This week I had the great opportunity to interview Barbara Schermer, Author of “Astrology Alive!: A guide to experiential astrolgy and the Healing Arts.”

Barbara and I had a lively discussion about how to leverage astrology to succeed in business.

She talked about how astrology can help us know the right time to make a move in business (or not), how astrology can help the business owner find the right employees and strategic partners, how astrology can help us be better communicators and know when to negotiate and when not to. She shared a few high-profile success stories with our listeners and so much more.

Shortly after our interview one of our listeners, Debbie Barth of the Trump Network shared the following Tweet on Twitter:

“Thx Heidi. It was a gr8 interview. PPL- Using Astrology in biz! Awesome info-LOOK 4 HEIDI’S LINK coming up!”

You can listen to Barbara’s interview by clicking on this link: http://tinyurl.com/BizAstrology.

Here’s a little gift: download the Cosmic Wheel of the Year Strategies for 2009 compliments of Barbara! To contact Barbara Schermer with your questions or for a personalized reading call her at773-248-7108 or email her at Barbara (at) astrologyalive.com. Be sure to tell her you heard about her on WE Magazine for Women!

Love may beckon gently, like the winged babe of the Valentine card. But Love too, in the guise of the great dark god Eros, may lay a heavy hand on your shoulder, spin you around, and demand, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Astrology can give some clues about where love will take us by tracking the apparent movements of the planet Venus through the twelve zodiacal signs. Where Venus (the goddess of love as well as the planet) lies in the horoscope of your birth indicates your style of loving as well as your relationship to beauty.

In her annual tour of the zodiac, Venus arcs through the twelve signs and the four elements, as follows:

• Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

• Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

• Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

• Water: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

While Venus in each sign has its special qualities, her place among the elements establishes her overall character–and sets the stage for your relationship to love.

Venus in Fire Signs

Fire needs constant fuel to keep burning, and one source of fuel for a fire sign is the energy that passion brings. Fire sign people burn with excitement, hope, and the possibilities of a new relationship.

When Fire meets someone that she feels attracted to, she thrills at the thought of “the chase” and a hoped-for conquest. Things get hot fast! But just as the roaring bonfire quickly consumes its fuel, the requirement for constant thrills may soon burn out the relationships of a fire sign type. “Fine by me,” she might say, but some day she may want to learn the mundane art of the slow, controlled, well-tended fire that bakes the wedding cake!

Fine points: She’s passionate, direct, enthused and motivated. Her energy fans everyone’s flame.

Failings: A lack of control over impulses, a drive to always do instead of be, and a lack of sensitivity that can make crispy critters of would-be partners.
 
Venus in Earth Signs

When love is around, an Earth sign woman is all eyes and ears, as well as alive to every touch, smell, and taste. She is the sensualist of the zodiac. Reach her by appealing to her appetites,

A wonderful evening might be a quiet one at home. Make her a fabulous meal, preferably with an element of the exotic (or at least expensive) on the menu. Don’t forget the luscious berries, Belgian chocolates, and fine champagne! Follow up with incense and bubble bath – and maybe a little package with something silky inside.

Earth brings steadiness and reliability to love, a quiet, stable sort of loving that endures and shows its true worth over the long haul. But relationships with an Earth woman can suffer from a lack of fiery stimulus and can bog down in details and practicalities. Love for Earth signs needs to be periodically shaken up, to be refreshed and revitalized, or it gets too complacent and, frankly, boring.

Excellent qualities: She’s sensual, patient, dependable, and determined to work things through, even when others would give up.

Errors: She gets entrenched, resists change, and can be too easily satisfied with the status quo.

Venus in Air Signs

Venus in Air’s source of inspiration is her love of ideas and the world of the mind. This is a woman who can get swept up in the ideals, even the theories, of divine love, and you shouldn’t be surprised to find her reading Plato or swooning over Rilke. Her heart flutters when the object of her affection speaks in complete sentences about original ideas. More than any other, the Air woman needs to relate. Yet it’s often the relationship to her own inner needs and feelings that has to be established before she is ready for a good relationship with others. Continued practice of self-love, self-nurturing, allow her to develop the skills she needs to love others–and be loved by them.

Awesome features: She’s intellectually lively, versatile, loves meeting new people and. can get us all thinking about love and beauty.

Awful possibilities: Her head may be in the clouds, making practical and feelingful action difficult. She may struggle with inner contradictions and intellectualize rather than accurately know her feelings–which true love demands. Air can benefit from the sensitivity and responsiveness of Water sign friends and lovers.

Venus in Water Signs

Here’s the most responsive Venus of all, metaphorically the deep river that expresses the feminine rhythms of flow and change, the turbulence of emotions, and the depth of initiation. Venus in Water is replenished by intimate connections, and probing the depths of feeling and consciousness–constantly striving to “get to the bottom” of things is her calling. She has been accused of too much “processing,” too much emotional intensity and endless expression of feelings. The Air and Earth sign people around her can’t resist telling her to “lighten up!”

