A few weeks ago, I gave an astrology reading to a client, whom I’ll call Sarah. I felt a strong connection with her from the start. She has suffered from depression and felt lost throughout most of her life, and as you already know, these are two issues I highly resonate with, due to my own journey. 

As always, I did my best to provide her with the best reading I could and offer her tools to help her address her challenges. I ended the reading feeling elated, just as I do after most readings, loving my job and the people I meet along the way. 

But this time it was different. The next morning, I got an email from Sarah, in which she expressed her disappointment with the reading. It was not what she expected, and it even made her angry.

At first, I was very defensive. I believed that I gave her a great reading, and it was just hard for her to accept some of the issues that I brought up. But I also sent it to my supervisor and asked her to evaluate it. 

I knew it wasn’t easy for Sarah to write this email to me. She had a natural aversion to conflict, so I appreciated her willingness to come forth and speak her truth — it was much better than her being unhappy without saying anything. 

Receiving my supervisor’s response was highly unpleasant. She pointed out many things that I did wrong. Through her reflection, I could see the reading from Sarah’s perspective and understood what had happened to me in the reading and why it went wrong. 

I then offered Sarah the option of another free session with me, a full refund, or to be matched with another astrologer. I was thrilled when she accepted my offer to meet again. 

This time, I gave her a great reading that was really beneficial for her, and the next morning, I received a beautiful thank-you email.

Here are the three powerful insights I’ve gained thanks to Sarah’s honesty: 

1. There is nothing more magical, healing, transformative, and powerful than to accept another person’s criticism with an open mind and heart. It’s highly uncomfortable and humbling to realize you’ve made mistakes, but there is nothing better than correcting your mistakes and turning the bitterness of being wrong into the sweet nectar of being better. It takes the courage of Aries and the relationship skills of Libra to do so, and I am incredibly proud of myself for how I dealt with this situation.

2. At the beginning of our first session, Sarah expressed deep distress. She needed me to help her step out of her dark place, but instead, I sank into it with her. Empathy is not the same as enmeshment. Aries knows to stay rooted in itself, so that it can help others as a Libra would want, but without losing boundaries. 

3. In my first session, I focused on the areas where Sarah was struggling and tried to help her make positive changes. In the second session, I focused on showing Sarah all the things she did right. This empowered her and helped her realize that she was wiser and more capable than she had given herself credit for. I was as authentic and honest with her in the second session as I was in the first; it was simply a matter of connecting with what she needed from me, rather than trying to fix her. This is being a leader like an Aries, while being attentive to the other person, like a Libra. 

I hope these insights will help you foster and improve your relationships and deal with the challenges they present in a way that empowers you and others.

Happy full moon in Aries,

Much love,

Yael