While some people use datebooks to project the day's events, 22-year-old Aftin Ikeda chooses a much more serendipitous means to forecast her day: the stars and the World Wide Web.
Each morning Ikeda climbs out of bed and anxiously checks her e-mail, in which her daily horoscope clues her in to what type of day she'll have. She thoroughly reads through the short paragraph and catalogs the prediction in her mind to help guide her through the day.
Ikeda, like countless others, puts her faith not into the logic of the saying "Whatever happens, happens," but into the firm belief that what happens occurs for a reason. She puts her faith in fate, which comes from the Latin word "fatum," meaning "thing spoken by the gods."
Ancient customs
In Greek mythology, the gods are believed to be strongly linked to the planets. Aries, the Greek god of war, is associated with the planet Mars, which shares its name with the Roman god of war.
Although times have changed since the days when ancient Greeks and Romans used the stars and planets to predict the weather, plan attacks and forecast optimal hunting times, people still look to the sky for answers.
Like so many ancient customs that have evolved to fit modern day, astrology has snaked its way into our technologically-advanced lifestyle. The Internet provides the means with which users can find astrological information on websites and sign up for free daily horoscopes.
Ikeda, a Virgo, needs only to gaze into her computer screen to find her astrological answers. "I believe in it," she said. "My horoscope comes true. It's real."
Ikeda's preferred website for astrological predictions and readings - astrocenter.com - also offers guidance through psychics. Although Ikeda has never utilized this feature, she said she wouldn't hesitate to visit a real psychic and learn more about what lies in her future.
Psychic guidance
Liz MacDonald, a career psychic based in Seattle, extends this caveat to those seeking psychic guidance: Do not expect psychics to map out futures. People can't expect their lives to be told to them, but they can be open to the angels around them who offer guidance.
MacDonald describes her work as "angel reading." Her gift involves becoming the channel through which angels communicate to others.
Although she does not allow entities to take over her body - a method called "trans-channeling" - she is open to their words through clairvoyance, clairaudience and "automatic writing," in which she closes her eyes, puts her pen to the paper and lets whatever entity's energy write words using her physical body.
Oftentimes, clients will seek MacDonald's help under the misconception that she can read the future. They mistakenly believe that she can uncover the unknown and foresee the unforeseeable, she said.
But what she really does is help people to listen, see and strengthen their personal energies so they themselves can reach out to the energy of angels.
"They're not here to live your life for you; they're here to help you make your own decisions," MacDonald said of the angels, which she claims are all around us.
"It's just like the sun. When you look at it, you don't see the energy traveling, but you feel the warmth. It's all around you," she said.
Although her main clientele includes middle-age women seeking answers about love, health and work, MacDonald has seen a variety of patrons with a wide range of needs.
Some anomalies include a Microsoft employee in the mergers and acquisitions department who asked about a business deal and a reproductively challenged man who wanted to know more about his sperm count.
MacDonald helps as many peo-ple as she can, but said that she can only help someone if that person truly believes and wants to be there. When she is able to help people understand their lives by becoming more open to the entities all around them, it gives her "a great sense of satisfaction." she said. "It's a wonderful feeling that money can't buy."
Revealing tendencies
Although psychicness and astrology are somewhat linked, they are two very separate things, according to Gregory Nalbandian, who owns Astrology Et Al Metaphysical Center in the University District.
Nalbandian raises his eyebrows when it comes to psychic readings, but agrees that his work as an astrologist can only help people by revealing their "potential and tendencies and whether people are conscious of those tendencies," he said.
As a 42-year-old who has studied what he calls the "very organized science" of astrology since he was 9 years old, Nalbandian said that astrology is far more complex and complicated than psychicness.
"A psychic closes their eyes and taps into their so-called crystal ball," he said. "You can't fake astrology, but you can fake psychicness."
Nalbandian also worries that the younger generation is too skeptical of how the real science of astrology can help them.
"It's not as pop-and-snap as the younger generation wants it to be. You can't market it on MTV," Nalbandian said.
But Ikeda, who belongs to the MTV generation that Nalbandian describes as skeptical, said sometimes help is different for different people.
"You just gotta have faith and do what you believe helps," she said. "My horoscope does that. It gets me through my day."
[[In-content Ad]]
