Informed by the Stars

“What’s your sign?”

If you’ve been asked this question, chances are you responded one of two ways: Definitively discussing your astrological sign, be it Aries, Scorpio, or Libra, among others, or with a brush-off statement like, “Astrology is not real.”

For CAT WILSON, a decade working in a data-driven health care field finessed her communication skills but presented its own challenges, notably burn-out and anxiety. Within this chapter, a new interest was born in astrology, tarot, and reiki.

Wilson stumbled on a tarot deck by chance more than a decade ago. In the mornings before her corporate job began, she studied her astrological birth chart and how those planetary aspects informed her story. In layman’s terms, a birth chart (or natal chart) offers insights into character traits, behavioral tendencies, and even one’s life purpose, all based on the planetary coordinates at the exact time of birth.

“I studied my birth chart for three years before I even thought about looking at someone else’s. It’s so layered. The more I studied, the more I realized when it’s done well, it’s a powerful tool for self-exploration and introspection,” Wilson says, adding that as someone in a science-driven corporate career, she felt she had to hide her newfound interests for a long time.

In 2020, Wilson transformed this passion into a full-time business, initially offering birth chart and tarot readings alongside reiki healing. Today, she has expanded to offer in-depth programs, like Beyond the Veil; an in-person meetup group called The Wilmington Astrology Collective; and an online astrology publication, Zenith.

Wilson does not sell promises of the future. Instead, she looks at her offerings as a goals-oriented practice, seeing herself as a guide and adviser to processing layered experiences while teaching new tools and methods to understanding both the tangible world and the metaphysical.

“So many industries build upon who you are — astrology is a tool where you can explore that through very ancient dialogue and record-keeping that you get to define for yourself,” Wilson says. “That’s what people are craving, flexibility and fluidity between, ‘That’s what I am going through, and that’s who I am.’”

One of Wilson’s long-term goals is to decrease the stigma around astrology while educating others on the power of being informed of their own story written in the stars. The Wilmington Astrology Collective, which Wilson started in December, is a monthly meetup hosted at Backspin Social and welcomes all levels of astrology enthusiasts. Beyond the Veil is a three-month mentorship and deep-dive for those curious and drawn to astrology and the metaphysical.

Her newest brainchild, Zenith, utilizes Wilson’s love for teaching and writing into an easily digestible and visually appealing publication to help others learn astrology and the current transits outside of one-dimensional horoscopes. Zenith also accepts submissions from local writers and those interested in astrology.

“I’ve always loved data and the scientific method, I’ve always loved health, healing, and medicine, but I can serve better through a space that is more fluid and collaborative in nature,” she says. “My goal is to not work with you indefinitely but to help you tap into a spiritual understanding. If we look at the situation, even if it’s riddled with conflict and pain, I want to help in that transition of guiding someone to their own truth.”

To view more of photographer Aris Harding’s work, go to arisharding.com.

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