Hi, I’m Donna Cunningham, the astrologer and author,

Not Donna Cunningham, the Christian musician,

Or Donna Cunningham, the New England math professor

Or Donna Cunningham, the Florida realtor

….although I do listen to the music of the spheres, calculate the angles between the planets, and try to help people find their true home in this ever-shifting world of ours.

I’ve been at this for 40 years, so if you were born in 1968 or after, I was watching the skies when you were born, trying to figure out what you’d be like when you grew up.

Before I fell in love with astrology, I earned a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University, and I’ve counseled people about life challenges ever since. But social work is also about how we blend with our society, how we’re affected by the social and cultural milieu we live in, and how we cope with society’s institutions, structures, rules, and dysfunctions.

I bring that broader perspective to my astrological insights by observing what happens as the slower-moving planets pass through the zodiac. As each of the outer planets passes through a sign, major social institutions are permanently altered, and we’re challenged to contend with those shifts. My specialty has been in helping people to understand and deal with the way the world is evolving while still remaining true to their core self.

When I was born, Uranus was in Gemini, Neptune was in Virgo, and Pluto was in Leo. Now Uranus is ¾ around the wheel in Pisces, Neptune is in Aquarius, and Pluto has just popped into Capricorn for a long, long stay. The outer planets have covered a lot of zodiacal ground in that time, so I’ve watched society do a lot of changing and people right along with it.

I did charts and counseled lots of individuals for 40 years, but it was always my mission to reach out to the broader world with the insights astrology makes possible. Fortunately, the Creator also gave me the gift of writing—and the grit to work hard at polishing it until the writing could speak to anyone who’d read it. I wrote 17 books, over a thousand articles, and 15 years of Dell Horoscope Magazine’s Dear Abbey type advice column. From all indications, doggone it, people like me!

My current mission is to teach others in astrology and other New Age fields how to write about their own wisdom and experience. (Read about my online writing seminars here.) I'm also a new and enthusiastic blogger. Read my newest insights at Skywriter.

If you've read enough, have a look at my books here. If you need specifics about me, keep reading!



More Details about Donna's Background

Donna Cunningham, an internationally respected astrologer with over 40 years of experience, is the author of 17 books and thousands of articles on metaphysical topics. You can see Donna's monthly advice column online at Dell Horoscope Magazine and a new excerpt from her books each month at The MetaArts online metaphysical magazine.

Listed in several Who's Who volumes, she has given seminars on astrology around the world, and her books have been translated into numerous foreign languages. In 1998, she was awarded the prestigious Regulus Award at the United Astrology Congress for her contributions to Theory and Understanding. Donna also has a Master's Degree in Social Work from Columbia University. She uses this combined approach in her "Dear Abby" type column in Dell Horoscope and her ongoing series of articles in The Mountain Astrologer. Below is a summary of her lifework.


EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: Donna graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College in 1964, with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. She received a Master's in Social Work with a casework concentration from Columbia University in 1967.

COUNSELING EXPERIENCE: As a social worker, Donna was employed in settings such as hospitals and medical clinics, women's health, psychiatric clinics, and group homes for the retarded. She was Director of Social Service at St. Mary's Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, then left full-time work for a private practice combining psychotherapy, astrology, and healing. She was licensed as a social worker in New York and California.


ASTROLOGICAL BACKGROUND: Beginning in 1968, her main teacher was Richard Idemon, who embodied the blend of psychology and astrology she was drawn to. She was certified as a professional astrologer by both the American Federation of Astrologers and Professional Astrologers Incorporated in 1983 and as an Astro*Carto*Graphy practitioner by Jim Lewis in 1984.

ASTROLOGICAL WORK: Donna has done insight-oriented astrology consultations since 1970. She began giving classes in 1971 and taught in National Council for Geocosmic Research 's educational program for many years. She has spoken at conferences nationally and internationally since 1974, including NCGR, ISAR, NORWAC, WRAC, ARC, and four times at the United Astrology Congress. Her weekend seminars reached a wide audience in Europe, Brazil, Canada, and Australia, as well as the US.

In 1986, Professional Astrologers Incorporated gave Donna their Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1998, she was awarded the prestigious Regulus Award at the United Astrology Congress for her contributions to Theory and Understanding. Her teaching materials on counseling principles for the professional astrologer, published in The Consulting Astrologer's Guidebook, filled an important need in the field. (A new edition of this book is in the works and will be released by Moon Maven Publications during 2006.)


WRITTEN CONTRIBUTIONS: Donna's special gift is conveying psychological and self-help ideas in simple language and applying them to astrology. She is the author of 17 books, of which only How to Read Your Astrology Chart and Healing Pluto Problems are still available in hard copy from Red Wheel/Weiser. Her new books will only be available in digital format. Several of her books have been translated into as many as ten foreign languages.

Since 1971, she has published hundreds of articles in astrological journals such as the NCGR Memberletter, Aspects, and Considerations, as well as more popular venues like The Mountain Astrologer and Dell Horoscope. Since 1994, she has been Dell's "Dear Abby" type columnist, answering reader's letters with her dual skills as an astrologer and therapist.

FLOWER REMEDY WORK: Donna is also internationally-recognized as a teacher, writer, and publisher in the field of flower remedies, which she has researched since 1981. She was editor/publisher of Shooting Star, an international journal combining astrology and flower remedies and also of CASE Reports, the Journal for the Cascadian Association for the Study of Essences (CASE), which she co-founded. For the last eight years, she has been co-editor of Vibration Magazine, a free on-line vibrational remedy journal. See her second essence book, Flower Essences-- How Plant's Energies Can Heal Us in the metaphysical section.


ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS: Donna has belonged to the National Council for GeoCosmic Research since the early 1970s and served on the board of NY-NCGR as newsletter editor. She joined AFAN (The Association for Astrological Networking) at its inception and served as an AFAN advisor. She is webmaster and articles editor for Continuum, the organization dedicated to preserving and expanding the Astro*Carto*Graphy methods developed by Jim Lewis. Currently living in Portland, Oregon, she served on the board of the Oregon Astrological Association for several years.


CONTACT Information: Donna is not available for private consultations at this time. For other matters, send her an e-mail.