Robert Walker Astrological Consultations

Robert Walker, astrologer, bio and services

I turned 72 years old last December 2025, and have been a student of astrology since the mid-1970s, initially studying with Michael Erlewine. Mr. Erlewine introduced me to the ideas of a number of astrologers of that generation as well as his own approach. I still relate to his Heliocentric charts and star charts. He really tuned me in to my natural love for the sky. In my early life, this took the form of just gazing at the stars, later staying up all night at summer camp looking at and charting the Perseid meteor shower with a counselor and other campers.

Since 2019, I’ve been studying with Austin Coppock and his excellent team of teaching assistants through the “Fundamentals of Astrology” curriculum years 1 through 3, which has opened up Hellenistic and Persian approaches, with a flavoring of Jyotish. Because of this, the use of whole sign houses has become a baseline for me, noting the house placement of the MC and IC, and sometimes overlaying Porphyry houses to gain further psychological insights. This link to Mr. Coppock’s website provides both a plug for his work as well as a context for my approach to natal chart readings and year-ahead readings. Fundamentals of Astrology Program Overview - Austin Coppock. In particular, the use of fixed stars as a supplement to understanding natal charts and his excellent work on the decans or faces – the 36 10-degree slices of the sky, 3 for each zodiac sign – has had an outsized influence on my understanding. This decan work has also compelled me to work with Tarot, which also has been an influence.

Fate versus free will

Everything that you are now is based on everything that you’ve done and that has happened to you in the past. It’s over. Your next life decisions have not happened yet. Choice is limited, but definite. Because of that, you may consult an astrologer or some other person to investigate the next steps on your path. Before that, it’s important to remember to receive one’s own intelligent perspective and not give up one’s will to an external source.

Why get a reading?

Questions underlying an astrological consultation may be: what am I about and what am I capable of in the long run? What could be my place in the world, and how might I come to inhabit that place in a sane way? What's on the table for this year, in terms of my path as a human being, and how might I work with those possibilities and obstacles that may arise? Opportunities and challenges may arise from within as well as from the outside world: how can I prepare for and work with these? A consultation could include strategies and approaches to capitalizing on opportunities, meeting challenges, and remediating weaknesses.

Astrology consultations tend to be specific, time-based and predictive, remediative and prescriptive. An astrological consultation has a predictive and action-oriented focus, applying specific astrological techniques to questions that pertain to particular areas of life.

The basic natal chart reading: $150

All readings may be recorded, the recording becoming the property of the client. For online readings, the meeting and recording will happen on Zoom; for in person readings, an mp3 audio will be created and shared.

The natal chart reading shows the basic potentials and challenges inherent in an individual’s being. The life-path-year-ahead reading is about the timing for how these potentials might unfold or not. Most people are interested in the life-path-year-ahead reading, looking at what’s in store for the coming year psychologically and at the event level, but all readings necessarily begin with some understanding of the basic natal chart. Follow-up consultations do not require repeating this essential step. The basic natal chart reading is just that, with only a brief look at the timing of events, challenges, and opportunities for the coming year. Understanding the basics of the natal chart is essential for appreciating one’s basic approaches to working with life, decision-making, appreciating who you are and what’s possible for you in general.

The reading of the natal chart includes looking at planets in houses and signs, noting the 5 levels of dignity, looking at aspects, receptions, the lots (starting with spirit and fortune) -- a largely Hellenistic tool-kit. The reading is also informed by any questions raised by the client, such as a request for special focus on relationships, livelihood, family, or other particular concerns. The chart itself does provide a picture of one's personality or body, which is one aspect, but also one's finances, neighborhood, family, parents, children, creative work, pets, work for others, intimate relationships, lovers and enemies, debts, inheritance, world view, worldly status, friends and alliances, what feeds various aspects of life and what depletes them, hidden enemies within and without.  So, coming to some understanding of the potentials within an individual's natal chart would be step one, along with the client's pressing questions.

In addition to more typical approaches, my analysis of the natal chart includes an in depth exploration of the fixed stars, noting the conjunctions of stars to planets, and noting whether stars are on the horizon, prime vertical, or the meridian axes. I work to gain a 3-dimensional view of the sky at birth, rather than the 2-dimensional view provided by the flat astrology chart. Michael Erlewine’s WinStar astrology program has been an invaluable aide in seeing actual maps of the sky at the time of birth. Sometimes, when a planet is far north or south of the ecliptic, one can discover that said planet may actually be on the horizon or prime vertical, while just looking at a 2-dimensional astrology chart does not reveal that. Also, the star chart allows one to see parallels of declination with one’s eyeballs.

