Beyond Talk Therapy: How I Integrate Astrology and Ancient Tools

If you were a kid in a Latin American household in the 90s, you know the experience of having everything stop and everyone run to the TV when Walter Mercado came on with his horoscopos.

It was a MO-MENT, okay?

It didn’t matter if it was the most Catholic household, everyone tuned in! It was amazing.

He delivered the horoscopes in a way that made you feel like he was talking to you and only you. That has always stayed with me because it validates what I now know about astrology - it is a blueprint that is unique to you.

Astrology has always been in the background for me until the last several years when it's been more like flashing lights. I mean, it’s also everywhere. There are even astro-focused digital ads on the NYC subway. Who would’ve thought?!

The path to deep diving into astrology came from my spiritual court, like most things in my life. At one point, it seemed like every day I’d get a nudge to explore astrology more deeply. And they weren’t subtle either.

I started with my own natal chart. I turned it upside down, inside out, and the deeper I got, the more I started noticing that I had astrological understanding that I hadn’t studied. Something just clicked within me. 

It was like it lived somewhere inside that was locked away in a closet. The experience was similar to when I first unlocked my spiritual gifts. I'd started working with a mentor who, more than anything, helped me focus my energy to hear and see clearly. My abilities were being drowned out by the chaos of my life at that time…but that’s a different story for a different day.

I have a natural knack for seeing and understanding patterns, so I feel very comfortable with astrology bc among other things, it’s about patterns. It’s another tool for identifying why we are the way we are or make the choices we make, outside of understanding our upbringing (they’re complementary IMO). It also validates what we’re already doing well and illuminates the path for the healing we’re here to alchemize. 

Naturally, astrology lends itself extremely well to therapy, and is central to how I work. It allows for truly profound work, and is also efficient in a way that traditional talk therapy inherently can’t be.

Note: speed is never the goal. And. There’s a reason why ppl are sometimes turned off from therapy or finding the right practitioner - they don’t want to repeat themselves - or their trauma - to yet another stranger. Having a client’s chart doesn’t mean you bypass the natural process of building rapport through information-sharing, but you’re also not starting out from zero. This can be really helpful for the therapy-seeker.

I remember a time not so long ago when I was TERRIFIED of integrating clinical practice with ancient tools and spiritual technologies  In fact, I “discovered” (remembered is more like it) my spiritual gift of clairaudience during a client session, which made for some really interesting and confusing times LOL. It was as if Spirit was telling me that those two worlds were meant to come together, and intuitive gifts could serve healing in innovative ways.

I always knew traditional talk therapy was important but incomplete, that I was in the therapy space, but not really of it. Back then, I slowly started talking about this integration publicly, and the response was overwhelming - there were so many therapists who resonated with my experience, wanted a community around this shared identity, and were also afraid of integration bc of the legal red tape that limits the profession. 

It was validating AF.

That version of me couldn’t imagine that she’d be here, standing on business confidently and proudly, and with a sense of possibility that defies logic. I love it here.

In case you’re curious, here are a few ways I use astrology and other ancient tools in my work:

Everyone starts with a natal chart reading. Depending on what the person is coming to therapy for, I’ll focus on certain houses/planets/aspects, but the whole chart speaks to the whole story of the person so it’s something we’ll come back to often.

We consider how what’s happening in the sky can support your healing IRL. Transits - or what the planets are doing in the sky at a certain time - impact us all and depending on your personal chart, it can impact you more intensely.

So if an ex comes back during a Mercury Retrograde, for example, and in therapy we’ve been processing wounds around self-worth and your voice, we can talk about how the transit may or may not be supporting your healing - could it be an opportunity to practice what you’ve learned? Is it validation of what you’ve been learning about yourself? Something else? The point is not to be prescriptive or always take action, but rather use the tools that are available to us.

We use tarot to bring unconscious material to the surface safely. Tarot is a lineage gift - I come from a long line of diviners - so I have a really special relationship with this tool in particular. Every diviner uses their tools differently, but for me, they always point me in the next best direction or to something that is just outside of my awareness. I use tarot more intuitively in the work, and clients are always empowered to call upon them when they wish. The cards won’t always answer your question, which is usually the answer itself. And sometimes they will read you for filth LOL, but always with love.

Tell me, what questions do you have about integrating these two methods or working in this way? Would you be open to seeing a practitioner who blends both clinical practice and spiritual tools?