You have made an investment in both time and money for your Vedic astrology session with me, Carolina Valdivia, so you want to make sure you gain as much as you can from it. Below are some tips on how to approach our meeting.

Relax

There’s no reason to be nervous. Pick a place where you feel comfortable and get ready for one of the most enlightening conversations you’ve ever had.

Eliminate distractions

Your session with me will last an average of about 90 minutes. Choose a time and place where you can feel comfortable and free from distractions. I advise clients to turn off their smartphone or at least put it on silent. Please note that answering a call during a session or temporarily leaving the session to deal with a distraction will reduce the amount of time we have to spend together.

Avoid being defensive

A big mistake people make is that they take their birth chart personally. They don’t like some of the things in it, so they reject it completely. This is unfortunate. It’s rare that a birth chart doesn’t make a person uncomfortable in certain areas. In fact, you can be almost 100% sure that there will be things in your birth chart that you won’t like. But there is no hidden agenda behind a birth chart. It just is what it is; nothing more, nothing less.

Each of us develops an image of ourselves as we travel the path of this life. In some areas, your birth chart will confirm that image. In other areas, it likely won’t. The purpose of your birth chart is to help you grow, not to validate what you believe about yourself or to tell you only what you want to hear. That would be dishonest.

If you are honest with yourself, your birth chart will make you look inward, and this is a very good thing. It can lead to greater self-acceptance and spiritual growth.

Do not keep score

It is unwise to approach your session with the eye of an inquisitor, looking for things that don’t match (that your astrologer “got wrong”) and keeping a mental record of them. This will significantly limit any benefit you may gain from the session.

If something in your birth chart analysis doesn’t match your experience, simply mention it to your astrologer during the session. The two of you can explore the reasons why that might be the case, and that examination could reveal even deeper things about you.

For example, in one of my other blog posts, I recounted how astrologers predicted that the sage Paramahansa Yogananda would marry three times in his life, based on evidence from his birth chart that he would be a widower twice. However, this never happened because Yogananda chose to follow the path of a monk his entire life. Therefore, he never married, and as such, he was never widowed. Does this mean that his chart or the astrologers were wrong and should be rejected? No. Actually, it means that the astrologers were not aware of this information about Yogananda. For example, a more thorough analysis of the ninth (religion) and tenth (profession) houses in his chart would likely reveal this. The astrologers simply did not know to look there.

Astrology is not voodoo or magic

There is nothing magical about what I do as an astrologer. Most of it involves analyzing the complex mathematical relationships between the planets and how they can affect people here on Earth. While this may seem far-fetched to some, it really shouldn’t.

For example, we know scientifically that the Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth plays a huge role in the formation of ocean tides. The gravitational influence of the planet Jupiter helps clear debris and prevent large bodies from impacting Earth. The Sun’s gravitational hold defines the elliptical orbit of the Earth and that of the other planets as well. Astrology simply states that these celestial bodies not only influence each other, but their forces and alignments can also affect people on Earth.

Don’t expect an instant miracle

Analyzing your birth chart can confirm some things you had in the back of your mind about yourself and might reveal new and surprising things. This can create a sense of wonder and excitement in you. That’s good. It will help motivate you on your path to self-realization. However, it would be unrealistic to expect that simply having this knowledge will magically change your life in an instant. It won’t.

Possessing knowledge is simply the beginning of a much longer journey of working to make your life blossom to its full potential. This work is your responsibility, and as your astrologer, I can help you. For example, during your session, I can provide you with certain actions (called remedies) that you can take to help turn negative occurrences in your birth chart into more positive ones. These often include mantras for you to recite, recommendations of charitable actions you can take, and so on. But it is up to you to take them seriously and initiate them. Again, there is no instant miracle.

Your birth chart is a beautiful beginning

Probably the biggest mistake people make is that they treat their birth chart as an end point. In other words, they get their birth chart, look at it, and then put it away in a drawer and forget about it. But your birth chart is actually a beginning, a launching point where new things about yourself are revealed and acted upon. It can be analyzed and used on many different levels. It can help you grow, so take advantage of it.