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We are very proud of this accomplishment. As of our last retreat in November 2011, the certification program has been offered three more times, meeting with great success. Even if you are not committed to obtaining OPA’ s certification, the process alone is rich, educational and deeply rewarding! We will be offering the program again at various locations nationwide in the year ahead. The certification groups are very small, three to five people, and fill up quickly. Furthermore, if there are astrologers in your area who would like to participate in this unique program, we can bring OPA to you! Please let us know how we can be of assistance.
The OPA monthly phone lecture series has been very successful and will continue to be available exclusively to members. We are currently updating the 2013 / 14 lecture schedule which will soon be posted on OPA’ s website. Also, check out the OPA on-line web forum and please contribute to the ongoing discussions. You will also find OPA’ s audio lectures to download, and lots of other good information.
Don’ t forget about the OPA E-news which presents thought provoking questions and answers from our membership about astrology and its purpose in our life. Remember that OPA is our organization. We invite your participation and want this organization to be member supported as much as possible.
Finally, we are always looking for good material addressing the professional practice of astrology( articles, poetry, comics, food fun, etc.) for publication in OPA’ s Career Astrologer newsletter. We welcome your participation and creativity. Please send submissions to our editor, Twink McKenney, at mrmckenney @ att. net. Wishing you a vibrant spring! Alexandra Karacostas, OPA President
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These rules usually involve having either a financial relationship or a sexual relationship with anyone who is a client.
Clients have a right to expect that you have their best interests at heart, that none of your own personal needs will act as motivators, while in session with them. This is why it can be meaningful( even if a bit rigid) to encourage astrologers to have simple and singular relationships with clients. You can say,“ Never socialize with clients. Never encourage a client in a direction which you might in some way financially benefit.” In this way your own happiness as a human being, and success in the market place, are kept separate from anything that can have a direct impact on the real work with your client. In short, it is inadvisable and unethical to have a business relationship with a client or to have a romantic relationship with a client.
When I first started practice as an astrologer I was in graduate school, single, and very locked into a fairly scholarly and hermit-type of existence. I avoided doing work for my immediate family, partly because I felt it uncomfortable, and I tended to lack objectivity. Not socializing with clients was easy because I didn’ t have a social life.
Through the years it has been more complicated, in the area of relationships, to determine what boundaries impact the work with clients. I’ m a follower of Meher Baba. I have not found it necessary to refrain from taking on other followers of Meher Baba as clients, even though I may run into them in India, the Meher Center, or other places associated with Meher Baba.
I have had numerous discussions along the lines of boundaries with other astrologers. I have noticed that those astrologers who do not see a boundaries issue in having dual relationships with clients: 1) Don’ t see astrology as a therapy, 2) See their clients at most once a year, and 3) Assume astrological work impacts clients without impacting the astrologer.
Some people will not take on a client who is related to an existing client or in close relationship with an existing client. Other astrologers will only take on clients that are referred by an existing client. I assert that neither approach is better or more ethical and neither approach implies a transgression of boundaries. Nonetheless, here are a few simple guidelines that I have found useful to keep good boundaries with clients:
1. Don’ t talk about anything having to do with the details of professional work except in session or in your own therapy or supervision. When in session, be in session. When you are out of session, be out of session and put all the details of your work with the client out of your mind.
2. Don’ t read one person’ s chart for another. If a clients wants you to tell them about their spouse, look at the person’ s seventh house, not their spouse’ s chart. If people ask you about their parents, child, friend, boss etc. look at the houses and other indicators that symbolically represent the person in that relationship to the native. The information so presented is fair and safe. However, avoid looking at this other person’ s chart unless this individual is present and the purpose of your work is to aid in their relationship. The details of how to work this way systematically are beyond the scope of our discussion here, but it is important to acknowledge the principle.
There are two notable exceptions to the rule of not looking an individuals chart for a third party, personnel work and children. When employed to do personnel work for a company it is justifiable within guidelines to look at the charts of employees or potential employees. When parents of new born or very young children come to have their baby’ s chart done, there is a way that it can be handled with respect for the infant. When the parents are interested in information in order to be better parents, I try to bring them around [ CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 ]
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