Meet Crystal Duan, an astrologer, spiritual strategist, and tarotist!
Join us for a mini interview with Crystal to learn more about the intersection of astrology, self-care, and Once in a Pink Moon (launching on November 21)!
Q: How did you get interested in Astrology and Tarot?
A: I basically got into astrology and tarot in college, because I went to school during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and racial tensions were really high on my campus due to the shooting of Michael Brown happening so close (an hour away).
We had many protests happening at that time after our black student body president was receiving death threats. I was a journalism major and feeling very conflicted on "objectivity" that my teachers would tell me to have, and my friends being affected. I had also read online about tarot around the same time, so I actually picked up a deck and decided to try doing readings to help my peers with their mental health; everyone was really depressed that year.
Soon, astrology came in too. In the grand scheme of things, I sought to really figure out how to make reality make sense. I wanted to be a better reporter, understand people better through the lenses of these archetypes, and heal the world, especially because I saw such turmoil with political reporting. This was in 2014, before the craft got so big.
Now everyone is into astrology and tarot but back then it was a hobby for me to understand people better for me personally. I caught on fast with seeing patterns in how other people had similarities based on their chart, and also the differences. I began realizing these tools are a lens for understanding the world but not a means in and of themselves; so I got into Law of Attraction, philosophy, tantra, and many other ideologies and spiritual belief systems before I integrated their teaching into how I use my current tools.
Q: How do you use astrology in your daily life?
A: I track transits as they're happening and journal about how my daily life is being affected and which areas the planets are hitting as they move through the diff signs. I also learn more about different birth chart reading techniques for fun. I scan Twitter to find memes and jokes.
Astrology is a big part of my daily life because looking at the patterns of how things are going or even making predictions lightly has grounded me in my intuition and my understanding of life's cyclical nature. It's also great for different areas of reflection based on signs the planets are in.
Q: How do you see skincare and astrology working together?
A: Medicinal astrology takes into account planets and signs dictating the body and its different parts. i.e. elements can influence your diet and your exercise, etc.
By this logic, I feel there are different ways to promote health with astrology, and skincare plays into that. Your body is just as unique as your chart, and I think astrology and skincare can celebrate both. Skincare is essential to your health and everyone's skin is different, and astrology is another way for us to understand this duality!
Q: What’s the biggest misconception you hear about astrology?
A: Astrology does not put people in a box or predict the future. Many people believe it does, and use it to sort of make themselves anxious or not take it seriously.
I think there are contexts we should have when using the tool, such as that nothing is ever set in stone and these are just extra considerations to put into practice. People use it to fear monger or psych themselves out when really, these are beautiful ways to be in the world and astrology shows you the lines of a coloring book of your life, but it’s not saying you're trapped in it or can only use certain colors.
Q: What’s your favorite self-care practice?
A: I love journaling, meditating, and bathing. Baths are fun rituals where I can soak and disassociate and really reflect deeply on who I am and where I want to be. I also like Gua Sha!
Want to learn more from Crystal? You’re in luck! She will be sharing much more of her astrology and tarot knowledge on Once in a Pink Moon’s Instagram home.
Join our Galaxy @_onceinapinkmoon to keep learning!
