Dan Beck: Oh, you’re a Virgo. Okay, well, there you go. 

Courtney: And I came up with that name. 

Dan Beck: Okay, well, there you go. 

Dana: Obviously written in the stars. 

Courtney: Right. And by the way, for those of you that are listening today, we are drinking a dark and stormy. You can find the recipe in our show notes.

Dana: So, you have a very unique career and path. Could you share a little bit about your background before you started Inner Makeup Astrology? Like, what did you do in a previous life and how did it lead you to where you are now?

Dan Beck:  I’ve done sales, marketing. I was actually in music education. I was a performing classical musician and I’ve had all sorts of odd jobs in between. I mean, at one point I was a billing coordinator at a drug and alcohol center, the director of marketing for company. I was a makeup artist. So, all kinds of different jobs, you know, I had a really kind of intense upbringing in the sense that I was studying classical music really seriously. I was studying with some of the best people in the Philadelphia area. I took degrees at New England Conservatory and Yale University.

So, it was a very serious, very success driven and life has taken a different turn. Not that I’m not, not trying to succeed in some sense, but actually much more about the daily, the mundane, my personal drive and my daily activities. And that’s the much more service-based place anyway. Actually, it’s a much more Virgoan place.

I’m a Virgo myself and you know, where I moved to in this life, I think, you know, where I’m headed and where I am heading karmically, it is a much more daily kind of mundane place and really plunging into the depths of things, investigating things, getting to the bottom of things for my clients, myself, and then to through the art of astrology, help them find the line of good fortune and take a turn for the better. So that, when you said the enchanting moment of a reading, that’s really what I try to do. When somebody comes to me, what is this moment that prompted you to come see me? And really what can that tell you about yourself? And then to use that moment to make a turn for the better. 

Dana: So, can you connect the dots for us? So, you have this history of classical music and was it an encounter with an astrologist or maybe you had an enchanted reading and you were like, this is what I want to do?

Dan Beck: It was more that okay, so, I had taking these degrees in classical music for a while. I had set up my own non-profit performing arts ensemble, which also had an educational component. So, it was doing, you know, non-profit arts management, classical music performance education, and still pretty much working full time. So, it was really a lot and ultimately it was unsustainable for me. So, I began to transition out of that world. And that’s where I was pretty much still doing sales and marketing, but I was really in the throes of trying to figure out my career.

I still am, trying to, you know, figure things out. But at some point, I was like, what is going on in my life? So, I started learning astrology. I started just reading horoscopes to try to make sense of what was happening. So that was really what started it. And then I guess it would have been 2013 or 2014.

I got a tarot deck and I was just, I told my husband, you know what, just order me a deck. I’m kind of feeling this right now. And he ordered me a deck and I started learning the cards. And soon thereafter, I started doing readings for people and to my surprise, they actually really liked the readings and started responding to them.

I was very surprised by this. I just thought, okay, I’m just doing tarot. So, that kind of started me on the journey of considering that I could maybe do it professionally. And then, so, I was in Connecticut for a while and that’s when I really started to learn astrology. I set up my own practice. There’s a group called the Astrological Society of Connecticut, really some wonderful astrologers there. So that was around 2016, the summer of that, I actually had my last makeup client. Her wedding was my last like official makeup gig. And then the next morning I officially opened up my practice.

Courtney: So, when you started doing your tarot readings, was it just like on like friends and loved ones and kind of like. Getting into the groove. Is that how you started it out?

Dan Beck: No, it’s funny you should ask that. I, it was really, actually a lot of people I was working around. the irony was, as I was struggling in some of those work environments, it wasn’t so much that I was struggling with the co-workers, but that I was actually helping them through the divinatory arts, but then yet that wasn’t my job.

But they, you know, they started, it was weird. I helped them spiritually and then they kind of would take pity upon me and help me, they helped me transition to my next phase in life because it wasn’t, I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with them so we would work things out.

So that’s actually kind of a good lesson as you’re failing to try to have a heart with the people who are around you and it’s not something that’s talked about, but if you’re in the workspace and then if it’s not going to work out, how can you maybe help other people around you?

And then if it’s not going to work for you, then they can help you to transition to the next phase, like, whatever you need an unemployment claim or you need, this is like glass, but you know, this is not the glamorous stuff, but then yet this is what people come to see me for. I’m not giving, you know, I’m not your unemployment lawyer, you know, but at the same time, the daily mundane stuff, how to work through that and to use some of those experiences to make a turn for the better. And what can that teach you about yourself?

