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Picture: SHUTTERSTOCK

Daily Mail, Thursday, August 1, 2019

Women

astrology

who say

has helped

them climb

the

career

ladder

and media. Your identity is being

suddenly energised and you could

become prolific or well-known.

You just need patience.’

Part of me wonders if she is tell-

ing me what I want to hear, but so

much rings true that I can’t believe

it’s coincidence that I have those

planets in those exact positions.

So, when I ask her whether a

date I have in my diary for an

important meeting is auspicious,

I panic at her response: ‘I wouldn’t

have elected it, because Mercury

is still in retrograde.’

This well-known astrological

period happens three or four

times a year, when Earth over-

takes Mercury in its orbit around

the Sun, giving the illusion — to

watchers on Earth — of Mercury

moving backwards across the sky.

It’s seen as a time of mis-

communication, so Francesca

urges me to use my Taurean

directness to spell out my skills

when I meet TV executives about

my projects.

Kezia Luckett, 47, has been

using astrology to sort out her

work calendar since last year.

She’s a psychologist who runs

a global movement called Women

Of Contribution, which supports

women in making a positive impact

on the planet, and is the bestselling

author of The Pay It Forward

Series: Notes To My Younger Self.

‘I use an astrologer to get more

guidance from the planets on

things such as dates for launches

and conferences or big projects,’

says Kezia, a married mother of

two from Buckinghamshire.

‘In the same way I have a financial

strategist and someone working on

development, my astrologer is an

integral part of the team. I wouldn’t

be without her assistance now, as

the accuracy is spot on.’

Kezia had planned to open her

new organisation to members on

a particular date last summer, but,

after running it past her astrologer,

Nicola Crawford, she moved it to a

month later. ‘She said people were

less likely to take action in August

because of where the Moon was —

but September, building up to the

full Harvest Moon, was better.’

A cynic might say August is also

when more people are on holiday,

but Kezia insists there’s more to

her advice than common sense.

In an early session, Kezia felt

positive about her many business

aspects, but Nicola insisted the

stars suggested it was too much.

‘She told me to let go of some

of my projects. I said no, because

these projects are my babies. Even-

tually, I realised she was right.’

Kezia uses Nicola several times a

quarter, at £65 an hour. They speak

via Zoom video conference calls

and Nicola responds quickly to

her requests for information on

dates via email, priced at £45 for

30 minutes of her time.

‘She’s helped me change the

way I do things,’ says Kezia. ‘She’s

inspired me to step outside of my

comfort zone — I’ve started doing

conferences and giving talks.’

Anna Butterworth, 32, was a

marketing manager for a London

tech firm. After meeting Francesca

Oddie at a wellness event two years

ago, she signed up for a reading.

S

HE admits: ‘I felt very

lost at the time, so I was

willing to try something

different. I was no longer

feeling fulfilled in my job.

‘During the session, I kept men-

tioning companies I’d love to work

for. But she said: “You’re a natural

leader — what are you doing?” So,

rather than hunt for jobs working

for other people, I thought: “Maybe

I can do this on my own.” ’

So Anna set up a brand consult-

ancy agency. She now has several

staff working for her, is expanding

internationally — and tries to see

Francesca bi-annually.

‘I’m still not certain astrology

is 100 per cent true,’ says Anna,

whose parents are university

professors. ‘But having a slightly

different prism through which to

view your life is really refreshing.’

As for me, Francesca Oddie is

now officially ‘my astrologer’ — a

phrase I never thought I’d use.

Her advice for my TV meeting

meant I was more concise, though

I forgot to emphasise my successes

enough. While I still don’t know its

outcome, I’m starting to trust her

predictions about my career.

Astrology might not be for

everyone, but for me, it works.

Oscar Cainer — Page 62

Some deride it as hokum. Yet ever

more starry-eyed professionals

are relying on consultants or

even apps to make decisions

based on their birth sign...

STAR SIGN: Determined by

which of the 12 areas of the

sky corresponding to the

zodiac signs the Sun was in

at your birth. It explains the

core of your personality.

MOON SIGN: Based on which

zodiac sign the moon was in

when you were born, it rep-

resents your emotional self.

It’s a side you reveal to loved

ones, but also explains your

reactions to events and your

feelings about yourself.

RISING SIGN: Your ‘ascend-

ant’ is the constellation

that was rising on the east-

ern horizon of the sky at

your birth and shows how

you come across to others.

MIDHEAVEN: Determined

by the zodiac sign at the

southern, highest point

above the horizon when

you were born. Known as

the ‘career line’, it can

explain your goals.

ELEMENTS: Each of the

12 zodiac signs belongs to

an element, determined

by the seasons of the year

when the Sun enters them.

Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo

are practical Earth signs;

Aries, Leo and Sagittarius

are hot-headed Fire signs;

Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio

are emotional Water signs;

Aquarius, Gemini and Libra

are changeable Air signs.

WHAT’S

IN YOUR

STARS?