Chart Consultations

The birth chart is an archetypal
map of the psyche, a blueprint of
the seed image of the soul.
Join me in an exploration
of your soul image.

"When the time comes for the ego to set forth on its journey toward wholeness, strange and paradoxical things happen; fate chooses strange emmisaries... But when we grow wiser we learn that the disasters of life are often the genius of the unconscious, forcing our egos into a new experience of the self."-
                                                                                              Robert Johnson

My approach is somewhat non-traditional so I try to make sure that people know what they are getting into before they decide to talk to me about their chart.  The simplest way to do that is to read my articles (links on the main page).  If you've read the articles and you still want to talk to me, then we are probably a good match. 

You don't need to know anything at all about astrology or Jungian psychology to have a conversation with me.  You just need to be willing to look in the mirror.  And I will help you to do so with all of the wisdom and compassion that I can muster.

Please (please!) understand that I am not interested in predicting your future or telling you when/if you will meet Mr./Ms. Right.  I do not, will not, and I am incapable of, giving you any advice on how you should live your life.  I don't live my life by astrology and I don't encourage others to do so.  And I don't channel wiser beings from another spiritual dimension...  Useless, aren't I?  :-)  If that's what you're looking for, please talk to someone else.   That's not what I do.  If you would like to explore the complex and remarkable archetypal underpinnings of your everyday life, then I think I can be very useful to you.

E-mail consultations:  As you'll read below, there are many advantages to discussing a chart by e-mail.   It allows more time to absorb and reflect on what we discuss without feeling pressed for time.   Some people are naturally built to need time to allow thoughts and feeling to sift.  I understand this well because I'm one of those people.  In our e-mail discussion we will discuss all of the major components of the chart until we both feel that we have a handle on their meaning on many levels.  There is no time limit to these discussions.  We'll both know when we're done.  This open-ended process allows us to talk the chart through to our satisfaction.  We won't cover every little detail in the chart but we will dive as deeply as we can into all the major aspects and placements.  It is a fairly unique opportunity that I don't think anyone else offers.  

My fee for an ongoing e-mail discussion is $150.  If you look around on the internet, you'll find that the better astrologers charge $100-150 for an initial hour or an hour and a half consultation by phone, then charge an additional fee for additional time.  Considering my average chart discussion lasts around six to eight weeks, I think my fee is very generous.  As I state below, I don't make my living with astrology.  This allows me the freedom to do charts thoroughly (the only way that I will do them) at a reasonable fee. 

Let me explain the benefits of discussing your chart with me by e-mail in this way:

• Through an ongoing e-mail discussion, we both have the advantage of time to reflect on and process each other's comments.  Granted this is a slower process, but my clients tend to be folks who are serious about exploring fundamental issues in their charts/lives.  
• For me, a lot of things don't click until I leave them alone for awhile.  In the past, that usually meant after I had already hung up the phone.  I assume that many of you have the same experience with a one hour phone consultation.  "I wish I had thought to ask about..."
• Many people think that something is missed by not having the one-on-one interaction in person or on the phone.   I understand the concern and I miss the one on one chemistry as well.  But I think that what might be missed by our not talking in person or on the phone is more than made up for by our freedom to carry on an ongoing dialogue at our own pace.  In fact, this e-mail dialogue process has allowed me to talk about issues and layers of the chart that I have never had the opportunity to address in the past.  I suspect that the anonymity of the e-mail exchange allows my clients to feel freer to be more open about their experiences and issues.  Plus the ongoing discussion allows us not only time to think and process information, but it also allows us to pursue any issue until we are satisfied that we have a handle on it or at least have given it our best shot.  So while the alchemy of the one on one interaction is missed, that loss opens other doors.  I think it's a remarkable opportunity for both of us.
• I enjoy writing and my thoughts tend to be more focused and succinct on paper. 
  
• We both have hard copies of our conversations. You don't have to listen through two hours of audio tape to try to find a couple of sentences about a certain aspect or topic.
• I don't make my living with astrology.  I fit charts into a schedule that includes my wife and I both working full-time, two very active teenagers, a house to renovate...  I enjoy exploring charts, but I need to find the most efficient way to do so or I have to quit doing it altogether.  E-mail is my best option. 
  
• FYI: Please note that I do most of my writing on the weekends.  Think of it as a weekly visit, then you won't be impatient with me.
• Please understand that, as in any therapeutic process, the more you contribute to the discussion, the more you will get out of it.  If you sit back and wait to be impressed by a traditional astrological monologue, we will both be bored and disappointed.  While my monologue is pretty good, if I do say so myself, I am at my best when I am challenged with good questions.  When my curiousity is peaked, I kick into high gear.  So remember this is a dialogue and engage me.  Once the basics are on the table, we'll keep going as long as you have good questions. 
  
• To give you a sense of what we will do...   I start off by exploring the parental images in the chart.  I do so briefly, only as an inroad into your chart.  As soon as I have a feel for the parents, I move on to discuss the major elements in the chart in terms of your current experience.  My inclination is not to explore every little detail of the chart, but to take the major elements and explore them more deeply.  My strength seems to lie in exploring how those elements in the chart walk through the door in your life.  I listen for the planets/archetypes in your language and in your story.   Keep in mind that how far or deep we take this discussion depends largely on you.
• As far as the logistics of payment are concerned, personal checks are fine.  I never have problems with my client's checks.  If you would like to pay by credit card, I don't have a direct credit card payment option set up, but you can use Paypal ( www.paypal.com ) to pay with your credit card or directly from a bank account.  The process is safe and simple.  All you need to know is my e-mail address (mmclay@tranquility.net).  Paypal is endorsed by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and PC World.  International clients should use Paypal, since the international mail tends to be so slow.  Or send an international money order.
• Please note that I ask for a photo to be sent along with the fee.  Talking by e-mail makes the discussion very abstract.  The photo helps me put a face to the chart.  Some people really don't like to send photos, but it is important enough to me that I won't start the dialogue until I receive one.
  

• A little something about me: I have been studying astrology for twenty-four years.  I taught meditation full time for eight years before returning to school to get a B.A. in Religion and an M.A. in Counseling and Human Development, both from the University of Iowa.  My graduate program emphasis was in marriage and family therapy and also in grief work.   I was the director of a volunteer hospice organization for a few years, then a case management supervisor for an AIDS service organization, and now I am a program director with the Missouri Department of Health.  I have been married for twenty one years.  My wife teaches at the University of Missouri.  We have two remarkable children, ages fifteen and seventeen. 

Here is a copy of my birth chart for your perusal. I have also included a couple of pictures of myself (and some of my family) so you can see the face behind the computer.