speaker-0: I am Rachel Ruth Tate. I am a professional astrologer.

speaker-1: What inspired you to get involved with astrology?

speaker-0: If you had asked me if this is what I'd be doing as a young person, I would have been aghast. But I was inspired by a lot of study of Greek and Hellenistic culture, ⁓ mythology, a lot of sort of religious, comparative religious studies. And across a lot of the philosophical texts, there are common themes. And some of those are celestial. So the further you dig, the further back that goes. and the more you realize it's just an advanced timekeeping system. So we keep the solar day, the solar year, and the word month was actually derived from the word moon. It used to be before we, you know, messed with the months a little bit when we were doing the Gregorian calendar. It really was. The month was itself one lunar cycle. And so there is a whole lot of time to keep Mercury time, Jupiter time, Our whole solar system speaks to the personality of any given moment as we experience it here on Earth. And that is what hooked me. And it's also a great way to process your lived experience. So from sort of a creating meaning out of the moment standpoint, it can really help to take your experience and hang it on an ancient sort of systems context. It gives you a neutral ⁓ sort of impersonal framework. And it can take your personal experience and make it a little bit less charged. right, when you're talking about your moon sign as opposed to your mommy issues, right? These things, they make it a little bit more accessible, especially for self-work and personal improvement.

speaker-1: That's the big thing I was going to ask is how does astrology and mental health go together?

speaker-0: It's incredible the things that people can work on and work with when given a system that allows them to do that self-reflection and that gives you a ⁓ tool, right? How do we cope? We have coping mechanisms. We have these practices, meditation, you know, there's all kinds of therapy, different forms of therapy. that can help us to process our lives and to make meaning from that in a way that improves our quality of life. And astrology is really just that. The only reason that we look to the heavens is sort of the as above so below principle that when things are happening on a large scale, they're also happening on a small scale. And so you fit into the whole, right? There is meaning and there is timing to your experience. and it can feel great to know, you know, maybe I messed up and maybe everyone's messing up because Mercury's retrograde. And so my mistake in the schedule is a more common theme so that connects me to other people I don't feel alone in my experience. And that's a very small example, but really you can start to unpack things that are really difficult for people to talk about, but When I work with clients, do astrological coaching and counseling with certain repeat clients that I see often. And astrology helps to give context to family systems and the way that people work, how to work with your family, how to know and understand them and appreciate their point of view or perspective. And so these ideas about, you know, why we are the way we are, that's a big question, right? There are so many layers of both nature and nurture that create the personality and then the experiences that that personality lives and experiences. But astrology helps you to understand why and that why gives some people a whole lot of satisfaction. Not an excuse, but an understanding that your own proclivities, your way of doing things, your preferences, that they are inherent to you and you can work with them and not against them.

speaker-1: How do you work with your clients?

speaker-0: So typically I see people on Zoom. It's often a lot like this, but my background is their chart. And so we can like point all around and look. And so I always start by defining the client's needs. So why are we here, right? There is always something that you're looking for, some context that you're looking for. Usually there's a situation. You don't go to a psychic because you're not looking for answers. There's something specific. That is the... ⁓ catalyst. So I figure that out. And then we talk about the natal chart, especially if it's the first time. We talk about the natal chart for at least the first half of the appointment. And I like to walk people through what it is. So, I mean, it can look like hieroglyphics when it's on the screen, but just sort of the background for what it is. And then I spend the last half talking about what to expect for them. For the next calendar year is about as far out as people like to go. If I see people often, we'll kind of take those time chunks and make them smaller and more detailed. But there are a lot of timing techniques that can help you identify when to expect some weather, when to maybe clear your schedule because there might be something happening, maybe ideal times to travel that will promote, you know, ease and grace and the transport. If you're planning an event or launching a business, electional astrology can help you to have an auspicious date that bodes well for the enterprise that you're beginning. And same thing when it comes to family vacations. So that's a popular thing. A lot of people will ask me to do something in the last half, whether it be that year ahead or a sinistry chart, right? So the astrology of relationships. Maybe I want to bring in my husband's chart and we can talk about that. And we meet for the hour and sometimes clients like to do that every year as a check-in for their birthday or sometimes more often than

speaker-1: How has astrology helped your own journey?

