WMH Season 4 Ep 13: How Astrology Helps Us Process Emotions and Trauma

This is a transcript of Watching Mental Health Season 4, Episode 13 which you can watch and listen to here:

Katie Waechter: Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of watching mental health. And I am so excited because today's guest is Nicole Calix Coy and she's a certified astrologer with extensive experience in human resources and social work. And so in my opinion that makes her a little bit of a unicorn and I love to interview unicorns and people who are really passionate and kind of approach this from a different perspective. And with advanced degrees in both psychology and counseling, she is a lifelong student of I believe astrology, human research, resources, social work, and she began her journey at the age of 11 and really since then has deepened her knowledge across astrology including tarot, pendulum work, chakra healing, and crystal healing and today in her debut book Astrology at Work Navigate Workplace Dynamics with Astrological Insight she's here to offer practical advice for understanding workplace dynamics and relationships through Astrology and on today's episode of watching mental health I'm really excited because we're gonna be diving into the power of astrology in mental health in our healing journeys and in our relationships with others and so with that welcome to the show Nicole!

Nicole Calix Coy: Thank you so much, Katie. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to have this conversation. I think there is a lot within astrology, workplace, and mental health that really a lot of individuals don't know about. So if I can share my experience and help us become a little bit wiser, you know, I'm all for it. And I really want to make sure that the audience really connects with the message that I have to give.

Katie:  Absolutely, absolutely. And I think it is so important to talk about, ⁓ you know, astrology and mental health and just, you know, all of these topics from different angles. So that way we can really do truly deeply, you know, understand what's happening and, with ourselves, with our relationships, in our worlds, spiritually, energetically, and all of that impacts mental health. And so before we get into all of that, though, I want to ask you just first, you know, to tell us a little bit about yourself, what brought you to this work and kind how did you start diving into this work? I know that you've done a lot in social work, human resources and astrology, so kind of give me a rundown of how it came to be.

Nicole: Yeah. And like you said, so I did start at 11, right? I learned astrology. My mother had astrology books on the bookshelf. So I really, it just came very natural to me at a young age. I started using astrology in my personal relationships to connect with friends, maybe someone I was dating to really understand them better. I realized really quickly on that there were certain astrological signs that I got along with and some that I did not. And I wanted to understand why that was. So, you know, understanding people is very important to me. I do have a background in education and counseling and psychology because people is my passion, like I know people, right? So, in working with people, even as a social worker before I really got into human resources, astrology has always been a tool I use to help connect. I think everyone has a natural ability to connect. You know, we have our intuition.

You see someone, you may think, yeah, I like that person, maybe I don't, just by their mannerism and how they first appear to you. But with astrology, I think it helps us to better understand why. Why do I not connect with that person? Why do I love this person? And understanding that I think as humans, helps us to have better relationships and relationships that don't really mesh, understand why and deal with that, you know, conflict resolution. So, my journey has been to really not only help myself, help my peers, and now I really want to help other people so they can understand. And I did, ⁓ when I started in the work environment and being in human resources, I realized how difficult it is for us to just go to work every day sometimes. We spend 80 % of our lives, 30 % of our days at work. So if we can have a tool to help us get along with it, you why not use that tool to help? That day go by better.

Katie: So true. And I love what you said about people. Your business is people. that's right. Human resources is all about people. Social work is about people. And in so many ways, astrology is about people and is about how we connect with people and our relationships. And you're right. These vibes that we feel when we meet people, I love that attempt at understanding why. And I think that that's so key. and so important and I love that you also brought up another thing which is workplace mental health and nobody talks about that. Nobody talks about workplace mental health as its own entity but you are so right. We spend the majority of our time at workplace, in our workplace, especially for those of us who maybe don't work from home, right? Like the majority of our lives are oftentimes spent in the work and if we're stressed out by that, if that's hard on us then that's

Nicole: Mm-hmm. Sure.

Katie: It leads to burnout and so many potential problems. Nobody talks about that.

