Our interviewer is Michael Erlewine
Michael Erlewine:First, are you willing to share your birth data with our readers and if so, please tell us what it is.
Lynn Hayes:Sure – 10/12/1952, 8:32 pm, Philadelphia PA. When you see the chart you’ll see why I had to become interested in astrology. Everything is square to each other, and almost everything squares Uranus or Pluto.
ME:How did you get interested in astrology?
LH:I had my first astrology chart drawn when I was in college WAY back in the early 1970s. I fell in love with the symbols and just the look of the chart. I started reading Linda Goodman’s books and knew quite a bit about sun signs, but didn’t find any serious astrology until much later.
ME:Who did you learn from, what books or schools of astrology?
LH:Through a coincidence of fate, I was very briefly married to a professional astrologer back in 1980 which was my first exposure to serious astrology. In this relationship I began to learn about the planets, houses, and what it all means when you put them together. I live in the same town as Steven Forrest, and he was my first real teacher, instructing me for a short time in the art of casting a chart, interpretation, composites and synastry.
From there I went off on my own, studying the works of Stephen Arroyo, Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas, as well as Dane Rhudyar and of course many others. I have over 100 books in my astrological library.
ME:Have you had teachers or mentors and, if so, who are they and tell us something about their influence. Is there a sense of any lineage in your astrological education?
LH:Other than Steven at the beginning, I am self-taught through books and through client sessions. I have learned a great deal about the way planets operate by observing them at work in the lives of my clients. Erlewine: What type of astrology do you do? What techniques do you use and what techniques really work for you?
I call myself a transformational astrologer. I do natal chart interpretations, transits and progressions, relationship work. I use tools for forecasting but I don’t do predictive work – instead I want to encourage clients to empower themselves and create through their desires and intentions.
I have explored some of the newer aspects and techniques such as harmonic aspects, solar arc directions, tertiary progressions etc., but I find that my intuitive work is strongest when I stick to the Ptolemaic aspects and transits and secondary progressions. I do find it fascinating, though, that the techniques available to us appear to be limitless.
ME:Have you created any new techniques in astrology and what are they? Do others know about and use them also?
LH:The use of Chiron is very strong in my work and while this is not a technique per se, I do feel that I have discovered some new linkages between Chiron and the kundalini energy system that affect our mental, physical and emotional health.
I have a strong interest in medical astrology and have discovered some interesting connections between Chiron and Uranus which are very significant in many of the changes that are occurring right now and which can be useful when diagnosing mental disorders and other medical issues. I can’t say that I created these techniques and I am likely not the only one to be using them, but I did discover them for myself through client work.
There are big liability issues in working with medical astrology and I always be sure to add a big disclaimer when making medical suggestions.
ME: What do you personally use astrology for in your life and how often do you consult it?
LH:As a younger astrologer I watched every moment of every planet including the Moon – in my chart everything is square to everything else so this really helped me to monitor my emotional reactions. Nowadays I mostly just watch the larger cycles, but if I am feeling odd or something peculiar happens I absolutely run first to the ephemeris. I find after so many years that I feel much more attuned to the ebb and flow of planetary experiences and it’s a more automatic response rather than one that requires analysis.
ME:Have you done readings for others? If so, what techniques work best and how often do you do readings? Do you want clients to contact you now for readings?
LH:Yes, I do readings for others as a professional astrologer. I find that when someone consults me for a reading there is nearly always a major planetary cycle at work so the initial consultation always includes a look at the major transits and progressions. Then a follow-up consultation, which may come in two months or twenty years, will be focused on transits and progressions as well as general coaching. I have quite a few clients who call me every few months just for a checkup or to help them through a difficult situation. I always look carefully at Mars events as triggers, and lately I have been making sure the client knows about all of their Jupiter events. This serves the double purpose of helping them to feel more confident especially when difficult transits await them, but also to help them take advantage of opportunities during those times. Have you been to gatherings, conferences, etc. on astrology and how were they? Are you a social astrologer or a lone wolf?
I would say I’m a lone wolf (Saturn conjunct Sun), but I did just attend my first astrology conference because it was in Sedona which I have always wanted to see. I do enjoy our local NCGR chapter, the Network of Triangle Astrologers although I don’t attend many of the meetings.
ME:What are your connections to professional astrologers? Do you belong to any astrological organizations?
LH:I am a member of NCGR because it is affiliated with my local chapter, and I recently joined OPA and AFAN for the networking opportunities. We have a very friendly network of astrology bloggers which I enjoy a great deal, and we often correspond with each other regarding issues we may be having with clients or astrology in general.
ME:What are your thoughts about the state of modern astrology and astrologers?
