Counseling Insights, May 30, 2007

In a consultation, we must always be aware of what the client can easily remember. We have to help that process. --It’s one thing to understand and corroborate in conversation, and quite another to remember something abbreviated that reminds, recalls, and reviews the riches of good communication.

The most critical points in the client consultation are the first 30-60 seconds and the last five minutes [Please see “The Last 5 Minutes”, archives “Counseling Insights,” August 2001]. The former period establishes the rapprochement and the thrust and level of the consultation to come; the latter period sums it all up and contains the pay-off delineation of strategy, support, and projection worked out with the client.

This morning, my first client’s horoscope showed two realms of life: the beginning, probably marked with little supportive understanding and lots of wandering and rebellion; and later, undoubtedly a complete turn-around into spirituality, hypersentient appreciation of the individual’s effort to bloom in life, administration leadership of such concerns. –Quite a contrast. The philosophical Sagittarian-Pisces complex with lots of Neptune and Saturn fulfillment could emerge out of the emotionally guarded, self-deceiving beginning, the Mars-in-Scorpio peregrine anger and obstinacy.

Having prepared the horoscope yesterday, I took a Denkpause on this one overnight. [See the current “Analytical Techniques” essay.] And this morning, before looking again at the horoscope, I was led to bring in one more measurement reference to the mix: I looked into Blain Bovee’s superb book The Sabian Symbols & Astrological Analysis, specifically to the Midheaven degree [determined by the birth time; always quite telling symbology] for the 27th degree in Cancer. It read so simply: “A storm in a canyon; a mountain pilgrimage”!!! --Were we on the right track or what?

Immediately, EVERYTHING came together beautifully; I felt corroborated in my initial organization judgment. I couldn’t wait for the consultation to begin. –And with the client, after some cordialities, I began with just those eight words within a bold but respectful sentence about where the horoscope suggested his life had been and where it could very well be going. –My client told me he was stunned by the images; he earnestly corroborated their sense and place in his reality.

The first important time period of the consultation was covered impressively, and throughout the consultation, I kept echoing the dichotomous organization of his life time. “Then and Now” became powerful key references. The client kept adding understanding to the life organization, the shift to the new developed over 50-some years.

And I kept notes of key words each of us said. --I had about twenty words nicely arranged by the conclusion of our talk. He had heard them before during the consultation; he would remember them thereafter.
My client was facing a monumental change of life perspective in about five months … this was a perfect lead-time for the big shift that would extended over about ten months. And he had my notes, repeated over and over and over, keeping track of our consultation high points… deep in the canyon and high on the mountain … to remember for support and focus into the future.

[This process of organizing communication reminds me of the old Madison Avenue dictum about giving a speech or writing an advertisement: tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you’ve already told them. This clarifies communication; this is persuasive communication.]

We must remember that organization of thought and vivid communication need to work hand in hand. This is the astrologer’s job. Without organization, without significances achieved together with the client, the horoscope breaks down to a laundry list of personality descriptions and accomplishes nothing.

Take notes. Take notes always; short ones, clear ones. Even ask your client to pause to let you do this. It pays off. And very very soon, you will be creating images that deserve such an audience, such a record.

Next Update: June 30, 2007