An entire week in May is left completely blank in Johanna Mitchell’s hectic calendar for appointments and planetary motion. “There’s a big thing happening in my chart,” she says. “I want to stay available.”

    She wears a flowing floral blouse and decorative eyeglasses that are the same shade as her wavy auburn hair. Johanna Mitchell is a determined and headstrong Aries, a sign marked by ambition and energetic activity. Her blue eyes sparkle and a smile spreads across her face when she talks about her life’s work: astrology. Her workplace, an East Eugene home, doesn’t look much like an office; the lawn is speckled with tulips and her ’77 Volkswagen bus is parked in the driveway. Instead of a receptionist, a sign outside her door simply reads “Please Come In” in cursive. However, the indoors radiate a blend of mysticism and science. Celestial artwork adorns the walls and scientific journals and textbooks fill walls of bookshelves.
    Her home office makes an ideal environment for one-on-one chart readings for clients curious about their future. Johanna Mitchell has sat across the table from 10,000 people throughout her 30-year career. Mitchell offers consultations and forecasts to help her clients clarify their purpose in life and interpret their destiny. Though roughly 40% of her patrons are annual regulars, not everyone receives a satisfactory reading. 
    Once, Mitchell recounts, a woman came to her office who wanted to get married. To her client’s dismay, Mitchell revealed that wedding bells were not in the near future, according to the chart. Enraged, the client stormed out of Mitchell’s office. “I told her what I often say to people,” Mitchell says. “Maybe I’m wrong—don’t base your whole life on this. I don’t think astrology is everything.”
    Luckily for her business, most customers are intrigued by the ancient philosophy. “People want to know they’re not crazy,” Mitchell says. She helps them, inspires them, comforts them. She uses birth charts to foresee how an individual’s life moves forward. The precise minute a person was born determines his or her personality and future, according to the study of astrology. Charts track the positioning of the planets relative to the horizon at a certain place at the specific time of birth, and only a trained astrologer like Mitchell can decode the complex celestial alignment to interpret purpose and destiny.
    Professionalism is very important to Mitchell. Despite astrologer stereotypes, Mitchell is a practiced specialist who runs a thriving business in a professional atmosphere, which also happens to be her home. Skeptics with a negative view of astrology concerned her at first; she feared that critics would place the same negative label on her that they placed on her practice. Mitchell overcame her own skepticism, realizing that not everyone shares her beliefs, but it wasn’t easy.
    In 1967, her senior year of high school, Mitchell got her first dose of astrology. Greek poetry in a world literature class inspired her to pursue the science of the stars. Mitchell found Linda Goodman’s book, Sun Signs, and read it cover-to-cover. “When I read that book, I felt like this is what I want to do,” she says.
    Mitchell followed her dream, giving personal readings and studying across the country. Classes, conferences, studying and even psychotherapy training prepared her to pass an extensive eight-hour written test for Certification from the American Federation of Astrologers and to become a bona fide astrologer with practical counseling skills.
    Ten years after picking up Sun Signs, Mitchell delivered the keynote address for a conference in Alameda, California. Young, scared, and excited, Mitchell found the courage to lecture on “Astronomy for Astrologers” for 90 nerve-wracking minutes, establishing her legitimate entry into the astrological business world.
    Times often, astrologers choose the “celebrity” route, which involves writing books and doing conferences. Although this route can bring wealth, it can also typecast them. Mitchell chose the one-on-one route without regrets, opting for personal interaction over the conference circuit that can bring fame. Talking with people, she says, is her passion. Her home-office gives off a positive and welcoming vibe, which coincides with her interactive methods.
    Astrology is a philosophy, Mitchell says. To an outsider, astrology can seem foolish and trivial, but to many followers, it’s a gateway into the close reading of life and an invaluable way of viewing the world.
    “How do you value an experience you have in nature?” Mitchell asks. “You go to the mountains and you see the sunrise and it takes your breath away. That’s not science, but it’s inspiring.” Mitchell no longer tries to convince critics and rejecters of the value of astrology; she just acts on what inspires her.
    Astrology, Mitchell says, is her vocation. When she moved to Eugene, she faced incredible doubt and a lack of faith about her passion. “People always said that I wouldn’t make it,” she says. “I said, ‘I am an astrologer. I will make it.’ And I did.” Mitchell has been fortunate enough to make a reputation for herself in the community of Eugene.
    Mitchell’s reputation gives her credibility and recognition. As well as forecasting for the city, Mitchell also hosts an annual fundraiser for Laurel Hill Center, an organization that helps people with mental illnesses rebuild their lives. This year, she raised a record $1,053 at Tsunami Books where she gave a talk on the 2008 general forecast and accepted donations.  The greatest reward, she says, is people’s interest and their generosity, and Mitchell is lucky to live in a town that appreciates her vocation.
    For Mitchell, Eugene is a pot of gold at the end of her rainbow. A set of astrological symbols created in 1925 creates charts for a particular location. The symbol for Mitchell’s established residence in Eugene is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow—an appropriate image for her “perfect place.” She initially made the transition for an old flame, but found much more in terms of friends, career, and happiness. She has formed a bond with the city and developed a successful and happy life.
    “Eugene,” she says, “is a Libra.” A legal document logs Eugene’s birthday when it was incorporated as a city. Every zodiac sign has its own set of personality traits and symbol—Libra’s is the scale. “It’s why we can’t decide. We don’t just make a decision; it has to be right for everybody.” Eugene’s October birthday determines its distinct identity. “Because Libra is about relationships, there’s a really strong relationship between the University of Oregon and the city. They have to collaborate. They’re partners. Eugene is a big town about relationships.”
    A chart is a difficult process, not a spiritual fantasy. It involves astronomy, planetary alignment and cycles, and complex mathematical calculations. When Johanna Mitchell calculated her first astrological chart 30 years ago, calculators weren’t readily accessible and what’s now a 30-second process then took nearly an hour. Now, she breezes through calculations and charts. Even though Mitchell is a seasoned expert, the world of astrology is still expanding. New ideas and methods are constantly introduced and explored.
    The future of astrology is looking bright. Right now, scholars are translating ancient texts that will define the field’s earliest foundations and make prediction more accurate. Mitchell has recommitted herself, enrolling in a new class online that assigns tests and homework. There is always more to discover with astrology, and that’s what keeps Mitchell excited about her life work.
    As Mitchell looks down at her calendar, she’s not checking for her next appointment. She’s calculating, deciding on the best time to take a course of action “from an astrological perspective,” of course.