Hi! I’m Nikki.
I’m a traditional astrologer offering consultations rooted in somatics, liberatory praxis, and guidance from the natural world. I’m interested in practices and ideas that bring us closer to the deepest parts of ourselves and to each other, help us put our values and desires into action, and connect us to more presence and aliveness, especially amid times of change and uncertainty.
I hope my practice and writing are pathways to doing that—to connecting you to your sacred work, your unique gifts, and who and what sustain you. I also hope they help you become more of yourself, navigate the unknown, explore new possibilities, and take inspired action for your/our world. I’m especially passionate about working with folks who are navigating new beginnings, stepping out of their comfort zone, blossoming into a new version of themselves, or itching for something new or more in their life or work.
I’m glad you found your way here, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to connect. May we become the people we are called to be and build the future our world needs.
I am an interdisciplinarian at heart. I’m interested in schools of thought, frameworks, and ideas that help us to change and heal, embody our deepest gifts and values, and make change in our world. Astrology, somatics, and collective liberation philosophies are some of the modalities, practices, and bodies of thought that have deeply inspired me. Below I list some of the thinkers, teachers, and experiences that have most shaped my practice. You can also check out some of my favorite books by these and other folks here.
Astrology
While I’ve had a lifelong interest in astrology, I’ve been formally studying traditional astrology since 2020, including a combination of formal classes and self-study. I credit Kelly Surtees, Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Demetra George for much of what I know on natal and predictive technique. Just as important, my practice is deeply informed by the work of astrologers who approach the tradition and astrological interpretation in ways that are liberatory and relational. This includes Chani Nicholas, Michael J. Morris, and Elmina Bell, whose work has encouraged me to adopt a liberatory, feminist, and decolonial perspective in practice; Diana Rose Harper’s relational approach to astrology, which has enlivened my relationship with the planets; Kira Ryberg, whose teachings on the decans and bounds have breathed nuance and story-telling into my work; and Chloe Margherita, whose teachings on the fixed stars, especially her “Stellar Foundation” course, have been invaluable for widening my stellar gnosis.
Somatics
Movement practices have been part of my life in some way on-and-off since I took my first dance class in 2007, but I was first introduced to somatic movement and breathwork in 2020. Both practices deeply reconnected me to my body and helped me shift from relying entirely on my thinking mind for processing and moving through the world.
Like astrology, my somatics education has included both self-study and formal coursework. In my self-study, I have been deeply inspired by somatic instructors whose work is closely tied to social justice, like Staci K. Haines, Kai Cheng Thom, and Prentis Hemphill. And my path with embodiment has been further shaped by the classes and programs I have taken at the Embody Lab, the tools and frameworks of which are woven into my practice, especially the certification program “Somatic Trauma Healing”.
Healing and liberatory praxis
Before I began offering astrology consultations professionally, I earned my PhD in developmental psychology and had a 20-year career in the policy research field. My portfolio was geared towards shifting early childhood policies and practices toward a vision of equity. I bring that same spirit of making changeto my astrological practice, although I now consider the influence of not just systemic or policy change but also of change on the personal or micro level. How do we show up with one another? How can we help each other feel “well” and whole (however, we define it)? Quoting Grace Lee Boggs, how does “transforming ourselves help us to transform the world?”
Writings by folks like adrienne marie brown, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and Francis Weller have been integral to my understanding of the power of beloved community, radical imagination, and a healing ethic. I am grateful, too, for the teachings of Dra. Rocio Rosales Meza on the necessity of making healing work both spiritually and systemically aware. Her Divine Alignment course also deeply encouraged me to approach my life and work in the world as sacred, a sentiment that I aim to share with others.