Nicole: That's true. And you know, and what I did in my book is I worded it in a way, first of all, astrology can be very complicated. So I made it so that it's very understandable, right? Because there's a science to astrology. We can get into that also. But I made the book where not only in a work environment, but really in your everyday life so that you understand who you are. And understanding who we are as a person through astrology. helps understand why we get emotional, for example. Water signs, cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio tend to be a little bit more emotional, whereas other fire signs like Leo, Sagittarius, and Aries tend to be a little bit more aggressive in their approach. So I help to understand how a water sign and a fire sign, a water and a fire don't mix typically. But I explain how you can relate to those different people and still feel a little bit satisfied and deal with those different emotions or aggressions that may come out through my book, not only for yourself, but how you communicate with other people. And I think that's really important in mental health because if you have a manager who you feel you have a conflict with and you just don't understand them at all and it makes you feel uncomfortable at work or insecure, I think those, the things that I talk about in my book help you understand, this is why don't get along with that manager. This is why they are aggressive. This is maybe why they're passive.

And then you can better relate to them and then, yeah, maybe check yourself and be like, and help your own mental health and understanding how they work, you know?

Katie: Absolutely. And just to, that ability to understand and manage emotions is so key for mental health. Whether you're in your workplace or you're in your personal environment. And so we talk about in mental health, it's important to be aware of your emotions. And it's interesting, astrology is a way to do that. And I think for some people who maybe struggle with maybe facing their emotions or maybe traumas directly, head on, like astrology is, it feels like a soft landing into ⁓ understanding your emotions. Is that, am I thinking of that right?

Nicole: Yes, you are. Because it just gives us another dynamic or another tool, right? We learn to, you know, maybe stifle ourselves when we're upset or, you know, maybe in the workplace it's not appropriate to get allowed or if you're on the phone with a client, how to best approach that client. But yeah, if you have astrology as another tool, you can think, okay, well, what are the, what's happening with the stars in the sky right now? You know, maybe Mercury's in retrograde. You know, different retrogrades affect people on earth a different ways and what's happening in the stars. So if you knew that, and if you knew that about yourself, then you could better understand, okay, it's not me, it's the stars. It'll help you understand it a little bit more. And instead of internalizing something's wrong with me, you can externalize it and say, it's not me, it's the stars, it's the things around us. Because the stars and the moon, it does affect us. It really does, and I truly believe that. And just to give you ⁓ just a brief understanding of the science real quick, and I think this is, I explained this very well. you know, the moon rises and sets. When the moon rises and sets, the tides go in and out, right? So, and if you're in the ocean, near the ocean, you will see the tides come in and the tides come out with the moon, right, as it comes night and day. Very easy to understand. The ocean is vast. It's the majority of Earth's surface.

So if the moon and its planetary pull can affect the water in the ocean, imagine how it affects our brains and the cells in our body. And that's why different astrology signs when someone is born, where is the moon when they're born? Where is this constellation of Scorpio? Where is the constellation of Leo? Where is the constellation of Cancer? That affects us with those different polarities, right? And I think it's important to understand there really is that science and understanding that of course it affects us if it affects the ocean it helps us better understand and relax okay wait a minute this is something with my cells this is something in my brain this is something in my soul or my blood and my body like that's really why I am the way I am I truly believe it because I've seen it but in ancient astrology explains that that is exactly what happens

Katie: That's amazing. it's so much deeper, like you're saying, than what even I realize in my basic understanding of astrology signs. And I have friends that are close to me that really have taught me that there's so much more. It does matter where the moon is and your star sign and all of that. And it is important to get a bigger picture versus just, this is my star sign and and so I think it's so amazing you know to have people like you out there to kind of help walk us through that kind of science so if somebody you know wanted to know you know where their moon where the moon was when they were born or wants to really experiment more in that how how would they start that journey how would they look into that

Nicole: All right. Yeah, so, and I'm glad you asked that because not only just the moon, but there's all the planets, right? So, and, you know, may I ask what is your zodiac sign?