LH:I am very excited about this new generation of astrologers that is coming up – I think they are brilliant and the fact that so many of them have made astrology their main career gives them the time to spend in study and creativity. There definitely appears to be a Saturn/Uranus kind of schism between those that are moving what I see as backwards into Saturnian medieval techniques that to me appear rather rigid and do not allow for the changes in energy and experience that I feel we are going through in the modern world, and those who are discovering new connections and techniques that are quite Uranian in nature.
I would like to see more collaboration between astrologers which I feel would help to bridge this gap. We do see this in the blogosphere because we are always posting articles from other astrologers so there is a natural sense of cooperation between us rather than competition.
ME:What about the business of astrology? Does it work for you? How much of your income comes from astrology in percentages?
LH:I went into real estate at the same time I became an astrologer, and real estate has been a very lucrative business for me. With Jupiter in Taurus opposing Venus, I do like to have a good income and for many years I was uncomfortable with the idea of marketing myself as an astrologer. I’m glad to say that this has changed and I am very comfortable now promoting my work.
At this point in my career, astrology provides about half of my total income.
ME:Tell us about your business astrology projects.
LH:Most of the business end of my astrological practice is run from my website. I have taught some classes locally, but I find that I don’t really enjoy that so now I’m focusing on the things that I love to do which is primarily writing and doing chart consultations and coaching clients to improve their life. I am in the process of writing a computerized report, and I have a book series that’s been in gestation for about 10 years. I’m also in the process of renovating my website and hope to begin doing podcasts shortly.
ME:In particular, how about the story of any astrology businesses you have undertaken, the ups and downs, and your view of the future of this work?
LH:I went through a period right around the Uranus/Neptune conjunction – that was the time of my Uranus opposition and Uranus in my chart squares a triple conjunction of Saturn, Sun and Neptune. So there was quite a cocktail of challenges for me and I quit writing my Skywatch column and doing consultations. I took a few years off to do some healing work and I think it was a very valuable time, although it was a tremendous setback to my business and it took me a long time to get going again.
With the internet there is a nearly infinite pool of clients from all over the world. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be an astrologer.
ME:How have astrologers responded to your site and what about regular folks?
LH:I’ve been very pleased at the contacts that I’ve made with astrologers through my blog, and I would say that they have responded very well. I try very hard to provide information and articles that are both astrologically informative yet still be digestible by the lay reader. My website gets about 15,000-20,000 hits a month, and my blog is at about 60-70,000 page views a month now. The blog drives a lot of traffic to my website.
ME:Do you think astrology is a predictive tool and if so, how so?
LH:I personally don’t believe that it is possible to predict the future, I feel that the Universe is always going to try to surprise us and as soon as we think we know what is coming we’ll end up with something else. I do believe that we create our own reality, so when clients say "does my chart say that I’m going to be in a relationship?" I always try to find out what’s been keeping that person from finding a relationship, rather than trying to predict when they’ll get one. Sometimes that kind of prediction is accurate, but more often it’s not. I don’t like to be wrong.
ME:Do you identify yourself as an astrologer to others and how do they respond?
LH:I have become rather fearless about this since I’ve been out there on the Internet, and I have to say that people appear to be pretty open. Earlier in my career I was "in the closet" because of my real estate business but I started to find that I actually started getting real estate clients because of astrology rather than the other way around. Nearly everyone is fascinated with astrology and when you tell people you’re an astrologer it’s a great conversation opener.
This I’m sure is very different than 20 years ago and more when astrology was not so widely understood. I am consistently amazed at the number of people, blog readers and others, who have a good working understanding of what real astrology does.
ME:Does astrologer give you answers for deeply personal questions and quests?
LH:Absolutely. That’s how I began this journey, and this is my focus in my client work. What is it that they want to do in their live? How do they want their life to unfold? Then we look at the chart to see where the blocks are and how to unlock the doors to activate those blocks so that they can become tools of power.
ME:Propose the questions I forgot to ask that you would like asked, and give your answers.
LH:I would like to respond to a few things that I have heard from other astrologers.
The first is the use of "astrologese" in readings, which many astrologers advise against. I completely disagree – I think a certain amount of astrologese, with cogent and enlightening explanations, is extremely useful to help our clients understand and learn more about astrology and how it can help them in their lives.
I have also noticed a lot of denigration of the work of some astrologers by other astrologers. Traditional astrologers criticize modern astrologers for their imprecision. Modern astrologers criticize traditional astrologers for their rigidity. I confess I have been somewhat guilty of this myself. As astrologers we understand that different people process information differently and will be attracted to different astrological modes of work. Many of us are downloading completely new techniques that have never been seen before but which are extremely effective. I would like to see a great deal more openness between astrologers to learn from each other and share respect for each other’s work. I think that the blogosphere is really helping to achieve that and thank you Michael for the part you are playing in this regard.
About Astrologer Lynn Hayes
Visit Lynn Hayes web-site: www.astrodynamics.net
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