I remember when I was going through the *peak* of my ego death/spiritual awakening, I was seeking out any spiritual modality, intuitive reader, personality test, or sign from the universe to tell me more about who I truly am on a soul level and what the heck I'm here to do. 

Enter Astrology. Every time I study my birth chart to this day, I come away with a feeling of validation, a new layer of self-awareness and self-understanding, and more permission to be myself, even when that doesn't match what others tell me I should do/feel/believe. There's nothing quite like reaching that feeling of "Omg, that makes so much sense, NO WONDER I feel this way!"

Some people see astrology as a way to cop out and make excuses for all of your vices and bad behavior. But actually, astrology can serve as a major empowerment tool that we can use to claim more sovereignty and personal responsibility for the ways we think, feel, and act in the world. And instead of working against your natural energy by trying to always follow the way experts and gurus tell you things are 'supposed to' be done, once you understand your own astrological makeup, you can begin to work with your own energy and give yourself permission to fully own your gifts and consciously work through your blind spots.

Here are some of the top ah-hah moments that shifted everything for me once I started to understand my own astrology chart in-depth…

1. IT CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY EMOTIONS (MOON SQUARE MERCURY)

I didn't even fully realize this about myself until I understood my Moon square Mercury in my chart, mostly because I've always been recognized for my strong gifts in communication. True, I love to write and speak - so I always just assumed that meant that my strengths in communication should logically translate across all areas of my life.

But as soon as I noticed this aspect in my chart, something clicked into place and it made SO much sense to me. While I can deliver a presentation or workshop to dozens of people or write blog and social posts all day long, when it comes to expressing my emotions, especially in the moment, it often feels really difficult for me to find the right words to express my emotions.

The beauty about realizing this and understanding it, is that I was suddenly able to bring awareness to this aspect of my life and give myself what I actually needed in order to most effectively communicate what I'm feeling.

Whereas before, I might have clumsily and tactlessly (hello moon in Sagittarius, which can be super blunt) moved my way through an emotionally-charged conversation - and then beaten myself up later afterward for not being able to convey exactly what I meant - once I understood that this Moon-square-Mercury aspect is part of what I'm meant to learn and grow from, I was able to ask myself what exactly I needed in order to feel safe and comfortable in expressing my emotional self. The answer for me is usually that I need space and time to gather my thoughts and work through my emotions on paper via my journal before trying to convey them to someone else.

 

2. I CAN USE MY INTENSITY TO MY DETRIMENT OR AS ONE OF MY SUPER POWERS (PLUTO CONJUNCT AC)

I have been told in multiple circumstances that I'm 'intense.' I grew up playing soccer, and my high school soccer nickname was Lil Killa because of how seriously I took everything on the field. In group projects at school, I was always the one to keep everyone focused and doing the work until we got everything done. Throughout my career in corporate marketing, I was told by numerous people on many occasions to lighten up and to not take everything so seriously.

All fine advice (and probably exactly what I needed to hear on multiple occasions), but the end result was me learning that in order to be liked and be perceived as friendly and easy-going, I needed to tamper down my intensity. 'Good girls' aren't aggressive or intense - they go with the flow and are super chill all the time and will gladly quiet down if anyone feels they're being difficult.

Seeing that I have Pluto (the planet of intensity, power, death and rebirth) in my first house, right next to my Ascendant, felt like one of those moments of 'ohhhhhh NO WONDER I'm so intense! I'm MEANT to be this way!!'. Again, it felt like pieces clicking into place for me.

Understanding this, I realized that my intensity is not something to be hidden or backed away from - it's actually one of my super powers, at least when I can own it and apply it in beneficial ways.

When I wasn't aware of this super power within myself, I ended up suppressing natural parts of myself, only for that intensity to rear its head in situations that weren't actually worth fighting for. Now, I choose to work with my intensity and honor it as something that makes me magnetic and unstoppable in the face of my passions.

