Welcome to my website!

Formal biographies of me appear on other sites, most of which are linked from my Resources page. This one is informal, including a few current thoughts and some things about my background you aren't likely to read in those formal bios.

Though in recent years I've been primarily known as an astrologer and author, art was my first career. Back in the 60s or early 70s, I'd never have imagined specializing in anything else.

In 1973, I was introduced to astrology. By the end of '74, my progressed Last Quarter had begun, and I'd moved to Connecticut. In '76, in an attempt to combine my competing intersts, I started Mystic Arts, a metaphysical bookshop with consignment arts & crafts that was intended to combine my art career with what was rapidly growing to be a second career as an astrologer. Though my little business was creative and fun, once I'd added a small cafe and then had my third daughter (during my Balsamic phase), I found I had no time left to either paint or do charts! I let the business go, as the '80s began, and returned to free-lance work, this time primarily as an astrologer.

By early 1981, I'd earned through testing the right to put PMAFA after my name. That's Professional Member, American Federation of Astrologers, and my first article on astrology was published in the AFA Bulletin. A few months after that, a renown professional astrologer whom I'd much admired, Zipporah Dobyns, Ph.D., came to speak at the local NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research, Inc., chapter I'd helped start during the years I'd had Mystic Arts. She read my chart for me and told me that earlier that year I'd begun a whole new 30-year cycle of my life. She pinpointed the exact month in which the two above events with AFA had happened! It was, she said, the onset of my progressed New Moon. From that point on I was "hooked" on looking at the progressed lunar phase cycle for everyone's chart I studied. It's a fascinating and powerful cycle, to which I'm sure you'll be able to relate to within your own life, as well.

In 1982, I began my first year as an elected member of NCGR's national board, and subsequently served through '93 as its Publications Director and Editor of NCGR Journal and earned its certification along the way. That volunteer job introduced me to graphic arts skills on the Macintosh that, after I was divorced, enabled me to move to Florida with Molly and Liz to accept a job with a dinner theatre producing its newsletter and publicity materials, and later to become Art Director for ACS Publications and Astro Computing Services), Neil Michelsen, ACS' founder, was then also the Chair of NCGR. I'd queried him about publishing my first astrology book, and in '86, while in Florida, it was accepted and and I also began doing free-lance cover art for ACS. In '87 I joined the staff as Art Director, and several months later Neil and I were married. In 1988 my progressed First Quarter began and lived up to its reputation as an extremely fast-paced, busy and highly productive time.

In '88, I was also able to fulfill a wish I'd had for several years to explore Goddess spirituality with an active group. I joined a Wiccan circle, studying through its Dedication and three degree system, achieving my Third Degree in February 1990. In '91, I hived from my mother Circle Athenaeum and formed my own Circle of the Cosmic Muse. I later became ordained a minister through LA Community Church of Religious Science (CCRS). Subsequently my Circle obtained a coven membership in of Covenant of the Goddess, and I also have a legal ministry through CoG.

In May of 1990, after a totally unexpected, serious illness, Neil left this world for the next. I attribute my spiritual path with giving me the strength to carry on and fulifll Neil's wish that I continue his business. The remainder of First Quarter and my progressed Gibbous phase required the biggest stretch of my life, though with invaluable assistance from Zip Dobyn's children, Maritha Pottenger (Editorial Director) and Rique Pottenger (who became Neil's successor in charge of programming) we succeeded, first carrying out Neil's intent to switch from mainframe computers to a fast PC network, and then expanding the company.

During the 8 years I was head of ACS, I wrote more astrology books and reports for the company and a first Wiccan book for Llewellyn, but had very little time for art production, and ceased painting entirely. Since my earlier progressed Full Moon phase had been all success—birth of my first daughter born and the height of my art career—I'd anticipated my upcoming Full Moon phase positively. But, as it approached in late 1996, it instead became clear that once again, I had a business running me, rather than the other way around—and, my last daughter would soon to be off to college. I longed to have time to pursue my own creative work again, and great as San Diego weather is, I missed the changed of seasons, By October 1997, I had an offer to buy ACS, and while getting daughter Liz settled in at NYU, I'd also begun seeing her father again.

