Exploring Astrology with Soph

You know your star sign. Maybe you read the horoscope. But what if that's barely even scratching the surface of what astrology can actually tell you — about yourself, your patterns, your relationships, and even the weeks when everything just flows? 

This week on Exploring Ways to Wellness, Sarah sits down with Soph Newman — psychotherapist, astrologer, and the person who gently but thoroughly dismantled everything Sarah thought she knew about astrology in the first two minutes. 

Soph describes her work as science and soul — and this conversation is exactly that. Grounded, honest, and genuinely eye-opening. In this episode: 

⭐ Why your star sign is just one tiny piece of your birth chart — and what the full picture actually looks like 

⭐ Astrology as a map of opportunities: knowing when to rest, when to act, and when to launch 

⭐ Why some full moons floor you and others you don't even notice — and what that says about your personal chart 

⭐ Soph's extraordinary story: her daughter's diagnosis in 2021, and the once-in-a-lifetime planetary transit that happened to the exact day 

⭐ Every country has a birth chart — and how some astrologers saw major global events coming before they happened 

⭐ Why AI gets birth charts wrong in a very convincing way (and why that matters)

 ⭐ Synastry — comparing two charts, and why Soph's chart says she and her partner shouldn't work together at all 

⭐ The word sonder — and how astrology gave Soph a completely different kind of compassion for other people 

⭐ Moon journalling as a low-pressure starting point if you're curious but not ready to dive in 

This isn't a woo conversation about Mercury retrograde ruining your day. It's a thoughtful, warm, and surprisingly moving exploration of one of the oldest tools humans have ever used to understand themselves. 

Sarah booked a session with Soph before they even recorded. The links are below if you'd like to do the same. 

🔗 Instagram: @moonandsoul_coach 

🔗 Soul Astrology Readings: https://sophnewmanportal.netlify.app/the-readings

Curious about EFT tapping? If you've been feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or just not quite yourself lately, it could be just the thing. Host Sarah Gorev offers EFT and energy sessions via Zoom, plus virtual EFT tapping card decks if you'd like to explore at your own pace - find everything at tapintoyou.co.uk. Come and say hello on Instagram too @sarahgorev

This podcast is here to inform and inspire curiosity, not to tell you what to do. Everything discussed reflects the personal experiences of our guests, and Sarah doesn't personally endorse any particular practice or approach. You're always in the driving seat — it's entirely your choice whether to explore further. Where guests offer the chance to try things for yourself, you'll find links below. And as always, nothing here is suggested as a substitute for personalised advice from your own healthcare professionals.

Thanks for listening.

All rights in this recording and our Vocal Identity remain exclusively ours under UK, US, and international intellectual property law. This recording may not be used to train, fine-tune, or inform any AI voice synthesis system, nor may our voices be cloned, replicated, or used in any form without our express written consent.  

Transcript

Exploring Astrology with Soph

[00:00:00] ​

[00:00:07] What if there was a map, not of the world around you, but of you? Your patterns, your gifts, the moments of your life where everything shifted, and even the weeks when things flow more easily than others. What if that map was available to you since the moment you were born? Welcome back to Exploring Ways to Wellness.

[00:00:31] I'm Sarah Gorev, and this week I'm joined by the wonderful Soph Newman. She's a psychotherapist, astrologer, and someone who describes everything she does as science and soul, which honestly already makes me feel like this conversation is going to be a good one. Now, I'll be up front, I went into this thinking I knew a bit about astrology.

[00:00:57] I'm an Aquarius, and sometimes I read horoscopes. Job done. Soph very gently dismantled that in about two minutes,

[00:01:07] in this episode, we talk about why horoscopes can actually be quite misleading, and what understanding your full birth chart opens up instead. How Soph uses astrology not to predict the future, but as what she calls a map of opportunities, knowing when to rest, when to act, and when the planets are working in your favour.

[00:01:31] This fascinating idea that every country has its own birth chart, and how some astrologers are mapping global events before they even happen. Why the moon journal I've been using might be doing more than I realised, and what the word sonder has to do with compassion, astrology, and being a little bit less impatient with your partner.

[00:01:56] I actually ended up booking a session with Soph before we even recorded this, which probably tells you everything you need to know about my interest in it. So let's get to it

[00:02:09] welcome back to Exploring Ways to Wellness. I'm thrilled this week to have Soph Newman with me, and Soph is going to talk to us about astrology, I thought I knew quite a bit because I knew that I'm an Aquarius, but it wasn't even til I started speaking to Soph that I found out that was a sun sign, and there is a lot more to this than just your horoscopes.

[00:02:33] Sarah: So thank you so much, Soph, for joining us. 

[00:02:37] Soph: Thank you. Thanks for having 

[00:02:40] me. 

[00:02:40] Sarah: Can we just start with, I touched on there, I really don't know very much about astrology, although I'm aware that it's to do with the placement of moons, planets, that kind of thing. To somebody who doesn't know very much and just, you know, reads horoscopes, how would you introduce people to it?

[00:03:00] Soph: Yeah, so, and this is the thing, isn't it? I think most people know their, what we would call star sign, but that is your sun sign. So- The moment we are born, our, the, it's almost like it's a snapshot of, you know, where all the planets were in the sky, and that creates our birth chart. And our sun, like yours in Aquarius, is just one, you know, one of the, one of the planets and the placements that we can have.

