ART of the ZODIAC

Join Us at the Los Angeles Astro Salon

This Venus Rx, we’re taking an adventure into the depths of Los Angeles occult history!

At this month’s Astro Salon, our host Vivi Henriette welcomes guest speaker Dr. James Dotson, who will lead us through the doctrines of cosmic cycles, astrological magic, the lore of the Morning Star and the Fallen Angels, and the mythos of Lemuria and UFOs.

Along the way, he’ll give a brief overview of Theosophy in the city’s early astrological community, featuring major teachers such as C.C. Zain, Augusta Foss Heindel, Llewellyn George, and Dane Rudhyar.

Secure Your Spot

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BONUS: The Still Point of the Turning World with Gary P Caton

Vivi — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 20:45:01 GMT

“At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.”

T.S. Eliot, “Burnt Norton,” Four Quartets

Hello Loves,

As I write, we’re eight days away from Venus colliding with the heart of the Sun in the marshy lands of Scorpio.

But what does that mean? Fuck if I know.

I mean, I have some guesses.

But here’s the thing: more and more these days, astrology feels like an invitation — to action, to rest. As someone who grew up without holidays, I’ve learned from the sky how to work with sacred time. There are times to sow, times to harvest — and times to go to your room and think about what it all means.

Astrology is the mandala through which I make sense of the world. Yes, it’s inherently predictive, but it’s also an invitation to be present.

Which, for someone who often goes to bed with giant migraines because she forgot to eat all day, isn’t nothing.

OK, But Actually: A Breakdown

On October 23rd, the Sun slides into Scorpio and meets Venus at 0 degrees, just before she dips back into her home sign of Libra.

The next day, October 24th, Mercury stations retrograde.

Three storylines, converging in still waters.

It’s here, in this terrain, that my pal sees an opportunity for emotional sovereignty.

Here, at the last tracing of the Venus star point in Scorpio for 100 or so years —

Here, at the last in a series of Mercury retrogrades in water —

Here is an opportunity for the final stage of grief. To release something in the depths, something ancient, something that has been welling up in us for a very, very long time.

So What Do We Do?

Here, at the still point of the turning world, in a quiet moment of reflection, with candle, incense, water and pen, I will sit in reverence and awe.

I will grieve, process and ask myself a question Gary posed (I’m paraphrasing):

What am I done with, and how can I be done with it?

In the Meantime

Gary and I dig into the crossing retrogrades of Mercury and Venus in this bonus episode of TALKTALKTALK. Every conversation with Gary is full of timeless gems, and this one is no exception.

Craving some invigorating chart talk? Spots are open in Club Astro, my astrology cohort, and we have office hours today at 4pm PDT.

Join Us

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

We meet weekly to explore the sky in real time and make sense of what is unfolding in our lives and in the collective. This is your chance to ask me questions about your chart, share stories, and connect with a cohort of fellow astrologers.

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

Seriously, Join Us

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A Messy, Gorgeous, Tangled Heap of Multiplicity

Vivi — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 22:36:31 GMT

"Each of our planets has its own predisposition, but it performs its gender dynamically based on the sign it lives in and its relationship to the sun and the moon. All of these factors add up to that one planet's particular gender queerness, which then combines with the hybrid genders of the 6 other planets, all of which combine to form us, and our unique gender slurry."

— Joey Cannizzaro, Binary Clusterfuck

Reading Joey Cannizzaro’s essay, Binary Clusterfuck: How Hellenistic Astrology Queers Gender, felt like finding words for something that had been on the tip of my tongue for my entire relationship with astrology.

In their examination of gender in culture and technique, they arrive at a place of multiplicity, one where a single gender becomes impossible to pin down.

For me, on a practical level, this was a balm for the anxiety of what to do with the male and female in astrology, and the ongoing quest to dismantle the gender binary by erasure, where male and female get renamed force and form, day and night, yin and yang, etc., etc.

It turns out that if we stick with the binary long enough, it unravels itself.

That was the catalyst for our conversation.

What transpired was a dynamic exploration of myth and personal narrative that went beyond the binary clusterfuck to unravel all of astrology into a messy, gorgeous, tangled heap of multiplicity.

The threads of gender.
The threads of culture.
The threads of place & temperament & time itself.

[Listen to the Podcast]

Some Context

Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan, by Joachim Anthonisz

Our conversation centers heavily around the story of Ares and Aphrodite caught in the net of Hephaestus.

You can read a version of the myth here.

If you’re interested in exploring the topic further, Joey’s course, Planetary Condition in Natal Hellenistic Astrology: Essential Dignity, starts Saturday, October 17th, over Zoom. All sessions are recorded, so you can catch up if you join late.

Want to talk charts with me every week? Join Club Astro.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

[Join the Club]

About Joey

Across disciplines and forms of media, Joey Cannizzaro (they/she) works with metaphysics to cultivate radically different ways of thinking and being. Joey’s astrology practice is oriented towards both nurturing personal liberation and provoking societal transformation, weaving together ancient techniques and cosmologies with threads of anarchism, mysticism, crip theory, and queerness. In addition to their consulting practice, Joey is faculty in the Hellenistic astrology program at Kepler College, and author of the blog Chronos & Chaos. Following an intensive three-year course of study with Demetra George, they were awarded her Advanced Diploma in Hellenistic Astrology in 2022. Joey also holds a bachelor’s degree from The New School and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts, and has performed and exhibited their artwork internationally.

About Vivi

Vivi Henriette is an LA-based astrologer and tarot reader whose practice centers on storytelling, mythology, and collaborative divination. She creates a space for clients to reclaim their personal narratives through the lens of ancient archetypes. Vivi produces ⁠LA Astro Fest⁠, hosts the Los Angeles Astro Salon, serves as Secretary of ⁠NCGR⁠, and is the creator of the podcast ⁠TALKTALKTALK⁠. You can find her weekly writing on ritual and meaning right here on ⁠ART of the ZODIAC⁠.

The System That Made Us

Vivi — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:08:14 GMT

Hello Loves,

I’m about to talk about sexual assault, suicide, and domestic violence, so hold onto your seats. Or move off this page to something uplifting like my interview with Enrique Enriquez! Seriously, take care of yourself.

Still here? Let’s talk.

A Recent Thread

“Tell me a woman on death row not dying after two lethal injections isn’t a sign from the Goddess. The Venus Rx games are just getting started.”

