Vanessa is a master of storytelling and unparalleled teacher of the stars, the cosmos and the roadmap of the human journey.
In this powerful Lost Arts interview we touch on
~ The language of the Cosmos
~ As above so below, as within so without
~ Your birth chart as your road-map
~ the cast of characters of the play of your life
~ Art as the bridge to your cosmic Right Livelihood
~ Making your destiny manifest
I am honored and so grateful that Vanessa has become the voice of the pulse from the Universe in the Mystic’s Society, and hope you love getting to know her heart and her light better here as I have.
With love and gratitude,
Xo
L
Please tell us about yourself. What is your connection to alternative ways of knowing?
I’m an astro coach & artist.
I’m originally from Brazil, but I moved to the US when I was 10 years old. Growing up between bilingual and bicultural gave me a very experiential love for bridging between different languages and cultures. It was also an intimate experience of living on the threshold - this liminal space between two worlds. This experience gave me an early awareness of the world of symbols and its connections to our stories.
Sometime in my childhood, I discovered astrology. I got really curious about my friends’ Sun Signs. Knowing their signs was a way for me to understand their personalities.
Later astrology led me to the world of C.G. Jung and Joseph Campbell. My love for myths, stories, and the planetary archetypes led me to pursue my MA in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. This experience widened my worldview and really how I perceive archetypal patterns in my life, in the lives of my clients and in the world.
Tell us briefly how you found your Lost Art.
I feel that astrology found me when I was a child. It wasn’t so much a matter of me ‘finding my Lost Art’, but actually ‘coming out of the closet’ and stepping fully into my Lost Art. This was a longer process. I was a closeted astrologer for many years. Finally, it was my art that brought me back to astrology and helped me come out of my closet. I started doing commissioned art pieces of some of my friends’ birth charts and that expanded further into me doing astrological sessions and gaining confidence to answer the call of my Lost Art.
How have you integrated your innate talent and your Lost Art practice into your life? What challenges did you face in this integrative process?
This was a long process of self-discovery and facing my growing edges. Astrology helped me immensely to step into adulthood and learn more about myself and my purpose. The astrology I started studying in my early 20s, is psychological astrology, steeped into the work of C.G. Jung. It’s still the astrology I focus on with my client work, while bringing some of archetypal astrology as well.
Even when I took a break from astrology when I faced a period of depression, I was still in love with trying to understand patterns. Ultimately, this is what brings me back to astrology over and over: my love for symbolic patterns in life, nature and in the world. My desire to understand and see patterns infuses everything in my life, and it’s very visible in my art.
The challenge came from my fear to step out and claim what I was doing. At times it felt like a very primal fear for past lives, as if I had been burnt at the stake a few times. I haven’t done past life regression, but I have struggled with how the esoteric/occult arts have perceived even now in the world.
When it comes to astrology, I want to serve as a bridge to make it accessible and grounded, with the superficial fluff that I see in many astrology sites/works and even astrologers. I want it to be respected for the deep art and road map that it is.
My challenge right now is in finding my own voice as an astrologer, as I weave it with psychology, coaching and art. It’s a work in process.
What important lesson would you share with an earlier version of yourself, or to somebody who is just now exploring what a mystical path might mean to them?
Don’t be afraid to follow your curiosity. Don’t be afraid to answer the call. Don’t be shy about sharing your knowledge. Even if you are steeped into and thinking that everyone knows about it. It’s not true. Many still don’t know and they need us to teach them.
Plus have some fun! It doesn’t have to be all serious! Share your knowledge, struggles and victories and you will find a tribe much easier than you think! There’s no need to go it at it alone!
If there was only one thing a person could find the energy and resources to make a priority, what should it be?
I’m not sure I understand this question, but I’ll give it a try.
I think our curiosity is a major asset. Curiosity did not kill the cat. Curiosity opens doors and expands our mind. Follow it like a detective would follow a clue.
What is your favorite inspirational quote?
All paths lead to Rome. - this has helped me keep my mind open to new possibilities.
Vanessa Couto is an astrological coach & artist. She believes that we are all midwives to each others’ dreams. She’s passionate about working with individuals who want to better understand who they are, find their purpose and are navigating transformative thresholds in their lives. She helps clients on their journey towards birthing a richer and more purposeful life.
In her work she weaves astrology, depth psychology, dreamwork, mythology and art to help clients broaden their understanding of their life’s story and the path ahead.
She believes the birth chart is our life’s road map.
