Exploring Astrology

Have you ever asked What is Astrology? and what is a star sign? And all the other questions you have wanted to know about Astrology.  In this episode, we have guest speaker Sitora Yusufiy; she is a herbalist, astrologer, shamanic practitioner, artist, and activist. She is a conscious creator and helps bring awareness to why working with astrology is a spiritual soul map to help guide you on this crazy life here on earth.
https://www.astro.com

Trina Zaragoza
www.alteredhaven.com
  🔮Psychic Medium, 📚Empowerment Teacher
🎤Podcast Host, 🌕Full Moon Newsletters
💖 Shaman and Angelic Practitioner
🌈Chakras Practitioner & ✨Reiki Master

Let's Get Social: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alteredhaven333 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteredhaven/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trina-zaragoza-3564b09/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alteredhaven333/_created/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlteredHaven 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdAMdH2pj3-ffWwAZ6fwIcA 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@userangelkissz3?lang=en 

 Sitora Yusufiy

 website: www.IshtarAlchemy.com

https://www.instagram.com/sitora.yusufiy/

https://www.instagram.com/ishtaralchemy/

Credits-Freesound

398492__anthousai__wind-chimes-single-03

510993__x3nus__constellation-freesound

Transcript

Welcome to mystical musings podcast, where we connect to spirit and give you different perspectives on spiritual topics and engaging conversations with community leaders, healers and teachers, today's healers  Sitora. She's a herbalist astrologer, and shamonic practitioner, artists and activists, her journey of self-awareness and healing uncovered and refined ancestral tools to help her walk with experience in life as a conscious creator through.

She offers it through her work through astrology readings, herbal consultations, Chemonics ceremonies, art poetry, all helping those toward their individual and collective here at healing and empowerment welcomes a Torah. I'm so happy to have you today. Thank you so much. It's an honor. It's a blessing to be here.

So it's a tour with the reason I asked the Sitora to come and. Today is she's one of the few people that I will let do an astrology reading. She's phenomenal with this work, and there's always comes up to a lot of questions. What is astrology? So first before we dive into that deep question Sitora, go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.

So I am a mother and a very passionate and curious student of life and its mysteries. I practice herbalism, astrology, shamanism, I dance. I create art and write poetry. I offer individual sessions and group ceremonies and retreats. That's fantastic. And I've seen your artwork is Hannah has a few of your pieces in her home.

It's phenomenal. It's around the woman empowerment that goddess energy exuding out and all the places. So I love your art sister. Thank you. So what led you on this medicine journey? Everyone has their own story. And so let's kind of dive into what is your story that led you into this medicine? Well to put it briefly, initially is what led me are my ancestors and conjunction with my higher self.

I was born and raised in my country and it was Pakistan. And my grandparents, especially my grandmother raised me with natural healing and ancient mysticism. My summers were spent in Tajikistan mountains, which is the Western range of the Himalayan. Which is even more remote and barely touched by modern civilization.

So I was always aware of the medicine of nature, the wisdom of stars. It was instilled to me from birth. Thankfully. Then I came to the us to be with my parents and that's when everything changed. I was completely cut off from nature and my ancient culture. It was right around my transition to maiden, to a young woman.

And that's when I lost my way. I was trying to fit into this Western culture. Because I was sensitive to all the judgment and criticism, being an immigrant, looking different and being different. I went through 11 years of losing my way and experiencing traumatic situations and dangerous situations that came as a result of that until one day.

Hanging by a thread. And my health was very poor. I was fainting daily and that's when I had a lucid dream because I was in such a limbo state. Two angels came to visit me and showed me flashes of my life from a higher perspective and guide me to change my environment, or I wouldn't be able to fulfill my incarnate purpose.

That's when my life changed, this internal knowing was activated. Right. And I started meditating without knowing much about it. I was running in the forest, eating clean, setting, healthy boundaries. And after that step-by-step spirit guided me to work with plants, send in ceremonies, look for herbs, schools and astrology.

Always loved so deeply. And in that process, I realized that I'm covered on uncovering my ancestral ways. My grandparents guide me in my dreams very often with ceremony, with plant healing, with energy work, through all that. Also I became deeply involved with native American ceremonies and practices realizing that this is my Mongolian bloodline rising because Mongolians and native Americans are entirely.

And that's pretty much the gist of it. Oh, I love that. I love that piece of you. It's so beautiful. And let's tap in because we're talking about astrology today and I've always dabbled in bits and pieces of Charlotte G and it wasn't until this pandemic that I really deep dived into what is astrology and its meaning, and really didn't.

