THE Chook caught up with our celestial soothsayer Sudhir this week, to find out what the impact of Coronavirus on the world of astrology. Turns out at the moment he’s very much got his feet on the ground, dealing with the marginalised in Kings Cross in Sydney.

HE spiralling dance of the planets and the stars is a hook on which to hang a tapestry of symbols and stories. These stories provide an alternate narrative to the usual tall tales of popular culture. At least the way I write them they are. When I look at the stars, and I dig into my memory for the stories from antiquity associated with them, I find tales of complexity, colour, adventure and transformation.  

Which leads us to now. If these aren’t interesting times, then what is. I work as a counsellor for a walk-in health service in the heart of Kings Cross. 

There are doctors, nurses, counsellors, health education officers and front of service people here. It’s free. It’s anonymous and people don’t need a Medicare card if they don’t want to use one. We work with marginalised people. It’s very real. I see the miracle that happens when people are treated respectfully, no matter who they are, on a daily basis. We don’t judge, we don’t stigmatise – and the effect is powerfully positive.

For many decades my focus has been on our collective need for psychotherapy and meditation. 

I always wanted to be able to practice this right bang in the middle of society at large. I got my wish. Yet, where my friends and I were once on the fringe, now we are in the mainstream. As we grow in understanding of the hurt, pain and trauma that underlies homelessness, intravenous drug use, mental health issues, violence, prejudice and chronic health problems of all kinds, so the newly acceptable interventions that work to heal have radicalised our work. To deepen body awareness, to come more and more into the present moment, to connect meaningfully with other good-hearted humans, to be creative in whatever we do, and to rewrite our narratives, is to begin a journey of healing no matter the nature of our starting point. We can now proudly say that such things are evidence based.

So where does astrology come into this? Astrology is a language of the right brain. That’s where the healing is. Aries tells us about the healing power of adventure. Venus reminds us that the world is here to be delighted in. Pluto reminds us that in every loss there is a renewal. Uranus tells us that every upheaval implies liberation. These are ideas that have enough potency to be able to carry them into even the most difficult of situations and find truth, beauty and meaning, where it would be easy to imagine there were none.

So, next time you read your stars, remember there is a whole lot going on in there beneath the surface that may be able to help you find your way through these crazy days.