Dana: I love that when you’re failing, you can only focus on the fact that you’re failing or that you’re unhappy or upset, and you have a hard time kind of stepping outside of that and realizing this is just a moment in time, but I can also use this moment in time to either connect with somebody on a different level to even better where I am at and understand myself even more, like, why do I hate where I am? That’s really interesting because I think that’s something we don’t naturally do. We just naturally kind of go into our shell is like, when it’s over, it’s over.

Like, I don’t, I’m not doing anything. I’m just going to preserve my emotions and my time, my energy, because I already I’m like I’ve already checked out. Right.

Dan Beck: You know, it’s, it’s a great point. You bring up in that sense. When things kind of fall out of the sky, unbeknownst to us accepting that gift. And that can be like one man’s trash is another man’s treasure kind of stuff, but what’s something kind of just hits you really accepting that gift. But the key being, if you have tunnel vision on, you’re not going to be able to have the mystery come into you.

So that’s where, and I’m a Virgo too, so I can understand this where it’s like having too much tunnel vision doesn’t allow the flexibility to accept, Oh, wait a minute, over there, that good piece of fruit I missed it if I were just so focused on the details, right? So that’s a, that’s a really big business lesson. A lot of things. It really is. 

I actually really believe we as human beings, we have a hard time accepting chance. We have a really hard time accepting that there’s a lot we’re not in control of. And it just is what it is, but the key is when chance or fortune or fate presents itself to us, then we can make a turn for the better, which that’s what you do.

That’s the freewill that you do with it. And interestingly this is kind of what astrology is anyways.  It’s built off of the turning of the seasons, the tropical Zodiac. Tropos, which is the Greek word for turn. So, it’s those Cardinal turning points of Aries Cancer, Libra, Capricorn.

So those are the turning of the seasons. And they’re powerful turning points. So, you know, those little moments that one might think. Well, that’s just a dumb little moment. Well, now that I actually think about that for a minute. Okay. You know what? I’m going to turn this way instead of just chugging along on the course that I was on. 

Dana: Speaking about people who are entrepreneurs or business owners, do you find that there tend to be more, they had the same astrological sign or do you feel like they’re all over?

Dan Beck: Entrepreneurial signatures. Yeah. It’s the most of the clients I get, I do get entrepreneurs, right. The main, the people who come to me, they’re in some sort of life transition. They’re moving from the next phase. It’s that turning point? Those are a lot of the people that I get it’s they’re coming to me because I’m here at this point, but how do I get to the next phase?

That’s why a lot of people come to see me. And again, it’s that moment that triggers them. If I were like, looking for entrepreneurship in a chart, I would look to the planet Mercury and Uranus because Mercury, if you remember mythologically, Mercury is the Roman equivalent of Hermes and Hermes was Apollo’s brother, I believe. 

And Apollo, if you remember, in mythology was a supreme god of like the arts and healing. And it was just, you know, order and forum. You know, even was well it’s debated, but kind of oversaw the Oracle and It was just at the center of everything. And Hermes he stole cattle from Apollo and was able to bring those arts kind of down to earth and he gave us language.

So, there’s kind of a street smart to Hermes and Mercury. So, Mercury is the patron of roads, thieves, travelers, kind of street smart. So, wherever Mercury is in a chart, that’s kind of a key to how the, how the rubber meets the road. And I really like, okay, this is the sort of nitty gritty. This is kind of what you got to do.

Like, especially like in those quick moments where you’re talking to clients or it’s that moment that you really have to capitalize on, that’s Mercury. Planet Uranus, Uranus is related to Prometheus’s. Now Prometheus’s he was the one who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. So, and it causes disruption.

So, Uranus, wherever Uranus is on a chart that can indicate disruption, but disruption that can kind of get fire going that can get really sort of this massive currency flowing for yourself. So definitely I would, if I’m looking for entrepreneurship in a chart, I’m looking for Mercury, Uranus, I’m probably going to really look for Mars.

