Steph Johnson came to see me earlier this year in a gap between lockdowns. I was immediately fascinated by her work. Like me, she has a passion for technology which lead her to use her astrology skills to build an astrology software consulting business three decades ago now. She was well ahead of the game!
Steph also loves helping her clients to find meaning and purpose in life. Her work with the astrological readings facilitates this in many different ways.
I was curious to discover how a reading could help me so I asked Steph to do my chart, which was an enormously helpful experience.
I think you’ll love getting to know Steph by reading her story below. You might even like to get your chart done to give you insights into your personality, to help you understand patterns that occur in your life and to learn about the best timings for your projects and life plans.
Can you tell us about your work?
I have an astrology business, Seeing With Stars where I do people’s charts and report writing. I’ve also been developing astrology software for astrology professionals for many years now. This business is Esoteric Technologies and we develop software for Windows, iPhones and Macs all around the world.
What got you into astrology?
When I was young, I read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I wanted to be like Jo, a writer, an individual, marry a professor, start a boy’s school, march to my own tune.
As I grew up, I was drawn to culture, philosophy, spirituality. I was different to the rest of my family. I read Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own went to university at 17 and studied drama, English literature and journalism. Very few women were journalists then so I joined SA Women in Media and we supported one another. Some of those women are still my friends today.
At 21, I went to an astrologer and was entranced. I had been living in an Anglican Monastery in the Adelaide Hills, one that allowed associates. I wanted to combine my spiritual, inner journey with what I saw in my work as a journalist – great artists, simple souls doing wonderful work, murderers in court etc. Such extremes.
Over the years I had generous and wise mentors. I also wanted to be a priestess in the Anglican church, but the church that I grew up with left little room back then for women to be in those roles. In all honesty, I was probably not conservative enough anyway.
I explored the little heard voices of women in Christianity which was fascinating, but not enough. Finally, I found meaning in studying the Ancient Wisdom teachings, and also astrology.
For me astrology is just one of the paths that brings us closer to God, or our higher consciousness. There are many symbols and signposts and pathways, but the language of the stars speaks to me. Astrology has given me so much and I have always wanted to share this with others. Life is indeed a journey and having a purpose gives it so much more meaning.
Where do you go for inspiration?
I still find inspiration in my spiritual beliefs and I find it often in inspirational books. I find inspiration in my friendships and in some groups I’ve joined as well. Working on your own can be isolating.
What are you reading or listening to at the moment?
I’m reading a novel at the moment called The Labryinth which won the Miles Franklin Award. I’m also listening to The Priestess Podcast by Julie Parker.
What’s one piece of advice you would offer your 20-year-old self?
Slow down, there’s plenty of time. That would create less anxiety that everything has to be done now.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in business (and/or life)?
I have had some real hardships in life, like many others. Now I have a beautiful son, his fiancé and four grandchildren, and an extended family through my partner and his children and grandchildren. I feel so grateful and I want to help others, particularly women, young women. With my regular clients we work on what gives life meaning and purpose as well as the right timing for the many aspirations we have in our lives.
I have always been drawn to what people are like on the inside, not their external appearances.
My most important lesson in business has been to keep it fresh and always updated. You can get really stuck in your business. What works in one year or one decade (I’ve been doing this a long time!) is not necessarily going to work in the next one. Remain open and flexible and keep adapting.
How have you stayed grounded over the past couple of years while we’ve been dealing with the pandemic?
My business and my astrology have kept me grounded. I looked back at the charts from 2018 and saw the correlations astrologically which prepared me for the fact that COVID wasn’t going to go away in a hurry. I felt prepared and pretty lucky.
In fact, I have always felt lucky having astrology as a guide in my life.
Where do you connect with your audience these days?
My Instagram following is relatively small with 3900 followers but they are an amazing group of women. Women are so incredibly generous, open and honest. The men are very supportive too but my experience, because of my age, has been focused on fighting (at first) and now encouraging women to speak up and be authentic in a patriarchal society.
I also hold High Teas with the Stars, where I introduce people to astrology and how it can help. Those who attend discover an open door to a new world, a bit like Narnia. Magic! I am also starting a Seeing With Stars Podcast because I want to help more people.
What is one or more change you’d like to make in the world?
My inspiration comes from a conviction that we all have a purpose and that we are guided by a higher power if we can find a way to listen. I believe that I’m here for a reason and that everyone else is here for a reason too. And maybe we can all make a little bit of a difference in a small way with our lives.
I think that the astrology work I have been doing for so long now has a real sense of purpose to it and it can be very useful for people. I think we’re in times where we do need to be grounded and we do need to feel ‘what is the sense of all this?’ and I think astrology can help with this.