I wrote those words as Venus stood very still at 8 degrees Scorpio, where she will retrograde this Saturday, October 3rd.

For the astro newbies, I’ll break this down: Venus is very loud in the sky, in a sign that suffers no fools, and she just released an official statement: “Fuck you. You’re not killing another woman.”

The last part’s my translation.

What’s that? That sound of shouting in the distance?

“But she’s an awful woman who deserves to die!”

I hear you, and hold the fucking phone, please.

The Gods Don’t Have Time for You & Your Petty Bullshit

This isn’t about you, or even Christa Pike, who cruelly murdered another human. This is about giving a “Hell no” to a system that thinks it can solve any problem by watching a woman die.

This is about the Cornell Seven. This is about all the women in jail for retaliating against their abusers. This is about all the women and girls who are being harmed as I write this. This is about the trad wives suddenly realizing that maybe they deserve better than their piece of shit husbands.

This is about the fact that Colleen Slemmer was brutally murdered, and that we, as a society, failed her.

This is about sitting with the fact that Christa Pike wasn’t born a monster. A long line of men sexually assaulted her from the time she was a child, and that led to one horrific act.

This is about looking beyond, not away from, this horrible incident to ask:

What if our society were as passionate about locking away the men whose monstrous acts broke a woman down as it is about seeing her die?

Wait, Why Am I Defending Him?

Shortly after Mars ingressed into Cancer, Rolling Stone published an exposé on the comedian Reggie Watts in the wake of his ex-girlfriend’s suicide.

I suggest you read the article yourself, but for the sake of this story, I’ll give you the really crude breakdown:

Following the death of Katherine Early McCollough, her sister and friends started to ask themselves: Would she still be alive if she had never dated Watts?

The brilliant journalist Cheyenne Roundtree picked up the thread in her sobering piece, Reggie Watts Is a Prominent Ketamine Advocate. Was It His Ex’s ‘Undoing’?

What she found was a relationship where a super charismatic, well-loved, and, in my opinion, narcissistic artist allegedly pushed his girlfriend into taking all sorts of drugs with him, ketamine most of all, while she worked for him unpaid and poured her savings into his projects. Eventually, she had a breakdown, and he left her.

As part of her investigation, Roundtree interviewed several of Watts’ ex-girlfriends, and most of them recognized the pattern. My takeaway? He’s a garbage human. And, BTW, three women say he didn’t tell them about his STD until after they’d slept together, and one says he had sex with her without a condom when she’d been promised he would always wear one.

And yet, after mumbling “what a sick monster” to myself throughout the entire piece, as soon as I came up for air, I watched these words form as a thought bubble over my head:

“Why would anyone take drugs because a man told them to? Is it really all his fault?”

And then I sat with how fucked up that is. And I’m still sitting with that.

Why would any part of my brain want to make an excuse for that man, even for a moment?

I’ll Tell You Why

One of my earliest memories is of my father tearing off my mother’s shirt and bashing her head with his fists.

As I rushed up the stairs to my bedroom to hide, my mother chased after me to call the police. My father followed behind, begging me not to make the call.

For context, I was maybe five, and my father was the parent who looked after me. The one who took me on bike rides, watched movies with me, and helped me with my homework. When I was ten, and my mother finally left my father, and me, he became my primary caretaker.

Both my parents were alcoholics with nightmare childhoods. And both were abusive to me in their own special ways.

But somehow it was always easier for people to make excuses for my father. This was true for my mother, for the string of girlfriends he knocked around, for my mother’s family (”You can’t imagine what he saw in the war”), and for me, his daughter, who depended on him for my survival.

Despite my father’s abuse, it was always easier for me to find anger for my mother’s actions.

She was the one who didn’t take me away from my father. She was the one who ignored her creepy boyfriend’s advances. She was the one who told me I was a liar when I told her a family member tried to molest me.

As an adult trying to make sense of all of this, I’m now capable of holding multiple truths at once.

I can acknowledge the real harm both my parents caused me while also looking at the larger systems of abuse my personal narrative sits inside, and at how those systems shape the way I respond to the world around me now.

This means recognizing that my mother, for all her faults, was a victim too.

She had a mother who told her to go home when she confessed her husband was beating her. Just as my grandmother had a mother who told her to stay put when she confessed she was scared and wanted to go home.

It’s true: understanding that my mother hurt me, and allowed others to hurt me, because she was scared doesn’t make her any more innocent.

But it helps me direct my anger and action toward broken systems of power that, if they aren’t addressed, will keep producing childhoods like mine.

So when I say “this is a sign from the Goddess,” I’m not being cavalier. I’m being hopeful that a lot of us are ready to face our own shit and overthrow these systems of abuse.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

[ LISTEN TO THE LATEST TALKTALKTALK]

More Talk Talk Talk!

On Feeding the Dead | with Angelica Cresci

Vivi — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 23:19:01 GMT

While editing the latest episode of TALKTALKTALK with guest Angelica Cresci, I was reminded of something fundamental: I learn through conversation.

The best talks are messy and vulnerable. They are the ones where I stumble over my words and wrestle with ideas in real time. They leave me with something to chew on, with questions that spiral out for hours, days, weeks, or even a lifetime.

This was one of those talks.

I initially reached out to Angelica after hearing her discuss her presentation, Cooking for Death, which is a historical breakdown and modern approach to working with animal sacrifice drawn from ancient Egypt and Greece and grounded in her own magical practice.

And yes, while we touch on the reality of animal sacrifice, this is at its heart a conversation about how we nourish ourselves and our communities. It is about how we honor the dead, how we steward our magical lineages, and what it really means to offer sustenance to the spirit world.

In this episode, Angelica shares her magical upbringing, learning to cook from her Italian grandmother, and her formative time spent in Egypt and Greece. We also dive into glamour magic and some of the ways it's commonly misunderstood.

It is a conversation I am still digesting, and one I hope whets your intellectual and magical appetite.

Seeking Shelter: Writing Through the Venus Retrograde

A few spots left!

To mark Venus’s passing from evening to morning star, I’ve gathered some friends to join me as guides on a six-week exploration of the Venus cycle through the Sumerian myth of Inanna and her journey to the Underworld, picking up other stories and poems of the descent along the way. Through writing prompts, group storytelling, and discussion, we’ll embark on our own journey of self-discovery and inspiration.

Three of the six sessions will be led by guest guides Larry Arrington, KristaLyn Sofia and Ronnie Pontiac.