The basic natal chart reading concludes with an outline of what might be a special emphasis for the life-path-year-ahead reading, identifying the spheres of life that will be most active for that year. Each year, often each month, particular planets and houses may be highlighted. Time-lord techniques that reveal that sort of thing include profections, decenniels, and secondary progressions. Within that context, the worldly weather created by transiting planets, eclipses, and the retrogrades of Mars, Venus, and Mercury are considered. The client's questions are also essential for structuring the content of each reading. Such themes are touched on as part of the basic natal chart reading but are explored in depth in the life-path year ahead reading, including precise timing concerns.

I Ching readings. Tarot readings. $50 for a 30-45 minute session

To address particular questions, a brief Tarot or I Ching consultation may be included in the basic natal chart reading for a minimal fee. Stand-alone Tarot or I Ching readings are available for $50, assuming a 30-45 minute session. Clients are encouraged to formulate questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”, in order not to undermine their personal agency.

The life path year ahead reading (includes natal chart reading): $200
Life path year ahead reading (stand-alone, for someone who has already received a natal chart reading from me): $125

There are a few perspectives that are important in an astrological consultaiton. One perspective is understanding the natural potentials (and obstacles) within the natal chart of the person, which shows the life and world of that person. That’s addressed in the natal chart reading. A second perspective presents how those natural potentials may unfold over time, both personally, psychologically, and with respect to one's life altogether. A third perspective is how worldly conditions brought on by transiting planets support or obstruct these naturally unfolding potentials. Altogether, astrological consultations have to do with appreciating and acting appropriately in response to these situations, maximizing benefits and mitigating harms as much as possible. So, basically, there’s who you are and what you’re becoming, but there’s also the weather, what the world brings as obstacle or support. The life-path year ahead reading gets more deeply into the weather.

So, having investigated the basic natal chart, the next step for many people is to look at the year ahead and address challenges, concerns, and opportunities that are in store. There is so much possible information within the transits-to-come that it’s necessary to narrow things down, distinguish the ones that are more important from the ones that are less important for the coming year – also the areas of life that are most likely to be impacted and which will be focal for particular time periods. That’s what the various time-lord techniques are for, such as annual profections, decenniels, secondary progressions, zodiacal releasing (which are the four I’m most likely to access).

Based on that, a thorough look at transits and eclipses, the retrogrades of Mars, Venus, and Mercury, with attention to both meaning and timing, can take place. One's natural development may want to unfold in a certain way, but the world may bring challenges or supports to this unfolding that need to be accounted for. In particular, one may look to understand upcoming opportunities, ways of taking advantage of such opportunities, upcoming challenges, ways of meeting those challenges or mitigating the harm that may come about through them. The weather and how you dress for it matters.

Robert Walker: bio / approach

My understanding of reality, cause and effect, and life-path has been most deeply influenced by the study and practice of Buddhist and Shambhala teachings, mostly as presented by my Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the lineages of dharma that he is connected with. I am a dharma teacher. Most of this website is devoted to such. If you’re interested in meditation and how that might connect with your path as a human being, feel free to contact me. Unlike astrological readings, which are fee-based, there is no initial fee or donation required for basic meditation instruction or checking out the dharma classes which I offer. If something is of value, however, it is natural to make offerings.

Needless to say, my connection to the Buddhist and Shambhala teacings has a big impact on everything I do, including astrology. In general, perhaps surprisingly, for most people I have encountered, the practice and study of astrology seems to have little impact on their world view and understanding of what's possible in a human life. People generally come in with such notions before they study astrology, then overlay that on whatever astrology they take on. The practitioner's neurosis and/or sanity also plays a key role. I've never seen a conservative become a liberal, or a liberal become a conservative, or an angry person become a mild person because of astrology. If someone is paranoid and afraid to make choices, my experience is that they will use whatever divination system they encounter to enhance that paranoia.

My recommendation, with respect to seeking help from anyone, is to try to connect with what type of person they are -- their integrity and groundedness and intelligence and feeling-authenticity – which is usually more important than their technological skill-set. For all the techniques that I have been exposed to, more than I can digest, mostly what I offer is my 72 plus years of life experience, especially what I’ve learned from my mistakes, and years of teaching and counseling experience.