speaker-0: My goodness. ⁓ My journey's been interesting. I've never been formally diagnosed with a mental health condition, but I've definitely had a lot of major events happen. ⁓ Marriages, beginning marriages, ending, ⁓ I say marriage, a marriage, beginning a marriage, ending, and the ending itself was taken up in the criminal courts. ⁓ Betrayal was a huge part of my experience. ⁓ intimate partner violence, you things that you have to process. And so astrology was helpful and I've been really connected to it since the time that that happened to me. I was expecting some of that weather I mentioned earlier and it helped me to give context to what was happening and to be able to act on my own behalf knowing that the situation was likely going to escalate. And so removing myself from that situation. And I've been able to do similar things for certain clients, whether it be to expect a pregnancy that maybe the client wasn't prepared for. So giving them a little bit of a notice, right? It can be helpful. Or health issues. And a lot of times that alleviates anxiety and depression that might come from something if it felt sudden. or random or scary. When you've had time to kind of, you know, prepare, you can feel a bit calmer when something does pop up, especially if you were preparing for that kind of thing. So I think it's helpful for me to put my own past in context, whether that be, you know, teenage things. I was a commercial print model from, from young, but always, you know, ⁓ one of the funny things about Hollywood and the like industries. A lot of the women you see in music videos or in ads or on magazines, they're young teenagers. And it's a glamorous but unforgiving life that definitely leads to ⁓ warped self-perceptions and maybe some issues when it comes to relationships, especially the formation of attachments. And so a lot of those types of things, that's my past, but anybody's past. You can see cycles and track those cycles and it helps you to expect further development in any given area and be open to it.

speaker-1: Yeah, for me, I live with bipolar disorder too, and I do treatment. have a strong support system. I see a psychiatrist. I see a therapist. I take medication. But do you think astrology is a good part to add to that treatment?

speaker-0: You know, I think astrology is a time-honoring exercise. And so any time we add richness to our perception, there's something, you know, kind of ⁓ very edifying about positive daily rituals. And checking in with the astrological weather can be one of those things where you can check on what's going on with the moon. Even just the lunar cycle is this, ⁓ a waxing moon? Is it a waning moon? Do I feel my energy growing? You know, a full moon? Am I more active? Am I more disposed to activity? A new moon? Do I need a rest? That can put you in harmony with nature on a very basic level. And so I think for circadian rhythms, it can be great to do kind of some foundational astrological work. But reading your horoscope, hey, it's fun, right? It's like reading comics. We all write this pop astrology, but one thing for listeners is definitely when you're looking at those horoscopes, we all are looking at our sun sign. And we should really be looking at our rising sign because that's what astrologers are writing those horoscopes for. And so find your rising sign, find the ascendant, that's the eastern horizon at your time of birth. And so that can be really fun to kind of change it up and see if that ascendant gives you a little bit more meaning and kind of if you jive with that horoscope more than your sun sign. But I do think that no matter what your background is and no matter what current therapies you're pursuing, astrology, if you're interested, especially if you're somebody who's data-driven, it's really kind of fun to pay attention.

speaker-1: For you, how does it feel to be making an impact in people's lives?

speaker-0: That's why I do the work, right? If something is a tool for me, the conviction to share it with other people is the idea that if somebody feels at all freed from concern, or if they feel aided, assisted, elevated by that practice, that is a win, right? That's always something that makes you not only feel good, but it's like the small ripple effects. We always have more effect. when we're one-on-one than, you know, trying to reach out and affect things like on Capitol Hill or across the world. So just doing the small good right in front of you and truly I do have ⁓ maybe some more belief in karma or dharma than some others might. I'm a yogi as well. And so the idea of working things out and living out something that has a purpose and has direction. I feel like astrology can help us too to clarify that kind of a thing. So even when you're looking to the future, what might I want to grow within, share, publish, know, what areas do I want to expand into? And it can give you some fun ideas, almost like necessity mother's invention. If you think about your mid-heaven and your 10th house of career and public roles and the archetypes that that zodiac sign has. Does that inspire you in any kind of a way to think about a career you might not have considered that might be really fulfilling? I never would have thought I would be an astrologer. And so seeing clients too, they give themselves permission, permission to be themselves. You know those kinds of ⁓ traits we have and maybe we always see them as flaws or foibles, but then if you give yourself permission, you can embrace it as a feature. and not a bug. think astrology is really good for that.

speaker-1: And you do talk about it in podcasting and all other medias. What is it like talking about it publicly?

speaker-0: It was weird at first, Michael. It was very strange. ⁓ I also have a background in luxury sales and marketing and branding and things that are unrelated to astrology. And I really did suffer from the fear that people would not take me seriously as a professional. If I were to be public with any of these practices, it's one thing to do it as a hobby. know, mom has a birthday book in her back room. That's one thing. but having a public presence as somebody who practices astrology as an ostensible expert. That's a different thing entirely. And it took me until I was in my 30s to actually be hired for a professional position. I was the director of sales and marketing at the Hotel Herringbone here in Waco, Texas when the hotel opened. And the ownership all knew I was a professional astrologer. and was the first time that those two things had coexisted. And then we'd get texts from them and be like, hey, we're about to take a flight, know, does it look like delays? What's going on? Is this a good day to fly? And that was really edifying. Because at first, it's really terrifying. I think about 10 years ago, I would never have felt this comfortable to have this conversation with you. Gen Z, thank you.