[SECURE YOUR SPOT]

About Angelica

Angelica Cresci is a consulting astrologer and occult educator based in Salem, MA. She has been a pagan and a devotee of Hades for over a decade. Angelica has lectured at the Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival, the Salem Astrology Group, and extensively online through Patreon and her private classes.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from Salem State University (2020) and specializes in practical magickal arts, focusing on tools of empowerment for women such as glamour and kitchen magick. In her astrological work, Angelica blends ancient astrology and fixed stars to help witches and women unlock their unique glamour signatures.

Instagram: @angelicascresci

Book a Reading: angelicacresci.com

About Vivi

Vivi Henriette is an LA-based astrologer and tarot reader whose practice centers on storytelling, mythology, and collaborative divination. She creates a space for clients to reclaim their personal narratives through the lens of ancient archetypes.

Vivi produces the LA Astro Fest, hosts the Los Angeles Astro Salon, serves as Secretary of NCGR, and is the creator and host of the podcast TALKTALKTALK. You can find her weekly writing on ritual and meaning right here on ART of the ZODIAC.

Instagram: @vivi_henriette

Book a Reading: Art of the Zodiac

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Time Comes to Us: The Terrain of Scorpio

Vivi — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 20:46:24 GMT

“Yes, as every one knows, meditation and water are wedded for ever.”

— Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

Content note: this essay discusses death and suicide.

My friend Anna once told me that Saturn in Scorpio is a black rock at the bottom of my chart.

Take a photo of your ancestors, she advised me, and place it on the altar. Let them know there’s separation between you.

Otherwise, they’ll try to drag you down into those dangerous waters.

A New Time

Astrology shows us that time is plural. There’s Sun time and Moon time and Venus time, and on and on.

A celestial chorus of clocks, each drawing its own band of time.

Not just narrative threads, but psychic terrain. Each sign is a land with flora, fauna, ancestors, the desires of the living and the yearning of the dead.

With astrology, time becomes something we inhabit.

The Land of Scorpio

For me, Scorpio’s the land of my father. The place of his war dreams and middle-of-the-night panic attacks. It’s the look in his eyes when he’s out for blood. The smell of hospital rooms, the bed after surgery when he never wakes up.

Endless, on repeat. The same scene unraveling through time.

It’s the place where my first boyfriend lives. And my best friend Louis, who shares a birthday with my father. And all the strangers I’ve ever locked eyes with across a room.

Space Connected By Time

As I write, Venus stands at the edge of the Underworld, about to station retrograde in Scorpio. This is, most likely, is not news to you.

Neither is the fact that Venus stations retrograde every nineteen months. Or the fact that every eight years, she returns to the same terrain.

Not every Venus retrograde is going to speak to you, for a variety of reasons: your relationship with Venus, where you are in life, the potency of the sign she’s moving through in your chart.

If you’re still reading this, however, it’s worth taking a pause.

Disconnect the Dots

Do we go back to time, or does time come to us?

When we count back the years, stringing together events of Venus retrogrades past, does that give us agency over future events?

For me, coming into the rhythm of astrology has meant sitting with the present and allowing the stories of the past to come into view without checking the clock first. When I go back for the dates, the clock’s always on time.

A brief and personal history of Venus in Scorpio:

2002: I have a breakdown.
2010: My mentor jumps off a bridge.
2018: I discover the death of my beloved friend.

Memory Isn’t a Pit Stop on the Path to Prediction

In the land of Scorpio, I’m anxious and pacing the room—clawing at my skin, tearing at my hair.

I’m sitting on a plane reading and rereading my last email from my professor, my mentor, my dear neglected friend. She’s rereading Moby-Dick for the upcoming semester and talking about being sad.

All I can see is the drowning. I never see her fall from the bridge, only the water and the sky—the moon a sliver but Venus! Venus in Scorpio! Radiant in all her angry, morning star radiance.

Then there’s Daniel, his last words to me echoing louder than any of our conversations: You left me on the loneliest day of the year.

That was Valentine’s Day. By March he’d be dead.

In this land, I'm sitting on a bench on an unreasonably warm fall day in Southern California when I get the phone call from Detroit: Daniel died, months ago. He stopped breathing in his sleep. They found him days later during a wellness check, his body, I imagine, in a state of advanced decomposition.

Time is a living space, a land marked by memory and the ghosts of all its inhabitants past.

I Hate Workshops Too

So I’m creating a memory box: a collective altar to share stories and explore overlapping terrain.

It’s a container some might call a workshop, and I’ve invited three friends — KristaLyn Sofia, Larry Arrington, and Ronnie Pontiac — to join me as guides on this journey, sharing their mythologies and knowledge of the sky.

No, we don’t need another container, but I do.

If I’ve learned anything from this challenging landscape, it’s that depths are best explored in a supportive container.

Six consecutive Wednesdays to carry us through the Venus retrograde in Scorpio, in a collective process of writing, dreaming, and reflection.

There’s a price, because one must survive.

And a discount code (CLUBVENUS), because thank you for reading.

And if that still doesn’t work, reach out and we’ll figure it out, because no one will be turned away.

Seeking Shelter: Writing Through the Venus Retrograde

Together we’ll explore the Venus cycle through the Sumerian myth of Inanna and her journey to the Underworld, picking up other stories and poems of the descent along the way, the tarot’s among them, including the threads of our own mythology. Through writing prompts, group storytelling, and discussion, we’ll embark on our own journey of self-discovery and inspiration.

Three of the six sessions will be led by guest guides Larry Arrington, KristaLyn Sofia and Ronnie Pontiac.

[SECURE YOUR SPOT]

More TALKTALKTALK

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest

From Mediumship to Astrology with KristaLyn Sofia

Vivi — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 22:01:08 GMT

KristaLyn Sofia died on an operating table when they were ten years old. That would turn out to be a major turning point in their development as a psychic medium, and, perhaps, the seed moment for their astrological career.

Aside from someone with a fascinating origin story, KristaLyn is a dear friend of mine. Their work and support over the years has been pivotal to my own development—personally and professionally.

For years, as some of you might remember, the two of us gathered on IG live every Monday to talk astrology for a series called Ask Me Astros. This conversation was originally meant as a casual check-in for YouTube after a long time apart.

I enjoyed it so much I decided to share it as a podcast.

After all those conversations with KristaLyn, this is the first time we’ve sat down to discuss their story—which is, as you’ll soon discover, quite exceptional.