Cause wherever Mars is, it’s action. And then I would also look for Neptune and Pisces. Neptune is member of the, you know, Poseidon, it’s the God of the ocean. So those very oceanic collective forces that, you know, it’s kind of like, who’s going to come into my door today, you don’t know, but you’re trying to do the Virgoan stuff, you know, your daily work for the opposite, which is Pisces. Pisces is all about fish and flow and currency, and currency that’s massive. You know, Uranus is much more like setting up structures to allow the currency to flow, and sort of electric insights, those aha moments.

There’s a lot to it. You know, if somebody is going to come to me, you know, entrepreneurial, you know, how do I approach my chart from that standpoint? Or if I have a business chart, how do I approach it? There, there are a lot of factors to look for, and then I also think too, one of my colleagues, Basil Farrington, he came on my podcast.

Very interesting guy, very lauded astrologer, but he talks about entrepreneurs a lot of times having kind of more challenging charts. That for entrepreneurship, and you know, if you’re really going to go for it, you need tension. So, you’re going to need a chart that it’s not. Yeah, I think about it. It’s yeah. You know, you’re going to need that tension to really get things moving.

Courtney: It has to be like tension that’s not going to stop you. Like you have to be able to be somewhat comfortable in that tension because it’s going to happen as you’re trying to birth something and move forward. 

Dan Beck:  Honestly, the goddess Eris comes up for me when you’re talking about this cause Eris. The story of Eris, she was disinvited to a wedding and she threw an Apple into the wedding and it said “to the fairest one”, and basically Athena, everybody was competing for who could be the fairest one. And basically, it touched off a whole war. I mean, it was like, it was so the Greek writer, Hesiod, he felt that if he didn’t get out and like work the fields and do work, then it could get chaotic. So, it’s what I’m talking about with Eris is Eris is this quality of working, and you got to do the work and then if you don’t do the work, then it turns into like chaos and disorder and it doesn’t put that tension somewhere.

It doesn’t put the energy that, and drive that one might have somewhere. That’s what the lesson of Eris is, and if not, then it, it’s kind of up ends some of the harmony and order. But I guess the main thing for entrepreneurs, you know, definitely we know this there’s going to have to be disruption. You’re going to have to have some street smart.

You’re going to have Eris in there and Mars, you know, there’s going to be, you’re going to have to have Martial quality to yourself, some action, energy, you know, you’ve got to, you’re going to really hit the road, but you got to get the steam out, daily work, gather things, hustle and gather. So, yeah, it’s, interesting with entrepreneurial signature is it’s more people come to me again in a pressing moment.

Courtney: So, talking about that. So, for anyone starting their own business and it’s scary, and there will always be people who don’t believe in you, what made you trust your unconventional calling to alter your path and take this leap into kind of going off into your own thing?

Dan Beck: Well, it was two things kind of what I was talking about. I was surprised, you know, there was a little bit of a surprise element there that it didn’t work. So, there was a mystery to that this even worked and then going with that. So not necessarily setting out to kind of do it per se. And it really was helping people and it does help people, you know, I saw that this actually was effective and you know, what is astrology?

 You know, I think about that a lot and, you know, using it judiciously. To really apply it in some sort of practical sense. I really was seeing that in some way it was really working. And then the other thing, why I trusted it was astrology is a way for me to integrate a lot of things that I’m interested in, namely psychology. 

I mean, I’m not a psychologist, but psychology does fascinate me. Broadly, the humanities, because when you think of mythology and these stories it really does get into the humanities, what’s very human about us. What are very human stories? And astrology can be a way to apply that very specifically to people.

 And I’m interested in it. I’m interested in a lot of the things that meet in the space of astrology. So, you know, definitely religion comes in. I see people of all sorts of different faith traditions, or people who don’t hold a faith. You know, there’s a definite component of science to Astrology. What science has to say about Astrology?

A lot of there’s actually a lot of skepticism around astrology, which I’m actually very fascinated by and interested in. People might be surprised to hear that. I don’t know. I mean, it’s very interesting. Not necessarily sitting there. Yeah. And be like, okay, I’m going to start a business. What do I do? It’s you almost need to stop your mind and then sort of you’re walking around and then something hits you.

Dana: I love that because I feel like that is, to me, it’s the mindless moments when the best ideas come, but there’s something we ask. Every person. And I’m curious what your take on this is because we all have had those moments when you’re opening a business, we call it the oh shit moment, like where you were like, what am I doing? Or you’re afraid you’re not going to be successful. You’ve gotten in over your head. But I’m curious if you have the confidence of unpacking before you kind of walked into this career path, of knowing that this is where you should be. If you had a moment where you were like, what did I read the signs wrong?

