Following The Call: A Journey of Validation

I’ve heard that to desire validation demonstrates a mentality of lack; and more severely, a lack of trust within oneself. Perhaps this is true when exercised in excess rather than in moderation. But in life, there are moments of magic experienced in receiving validation and whose very act can drive clarity and momentum like a signal from the universe that lets you know you’re on the right path.

What is validation anyway? A tool, I believe. Like any other – to be used when appropriate and under the correct conditions. And never with bad intentions.

This leads me to the point of this writing. This reflection emerged after an experience that brought forward unexpected validation: an astrocartography session. There are times in life when looking for validation, one either finds it…or doesn’t. And sometimes is it delivered to you on a platter like a freshly prepared spread of your favorite sweet and savory goods.

My Astrocartography Session

I booked a long-contemplated appointment with a professional Astrocartographer. I had engaged in the astrowebsites that allow you to see your major planetary lines mapped over the world that provided enough detail to have an idea of what those lines indicate. I also uploaded my full Natal Chart into ChatGPT. It was somewhat more helpful in explaining what the lines mean and where they were placed over the world map. However, the results were inconsistent. So I booked my appointment and, happily, had our 1-hour call three days later.

I had filled out an Intake Form that prompted me with questions about my past travels and experiences. There were questions about what I wanted to derive from the session and about whether I had any definite “yes” or “no” areas on the map. I have lived many places around the world and provided a one-word description for how some of the places I had lived, made me feel. And answered thatI did, indeed, have specific “yes” areas to focus on and “no” areas to avoid. We even had a short call to discuss how to make the most out of our discussion.

On the day of our call, we both came prepared. The Astrocartographer greeted me with a map of both my major planetary line placements and the more specific Paren line placements (these are more precise influences within astrocartograpy). And I came prepared to listen. What was revealed during that one-hour call offered me a platter of validation, to say it mildly.

Validation of My Past Travels

The first place I traveled outside of my native country was China. My word for China on my intake form was “magical”. Come to find out, my Moon line runs right through Beijing, the city I lived in. Living on a Moon line can make a place feel like home or even nurturing…or in my case, magical.

I studied in both Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K. and in Groningen, Netherlands. My word for the Netherlands was “freedom” and the same can be said about my time in Newcastle – as they were intricately linked. Both of these cities have my Uranus planetary line running directly through them. The Uranus line is one of liberation, freedom, and joy. Groningen, Netherlands also had a very specific Paren line running right through it linked directly to research, which is coincidentally, where I performed the majority of my Master’s Thesis research and writing.

I also have a unique obsession with Istanbul, Turkey – where I stayed for 2 weeks while awaiting my re-entry to the Schengen region. I floated through my time there. It was a wildly adventurous side-quest that led to a life-long fascination with Istanbul and her history through books and movies. I still fantasize about permanent residency there when the time is right. As you might imagine, the specific city I stayed in – Istanbul – was also directly on my Uranus line.

Not All Has Been Rainbows and Butterflies

There was a period of time that I lived in San Jose, Costa Rica. As beautiful and magical as it is as a vacation destination, I never could settle in comfortably. Always sitting on the fence between, “life is pretty good” and “total uphill struggle”. It never felt consistent. I learned that San Jose sits evenly between two major planetary lines – the Sun and Mars. This explained the back-and-forth pull I felt. The Sun can be a delightfully uplifting planetary line to be on or near, but Mars energy can either give a boost or pull you down.

Currently I live in a small town on the East coast of Florida. I am pretty close to my Sun line. And I always thought that in some way, it should equate to a really positive outcome – which I have not always had living here. It is overall comfortable, but building the community I have always dreamed of here has been a struggle. I feltgreat relief in finding out that although I live relatively near to my Sun line, there is a Paren line that runs very near to my hometown that brings an energy of, yes, “struggle” and “loneliness”. I actually worked for a company located directly on the Paren line and my experience working for this company for four years is very much summarized by the energy expressed by this Paren line. So although my experience here has been mostly comfortable, one of the very reasons I am moving is because I am being called to build a community abroad. Which leads me to the reason I consulted an Astrocartographer: I wanted to hone in on supportive energies for my calling to build a community.

What Does The Future Hold

I told the Astrocartographer that I was going to be making a trip to Europe in late February through late March – all because of a piano concert that I wanted to attend in Salzburg by Ludovico Einaudi. It turned into a trip that spans, Austria, Northern Italy, Slovenia, Austria again, and then an overnight train ride to the Netherlands for the final week. She asked, “What made you want to travel to this specific region?” And I answered by telling her about the concert and how that expanded into a beautiful adventure through and around the Alps and up to my old home in the Netherlands. She said that this specific region (Austria, Northern Italy and Slovenia) had many, MANY benefic major planetary lines and Paren lines that would support me in this area. Not just for vacation, but as a place to build home and community. What essentially started out as a fun adventure is turning into more of a scouting trip for my next homebase.

Unexpected Validation As A Wink From The Universe

So when I say validation is a funny thing – I mean, I didn’t go looking for it, but what I realized during and after this Astrocartography session was that what I call, “following my heart”, or “being drawn” to specific places has always held a much deeper meaning than what I experienced on the surface. The validation in this is that I am guided and I am “answering the call” to visit, experience and live major life activations all around the world. There is no coincidence, only alignment. Validation is just a gift in this case to show me, “Look! You are on the right path!” And this validation feels like a warm, supportive hug from the universe and my dear Guides.