What brought you to astrology?
My initial introduction to something like astrology was probably a cartoon from my childhood Sailor Moon with its characters named after the planets. I think it’s a pretty common origin for astrologers around my age, but the interest in actual astrology didn’t come until later in high school. In my junior year we had to write a paper about a topic of our choice but the teacher provided a list of topics we could pick if we needed inspiration. Astrology was on that list and I chose it. It was also the reason I checked out my first astrology book from the local library and after doing that report on the topic I just had to know more!
Why do you practice astrology? What makes it juicy for you?
It will probably sound very cliché, but I enjoy that it lets me help people. Whether helping them find new ways out of a situation they feel stuck in, helping them get new perspective on something, or whatever the case may be. I tend to work more with people interested in astrological magic and troubleshooting ways that it can improve their lives or provide new outlets for how they understand or interact with parts of their chart is really fulfilling. Plus I just really love the stories – good and bad – and creating a good experience for someone out of what may have been a difficult experience just feels like a very small thing that can have a huge impact.
What is your specialty, or focus?
I really like this question because it gives me the sense of my astrological life flashing before my eyes and just seeing different phases of it. If you had asked me this question years ago I probably would have said horary and if you had asked me this maybe like 5 years ago I’d have said medical, but now and for the past few years I’d say astrological magic. Of course, these different foci are all still very important to me and I use them all about every day, but I’d say that since like 2015 I’ve been in a “spreading the gospel of astrological magic” phase that’s just taken over more and more of my life and practice.
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?
Within the past few years I’ve really enjoyed the Sun as the Exorcist or Purifier archetype. I know that sounds really intense, but it’s interesting how many times it’s come up in just day-to-day practice. Of course, being involved in astro magic I probably have a lot more opportunities to experience the Sun as Exorcist, but everybody gets a piece of the purification aspect of the Sun, especially when you start seeing synodic cycles unfolding or when faced with interpreting combustion or cazimis.
What is your picture of astrology in the future?
I think right now I have two hopes for astrology in the future. The first is a future that is mostly free from generative AI. We’ve sort of had this conversation as a community in regards to computer generated reports, but at some point an astrologer had to write those entries. Generative AI is a different beast and I’m hoping its popularity in all sectors wanes like the past 15 or so tech fads have. The second would be an astrology where it’s more cohesive as a group and not so splintered off into the followings of various personalities. I get that that is kind of human nature but I’m not sure it’s been very positive for us as astrologers.
Are there any additional comments you would like to make about your lecture and workshop?
Piggybacking on my earlier comment about spreading the gospel of astrological magic, I hope that these presentations help address any concerns that someone might have about these practices and leave them feeling empowered and prepared to engage with it more fully if they’re interested. It’s a unique set of tools that allows us to be a bit more hands on with astrology than we’re used to. Even just that shift in perspective of astrology becoming something we are more actively participating in can be extremely valuable.
If you discovered a new planet, or asteroid, what would you name it and why?
As much as I’d like to say I’d come up with something cute or clever, I think everyone knows I’d probably just name it after some cat that it reminds me of.
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Ryhan Butler is a practicing astrologer based in the Dallas area. He has studied classical astrological techniques with an emphasis on the medieval era since 2009 and has lectured locally and as a part of national conferences working to spread the techniques of medieval astrology to those who would otherwise not encounter them or may not immediately see their value. Ryhan has served on the board of a local astrological group, the Astrological Society of North Texas, from 2016-2018 and also served on the international Association for Astrological Networking from 2014-2018.