[00:03:31] So when we're looking at our horoscopes, and there's only 12 there, there's so many more layers to it. Because someone can have an Aquarius sun, but they might have, for example, their moon might fall in Cancer, their Jupiter might fall in Gemini. So when we're born, these planets give us, you know, the energy that we carry through our life.

[00:03:54] And what I find so exciting about astrology is, you know, it's not just that snapshot on our natal chart gives us our kind of personality traits and how we handle emotion and how we approach the world. Obviously, the planets continue to move throughout our whole life, and as they move, they activate things within our birth chart.

[00:04:18] So this is why. And I think most people, even if they aren't into astrology, will be able to relate to feeling things around a full moon, and actually, some full moons you might be like, "What the hell is going on?" And then others, you don't even notice it's a full moon, and that's because it's, like, activating different things in your personal birth chart.

[00:04:40] Sarah: I find that really interesting, 'cause as you touched on there, there is a tendency, I find, in that if somebody's having a bad day, everyone sort of piles on and says, "Oh, well, there's some things in retrograde," or, "There's a full moon," or something's going on like this. But actually, it sounds like it's a more personal thing.

[00:05:00] It wouldn't necessarily affect everybody in the same way because it depends on where, what your- Yeah ... signs are to begin with. 

[00:05:06] Soph: Absolutely. You know, so if, for example, the most recent moon, full moon that we had on Friday, the Sagittarius ones, if you have strong Sagittarius placements in your chart, so you have your sun and moon kind of any of the personal planets, which kind of like Venus and Mars.

[00:05:26] So Venus, wherever Venus falls in our chart, Venus is the planet of like our love and our values, and Mars is our, like, action and drive. So if we have those kind of planets in Sagittarius, or we have any other planets chatting or talking with Sagittarius, we're gonna feel that differently to maybe someone who hasn't.

[00:05:47] And also, each zodiac falls into a different house. So our houses are our life areas. So some- o- one of the houses, examples of the 10th house, is like our house of career, um- And work. And the sixth house is like the house of our daily routine. Seventh is relationships. So depending on what house area it falls in, you might also notice that differently.

[00:06:13] If you're feeling that, you know, if you've got a full moon in your sixth house, that's our daily routine. We're gonna feel that differently to someone who's maybe got that in their house of relationships, and they might feel that more, that, that their partner's really pissing them off that day. Whereas the person who has it in their daily chart might just feel like, you know those days when everything just feels like hard work.

[00:06:37] So it really feels different for everyone, and that's why horoscopes can be just so misleading because there, there's just so many more layers to it. 

[00:06:47] Sarah: Yeah. 

[00:06:47] Soph: And that's what I love to... 'Cause I never blame the planets. So you know, I like will never be like, "Oh, I'm having a bad day 'cause this, this is happening."

[00:06:55] Or, you know, the planets don't cause things to happen. They, it's just that our energy that it affects. But sometimes I absolutely love if one of my clients is having a rubbish day, I'll be like, "Let's look at your chart." And usually it's Mars doing something in there- ... or Saturn's, Saturn's up to something again.

[00:07:13] But usually it's like a mirror. You can see it reflected back, and I adore that. 

[00:07:19] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. That's lovely because it, it gives a reason for things sometimes that you can't usually give a reason for. We do search for that, don't we? We're like, "Well, why me?" 

[00:07:30] Soph: Yeah, and I think anything, whatever that looks like, whether that's astrology, whatever that might be, anything that can bring us a little bit of self-compassion and a, a bit of self-kindness, I'm here for.

[00:07:43] So if that means that you can go, "Oh, God, it's the full moon. That's why I'm feeling a bit grumpy," and then you can meet yourself with a bit more compassion, I'm here for it. 

[00:07:54] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. And I guess it gives you that sort of positivity going forward as well because it, it, you know, as you said, the m- the moon, the stars, everything's, it's all constantly moving.

[00:08:04] So it doesn't mean that's the way you're gonna be forever. 

[00:08:08] Soph: Mm-hmm. 

[00:08:08] Sarah: It gives you that optimism, if you like. Things, we'll move through this, and then there'll be something else on the other side. 

[00:08:15] Soph: Yeah, absol- it really is a you can look at it and go, "This too shall pass" type. You know? 'Cause I think what happens is when people are having a wobbly day or whatever, we can really get in our own heads and feel like this is just how we're gonna feel from now on.

[00:08:31] Yeah. But actually, when we know, you know, give it a couple of days and I'll be feeling good again, it can give you that optimism and hope. Which hope is my favourite word in the whole wide world, by the way. So, um, you know, and I think when we don't have that optimism and hope, that's when we can kind of feel ourselves in a hole.

[00:08:49] So I think if you, like, look at your chart and you can see- Okay, this is gonna pass in a couple of days, and then how can I use what I have got, the positive aspects that I have got? Okay, my chart's telling me that I need to rest, or my chart's saying that maybe I need to get out in nature, and use that side of it as well.

[00:09:08] Sarah: Yeah. And I think another point I want to touch on there that's linked to what you just said is that sometimes in wellness we can get a bit caught up in just the rest, rest side. But as you were saying, there's all these houses, and some of them actually could be very productive presumably- Yes

[00:09:25] and be a good time for, for action. 