Katie: So I'm a cancer.

Nicole: OK, cancer. So let's imagine you as a cancer, maybe another cancer, maybe you are different. And you think, well, how am I different with this cancer? How do I not even get along with this cancer? So yeah, you may have been born when the sun was in cancer, but where was the moon when you were born? Maybe the moon was in Taurus for you and maybe Gemini for someone else. Where was your rising sign? And the rising sign is what sign was rising on the surface of the earth when you were born. So you will have different dynamics. And I do explain to ⁓ people who follow me and my clients that when you see a horoscope on, you you just read your horoscope in a magazine, yeah, but that's very, very general. If you really want to understand a person, then you need to get your astrology chart read. And so an astrologer like me, like we can, we will actually map out the daytime place you were born.

And really see where all the stars and where all the planets were when you were born. And it really changes the dynamic of who you are compared to someone else who's a different cancer, who was born years, you know, before you or after you. The moon was at different places. and there are, there's several different free astrology charts online, you know. You could, but still if you get it, you probably need someone to help you interpret it still. And that's what astrologers do. But it's very important to understand who you are.

Katie: Mm-hmm.

Nicole: And in my book, I do a very general based on, you know, the dynamics of how you communicate with other people. But yes, you could really get deep into really understanding who you are. And I think astrology really does that. I mean, it's helped me, it's helped my colleagues. So it's something that I definitely believe in. And I think if we understand our charts, ⁓ we can better, you know, support each other too.

Katie: Yeah, absolutely. And I'm glad that you brought up the book. So let's talk about the book. Tell me more about it. I think it's so interesting that it is kind of it's a combination of astrology and workplace mental health, which is very specific. And that makes sense, you know, with your background, with, you know, and your expertise. And but, you know, people just don't often think about that. But I just love this kind of combination that you've brought these two together.

Nicole: Right, it is. So yeah, so here's the book, Astrology at Work. And the beginning of the book gives basic information about astrology. How should we use astrology in a work environment, just to give you a broader understanding. those are the first few chapters. Then I go into each astrology sign, starting with the first, which is Aries, and explain what Aries, ⁓ how they show up at work and how they show up personally. I also use real life examples of experiences I had so I can explain how Aries, you know, work with different, ⁓ in different ⁓ cultures, ⁓ with different ⁓ careers, how ARIES work with different ⁓ signs and other zodiac signs. So I explain that for each ARIES. I also dive in and explain, you know, if you had, if HR professional had to discharge an ARIES or fire an ARIES, what to expect. ARIES are, again, they're a fire sign. They're the very first signs that are very.

They're the pioneers of the work environment. They like to create new things. They like to see how ⁓ they have vision to create new structures at work and see those things out. So I explain how an ARIES can do things like that. I also explain different careers that are best for ARIES. So each astrology sign, I go through each one and again, say all of that, explain the careers that's best for them, how they handle individuals, real life experiences.

What to expect if you have to discharge them or have a conflict with them. What to expect of them as a leader, as an employee. So it really gives a full overview of that astrological sign in the workplace. And again, it's just, it gives us that little edge and that little tool that we all need to better succeed. And actually, I've had individuals who've read this book and told me. Just by understanding themselves a little bit better through the book, they now understand their career path a little bit better. Maybe they were struggling with applying for that promotion or maybe they were struggling with getting past a certain aspect of their career, but now that they read the book and understand, now they can push forward and understand better how to do that.

Katie: is so interesting. I would love to read my section. So it makes me want to read the book. So where could I read the book? Is it on Amazon? Where if I wanted to pick it up?

Nicole: Okay. It is on Amazon, it is also on Barnes and Noble, ⁓ several different websites, ⁓ know, book websites. You can also get it on my website, which is Astroatwork.com. But it ⁓ is pretty much anywhere you can get a book. There is, and I also have an ebook. I'm actually working on an audiobook. So the audiobook will be coming out soon. And I'm. actually thinking about putting in a different language so that other people around the world can really understand how astrology can help them in the workplace too.