[LISTEN TO THE PODCAST]

About KristaLyn

⁠KristaLyn⁠ combines ancient astrology with modern intuition and consulting skills to offer tangible guidance and help you align timing with intention. They ⁠walk you through your birth chart⁠ and connect the stars to your life in a clear and practical way to help you so you feel seen, validated, and empowered in your next steps. KristaLyn serves as the Vice President of ⁠NCGR⁠ and grows their own understanding through continued mentorship in astrology, folk magic, and religious studies with private teachers and the ⁠St. Andrew’s College Lifelong Learners Program⁠.

About Vivi

Seeking Shelter: Writing Through the Venus Retrograde

Together we’ll explore the Venus cycle through the Sumerian myth of Inanna and her journey to the Underworld, picking up other stories and poems of the descent along the way, the tarot’s among them, including the threads of our own mythology. Through writing prompts, group storytelling, and discussion, we’ll embark on our own journey of self-discovery and inspiration.

Two of the six sessions will be led by guest guides Larry Arrington and KristaLyn Sofia, whose expertise in astrology and mythology will add depth to the experience.

[JOIN THE COHORT]

More TALKTALKTALK

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

Shelter From the Storm: Writing Through the Venus Retrograde

Vivi — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 22:47:27 GMT

Venus retrograde is a good time for going inward — but not because our lives get more peaceful.

On October 3rd, the planet of love, beauty, and delight disappears from sight as she draws closer to Earth, stirring up all sorts of emotion and, sometimes, drama.

You may have already noticed Venus’s shift into Scorpio — the backward churn of deep-seated desires and Underworld drama. The last time she retrograded through this terrain was the fall of 2018.

Think back to the person you were then.

Venus Time Machine

Venus retrograde may not be uneventful, but it is, nonetheless, an opportunity to take stock of desires both active and forgotten. A time for getting in touch with the parts of yourself you’ve neglected for more urgent needs or rational dreams.

It’s also a time for active mourning — those you’ve loved, those you’ve stopped loving, and the parts of yourself that can be put to rest.

Heart-Shaped Container

For some of us, this season might feel easy. For others, this retrograde might bring a lot to the surface.

For me, creating a container to honor retrograde cycles is a way to give shape to, and measure, my growth.

This course is born from my desire to build a shrine to Venus and a support system for myself and those who join me on this journey.

Over the course of six weeks, we’ll explore the Venus cycle through the Sumerian myth of Inanna and her journey to the Underworld, crossing through time to pick up other stories and poems of the descent, including the tarot’s, and the threads of our own mythology.

Through writing prompts, group storytelling, and discussion, we’ll embark on our own journey of self-discovery and inspiration.

Guest Teachers

Two of the six sessions will be led by guest teachers: my brilliant colleague KristaLyn Sofia and a surprise guest. Both are expert astrologers with a love of mythology who will add depth to the experience.

The Work

At the beginning of the container, everyone will receive a digital workbook with key dates and definitions to work through during our time together. A few days before our first meeting, you’ll receive a full syllabus.

Meeting Dates

Wednesday, September 30th — 4pm PDT

Wednesday, October 7th — 4pm PDT

Wednesday, October 14th — 4pm PDT

Wednesday, October 21st — 4pm PDT

Wednesday, October 28th — 4pm PDT

Wednesday, November 4th — 4pm PDT

[SECURE YOUR SPOT]

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

MORE TALKTALKTALK

Flowers From Impossible Realms with Rick Levine

Vivi — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 19:43:39 GMT

“And for me, astrology in some way is like finding these flowers from impossible realms and then holding them here in this three-dimensional world.”

— Rick Levine

This week’s podcast guest is one of my all-time favorite astrologers and thinkers, . If you’re somehow not familiar with that name, surely you don’t spend time on the internet—and you’re in for a treat!

Our conversation was recorded over two years ago, on a sunny day in a backyard, a short drive outside of Los Angeles.

This conversation is timeless—what's missing is what's happened between now and then: advances in technology chief among it, AI especially.

I’m well overdue for another conversation with Rick.

[LISTEN NOW]

About Rick

A professional astrologer since 1976,⁠ Rick Levine⁠ has long been a respected leader in the global Astrology community. He is one of the most widely published horoscope authors, has made numerous radio, podcast, and television appearances, has spoken at professional events around the world, and runs his own astrological consulting business.

Rick presents Astrology as a tool for empowerment, understanding, and creativity. He was a Founding Trustee of⁠ Kepler College⁠ for Astrological Arts and Sciences and a two-term President of the⁠ Washington State Astrologers Association⁠ (’92–’94). Rick continues to serve the Astrology community through events and educational resources. He is also currently involved in multiple professional associations and provides personalized astrological consultations for individuals, corporations, institutions, and non-profits from his home near Seattle, Washington.

Connect with Rick:⁠ Website⁠ ·⁠ Facebook⁠ ·⁠ Instagram⁠ ·⁠ YouTube⁠ ·⁠ Patreon⁠

About Vivi

Vivi Henriette is an LA-based astrologer and tarot reader whose practice centers on storytelling, mythology, and collaborative divination. She creates a space for clients to reclaim their personal narratives through the lens of ancient archetypes. Vivi produces⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LA Astro Fest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, hosts the Los Angeles Astro Salon, and is the creator of the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TalkTalkTalk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can find her weekly writing on ritual and meaning right here on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ART of the ZODIAC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

More TALKTALKTALK

An Offering to the Virgo Moon & Frank O'Hara

Vivi — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:05:15 GMT

“I’m not going to cry all the time

nor shall I laugh all the time,

I don’t prefer one “strain” to another.”

— Frank O’Hara

It’s Virgo season, and I miss home.

Not the home where I live in Los Angeles, but the home inside my bones.

I miss the cold that anxiously straddles the crisp air. The darkening sunsets in places where we dread winter. Detroit. New York. Chicago — the city from which I write.

It’s a downcast morning, and I’m listening to Philip Glass, thinking of Frank O’Hara.

Forget the Vestal Virgins. If you want to understand the sign of Virgo, retreat to a place of solitude and read Lunch Poems aloud to the ghosts in the room.

I don’t care for much poetry, but Frank O’Hara is everything.

Now the Virgo moon draws the eclipse season, and one set of stories, to a close.

When the moon escapes from the Sun, I’ll be sharing a Venus retrograde offering—an opportunity to write, share mythologies and study the sky together.

