About me

Hi, I'm Kristina. I was born in Fairfax, Virginia and spent the first 21 years of my life in the U.S. After college, I moved to Japan in order to do ethnographic research on live performance spaces. I've taught English to children and adults and worked as a professional translator and tech marketing writer.

Currently, I live in Nagoya with my daughter, our weatherfish, and our many plants.

In 2022, I saw a horoscope (astrological chart) for the very first time, and something just clicked. I knew I had found the key, the door, and my future path, so I pretty much dropped everything else in my life—besides the parenting piece—in order to dive into all the signs and symbols. I started giving readings to friends and family later that year, and in 2023, I decided to dedicate the next part of my life to the study, practice, and evolution of astrology.

Cosmos & Eros was launched soon thereafter.

As far as spirituality, which is the background and foundation of my life and the type of astrology I do, my practice has been one of deep transformation of self, embodied wisdom, compassion, service to Thou, and above all, or at the root of it all, love.

I was born into a Catholic family, but Catholicism never really resonated with me and none of the people around me seemed to believe in it either. In time, I arrived at my own unique form of spirituality, one that is inspired and guided by the waters, the mountains, the plants, and other guiding spirits, and the teachings of people like Chögyam Trungpa, Pema Chödrön, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, Michael Meade, Isa Gucciardi, and Lama Tsultrim Allione from whom I learned two powerful practices, Feeding Your Demons and the Mandala of the Five Wisdom Dakinis. Both of these practices have helped me immensely in working with emotions and healing the wounds in myself and my lineages.

Other luminaries that have inspired and nurtured the spiritual side of my work are bell hooks, Rainer Maria Rilke, Mary Oliver, David Whyte, Orland Bishop, and Audre Lorde, whose essay Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power guides my vision for what I am calling "erotic astrology".

Feeling called to work with Isa Gucciardi and the shamanic healing paradigm, I am currently studying depth hypnosis, applied shamanism, applied Buddhist psychology, and integrated energy medicine with her through the Foundation of the Sacred Stream. I am also exploring the work of Rudolf Steiner and others working with and within anthroposophy.

In my astrology sessions, I incorporate the knowledge, wisdom, and practices that I have learned from Lama Tsultrim Allione, Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Isa Gucciardi, Robert Ohotto, and many other spiritual teachers as well as distilled from experiences in my own life, a life that has brought me into some very dark places. 

During this incarnation I have walked through the fires of abandonment and neglect, verbal abuse, domestic violence, eating disorders, child sexual abuse, sexual trauma, and betrayal by the ones I dared to love. I have come out of those experiences knowing myself, my humanity, and both my strengths and my limitations a lot better. 

It is my hope that in each session, I am able to help those I work with better access their inner light, obtain greater clarity about themselves and their lives, and find the courage to not only embrace and release the past but also co-create the future they truly desire.

Educational Background

I graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude from Yale University in 2002, earning my B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Anthropology, and I received a Fulbright Fellowship in 2002 to carry out my own program of research here in Japan.

When it comes to astrology, my first teacher is always my own intuition, my own birth chart (shown below), and my own mystical guidance system. I am not committed to any one school of astrology, but my practice is built on the tenets of modern Western astrology.

I use the parallax Moon, Porphyry house system, and work with a select and ever-changing number of asteroids, centaurs, and fixed stars—but place primary emphasis on the planets (Pluto and Eris included!), the Lunar Nodes, and certainly last but not least, Chiron.

At present, my research and study are focused mainly on archetypal astrology, transformational astrology, evolutionary astrology, esoteric astrology, and experiential (embodied) astrology.

I have studied and continue to study the work of the following astrologers—through their written work as well as their online courses, seminars, classes, and talks when available (listed not in order of importance or influence):

WHY CHOOSE ME

What makes my astrological practice unique is my focus on both personal and family/ancestral patterns, my trauma-informed approach to astrological counseling, and the way I combine archetypal and evolutionary approaches to astrology with a repertoire of spiritual practices and the wisdom I've gained through my own personal lived experience.

I am especially sensitive to and conscious of the societal problems of child sexual abuse and incest, childhood neglect and abandonment, verbal abuse, shame around sexuality, addiction, and rage as these have been present as deep unhealed wounds in the lineages into which I was born. I have been called to heal these in myself and in my lineage. In doing so, I have learned a number of different healing practices and modalities that I've incorporated into my work with clients.

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone explains in her book Wounds into Wisdom that a trauma-informed approach means:

  1. "Being aware of the impact of trauma on individuals and groups, as well as understanding pathways to recovery"
  2. "Recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma", "integrating knowledge about trauma into one's policies and practices", and "taking all measures to not retraumatize the survivor"
  3. An "approach [that] employs principles of building safety, trust, and mutual support"

Another thing that makes what I do unique from other astrologers is that, as a policy, I do not make predictions. I discuss possibilities and potentials. I believe in free will. The future is open.

While there are fate patterns that we may not be able to change, there are many times in life when our choices really do matter — when we are at a turning point or a tipping point, and when a new life order and a new life may come into being. It is at these times especially when astrology can help us in navigating the shift.

"The organic symmetry of forms belongs together; the placement of every leaf, the harmony of shapes speak their message. Respect one another, support one another, bring your gift to the world and receive the gifts of others, and there will be enough for all."

"The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world. Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because, in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in who we are and carry our gifts with conviction, so they can be shared with others."

From Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer