DC: What interested you in astrology to begin with?
Centaur: It's a really good way to learn about yourself. To me, my chart is a blueprint and a road map of me. I can look at my chart, and say "this fits," and "that's me"..but another person can look at the relationship between two planets, and say "this indicates this other thing," and I'll say "Wow, that fits also, but I never looked at it that way!" It's a good self-learning tool, a good developmental tool.
DC: How did you become a certified astrologer, and what did
getting your certification entail?
Centaur: Actually, I wanted to get my own chart read, so one day I went to a local place, and when the shop owner saw how interested I was he told me about a course I could take. I had Thursday nights free, so I figured, why not? I took the course, and became even more interested. I found out that I could get certification from the National Council for Geocosmic Research. I studied for four months, took a five hour test and got my certification.
DC: So what does it mean to be certified?
Centaur: (laughs) Well...it means I studied, took a really long test and this big organization in New Jersey says I know what I'm talking about. (sobers) It doesn't make me a total authority, you know? I know my stuff, but there are people who know things that I don't know, just as there are things that I know that other people might not. Let me put it this way...there are lots of books and programs out there. Anybody can pick these up, get a correct date of birth, time of birth and birthplace, do a chart, print it out, and interpret it. And they can a do a pretty good job with just that. The NCGR certification is something only a couple hundred people have, and it means that, according to this organization, I know enough to be certified. The NCGR has set certain standards. They did this in order to make astrology an accepted science, so the certification states that I know what they consider to be the right things to know. I will say, that as far as I'm concerned NCGR certification is something any serious astrologer should have, especially if they want to go beyond just reading natal charts. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but there is so much more that you can do with it.
DC: Do you do daily readings for yourself?
Centaur: No, because I like to flow with the moment. If I have a big question...like, if I were looking to make a career move, I might chart to see the possibilities.
DC: Possibilities? Don't the charts tell you what to do?
Centaur: No. They're just pointers. You can't look at a chart and say "this is going to happen." You can't run your life with a piece of paper, you can't become a slave to that. I like to look at a chart and say "This is what I'm going to do. Let me look at the energies that are going to be around me" so I know how easy or difficult things are going to be. Not good or bad. I never think of it in terms of good or bad, only easy or difficult. Success or failure does not hinge on the stars, however, how much crap I have to go through for success or how easy success will come, can be indicated. In my work, I get people who say, "I'm looking for a new job. Will I find a new job in the next two weeks?" I look at their charts and say, "I don't know, you tell me." They get stunned and say, "But I thought you were supposed to be able to tell me that!" I tell them "No, I can look through the chart, and tell you when the energies are going to be correct for you, but I'm not going to say 'Yes, you will get a job in the next two weeks.' I'm not God, I don't oil the wheels of the universe. Are you going to actually look for a job? If you're not going to actually look for a job, I can probably tell you that one won't fall in your lap, but unless you are going to put forth effort, how could you possibly find a job?" The same with questions about romance. If someone comes to me and asks me to tell them a good time to look for romance, I can tell them that Venus (the planet of romance) and Mars (the planet of sexuality) are making a very harmonious aspect at certain points of their chart. But if the person is a very shy homebody, who never goes out of the house, what I say is going to mean jack to them. They might be happy to hear it, but they'll never act on it. It really depends on the person. The charts are only indicators.
DC: So it's not really a science of predicting the future?
Centaur: Put it this way. It is a tool that can be used to help you create your own future. There is an old Zen story about a student who asked his teacher a question. The teacher pointed to the moon, and most of the students looked up at his hand. Only one looked beyond his hand at what he was pointing to, and saw the moon. Astrology works the same way. You can't look at the hand. Astrology is only the hand. You have to look at what it's pointing to, you know what I mean? You have to make your own decisions. You can't say "Wow, the hand says this, so I'm going to do that."
If I see something in your chart that tells me that a certain time is going to be really bad for relationship issues, I'm not going to tell you that you're girlfriend is going to leave you in August. I will explain the warning signs that the planets are giving me, and caution you about putting more effort into the relationship during that period of time, and I will interpret as best I can what the issues may be..perhaps communication, or disinterest. Astrology is a tool, just like any other tool.
As far as predestination...that is determined at every moment of existence. Based on each move you make there is a possible "predetermined" outlook. Every move you make changes that outlook. No, I don't believe in predestination. Even in the personality aspects, things can be deceiving.
Someone might look at two separate charts and say "Person A is going to be very successful, and Person B is not." I don't see it that way. Person A might have success handed to him on a silver platter, and Person B might have to work very hard to become successful. These people will have to work through very different issues, but both have the potential to be successful.
I believe some people have a gift for interpreting, and can therefore "predict" the future, but those are the people who have an intuitive grasp of the people that they are dealing with...they can look beyond the charts. Even they won't come right out and tell you that something is "certain." In my opinion, anyone who tells you exactly what the future is going to be should be taken with a grain of salt. Astrology is interactive. As you learn more about the person you are charting you can see more and more of the proper interpretations. Each person's character will affect the readings and the outcomes.
DC: Well, if astrology is not for predicting the future, then
what is it good for?
Centaur: I see it as a tool for helping people to help themselves. As you get to know the person, you can show them certain aspects in the charts, and discuss it with them. As the person comes to grips with each issue, it sheds more light on their situations, and what they can do about them. That's when the healing starts. I try to do as little "telling" them as possible. I try to make them see it for themselves. In a way, I feel it would be best if astrologers took some kind of counselling training. I mean, if people are taking you seriously, it would be really easy to do some kind of damage that you didn't mean to do. I'm not saying that an astrologer will wreck someone's life or anything, but at the very least, it is possible that the wrong kind of interpretation could give someone a really bad day. I think you need to be conscientious about it. It should be about helping, not purely predicting.
DC: Are your readings accurate that way? Are people generally
satisfied with that?
Centaur: Yeah, I'd say so. Some people do this semi-professionally. They advertise, and market themselves...I don't do that. I get 95% of my business through word of mouth. People tell their friends that they really enjoyed it, and refer them to me. That's how I know that I'm doing a good job. It also means something to me in a cosmic sense. I'm a very spiritual person, so when people are sent to me, I feel like it's a universal message. I love to do charts, I like what I do, for me it's fun, and a learning experience. Every time I do someone's chart, I learn more about my craft, about other people and about myself. For me, it's a lot about self development.
DC: Okay, here's something I've always wanted to know. How does
astrology relate to astronomy?
Centaur: Astronomy is a science was born out of astrology. Years ago most western European kings had court astrologers, but it wasn't until around the time of Copernicus that western Europe became more and more scientific. People began to wonder exactly how those points in the sky worked.
They had been charting their courses and their effects on people for ages, but knew very little about them physically. The word planet comes from the Greek word for "wanderer." People noticed that some points of light were not consistently in the same place every night. And so they started charting. At first they only charted what could be seen with the naked eye, of course. (grins) I always found it interesting that Saturn, the planet of boundaries, was the farthest planet that we could see with the naked eye. Because of this limitation certain signs actually shared a planet, and were given mixed aspects, until the others were discovered. As human consciousness expanded into new areas, the higher aspects of the planets became even more defined, and the charts gained a more specific clarity.
DC: (sly grin) Have you looked up my chart yet?
Centaur: (equally sly grin) As a matter of fact...I just happen to have my ephemeris right here. All I need is your birthplace, date, and time.
At this point, Centaur proceeded to tell me about
the energies relating to my planets and their positions.
My impression? I found it to be exactly as he had stated.
I learned a bit about myself...saw correlations between his
interpretations and my personality, and came away with a number
of things to think about, both positive and negative. All in all,
a harmless and rather constructive experience during which I had
a great deal of fun!