Chad Woodford On An Ensouled Worldview
the Astrologer TALKTALKTALKS connecting Vedic and Archetypical Astrology + Ayahuasca, Artificial Intelligence & More!
The fun part about living in Los Angeles is that you can tell people you’re an astrologer, and they won’t run away. Nine times out of 10 they won’t even ask how you make money — “You make a living doing that?!” The downside is there’s a high likelihood that they’ll ask you to guess their sun sign or drop some version of the phrase, “Yes, I believe in energy too.”
Telling people I’m an astrologer usually comes with a long footnote — “Yes, but I also believe in the scientific method and, no, I’m not a mind reader.”
In these moments, I want to point to Chad Woodford — who magically appears beside me — and say, “This guy! He’s one of us. I’m on this guy’s team.”
Chad Woodford is the astrologer I want to be. He’s deeply curious and has devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge and has more degrees than anyone I know. His areas of study include: AI, film, philosophy, and law. He studied Vedic astrology in India and archetypal astrology with Richard Tarnas.
Plus he has a way of talking about energy that doesn’t make me cringe.
Aside from having an impressive resume, he’s a generous human who cares about his clients and reminds me that astrology is a tool for making sense of the world — and that being a good astrologer means being in the world.
The following interview is my way of sharing Chad with you.
If you’re in Los Angeles, tickets are still available to catch us live in conversation at the Los Angeles Astro Salon on Tuesday, January 28th.
Vivi Henriette: I think I’m obsessed with the fact that you studied AI because I want to believe that astrology contains something that can’t be artificially replicated. Do you think I’m onto something?
Chad Woodford: Astrology, at its core, is deeply human. It’s not just a system of symbols or a method of interpreting celestial patterns—it’s a participatory, intuitive, and relational practice that thrives on the interplay between the astrologer and the individual seeking guidance. This is where AI, for all its computational power, falls short. Let me explain why.
First, astrology operates in the realm of archetypes, intuition, and meaning-making. It’s not just about calculating planetary positions or interpreting pre-defined rules, it’s about weaving those elements into a narrative that resonates with the unique lived experience of the person in front of you. This requires a kind of emotional intelligence and empathy that AI, as of now, simply doesn’t possess. Sure, an AI could analyze a birth chart and spit out interpretations based on pre-programmed data, but it wouldn’t be able to sense the subtle nuances of a person’s energy, their unspoken questions, or the deeper layers of their story. It’s like the difference between reading a script and improvising a conversation—it’s the human connection that brings it to life.
Second, astrology is fundamentally a spiritual practice. It’s rooted in the idea of an ensouled universe, where everything is interconnected and imbued with meaning. This worldview is inherently participatory—it requires the astrologer to engage with the cosmos as a living, dynamic entity. AI, on the other hand, operates within a framework of logic and computation. It doesn’t have the capacity to experience awe, reverence, or the kind of intuitive knowing that comes from being in relationship with the cosmos. In other words, AI can process information, but it can’t feel the sacredness of the patterns it’s analyzing.
Another key point is that astrology is not deterministic—it’s about co-creation. As I’ve said before, the planets and stars don’t dictate our lives, they reflect larger patterns and cycles that we’re participating in. The astrologer’s role is to help make the unconscious conscious, to illuminate the terrain so that the individual can navigate it with greater awareness and agency. This requires a deep understanding of free will, human psychology, and the interplay between fate and choice. AI, for all its predictive capabilities, tends to lean toward determinism—it’s designed to calculate probabilities, not to hold space for the mystery and complexity of human choice.
Finally, there’s the question of trust. When you sit with an astrologer, you’re not just seeking information—you’re seeking guidance, connection, and often, healing. This requires a level of vulnerability and trust that’s hard to replicate with a machine. There’s something profoundly human about being seen and understood by another person, especially in the context of something as intimate as your birth chart. AI might be able to provide insights, but it can’t offer the kind of relational presence that makes astrology such a transformative experience.
So, while AI can certainly enhance astrology in certain ways—by making it more accessible, for example, or by providing tools for deeper analysis—it can’t replace the human heart and soul that are at the center of the practice.
Vh: In previous conversations, you said you found astrology after an ayahuasca retreat. Tell me more about that. How did that experience shift your worldview?
CW: The deep transcendental and transformative experiences I had on ayahuasca disrupted my highly intellectual and disembodied approach to life and gave me access, for possibly the first time, to my intuition and my higher self. During the ceremonies, I was in dialog with what felt like a wise spirit; but you could also say that it was simply my higher self or perhaps the intelligence of nature being filtered through my own consciousness. Consequently, afterward, I sought out an astrologer and an intuitive guide to help me navigate these new capacities.
