Seventeen Degrees is two! I Have a Gift for You

Greetings friends,

Yesterday, February 8th, 2025, Seventeen Degrees turned two years old! In honor of this milestone, I thought I would tell you the origin story of my newsletter and also reintroduce myself to those whom I have not properly introduced myself to.

I also have decided to discount the majority of my readings through the remainder of February due to some wild, wild astrology coming up in March (Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde, and Eclipse Season…). If you have thought about getting astrology insights, I would definitely say that now is an opportune time. Thank you for your presence and attention. I am so happy you’re here.

Readings Discounted 20% off through 2/28 + LIVE Retrograde Class! Spots are Limited

As I mentioned, the majority of my reading offerings are discounted, but I’m also hosting a live Venus and Mercury retrograde class on February 28th, 2025, at 4:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. In the class, I’ll be discussing what the two retrogrades coming up mean for us collectively and for each sign, and I’ll also be sharing about how they tie into the Mars retrograde that we’re wrapping up this month. I’ll be talking a lot about how to leverage retrogrades for personal growth and energetic reconfiguration—we’ll be discussing how these periods manifest in both the internal and external world. Spots are limited; if you’d like to join, I’d love to see you there, and you can grab your spot through the button below!

Below I’ve also included the links for my current discounted offerings. I’ve also included the buttons to direct you to a quick 15-minute meeting, or a free discovery call if you’re interested in deepening your self-development journey this year through monthly astrological insights.

A Little About Me…

My name is Aspen, if you didn’t know; I’m almost twenty-four (a March Pisces), and I have been consumed by astrology for a very long time. Growing up, I was heavily involved in animal-related activities; I did 4H (if you know what that is) with my dog, Owen, and I rode horses for about 10 years. I started studying astrology at the age of fourteen in an attempt to make myself feel less misunderstood, as I felt very isolated growing up. Many parts of my childhood were really lovely, and I had a stable foundation of a family, but I felt deeply misaligned with many of my peers and had a hard time making friends. Social interactions were often challenging for me, as I was very good at playing a part, but I had a hard time understanding how to be myself, and this was when I became very interested in personality tests, human behavior, psychology, and astrology.

I didn’t become seriously invested in astrology until about eighteen, but even though my interest had increased, I kept it at an arm’s length, as I was in an abusive relationship and that person wasn’t one to celebrate my interests. Despite that context, I continued studying it and reading books here and there, as I found astrology’s complexity to be extremely engrossing. I ended up leaving that relationship two years later, and upon exiting, it felt as if my world was cracked open and god deposited everything I know now into my brain. Before then, my understanding of the cosmos was amateur at best, but from the age of 20 onward, I have had a profoundly more intimate understanding of everything in this practice, and I know that astrology will always be a significant piece of my “purpose” here on earth. My practice is very sacred to me, and I have grown to understand that I slip into a channel-like state while interpreting a chart, although it’s not something I think too deeply about or try to make sense of. My approach is very holistic and intuitive—I enjoy both the practical and spiritual application of the chart’s insights and find that is my preferred way of sharing with whoever I am reading for.

I see life through astrology. There is always some astrological concept rendering in the background of my mind, regardless of where I am or what I am doing.

I grew up in a woodsy town in Washington state and am the second of six children. I owe much of my ambitious spirit and optimistic outlook to my dad; he plays a massive role in my life, and I attribute much of my success and character to his influence. He is the reason this newsletter came to be, as he relentlessly pushed me to share my passion with the world, despite my paralyzing fear of speaking! (Let’s give him a round of applause, wooo, thank you, Mark)

I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I have worked a ton of jobs, all unrelated (I was a low-voltage electrician before opening my practice, have bartended, barista’d, worked for the parks department, and even trained horses), but none have been as fulfilling as this one.

Here are some fun facts about me:

• I am a HUGE beverage person; I must have a cup of tea every night but also adore the ritual of going to a coffee shop to write most days.

• Family means the world to me. I feel being a mother is a big part of my dharma.

• My earliest memory is from when I was around six to eight months old, and I have (sometimes) vividly prophetic/symbolism-heavy dreams.

• My favorite planet is Saturn, and my favorite number is seven because it is the number of years between each harsh Saturn aspect (I have learned to appreciate the pain and difficulty that Saturn usually brings).

• I’m an avid reader and enjoy books that include lots of symbolism and themes around existentialism and the human condition (if you have recommendations, let me know).

• I love listening to weird instrumental music while writing, but I also adore artists like Norah Jones, Hozier, Lizzy McAlpine, and Dominic Fike.