Have, I guess I want to say the respect for it that I do now, maybe. And it's actually changed my views on the universe and looking at things. So let's go ahead and talk about what is astrology. I'm just going to put this disclaimer in here that I want everyone to be aware that all of my responses and answers are based on my own experiences, education and understanding of everything.

So just keep that in mind to me, what astrology. It's the practice of observation and interpretation of celestial bodies in relation to our planet, a large as well as directly to any individual being then venture business. Absolutely. And how does this piece of knowing what's the difference between astronomy and astrology to my.

Astronomy is concerned with the precise mathematical calculations cycles and patterns of celestial bodies. I understand it as a more scientific and technical approach to studying the planets and stars, something that would perhaps be in the curriculum. An astronaut, uh, whereas astrology bridges, the gap between the seen and unseen for me, we know, we know everything is energy numbers also carry their own energy.

So astrology applies the unseen energetics of celestial bodies and movements. And. Energetics can be read in so many different ways, which is why there are so many different branches of astrology and each astrologer will also have their own unique way of interpretation based on their own experience, understanding and ancestral background of it in this way.

Also a strong, uh, astrology in this way. Astrology also interprets celestial body. As higher beings, STDs, God, for instance, Greeks interpreted Venus as Aphrodite while the Muslims Partamian's relate Munis to issues, that astrology is a higher perspective of observation of celestial bodies, integrating archetype psychology patterns, cycles history, and intuition perfectly said, that's beautiful.

Why do we need to explore? Astrology. Why do you think it's important for people that are exploring a spiritual path to have awareness around? I can explain my own experience of how this unfolded for me when I was. Seven or eight years old. I was living in my country and my grandmother, and I would often actually sleep in the garden in the, uh, in the backyard because we had a garden of roses and a mosquito net, and we would fall asleep looking at the stars and the moon.

And so. It was just this awareness, this consciousness like you are outside and you know, you are here on this earth, but then you look up and you see all these amazing, beautiful stars and the moon. And so there was this curiosity and this. Connection that I felt with them. And at that age, I would try to connect with them and see if, if something would happen.

And it did, I would feel energies. I would hear whispers from specific stars. And so it was always a way for me to understand life. And as I. When deeper into astrology, I realized that it's a way to understand ourselves even deeper because we are also part of the universe. We are also part of nature. And so for me, it's been this tool to really understand.

My own patterns and cycles and correlate that my internal process and journey to the external, there's a really famous saying in astrology as above, so below as within. So without, so yeah, that, that's why it's important for me to, to practice astrology gives me a deeper awareness. Within and without, yeah, we tend, I think here on this planet that we're just here on this planet, not knowing that we're connected to that vast cosmos, we are connected to the sun.

We are connected to the planet where are connected to the stars. That is an inner connection through the universal web of connection and conscious. And for me, and astrology is learning how to use that information to help bring in balance into your life. Use those resources of frequencies, vibration to bring in balancing and harmony into your body, into your state and help you have that higher awareness and consciousness to help you connect to that higher place and being, and it will make you feel really small but big at the same time.

If that makes sense. There's a lot of terms that are used in astrology. And I want people to know what these terms are. And so when they're reading astrology readings or any kind of blog or information out there, they at least have some context and understanding of what these terms are. What is a star sign?

So a star sign is your sun sign because the sun of our solar system is a star. And that is the constellation where your son is at the time of your birth. And so is that like Capricorn or. Well Zodiac when we, when people are saying, oh, you're Capricorn and Aries. That's what they're talking about is where that your sun sign was when you were birthed into this world.

And so let's kind of tie that into a natal chart. What is a natal chart and why is it really important for people to know what their natal chart is? To me, it's really one of the foundational pieces that people should be aware of. I believe so as well. Well, let's also mention that astrology has been practiced since pretty much since however long we can look back in human history back to, you know, the initial, some of the first tribes that had constellations any, the exact placements of stars drawn out in their caves.

Um, to then the Persian empire, the Mesopotamians, the Romans and Greeks that had a very intricate advanced, um, Academy of academics, of astrology, where, you know, all their royalty had their own personal astrologers. And so a natal chart is a wonderful tool that I look at as a compass of your soul journey that can look into the past, into the present, into the future, because it all resides really in the same place.

