Gary Brand has earned his living as a professional astrologer since January 1982 so he has more than 26 years of experience as an astrologer.  He has achieved certification as a Level 3 astrologer by passing three proficiency exams administered by the National Council of Geocosmic Research, one of the most prestigious of the national astrology organizations.  He is a traditional astrologer, which means that he uses methods of astrological analysis and prediction practiced by professional and scholarly astrologers during the Middle Ages and through the Renaissance.  He studied many of the disciplines of astrology for four years under his mentor Lucille Christie, a master astrologer in Tallahassee, Florida.  He holds a B.A. in Zoology from the University of Missouri at Columbia and worked as a statistician and grant manager for the State of Florida in Tallahassee before committing to a career in the celestial science of astrology in 1980.  This background of scientific and statistical methodologies give him a logical and practical approach to problem solving and advising clients about important life issues gleaned from their astrological chart using the left hemisphere of his brain.  With five planets in the water signs of Pisces (Sun, Mercury and Mars) and Scorpio (Moon and Jupiter), Gary also has a strong intuitive side and the significance of Uranus and Neptune in his birth chart explain his aptitude for complex systems, symbolism, archetypes, and mythology that are invoked by the right hemisphere of his brain.

The planets of our Solar System (not to scale), courtesy of NASA/JPL

When he interprets an astrological chart, Gary endeavors to engage both hemispheres of his brain to create a synthesis of the chart that is both rational and inspirational.  His empathy, wealth of life experiences (he is 60 years old), and understanding of human nature enrich and humanize his interpretations.  He is also an adept observer of human behavior, symbolized in his chart by the Scorpio planets and Pluto in his sixth house, and also resulting from his training as a zoologist, as well as his 2½ decades of experience as a professional astrologer.  He looks at the entire birth chart as a summary of the karma carried into this lifetime and as a guide for more enlightened responses to life in the present and future.  He encourages the practical application of spiritual principles to life's challenges and seeks the symbolic, metaphysical meanings behind life events and relationships.  His presentation of astrology empowers the personal growth of his clients by encouraging their use of visualization, by using techniques to enhance their self-awareness, and by promoting the practice of making conscious choices.

The dark side of Saturn's rings (the side that is not illuminated by the Sun).  This is a small portion of a composite of 45 images taken on May 9, 2007 by the Cassini spacecraft.  Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

Gary moved back to Tallahassee, Florida in October 2007 so that his wife would be closer to her aging mother.  From 1998 through most of 2007, Gary lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, partly because of the incredible locational astrology compatibility between his chart and the birth chart of Charlottesville as a city and partly because of the libraries at the University there, which he used extensively in the conduct of his research.  One of his astrological specialties is astrolocation or location astrology, by which he compares the birth chart of clients to the birth chart of cities to which his clients are potentially interested in relocating.  He served as Vice President of the Metro Washington, D.C. Chapter of the National Council of Geocosmic Research 2000-2003.  He has a contract with Mark McDonald of AstroDatabank Co., under which some cities in his database of city birth charts are included in AstroDatabank.  The late Lois Rodden and he devised a set of "Rodden ratings" for mundane data.  He loves researching a number of astrology topics (his Scorpio nature) and, in addition to finding city birth charts, he is currently researching the astronomical basis and cycles of planetary periods used by Hellenistic Greek and Renaissance astrologers.  Since 1999, Gary has written an astrology column for the central Virginia monthly newspaper, Echo, and many of the articles he has written for this newspaper can be read on this site.