s a free version and there’s a more substantial one that you pay for. For free, you get daily forecasts, a lengthy monthly forecast for your sign, Sun sign profiles, access to Susan’s tweets, and a nice little calendar describing key astrological events for the next few months. For a fee, you get more. You can’t lose.

 Rob Brezsny. His horoscopes, available through freewillastrology.com, are like no others. Instead of talking signs and planets, he describes a scene in a film, quotes a poet, ponders a cultural ritual or a scientific discovery, recounts an anecdote from the biography of a historical figure or an unknown musical genius. And then, as a master of metaphor, he ties it into your life. The stories don’t always resonate. But usually they do, and when that happens, you feel as if a door has just swung open and all you have to do is walk through it and breathe the fresh air. His horoscopes are more than empathetic and descriptive; they’re motivating. Plus, he provides plenty of reading material, including a regularly updated chronicle of good news — imagine that! — from around the globe. I like his brand: Free Will Astrology. That’s exactly the way I see things, and I hope you will too.

 Chani Nicholas. Chani is a social justice, mythologically informed, LGBTQ-aware feminist activist whose smart, perceptive astrological work springs from that politically engaged platform. She calls it “astrology for radical, political, critical mystics.” You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter (@chaninicholas) or go to her website (https://chaninicholas.com) to mull over her monthly New Moon horoscopes and guided meditations, admire her well-crafted collages, and purchase workshops, classes, and individual readings. As someone who has been called a goddess, a rock star, and a cult favorite, she has been featured in newspapers and magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Oprah, Out, and Rolling Stone. Her most original offering as an astrologer appears monthly as up-to-date, thematically chosen “horoscopes in the form of playlists,” available through Spotify. It’s not your usual horoscope, but why should it be? Astrology for the 21st century. At last.