In the following year, after the sale of ACS, I moved to New Hampshire, where Jim and I remarried. In retrospect, it appears that the main culminating event of my progressed Full Moon was my election later that year as Chair of NCGR Board, to which I'd first been elected at New Moon in 1981. The subsequent six years of volunteer administrative work for NCGR were not exactly the quiet return to creative work that I'd planned, as the job proved to be nearly as time-consuming as ACS! But it did both fit and encompass the progressed Disseminating theme, where one gives back from what one has learned and achieved. Also, before the end of Disseminating period, I'd written the manuscript that became "Moon Tides." I'd also restarted my Circle of the Cosmic Muse here in rural New Hampshire, complete with stone circle ritual area . And, I'd happily begun painting in oils once again.

Progressed Last Quarter began again with an unexpected publisher disagreement that lead me to decide to self-publish "Moon Tides," and thus Starcrafts Publishing was born. Though a difficult transition at first, I'm now glad to have done the book my way. It also provides my first public showing of my new paintings, as well as a showcase for a few of daughter Molly's paintings, too, and the book reviews have been gratifying. Again in progressed waning phases, I'm once again experimenting with ways to somehow combine my various interests—this time, I hope and trust, with a better ability to keep this new little business in proper perspective.

Looking back, I am reflecting on why I could ever have given up painting for all the years I did. I know now that it was because when art gradually became more commercial than a deep, personal expression, it no longer fed my soul. Writing Moon Tides, Soul Passages was an inner expression and personal soul process. I'd hoped it might reach my readers similarly . When I was asked to rework it on what was deemed to be a more widely salable model, I felt it would not only fail to reach readers in the deeper way I'd intended, but would also mean I'd be taking the same downward route with my writing that, years ago, had led me to sideline my art. Now, with the example of the Crone Goddess, I'll work from my own creative center, trusting that my work will reach those who are meant to be touched by it, and that will be enough.

Starcrafts Publishing

Starcrafts Publishing is the publishing imprint of Starcrafts LLC, a small business that I first registered with the State of New Hampshire in September 2004 for the initial purpose of publishing my most recent book, Moon Tides, Soul Passages. Since then I have also published art prints and greeting cards using my own art and that of my daughter, Molly Sullivan. Now, as of this writing in November of 2006, my little publishing company has three titles: Dial Detective, Moon Tides, Soul Passages and as of this month, The New American Ephemeris for the 21st Century, 2000-2100 at Midnight, Michelsen Memorial Edition.

Dial Detective actually preceded the start of Starcrafts LLC. Earlier, in 2001, I'd self-published a Revised Second Edition of book, which is an illustrated self-teaching guide for the highly visual Cosmobiology and Uranian Astrology technique with the 90° Dial. The first edition, published by ACS, had gone out-of-print. The book was highly recommended by teachers of these specialized systems of astrology, but needed updating. So, I revised and expanded it, and then published it, using Cosmic Muse as the publisher name. I now call that name an imprint of Starcrafts Publishing.

My decision to name my business Starcrafts was at first deliberate, as it had been my intent from the start to create art products from Molly's and my paintings that I could then test market and wholesale through Molly's San Diego retail store, Starcrafts. She sold the store in January 2006, so she could have more time with baby Reilly, and her own painting. The new owners of the Starcrafts store , now relocated to La Mesa, a suburb of San Diego, continue to carry our art cards and prints, and you'll often find links from this site to their website to access the articles that I wrote for it for each of the Wheel of the Year Sabbats. And, when you visit their site, you'll also find a link back to this one for my Magical Moon column.

Now, in 2006, my little publishing enterprise has become considerably more than I anticipated when I began it. Moon Tides, Soul Passages, originally published in November 2004 as a print-on-demand book, had to be changed because the small local business that printed it went out of business in the fall of 2005. Fortunately, I had a few hundred books on the shelf, so I did have a little time to spare. But, after trying and failing to get a favorable bid from another print-on-demand printer that would allow me to keep the price of the book the same, I decided to go for a full press run. After a bidding process, I chose to do the book with McNaughton & Gunn in Michigan, and am very glad I did, as they were great to work with and did a beautiful job on my book.