The compassion and sensitivity of Venus in Water allows relationships that are deep and emotionally authentic. Frequently her lasting relationships are “healing contracts,” for her partner as well as herself. It’s especially important for Venus in Water to heal emotional wounds of her own past; otherwise, they interfere more than usual in the current relationship. Love is always intertwined with pain, two inseparable aspects of the same cosmic principle. The Venus in Water woman, especially, must explore the depths of pain to discover her full capacity for love.

Wonderful Features: She’s sensitive, supportive, capable of nurturing, and she often has an energy that heals all she touches.

Woeful Traits: Over-sensitivity, moodiness, a tendency toward depression, and, maybe, some manipulation of others to meet her needs are her downfall.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of interviewing  Sandra-Leigh Serio. Sandra-Leigh is a full-time, professional astrologer with a Master’s Degree in Psychology. For 26 years, she wrote a weekly astrology column for the Sun Newspapers in northeastern Ohio. She has over 25 years experience and has worked with thousands of clients from all over the United States. Sandra-Leigh teaches, lectures, and makes media appearances and is certified by ISAR and AFA as a professional astrologer.

Sandra-Leigh currently serves as President of the Rocky Mountain Astrologers (ROMA). Previously, she was Vice President and Membership Chair for OPA (Organization for Professional Astrology), and a founding member of CAPA (Colorado Association for Professional Astrologers). You can find Sandra online at SandraLeigh.com.

During our time together Sandra-Leigh shared her insights on the following including some of the most common reasons people consult astrologers; why someone would consult an astrologer for business purposes and what could she hope to get from it; the most common questions a business owner would or should ask when consulting with an astrologer;  as well as the most common questions an astrologer will ask prior to consulting with the new client?

We talked about the economy, and how a business owner could use astrology to help get through the current economic climate. We discussed free will versus destiny and astrological predictions. Sandra-Leigh talked about the 3 eclipses coming up in July & August, what that means and how they can impact people? – especially if their birthdays fall on the dates or the eclipse or six months from the eclipses. She shared a couple of summer predictions and she even gave me a mini-reading!  To listen, click on the image at the top or here:  How Astrology can help you in your business and your life.

So, you don’t think you could ever make sense out of all those little squiggly lines, learn the math or the meaning of aspects? So much significance…

Finding out a couple of basics about your own horoscope makes the project a lot more fun because you can learn things about yourself at the same time you learn astrology. These days software makes the math a cinch. For a quick start, you can easily find your rising sign before reading on if you were born in the continental U.S.

Actually, the math is more like complicated geometry and that’s what puts astrology in a class all by itself. It’s a mathematical science; factual and evidential time after time. You don’t have to be psychic to be a good astrologer and your intuition will develop as you practice “reading” charts. You’ll come to “know” the aspects just as well as you know that 1 + 1 = 2.

Now, as far as the planets having an “influence” over us; that isn’t all that far-fetched an idea really. We’re learning about the synergies in everything. Energy melding with energy produces a new energy, whether it is person with person, or with anything else. Everything contains energy; the planets too. And after all, they do share our solar system.

Regardless of any “influence”, however, the heavenly bodies “reflect”  conditions on earth and with individuals. Like looking into a mirror, one can “see” what is happening at any given time; past, present or future. See Outwitting the Stars, a story from a yogi about astrology.

A person responds to the planetary energies that are prominent in the horoscope. In other words, a planet of strong position in the horoscope reveals much about an individual and about evolving situations in life.  

To see into the chart of an individual accurately and precisely, the exact time, date and place of birth is needed. And, yes, the time is important. Check the birth certificate if possible rather than relying on anyone’s memory. A couple of minutes will greatly alter the accuracy of a reading for someone aged 30. The location of birth is needed to establish longitude and latitude. This is High Math, remember..?

Still, all that is in case you really want to become astrologically adept. The first and possibly the worst part of learning astrology involves memorization. You have to memorize the symbols of the planets and signs, the key meanings of the houses, planets and signs and finally the key meanings of the aspects. These are called Keys because they are a one word or short phrase of description. Go directly to the Tutorial http://www.moonvalleyastrologer.com/tutorial.htm to get all the tools you’ll need to get started.
Celeste Teal (Arizona) writes for popular astrology magazines and maintains her popular web site, the Moon Valley Astrologer (www.moonvalleyastrologer.com) with a variety of articles for astrologers of all levels. She’s authored several well-received astrology books, including Eclipses, Predicting World Events & Personal Transformation, and Lunar Nodes. Teal focuses on teaching time-tested astrology principles and reliable forecasting techniques.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: This is the first in a series of Astrology articles by various authors and editors.  In the coming weeks we will be showcasing experts in astrology and interviewing women on a variety of topics as they relate to life and business.  In fact, our first interview will take place on Wednesday  June 24th at 12 Noon EST with Sandra-Leigh Serio, Astrologer,  PMAFA, C.A.P.  M.A. Psychology Learn more about her at: www.sandraleigh.com  ~ we will be talking about upcoming astrological aspects and how they relate to business (and more).  The link to this and other interviews will be posted on WE Magazine for Women. Stay tuned!