Laeh Maggie Garfield knows the answers to Vice President Dick Cheney’s medical problems. But she is not a doctor. In fact, she has never even met the vice president. Garfield is an astrologer.
The reading of Vice President Cheney’s astrological chart is one of the events that will take place this Sunday on International Astrology Day. Members of Eugene’s astrological community will gather at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette St., from 2 – 6 p.m. for the third annual benefit for the Association for Astrological Networking (AFAN). Tsunami Books has hosted the event for the previous two years. Manager Dave Rhodes said that past attendance for the event has been about 200 people.
Members of both the astrological community and general public are invited to attend and hear lectures by Eugene astrologers, get readings and find out more about astrology. Local astrologers are expected to attend, but co-coordinator Claudia Rosemarin said that the event is also geared toward reaching out to the community.
“We know that the peers are into [astrology],” she said. “We’re trying to draw young people — people who are trying to live their lives with a little more awareness.”
Public awareness is at the core of AFAN. Member Dale O’Brien, who will speak at the event, said the two main functions for the organization are to provide information to interested parties and to help astrologers if they are having difficulty with their practice.
O’Brien said that there are still places where astrologers face scorn when trying to open practices. While problems may be resolved with minimal effort, AFAN has a legal staff to aid members. Astrologers have not encountered such problems here in Eugene, but the community’s interest in the stars is fading.
“I think that part of what we would like to do with this event is remind Eugene about the astrology that exists here,” O’Brien said.
Garfield, who will be returning for a second year as the emcee, confessed another ulterior motive: “I’m going to urge people to become astrologers so we can have replacements for ourselves,” she said.
In addition to reading Cheney’s chart, a panel of astrologers will also read the charts of the Academy Award nominees for best actor and best actress to determine who will win. She hopes that showing the lighthearted side of astrology will spark interest in astrology for the future. The new generation of astrologers is already out there, but they may need a little help to figure it out. Reading the stars is something that some people have a gift for, she said, like having math skills.
However, the modern astrologer does have a little help from technology, such as computer programs that will instantly generate astrological charts based on certain information. The necessary factors to make a chart are the date, time and place of birth. These factors determine where the planets were at the moment of birth and how they will affect a person’s life. Garfield stressed the importance of the information’s accuracy and warned that a time of birth just minutes off can result in a completely different reading. Attendants are welcome to bring charts if possible; otherwise, they can be generated through the above information.
There will be local astrologers present to give short readings for a small fee, in addition to the $3-5 admission price. Rosemarin suggested that it’s best to bring a specific topic for the reading or a question to be answered. Full readings generally take between an hour and an hour and a half.
Four guests will get more complete readings during the “astrology jam.” The four will be chosen by a raffle that each guest is entered in upon admission. During the “jam,” multiple astrologers will give their interpretations of the individuals’ charts.
This brings up the important fact that astrology is not an exact science, and is subject to the person conducting the reading. O’Brien said that astrology is better seen as a poetic interpretation.
“I see it as one portrait painted in words,” he said. “It’s not to say what definitely is, but what might be a way to look at things.”