In terms of my worldview, I was already teaching yoga and fairly deep into the Yog-Vedanta worldview from India. But the ayahuasca ceremonies did motivate me to actively seek out deeper yogic wisdom and practices in India, which I did a few months later.
Vh: Do you think being an astrologer requires a certain world view?
CW: Yes and no. It definitely requires some kind of ensouled and archetypal worldview in which the cosmos is informed by archetypal patterns and energies. For me that's philosophical idealism (see Bernardo Kastrup's wonderful books for more on that), which is compatible with the Yog-Vedanta or classical Tantra worldview. But other mystical traditions like Hermeticism are relevant as well, and may resonate more deeply for some people.
Vh: What many casual astrologers don’t know is that there are many branches of astrology. You’ve studied two of them in depth: Vedic and Archetypal.
Can you tell me something about each of these and how you draw them together in your practice?
CW: Vedic astrology, or Jyotish, is an ancient system of astrology that originates from the Indian subcontinent and is deeply intertwined with the spiritual and philosophical traditions of yoga and Vedanta. The word "Jyotish" itself translates to "the science of light" or "the illumination of the divine," which beautifully encapsulates its purpose: to shed light on our lives and help us understand ourselves and our place in the cosmos.
What sets Vedic astrology apart from Western astrology is its foundation in the sidereal zodiac, which is based on the actual positions of the constellations in the sky. This contrasts with the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology, which is more symbolic and tied to the seasons. The difference arises from the Earth's axial wobble, a phenomenon known as precession, which causes a gradual shift in the alignment of the Earth's equator with the stars. The ancient yogis somehow knew about this wobble thousands of years ago, long before it was scientifically measured in the West—a testament to the depth of their observational and intuitive understanding of the cosmos.
What I find particularly compelling about Vedic astrology is its holistic approach. It doesn’t just analyze your chart in isolation, it places your life within the broader context of cosmic cycles and spiritual evolution. It’s not about predicting the future in a deterministic way but about illuminating the patterns and potentials that can guide you toward greater self-awareness and alignment with your dharma, or life purpose.
Vh: This question is totally selfish: Will you please explain the difference between the sidereal and tropical zodiacs?
CW: The main difference between the sidereal and tropical systems in astrology lies in how they measure the zodiac and the starting point they use.
Tropical: Tropical astrology emphasizes the Earth's relationship to the Sun and the cycle of the seasons. This resonates with many astrologers who see a profound connection between human life and the natural world. The equinoxes and solstices, which mark the changing seasons, are key points in the tropical zodiac and hold symbolic significance. The starting point is the vernal equinox (around March 21st), which marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This point is considered 0 degrees of Aries.
The tropical zodiac does not consider the actual positions of the constellations in the sky because (a) the earth's wobble was not known by Europeans until quite recently and (b) taking this into account is more mathematically complex.
Sidereal: It is based on the actual positions of the constellations in the sky. The starting point is a fixed star in the constellation of Aries. Due to a phenomenon called precession (the slow wobble of the Earth's axis), the sidereal zodiac shifts about 1 degree every 72 years relative to the tropical zodiac
In short, the tropical zodiac is based on the Earth's seasons, while the sidereal zodiac is based on the actual location of planets and stars. This fundamental difference leads to variations in the dates of the Sun signs and the interpretation of astrological charts.
Vh: Right now, at this moment, what do you think astrology has to offer humanity?
CW: I think astrology offers humanity the most accessible and attractive entry point for shifting away from scientific materialism (aka physicalism) toward a more ensouled and spiritual worldview. It can also introduce neophytes to the archetypal nature of the cosmos.
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ABOUT CHAD
Chad Woodford is a philosopher, technologist, attorney, and spiritual teacher based in Los Angeles. With a diverse background spanning artificial intelligence research in Silicon Valley to yoga instruction in India and a masters in philosophy, cosmology and consciousness from CIIS, Chad brings a multifaceted perspective to the intersection of technology, consciousness, and human potential.
He aims to create a more human-centric future in the age of technological advancement, finding wisdom in the Intelligence Age with technologies of the sacred and the mundane. Chad's vision is to help create a world where people are comfortable with their emotions, free from past conditioning, and where unity and joy are common experiences. He strives to elevate and celebrate human qualities such as imagination, intuition, emotional intelligence, compassion and wisdom in the face of rapid technological change. Chad practices both Vedic and archetypal astrology.
ABOUT VIVI
Vivi Henriette is an LA-based astrologer and tarot reader whose collaborative approach to divination weaves in storytelling and mythology to create a container for her clients to explore their personal narrative. She’s the host of the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the podcast TALKTALKTALK.
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