In the meantime, I wish you warmth and inspired contemplation —

Xoxo Vivi

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

More TALKTALKTALK

1,500 Astrologers Walk Into a Hotel: A Conversation With Catie McQ

Vivi — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 19:18:18 GMT

I can’t believe I’m writing this from Chicago, hours away from checking into the United Astrology Conference and spending a week with over 1,500 astrologers in one building.

I can’t believe my new pal Catie McQ made time to speak with me before her lecture at the aforementioned conference.

I can’t believe the world keeps moving even after flinging my headphones over the airport ledge — then sprinting down two flights to retrieve them, breaking my charger in the process, all while somehow not missing my Lyft or disturbing the gentle soul praying inches from my rogue device.

And I can definitely believe, although I wish it weren’t so, that the charger on my Delta flight didn’t work, and that over half the electric sockets at O’Hare are busted — and that they just leave all those fancy chairs with outlets unplugged.

But here we are, so close to the other side of Mars square Saturn that I can feel myself growing less frustrated and angry.

Where Is This Going?

This week’s podcast is with Catie McQ, which means it’s as loud and frenetic as the genius of Catie — and also the grounding I needed during an equally dynamic eclipse season many of us will look back on in years to come with big feelings and the clarity that comes only with time.

We also get into the upcoming retrogrades: Venus, Mars, and Mercury.

And then, because it’s Catie, she wraps it all up in a sweet bow of big outer planet movements, which means you can listen to this episode five, ten, twenty years from now and still have something to take away. Even if only a reflection on the zeitgeist and something about the nature of eclipses and retrogrades.

Which is a lot, because as far as I can tell, those cycles aren’t going away. Ever.

[ LISTEN NOW ]

About Catie McQ

Catie McQ is an astrologer, writer, and researcher whose work sits at the intersection of the personal and the collective. Through her platform Celestial Healing, she brings psychological depth and cultural curiosity to the birth chart, connecting the stars to history, community, and the larger story we’re all living through together.

About Vivi Henriette

Vivi Henriette is an LA-based astrologer and tarot reader whose practice centers on storytelling, mythology, and collaborative divination. She creates a space for clients to reclaim their personal narratives through the lens of ancient archetypes. Vivi produces⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LA Astro Fest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, hosts the Los Angeles Astro Salon, and is the creator of the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TalkTalkTalk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can find her weekly writing on ritual and meaning right here on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ART of the ZODIAC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

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Alan Scheurman: Applying Consciousness to Astrology

Vivi — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:10:32 GMT

In the middle of an ayahuasca ceremony in the Peruvian jungle, during one of the most gut-wrenching and pivotal moments of my life, I received some advice: “If you want to keep up with this work in the States,” I was told, “see Alan.”

I had no idea who Alan was.

I mean, I did. But I didn’t really.

Detroit

is a multi-hyphenate artist, teacher, and purveyor of applied consciousness. He is also, apparently, a human omen, though I wouldn’t figure that out for another decade or so.

My first memory of him is this distinct, slowed-down movie moment: locking eyes as he came in through my backdoor during a house party in Detroit. At the time I had no idea what I was doing with my life. The only thing that gave me meaning was throwing these “art-ins” that, in hindsight, served as a portal to everything else: organizing more parties, opening a restaurant with friends, LA Astro Fest.

This would be a more interesting story if we were star-crossed lovers. We were not. Over the years we’ve known each other, we’ve had a handful of conversations at most. I doubt he even remembers that first meeting, but every time we do talk, that image flashes across my mind.

When you roll back the tape, he’s always around for the important parts. Painting a wall, sipping tea, whatever other banal activities human omens do.

The Amazon

So when his name surfaced in the jungle, I reached out. I considered joining a ceremony at the now defunct CAID. Nothing transpired.

In the meantime, I followed him on socials, bought his records, admired his work and travels, and, like most things in my life, otherwise forgot he existed.

Culver City

The next time he popped into my consciousness I was crashing at a friend’s place in Culver City, alone in a strange city, nursing my wounds from a business fallout, and scrolling Facebook, because that was still a thing people did.

Alan had posted a glowing review of an astrology reading. It wasn’t anything profound, but I was intrigued enough and desperate for a distraction, so I checked out the astrologer’s YouTube channel. Within a week I was signed up for a year-long Hellenistic astrology course. For context, I was so new to the practice I didn’t even know what a “transit” was.

Long story shorter: I wouldn’t be an astrologer without Alan.

He still had no idea.

Los Angeles

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 2024, I finally had the opportunity to sit in ceremony with him, four times, actually. It was as potent and life-changing as my time in Peru, and fodder for an essay of its own.

As I write this, I’m realizing it’s the nodal return of our first meeting in Detroit. Eighteen plus years later, I’m starting to understand the omen: not a trail pointing toward a single question, but a series of them, one that led to our most robust conversation to date, and our first podcast recording together.

Alan’s the real deal. Sometimes his ideas fly past my head, but his existence alone is proof enough that life works in mysterious ways.

If you’re new to him and his work, it’s an honor to be your guide.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

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Talking to Enrique Enriquez Listening to Birds

Vivi — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:44:24 GMT

"The first thing is to try to mimic what they are doing, to reach the same cadence and the same rhythm as they are doing it, because mimicry was probably the first kind of magic ever."

- Enrique Enriquez

Enrique Enriquez says there’s magic in mimicry.

To that end, every conversation I host is a spell cast in the hopes that I will one day learn to speak.

If recording a podcast has taught me anything, it’s that speaking is really hard, and editing is even harder, because it means having to listen back to all my dumb questions. The payoff is getting to hear all the brilliant answers that come through, despite me.

This is especially true of my conversation with Enrique Enriquez, a poet who lives in New York and has made a name for himself listening to birds and appearing in strangers’ dreams.

Talking to him felt like getting to spend an hour sitting with the Oracle — I’m still struggling to describe the experience in complete sentences, but I know I’ll be thinking about it for years to come—or it will be working on me for years to come.

I wish the same for you.

See Enrique Enriquez in Los Angeles

If you're in Los Angeles, there are a handful of tickets left to see Enrique Enriquez tomorrow at the PRS library for his talk, How to Enter the Garden — a rare opportunity to slow down and learn to hear the world, a "voice that speaks not to human ears, but to our very presence."

Secure Your Spot

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

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The Influencer Is Dying

Vivi — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 22:26:07 GMT

The influencer is dying.

