Hurray, you have booked a birth chart reading! Congratulations — you've taken a big step towards deepening your self-understanding. I'm so excited to dive into your birth chart and get to know you better.

If you've never had an astrology reading before, it can be pretty intimidating if you don't know what to expect! And even if you've had dozens of readings, every astrologer works a little differently. So I've created a little overview to give you some suggestions about how you can prepare for your reading, so you have the best possible experience.

Decide where you will do reading

It’s important to ensure you have a quiet, comfortable space in which to do the reading. Astrology readings are extremely intimate experiences. We get the most out of them when we can be fully present.

All of my sessions are done virtually, via Zoom. Virtual sessions are great because they mean you can work with astrologers across the world, you don't need to find parking, and you can get a reading while wearing sweatpants! And best of all, we can record the reading, so you get a video copy for you to review later.

Here are a few Zoom-related tips and tricks ahead of your session:

• Wear comfortable headphones/earbuds — that helps reduce echo, background noises and will make you feel more present on the call.

• If you're new to working with Zoom, download it a few days beforehand and test it out with a friend. Here are some really helpful Zoom resources that can help you get started. (Pro tip — if you book with me, the link to the Zoom meeting will always be in the reminder emails!)

• If you have a laptop, try using a stack of books to elevate the screen, so you don’t have to crane your neck for the entire meeting.

Make yourself comfortable

Once you have your tech situation sorted, the next important thing to do get comfortable, settled, and grounded. The most important thing is that you are in a situation where you can relax and receive the messages the universe has for you.

Surround yourself with the objects, tools, and spirits that make you feel magical and safe. This can be anything you want — crystals, herbs, candles, essences, oracle cards, stuffed animals, you name it! So long as it is meaningful to you and makes you feel comfortable, have it on hand.

Make sure you're physically comfortable, too. You can be on a couch, at a desk, in your bed... whatever works best for you! So long as you're in a quiet place, it doesn't matter! You can also get up, stretch, or do some small movement during the session if your body needs it. You know what your body needs, so do whatever you need to do. If we always pause the reading so you can stretch and make any kind of physical adjustments.

Sometimes folks can get overwhelmed during readings, trying to absorb all the info and take notes and be present. There is a LOT of information that is channeled, and it's impossible to retain everything. That's why I LOVE doing sessions via Zoom — it's easy to record the sessions and then send them to you afterward! Video recordings are emailed to you within 48 hours of your session, along with a photo of the tarot spread and an overview of the position/prompt.

All that is to say, taking notes during the session is not a necessity — in fact, I strongly recommended doing your detailed notes after the session, via the recording. However, I feel more calm, focused, and attentive when I have a pen and paper in front of me. It's probably a leftover association from decades of schooling (or maybe it's all my Gemini placements), but there's something about taking notes that just makes me feel comfortable and confident. So it's really up to you!

Think about what you want to talk about

Sometimes people get an astrology reading because they have a really specific question or issue they want to explore. They might have a recurring pattern in relationships, or they might be struggling with their career and figuring out what they want to do with their lives.

Other times people don't have a specific question or thing they want to discuss. They're just curious about the craft, or they thought it would be interesting, or they just feel generally disconnected and uncertain and aren't sure where to begin.

And then there are the folks in between! Who might have a general topic or theme to discuss, but are open to whatever comes up in a reading.

Let me reassure you: all of these awesome are great and valid! You can be as general or specific as you want with your questions — this is YOUR reading and my job is to help you find the answers you're looking for. The amazing thing about astrology is that you can start incredibly vague and general ("family" "kids" "work" "money") and from there, we can dive into a depth of detail and richness that is truly astounding.

You don't NEED to start with a really specific question or issue. A general topic or question is an amazing place to start. But the most important thing is that you're honest with yourself about what you're curious about. So often, we don't permit ourselves to be honest ourselves about what we want to know. We might feel ashamed that we want to explore our sexuality or that we're secretly dissatisfied with our life — because asking the question sometimes means admitting there's a problem.

But the more honest you are with yourself (and me, your astrologer), the better able we will be to discuss and analyze that question in your birth chart. The more information I have about your situation, the more context I have for what I'm seeing, and then the better the interpretations can be. Astrology readings are a co-creative process — I describe symbols, but you're the one who makes the connection to your life experience. Your chart comes alive through the dialogue. The more honest we are in that conversation, the more information you're going to get out of the experience.

Before a reading, I suggest doing some journaling and reflecting, and coming up with two or three general questions/topics you'd like to discuss during the session. These can be as general or specific as you like. All that matters is that you've spent some amount of time reflecting on what you want out of this session. That way, you can be more of an active participant in the session. And it also helps me to ensure you are getting all your questions answered and that you have what you need to move forward.

And there you go! Those are my top three tips on how to prepare for an astrology reading.

If you have any questions, concerns, or fears about booking a reading, feel free to send me an email or leave a comment below, so we can address it!

Reading to discover the secrets of your birth chart? Book a session today.