I was invited to be a guest on three different podcasts, in recent months. I enjoyed doing all of them. I also benefitted from each in a variety of ways that are significant.
Robert Phoenix was the first to invite me to guest on his podcast. You can see the show here. I met, Robert, via the Astro Dispatch, which was a site that collated links to all the astrology blogs of the day. The idea was that we all rise together. “A rising tide lifts all boats”. In the beginning, I was the astrologer with a hard core audience / following. I sent traffic to the other writers – they sent it back, in the form on a link on their site. This actually worked. It got us all some traction and people took off from there.
Robert decided to introduce me to his current audience; informing them of this history. It was a kind, generous thing to do. I met new people from doing his show, which has been great.
I was invited to guest on the Outsider Astrology Podcast, next. I enjoyed doing this show, tremendously, as well. This is when I really began to understand my “outsider” status, which is not something I think about. I have seen myself as the, “donut guy” since I was 25 years old. This donut guy.
I wake up early, and go to work, as there are people relying on me. So post the chat with the other outsider astrologers – well, I felt less of a loner. Pluto transiting my first house. Gah. Here’s that podcast: Rage of Aquarius.
Then last week, I was invited onto the Mushroom’s Apprentice w/ Shonagh Home. We wound up talking about my history; it was a little like banging pots and pans in my psyche (in a good way). As an example, we discussed, my becoming a professional astrologer. This would be the first time I CHARGED to read a chart. This was before we had the internet. I read charts for money in my condo complex… not that many. Point being, you couldn’t just go get a job as an astrologer, though I thought of it. There were two metaphysical shops in the city, but they weren’t really selling readings. I guess a person would have had to write a book, get it published… hey, I don’t know.
But then, I was gifted a computer. I eventually stuck one of the free, AOL discs, in it and went online to alt.astrology. I also wrote on astro mailing lists… so many posts, before I stupidly posted about astrology on a business forum.
That’s when I learned I had endless things to say about astrology… and I could draw a crowd. I also started writing stories, and then this gal, asked me for help. I was not charging at this time. I didn’t know how to do that.
Paypal was just launching. I was one of their first Guinea pigs (really). They recruited people on this forum, with the promise of no fees, ever! They said they would make money on the float! Anyway, I signed up for paypal – must have been 1999. This gal also signed up… and I worked with her via email, pretty extensively, just because she asked.
The work was successful and I was surprised when she just up and paid me. Yep, she paypal-ed me and this is when I realized, it might be possible..? I tried to get a couple of sites to hire me but… no way! Not interested!
I started an honest-to-God blog, soon after. Soon after I fell for a spam email, that is! I wrote tons of stories and astrology bits and started picking up business. I moved to this site and business boomed, until google turned away from blogs. But what’s occurred to me, is I am not an early first blogger, I’m one of the first who proved this concept: you could write about astrology online, independently, draw an audience and build a clientele.
I guess it’s par for the course for the ten-year-old truck thief, underage bartender, teenager who organizes a lawsuit to set precedent, to bring about laws which don’t exist yet, etc. and so on. Oh! I launched “one minute videos” long before TikTok. Try, 2005!
But all this aside, I also got the biggest chunk of (new) insight into myself, I come across in a decade or more via these chats. I give this to Jupiter in Gemini (expanding who I chat with), hitting my 9th house Mars Mercury conjunction. I got to the core of why I’m the way I am. Why it’s like this. I won’t have to wonder about this ever again. I’m ecstatic about this. I’m wondering beyond that now, in 9th house fashion. On top of this, the feedback from all three podcasts has been very good.
I hope this encourages you expand the circle of people you chat with. Jupiter only transits Gemini once every 12 years. Why waste good energy?
I absolutely love the long-form discussions, Elsa! The Shonagh Home podcast is next in the queue!! If you ever did a regular hour or so show, say monthly or weekly, I know it would be a great success.
Thank you! If I ever have an idea, how this might work, I’ll do it.
Yes I’ve enjoyed them! And yeah so cool about the astrodispatch concept. I remember those days, made me kinda nostalgic haha
Thank you! And yes. Nostalgic! That’s the perfect word for it.
The sum total of all of this is that you are a force to be reckoned with. A real and true force. You have made good with your life and it is so lovely to see you collaborate with others, who like you, have made good with their lives. It isn’t easy. I watched and or listened all three. I enjoyed them all and learned through listening to the conversations. I appreciate having the chance to learn from REAL, honest and open dialog wherever l can. It helps me grow so much. Your writing is really good Elsa. I just would like you to know that through the art of conversation with other quality human beings, there is a whole different dimension that is brought forth and that it is expansive and revelatory, but it has a warmth and organic and comforting flow to it. Anyway, l really like it.
I thank you for introducing me to The Outsider Astrology podcast. I like the work they are doing there. I have been reading/listening to Robert for a long time. He is wonderful. I learned of Shonagh through Robert, as he is a friend and colleague of hers. It’s amazing seeing these connections both new and old, as in the case of Robert. I love to see you all supporting one another. It’s just damn good people with a great deal of love and respect treating each other like family. There is power in that that should be recognized.
Thanks Elsa, it’s fine work you do. It’s so nice when you collaborate with really fine people and great seeing that connection.
Thanks, LN. For all of this. I agree with you, wholeheartedly, across the board.
Thanks Elsa for the Equal house break down. I applied to my partners chart. The universal time changed one hour and he went from 0 taurs rising( Placidus) to 0 Aries rising ( Equal house). I see him in a different light and it makes more sense. He’s got a vicious sharp tongue Mercury there instead of the 12th. No wonder. Great conversation, I look forward to the next.
No, it would not change the rising sign. If he is 0 Taurus rising, he would have 0 on each house cusp.
Thanks for clarifying. I thought the same. I used the on line calculator at cafe astrology. It flipped his rising back a whole sign. Not sure why. Wierd. My brain just took a long walk back to where I was. lol.
I just looked again at cafe astrology and astroseek.com vs. astrodienst. The Universal time for his date of birth is an hour earlier on the former than the later. How could the Universal time be different for a birthtime?
It’s not. I don’t use any of those sites so I don’t know what you’re doing. You only need to change one thing. The house system.
Per the third podcast: I have a friend in heart failure. She’s had a bad/defective heart all her life. However, NOBODY (not the big shots at Stanford, nobody) has any idea of what to do with her or help her. She’s always told to go to the ER and then the ER won’t do anything because they don’t know what to do and don’t want to get sued. They literally bounce back and forth between “you need a heart transplant” and “never mind, you don’t” because she doesn’t fit the standard qualifications of it. She knows she’s in heart failure one way or another, but she always says they don’t want to tell her she has heart failure and they don’t want to tell her she needs a heart transplant. But at this point she’s a professional patient, she knows a hell of a lot more than most people on medical things, and she says she can tell because she knows the protocols for heart transplant (example: they make you go to therapy). It’s all ridiculous.