This was the accidental theme of last week’s Club Astro Office Hours. The individual who named this feeling for all of us then continued to list examples of recently fallen internet celebs.

We had been thick in a discussion looking back at the eclipse cycle of 2017/18, when the North Node, or the dragon’s head, was pushing through Leo, as the South Node, or the dragon’s tail, gave a deep cleaning to the terrain of Aquarius.

This was, in some ways, a moment of kings — perhaps most exemplified by the rise to power of Donald Trump, the president who made a name for himself rawdogging the total solar eclipse.

Now, let’s talk about looking at the eclipse.

It’s true that staring at the sun without protection can have very real damaging effects on your eyes. The reason, however, that we hide from the baleful rays, as my forever mentor Larry Arrington recently pointed out, is reverence.

Taking shelter from the eclipse is an act of humility, it’s a pact with the belief that there are forces out there greater than all of us. To stare straight into the sun, symbolically speaking, is as close as most of us will get to flying too close to the sun.

The danger with influencers is the same as with kings: drunk on their own power, they become tyrants and ruin life for the rest of us with their Ponzi crypto schemes, empty promises, and overpriced golden merch.

This conversation prompted some research, and I discovered that TikTok entered the US market in August of 2018, during this same hungry-for-attention eclipse cycle.

Which means, in eclipse terms, TikTok and its inflated idols are facing their first nodal reckoning.

This comes at the same time that Myspace has announced plans to return as an algorithm-free social network, though no launch date has been confirmed yet.

Is this the beginning of a new era?

Let’s Think About That

On October 3rd, Venus, planet of love, desire, and social grace, makes an about-face and disappears from the sky. Situated in the watery underworld of Scorpio, she will trace her way back through the zodiac to her airy home of Libra. The last time she made this journey was October 2018, a period nestled, once again, between the Leo and Aquarius eclipses.

Before you get carried away with timelines, stay with me.

Think about where you were in the fall of 2018. Hold onto that.

The Good Stuff

If you follow astrology at all, which, since you’re reading this, I’m assuming you do, you’ve heard all sorts of things about Venus retrogrades. Most of them, very likely, have been scary.

This is the time of breakups, bad haircuts, general misunderstandings, and misfortunes in love.

Perhaps.

And it’s also an opportunity to strengthen bonds, to sever unnecessary ties, to remember what you love and commit yourself to that passion, that person, that desire, in whatever form it takes, with new zest and commitment.

For 40 days and some change, we have an opportunity to step away from our mundane lives to reflect and dream bigger than we generally give ourselves time for.

But what does this have to do with the sun?

The thing about royalty and influencers is they only have power because we the people give it to them.

We can look at this eclipse season as an opportunity for a shift, but if that shift is not rooted in deeply held beliefs and desires, its impacts will only be fleeting.

The Influencer May Be Dead But Capitalism Is Still Thriving

Let’s take this Venus Retrograde journey together.

Starting on Sunday, September 27th, we’ll explore the Venus cycle through the Sumerian myth of Inanna and her journey to the Underworld, crossing through time to pick up other stories and poems of the descent — the tarot’s among them, including the threads of our own mythology.

Through writing prompts, group storytelling, and discussion, we’ll embark on our own six-week journey of self-discovery and inspiration.

Are you in?

Join Club Astro for first access and a discounted rate on our Venus Rx portal.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

Listen to the full Interview

More Venus!

The Bodhi Tree Years: Gary Lachman on Punk, Philosophy & the New Age

Vivi — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:52:27 GMT

Shortly after reading Gary Lachman’s book, Dreaming Ahead of Time, I became obsessed with recording my dreams — and, as the book suggested might happen — time started getting weird.

Most memorably, I remember waking from a dream where I was bitten by a little white lamb. I was shook. Later that day, at a party, I went to pet the host’s little white dog with matted lamb-like fur, and it bit me, drawing blood.

Transfixed by the sight of my bloody finger, the image from my dream surfaced, like a warning I failed to heed.

When I first reached out to Gary it was in the hopes of discussing the magic of dreaming and this book, which has had such a profound effect on both my waking and dreaming life.

In the time between that first request and our interview, however, the focus shifted.

For those of you who have been following my work, you might have noticed that the city of Los Angeles, my adopted home, its people and stories, have been surfacing throughout my conversations.

Most notably in my most requested interviews with Ronnie Pontiac and Edward O.

One of the places that has stepped into view is the Bodhi Tree, a metaphysical bookstore that was a hub for the New Age movement in Los Angeles from its opening in 1970 to its closure in 2012. Its legacy still reverberates through many great thinkers of this city.

from left to right: Gary Valentine (Lachman), the Bodhi Tree Bookstore

For years, Gary worked at the Bodhi Tree while pursuing a degree in Philosophy. He talks about this in his memoir, Touched by the Presence.

This place and this period in time was the spark for our discussion, but as conversations do, this one took on a life of its own.

His time with Blondie, 70s New York, killer robots, Crowley, Blavatsky, and of course the Bodhi Tree Bookstore — all of these characters and places making their way into our talk.

This one is just too special not to listen to.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

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Whacking the Moon: Notes on a Breakdown

Vivi — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:24:16 GMT

Last week, a discarded SpaceX rocket booster collided with the moon. We know because the dusty aftermath was caught on camera: a hit and run of galactic proportions, except everyone saw it coming.

To quote another astrologer:

“A phallus crashing onto the feminine moon. Tracks.”

And they’re not wrong. But that also feels too easy.

A Quick Astro Review

In the symbolic language of astrology, the Sun is our lifeforce, a vital wellspring of outward energy and light that drives us to go and do and reach.

The moon, conversely, is a reflective body. It’s where we seek emotional comfort. The moon’s light waxes and wanes. Its light at full blast draws shadows. Its absence requires our intuition to see in the dark.

But you know that.

What About This Exists Within Me

As I pulled apart this image of endless potential crashing into our astrological symbol for comfort during yoga class—because my brain does not shut off—a story cracked open within me.

I saw my own reckless ambition and the ways I struggle to sit still long enough to enjoy anything, to be present with the people around me.

I thought of my own mother and her crippling anxiety—the chronic neurosis that drove her to drink to escape a flood of emotions and an overthinking that turned her attempts at care into criticism and coldness.

Shortly after her death, I found myself screaming at my stepfather, “I could never do anything to make her proud.”

