Atlanta, September 27, 1954, 08:34 would be the baseline data if we were to do Dennis Clark’s birth chart.
The triple-Libra Pilates pro and evolutionary astrologer is a long-term Florence resident, having moved here for the enticements of the city in 2005 when her daughter went to college. “It was a time when nobody pressed you for documents. It was so easy. The hardest thing was waiting for the equipment to arrive from my Atlanta Pilates studio. All said, it’s been a long, lovely pink cloud.”
Dennis gradually built up one of Florence’s most reputable boutique Pilates businesses with expat clients and Italians who “want to practice their English”. But by the end of the pandemic, teaching mat work online had left her feeling burnt out. “My clients have always dumped their books on me,” she laughs during our phone interview. “I’m a book receptacle!” Around 2010, a client who had over-ordered on the reading front gave her one volume about perfumery, another on hieroglyphs, and two on astrology. “I opened those two books and fell in love.” One hundred-plus books and lots of classes later, she found the style of astrology that suited her the most. Post-Covid, she decided to take the plunge, opt out of mats to teach only private Pilates sessions and become a professional astrologer. “After cutting my teeth on 100-plus readings for fun and practice, I’ve done over 40 readings in my first year of going pro.”
Dennis describes what defines evolutionary astrology in layman terms. “It’s a branch of western astrology that uses an interpretation of your birth chart based on karma. The Moon’s South Node represents your past and the North Node shows ways you can evolve from it. There are almost always remnants left over from the past, whether that’s a past life, genetic characteristics carried over from your ancestors or things that happened earlier on in your own life, in your childhood…I prefer the past-life karma approach. Most people find it juicy and intriguing.” She clarifies, “You won’t hear me say you were Cleopatra or Napoleon in a past life. Though I believe that portals exist through which one can step into the past or future, I’m not inherently gifted in these techniques. Instead I use my training, experience and intuition to interpret the elements in your current birth chart that were carried forward from your past ‘karmic predicament’. But relax, your chart shows you the ‘remedy’ for it, too.”
Can astrology, of any style, ever really predict the future, I ask, sceptically? “I actively try to debunk the image of gypsies, crystal balls and incantations. There are plenty of astrologers out there for that. I feel you can create your own future with each moment by making more aware and evolved responses to life’s circumstances. It also depends on how your character reacts to certain events. A client might be very shy, but there’s a huge opportunity in the ‘astrological weather’. I look at the strengths in their chart to support this, help bring those elements to the surface and create a stellar future for them.”
AstroCocktail at Hotel Savoy
On the occasion of International Astrology Day and the Spring Equinox, or Wednesday, March 20 for those less in-the-know, at the Hotel Savoy, Dennis Clark will be leading a 40-minute talk at 6pm based on five points: what defines an astrological reading; the anatomy of a birth chart; a short history of astrology; types of astrology; and debunking some typical prediction hypes. The final part of the session will see Dennis doing an impromptu reading whereby birth data will be drawn out a hat as an anonymous taster. The evening continues from 7 to 9 pm with an “astro” cocktail and finger food.
Reserve your spot (24 euro): enquiries.savoy@roccofortehotels.com