Katie: I love that. Yeah. And it's so unique. It's such a specific topic. And I just think that it's that's just fabulous. I think that's so cool that you've been able to, you know, take astrology and make it digestible for workplace dynamics, relationships, mental health. We spend so much time in the workplace that it's so important. Yeah.

Nicole: Yeah, and you definitely need to pick it up. I mean, I would love to read an excerpt of the book if you want for cancer. I don't know if you're interested in that.

Katie:  Sure. Well, yeah, if we have time at the end, we can definitely do that. I would love that. Yeah, but that that would be so cool. But I'll definitely pick it up and yeah, you know, and read it and and, know, then go from there. But to bring it back to mental health a little bit, you mentioned at the top of the hour that you you you've been utilizing astrology since you were 11 and you really used it in your first career as a social worker.

Nicole: Okay. Okay.

Katie: And how do you think that that impacted both you and the clients that you worked with to be using astrology in that sense? And part of the reason I ask is, you know, this is a relatively new science for some, and even though it's ancient, right? Even though it's been around for so long, but it feels like it's trendy again, where maybe it wasn't. Even just a few years ago, people maybe still looked maybe down their noses at it and I think maybe people are taking it little bit more seriously again. So just give me your thoughts on kind of the evolution of astrology work and then yeah, know, kind of how you used it when you first started out as a social worker.

Nicole: Yeah. Yeah, I'm happy. Thank you for asking that question. So, you know, in dealing with ⁓ people who have different ⁓ mental health challenges, I think one thing that astrology did is it restores their independence. It restores their understanding of who they are inside. And what I did was, as I worked with clients, I would approach them, first of all, knowing what their sign was, would utilize my knowledge and my approach to them would change based on how they would communicate and receive information. I'll pick on you for a minute. So cancers are very emotional. They're very sensitive. So if I was dealing with a cancer who was having a mental health challenge, now I know that maybe that emotional side will be even more heightened. So it would change how I would connect with them and how I would talk with them to make sure that they understand that I'm at their level of that emotional level, right?

Also, if I was dealing with a tourist, for example, a tourist is an earth sign. They can tend to be more stubborn. If I was dealing with someone who was a tourist who was having a mental health challenge, then I would know that they're grounded, they're stubborn. I can't just change them. have to let them know that I'm here to support them before I try to change them and help them in that mental health space, right? And just in dealing with people in a counseling ⁓ aspect is very similar to human resources.

You have to meet them where they are. So not knowing always what their background is, knowing their astrology sign helps me to meet them where they are. Of course they have different challenges maybe, you know, in their personal life or their family life. But I think astrology, again, is a tool where I meet them where they are. And then I feel like it's a better connection and then they can trust me better so that we can go through any mental health challenges together, you know.

Katie: Yeah, and it's so true you do you have to meet them where they are in in mental health and in relationships right in life We often have these expectations of people and that's you know part of what causes I think you know chaos or or causes disagreement and You know to come in and you know have that kind of just meet you where you're at first before I really try to work through anything. I think it's powerful.

Nicole: Yes. And I do, I try to be very transparent as well. Anyone I'm dealing with, whether they're a client, an employee, I let them know that I am an astrologer, that I am looking at what your astrology sign is because then I can help them understand from that aspect as well. So it's something that I really want to be forward with them and just let them know, hey, if you. If you knew how you were as a tourist or as a cancer, let me give you some tools that you can use maybe in the future. And also, if you're dealing with emotions or if you're dealing with, you know, any type of trauma or anything, knowing what your astrology sign is can maybe help you deal with that in a little different way. know, it's just like, it's another tool that you can use in helping you with any of your mental health challenges. So I do think everyone should really understand what their astrology sign is. Everyone, I think, should understand what their moon signs are and it will help them just understand themselves, especially during times of conflict or trauma. I think that I've used that a lot in my life to help me get through trauma and different issues as well.