And he, in one of the tritest scenes of my life, responded, “She didn’t want you to do anything. She just wanted you around.”

While I disagree with that statement, I can still recognize my own shortcomings.

Everything about me feels competitive. I started an astrology festival to show my mother, and everyone around me, that I’m capable of big things even when these big things leave me feeling resentful and depleted.

In short, I thought of the damage my own unmitigated drive has caused me and the people I love. And I started crying during hot yin.

Which is actually a great place to break down because it’s dark and tears just mix with the sweat.

Eclipse Season Kickoff

I’m not going to tell you to sit with your own desires and ambitions because that feels heavy-handed.

But if you were to, this upcoming eclipse might be a good time to do so.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

Join Club Astro

If Indra's Net Were a Hammock: On North Star Campout with Hawk

Vivi — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:04:45 GMT

I recently sat down with Hawk, a human who needs only one name because they’re that brilliant and magical. They, along with Josh Proto and Adira Osland, are the organizers behind North Star Camp Out — a multiday gathering of astrologers and magicians taking place on farmland in the Pacific Northwest at the end of this month, August 20-23.

The following except is taken from our recorded conversation. All quotes below are taken from Hawk and have been edited and condensed to fit this space.

Reactively Atheist

I got really into it because I was really into consciousness and LSD culture, and I was like, what’s going on with the brain? Why am I a thinking thing? What’s going on here? No one can tell me. I was pretty much an atheist till I was 18 or 19, and then I was like, damn. I was reactively atheist in a way that only an Aquarius sun can be.

I See the One

I was 18 years old, and all the right ingredients just came together. The Milky Way was visible, and my brain was melting under the influences of various forces. I tried to walk up a hill and I just had to lay down, and my friend emergency attuned me to Reiki one. Somewhere in the middle of that, I was just like, wow, I see the one, I get it.

Thank God I Don’t Have to Write It Down

My response to encountering actual religion was, wow, thank fucking God I don’t have to write all this down. Which is such an 18-year-old thought — you have this first spiritual experience and you’re just like, oh my God, I have to tell the others. The Indra’s Net Wikipedia page saved me from feeling like I had to write a book. Someone’s seen that thing, the cosmic web.

I Invented It From First Principles

After making a really big deal about how I didn’t want to go to college, I was just like, wait, fuck. If only there was a place one could go where there were experts on a subject, and it was their job to teach you about it. Which is, again, me with religion. It’s like I invented it from first principles. God is fake. They should invent a human life that has meaning.

Finger Dowsing at the Grocery Store

The visionary element of Aquarius is — okay, but what does this do? How can I care about daily life using this information? I’m not trying to figure out how to talk to aliens. I’m finger dowsing at the grocery store to find the ideal laundry detergent. I mean, I would also talk to an alien if one wanted to talk to me.

A Community Service

I used to go to a lot of festivals, so bringing the whole living room is actually a fucking community service. If you rolled out your entire coffee table and couch setup somewhere and put that in the forest, I would give you a North Star Medal of Honor.

North Star Campout, image courtesy of Hawk

Stop Making It Hard

It’s really part of our devotion this year to it being a more Venus-focused event versus Jupiter. So much of what she’s been coming through to tell all of us is, this needs to be easier. Stop making it hard.

All Your Friends Are Your Neighbors

Going to a place where all your friends are your neighbors for a second is so fucking restorative to my constitution, and it reorients my life. I’m like, whoa, this is actually what matters. It matters to me that I see people I care about regularly, and that those people can connect with me on the things that connect me to God.

If Indra’s Net Were a Hammock

Our bio right now says, if Indra’s net were a hammock, it would be this event. You’re just sitting in it, taking it all in — all the reflective jewels of each individual nexus of space and time. We’re just chilling with each other.

The Oracle for the Omen Sphere

I’m the oracle for people who are thinking about the omen sphere and wanna talk about how deity is speaking in their life, through the lens of astrology and magical practice. There’s a reorienting thing that happens when you can make actual contact with people who think that you make perfect sense.

About Hawk

Hawk Grubb is a diarist, omen seer, astrologer & magical mentor living in the Pacific Northwest.

Their magical interests include the holy guardian angel & abramelin operation, wresting ceremonial magic from the hands of stodgy misogynists, the four elements, and natural omen seeing as a foundational spiritual practice/ lifelong navigation tool.
They’re focused on placemaking, firetending, and third housing with their friends, neighbors and spirits.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

Join us every Thursday for office hours at 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT.

Listen to the Full Podcast

Eclipse Season & the Memory Dragon

Vivi — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 03:45:43 GMT

It was the second time in six months I woke up to a bang-bang-banging in the middle of the night that shook my whole house.

My home being a Quonset hut—which if you’re unfamiliar is basically a greenhouse with more steel and less glass. From a practical standpoint, one could describe it as a stylish sardine can. It was mostly helpless against the elements—letting in rain, snow, and all sorts of bugs.

One need only sneeze to shake it. This pounding threatened to take it down.

Outside, the dark of night lit up by the brights of a car blasting techno. The knocking continued. It was my seamstress — drunk. I buried my head further under the covers.

After a few minutes, a couple more pounds and the sound of something heavy being dropped, the car drove off.

In the morning, as I opened my door to leave for the day, I discovered a large wooden dragon resting against my house.

The Fire Dragon

By our best estimates, this dragon is a few hundred years old. Before finding a home in the bar of our restaurant, it lived what we can only assume was a colorful life. Dragons like this were built to perch on the corners of buildings as guardians—in places far away from Detroit, Michigan.

My former business partner picked this one up from a rare antiques dealer in San Diego, along with a canoe we planned to hang from the ceiling. We never did.

I never thought much about the dragon before the disaster — and, honestly, I didn’t think about him much after. Until he showed up at my door with the second set of banging.

The first time was six months earlier. Our sous chef came to wake me in the far too early hours of the morning. The restaurant was on fire — it was all over the news.

The Portal Finds You

Seamstress was my term of endearment for a loose acquaintance who was, in fact, my seamstress — but also my favorite source of town gossip, my interior design consultant, and the woman who once showed up at my house with a yoni steamer after I complained about a regrettable night.

In the wake of our restaurant burning, the construction workers had thrown all of the furniture outside. The dragon, despite surviving an explosion that melted our stereo equipment, sustained very few injuries.