[00:09:29] Soph: Absolutely. And I always call our, an- astrology our map of opportunities. So when we're really using our chart, we, yes, we know when to rest, and actually for some people it gives them permission to rest without guilt. Yeah. So I think that's really, you know, I'm here for that.

[00:09:48] But actually, there's so much in our chart that will tell us this is a really good time to get out and about, to be sociable. 'Cause I'm very much like, I, some days I'll go out in a social situation and I'll be like, "Ooh, get me home now." And then other days I'll go out and I'll love it.

[00:10:07] And I've noticed a pattern in that with what's happening in my chart. So there are times that would be better for us to launch stuff in our business or, you know, to talk about what we're doing or to go networking because the planets are kind of working in our favour. And- That's what, you know, my kind of passion is about.

[00:10:28] It's not just helping people understand their birth chart, but how can we use it in our everyday life. 

[00:10:35] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. And that, so how on earth did you come across all of this? Is this something that was a childhood passion that you've ended up turning into more of a, a full-time- Mm ... activity? Or is 

[00:10:48] it more recent?

[00:10:48] Soph: So I've al- so yeah, I always used to read the horosc- say, like, I'd go to toilet at home and then my mum's magazine would be on the floor in the bath- she'd been in the bathroom- ... reading her Heat magazine or whatever it would be. And I would pick it up and I would read my horoscope in there, even at nine.

[00:11:04] And it would be like, "Leo is gonna meet the love of their life on Tuesday." And I'd be like, "Yes." 

[00:11:09] Sarah: Love 

[00:11:09] it. 

[00:11:09] Soph: Yeah. And, that's all I knew for a long time, and I think it was about when I was about 22 I had, like, my full birth chart done. And I remember telling people about it, and everyone was like, "Oh, God," you know, "Woo, woo, nonsense," and whatever.

[00:11:27] So it's something I used to kind of, not do in secret I guess, but I kind of would look into every now and again, and didn't really dive into it much more. But how it really came about and I made it part of my business was in 2021 my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. And- 

[00:11:49] Sarah: I'm sorry ... 

[00:11:49] Soph: she had three years of chemo.

[00:11:53] And during that time, I, as you can imagine, I went through a real kind of, awakening to, sugar, life is really, really short. Life is so precious. I need to change how I'm living it, and I need to make the most of it. And prior to that, I'd been in retail management, and I actually loved my job.

[00:12:13] I loved meeting people. I loved the customers. I absolutely, every store that I loved in, I loved my team. But I wasn't coming home feeling like fulfilled, I don't think. You know, I don't think I was feeling like, "Oh, I made a difference today." That was, so when Callie was going through her chemo, I retrained as a psychotherapist.

[00:12:37] And again, that's something that I'd always wanted to do, was to like help people, but I never thought I was clever enough and stuff. But I was like, "Do you know what? Just go for it. Life is really too short." And then I started realising that actually healing to me had to happen on more than one layer. It had to happen on more than just our mind, which is what the psychotherapy was doing, and it gave me some amazing skills and knowledge to understand the human brain and, and things.

[00:13:09] But for me, there had to be a deeper level, which was like bringing in that spirituality. And I remember the craziest thing, and people wouldn't believe me if I, I told them this, but when I looked at my chart for the day my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, so it's the 4th September 2021, I had a transit in there.

[00:13:33] So what happened was Pluto, which is the planet of real transformation, Uranus, which is the planet of... They literally call it b- the rug being swept from under your feet. It is you know, sudden shocks is one of the things that they say with Uranus. So we had Pluto, the planet of transformation, and Uranus making a pattern with my moon, which is my emotions and my moon is Cancer, so my moon is all about family, motherhood, nurture, and it was in the house of family.

[00:14:09] So n- I, so I ha- so when you actually think about the fact that we had all of those planets coming together, and the interesting thing is that is a once in a life transit. It would never happen again that they would hit that formation. 

[00:14:24] Sarah: Okay. 

[00:14:24] Soph: And it happened to the day. Now, I'm not saying that the planets caused her cancer, but what I'm saying- Of course

[00:14:32] is when I saw that and I saw how it was reflected so perfectly- That's when I started not just taking the birth chart stuff seriously and helping people understand their birth chart, but helping them understand how this is so reflected in our common life too, but how can we use that to our advantage.

[00:14:56] Sarah: Yeah. And did- so from there, have you found that it's something that you use as a sort of daily check, or do you look at it your annual- 

[00:15:05] Soph: So I have a couple of people that I write a, it's called Soph's Cosmic Hot Line. So I will write for them every week what is happening for them coming up, so they can kind of like know what's going on for their week.

[00:15:19] So when I'm doing that on a Sunday evening, I'll do my own. So I'll sit and I'll look what is coming up for the week. There's some astrologers that will literally, only do things if the planets are in their favour. And I, I, I don't let it control me like that. If I wanna go somewhere and the planets are s- you know, saying, "No, you're not gonna be at your best that day," I'll still go.

