When it comes to astrology, people fall into one of three camps. The first is composed of those who are complete naysayers and think the practice is all “bunk.” The second camp are those who can tell you all about trines, ascendants and orbs and don’t make a move without consulting their charts. And the last are those who are intrigued, don’t necessarily make a stock purchase based on predictions but blanch at the thought of Mercury in retrograde. I happen to fall into the camp number three.
Because of this troubled and crazy decade we are living in, astrology is once again a sign of the times. Much like the Age of Aquarius in the 60s, people are looking anywhere to find enlightenment and answers. It’s reported some 75 percent of the population at the very least reads their horoscope in the newspaper or online with 25 percent seeking one-on-one readings. And it’s common knowledge Tony and Cherie Blair, Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana consulted astrologers before making a move.
And when I am ready to make a decision, I often consult with longtime friend and astrologer Cheryl Henry a.k.a. “Chereal Stars.” Chereal, a former sketch comedienne, model and actress turned astrologer, became interested at the age of 17 while engaging on the subject at a party in Manhattan (and was quickly schooled that she knew nothing about it). Skeptical yet determined, she began her studies on the practice that dates back to 3000 BC and “wanted to debunk astrology but was never able to come up with an argument against it.” Lessons with New York Astrology founder and mathematician Harvey Weingarten taught her how to cast a chart (this was long before the days when a computer program can do the job) and the proverbial die was cast.
Encouraged by her good friend and actress/singer/comedienne Sandra Bernhard in the nineties, Chereal’s passion turned into a business. “Astrology is a language,” she notes, and feels anyone can learn it if they are so inclined. Her “love/hate relationship” with astrology stems from “having to be careful over how to present information and the fact I cannot control it” and often agonizes over how to present bad news in particular. Clients such as Bernhard, Madonna, Alek Keshishian and Roseanne have sought her advice on everything from career to relationships (with the third being finances). Chereal is also quick to note that “Astrologers are not psychics but there is an intuitiveness that comes into play.”
For me – along with most others I know – the big concerns revolve around the dreaded full moon, Mercury in retrograde, Pluto and Saturn. The full moon – which generally brings out the crazies and an increase in emergency room visits – affects most people every other month. “The full moon pulls on the fluids in our body and people tend to puff up so do not schedule surgery or you will bleed more,” details Chereal. “Actions and words are exaggerated and people get hurt feelings and are not themselves.”
Mercury in retrograde, which covers everything from snafus in travel to miscommunications, occurs periodically throughout the year. “People are also crazy during this period and it does have an influence on important documents. Do not sign anything or make sure it’s really correct before you do,” advises Chereal. While Pluto represents the subconscious, it’s a Scorpio planet all about “black or white, high or low and there is no in between.” All one has to do is look at the political and Hollywood landscape to see who might have the planet that is associated with destruction in their chart.
Saturn, another feared and an often-misconstrued planet of karma, teaches us life lessons, whether we want to learn them or not. Chereal explains that we should “not be afraid as it’s a very important transit that teaches us hard lessons to be learned and to take those lessons into the future. “
At the end of the day the self-processed “Sagittarian Jill of all Trades” boils it down. “Astrology needs to be reintroduced in a new fresh way without the trappings of the 60s. It is open to everyone and there is no mystique around it. We all have the ability, just get a book and study it and see if it clicks and opens you up. There is no secret code!”
While I am sure this is true, this Scorpion will leave it up to the professionals and hope I get the occasional visits from the planets of lucky Jupiter and Venus.
You can catch Chereal Stars on Thursday November 30th at 1 PM on Sirius Radio’s Radio Andy on Channel 102.