Dan Beck: I have those moments. You know, I think entrepreneurship can be, it can be very lonely and then you’re, you’re on your own and, it’s what am I doing? And you’re, you know, generally, if you’re an entrepreneur with a new idea, you are striking out on your own, you know, you’re going to be different from everybody else.

So that cuts you away from the pack.  And so, I didn’t really read it too much as fate or fated, I just did it. And then sometimes you can look back and see that maybe those were faded moments, retro actively. 

I think there’s doubt along the way. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think skepticism is good. But it’s, you know, think that you are, but know that you aren’t. So, being really realistic, but then really head in the clouds too, at the same time.

Dana: I appreciate that you still have those, doubted moments. I’m thinking maybe I should have more faith in my astrology signs that think that I’m on the right path all the time, that confidence. It’s like it’s written in the stars, it’s fine. It’s going to happen.

Dan Beck: Well, I think, you know, astrology the way that I practice astrology. And there’s a lot of debate about this, but it’s using a chart as a guide. And that it’s again, when you reference the chart, that well, because when you think about it, that’s how the star is really were used. I mean, especially from a geographic standpoint, it’s using them for, you know, directional purposes or seasonal purposes like this star rises at this time during the spring. And it’s visible before the sun, this kind of thing or really going on journeys. So, using one’s chart as a guide, as opposed to seeing it as, this is what my chart says, I have to do X. 

Courtney: Right. So more than guide than an answer, it’s not like an answer key to your life.

Dan Beck: That’s exactly right. And it’s, there was actually a famous astrologer, Guido Bonatti. He was really big on this, that sometimes there’s a, you can’t take a chart or you shouldn’t look at the chart. You should really just try to work it out for yourself.  There were certain times I look at a chart and its tough cause I tell people, I’m sorry, I can’t take your chart.

And actually, a lot of people get upset by that. Not mad at me, but, you know, I tell them, I, I just, for the way I’m looking at this chart, I’ve, you know, I can’t do this or, you know, I don’t really tell them this, but maybe you should try another way to resolve this. So, divination isn’t always the way to go, you know, like a throw of the cards or to look to really think about these things so you can overthink them. That makes sense. 

Dana: Where do you see this business in 10 years? And do you feel like this concept of divination is going to, people are going to look more towards that, you know, as people are starting to turn a little bit, that they’re turned away from religion, but they’re starting to look at other, other kinds of religions more open-minded yeah.

Dan Beck: I’m more interested in doing teaching and mentoring to get people to do astrology, how to get people divining themselves. Because most of my business right now is largely, you know, I, I see clients. You know, I see it developing classes for people to learn how to divine themselves and also bringing in some of the philosophical precepts that I’m talking about to try to disseminate those more widely, this concept, that astrology is a form of divination and that you can be on a spiritual path, whatever that means and learn different levels of interpretation.

So, I think that’s, that’s something that’s really lacking, sort of imaginative enchantment with reality. That’s something that’s been, really probably since the age of enlightenment, that’s really gotten lost altogether. 

Dana: Well, I feel like we can talk for hours because this is like a subject, I know nothing about it. It’s, I’m just like enraptured by what you’re saying. Cause it’s so interesting. But how, if people want to find you or a way, they can learn more. Can you talk a little bit about when your podcast and then where they can find you at?

Dan Beck: Yeah, it’s the Star Love podcast. That’s on iTunes. you can also go to innermakeup.net. just hit the blog. It just says blog and podcast. So, you can get the podcast there. Yeah, pretty much inner makeup.net is my website. So, people can go there to learn more about the type of readings that I do. How I approach things.

People, I’m pretty much on social media, so it’s Inner Makeup or Inner makeup astrology, or @goinnermakeup, depending on the platforms, you know, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, all that, but that’s yeah. innermakeup.net. People can go there. And, and it’s the Star Love podcast. 

Courtney: And to learn more about our hustles visit canddevents.com, thebradfordnc.com, and hustleandgather.com or follow us on Instagram at canddevents, at thebradfordnc, and at hustlingandgather. If you liked the show, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating and a review.

Courtney: This product is a production of Earfluence. I’m Courtney.

Dana: And I’m Dana.

Courtney: And we’ll talk with you next time on Hustle + Gather.