[00:15:42] But, um, I will look and see, okay, maybe Thursday won't be the best day for me to go here. And Thursday evening I'll sit and I'll do kind of more written work, because I'm not gonna have that much energy. So I do like roughly plan my week around what's gonna happen. And then, yeah, always look at it on, then on a bigger scale with the month, and then the year as well.

[00:16:09] Because of course, all the planets move at different times. So the planets kind of, you know, the Sun, Mercury, Mars, they all move quite quickly. But the others tend to move more slower, and they're gonna affect us monthly. And then we have the planets that I just spoke about, like Pluto and Uranus, they move very slowly.

[00:16:31] So they're what's called generational planets, because they tend to affect the collective more than they do personally. So although they hit all of our charts in different places. Does that make sense? So you, you kind of look at it from a bigger, and then how does this affect me every day. 

[00:16:50] Sarah: Yeah. Can you sort of see- those big ones affecting us as society

[00:16:58] Soph: Absolutely

[00:16:59] Sarah: with- 

[00:16:59] Soph: Yeah, 

[00:17:00] Sarah: so- ... national and global things that are going on ... 

[00:17:02] Soph: yeah. So there's a type of astrology called Mundane Astrology, which it literally focuses on using astrology to, talk about what's going on globally. Because each country has their own birth chart, depending on, you know, when they were...

[00:17:17] Like America, it was like their, you know, De- Declaration Day, for example. I mean, there's some astrologers that are able to see, let's say for example, the conflict in Iran. People were talking about that before it happened, because they could see it in Iran and the US's chart. So, there's some really, there's some astrologers out there that can really look at the collective and how it's gonna affect us.

[00:17:46] But even kind of, you know, just on a personal level, I can see it in terms of recently Uranus moved into Gemini. Gemini is the sign of communication, of technology, and Uranus is kind of like what I said earlier, breakthroughs. Gemini also rules AI, and you can see that since that's happened, since Uranus has moved into there, the absolute boom in AI has been insane.

[00:18:17] So even without me looking at it on the level of, you know, political stuff, you can see those changes happen within the collective. 

[00:18:27] Sarah: That's fascinating, isn't it? 

[00:18:28] Soph: Yeah. Yeah, and a really amazing podcast to listen to if you are interested in the world one is literally called The Astrology Podcast. It's done by Chris Brennan, and what he does is he will talk about the month, you know, what's coming up for the month, and what he thinks it means for us as a collective, the whole world.

[00:18:47] But then at the beginning of the podcast, he will talk, go through all the news stories, and he will talk about the astrology of them. So if you listen to one month and you listen to, say at the moment, June's has just come out, and you listen to how he's gonna talk about what he thinks is gonna happen for June, and then you listen to the one at the, next month- 

[00:19:07] Sarah: Yeah

[00:19:07] Soph: you can see what he's done with how it, how it matches up, and it is fascinating. 

[00:19:14] Sarah: Wow. Yeah. I'll definitely have to have a listen to that. Yeah. That sounds, that sounds really interesting. And it also links into, you know- Personally, and a, a lot of people, they like to be able to sort of test things and, and see, well, does this make a difference?

[00:19:31] And so to be able to have that sort of check back, I guess it- Yes ... it builds your trust in, in the fact that it's a system that genuinely is valuable to you on a daily or a monthly basis. 

[00:19:44] Soph: Yeah, 

[00:19:45] Sarah: because we- To understand the world by the- Yes ... sounds of it, as well as yourself. 

[00:19:48] Soph: Yeah. And I'm still, even though, you know, I would say I am a more spiritual than the average person, like, I believe we have soul contracts.

[00:19:57] I actually believe that our soul picked our birth chart to give us that map of opportunities. But I still need logic. I still have that logical part of my brain that is like, yeah, but, mm, does it? So I think like seeing and listening and reading about those kind of things where it's, you know, there's

[00:20:16] He, he will talk about if a transit's coming up, for example, he will talk about in history last time that happened, and it might be, oh, this, this public figure died during that time and, or this, the Berlin Wall came down. So he'll also relate it back to moments in history- Mm ... where we've had those similar transits, what he thinks that will mean for the future.

[00:20:40] But, yeah, I find that really helpful for that, I guess that little sceptic part of my brain that is always there- 

[00:20:48] Sarah: Yeah, which is natural 

[00:20:48] Soph: ... because I need that. Yeah. Yes, I, I need that. Which is why I call everything that I do science and soul. You know, I have- Yeah ... the science part of the psychotherapy and, and understand how the brain works, but then I have that, like, soulful part as well.

[00:21:02] Like, what is our soul here for? Yeah. 

[00:21:04] Sarah: Yeah. And I guess you've been doing it for so long that you've got so many now examples of where it's been reinforced that, yeah this is- Yeah ... you know, what I thought would happen has happened. Yeah. Or, you know, I 

[00:21:18] can relate it back. 

[00:21:18] Soph: And that's why I love it when, you know, the forecasts that I do for people weekly, quite often they'll come message me at the end of the week and just say, like, "This happened."

[00:21:27] And I'm, and I love hearing that feedback from people because- 

[00:21:31] Sarah: Yeah ... 

[00:21:32] Soph: I think that's the best way for me to learn, is I can look at a chart and I can interpret it, but I love hearing how it plays out in real life. Because then next time- Yeah ... when I see that pattern for someone, I can then remember, oh yes, for that person this happened, and then I can use it.

