Pluto In Libra, In The 8th House.

"You're a little bit psychic."

I mentioned before that this was something one of the shamans had said to me at the Cusco retreat when I had asked him his thoughts on me and my energy. He would have an idea about my energy... This was my third tour in a year with he at the helm. 

Throughout the week, there were three components woven together for the trip's purpose:

• San Pedro plant medicine
• Visiting the energetic and sacred sites of the Sacred Valley
• Astrology and learning how to interpret our natal charts

All three parts of the trip were amazing. But the one that I took the most to was the last. I had been very keen on learning how to read this thing...

My natal chart.

It shows the location of the planets at the moment of my birth. Understanding where the Universe was positioned at the moment you were born provides insights into your personality. And as the planets continue to move around, in and out of connections with the astrological signs and the houses, you continue to evolve on your life journey. Dealing with new things that influence your path.

I had studied my natal chart a few times over the past few years. But I hesitated jumping fully into learning how to read it properly. It is overwhelming. So many things to understand...

• Where the planets are
• What the houses mean
• What the astrological symbols each mean
• How they all influence each other through oppositions and conjunctions

As we started the lectures on astrology at the retreat, I took easily to understanding things. What I needed to get me on my path was a legit astrologer - Mark Flaherty - to point the basics out. Soon, I was helping those around me interpret little pieces of their charts.

"Oh," said one gentleman, "You have done this stuff before?"

I told him I actually hadn't. That I simply pick up certain things quickly.

As I learned about the positions of the planets in my chart, my attentions went to the positioning of Pluto in my chart.

Set at the edge of the 8th House - the house of birth and death - this is Pluto's power house. This is the house identified with Pluto overall, which means it is a powerful connection between the two. It is also the house associated with wanting to learn more about motivations of people, as well as psychic ability.

I somewhat dislike the word "psychic." I prefer to just call it "awareness."

And that I definitely am more tuned into. Awareness of the energy of a space. I can pick up more quickly what others are feeling, and what they may need. It also extends to my ability to pick up tactics and traits quickly. And there have been occasions where I've interpreted random things happening prior to them happening.

But that is extremely rare. I can't predict what traffic will be like tomorrow on the drive to work. (Most likely: Sunny, with the occasional slow driver doing UNDER the speed limit and backing up people behind them.) Or how many episodes of Mad Men that I can power-watch this week before the season premiere in a month. (I'm betting all of them.)

But I can predict one thing: I'll be returning each year to Peru to further my awareness. And learning more about reading astrology charts.

So, okay, I can predict two things. "Awareness" isn't exact science. Cut me some slack.