Ellie Cleary is a fascinating individual who has made a career out of helping others navigate life transitions through her unique blend of AstroCartography and embodiment practices. In a recent interview, she shared her insights and experiences with us!
1: Tell us about life as a soulful traveler and your work as an Astro Cartographer? And what does it all entail?
I’ve always been an avid traveller, as well as working in tourism since leaving university many years ago! My first travel jobs were working in hotels, before moving into online travel and starting blogging about sustainable travel back in 2015. My first big solo trip was to France when I was 18 as an au-pair, where I went in the deep end looking after a large family of kids speaking only French ;-). It is Asia that has always called to me though, and specifically India. I didn’t really understand why before I first went to India back in 2015, I just knew in my bones that I had to go there.
Knowing what I know now, I can understand that I was always meant to go to India - to learn the lessons that my soul had waiting for me there, and in many ways re-connect with parts of myself that I’d forgotten.
Astro Cartography is a type of locational astrology which allows us to see where the planets were rising and setting around the world at the time of our birth. It uses “lines” - we all have Venus lines, Jupiter lines, Moon lines, etc which are great for different things - but they are in different locations for everybody depending on your birth chart, which makes it super interesting!
With Astro Cartography, we get to look at where we can go (or connect with, if physically travelling there is not possible/desired) to really harness and work with that energy depending on the area of our life we are focusing on. It’s an amazing tool for planning travel, deciding where to live, where to go on (or host) a retreat, and so much more!
My Soul Travel Oracle readings include an in-depth look at my clients’ Astro Cartography as well as the Astrological transits they are currently working with so we can see where is most supportive for their journey.
2: You have lived and traveled all over the world! Where have you lived that really aligned with your soul?
I was lucky enough to call Amsterdam home for 6 years, which was such a beautiful experience. I had to pinch myself cycling down the narrow cobbled streets lined with old canal houses - the city is like another world, lost in time. Of course, I later found out one of my Venus lines runs near there, so no wonder I felt surrounded by beauty ;-)
I’m now back in the UK for a bit and on my maternal ancestral lands in Sussex, which feels right and simply ‘home’. Astrologically speaking, the energies surrounding me here are very similar to what there is in India for me. I’m interested in studying more about key lines and am deepening into that work while I’m here on my ancestral lands.
3: What has been your biggest challenge you have faced on your journey as an expat? How have you overcome them?
The world is definitely not set up for people who want to base themselves in different places - there’s really so little support for digital nomads or even people who choose to spend several months of the year in a a different country of travelling (which of course, let’s acknowledge is a huge privilege). The main hurdles are of course are visas - with so few countries having good options for those working remotely/digital nomads, and then things like health insurance, travel insurance, and all of the life admin we need to deal with.
Then there’s the more human issue of on one hand being able to meet lots of new people, but also experiencing a lot of loneliness as many people come and go, and we’re always coming and going.
Ultimately, I believe we’re all really searching for belonging and community.
4: What advice do you have for female expats, travellers or digital nomads who may have fallen out of alignment with their life or feel stuck, not knowing what the next right move is or place to live in?
I always invite my clients to go within and connect with the whispers inside us that are nudging us in a certain direction. We usually know what direction we want to go in, but there can be many reasons why that can feel scary/not possible or bring up a lot of ‘stuff’ for us to work through.
If you have your astrology chart, spend some time with it and see if you are going through any big transits at the moment. These can bring up the desire to take action, a lot of confusion, change and so much more.
And lastly - if you feel called somewhere: Go. There are always a million reasons why not to go - and of course do your due diligence and research especially when it comes to safety. But often, leaving home and getting to the plane/train is the hardest part and it’s always worth it.
5: How do you use Astrology as a guide? Tell us more about astrological direction for expatriates and travellers?
I see the stars as a map in the sky which are imprinted within us. Of course, they aren’t the whole story, but they can really provide light for us to navigate by.
I always start with - what do I really want to focus on now? What is most important for me in my life? If it’s work, I would look to connect with a place that is going to emphasise that for me - such as a Sun or Mercury place, or if it’s my relationships, then I would look to Venus places.
Ultimately, we are all in the perfect place right now. But, that doesn’t mean that place is going to serve us best going forward. If you are feeling the call to move/travel - that’s a sign worth listening to.