[00:21:49] Because- Ultimately, my main goal with everything I do would be to teach people how to use it for themselves and not have to rely on an astrologer or anything because we all come in with our own bias. But if you know how to read your chart for yourself, you're gonna then be able to make that relevant for everything that's going on for you at that time.

[00:22:14] Does that make sense? 

[00:22:15] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I guess there's two things there. One is the sort of the cause and effect argument. I guess if you're saying certain things are gonna happen, then it's a bit like manifestation in a way, in that you could- Mm ... say, well, then your, your attention ends up being directed in that way and you're tr- you might put more energy into that sort of thing.

[00:22:36] But from what you've said, actually it doesn't always play out exactly that way, and that can help you readjust. L- like sometimes you could have assumed that this means this, but actually it could mean something slightly different that still fits but wasn't- Yes ... 

[00:22:53] Soph: quite what 

[00:22:53] Sarah: you were- 

[00:22:54] Soph: Yeah. And I think that's, again, why I love having the feedback because I think, you know, the, the chart could be saying, I don't know, you're gonna have this really big, you know, this is a really great week for career.

[00:23:08] And then the person will come back and say, "Well, actually, I didn't get any new clients this week, so that bit didn't fit for me." But actually, when you carry on speaking to them, they didn't have any new clients, but they've gone networking and they've met someone who they're potentially gonna collaborate with.

[00:23:23] So it doesn't, it isn't always, like, as black and white as that. Yeah. But usually, like you said, there can be a way that it does fit in, which is why I think being able to understand it for ourselves and know our current situation is the best way to do it. 

[00:23:38] Sarah: Yeah. I mean, I would love to, but it sounds so complicated, I have to admit.

[00:23:43] Like, there's just so many layers to it. But I guess- I mean, yes ... that's, that's when you're trying to understand everything for everyone. I guess when you know your own birth chart and, uh, and take that as a starting point, does it become simpler? 

[00:23:59] Soph: Absolutely, because then you would be just kind of understanding, right, okay, I have Taurus.

[00:24:05] What does Taurus mean? I have, my Mars there. What does Mars ... And it's in this house. And you kind of can then get a better, you know, you, you wouldn't have to worry about maybe for now until maybe you had a transit, you wouldn't wo- ha- worry what's happening in Leo, for example. Um, but I mean, this is, even just reading someone's birth chart and understanding, you know, what's going on for them at the moment is, it just surface level.

[00:24:33] There is so much more to it where we have, like, chart rulers and chart depositors and prenatal eclipses. Um, it just goes, it goes on- 

[00:24:41] Sarah: Oh my 

[00:24:41] gosh ... and you could just- 

[00:24:42] Soph: It sounds 

[00:24:42] Sarah: never ending. 

[00:24:43] Soph: Yeah. Yeah, but that's that's what I love. Mm. Like, 'cause I c- you know, there's, you're st- you're learning all the time.

[00:24:50] And because there are, for example, transits and things that happen that haven't happened for 80, 90 years, we're like, well, what does that look like now in 2026? So you're still learning. Because obviously that's gonna look very different to what it did 100 years ago when they didn't have the tech and the things that we have.

[00:25:12] So it's always learning. And it's funny because it's, I hated learning at school. Like, I really disliked school. But when it's now, I absolutely love learning because it's something that lights me up. 

[00:25:27] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Sounds amazing. And where do you learn this stuff from? I mean, is it pulling on sort of, uh, a lot of the things that we talk about are pulling on ancient wisdom, or is it sort of interpreted by, is, is there an association that, that- Yeah.

[00:25:44] I mean- ... gives this information ... people have been using the

[00:25:50] Soph: planets for thousands and thousands of years. I mean, they've found, like, evidence scribed in kind of like tablets and stuff that people... So it's probably one of the oldest kind of, what would we call it, modalities I guess, that there is.

[00:26:05] And then over the years people have come in and interpreted it different. And there's so many different ways that people can learn. I've done courses with astrologers, books. But for me, I would say for anyone out there who wanted to know more, YouTube is a really amazing place to start for people, to keep it like really basic.

[00:26:28] Because I've done, hundreds and hours of courses that cost a lot of money, but actually there is a lot of value in just picking up. I mean, I've got hundreds of books that I can recommend. But good starting points that we can put in the show notes or whatever. But, uh, yeah, a really good place to start if you just wanna get a better, better understanding is YouTube.

[00:26:51] Sarah: And we work in an environment where people can do sort of a, a half-an-hour course at the weekend and suddenly think they're an expert in something. I guess the nice thing with this is that you're- it's highly unlikely that you're ever gonna do any harm- 

[00:27:06] Soph: Mm-hmm 

[00:27:06] Sarah: ... having read or make decisions, based on something that you've experienced with astrology.

[00:27:15] But at the same time, as you said, you could s- you can go down full-on rabbit holes. Is there a way of understanding, okay, this person knows what they're talking about, versus this person has actually just read an, a horoscope in a paper and is just trying to s- create clickbait? 

[00:27:35] Soph: Yeah. And actually, I think when we're in- reading our own chart, I don't think we can do any harm.