speaker-1: Yes, exactly. When I talk to young people too, they're very open and that I was only diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 37. So at young age, it's like be quiet, leave your emotions at the door, but it's much better. You feel less alone when you do talk.

speaker-0: then you find your people. If you're ever gonna find your people, you have to reveal yourself for people to know you. They've got to be able to know you. And that's the permission that you give by being your authentic self. I think astrology is great for that, for that embracing of being the authentic self. But it did really take until the year of our Lord, 2026, for me to feel so confident about that kind of a thing. It was not. I was not even telling people I did yoga when I started at 15. No way! No, that was back in 05. It was weird. People would have asked me too many questions. I live in Dallas, Texas. No way! No. Definitely not.

speaker-1: What do you do to help your own mental health?

speaker-0: Yoga is a huge part of that practice. ⁓ Yoga and meditation go hand in hand. mean, in terms of the actual eight limbs of yoga in the tradition, only one of them is about movement. In the West, I think we've gotten confused. The other seven are about essentially meditation and breath work. And all of those things are really key for me. I teach yoga and offer it, but I also take it. And so five to six days a week really helps me stay centered and grounded and also move my body, which helps to move energy. Right. If you want to change your mind, changing your body really moving does help to move through things. Breath work has been huge for me, even just like a basic box breath or like a basic two to one inhale, exhale, you know, the double inhale. sort of what is it called cyclic sighing I think is is Andrew Huberman's name for it. ⁓ It's super helpful to be able to be connected to your breath when you're in an anxious place or when you're overwhelmed and if you don't practice it it's not going to be natural when you're in your time of need so that's definitely ⁓ key for me is the movement the meditation the breath work.

speaker-1: lot of people talk about how you should take care of your body and mind at the same time it helps. But how important is including your spirit a part of all that?

speaker-0: I think it's inextricable. I mean, we are self-aware creatures having an embodied experience. We're kind of unique in that ability to think about ourselves across time and develop identities and these different social bonds. ⁓ And I think that having this sort of very timeless human experience in a very temporary body, it requires some processing. it's really helpful. to think of ourselves in the mundane as we do. pay taxes and we brush our teeth, you all that good stuff. But also it's so much more than that. We're part of this unbroken chain of life. And it's kind of amazing and incredible. And we're all fragments of the whole of us is doing this thing. So anytime I'm doing yoga, I think about all the people who have taken all these postures before me or when I'm doing astrology, right? all the people who have looked up at the heavens. I mean, it's how we circumnavigated the globe. People have been looking up for navigation since forever. That is how the Christ was announced. The wise man looked up at the heavens. And so it feels really grounding, really connective, and it makes you feel appropriately small. And then yet, you know, so much a part of that tradition or of that connective tissue of who we are. And I think belonging to the whole makes everyone feel more safe and more at peace.

speaker-1: Where do you want to see your mission, if you will, in the next few years?

speaker-0: my goodness. Personally, I would love to be more ⁓ financially stable as a consulting astrologer, but I would also like to continue to do the corporate work that I had been doing prior to the pandemic. I think one of the realities that we live with is that it's a whole lot easier for corporations to employ a person like me to do a workshop or a team building exercise or to work with their employees, then it might be for them to access my services by themselves. The thing about astrologers is it's kind of like being any sort of advanced practitioner, yoga, whatever. It takes hundreds and thousands of hours to learn all these things. So I would love for astrologers themselves to be sort of like your hairdresser in terms of the accepted rate of pay, right? We're going to spend time on your soul. Like it's more than your hair. It's so, that's. And then besides that, I think that it would be really wonderful to be able to form a larger group of astrologers or the like in the American South and Southwest. That's something that's kind of important to me. I've been trying to make it happen. ⁓ there's a whole lot of astrologers communing in Colorado, like Denver's got a great, ⁓ regular group that meets. But here in Texas, uh-uh, few and far between.

speaker-1: How can people reach out and learn more about you?

speaker-0: You can find me on Instagram and on Facebook at RachelRuthTate and then my website, RachelRuthTate.com. And if you would like to book your very own reading, you can use code insiders for a nice special discount for listeners to this podcast. And I also do ⁓ plenty of free content. So if you Find podcasts exciting? Go to Apple, go Spotify, and search for the Astrology Table podcast. We publish bimonthly every full and new moon. You can get the sort of astrowether forecast from myself and my co-hosts.