• What is your astrological background?

I started learning astrology as a teenager. Later, I received an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Texas, in large part because of my astrological interests. In 2000, I decided to get a Master's degree in astrology and enrolled at Kepler College (of Astrological Arts and Sciences, at the time). There are a handful of us in the nation who currently hold post-graduate academic degrees in astrology, largely thanks to Kepler College. At Kepler, I was fortunate enough to study with some of the most talented practitioners and historians of astrology of our time and dove deeply and passionately, into astrology's technical and historical roots. I emerged from my studies with a particular interest in astrology's Babylonian origins and its linguistic structure. I have also been trained and certified in astrological ethics and counseling methods. 

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• What kinds of astrology have you worked with?

​All Kinds. I started out as a psychological astrologer and then studied the traditional methods – Hellenistic, Arabic, Renaissance. I like to collect and submit techniques to evidence-based testing, keeping the ones that work and throwing out those that don’t. I find that the strengths of modern approaches do not tend to compete with the strengths of the traditional methods. They are different tools for different purposes. I use the best tool that’s called for in a given situation. It just depends on what a client needs.   

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• What is LINCOS and how does it differ from other types of astrology?

LINCOS an evidence-based language system. This is not how astrology has typically evolved over the millennia. Traditionally, and still currently (with the exception of a few astrologers doing more empirical work) astrology has developed primarily through theoretical teachings passed down from teacher to student over time. Many of the interpretative methods astrologers are using are not reliably communicating the information they need. The language itself needed to be re-examined with a more critical approach. I worked backwards from the charts themselves using a phenomenological and syntactical approach in order to understand the structure of the language. Over the years, we also examined many of the traditional concepts and found the majority to be rather useful. But they needed to be better defined. I reverse-engineer their functionality of the symbols by examining how they are communicating real world events. It's taken years to perfect the language because there are many traditional concepts to examine and to test. So, the LINCOS system differs from traditional and modern astrology mainly in its approach to interpretation. I have kept many of the traditional techniques, but I've redefined how to interpret and apply many of them. I have also streamlined the timing techniques we use to make our work more reliable and practical. ​

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• Is this astrology predictive?

All astrology can be predictive because every chart is meant to be a roadmap for a life's journey. Once you have a roadmap, you have the potential to navigate it in time and space and to see what lies ahead, just as with any map. And as long as that journey is still ongoing, we can look ahead and say something about it beforehand ("pre-diction").

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Having said that, "there are" and "should be" limits on what astrology can predict. There exist limits imposed by the nature of the language itself. And then there should also be other limits imposed by astrologers themselves due to ethical considerations and also due to a respect for those 

 

Astrologers must be careful not to interfere with a client's right to choose the specific shape of their own lives. And clients must understand that astrology cannot allow them to abdicate from their responsibility to do so. A good astrologer is a guide to one's roadmap. But the client is always the driver.   

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• Do you use traditional or modern methods?

Both. Techniques are like software tools: you use the ones that best fits a need. If you need to write a letter, you might use a document editor. But if you need to make a call, you might use a phone app. They've required some interpretative modifications, but in general traditional astrology has a richer syntax and is better for what I call "outer world astrology". This is the chart as life: your career, your family, your relationships, children, health etc. Traditional techniques are much more numerous, complex and nuanced. Modern astrology is technically simpler, but richer in vocabulary and better at "inner world astrology", which looks at the chart as psychology, personality, motivation, drive, emotion etc. Both of these approaches are important. I use the outer world approach when I first work with a client. But if they want to continue to work on chronically unproductive patterns, we can take those already-established outer world problems and examine the same indicators from an inner world perspective. 

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• Do you teach astrology?​

I teach astrology on a individual or small group basis (2-3 maximum if they all know each other) for students who already have some basic knowledge. If you know what a chart looks like, know how to identify all the glyphs, and have a basic working vocabulary for the planets, signs and houses, then you are eligible to take our grammar course. This is a 7 week course designed to walk you through the fundamentals of the grammar that we use to read a chart. Each week, I meet online with a student at a prearranged time and we go over the material in a Powerpoint format. Practice exercises are assigned for homework, which I review and correct via email. More advanced courses on horary and timing methods are also available, but everyone starts with this course. I prefer individual and small groups because I can accompany students' progress more directly that way. Because of this and my current writing schedule, I am only taking on a limited number of students per week. If you are interested, please contact Maria directly for more information and pricing.

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• Do you do client consultations? 

I'm currently only taking on new clients by referral. Please contact me if you have been referred by a client or colleague.