[00:27:41] But I think actually reading someone else's chart for someone, there is potential of that. Because I remember a reading that I had, and the person said to me that because I had Saturn in Capricorn, and Saturn was a sl- you know, everything takes a little bit longer and Capricorn is the same, and it was in my house of every day, that I wouldn't make much money for a long time.

[00:28:09] And actually, I found that really disheartening and u- so I, I always try to do my readings really future-focused. I don't talk about people's shadows too much unless they want to. I like to look at the gifts and the opportunities more. But I think for me, to, it- 'cause a lot of people are talking about astrology.

[00:28:34] You can, you know, on Instagram and stuff. I would kind of, to know whether they do know what they're talking about- I would look for if they've been writing blogs and things as well and, you know, those kind of things to, to look. 'Cause it's very hard to tell. One thing I will say to people, and I love AI, but do not ask Chat about your birth chart.

[00:29:01] Because it gets it wrong, but it does it in a very, very clever way

[00:29:05] but if you didn't know- 

[00:29:07] Sarah: Yeah ... 

[00:29:07] Soph: you wouldn't know it was wrong. So- 

[00:29:09] Sarah: But that's it, you can't question it- Yeah ... can you? No. 'Cause the whole point is you don't know it to begin with, so. 

[00:29:14] Soph: Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. That's one thing. Avoid that 

[00:29:17] Sarah: for now. 

[00:29:17] Soph: Yes. For, for now. But I'm sure give it another six months there'll be,

[00:29:22] i'll probably be out of a job because you'll be able to put your birth details in there and it would tell you everything, but. You, 

[00:29:27] Sarah: you say that, but I think with any of these things there needs to be a bit of a h- human interpretation element, doesn't there? Because ultimately AI is just it's only able to send out what it's had, the information it's had put in, and it can't know the person or the p- someone's situation.

[00:29:46] Soph: Yeah. So. And I think that's the, you know, the best part of my job is actually when we talk about a placement and something and asking, "Well, how does that look for you?" And actually understanding together and having that conversation of, "Well, yeah, actually, I d- I do do that," or, "No, I don't." And then we, can kind of like talk more about it.

[00:30:08] And sometimes, you know, it can bring things up for people which, again, is why I think actually making sure that you pick the right astrologer is important because can they hold the space for you? Can they hold your emotions if they do come up?

[00:30:27] Sarah: And people can often turn to these things at a time when they're quite vulnerable, can't they? So- 

[00:30:34] Soph: Yes, 

[00:30:34] Sarah: definitely ... again, that's that, that human element can be really, really important to bring in that compassion as well as looking at opportunities. 

[00:30:43] Soph: Yeah. Absolutely. And I think you're right. When they first come to astrology, it's usually wanting to understand, a lot of people come with the question like, "What is my purpose?"

[00:30:55] Or, you know, feeling quite lost with life. 

[00:30:59] So and again, you know, that's, that's a, a heavy conversation

[00:31:03] and sometimes actually I think part of being, a good astrologer is sometimes telling people what they don't want to hear in the sense of, you know, I had to do a reading for someone the other day, and they were putting off they want- launching something.

[00:31:19] And I had to say, "This is the window. If you don't do this within the next three months, this window closes. And yes, you can still launch after that, but all the- when the planets are in your favour right now, that's, that's not gonna be there." Yeah. So you know, sometimes you do have to kind of push. But I always am, like I said, I'll never be like, "Oh, you've got Mars in thi- this sign.

[00:31:45] You're gonna be- never gonna be successful or whatever that looks like. It would be like, well, what gifts are in there? 

[00:31:53] Sarah: Yes, exactly. And I guess this, it- it's all sort of working through that, isn't it? It's like, this might not be appropriate at this particular time, but actually, what is?

[00:32:06] I mean, even, even to the point of, if you're doing things on Zoom or, in person, picking up on people's facial expressions and they might be just nodding along going, "Okay, okay, okay." But unless you have that relationship that you build with the person and the trust that you build with the person, then they can say, "Well, actually, that doesn't really fit," and you can explore it a little bit more.

[00:32:29] "Well, how about we look at it in this way? Does that fit?" 

[00:32:33] Soph: Yeah. 

[00:32:33] Sarah: The other area where I felt I'd tipped my toe in, if you like, is I got one of those moon journals. 

[00:32:40] And actually, I found that quite interesting because it wasn't so much that I was like, "Oh, okay, it's gonna be whatever moon in that month or in, in that season, and therefore I have to be doing this or I must look at things in this way."

[00:32:57] But it was a way of directing my attention to different things as the year went through, and that, that was quite nice as a framework. You know, whether you believed wherever the moons were or whatever, it was a quite a nice gentle way of having a framework of looking at different things through the year.

[00:33:19] Mm. And it did feel energetically, like that worked. So even though that was, that's on a very sort of universal platform, it wasn't taking any, any of my birth chart or anything into consideration. It can be quite handy even just to sort of dip your toe in that sense. 

[00:33:43] Soph: Yeah. I think absolutely. And that, you know, that I think like I would say to anyone, even if they don't believe in astrology or whatever, kind of the journalling around the full moon and using the moons as kind of a framework, make you think about things that, you know, you wouldn't necessarily think about.

