The Healing Power of Archetypal Astrology with Astrologer Sachiko

For this week’s interview, I invited the delightful Hawaii-based Archetypal Astrologer Sachiko to talk about the healing power of archetypal Astrology. Let’s get straight into it and discover the inspiring universe of my cosmic friend Sachi!

Hi there Sachiko! So glad you’re joining this conversation today. Could you first please present yourself for the viewers?

Hi there Fatii! Ditto, thank you so much for having me today. I’m so excited to speak with you and to share with your community a little about my experience with astrology.

My name is Sachiko Slomoff (Sachi for short), and I’m an archetype-driven writer who helps creatives integrate, transmute, and visualize their self-awareness through practices like Astrology and mindfulness. I’m also a social media manager, and I was born and raised in the 808 in Honolulu, Hawai’i

Sachi, what’s your Big 3 placements: Sun, Moon and Rising?

I’m a Capricorn Sun, Pisces Moon, and a Leo Rising.

Such a beautiful combination, I can definitely see how those energies play out in your personality and work! We live in a unique era where we can meet like-minded people from all over the world through social media. It’s how you and I met! To be honest, I fell in love with your words and could totally relate to the way you approach Astrology. Tell me, what is your purpose behind having your Instagram account “Altarvirs“? And what does Altarvirs mean?

You are so sweet, oh my god! I felt the same about you and your words Fatii. I’m so happy and thankful we connected. The magic of social media is a trip and thanks the Universe there’s as much light as there is shadow within it.

The purpose behind my Instagram account, Altarvirs, is to offer my fellow creatives a place to relate and find encouragement on their path to self-awareness. The road to self-awareness can be dark, and I try my best to project a light for people to help illuminate their path.

I combined the words “Altar” and “Universe” for Altarvirs, because I feel that the natal chart illustrates a unique place to embrace one’s own potential as well as one’s own sacred context. I want to encourage people to embrace their own Universe, to honor and give credence to their life path. There is always a thread and pattern that weaves in and out of our lives. If we take the time to truly listen to it and ask why it is there, we can uncover some of our deepest and most healing truths.

This is one of the most transformative potentials of astrology – any mindful practice really. And I’d say it’s nothing short of a sacred experience to which I am forever giving thanks.

Beautifully said! Tell me, when did you first encounter Astrology in your life? And how did your practice change over the years?

When I was growing up on O’ahu, my parents had a big bookcase in the hallway of their house. At the very bottom shelf lay the heaviest books that didn’t fit anywhere else. I was so short I couldn’t really reach any other shelf. One day while sitting on the floor I pulled out Crawford and Sullivan’s massive book “The Power of Birthdays, Stars, and Numbers”.

I dived into it, and immediately felt “seen” and recognized in its pages in a way I never had before. Learning about what gifts I could potentially offer the world transformed me from feeling like the quiet girl whom people would project their thoughts onto, to feeling like someone who actually had an inner life worthy to be expressed. To me, that first book meant the world. I had to be somewhere between 8 and 10 years old then.

I used to be enamored with the symbolic wisdom within astrological transits, but during my recent Saturn return I realized that I find the most meaning in diving deep into natal chart readings. Helping people better understand themselves and their possibilities. Helping them feel seen and understood within the cosmic poetry of their experience as a human consciousness. Seeing them awaken to a poetic understanding of what was there all along.

This is just so fulfilling to me and it’s what brings so much meaning and joy to my time here. I only do day-to-day transit work for close friends now, but I am open to helping people navigate the slow-moving transits, like their Saturn return, because that’s a transit that has wide implications for any individual.

Astrology transformed my life completely. Not only did it allow me to deepen my spirituality but it was also quite practical for me. Did Astrology help you in your life as well? If yes, how so?

I so feel you on this! Astrology absolutely has a capacity to transform our lives, and spirituality. I so wish more people knew about the latent power waiting for them in their natal charts, ahhh!

