I virtually sat down with astrologer extraordinaire Ray Couture to chat all things stars and the heavenly bodies above
I’m an Aquarius and I’ve always been intrigued by astrology. The science of the stars and how being born when the Sun was in a certain constellation, you had certain traits and characteristics that were native to that constellation. In high school, with each new month I made it a ceremony to read my monthly forecast and jot down important dates and themes that were to be explored that month. I’ve also gone a few months without reading my monthly to see how much of it I was manifesting and I wanted to exercise my free will only checking out the transits if I felt really weird or off and seeing how the planets could be influencing the cooky behavior or lack there of.
My natal chart fascinated me. It was a map to myself that held little pieces of my soul woven together in a star map that created the foundation of my life, my journey, my passions, my wounds, my purpose. I googled and researched and studied it, reading the traits that pertained to the certain aspects in my natal chart by written by strangers that didn’t know me but knew how I felt, how I viewed things and dealt with certain scenarios. Still, after all the googling and researching and the endless books I leafed through at book stores, there was still a part of my natal chart that I couldn’t quite understand. I knew I needed to find an expert and if you know me, you know I want the best and I want someone who’s “good vibes”. Being an intuitive myself and an empath and someone who just understands the unknown, it’s always been tricky to find someone that feels more than I do- because at one point you can know and know everything about it but then you have to take the knowledge and inject it with heart and with a feeling.
My sister stumbled upon Ray Couture, an astrologer and life couch of French Canadian, Lakota Sioux and Cajun descent who has studied with such greats as Dane Rudhyar the father of Humanistic Astrology and the Sabian Symbols.
I knew this was the astrologer I had been looking for so I immediately made an appointment. Our session brought me to tears and brought me to a better understand of the themes I choose for this life and how to best utilize my strengths and weaknesses. I finally gave myself permission to feel and experience the emotions that I did. I felt I finally saw and accepted a part of myself that was dying to be seen and accepted by me!
A charming, intuitive and knowledgable Sagittarius, Ray is a bridge to the stars and us.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had to interview Mr. Couture.
XO
M
MW: Have you read your own natal chart and if so, was it difficult to do? I imagine it sort of being like giving yourself advice except we all know it’s always easier to give others advice than it is when it comes to ourselves.
RC: Early on I did try to read my chart, but ego considerations were influencing the process and my mentor advised that I cannot analyze my own chart effectively and should not attempt it. In smaller ways I can see things about myself, but that is always in the form of sudden enlightenments.
MW: What do you say to people who don’t believe in astrology? I blame their lack of knowledge on the subject to make that kind of judgment call because I’m sure once they knew a little bit more about it they wouldn’t be skeptics.
RC: I generally agree (tongue in cheek) with those who don’t believe it. How can you believe or accept anything that you have do not have experience with anyway is what I add to this agreement. I know from practice that astrology taps into a source of knowledge and information that proves itself in practice. So no I don’t believe in astrology I know it works.
Yes “soul-mates” is a romantic description of a very real spiritual phenomena.
ray couture
MW: Star-crossed lovers…What is your take on that? Is it predestined? Is it really written in the stars? Or in our aspects between our moons, and Sun’s to Venus and Mars? I know it’s a loaded question, one that we could probably talk about all day (maybe someday we can. I am such a hopeless romantic). In synastry charts can we see if in fact someone is a “soul-mate” so to speak? For example, I’ve had times when I’ve had a connection with someone and it was almost as though I’ve known them in a past life; like we just continued from where we left off.
RC: The concept of “star crossed lovers” is just a romantic fantasy. It may appear to be “real” but let me digress a moment. Consider the quantum physics term of “quantum entanglement” which in short says that any two particles that have made contact will simultaneously respond to each other no matter how far apart they may be. We are energy bodies and that energy body emerges from the “fabric” of the cosmos which quantum physicists say is the true substance of our makeup. This is a kind of field which curls up and forms living things. We are all connected this way but there are forms (people) that have what other forms (people) need to grow in so called spiritual ways. These are entanglements of the “heart” which is the “spirit” that is shared in part and in whole. This appears as a kind of “destiny” but really it’s the spiritual way of growth and development. End of digression. Yes “soul-mates” is a romantic description of a very real spiritual phenomena.
MW: How can astrology be used as a tool to deal with the current affairs that are currently happening in the World? It all seemingly connects with us even on a personal level if you believe that there are these balls of energy in the sky that influence all of us, on an individual level but also the collective as a whole.
RC:I would want a definition of “useful”. I think you might say that useful means anything that can add to the level of intelligence which humans might use to manage their social and political situations. First I would say that astrology must be seen as a window into the reality of our life. The cosmos, many leading scientific studies show, is fine tuned to create life and seems to be attempting to become consciously aware of itself. Thus, a solar system is a living cell within this living cosmos. From that, we can begin to see we are all one cosmic energetic being manifesting in different ways, much like the way our organs develop from the first cell division occurring after impregnation. Impregnation here means a cosmic force manifesting in what we call the karmic need to manifest. Life needs to manifest. If this is well understood and applied we could change our social, political and spiritual practices to support and encourage life in the way our deeper spiritual being makes “balls of energy” call planets and these are the organs of the Sun. We are in and part of the “sky” and the “sky” is the illusion of a dome over us. Quantum physics says this sky is “consciousness” that we swim about. Just ask any fish if they have heard of “water” and they will look at you quizzically.
MW: And after 45+ years of studying and practicing astrology, does it still have the same magic as it did when you began?
RC: Yes astrology continues to be magical because by the very definition of magic- it can be used to understand what the mind has yet to learn. Magic in the world is really just the naming of things which in and of itself produces a calmness and sense of security and comfort. Like in the ancient jungles when the shaman calms the tribe with words to describe the sounds people feared and by giving those sounds a name brought calm and a sense of wonder to the ancients.
Astrology can also describe a situation one is confronted with that, the person can more easily forge a path to safer and higher consciousness. Here, higher means encompassing more and being therefore, more expansive and inclusive.
Astrology is a form of material magic.
Catch Ray’s monthly astrology forecasts on youtube
and visit his website here! for a personalized natal chart reading!
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