Katie: Yeah, and just to better understand yourself is helpful for your mental health It truly is to understand who you are why you react the way that you react to things, right?

Nicole:  Mm-hmm. It does, definitely.

Katie: And how, talk to me about the evolution of astrology. How has that impacted the evolution of your career? It feels like, you know, the book that you wrote today is, it feels more accepted today than maybe it would have 20 years ago.

Nicole:  Yes, yes, yes. And you know, I've been in human resources for 25 years, so starting in human resources, was taboo, it still is taboo. But even though I was utilizing it, I wasn't at a point where I could bring it forward. And I think I just got to a point where I was thinking I use this all the time. My colleagues are using it. People that I work with know that I use it and it's working. And I need to break the barrier. Someone has to be first, right?

So I feel like I had to be first and create this book so that others can see this really works. I think it is a little bit more acceptable nowadays. And I think it could be the different generations maybe that have a different level of accepting it. think social media plays a big part because, you know, you go on social media and you have people say, what does Aquarius do? And this is what Aquarius will do in this situation. You see more things like that. I think as a society, we've become more open to it.

So that has helped, I think, bring the book forward. And I also have a lot of support. I have a lot of support system. think that my career, the different positions that I've held, ⁓ my leaders have accepted me and accepted my astrology background. So I can tell you that support has also motivated me to bring it forth.

But you're right, I think it's taken a while. And I definitely probably wouldn't have been doing this 20 years ago in a book. Even though I was doing it, I probably wouldn't have brought it forth in a book, you know. But I think society has changed a little. I think we've evolved. And I think we have more evolution to go. And this is, think, one of the first steps for sure.

Katie: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that just our approach as a society is less stigmatized, right? We're looking at it and saying, no, this is a tool. This can be helpful in whatever way. Meditation might be helpful, or personality quizzes might be helpful. It's helpful to understand yourself and to take that forward in your life.

Nicole:  Definitely, definitely yes.

Katie: Yeah. So what does it look like for someone who does want to work with you? ⁓ What does a typical client look like?

Nicole:  Yeah, it varies a little bit. I have clients who specifically just want individual charts for themselves to help them through a career. So then I do several different charts. I do solar return charts. do prediction, astrology prediction charts. I do couple charts. But I also have, I've actually had employees and managers come to me with a conflict and say, how can we resolve this conflict? And then I look up their astrology signs and they're like, I can tell you you're more stubborn, you're more lax. You know, this person maybe doesn't really partner well, whereas this person doesn't. So for example, Virgos partner well with others. Virgos want to be a partner. ⁓ Scorpios tend to be a little bit more solo. They can do things on their own, but they can work together. They just have to find the niche together, right? So I've actually helped ⁓ clients in a work environment really partner and resolve their conflict. So really, I guess it depends on what they need. Like I said, I've done solo ⁓ reports, but I've also put a manager and an employee together and help them look at their charts together and really see how we can move forward together. What does your future look like together? Because astrology can also predict the future based on where the stars will be aligned in the future. ⁓ And then I'm also working with, ⁓ in the community where I am, I'm working to do workshops more to really offer free services for now to help, to have employees and managers come in to just get free advice based on astrology and how you can work together. So this is something I'm starting. Hopefully I want to do this more nationally. But I think as an astrologer it's good for me to stay in practice. So I'd like to do, ⁓ you know, pro bono work for individuals who just really want to help and learn. you know, like I said, people are my passion. If I can help you, I'll help you.

Katie: Absolutely, that is so cool. That's so cool. And I love that you've been able to use it for mitigation essentially, right? For really dealing with problems. And that's just so cool that you've been able to take astrology from the stars and to bring it down to us here on Earth and to make it understandable and digestible for us. So cool.

