Sometimes it’s helpful, especially if you are going through a rough time, to have someone remind you of your strengths and validate your struggles. By explaining where the planets and constellations were at the moment her clients were born, astrologer Stevie K. gives them the green light to be themselves. She also elucidates all of the essentials: who they are, what they’re here to do, and where their stumbling blocks might be. By confirming suspicions they’ve had about their personalities, relationships, or even past lives Stevie empowers her clients and helps them live with more ease.
Astrology is a service Stevie is proud to offer since she first picked it up as a college student. As one who did not come from a hippie-dippie background, she knows how to talk to even the most stringent skeptics. Stevie wasn’t always a believer, after all. However, her mind changed dramatically when she saw the profound impact astrology had on accepting her own earthly experience. Nothing had ever made her feel more understood or comfortable in her own skin. “When I started to study astrology, I thought how could you possibly know all of this about me before I realized, Holy crap, this is so dead on!” she laughs in regards to swinging the pendulum. After studying remotely with a famous (and funny!) teacher who she found on Youtube, Stevie learned through the lens of her own chart. The Taurus sun sign was hooked and began developing her reading style, a mixture of evolutionary, archetypical, esoteric, and Shamanic. While the flair she brings to the field has been refined over time, it has always been as pragmatic as Stevie’s personality. A grounded individual, whose other occupation is silversmith, Stevie wants to offer tangible solutions to everyday issues. Never will you be told that your moon is in Scorpio and left to your own devices wondering what to do. Instead, Stevie uses her gift for bringing the cosmos down to earth and spelling out its complicated lingo in layman’s terms. Plus, besides being reminded of your soul’s purpose, you might gain some insight into why some of your 21st-century baggage might come from other lifetimes!
How did you first fall into astrology?
The call to astrology came when I was living in Michigan, where I had spent most of my life. At age 15, I had a transit with Pluto and felt this deep calling to learn astrology. I was actually very skeptical but followed my intuition and began studying with my first teacher Debra Silverman online. After that, I started to give any and everyone who wanted a reading one.
Did you grow up around similar-ish New Age concepts?
Not at all! I actually grew up Catholic and then converted my whole family to Christianity. When I left my small Michigan town to attend a liberal arts school in Florida, I was instantly surrounded by all of these people who had very different belief systems. That’s when I said, there can’t just be one way and started looking into practices like meditation and mindfulness.
What made you want to study with your teacher Debra Silverman and learn from her style?
Debra became famous on Youtube for her hilarious sun sign videos. I wanted to study with her because she is funny and made astrology entertaining. A lot of people will come to me and say, “I’m nervous!” They fear that I am going to tell them something negative and freak them out. Studying under Debra, combined with my own personality that enjoys lifting others up, helped me to create my own style, which is the exact opposite.
How did you develop the way that you approach readings?
My readings have morphed over time. When I first got into astrology, I was so taken with how it gave me permission to just be myself. I no longer had to feel guilty about something because that was just who I was. I studied Evolutionary Astrology, which focuses on past lives and what we brought in karma and wound-wise. Today my readings are focused on the soul’s purpose and incorporating the intuitive hits that I oftentimes get about the person’s past life. I oftentimes get a full-blown vision, such as a woman throwing herself in front of a car to save her daughter, which is pretty amazing.
Do you think there is a reason that your intuition has opened up so much more recently?
I trust myself more than ever. I have always said things like, “This vision is coming through” to which my clients would say, “Oh my god, I’ve been having dreams about that my whole life.” Their feedback was validating. The visions happen if the person receiving the reading is really open.
How does reading one’s chart work?
The recipient gives me their birth date, birth time, and the location in which they were born. I plug that into my astrological software and it tells me where the planets were at the moment, in what signs, and also what constellations were at the horizon line. Your rising sign signifies how you portray yourself to the world or our mask. How the planets get along mathematically tell me the lessons you are here to learn and where the tensions are. I give people the whole picture. The chart is your soul’s contract or our blueprint. It tells me about your family, relationships, and what you were here to learn in earth school. It’s endlessly fascinating and I could learn my whole life and never reach the end of it.
How did astrology help you in terms of your own self-actualization?
It helped me to understand my personality and to discover why I am here, even though my intuition had always nudged me. For some reason, it finally gave me permission to follow my instincts. Astrology also helped me to understand the different phases of my life and why one was extremely hard versus being in the flow. I could see why I learned certain lessons. That’s one huge philosophy in astrology; the parts of your chart that are the most uncomfortable are helpful in the long run.
Why do you think we tend to question ourselves, however, believe what an astrologer says?
We are so conditioned by the structures that we grow up in that we tend to forget who we are. I gaslight myself a lot. People often come away from my readings saying, “I feel less insane because you confirmed something I assumed for my entire life!” (Laughs) Astrology tells you that, no matter what, your experience was true and real. I especially love showing someone why they stepped into a certain situation, as it’s generally to grow in an exciting new direction.
Was giving readings very natural at first or did it take you a while to become comfortable?
I walked away from the first few ones thinking how good I felt because the other person got something out of it. Plus, as a silversmith, I am used to creating alone in my laboratory. This gave me a whole other part of my life, which is a more intimate experience with other human beings, that I have craved. I learned to trust myself through feedback and working with my mentor, as both validated my gift for giving people what they need in a reading.
How do you get someone to trust you who perhaps, is a skeptic?
I used to want to convince everyone of the power of astrology and would try really hard to connect with people even if they had a wall up. My tune has changed over time. If someone is open to the process, then great. If they are guarded and distrusting, I can respect that. However, a lack of openness does affect the reading because they are meant to be two-sided. The more you tell me, the more your chart comes alive.
Are there any parts of a reading that are difficult for you?
People tell me deeply, intense secrets that can sometimes be hard to hold. However, it’s also an honor. I am still learning how to protect myself and have a little ritual that seals off my energy. My readings are geared towards healing the wounded parts of ourselves, whether it’s in this lifetime or the last. My goal is for the recipient to hold their shadow side a little more gently.
Do you think we all carry trauma from past lives?
Absolutely! If you truly have had multiple lives, which I believe that most of us have, then you’ve gone through severe trauma. Whether it’s being burned at the stake or starving to death, those experiences show up in your current chart whether it’s in your upbringing or relationships. Past life trauma can explain modern-day fears, wounds, or neuroses. I believe that we reincarnate in order to heal them, which is why I tell people to hold their shadow self like it’s their best friend. It’s a lot easier to resolve conflict, even if it’s from several lifetimes. Treat your shadow with compassion like you would a child.
My goal is for people to feel safe ten times over. Receiving our worst qualities, rather than rejecting them, is how we come to a more peaceful place. When my shadow side, which is a people-pleaser, acts out I say to her, “You don’t have to act that way anymore but I know you have been through a lot.”
As crazy as it might sound that we bring stuff in from other lifetimes, it makes perfect sense to me – especially with a pattern that seems to repeat itself over and over.
Absolutely! Plus, by seeing our baggage we can heal and then release it. We’re not meant to stay with what is familiar but rather grow, expand, and discover new layers of ourselves. To that point, most people want to know what their soul’s purpose is in our readings. “What am I here to do? I have no idea,” is what they say to me. I say right back, “You do. I’m just here to remind you.”
Why do you think that people don’t trust themselves?
I am not sure but I do think that people are so much more intuitive than they imagine themselves to be. We are trained in society to do certain things and be a certain way until the soul starts to bubble up and says, “Hey, you’re not happy.” Fortunately, a lot of my clients are already doing something that is in line with their gifts. They might have just gotten a bit off-course.
What drew you to Asheville?
We moved to Asheville because my sister lives here. I love it however, feel very fortunate that my following is everywhere. I do think living here has helped me on an energetic level. Especially if a client drains me, it feels so good to be able to recycle the negative energy back out to nature.
How has social media helped you to attract a nationwide following?
Instagram has been amazing although when I first started making videos I used to want to throw up. The voice in my head would say, “You don’t know how to articulate anything” I have massive wounds around speaking, which is why I knew that I had to tackle it. I do my best to make astrology action-oriented. I want people to be able to handle all of this cosmic energy in the human body.
How do you get most of your clients?
Word of mouth. My clients are so wonderful and all have the same energy. I oftentimes learn as much, if not more, from them as they do from me. It’s this very reciprocal exchange.
You are also a silversmith. I am curious how the two professions intersect.
In 2005, I discovered jewelry making, which evolved from beading to silversmithing to making pieces out of stones. Sometimes I get intuitive hits about what stones, which are energetically healing, would be helpful for a person. Stones are like security blankets in the respect that they can help you heal a broken heart or speak your truth.
Do you ever sometimes think, how did I get so lucky to do astrology for a profession?
Definitely. To be at the point where I feel as though I have learned the foreign language of astrology feels amazing. Also, I love being able to spark something in someone else and know they will do the same, which creates this snowball effect. It’s amazing. I also find that the people who come to me are very much on my spiritual level. I usually have something that I can share with them based on a recent experience. Lastly, I love using my mathematical brain to track the different patterns in my readings. I think it’s wild that there is a map that tells us who we are and that I have the honor of reading it. If someone can walk away knowing what they’re here to do, trusting their intuition a little more, and understanding that even the worst times do pass then that is a great accomplishment. It’s about the bigger picture and knowing that even the roughest waters are there to advance our development.