And it can give you. Uh, no awareness based on the cosmic elements that really make a, who you are physically and also psychologically, and give you an awareness of the tools that you have, the patterns that you. Need to work on the karmic, uh, debris that, that, that you need to, that you are working on in this incarnate, uh, life, so on and so forth.

Yes, I totally agree. And it's, for me, I think it's one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself is to find out what your natal chart is. Go into that depth. They have so many resources out there for people to explore that it doesn't have to cost this huge, vast amount of money. To find out these certain things like your natal chart.

And there's like you were saying, there's so many aspects of astrology off there where they can, you can even find out what places is better for you to live. You know, um, what star signs are better for you to be more compatible with and the love kind of relationship. It has so many things. Energies for you to kind of mold and work with, right.

It's it's just an enhanced tool. That's very detailed orientated to kind of guide you. Like you said, that compass thing, people get a lot really scared with some of the messages they get when an Austral in astrology, like right now, a lot of the messages I'm getting into is about the vast change. Of course, we're in.

In this shifting of Ascension kind of shedding, what was old and moving into a higher frequency and it's an unknown, right? Um, w we've never been in this higher realm or our energy as we're shutting, what was no longer needed. And in that shedding, we're seeing a lot of places and systems kind of collapsing and falling away, which that's part of this growth, but people go to a place of fear.

And any time, like, even if I'm saying I have to be really cautious of my wording, Oh, there's changes coming and stuff like that, because it's not about going to fear to me when we were giving messages from spirit. And especially with astrology, it's kind of giving you a heads up. It's giving you a roadmap to kind of laying out what's coming ahead on the road, you know, and so that you can.

Work with the energies, your, your energetic bodies, your physical bodies, your mental, mental, and emotional bodies to bring in balancing. It's never meant to cause fears. It's just saying, Hey, this is a, you know, a road bump and a turn ahead. Totally. What is like with Astro or omens I'm con that's where I was trying to headway into is astral.

Omens. How do you feel about like, how they're presented and what are they and stuff like that. So astral, omen. Uh, in my understanding are tied deeply with the, uh, archetypes and DDS. And they're also tied to the cycles, astral, transits, and specific events like eclipses and throughout history. Every branch, every culture has a tone DDS representing each planet and then their own specific understanding of events, specific transits or alignments eclipses that.

Brought up a specific energy. And sometimes it's an energy that we know sometimes it's something new. So we only, we can only be vague about it, just know that, you know, something is up ahead and the best way to really be prepared for anything is to be as much in your center and relaxed as you can first and foremost.

So that's how I understand astral omens. What are some of the myths associated with Australia? So I will have to echo some of what you said on this, about the fear of whatever astrologers might see or predict. I don't, I don't believe that astrology really defines anything for you or, or you, I feel like you utilize astrology to really create and mold your own journey.

And your own path, the astrology is there quite literally as a map of how do you want to do this? Which term do you want to take? And there are different, um, levels in each direction. There are different obstacles in each direction. There are different lessons. So it's all about which direction you want to take to fulfill the purpose that you are.

On the path of, in this incarnation, a lot of people fear astrology because of what the astrologer might show or predict and subconsciously it does have to do with a lot of the times. It does have to do with not wanting to be confirmed of the truth of some trim Maddick past life, past experiences. And, um, just not really being ready.

A lot of people are actually hesitant to do a deepest charge reading because of that or because of what. Here negatively from a reader. And so in this respect, it also greatly depends on the person doing the interpretation and reading. It is very important to choose your words so carefully because it's very, very subtle energies to be aware that and to bring to awareness and to activate the understanding that there really is nothing good or bad.

It just is what it is. And it's just a process that you have come here, you have chosen to experience every single process that you experience is ultimately leading you to liberation is ultimately leading you to complete a certain contract or level for you to go ahead in your journey. Yeah. We came here to experience.

I told people we are under the impression that we're here. Experience happiness. And that's a small piece of it, but we're here to experience life and all the different tangibles in facets of that light, the good, the bad, the highs, the lows, and all that. The pieces people don't want. What an amazing gift of having this few physical form that we have to be able to taste, to breathe to one, to walk, to hug and to love and to experience in this body.

That's what we're here for. We're here for all of that stuff. And for me, for astrology is like you said, is that roadmap to kind of guide and, and move you into a direction that you may have not looked at? You know, I always say there's 10 different ways to get somewhere. Sometimes we get so rooted that it has to look a certain way that we miss all the, the side routes that are beautiful and have different experiences that will help us grow.

