Mystic Mag‘s Miguel Amado talked with Heather Fern Vuchinich, an astrologer and certified herbalist, about Astrology and common misconceptions about the field, how should we understand what the celestial objects inform us and what is Moon Medicine, one of the workshops offered in her website.
How did you get started in Astrology?
I was introduced to Astrology by my grandfather when I was very young. But when I was in College, I got my first official Astrology reading and met a mentor who was an Astrologist and Herbalist, and she taught me for over 20 years.
In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes and misconceptions of people when they talk about Astrology?
Probably, the biggest misconception is thinking their Sun sign is the overall description of who someone is as a person. There are nine other planets, the houses and so much more depth and layers to Astrology than people really understand when they start to get into it.
You state in your Bio that you are not a fortune teller or a psychic with a neon sign. What do you bring to people?
I definitely have a strong intuition and I use that for guidance and insight. My belief is very much that there’s faith and free will, so I like to lay out a “menu” of options for people. I describe the themes that might be emerging and point possible paths they can take. I like to give people options, instead of imposing inevitable ways.
Do people expect to have answers and have their lives explained or do they understand there are multiple paths to take?
Most of the people who come to me for readings are not looking for someone to necessarily tell them what to do. They want to know what is emerging, they want deeper understanding, but not necessarily asking direct questions about relationships or career.
Whenever I am asked questions about the possibility of getting a job or marrying a person, for instance, I never say “yes” or “no”. I explore with them the reason the question is important to them, if there are many options to fulfill that desire and maybe give them ideas for how they might work towards that goal. I definitely do not believe our future is set in stone.
What important information do events like “Mars in Virgo” bring to people beyond their Sun sign?
I think you are asking if there is a distinction between personal Astrology (looking at somebody’s individual natal chart) and collective Astrology (looking at the Astrology that shapes us all).
Mars in Virgo, for example, is going to affect us on both levels. It is moving somewhere in your personal natal birth chart. Whatever houses it is moving through, whatever aspects it makes to the other planets, will affect you personally, whereas, on a collective level, Mars is also in Virgo, so we are all feeling the influence of that Mars in Virgo personality.
Mars is a planet of action and will, linked to the physical body, vitality, health. It only stays in Virgo for a month. Unless it goes retrograde, Mars will spin about 30 to 45 days in a sign. During the time Mars is in a sign, we are going to be active, energized by those qualities. We are going to feel like moving forward with those qualities. Virgo is an Earth sign, about health and well-being, nature.
Please tell us about how Moon Medicine works and about the Moon Medicine workshop
I just did that workshop about a month ago and it was really fun! The Moon is the most personal of planets. We see it every night and we develop a relationship with the Moon from the time we are born. The qualities of the Moon are very influential in our life and in the workshop, we explore the Moon on many different levels: the history of the Moon, the gods and goddesses that go with it, the Moon in our charts… Everything Moon within the workshop.
Being an Herbalist, I also integrate plant knowledge supportive to how the Moon affects us physically, because it affects all the fluids in the body. It has a physical effect in our body and there are herbs that can support how they move through our bodies and have an affinity with the moon.
Please share a message with our audience for these challenging times.
This is a changing time for every human being, animals, plants, all life. I feel that in challenging times there is also opportunity. So, I always tell myself and encourage my clients to look for the opportunity and the gift in the midst of challenges, because you will always find them. It is just a matter of staying open and looking for them.
