I was returning to my cabin at Mountain Home Ranch http://mountainhomeranch.com in the wee hours, breathing in sharp winter, I was startled to a stop by the night sky. Hail and rain had polished each facet of it to a crystal brilliantine.  As my breath made an awestruck comment, I thanked the cosmos for its beauty, its wisdom and for guiding me into my work as an Evolutionary Astrologer.

I never believed, as a child, that I could be whatever I wanted. Rather, I got the message that I’d better get used to being whatever “they” wanted me to be. I was born in 1952, so the world was still dominated by the notion that men were smarter than women. Although I’ve had a couple of meaningful  careers as actress and radio announcer, the belief that I would “never make it” gnawed at my self-confidence.

I’ve been a professional astrologer since 1984, although I wasn’t sure of what I was doing for the first couple of years. Like artists, however, astrologers have often bought into the myth that you’ll starve if you do what you love.

For years I struggled. I heard the echo of someone else’s reality urging me to quit this nonsense and get a “real job.” At some point, even when things were tough and the phone never seemed to ring, I realized that I was simply too old to change my evil ways. What I loved best and knew how to do best was astrology.

That’s when I realized that I’d been buying into an outdated concept, encouraged by my father and other authority figures. Perhaps they meant well, but they were dead wrong.  I’d been giving my power away.

I run two Steven Forrest Evolutionary Astrology Apprenticeship Retreats http://www.gossamerrings.com/forrest.php in Calistoga, California twice yearly. I’ve never run one alone, however, until this last retreat.  I simply couldn’t think about failure. It wasn’t an option. I could only think of it with love: the people, the place, the astrological system.

I discovered what power is for me: I set boundaries so that I could be in my heart. I learned to love the word “no” when I spoke from my heart, so that I could open up more fully, to be more vulnerable. I wasn’t always steady on my feet, but I moved forward with a courage I didn’t know that I had. And, as Jerry Garcia once sang, “We had a real good time.”

My power purrs, has long, lean muscles, and a throaty growl when threatened. I use it wisely and with great respect.

Your dreams can thrive. They can be realized. You are worthy, man or woman, of achieving what you most want. Just imagine. It can come true.

Love and laughter,

Joyce