What brought you to astrology?
Like many people who end up in our field, astrology acted as an irresistible pull for most of my life. Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, in a spiritually-oriented family, astrology was openly discussed as a symbolic language. It was one of our ways of making sense of the world, and as a rite of passage I had my natal chart read when I was twenty-one. Years later my marriage brought me to the United States and I was able to transition from publishing to full-time astrological consulting. The pull is inexplicable – it won’t let go until one listens.
Why do you practice astrology? What makes it juicy for you?
My Moon in Scorpio is drawn to things that are deep and meaningful, and studying, consulting (and now teaching) astrology fulfills this need. It is certainly “juicy” to have a profession which is without conventional boundaries, so to speak, where one may be either productively practical or profoundly philosophical. I know of no other discipline where one can search for a missing object, project timing for a relocation, or explore evolutionary potential, all using the same symbolic language!
What is your specialty, or focus?
My focus is on getting to the heart of the matter, no matter whether I’m working with a new client, answering a student’s question, or making a video. While I use both traditional concepts and modern therapeutic astrology, my emphasis is always on using techniques which work over time. Is this helpful? Is it clear? Is it compassionate?
Is there a planet, sign, or aspect you’ve been exploring lately that represents an archetype or energy that feels important to you right now?
Pluto. I’ve just finished a year with transiting Pluto on my Sun/Moon midpoint. Many of my clients are experiencing transiting Pluto in hard aspect to their Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven now. With the Pluto return of the United States imminent, Pluto feels like an important energy to understand at this time. What is my experiential understanding of Pluto? What is my relationship to my own power? How do I react when faced with challenging odds? What needs to come up out of the dark to be seen? Am I someone who closes the door when trouble is brewing or who finds opportunity in adversity? What am I willing to let go of in order to transform?
What is your picture of astrology in the future?
I’m looking forward to having astrology back in universities one day, even if it’s after I have passed on.
Are there any additional comments you would like to make about your lecture and workshop?
My gut tells me that the consultation chart is as valuable as the natal chart itself for client work – and perhaps more valuable than a natal chart with an incorrect birth time. I feel I’m only at the beginning of this exploration and hope that you, too, will continue to explore this topic in your own lives. If you are not actively involved in client work, the consultation chart techniques can be applied to countless other life situations: the first meeting for a new product or business idea, the start of a relationship, the moment you welcome a new pet into your home… and so on.
If you discovered a new planet, or asteroid, what would you name it and why?
I’d leave that to one of my children – they have their fingers on the zeitgeist of the times!
Catherine Goshen (BA Hons, HDEd, DipAst Suskin, Noel Tyl Masters, ISAR-CAP) is a compassionate consulting astrologer, lecturer, teacher, and writer. Her interest in astrology began in childhood, fueled by her grandmother’s trips to India. Her special interests are the integration of traditional and humanistic astrology, and using astrology to get to the heart of the matter. Visit her at GoshenAstrology.com or on YouTube as catherine goshen.