So it's learning to open up our vision to have that clear view of being okay, let's try this different way. We're going to go this route instead of this, this main route that I'm used to do. And nothing ever be set in stone. People, spirit has nothing is ever like set because what is so wonderful about the gifts spirit gave us is freewill.

And because spirit gave us free will we're our meal masters. Nobody tells us you can guide your life. You can change those thoughts. You can change that expression that is going in your life. Nothing is ever set in cement ever. Full potential. And I think that's, what's kind of hard sometimes when we can see that full potential, I always wished I can like take my eyes out and give it to others so they can see their full potential of what I can see with their spirit.

And it's amazing. Like if people really saw how beautiful their souls and essences were in this place, I don't think we would have all the stuff that we have. It's so true. Yes. You put it all so beautifully. Um, uh, very important. I was listening to this lecture by a Yogi and one of the most important things in life is clarity is simply clarity.

You know, we are here to experience it all. You know, the grief, the sadness, the heartbreak, the happiness, the joy, the bliss, all of it equally. The clarity that allows us to compartmentalize where we want to be, where we want to continue on what we want to leave behind. It's really you, you are the master creators and we are the master creators, and it's really always up to us what we are creating in our area.

And do you, how do you feel there's some contradiction, whether astrology is scientific and what is your piece on that? I believe that, I mean, if you really, uh, want to dissect the word science, it's the observation of everything that functions in this existence and how it functions. And so there is a science aspect to it because we're.

Measuring the planets, their location, their degrees based on the space on this, you know, um, chart. And so there was a scientific aspect to it, but it's not only scientific. Um, that's why I love astrology. It is able to, for me, at least blend the scientific, the mathematics, the numbers, the technical parts into the, with the unseen, with the spirit, with the energy, with the psychology of.

Existence. Yeah. With consciousness. That's how I, into that vast awareness and connection. Yes. Where would you guide people? Because I'm in totally agreement with you. You have to be very clear about who's giving the reading. That's one of the reasons why I chose you from this podcast, because they're very, I'm very.

Picky about who reads my energy and who I feel can do it from a neutral space, neutral space. That means not bringing their limiting beliefs, their opinions, their own traumas into that reading that it's not bleeding in there that it's literally. The space of what they're exactly receiving and that information.

And I think that's important for people to hear and to understand, I can't tell you how many clearing sessions I've had to do because people were told something was set or, you know, told something really that was not their truth and a reading. When you ever sit with anyone, people, teachers healers, anyone.

If it doesn't resonate with you, let it go. It's not yours to keep, it's not yours to hold on to are any of that place. And so whenever you're getting ready to go for a reading, ask your guides to guide you to that person that will have that clarity, that neutrality, that place. That connection to heart when they're doing that reading.

And so the reason I'm asking this or saying this, is there like any websites that you would encourage people that, you know, keeps that neutrality when it comes to astrology that it's not that bleed through of their opinions or personal beliefs. That it's just the information that needs to. Put out there.

So, uh, when it comes to websites, there's one main one that I utilize. And that is, um, as far as I know, the most common astrologer practicing as child, your website, it's, uh, astro.com. And it's very, just clear and neutral on the information that it provides. It just provides very detailed charts, you know, to your ability.

To your level of a man's advancement in his chargey and you can choose so many different options to show on the chart. And as I said, their education, I was challenged. It is also very neutral and clear. Um, because yes, everything that you said is really important. I actually, myself recently made videos about that about not about taking everything with a grain of salt, whatever readings you do, because in general, As a rule of thumb, this is at least the way that I see it as a seer.

You know, as someone who has their third eye pretty open and someone who can perhaps, uh, translate the language of the stars to someone who's not aware of it, it's really important to not crystallize any negative possibilities to not solidify any detrimental possibilities. I also have this. Ability to see every person's highest potential.

When I first meet them, when I first talked to them, uh, when I see their chart, I focus on that and then dissect the, the details, the, the patterns, the, the work that has to be done to achieve that. So, Not really looking at astrology from totally predictive approach to tell you what's going to happen in the future.

No, it's about showing your potential, your highest potential and the steps to get there because everyone has the highest expression, their higher self, their higher potential, and that, you know, they're liberated, they're Severn, balanced self. Purpose as a guide, as an astrologer or a reader is to dissect and give them clear reflection of their past or present and the, the work that needs to be done to get there.

I always find it funny. Cause when people come to me, some of them don't realize you get homework, you're going to get homework. When you come visit me. I'm just not one of those ones that are going to tell you what you need to do. I'm going to give you homework to shift it and move it. And I never give anyone stuff that I haven't done myself.

