Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Cunningham.
Heather, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always been the introverted observer type. In most situations, I’m far more comfortable analyzing from a distance than I am taking an active role. My mom would describe herself the same way, and I’ve also inherited her fascination with people and psychology. She’s studied astrology for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I mostly thought it was a silly quirk of hers. I found it funny that she was always desperate to know my friends’ birthdays, but I didn’t think much of it until college. That’s when I started picking her brain and I quickly realized that there was something to it. Within one semester, a slight interest manifested into a strong passion. And the Florida State theatre department was the perfect environment for my research.
I kept a log of everyone’s zodiac signs on the notes app in my phone. If I was lucky enough to get a birth time, I’d log their moon and rising signs as well. I realize that might seem creepy, but I learned so much faster than I could have from just reading books! It totally opened my world. I was able to understand the nuances of it all pretty quickly, so my mom asked if I’d like to write some articles for her website. A few years later, I took over the chart readings. And for the past four years, I’ve been lucky enough to make some money reading charts for people from all over the world. I really love that part of it–helping people understand themselves. Now I’m in the process of building my own astrology platform which includes my own website and blog, a podcast, and YouTube videos. I’m excited to establish myself as more of an individual in this community. I have lots planned for 2020!
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m lucky to have grown up with a practicing astrologer as a mother. She gave me a platform to share my writing and made the transition into doing chart readings pretty painless. I think the challenge is that there’s a lot of skepticism and sometimes judgment surrounding the subject. For a while, I wasn’t sure if it was something I actually wanted to pursue a career in, just out of fear of what people might think. But that’s obviously stupid. And I truly believe that everyone can benefit from trying to learn something about themselves and the people around them. But I have to say, every year I’m more shocked by how embraced it seems to be.
Of course, there’s a ton of people who want nothing to do with it. But I’ve found that in LA especially, a lot of people I meet can name their moon and/or rising sign. It seems like people are starting to understand that it’s a more complex study than what Buzzfeed horoscopes make it out to be. I hope things continue in that direction, and I desperately want to be a part of that shift. I think it’s so important, especially in today’s age of social media, to look inward and consider who we really are and what makes each of us unique. Astrology is a great way to start that conversation.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
With Real Life Astrology, my goal is to provide content that helps others understand the nuances of the zodiac through a real-life context. I feel like the instinct when starting an astrology website or YouTube channel is to focus on sign descriptions or “what to expect this month” segments. I have nothing against that at all, but I know from experience that there’s an easier way to comprehend what the signs are really about, and that’s through experiencing them through a real-life lens. You can read as many sign descriptions as you want, but until you see those qualities expressed in the people around you, you’re just getting a one-dimensional interpretation.
I knew I wanted to start a blog that could offer readers a picture of what different signs and planet placements look like, not through descriptions, but through nonfiction storytelling. I also drew inspiration from my favorite astrologer, Liz Greene, who uses lots of real-life examples in her books. It’s always my favorite component in her writing, and it’s definitely what offers me the most insight. She similarly inspired the concept for my podcast, in which I interview different people and discuss how they experience their natal charts.
Once my podcast is published after the new year, I’ll post everyone’s charts on reallife-astrology.com, so listeners have a chance to experience the charts through actually listening to the chart holders firsthand. My hope is that it will be fun for the more advanced astrology enthusiasts, although I think it will be valuable to anyone who is interested.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Los Angeles is an excellent environment for practicing astrology, mainly because the people who live here tend to be more open-minded. I can take a career in astrology anywhere, but I don’t think there’s an actual community for it in many cities like there is in LA. I know of several different groups here who get together once a month or whenever there’s an opportunity, and they discuss each other’s natal charts or discuss a specific topic, or just mingle and share their passion with one another. I couldn’t dream of such a thing where I’m from in Florida. It’s really exciting.
Pricing:
- 30 min. Natal Chart Reading – $49.99
- 30 min. Compatibility Reading – $49.99
- 30 min. Soul’s Journey Reading – $49.99
Contact Info:
- Website: reallife-astrology.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: hcunningham217
- Other: southfloridaastrologer.com
Image Credit:
Victoria Cragg
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