Astrology helped awaken me to the teacher and voice within that I so desperately needed but never recognized or felt like I could acknowledge growing up. I was such a shy kid; I don’t think I even knew I had the power to choose anything or have preferences. I felt like my voice didn’t matter. With astrology, along with other creative practices, I slowly began to ‘see’ myself as manifest in the outside world.

Astrology helped me ‘meet’ my self within a cosmic framework that felt as poetic as it felt meaningful and essential. Seeing the natal chart’s ability to visualize the integration possible between polarities helped me have compassion for myself and for others too. Astrology has essentially helped me become a better and more understanding human.

While speaking, you mentioned that Astrology is always in an active dialogue with your spirituality. Would you care to share more about this?

Ah yes, I would love to. Right before I launched Altarvirs in March of 2020, I had a war inside my head battling the importance of astrology as a self-awareness tool, with my spiritual belief that we are also all inherently a part of Consciousness or Spirit so there is no ‘self’ to know. I felt like I was having the hardest time of my life trying to make peace with the paradox – and I didn’t want to expand my astrology practice until I could.

After much meditation and listening to lectures from spiritual guides like Ram Dass (who loved joking and commenting how he was an Aries), Alan Watts, and Robert A. Johnson, and after listening to my favorite episode of The Astrology Podcast with Michael J. Morris, I integrated the paradox and emerged with the understanding that the polarity of ego and Oneness/Spirit is what enables us to experience Consciousness.

We live in these bodies for such a short time, and they along with our spirits are the vehicles through which we are able to experience the Divine. Our seeming separation is what lets us see the full Oneness that we are.

Astrology is in active dialogue with my spirituality because once I understood the self-realization possible within the natal chart as a tool, I understood that the natal chart could help us integrate and make peace with all our polarities and paradoxes. The ancient wisdom within our natal charts can help us make the most of our time here on earth. And it can bring us closer to our dharma, purpose, and gradually to the Oneness that we already are.

Very few people know about the deep healing power of Archetypal Astrology, or of this branch altogether. Can you tell us a little more about Archetypal Astrology? Why is it important to understand archetypal forces and energy?

There are just as many astrologies as there are astrologers! But I’d say nearly every astrologer – on some level – acknowledges the power within archetypal forces. My practice is founded on evolutionary astrology concepts of the soul’s journey, but I highlight archetypes as a foundation to my astrology practice.

Archetypes are concepts to better understand the stories we begin to read in our childhood. Archetypes connect ancient and modern mythologies to our real life experience. They are central human concepts that cross the bounds of time and space, and help us make sense of the most complex conditions we experience as conscious beings.

In written records, archetypes date as far back as Plato, but Carl Jung is the one who really formalized it. People like Joseph Campbell and Michael Meade expanded upon it, and their works draw connections among similar narratives embedded in the mythologies of many cultures.

Is there any archetype you resonate with the most or feel like you need to embody/explore more in this lifetime?

I deeply, deeply, deeply resonate with the wounded healer archetype. Carl Jung first coined the term ‘wounded healer’ in 1951, drawing upon the Greek mythology of Chiron, the centaur whose deepest sufferings informed and enabled his greatest teachings and capacity to heal.

Although I could probably meditate on the wounded healer archetype for a lifetime, I think it can be helpful to acknowledge that embodying the wounded healer is an empowering but delicate experience. If we over-identify with our traumas and wounds, we can unconsciously create a murky and fused environment in our consultation practice.

If we are not mindfully committed to our own healing journey, if we have not acknowledged and processed our own traumas and moved through them, we may project our wounds onto the very people we are trying to help.

Being of service is one of the greatest experiences we may ever receive in this lifetime. And there are so many ways to give back to the world and the communities around us. I recommend anyone interested in healing work to take the time to truly commit to and acknowledge their own healing process before opening their own practice. Through this, you can not only develop into the best healer you can be, but you can also impart your most integrated wisdom so you can be in solidarity with the ones to whom you give your care.

