Check Out Marianna Polonsky’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marianna Polonsky.

Hi Marianna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I first stumbled upon astrology at the age of 13 when my mother serendipitously presented me with a copy of an article about the zodiac. This was in Ukraine, when it was part of the USSR, and things like yoga, religion, astrology were considered illegal and were not encouraged. I gathered bits of information anywhere I could find them. It wasn’t until I came to Los Angeles more than 30 years ago that I was introduced to Vedic astrology. One day, I went into an herbal store and I saw a book about Ayurveda on the shelf that drew me in like a magnet. Because my English was so poor, for the next few months I would sit every day and translate it half a page at a time, word by word, with a dictionary in hand.

This book not only introduced me to the ancient system of Vedic knowledge, but also impelled me to study further. So, I enrolled in the American Institute of Vedic Sciences, where I majored in Vedic astrology and Ayurveda, successfully passed the exams and in 2002 began my consulting practice. At first, I was doing readings for the Russian speaking community here in LA, which caught the attention of a local Russian language newspaper here and they did an interview with me. Gradually, my practice began to grow and I was invited to travel Europe and Asia to give lectures and host retreats. Organically, interest in learning astrology grew, and in 2014 my team and I opened our online school on Vedic astrology for our Russian speaking students.

It is a great joy to be doing my favorite thing for more than 30 years and helping people. Thanks to my profession, I have traveled to many beautiful countries and met many wonderful people. Astrology has not been just a source of income or a career. Being of service has brought me profound social and spiritual fulfillment and I’m deeply grateful.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I first became acquainted with astrology, I lived in Ukraine, that is, part of the former USSR. Spiritual and religious life outside of Soviet propaganda was deeply underground. Yoga, religion, astrology were considered illegal and were not encouraged. Therefore, not only was there no opportunity to study it, it was difficult to find any information at all. On the other hand, when the Iron Curtain fell, a barrage of pseudo-spiritual idea poured in, and it was challenging to find a pure source of knowledge to build a base on. Once I came to the US, a major obstacle was not knowing the language and being immersed in a completely different culture. Vedic knowledge was also not as widespread then, so I started out without like-minded people or any sort of community or resources. At the time, pursuing this path seemed very strange and I was often told, “astrology is not a profession.” It took a tremendous amount of the courage to overcome the power of other peoples’ opinions, to seek out like-minded people for connection and to step forward on a path that was untrodden, but was right

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
On a day-to-day basis, I do individual, private Vedic astrology consultations. And seasonally, I offer workshops and webinars on various other Vedic topics. I’m known for helping people discover(and sometimes rediscover) their truest selves and compassionately guiding them through their darkest and toughest times.

I am often told that I am uniquely talented in figuring out elegant solutions and goals in line with what’s right specifically for them. Sometimes astrology can be a bit abstract, but in my experience, most people would like information that can be practically applied to better their lives. My consultations are both insightful and practical.

At the end of the day, I am most proud that I’ve been able to harness an innate gift I’ve been given, find the resources to grow and refine it, and finally, share it with people, who genuinely need it and appreciate it.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Empathy and a genuine desire to help people is a vital, motivational force behind everyday work. One also needs the ability to synthesize vast amounts of data points and distill them into the most relevant pieces that can be explained in an understandable manner. It’s likewise essential to provide actionable guidance so a client walks away empowered simple and practical solutions. Finally, it’s crucial to be a curious listener with a strong intuition to be able to see not just the physical, but also emotional and spiritual planes, where so many problems originate.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mariannapolonsky
• Instagram: @mariannapolonsky
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vedicway108?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mariannapolonsky?si=biI1ozT9sJSExLff