Hi, I’m Stephanie.
I’m an astrology enthusiast. No, I’m not psychic or have been given any special “gifts”. I’m just obsessed with learning about ancient astrology techniques and how to apply them in our modern world.
I named my site “Astro Academic” because I strongly think astrology needs to be approached with the same academic rigor as any other subject studied in a university. It’s far more complex, technical, and rich of a topic than simple magazine horoscopes or trivial zodiac sign themed Buzzfeed quizzes would have you think. I am here to provide clarity on an often very misunderstood topic.
What is your approach to astrology?
I use traditional astrology techniques mixed with some aspects of modern psychological astrology.
My initial studies were in modern psychological astrology, however, over the last 5 years I’ve particularly gravitated towards Hellenistic astrology (and a bit of medieval astrology). I prefer it because of the long historical use, the more clearly defined techniques, and the fact that it is foundational to all future western and Vedic astrology developments. In a practice that unfortunately isn’t regulated and where anyone can claim to be an astrologer, regardless of competency, I think this strict and structured approach to the subject is imperative.
Where do you get your information?
The following are my most used resources:
- Hellenistic Astrology by Chris Brennan (my favorite)
- Kepler Hellenistic Sourcebook (Free PDF)
- Anthologies (Free PDF) by Vettius Valens
- Ancient Astrology by Demetra George
- On the Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro (another favorite)
- Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart by Kevin Burke (good for beginners)
- Christian Astrology by William Lilly
- Any book or lecture from Ben Dykes
Other modern astrology sources I use:
Despite preferring traditional astrology, modern sources help add a modern context to some of the ancient texts. However, because so much of this astrology deviates away from original sources, I do not reference these as often.
- Chart Interpretation Handbook by Stephen Arroyo (great for beginners)
- Jung Studies in Astrology by Liz Greene
- Planets in Transit by Robert Hand
- Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas
What I don’t use:
I stay away from anything related to “pop astrology”. This is a watered down version of astrology that is meant to appeal to the masses. Examples of this are magazine horoscopes, the CoStar app, and most astrology memes (although @CosmosAndPsycho is hilarious). While some of these are fun, these aren’t particularly high quality astrology.
How I Became Interested in the Topic
During my early college days, I had a roommate who was obsessed with astrology. I usually rolled my eyes and resisted her words because I thought astrology was hokey, anti-science, and for hippies.
However, after over a year of resistance, she managed to show me that astrology was more than oversimplified personality generalizations one would find in a magazine. She explained that we aren’t represented by just one sign and that we have entire birth charts. Part of me initially thought it was an elaborate rationalization to make astrology work. The other side of me couldn’t help but be intrigued.
To get a better understanding of the subject, I scheduled a reading with a local professional astrologer. He had good online reviews, degrees in physics and psychology, and his blog posts were well written. Given these factors, I figured he was at least relatively trustworthy and hopefully not a scam artist.
In my reading, he was extremely professional, pragmatic, and practical and his statements about my life deeply resonated with me. What he said was highly specific and in no way could have been a result of him “reading” me or doing prior research on me. I couldn’t help but be intrigued by how he could figure me out through reading symbols on a chart alone. At this point, I realized the subject had much more intellectual value than I initially expected and I was determined to learn more.
Like learning a new language, I picked up on the vernacular through my frequent conversations with my roommate. Whenever we talked about relationships, school, parents, and other life topics, astrology always was applicable. At times, we even found using astrology to be more effective in communication because of the large amount of information that could be conveyed through simply referencing a planet, sign, house, or other astrology concept.
Through our conversations, observing other people’s charts, books, and podcasts, I developed proficiency in the subject. The more I learned and saw it play out in my life or other people’s lives, the more enamored I became with astrology and the more I was driven to continue learning.
Nowadays, I use astrology almost every day. It’s not my day job, but it’s a hobby that brings me joy and allows me to help others.
I find it to be a real travesty that something so powerful, useful, and insightful is so quickly dismissed by “intellectuals” who barely have taken the time to learn how it works (like myself years ago). Because of this, my goal with this blog is to share what I’ve learned and try to offer a more discerning approach to the topic.
With that said, I hope my content helps you learn about yourself and gives you the same inspiration I feel each time I immerse myself in the topic. Thanks for your time.
Outside of Astrology
Professionally, I’m a communication designer and I recently finished my MBA. I love vegan food, reading, long distance running, and my cat, Robert.