The Joy of You

Astrology

I am a self-taught contemporary Hellenistic relational astrologer. I began my astrology journey at the time of the Great Conjunction in December 2020, and ever since, the wisdom of the stars has informed my daily journaling practice and provided a timing framework for my personal and professional lives. My primary teachers have been Chani Nicholas, Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, Kelly Surtees, Diana Rose Harper, Alice Sparkly Kat, Milly Michelle, Pallas K Augustine, Renée Sills, and Geoffrey Cornelius.

I am a relational astrologer, in Diana Rose Harper and Pallas K Augustine’s use of the word: astrology, like all living phenomena, is fundamentally relational. And yet, its explicit acknowledgement foregrounds an aspect which many have attempted to erase. Astrology is relational in the way it constructs meaning, but it is also relational in the meanings provides: every reading is informed by the chart, the astrologer, and the querent (client). The meanings are made between these three phenomena, and thus every astrological interpretation is relationally and contextually specific.

I offer astrology to my clients as a storytelling and time planning modality, for self-knowledge and for forecasting. I cannot tell the future exactly — astrology, as Chris Brennan often says, is archetypally predictive. But by looking at your birth chart together, and past, current, and upcoming mundane transits, we can tell a story of your life which honors the mystery and power of the Universe and also provides a framework for understanding the emotional and archetypal energy of past, current, and future events. This, I have found can allow for greater trust, ease, and curiosity of one’s life and all the complexities it holds.

I primarily use Whole Sign Houses (and supplement with Placidus when relevant); I use the Tropical Zodiac; charts are drawn using iPhemeris; and knowledge of mundane transits comes from The Astrology Podcast’s Monthly and Yearly forecast episodes and my Honeycomb Personal Astrological Almanac.

My MA thesis, as part of the Utrecht University MA program “Contemporary Theater, Dance, and Dramaturgy” (2023-2025), puts forth an astro-dramaturgical analysis, wherein I make use of the epistemological process of astrological delineations to shape a dramaturgical analysis of the postdramatic performance work Underworlds (2023) by BVDS. This will soon be available to read through my website — stay tuned!

Conscious-Level Coaching

Sometimes, all we need is someone to talk to. In attentive conversation, deep change is possible. Intentional and compassionate communication has always been a special interest of mine. In addition to actively engaging with empathetic communication tools (such as queer and polyamorous relationship habits, Non-Violent Communication, radical honesty, etc) in my daily life, I have also participated in two dedicated coaching trainings at the Olde Vechte Foundation.

Situated in Ommen, the Netherlands, Olde Vechte is a volunteer-run foundation which dedicates itself to the work of self-development. I participated in Practicing Coaching in October, 2022 and Source in October, 2023. Both week-long trainings taught me embodied ways of sharing, listening, and observing deep conversations. Olde Vechte showed me, among other things, how little I need to actually know of what’s going on with a client in the particular. You have all the details; all I need to know is what you need to express, and most of the transformation will occur within your bodymind. The second training, Source, engaged with the principles of Systemic Coaching, Constellations (Els van Steijn), and Moving Questions (Siets Bakker).

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis for therapeutic intentions. I found my way to hypnotherapy just after I graduated from my BA at Utrecht University College in 2020. Having lived my whole life with a very sensorially rich internal world, hypnotherapy worked profoundly well for me.

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind, characterized by mental focus and physical relaxation. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis — I am not “doing” anything “to” you, it’s just you and your mind. When we give the conscious part of our minds the task of “relax the body,” and the time and breath to actually do so, our subconscious minds are easier to access and interact with. In hypnotherapy, you work in this space of contact between your conscious and subconscious mind. This is not about changing the past, or fighting against one’s inner voices. Instead, hypnotherapy provides an opportunity to become conscious of what is occurring in your subconscious, and then decide whether you’d like to keep or change it.

For example, all children are born worthy. But, as we go through life, situations and people can prompt us to accept or decide that we are unworthy — though this is untrue, and we may consciously agree that all people are worthy, there is still a belief in our subconscious which says otherwise.

Beliefs, in this conceptualization, are formed during or after events, for example when we say “yes” to something or someone, or when an authority figure (eg a parent) explicitly says something about us or the world. These beliefs, and the acceptance of them, are often helpful strategies in the moment, but if they outlive their usefulness, they can create tension. They generate emotions, or feelings, and from those feelings, our subconscious drives us to act in certain ways. Thus, beliefs drive emotions, which drive behavior. If you find yourself repeatedly behaving in a way that feels anachronistic, stale, or no longer helpful, getting clear on the belief, and either updating or changing it to be in better alignment with your current situation/needs is an effective and lasting way to change your behavior. Hypnotherapy is one way to do this.

There is nothing you need to be that you are not already — all humans are (probably) capable of self-hypnosis. It is a very similar internal state to that which we experience when we sing or dance in groups, meditate, or pray. And it is almost indistinguishable from the hypnagogic state we all pass through on our way towards sleep, though it is not itself sleep.

Hypnosis is a skill, one which you will learn if we use this modality together. After we work together, you will then have this skill as long as you wish, and can use it for any and all goals you have for yourself.

I received my certification as a Medical Support, Clinical Hypnotherapist from the 500-hour Hypnotherapy Academy of America course in August, 2022.

Hypnotherapy is an educational and self-improvement process that facilitates access to a person’s internal resources to assist them in solving problems, increasing motivation, or altering behavior patterns to create positive change. Hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical treatment or psychotherapy. TJ Querio does not practice medicine or psychotherapy and their services are not a replacement for counseling, psychotherapy, psychiatric or medical treatment. Medical support hypnotherapy is used only as an adjunct to conventional medical treatment.

Tarot

The cards were my first esoteric modality. I find their imagistic and associative storytelling to have an unquantifiable magic, which guides me in whispers and possibilities. If you’d like to ask the cards, we’ll ask the cards.

Email me at contact@thejoyofyou.me or send me a DM (@thejoyofyou.me) to set up our first meeting!