Nicole: Yes. Yeah. And another thing I wanted to talk about is the retrogrades. I don't know if you've heard of mercury retrograde. This is something else I put in my book. Because I think when retrogrades happen, it affects all of us. So your astrology sign could be specifically for you, but a retrograde really affects all of us. then, you know, poor mercury. Mercury gets a bad rep when it's in retrograde. I know, right?

Katie: Okay know, that's the only one I hear about.

Nicole:  I mean, all the planets have retrogrades. I do explain all the retrogrades in my book too, but with Mercury and what a retrograde is, is, you know, the planets orbit the sun. And when it's in retrograde, the orbit, the movement slows down very slow where it actually appears to be going backwards in the sky. That's called a retrograde. So that affects, again, the polarity because now the magnetic pull has changed. Well, when Mercury's in retrograde,

Katie: Okay.

Nicole:  Mercury controls communication technology. So we tend to get in more car accidents, become more clumsy during Mercury retrograde. ⁓ Check your emails because the communications are typically off during Mercury retrograde where you intended to send an email to a coworker and you sent it to the CEO instead. Things like that or maybe you have spelling errors and you didn't or you sent the email twice or forgot to send the email or communication. So because mercury isn't, controls communication and technology, your computer may not work. know, you may have power allergies during mercury retrograde. And so it's good to understand those things because if you're clumsy, again, it could also tie to mental health. Why am I not able to do this? Why can I send this email? What is wrong with me? It may not be you. It may be that mercury's in retrograde and it's affecting you.

Katie: Yeah, yeah, right. There's so much to the environment and the stars that can impact our mental health, our moods, our emotions. It's important to be aware of them. Yeah, well, so cool. This was such a great conversation. I'm gonna...

Nicole:  Mm-hmm, definitely.

Katie: Go ahead and close out for you know anyone who's done, but then would love to you know stay on and have you read a little excerpt to me so ⁓ Everyone is listening. You know watching mental health. We are at you every Wednesday or every other Wednesday So just look out for us on Wednesdays and see all our episodes at Katie Rose vector comm including this episode and We're looking forward to seeing you again, but if you want to stick around please and please stick around and I'd love to

Nicole:  Okay.

Katie: Get an excerpt from your book to end the show.

Nicole:  Okay. So let's see. Cancer. I'll just, let's just ⁓ go ahead with cancer, right?

Katie: Yeah, let's do it. Cancer, I'll take this.
Nicole: Cancer's emotions will affect their work output. But this is not to say they are ineffective as an employee. Cancers are probably the best employee you have. They keep a low profile, make no fuss about the work as long as they get the respect and the income in return. They are quite innovative and work best when they can do creative work. They possess a considerable visionary flair and thrive in environments that allow for imagination expression. Their creativity extends beyond traditional artistry. Even in fields like social work, they excel in organizations and clients' case plans to achieve objectives.

Katie: Yeah, that sounds like me. I'll take that. That's funny. I always think it's so interesting how much it aligns when I hear these things. And it just feels accurate in so many ways.

Nicole:  You. Yeah. Okay, definitely.

Katie:  That is so amazing. I'm going to read the book. I'm excited to order it. Well thank you so much for joining me today and for everyone who's listening, thank you for tuning in to this episode of watching mental health. I'm excited to continue to watch Nicole's journey. Nicole, for anyone who, I know you mentioned your website before, but for anyone who wants to reach out, what's a good way for them to get in contact with you?

Nicole:  So I am on ⁓ Instagram as well as TikTok under Astrology at Work. So you can just look up Astrology at Work. But also the links are on my website. Again, that's Astroatwork.com. Astro at AT, not the add, not the add symbol, but Astroatwork.com. You can look on there. can see, let's get some information there. I'm giving, I'm having a giveaway right now. So if you go on my website and sign up, can participate in the giveaway as well as those links from my social media as well.
Katie: Awesome! Well, I'm excited. I'm going to go check out the giveaway and thanks again for tuning in and for everyone else out there. We will see you next time on watching mental health. Bye. Have a good one.