  This year I’ve learned a lot about letting go, and I’ve realized that I actually really enjoy implementing detachment into my life.

The Story of Seventeen Degrees

Seventeen Degrees came to be in a little coffee shop in Tacoma, Washington, called Bluebeard. I was facing an egregiously fierce sense of self-doubt and was reminded (once again) by my dad that I should start a newsletter to share astrology with people. I had such a big fear of speaking back then; I was worried that whatever I was saying would be misinterpreted into something that I didn’t mean for it to be, and because of that, I operated from the mentality that it would be better for me to be silent than to risk misunderstanding.

But there I was, 21 almost 22, six months into trying this whole “entrepreneur” thing, feeling like a failure, and profoundly so. I was sitting with my very first microdose of psilocybin mushrooms; that ended up turning into a nine-month-long journey of self-realization and evolution, which I will share more in-depth about at a later date if anyone is interested. I was doodling and pondering and entertaining all sorts of thoughts. How will I know what the right way is? Who is going to listen? Will it work?

All of these eventually shifted away from me trying to figure out whether or not I would be accepted by some distant, hypercritical, all-knowing audience and shifted into a state of creation. I stared at my chart for a long while and started taking notes on a slightly damp napkin. The ink bloomed into a distorted swirl, but I didn’t care. I remember feeling so in flow and centered, and for the first time in my life, I saw myself from an external perspective. I suddenly didn’t feel like I was me, Aspen, the girl who overthinks everything, but instead, I became deeply connected to my inherent divinity. I was able to see above the clouds for the first time ever, and I realized how vast this plane of existence was and, simultaneously, recognized just how silly and insignificant all of my worrisome thoughts were about judgment and understanding, or a lack thereof.

I came upon the name “Seventeen Degrees” because of something called degree theory in astrology. Each degree is associated with a different sign and is said to channel the qualities of that sign through the planet in different ways, depending on the specific degree. My Aries Venus and Aquarius Mercury are in a sextile that is only one minute away from exact at 17º, making this aspect one of my strongest natal influences. Mercury, the planet of communication and translation, and Venus, the planet of creativity and nuance, in a sextile, symbolize a gift with writing or speaking that becomes better when intentionally developed. Sextiles are gifts that you have to nurture. The seventeenth degree in astrology is a Leo degree, associated with fame or success found when authenticity and creativity are centered.
I figured it was a fitting name that both fit my personal experience and also spoke to the intention for this newsletter’s impact.

Ironically, I hated the internet growing up; I wanted no part in it. But just like this newsletter, I’ve realized that I can make my internet presence uniquely curated to myself and my intentions; I don’t have to play into the popularized roles or traditional approach. I also didn’t want to be known growing up; I never wanted a professional role in a spotlight of any type, and I thought hunger for fame was an unbecoming quality. But I have grown to understand that being known, becoming famous even, is what allows me to have the impact that I intended to have upon coming into this time-space reality. I continue to have the intention to help others know themselves better by showing up as myself, so my becoming known by more and more individuals only means that more and more individuals are becoming better acquainted with themselves, and that is something I feel terrifically grateful to have the privilege of partaking in, even if in just a small way.

I think it’s so fascinating to reflect upon my journey leading up to this point, because, while I won’t go into immense detail, I understand how it all had to be the way it has been.

My aversion to and bitterness toward the internet was planted because of some difficulties I experienced in childhood. But that dislike of the internet and indifference to being successful in online spaces ensured that I was showing up in this medium without the intention of becoming famous or “hitting it big.” I’ve been able to show up more authentically because of it—because I genuinely don’t care that much (LOL). That’s not to say I am ungrateful for the success I have found or the audience I have amassed thus far; I am immensely grateful, but the numbers mean nothing to me. Whenever I am writing, creating video content, or whatever else I produce in this framework, I don’t envision I am speaking to a faceless crowd—I imagine I am speaking to you, one-on-one, face-to-face. I may not know you in the physical context of our world, but I do know you in the energetic context of our spiritual nature and the frequency your resonance vibrates, which is what brought us together in the first place. This may sound a little strange, but it is the truth. I intend to continue expanding my reach exponentially and am excited for the new year ahead of me that I will soon embark upon with my next birthday.

I am centered and grateful and more attuned to my sense of divine purpose than I’ve ever felt before, but I am joyfully aware that I will only continue to expand into a more complex and intimate definition of that purpose. I truly have so much to appreciate. This newsletter has carried me through some big moments and difficult times, and I’m excited for it to continue evolving beside me.

I love, love, love you.
xx, Aspen