At first, this decision to go with a commercial offset printer required a big re-learning curve for me, because my pre-press production skills, at first gained in the cutting edge beginnings of desktop publishing at ACS in the mid-80s, and brushed up only slightly in 2001 to do the revisions to Dial Detective, were now several versions behind on every program I would need. My formally most-used layout program, Pagemaker, had (since 2001) been obsoleted by Adobe InDesign. I had purchased Adobe Creative Suite and re-learned Illustrator and to some extent Photoshop, in order to make cards from photographs of Molly's and my paintings. I still had a lot to learn, but after the usual frustrating beginning, I've decided that I really like InDesign. By July of 2006, the Revised Second Edition of Moon Tides, Soul Passage was published.

By the time Moon Tides 2nd Edition was released, I was already well into my next publishing project, and had acquired the very valuable part-time assistance of long-time friend, Tom Canfield, for sales, order processing and shipping. I'd obtained release from ACS to proceed with a new full 21st century version of the primary legacy of Neil F. Michelsen, The American Ephemeris. This was the 30th anniversary year of first publication, and the time just seemed right. Rique Pottenger, who had moved into the role of head programmer at ACS after Neil died, and had updated the ACS reference books, as needed, since then, was no longer with ACS. He'd moved to Alabama, where he was doing free-lance programming. Rique agreed to update the ephemeris and provide me with pages for the full 21st century. So, immediately after sending the second editon of Moon Tides off to print, I began putting together my planned text Michelsen Memorial section for the new ephemeris and decided to also do this book with McNaughton & Gunn. We'd projected getting the book in print in early autumn, but felt obliged to wait while the International Astronomers Union was in the throes of its voting on changes in the solar system. Rique sent me three sets of ephemeris pages, after the initial voting to demote Pluto, followed later by decisions to add Ceres and UB313, and finally, to name the new planet Eris. With that last change, the book went to print and is now officially released as of this writing. The first books were shipped on November 10, and the shipping process will continue through this weekend to fulfill a strong response to our pre-publication order offer.

In answer to a few questions I've already received, no, I am not at this time interested in publishing proposals from any other authors or artists. I have my hands more than full with what I'm already trying to do! I have in mind two more books of my own that I'd like to do, and I intend to work with Rique to update and keep available, in some form, each of the Michelsen reference works as releases become available to me. That's a tall order, in itself!

In 1997, when I had ACS on the market for acquisition, Starcrafts was moved to the business area of Ocean Beach and restructured as Molly's sole proprietorship. In addition to becoming a popular center for the local Wiccan/Pagan community, Starcrafts has become a showcase for Molly's art, it not being at all unusual for customers to bring in friends just to show them her paintings. Her art has been featured in various newspapers, including Visions, in which this quote of hers appeared:

The Goddess is at the heart and soul of all of my paintings. She is the image of a new spirituality, of reverence for Nature and the Divine Feminine. In my art and in my store, I seek to create a place for you to explore, to know, to feel and to grow in spirit.

In recent years, Molly's paintings have appeared on the cover of the magazine, Raven's Call, and within the 2004 and 2005 issues of We'Moon.

On December 20, 2005, Molly and her husband welcomed baby daughter, Reilly, their first child. Because she wants to be home with Reilly, and also have more time for her painting, Molly decided to sell the store. On March 25, 2006, just days after the 12th anniversary of Starcrafts 1994 0pening, the sale to Teresa and Rodney See and Terri Von Sambeek was completed. Molly and I did a closing ritual that evening for a large gathering, during which we gathered the energy from all the store has been, directed into crystals, contained it and passed it to the new owners. The Starcrafts store, now reopened in La Mesa will continue to carry the art products Molly and I are collaborating to produce, currently as greeting cards and laser prints, and we are also interested in queries from other qualified retailers. Expect to see more additions to Molly's Gallery soon, now that she'll have more time to paint!

Here are August '06 photos. Reilly is growing fast!