EFFECTIVE
means looking at something insignificant,
instead it seems that whatever is haunting
us or worrying us or actively moving us in
one way or another can be brought to the
attention of the astrologer.
It took me some time to sort this out
The Gift that Keeps Giving
before I could set up the appointment.
by Monica Dimino and Paula Sherwin
As I searched for a topic, I became aware
of something that has been cluttering
my life for years to the point that when I
had to schedule the reading, I was almost
unable to unclutter my life to make that
appointment.
That is exactly what I felt at that time.
Now I could go into detail about the advice
that I received, but that isn’t where this
reading affected me most. I was more
impressed by the astrologer’s ability to
know something deeper about me, not
because she knows me but because I
believe she saw it in my chart, which to a
great extent is perhaps the core of my horo-
scope. I am assuming that was what the
astrologer saw and as she reflected that to
an we upgrade the quality of the
me, I really got to my own core very quickly.
conversation between astrologers
I don’t want to talk about the reading
and their client? This year I had a
itself.
I want to describe the essence of it.
reading that was the best in my 50 plus
She helped me focus. The information was
years working with astrology. What was
funneled by time restriction and clarity of
it? I felt an immediate surge of direction
attention to one need. It reduced verbal
the moment the consultation ended.
clutter. It is about getting to the core part of
What was it about a thirty-minute conver-
a person. I was complaining about clutter
sation that moved me so thoroughly that
in my life and this reading referenced clutter
I feel the effects to this day.
of the mind.
I spent hours listening to the tape of our
I don’t know what she really
consultation again and again.
“
How
do
we
did.
I just know she found some-
I wanted to see if there was
thing
in me that I would not have
anything that I could grab
get to the
really known about.
that was essential.
heart of a
The minute I finished that con-
A couple of things stood
chart to
sultation, I felt YES! I can’t do it
out. First, I was told that
answer a core all in one day, but I keep picking
the session would only be
30 minutes long. That does
question for at it every single day. And since
that reading, I have been pretty
create a focus or concentra-
a client? We good at doing that. I have a sus-
tion on the themes that are
important at that time. Next, can’t do it un- tained interest in continuing this,
even though I did not have
less our client one day at a time.
How do we get to the heart of
a problem that I sought to
tells us exactly a chart
to answer a core question
handle with a consultation
what they
for a client? We can’t do it unless
because it was a spontaneous
our client tells us exactly what
need. ”
session with no real issues
they need. The clearer the ques-
in mind, when it came down
tion
from
the
client, the clearer the astrolo-
to the time to set up the appointment, the
ger can be. The question is immense. The
astrologer was very emphatic about dealing
question determines the direction of the
with something that was significant to me.
entire consultation. The question literally
So components seem to be important.
is the most important thing for focus in
Telling a person how long the reading is
order to find the answer in the chart. If the
going to be and perhaps keeping it shorter
question is unclear, the consultation will
than I would have ever considered in my
likely ramble and be less helpful and create
work. And then there is the issue of really
less clarity.
being able to bring to your own conscious-
The more help we can give a client to
ness situations that are important for you
refine
the question to meet their needs,
at the time of the reading. I don’t think this
Consulting Skills
C
The
Career
Astrologer
OPA’s Quarterly Magazine
the greater value and clarity the client will
receive.
We need to ask our clients, “What would
be more helpful to you, if we look at this or
this?” In essence, we are asking our client,
“What is the real question here?” We can
ask them, “Why is this a problem?” so we
can learn more about their needs.
As I review this reading for me five
months later, I must add that the astrologer
did not refer to specific transits or progres-
sions. There wasn’t even a reference to spe-
cifics in my chart. It seems the astrologer
had such a full grasp of her material that she
could put it all together for me rather than
assembling the reading with bits and pieces
of data or detail.
This reading was a gift that keeps on
giving. We may continue to struggle with
our problems, but every time I get into that
phase, I remember the reading and am redi-
rected. If we have an effective reading like
this, it isn’t that it is just advice for one day or
one week. It is something that we can get
back to when we seem to lose our stirrups.
Monica Hable Dimino
is a professional astrologer
from Boston, Massachusetts
with a large international cli-
entele. She taught nursing at
Bellevue Hospital in New York
before moving to Caracas,
Venezuela in 1958. Her
astrological studies began in
1960 with a French tutor. In
1970 she started working professionally. In 1980
she designed a teacher program for astrology in
Spanish. In 1988 she returned to the US where
she became an active member of the American
astrological community. Her focus is professional
astrology to bring better astrology to the general
public and thereby gain greater respect as a help-
ing profession.
Paula Sherwin,
a practicing astrologer, has a
Master’s Degree in Education
and a love of teaching. Paula
has been teaching interna-
tionally for both industry and
universities for the past 25
years. Her instruction back-
ground includes Customer
Skills Communication
Training, Computer Technical Training, Business
Training, as well as Total Quality Management
Training. Paula, a Certified Zentangle Teacher,
has incorporated meditative art (Zentangle) as
part of her astrological practice. R
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WINTER
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