To many people Cal Garrison is something of a goddess. Every week she doles out astrological advice and the folks who follow her take every word as gospel. But who is this person and how is it that her horoscopes are so dead on? Metro Times chatted with the gifted soothsayer and asked those questions and more, including her predictions for 2015 in Detroit.
Metro Times: How long have you been doing this and how did you get started doing horoscopes?
Cal Garrison: I've been doing it since I was 16. And I'm 66 so what does that work out to? Fifty years, maybe. I got turned on to astrology by my father, who bought me a book when I was 16. I think mainly it was because he knew I was a little different. But that book, I think it's still in print. It's called The Coffee Table Book of Astrology. That book got me going and I became really, really interested. That's why I started just beginning to study it and it became sort of a passion for me. I had an opportunity to take a course with a group of people on astrology. It wasn't until about 10 years later that I found out the guy who was teaching me — because I was really young in those days, I didn't know who anybody was — he was probably one of the most important astrologers on the planet. And he was noted for being one of the best technical astrologers. He could basically look at the horoscope and tell you when you were going to go buy the next hamburger. But I spent two years with him and started doing horoscopes and I've been doing them off and on ever since. I spent 20 years just doing it in-between other things. I've always been an astrologer but in-between I've been a bartender, a waitress.
MT: People are so dedicated to your horoscopes. If they go up wrong there are phone calls and angry emails immediately. It is insane.
Garrison: I got 10,000 people a week on my Facebook page. I don't even understand it and it's too bad I'm not a more ambitious person or I'd know how to turn it into something. I just keep working and I love astrology.
MT: What do you think it is about the horoscopes you write that people are so attracted to? Is it because you're so good at it? Is there something that you touch on in each one?
Garrison: This is an astrological thing: There's this thing in astrology called astral cartography. Basically, it's a method that you use to help people find out where is the most constructive place for them to live or do business or where the best things are going to happen to them. And essentially what you do is you stretch the horoscope over a map of the world and you keep an eye on where the planet lines go through certain countries and certain states and stuff. I do that for people as a matter of course. The deal with me and Detroit is this: The Jupiter line running through Detroit. And what that means is that anything I do in Detroit is going to fly. The other thing that it relates to is the idea that Jupiter ruled publications that go out to the masses or any kind of educational thing that deals in higher mindsets of knowledge. So my success in Detroit is due to the fact that I am in residence with the people there and they respond to it because somehow or other that Jupiter element comes in and brings light or safe or positive energy or something that just even opens their mind to something other than driving around in the car and going to the bank.
MT: How much do you think horoscope, astrology, or anything in that realm can be self-fulfilling prophecy? Or is it fated? Are there things that are just fate?
Garrison: You have certain things that you are fated to do in this life. You have certain agreements that you've made. And you have a certain amount of time to fulfill those contracts. Saturn is the planet, OK, that checks up on us and gives us lessons to keep us on track so that we are — he tries to show us what it is we need to do to fulfill our contracts. Every seven years he goes around and checks up on us like a warden. His transits will bring you to these points where you're faced with certain tests. The tests are all fated, you see? How you do with them is not. And it's your free will that comes in at the point where the test is mandated. It's at that point that you show your higher self to whoever is watching over all of this for you, that you've learned the lesson or not, depending on how you do on the tests.
MT: For people that are potentially interested in having you do a reading, do you take on requests? Can they contact you to do their star charts?
Garrison: Oh yeah. I do charts. I charge $150 for an hour and a half session and it is not the usual cookie cutter horoscope. It's an in-depth reading that will blow your socks off. I don't do the ordinary stuff. I'm kind of like an odd person because I've done it for so long and I've done a lot of it. I have a lot of experience and I've seen things. Anybody wants a really in-depth chart done, and it has to be — there's two different kinds of astrologers, and you can take your pick. There are some astrologers that will tell you what you want to hear. I don't do that. And so it's interesting because when people come to talk to me, they really have to be prepared. When you write out the chart and you have an accurate birth time and you really put that down and then I look at the planets but then I insert asteroids and the asteroids are amazing. They will tell you the whole story, blow by blow.
MT: What are people surprised by during these readings?
Garrison: The wound always is the remedy. The hardest thing that we've ever experienced is the thing that turns into gold at the end of the day. Everybody is so precious and complex. We take that for granted. Everybody has a story that would break your heart. I'm very fortunate because I get to have very intimate relationships with people. Every time I do a chart it's like we make love for an hour and a half. I have a new best friend. And I don't need to be in a relationship. I don't have a boyfriend or anything because I have so many people that I love. I'm having these intense experiences all the time. It's an amazing thing to be able to do for a living. I love it. And I love writing the column. I'm so glad you guys still carry it.
MT: Oh yeah. The people would riot. It would be no good if we didn't. They love it.
Garrison: I think it's funny. It's weird because it seems like nothing to me. It's always surprising. At the end of the day you never know what's going to do it.
MT: Any predictions for Detroit?
Garrison: Fasten your seatbelts, that's all I'm going to say. — mt
