About Me
I use astrology as a tool for self-understanding, self-compassion, and guidance through life.
My interest in astrology started with my parents in the ‘70s.
There was a sweet spot between about ‘74 and ‘76 when my twenty-something Mom and Dad would throw parties on our small farm property in Sonoma County, California. Dad would get out the Tarot cards and sit in the corner doing readings. I’d crouch on the floor next to his chair, scrunched as tightly as I could so I wouldn’t be noticed, taking it all in.
My mom had a close friend who was a professional astrologer. They would sit together at the kitchen table while she taught my mom how to interpret all the crazy looking lines and symbols. I’d sit there at her elbow, trying to understand.
It sounded like a foreign language they were speaking. But I was fascinated.
Then my parents divorced, my mom became a Born Again Christian, and there were no more parties. My mom suddenly became afraid of the Tarot and of astrology. For many years, she would call these things “Tools of the Devil.”
But my own connection to astrology never went away. I would practice reading cards with Dad when I went to his house on the weekends. And I remember laying on the floor of my room as a kid, reading an astrology book. I can still see the page of the book dedicated to the sign of Cancer (my Sun sign). Like most of us, I just wanted to understand: Who am I, and why am I here?
My mom came to her senses later, sometime in my late teens. She welcomed astrology back into her life, and she even started reading charts again herself in the years before she passed away. It was she who suggested that I could be a professional astrologer. Thank you, Mom.
What I have always known is that Astrology, the Tarot, and other oracles are not "The Dark Arts." These tools can help us understand ourselves better and guide us during times of indecision, challenge, and crisis. They have helped me on my path, have given me comfort, and have guided me toward right action over and over again.
Evolutionary Astrology
A couple years after becoming a practicing astrologer, I attended NORWAC, an astrology conference near Seattle. I went to a lecture by one of the founders of Evolutionary Astrology, Steven Forrest. Evolutionary Astrology is focused upon making unconscious patterns conscious, working with one’s shadow material, and becoming more self-aware. The natal chart is viewed primarily as a means toward personal growth.
I knew immediately that I wanted to learn from Steven. He was saying things that felt so true to me. Things about past lives, karma, and spiritual evolution through working with the birth chart. I found out that he had an Apprenticeship Program, and within six months, I was there.
I attended Steven’s AP for a couple years and have continued keeping up with them via audio files since then. What I have learned from Steven and from other members of the AP has been core to my practice and development as an Evolutionary Astrologer. I am regularly grateful that I came across him that day, and that I followed the call.
My Life Now
I live in Portland, Oregon with my husband, Brad, and our five cats. (Yes, that’s a lot. Three are indoors, one is an outdoor feral we feed and house in our carport, and one is a neighbor’s cat that has “adopted” us by spending most of her time here! lol).
I love animals, all animals. (Okay, but especially cats). I donate to a few animal charities.
I took mandolin lessons for a few years, and I've been taking vocal lessons for four years now. Music is something I really have to work at, but it is a satisfying endeavor.
I look forward to being of service to you!
Warmly, Dena