What are some of your best inspirations when it comes to learning Astrology? Do you have any tips for beginners reading this article?

I may never have taken up Astrology as a serious study if it weren’t for the work of Steven Forrest. His writing is poetic, articulate, and thoughtful – and I love that he understands the negotiation one has with themselves when deciding whether to open up about being an astrologer.

The Astrology Podcast with Chris Brennan is of course a goldmine for learning astrology too. One of my favorite episodes so far is his talk with Michael J. Morris on “Transgender Experiences in Astrology.” The power of the natal chart to move beyond polarities is everything!

One of the best tips I have for anyone seeking to deepen their astrological knowledge is:

• Begin with the aspects of astrology you love, and let your curiosity naturally lead you deeper: It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and burnt out when first trying to wrap your head around astrology as a whole system. Start with what most interests you (whether it’s compatibility theory, lunation, degrees, the Theme Mundi, memorizing your friends’ Big Three placements, anything!) and let it grow from there.
• Buy a book you resonate with that covers the foundations, but don’t get discouraged if halfway in you wish you had bought another one. There are so many great astrologers and creators out there, one of their works will definitely connect with you – I promise!
• After you’ve dived into it, my next tip is to study or create flash cards of the astrological glyphs and the planetary aspects. I know it doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing in the world, but it vastly helps you integrate and read charts with accuracy and more confidence. Memorizing all the glyphs was one of the biggest challenges for me to get past. But the work and frustration is utterly worth it and you’ll become a better chart reader for it – one hundred percent.

How are you making sense of everything happening in the world at the moment, especially the past year or so?

Oh my gosh, one day at a time. This past year or so was an absolute reckoning, but as harsh as this may sound I think the world was due for one. In a capitalist society, the social constructs that govern our lives and communities are rarely built on healthy and equitable foundations.

There is so much work to be done in regard to race, trans rights, workers’ rights, the environment, and the economy at large… But we must face the wounds we’ve enabled and continued as a Society. We need to do all we can to ensure a brighter future for all, and that work always starts with us and our own actions.

Mindfulness, presence, and connection are key, and I mourn for all who lost loved ones because I really doubt they’ve had much time to process it all. May the loved ones we’ve lost help guide our way, and may we cultivate the inner love and compassion needed for us to move forward.

Do you have any projects or endeavors for the future you’d love to share with us?

Ah yes, I would love to! Thank you so much for the opportunity to share this with you and your audience. I’m currently beta testing an offering where I integrate the planetary aspects within your natal chart into collages that help visualize your self-awareness and latent energies.

I use archetypes to intuitively select the images, and I have a couple more slots open to anyone interested and willing to give me their honest feedback so I can align it to the community’s needs. If all goes well, I’ll official launch sometime this September. Woohoo!

I love how versatile Spiritual practices like Astrology are. So excited to see how this new creative project turns out! Last question, in this context, what role does creativity and art play in your work?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words – and I say that some concepts are so complex that words don’t even make the cut. Language is a whole thing unto itself. To me, the language of astrology is one that is innately poetic. The archetypes and planetary aspects are full of metaphors you need to translate to see the bigger picture that relates to the chart owner. And you cannot translate the chart unless you really ‘feel’ it out.

So to me, there’s no better language than art to fully integrate all the aspects of a natal chart. If I could make a complex and evocative film for every chart owner, I would. And for all I know that’s where astrology may be headed; but I digress.

Here’s to the future, and here’s to all the inner-work that will help us get there. God knows we need it. Thank you so much, Fatii!

If you’re interested in the healing power of Archetype Astrology, or Sachi’s marvelous written words on Cosmic Transits, Jungian Psychology and more, follow her Instagram page Altarvirs. Sachi will also be launching an incredible birth chart collage offer soon, make sure to subscribe to her newsletter to stay up to date. You could even participate in the beta test!

Magickally yours,

Fatii