This is. Several times for me. And you're going to probably hear it in the future. Never go to someone that's not working on their own personal stuff. Never go to someone that's not working on their own shadow, work, their own inner reflection, trying to express that higher self that Satoria was just talking about into the world, because they're not doing the work you want to go with someone that's doing the work.

And I know sister that I've seen your journey. I'm always in awe about where you went through and where you're at. And I'm just, yes, I just, I just adore. Who has been the most influential person in your life and how do they impact you? This is a really good question and it's pretty simple for me to answer.

It's my grandmother. She raised me. So I was her first granddaughter, her first grandchild. She named me Soetoro, which literally. To start. And she pretty much adopted me, uh, to where since birth mom used to live with her, my parents used to live with her, but then even after they moved out to their own apartment, I stayed with my grandmother until I was about 10 years old.

And she just, she came from a lineage of, of healer. Energy healers and herbalists and she would just do all these things with herbs and tell me the stories that are connected to them from our culture and read to me these poetries of our Sufi ancestors that are all about mysticism. And so from a very first, very first initial years, I was just introduced to this.

Mystical universe from such a vast and deep perspective there, she, she did such a good job that it was hard for me to not be aware of all these things, which actually made it hard for me to. Be the quote unquote normal person or with the app, like that's how much of a good job that she did. And that's what gave me the strong foundation to really come back to my roots, even after all the, you know, trauma that I've experienced and the disconnect that I've experienced.

So she definitely was the most influential. Oh, I love that. It's always nice. That it's amazing. That you had that beautiful connection, especially with grandmother, mother energy. That is an amazing gift that she gave her. What is the best advice any of your mentors has given you? There are so many of them.

Is there anything that stands out more than another? Probably one of the best advice than to have control. Only worry about the control that I have over myself, because that is the only thing that I can control. The only being that I can truly control to. Really be focused on my own healing on my own or internal work, shadow work so that I can truly have control over my own energy because everything else responds to everything else reflects from that, from your own internal wellbeing and balance.

And that's pretty much my, my number one priority in life is my own self healing. My own self work. If. Don't do that then I have, I mean, I never wanted to really, I never had to put this. I never. Aspired to be doing the work that I do now, which is helping people in, in various ways, uh, through nature or astrology.

I wouldn't have been who I am if I didn't do, if I didn't set on commit to my own self work. Yeah, cause it puts you on this journey to give you a different perspective. So when you are sitting with someone, you can really come from that heart space of knowing the walk that they're going through, knowing that piece and the hard work that it took to get there.

Yeah. I always tell people when you come to me, you're not, I can get a cotton candy reading. Like I'm going to give you work and shadow work and it's okay. If you go home, flipping me off and cussing at me. I'm okay with. I know once you do the work, your life will change. You will change and you will be that immense expression out there.

We're just messengers, right? We're just messing up. We're nothing more. The people that do that work. They're the ones who do it. They're the ones that go in deep. They're the ones who've processed and just use the tools that we taught them, how to use. And I love that. I see that expression being rippled out everywhere.

It's just amazing. And is there any question that you wish I would have asked you? No, I think, I think you, you asked the really important stuff that I wish everyone to ponder more about with astrology. Where can our listeners learn more about you? Um, so the main platform that I'm active on is Instagram, which is Sitara use of fi and my website through which they can learn more about me, about my work.

If they feel they're resonate. And can you give them their website? Yes. The website is, IshtarAlchemy.com. I want to thank you. My beautiful sister. I always enjoy connecting with you and your beautiful energy. And I appreciate you taking the time I'm enjoying. Thank you so much, Trina for the space and thank you for being such a beautiful guide sister, teacher, and also healer in my life and my journey.

We know the work that we do. I'm grateful for you and the work that you do. And it's an honor to be here with. Well, thank you. It just made my heart smile. Thank you for joining us today. I hope you enjoy this podcast with guest speakers to tour, you can connect with me on my website@wwwdotalteredhaven.com and  at www.

IshtarAlchemy.com become our friends on social media. Don't forget. I have some amazing metaphysical products and services available on my website. And so does the Torah. She has some great products on hers, too. If you enjoy this podcast, you can support us with a coffee or Venmo. A friend of this allows us to continue to roll out these podcasts.

And just a reminder, I know nothing is with a certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. Vincent van Gogh Namaste on my sparks of joy. We hope you enjoy today's podcast.