[00:34:04] Yeah. Like, where are you over-giving in this area of life? And I think anything that helps us slow down and reflect is, i- whether that is that you believe, you know, that's the moon doing that or whatever, I think it is great for us. And it is ve- you know, how often do we sit and we ask ourselves these questions, "What do I actually want this month?"

[00:34:27] You know, or, "What do I need to do this month- Yeah ... to move towards getting what I want?" And I just only think that can be a good thing. 

[00:34:36] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. So it's really about taking that potential, but then taking responsibility yourself- 

[00:34:44] Soph: Yeah ... 

[00:34:44] Sarah: for what that potential becomes. 

[00:34:47] Soph: Yeah, 'cause look, we have free will.

[00:34:47] We can do, we can choose to follow

[00:34:54] what the, you know, the moons and all the planets are backing us to do that month or we don't. So you know, it, it, but I think regardless, there's, have that time and have that reflection is helpful for anyone. 

[00:35:08] Sarah: Yeah. Is there anything else that just sticks out in terms of you've approached something differently because you've used your astrology knowledge or, um- Yeah, you've done something that you might not have done 

[00:35:25] Soph: I would say really understanding my birth chart and how complex and layered that is has really helped me have so much more compassion and patience for other people.

[00:35:40] Mm-hmm. Because when I started to understand how layered I was, I'm like, which I knew anyway, but you know, seeing, you know, w- under- understanding, oh, I do this like this because I just was able to have f- Let's take my partner, for example. I'm like, "Why are you moving so slowly all the time?" Like, "What are you doing?

[00:35:59] Why are you..." When he's bu- like, when we build anything from IKEA, it's like I'm like rip the box open, stuff everywhere, don't look at the instructions. 

[00:36:10] Sarah: That was me yesterday. 

[00:36:11] Soph: Yeah. He, he's laying it all out, counting the pieces- ... reading the instructions, reading the instruct- I'm like, oh, my God, get on with it.

[00:36:19] But then when I see, oh, he's got really strong Virgo placements and really strong Capricorn placements, it just helps me go, "That makes sense why you, you do that." Because for a long time- One thing I really struggled with was why everyone didn't think like me. And I couldn't understand why other people didn't, and I know that sounds really selfish, I guess.

[00:36:44] But I 

[00:36:44] Sarah: couldn't- It's so, it's so true- Yeah ... isn't it? We as- we see the world through our own eyes. 

[00:36:50] Soph: Yeah. 

[00:36:50] Sarah: And we assume that's the way the world is. Mm-hmm. But actually, all of us are looking at it in a slightly different way due to a myriad of things, whether that's personal experiences, or whether it is their birth chart, or whether it's their human design- Yeah

[00:37:05] or there's all sorts of as you said, layered versions that are the way we interpret the world, and then the way that, we communicate with other people, and the way that we interact with other things. 

[00:37:20] Soph: Yes. I think that was, yeah, that was one of the main things was just gave me compassion for, you know, more patience with others, which- Yeah

[00:37:27] sounds wild that astrology was able to do that. But I think it was just seeing my chart and seeing all the layers to it, and I'm like, there's a word, there's literally a word for this, and it's called sonder, and it's like a sudden realisation that everyone else is living a life as complex as you. 'Cause I think we really have this tendency to think that we are the main character, and everyone else is, like, extras.

[00:37:51] But actually remembering that everyone is the, uh, you know, the main character in their life, and they have as many, like, complexities and stuff as we have. Gives you just that little bit, you know, you go into the shop, someone's a bit grumpy, you know, and you can have that more, a bit more, I guess, compassion there for, you know, what's going on for them, rather than, "God, they're miserable," you know?

[00:38:17] Yeah. 

[00:38:18] Sarah: I love that you've brought that up and that you've related it to astrology, because I think that's so important at the moment, that we have that ability to, to have compassion and, and- understanding that other people are going through other things. And as you say, it's okay that you're your own priority, but actually it doesn't stop you from appreciating other people.

[00:38:43] Soph: Yeah, and I think, with all the psychotherapy work I had a real understanding for that anyway. Astrology gave me a real sense of we are a collective, that I didn't get from maybe the psychotherapy.

[00:38:57] So understanding, yes, I have my individual chart, but it is fitting in with other peoples' on a more, collective scale, was kind of where I really leaned into that more,

[00:39:08] Sarah: yeah. And I guess people would think of, again, from a playful, fun perspective, think of linking their horoscopes when they're going into relationships and things like that.

[00:39:22] Or as you say, when you're a teenager and sort of looking at, oh, which- Yeah ... horoscope. Is this person gonna be a match for me because will the horoscopes match? From what you've said with houses and things, presumably then there is potential for certain s- signs to match, or is that just, again, something- 

[00:39:41] Soph: No, ab- there absolutely is ... 

[00:39:43] Sarah: that's for entertainment purposes? 

[00:39:44] Soph: Yeah, it's ... Yeah. So they'll call it, like, synastry, when they'll compare two charts together and see how they fit. And if you looked at mine and my p- partner's chart together, you'd be like, "They should not be together."

[00:39:59] So there's, like, proof that, you know, we can have these conflicts in our chart, but again, it's how do we use that? How do we make this work? Which is like any relationship, really, but there are lots of astrologers out there that do like relationship astrology. And I would- Never kind- my thing wouldn't ever be, "Oh, don't date this person because they're a Sagittarius," or whatever.