 

3. WRITING AND COMMUNICATION ARE MEANT TO BE PART OF MY WORK AND CAN BE USED AS MY OUTLETS (3RD HOUSE CAPRICORN STELLIUM - URANUS, SATURN, NEPTUNE)

This one felt more like a confirmation and validation for me. My major in college was Communications, and I've worked in PR, content marketing, and communications in every corporate job I've had.

Understanding this stellium of planets in my 3rd house and in Capricorn helped assure me that even when I was doing corporate work I didn't really care about any longer, I was still on the right path and developing skills that would be foundational for whatever I chose to pursue next.

With this knowledge, I was also able to better focus and direct my energy. Having confirmation from my birth chart that writing and communications are my strengths allowed me to prioritize those tasks on my project list, even when they felt unproductive or like I was taking too long to do them.

I also personally love that I have Neptune in my 3rd house, because that's where I now understand a lot of my channeling abilities come from. Where we have Neptune in our chart is where we are most psychically connected and receptive, and in my 3rd house of communication of writing, it makes total sense that I find it easier than most to enter that flow state and receive channeled messages when I put pen to paper.

 

4. MY BIGGEST SOUL GROWTH WILL COME FROM CREATING BALANCE AND HARMONY BETWEEN MY OUTER WORLD AND INNER WORLD (SOUTH NODE IN 10TH HOUSE / NORTH NODE IN 4TH HOUSE)

I honestly can't even explain the truth-bomb moments of realization I had from understanding my North and South Node placements. The South Node represents the type of energy that we strongly embodied in a past life - so much so that we likely became overly dependent on that energy to define our identity.

With my South Node in the 10th house (and conjunct my MC and Sun, in the sign of Leo), I can totally see myself in a past life as a workaholic dad who never spent time with his family, or an egotistical celebrity who got super caught up in my public image and other people's expectations of me.

In this lifetime, I'm meant to form a balance in my life between those 10th house things - like recognition, career, and status - and more 4th house things - like home, family, self-reflection, and emotions. Recognizing this pattern of placing the entirety of my self-worth and identity in my career was hugely impactful in terms of how I decided to redefine my core values and what I wanted out of life.  With this understanding, my inner world of vulnerability and emotional depth went from being something I avoided and suppressed to something I intentionally dive into, even when it feels uncomfortable and foreign to me, knowing that that's where the highest path to soul satisfaction lies for me.

 

5. I NEED A PARTNER WITH GROUNDED EARTH ENERGY (TAURUS 7TH HOUSE, RULED BY VENUS IN VIRGO)

As someone who's not even sure if I have a 'type' anymore, given the disappointment I've faced in picking guys who seemed like they should be my type, using Astrology as a guide for what I need in a relationship has been SO helpful.

My 7th house (house of marriage and relationships) is ruled by Earthy Taurus, meaning I need someone grounded who can help balance out that intense, water-y nature of my Scorpio rising. I also need someone who, no matter his sun sign, can help me tap into my own sensuality and enjoyment in the present moment since I can tend to get myself lost in the complexity of my own thoughts.

To add to that, Venus, the planet of love and beauty, and also the ruler of my 7th house, is in Virgo in my chart, adding another Earth element. I often see Venus as representing our love language and how we like to best give and receive affection. Learning about my Venus in Virgo helped me understand why I can be so picky about the guys I date, and yet having that understanding also helped me release that narrative a bit. 

With my Venus in Virgo, I can very clearly envision the perfect relationship and what it should look like. But the thing I've learned about Virgo energy is that that vision of perfection is meant to help drive and inspire us, not to keep us stuck from moving forward because things don't look that way yet.

What interesting insights, revelations, and ah-hah moments have you had that came from understanding your astrology chart? I'd love to hear in the comments below!

If you're interested in learning more about how to uncover these types of powerful insights for yourself, come learn astrology with me in Discover Your Stars! It's an on-demand, self-paced course with monthly live Q&A sessions, where I'll be teaching you everything you need to know to read and understand your birth chart.