welcome to Libra Collective Astrology
for the astro-curious in us all....
When I woke up this morning, I didn’t have a plan to make my first post on Substack. But I found myself with a free afternoon, snowflakes gently falling outside, and a need to stay warm and cozy on this lovely Saturday. I must admit, my page has gone unused for months, I’ve had the best intentions on beginning my blog, but I’ve found that starting is usually the most difficult step. My hope is that this will be the beginning of a long-time goal, to finally centralize my astrology musings in one place.
Before I begin, I feel astrologically obligated to record the time of this particular endeavor (for future analysis.)
About Me
It seems a little silly to start with something so basic, but then - what better place to start with than who I am, and what brought me to astrology?
My name is Hannah, and I’m a Libra sun, Virgo moon, and Libra rising.
I’m a thirty-something millennial gal, currently writing to you from the suburbs of Philadelphia.
I am a practicing astrologer and witch, although by day, my muggle job is in IT and project management. I actually went to school for fashion merchandising and pursued a career in visual merchandising and retail management before ending up in my current job.
Besides being a total lover of astrology, I am deeply obsessed with art, crafting, reading, cooking, sewing, thrifting, and traveling.
My path to astrology
I discovered astrology when I was in high school, working at a small independent bookstore. I spent my free moments perusing the used astrology books that sometimes came into the store. I was completely shocked at how accurate the descriptions were for Libra, and found it fascinating that a book could describe me better than I could describe myself. What I didn’t know then is that I have a 12th house stellium, which was why I had such a hard time understanding myself as a teen. I was definitely a bit of an “emo” teen, who felt misunderstood, and didn’t like being perceived by others. It was fascinating for 18-year-old me to discover that my personality traits were accurately described in these books.
However, I didn’t truly dive deep into learning about astrology until after college. I was about 25 when I discovered tarot, and started on a path of (what some may call) my spiritual awakening. And while I know this ‘new age’ verbiage doesn’t resonate with some people, in order to keep my story succinct and accurate to what I felt I experienced at the time - that’s what I am going to call it.
This spiritual awakening was born out of a deep need for a return to the soul. I was having some of the best times of my life - supporting myself for the first time, living with friends and partying a lot. You know that saying, “they were the best times, they were the worst times?” Yeah… that’s really how it was. We were living fast, working hard to party harder. And for some people, that’s enough. That’s what they do for their whole lives and it’s perfectly fine. But I soon began to hate that I was just going to work and then going out to the bars, drinking every night. I regreted that I had no hobbies, no interests, and nothing really excited me except for the joy I found with being with my friends. It felt like a fragile existence, my emotional state was largely reliant on having plans on a Friday night, or if the latest love interest was texting me back.
While I believe this is somewhat of a universal experience of modern people in their 20’s, I began asking very quietly, “Is this all? Is this all I have to live for?”
I was also single for the the first time in my adult life, as I had been in two very intense relationships from the time I was in high school. I knew I had to de-program the idea that I should mold my life around another person or relationship (cue: libra karmic baggage.) I felt that insecurity so deeply, because even though I *knew* I should find myself, I still felt like a failure simply because I was uncoupled.
So in late 2015, I started seeing pictures online of tarot cards, and I start researching their meanings through YouTube videos… and well, the rest is history. In a few months, I went down some insane online rabbit holes, learning everything I could about tarot, meditation, past lives, crystals. I let this whole new world open up to me, and I honestly feel to this day that it healed me. I am so, SO different now, and its crazy to look back and realize how much I’ve changed since then.
Those years absolutely formed me into who I am now, and they really helped me to grow and find my purpose. Tarot was something that I learned really quickly and came very naturally to me. I began offering readings, which is something I still do to this day. Tarot was the gateway to astrology and witchcraft. Today, I don’t really love labels, but my practice is mostly focused on deity devotion and aligning intentional living with the movements of the stars.
Now that it’s been almost a decade since discovering my passion for astrology and magic, I am finally answering the calling to share a little bit of myself with the world. It has taken me a long time to feel secure and confident enough in myself and my practice. The more you learn about astrology, the more you learn that it is a never-ending, infinite pool of knowledge. The more you know, the more you realize how little you understand. I love the endlessness of it, but it makes it difficult for people to find their footing and get started, and even more challenging to find your niche in the endless ocean of astrology. My ultimate goal is to run this blog in tandem with a podcast, so that I can share astrology on a variety of mediums and platforms.
And this is where I leave it.
I must be honest, as I’m known for being a bit verbose - so in an effort to keep this first post from being too long, I am continuing in the next post. This will cover my personal astrology “philosophy,” and a deeper look at my perspective of how astrology functions in our lives. I hope this will help you decide if my platform is for you.
Thanks for reading!
xx Hannah