I have some tips on resources and how to use the different astrological energies here in this blog: https://elliecleary.com/astro-cartography/
6: Where would you love to travel to next/ live and work in?
I now see myself splitting my time 50/50 between the UK and India, but with growing longing to settle more in one of those places. Time will tell which one it is.
Since Covid (and possibly age!), my desire for travel has changed, and I find myself desiring slower travel with more time spent in fewer places, prioritising home stays, retreats and farm stays where there is good quality home-cooked food and access to nature. I also can’t do weeks on the road anymore and love having a home base!
I still have other places on my Wishlist. Tibet is high up there, as well as Hawaii, both for their indigenous goddess-centric ancient cultures and traditions. Closer to home, I want to spend a lot more time in Scotland, which has always called to me.
7: How can women who struggle with lower vibrational interruptions reach higher vibrational realms and ascend into the life of their dreams?
I do believe that our thoughts create emotions which create our reality - at least to some extent - and that is something we can all work on.
But the real magic for me has been in coming home to the truth that we were born into this life to be fully here. On earth. In a human body. There is nowhere to ascend to or anywhere else to be other than here. (We ascend when we die).
So the question is, how can we fully birth ourselves here? How can we surrender to the beautiful and excruciating experience of being in a fallible human body with a heart that experiences the highs and lows of love and pain and many things in-between?
As we travel and connect with the earth, we connect with our bodies too - our own personal earth. And this is where the beautiful work of travel and embodiment intersect for me and can bring healing.
8: Can you tell us more about mindfulness, magic and ‘RitualTravel’? How can we incorporate and use them to live a fulfilling traveling lifestyle/future?
One of the most powerful elements of travel is that it has the ability to open up our awareness and perception. When we go to a new place, suddenly all of our senses are re-awakened and we have this beautiful child-like awareness of taking everything in for the first time.
Simply being present to your surroundings and being curious is a beautiful place to start. I also love to journal every day as a I travel, to document my own experiences and internal journey as well as the outer one. It’s amazing to come back and read them years later.
I also love to honour the land. To find out who the indigenous owners were and honour them - in whatever way feels appropriate.
9: Where do you believe to be the most spiritual place on earth or a place you have personally found spiritual depth, connection and meaning?
I feel blessed to have found a few, but the first one I always talk about is Varanasi, India. It’s known as Kashi - the city of light - and also by its ancient name of Benares. It’s Shiva’s city on the banks of the Ganges in central India (Shiva is the Hindu god of Destruction) and Hindus believe that if you die here, you obtain Moksha - that is release from the cycle of reincarnation, death and rebirth.
It was Varanasi that first called me to India - I saw it on TV and just knew I had to go there. I have since had the most magical experiences there and had several powerful visualisations about Varanasi. I later found out that one of my Venus line runs through there - which makes total sense as to why I love it there so much, when it’s not the easiest of places (dust, pollution, noise).
It’s a place I will keep returning for as long as I can to mark the end of cycles in my life.
10: Lastly, what do you do for clients? What does one get from a session with you?
In my Soul Travel Oracle readings (https://elliecleary.com/astro-cartography/) I take clients through their AstroCartography and locational astrology to find the most supportive places for them in line with what they are desiring in their life and what they are experiencing.
I also offer foundational birth chart readings (https://elliecleary.com/astro-cartography/) which take a holistic look at your astrology chart and what you are currently working with.
Clients can choose to continue working with me through coaching - which is a blend of coaching using their astrology and using integrative techniques to help us return home within ourselves, reclaiming the parts of ourselves that we may have forgotten to really find our own truth.
I especially serve women who are going through initiations and challenges in life, where it feels like things are not clear, everything is falling away, or are dealing with some kind of loss and feel the desire to start fresh, burn it all down or simply leave it all behind and go somewhere new: These are potent portals to walk through, and having been through many myself, my passion is serving as a guide on these journeys.
If you’d like to connect and discuss more, you can find and message me on instagram https://instagram.com/elliecleary
Connect with Ellie:
https://elliecleary.com/astro-cartography/ (general travel & AstroCartography)
soultravelindia.com (all my India content)
instagram.com/elliecleary - best way to connect with me on social
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