[00:40:24] But yes, uh, that you can really use your charts and see how you're gonna work together as a couple. 

[00:40:31] Sarah: Yeah. 

[00:40:31] Soph: Y- for business partners, I always look at my clients' charts to- Okay ... before I read for them. Or before if I'm working with a client one-to-one on a long scale, I will look and see how are we gonna work together.

[00:40:45] Sarah: Yeah. But yeah. That's interesting. 

[00:40:46] Soph: Yeah. 

[00:40:46] Sarah: But I guess there's that element of as much as it might identify harmony versus sort of conflict, actually you sort of need a bit of both to keep relationships interesting anyway, don't 

[00:41:00] you? 

[00:41:00] Soph: I think so. Yeah. You wouldn't... Yeah. I think, and that, and I think that's how you grow together, right?

[00:41:06] Yeah. Like going through stuff, and then how do you, how do you work it out and potentially come out the other side stronger. Yeah. So yeah, I definitely think you need that. 

[00:41:17] Sarah: Yeah. I guess that comes back to that point of sort of appreciating how other people might be different, and how can we work with that rather than against it.

[00:41:26] Soph: Yeah. And that is, uh, that's something I still, you know, even though I said to you that I have that real compassion now, I still need to check myself on daily because especially with kind of like social media and stuff, and you see lots of people's opinions and, you know, it's like, "Oh, how can you think like that?"

[00:41:44] Or, "How can you not care about that, that that's happening i- in this part of the world?" And so I still quite often have to like come back in and check myself on that, for sure. 

[00:41:56] Sarah: Yeah. So I, as you very well know I booked, um, a session with you a couple of days ago. I usually I basically use my podcast as a shopping to shop, and I actually b- booked one- 

[00:42:12] Soph: You did! 

[00:42:13] Sarah: ... Before, before we even did the session, which was absolutely fascinating, and I'm still sort of processing some of the things that came up. So if other people are also interested in doing something like that, could you just...

[00:42:26] I will obviously put things in the show notes. But could you just give us a rundown of, of what sort of things that you've got on offer at the moment? 

[00:42:34] Soph: Yeah. So people, so I do, um, just on the astrology alone astrology readings, and there's a couple of different types that people can have.

[00:42:42] So there's, um, a birth char- you know, a basic birth chart reading, and then there's the 'make it make sense' which is what you had. We mixed yours up a little bit. Um, but that's to kind of like understand what's going on at the moment, and then people can come around their birthday and see, and have a solar return and see what's gonna come up for them for the year as well.

[00:43:04] Basically if they want the, to understand more about astrology, it's very much what they need to know at that point. Me using my intuition with what... 'Cause we've got an hour. We haven't got long, to talk about it. Um, and then the other part of my work is to help women break away from that good girl conditioning and people-pleasing and stuff, and that's kinda long-term work.

[00:43:28] I'm on

[00:43:32] Insta, @moonandsoul_coach. 

[00:43:33] Sarah: Amazing. I'll make sure that all of that is in the show notes. I know for me the motivation was that this is a year of a lot of things changing, so wanting to sort of understand through an astrological lens what could be sort of coming up from that perspective.

[00:43:50] So, um- 

[00:43:51] Soph: Yeah ... I- And it was a perfect example. We were talking about stuff in your chart, and then you said to me, "Well, actually, I've been thinking about doing this," and it wasn't quite what we had said, was it? But it fitted in so perfectly. And actually that was the importance of having that conversation 

[00:44:05] Sarah: yeah. Well, I highly recommend it.

[00:44:07] Soph: Oh, thank you. 

[00:44:07] Sarah: Look out for Soph on Instagram. The links in the show notes. Thank you so much for today, Soph. Thank you. I found that really fascinating,

[00:44:15] there is so much to it. 

[00:44:17] Soph: Yeah. So. Yeah. Thank you so much.

[00:44:19] 

[00:44:24] Sarah: What I loved about that conversation is that Soph came to astrology through logic. She needed proof before she could lean in, and yet the moment she found it, it completely changed how she understands herself, other people, and her place in the world. The word sonder has stayed with me since we spoke.

[00:44:46] That sudden realization that everyone around you is living a life as rich and complex as your own, that everyone is the main character of their own story. It sounds simple, but actually it's quite profound, and I love that astrology gave Soph that. Not just a framework for understanding herself, but a doorway into genuine compassion for other people.

[00:45:12] The birth chart as a map of opportunities rather than a fixed personality label feels important too. It's not you're a Scorpio, and this is what you're like, and you will be forever. It's more like, here are your gifts, here are the patterns you carry, here are the moments where life is asking you to rest, and here are the ones where planets are genuinely in your corner.

[00:45:38] That feels a long way from a horoscope column in a magasine. And Soph's daughter Callie is now through her treatment and well. I just had to say that because after everything Soph shared, I'm sure you'll want to know.

[00:45:53] You can find Soph on Instagram and if you'd like a reading of your own, whether it's a birth chart reading, a Make It Make Sense session like I had, or a Solar Return reading around your birthday, the, all the links are in the show notes. Until next time, take care of yourselves and remember, you were born with a map.

Thanks for listening