Someone from the apartment building next door picked up our guy and placed him in the lobby. My seamstress, at the time sleeping with a fellow who lived in this building, became obsessed with returning the dragon to its rightful owner — me.

No Going Back

It wasn’t until years later, having given my life to the study of astrology, that I realized this very real dragon had found me in the middle of eclipse season, as the metaphorical severed dragon of shadow and light was sprawled across the body of my birth chart.

During this time of my life, I didn’t have a map to tell me that I would be ok after leaving the business I had devoted years of blood, sweat and tears to build.

I didn’t have astrology to hint at the future as I stumbled blindly through one of the darkest nights of my soul.

A Future Pause

Depending on your calculations, the nodes have either entered or are about to enter the Leo/Aquarius axis of our charts, the same place they occupied from May 2017 to November 2018.

Eclipses have been described as portals, ushering us into new timelines.

For me, looking at the mouth of this portal nine years later, I see someone who is unrecognizable to me now.

That person standing in Detroit, mourning the loss of her business, could have never imagined the entirely new life I now inhabit in Los Angeles, filled with people and experiences more enriching than I could have ever dreamed.

So much of astrology is centered around prediction, of trying to pull at the threads of history to make a cohesive story.

We go back in time to pick up a narrative that we fear will haunt us — we look to the past to see the future.

But what if we all kicked off this eclipse season by acknowledging how far we’ve come?

Standing at the edge of another portal, I see that my own life is testament to the power of fate and dragons and that life can be so much wilder than we imagine.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

Join us every Thursday for office hours at 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT.

Join The Club

Apprentice to Manly P. Hall: Ronnie Pontiac on His Life Inside the Philosophical Research Society

Vivi — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:36:38 GMT

In the 1980s two lost twenty-somethings walked into a mysterious compound at the top of a hill and stayed for seven years.

Ronnie Pontiac and Tamra Lucid spent their formative years under the tutelage of a man many consider one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. It’s a story Tamra would go on to recall in her 2021 book, Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: My Seven Years in Occult Los Angeles with Manly Palmer Hall, a memoir documenting the time she and Ronnie spent at the .

It’s an experience that would mark both of their lives, with Ronnie and Tamra going on to shape the culture in their own ways, as musicians, filmmakers, and scholars.

Who Is Manly P. Hall?

Born in 1901 and standing well over six feet, Hall was a larger-than-life character who believed that philosophy, religion, science, and art weren’t separate things, and that wisdom doesn’t belong to one culture or one tradition. To that end, while still in his twenties, he traveled the world seeking knowledge and collecting books.

In 1928, at the age of 27, he published his findings as The Secret Teachings of All Ages—by far his best-known work, and one you’ll start seeing everywhere once you know to look. Its readers make a strange constellation: novelist Dan Brown cites it as a key source, Elvis Presley was a devoted reader, and Carl Jung drew on Hall’s rare-book collection while writing Psychology and Alchemy.

In 1934 Hall found a home for his collections and teachings when he founded PRS. Its Mayan Revival–style campus went up two years later, at the top of a hill overlooking the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz—this was long before there was much of a surrounding neighborhood to overlook. The neighborhood grew around PRS—just as, we could argue, the culture of Los Angeles grew around Manly P. Hall.

At PRS Hall would grow his library, publish his books and essays, and lecture regularly on a wide array of topics well into his 80s.

My Connection to PRS

I must admit to knowing almost nothing about Hall before moving to Los Angeles, but he has since come to occupy a little piece of my heart. PRS, the campus he built, is home to my in-person monthly event, the Los Angeles Astrology Salon, and in some ways has become the foundation and source of inspiration for my personal astrological practice.

I met Ronnie through a combination of chance, impulsivity, and — I have to assume — forces emanating from beyond the grave of Manly P. Hall.

In May of 2026, decades after stepping away from PRS, Ronnie joined me for a discussion on the Orphic Hymns in the classroom where Manly gave his Sunday lectures — the same classroom where Ronnie would go on to deliver his own Sunday lectures for years.

The interview turned into a solo performance, and while I don’t regret not recording that session — some things are meant to remain private — it was such a moving conversation that I wanted to share the experience with a larger audience.

The following is an excerpt from my podcast with Ronnie. The conversation explores a period when his life overlapped with Hall’s — a window into both their lives.

All quotes below are taken from Ronnie and have been edited and condensed to fit this space.

The Rational Soul of the World

As I opened it up, my mind was blown by reading the dedication to the rational soul of the world. And I just thought, whoa — like the rational soul of the world? Like the world has a soul, and the soul of the world is rational? Like, wow, what an idea.

He Looked Right at Me

During the lecture, he looks right at me and he says, “People who have an irrational fear of natural disasters because of their guilt about how they’ve been living their lives.” And I was just, “What the hell just happened?” And he looks at Tamra a few minutes later and he says people who are born in harsh circumstances, but like a weed that grows through a crack in the concrete, a beautiful flower comes up. I would find out later, when I worked for him, that he couldn’t really see us. His vision was very bad at that time, and we were just basically colorful blurs.

No One Knows

There was much discussion at PRS about what that was. Was he an adept who had secret knowledge of our inner souls? Was he just naturally psychic? Was he really a medium? Was he somebody that was so deeply in the Tao that the synchronicities just gathered around him and spilled from his lips? No one knows, but he definitely did that quite often.

The Last Resort

The people who wanted to meet with him were people who had had experiences that derailed their lives and they did not know what to do. They went to psychologists, they went to priests, they went everywhere they could to try to get help to undo what had been done, and they would always end up at Manly Hall’s office.

Come In and Make Yourself Miserable

He was sitting behind this beautifully carved Chinese desk, and he had these four elderly women who ran the place — the librarian, his secretary, the office manager, and the vice president of the society — all standing there around him looking at me like I was a criminal, and they were right. And he said, in this hilarious kind of W.C. Fields accent, “Come on in and make yourself miserable.”

Let My Enemies Write My Story

He told me not to write a biography of him. He said, “Let my enemies write my story.”

About Ronnie

Ronnie Pontiac was Manly Palmer Hall’s research assistant for seven years. Author of the books American Metaphysical Religion and The Rosicrucian Counterculture, he co-authored The Magic of the Orphic Hymns and The Unobstructed Way. He writes the weekly Star Weather Astrology Forecast on Substack as . He’s also produced award-winning documentaries and was guitarist for the riot grrrl band Lucid Nation.

If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!

Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:

Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.

Join us every Thursday for office hours at 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT.