ASK AN ASTROLOGER
45
Water and air Empathy with one, communication with the other—the trick is using them together BY CHRISTOPHER RENSTROM Last year was a tough one. I lost a loved one to suicide, lost my job of 15 years and helped my father as he struggled with a bout of cancer. I visited with a psychic after my friend passed. She told me I am a strong empath and have a gift of healing . She urged me to find a way to use this gift, which I need to do so in order to stay spiritually healthy and to continue to grow. I want to make a new job for myself where I can make a little money and also make a difference in one or two lives. What is my next step? I need help finding a way. My birthday is 6/15/70 Salt Lake City, Utah, 11:22 a.m. I can see why the psychic says that you are a strong empath. You have four planets in water signs and the water signs (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces) are often referred to as the “psychic” signs of the zodiac. That’s because the water element rules what Carl Jung called the Collective Unconscious, which means that these are the signs that have unlimited access to their own dreams and psyches—as well as the dreams and psy-
Air signs do better with “talking” cures because they believe that words can redirect one’s thinking in a more positive and constructive way. ches of others. Having been through an emotionally challenging year, I can see how you would want to help others deal with their own hardships. Not only do you know what it’s like, but also it could be both rehabilitative and restorative. However, you were born under Gemini, and Geminis are not empaths. Geminis are communicators—and this is an important difference. Empaths take on others’ emotions. Much like a chameleon takes on the color of the foliage surrounding it, empaths heal by submerging themselves in others’ psyches and then changing the flow of that emotional undercurrent on a depth level. This requires an ability to
Christopher Renstrom is the creator of RULINGPLANETS.COM—the first online, interactive astrology magazine. He writes the daily horoscope for the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGATE.COM. If you have a question you would like him to address, send the date, time and location of your birth to CHRISTOPHER@CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET. He also answers questions every week on the CATALYST website. erase the line between “you” and “me.” Gemini is an air sign, and air signs are acutely aware that no two people share the same experience. Emotions can be felt on a universal, nonverbal level, whereas language was invented for the express purpose of describing one’s distinctly individual point of view. We use language to describe what kind of love we feel for someone or to articulate the reasons for our despair. Air signs do better with “talking” cures because they believe that words can redirect one’s thinking in a more positive and constructive way. My feeling is that you are processing last year’s losses. You went through a heavy time and that can give the false impression that life will always be sorrowful and intense, when the reality is you went through a heavy time and now you may be moving into a lighter one. Yet you still sound like you’re interested in doing some kind of spiritual work, and I would encourage you to explore various disciplines. Choose something like palmistry, numerology, tarot or another technique, learn the nuts and bolts of it, and then see for yourself if it’s a good fit. The wonderful thing about being born under Gemini is that you’re a quick study, and if anyone can turn a “pastime” into a source of revenue in no time, it’s a Child of Mercury. ◆