Meet Cherokee Case

We were lucky to catch up with Cherokee Case recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cherokee, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I believe resilience is something that takes a lifetime to build, and the circumstances are different for everyone. For me, it started while I was growing up in Detroit. My dad had a lot of mental and physical health problems that led to drug addiction, and witnessing “traumatic” things was the norm for my siblings and I at a very young age. I put “traumatic” in quotes, because for an experience to be traumatic, it has to be outside the norm as you interpret it in your own mind, and I didn’t realize that my life was abnormal for a kid my age until I was around 12 or so. I would laugh while telling my friends stories at school, and they’d look at me concerned, and every now and then I’d have an adult ask me if everything was okay. I used to think “these sissies don’t have a sense of humor,” but eventually I realized it was because nothing I had to say was appropriate to laugh at, and my peers really couldn’t relate to what I was telling them. It is hard to see yourself as resilient when you don’t think you’ve overcome anything, but once I saw that my siblings and I had all overcome some pretty adverse circumstances, and still managed to be star students at school, honor roll, and managed to find hobbies that we enjoyed and excelled at, that was when I started identifying as.. Not just someone who had resilience, but as someone who could accomplish anything. The adults in my life (parents aside) expected me to fail as products of my environment. “That’s so unfair,” I thought, but that’s life.
Knowing the cards were stacked against me and learning that I was never supposed to amount to anything definitely lit a fire in me, and that resilience I became known for went hand in hand with my stubbornness. It is true that life isn’t fair, but the sun always comes up tomorrow. You can wake up every day feeling sorry for yourself, or you can do something about it. And that’s what I’ve done ever since.
If I fail, it won’t be because I’m not good enough. It will be because I didn’t try hard enough. It’s a tough mindset, and you can bet there is a lot of friction. But it keeps me going. No excuses.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve been studying astrology seriously for about 5 years now, and I’ve been accepting clients for about 6 months. The cool thing about astrology is that once you learn there is more to you than your sun sign, there are a number of traditions you can choose to work with, and each has its own set of strengths. Modern, new-age astrology seems to be the most popular, but I’ve chosen to specialize in traditional astrology. Not only does traditional astrology serve as the foundation for all other forms of western astrology, but it is comprised of a number of time-tested techniques that modern astrology cannot hold a candle to, in my opinion. Furthermore, the tradition is so well established that it is also incredibly easy to validate. If you were to put 10 traditional astrologers in a room and hand them the same chart, you will get the same answers from all of them, and the answers will be very practical. I think that is important for establishing trust with clients who are looking for the “real deal,” so to speak.
I think some good questions to ask of any astrologer when trying to figure out if they are right for you include – 1.) What kind of astrology do you practice? And 2.) where did you learn, or who did you learn from?
I have studied with astrologers Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Kelly Surtees, all of whom I was introduced to with Brennan’s “Astrology Podcast.” They are all a wealth of knowledge and I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from 3 of the best.
Anyone interested in sitting for a consultation with me should visit my website at cherokeecase.com. There they will see a list of consultation topics to choose from, including “general” for those who either don’t know what they want to talk about, or who don’t want to be limited to any one topic. Other consultation topics include career and life direction, and love and relationships. I also offer tutoring for students and enthusiasts who would like to take their studies to the next level.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

In this field specifically, you have to learn astrology first and foremost. There is no way around it. Most astrologers start off with this cool new hobby, and that’s great! But if you decide that you want to do this for a living and charge money for your services, you’re going to want to make sure you know what you’re doing first. It can be very awkward the first time you accept payment, and the pressure to perform cannot be understated, but the confidence will come with time. It is also easier to consult with clients who have an astrology background because you don’t have to think too hard about the jargon you use or how to explain the chart to someone who only just learned they have more than a sun sign. That said, most of your clients will absolutely need explanations regarding where and how you got your answers, and you’re going to want to learn how to explain without taking too much time away from the consult itself. If your client booked an hour of your time, and it takes you 20 minutes to explain house systems, that’s a problem.
Aside from knowing your stuff and knowing how to present it simply, authenticity is huge! You’re going to have a hard time finding clients if you’re struggling to “come out of the closet,” so to speak. It can be hard to tell people what you do for a living because you fear damaging your reputation and credibility, and indeed, astrology doesn’t usually mix well with “sophisticated” crowds. But you’re going to have to forget what people think about you if you’re interested in doing this professionally. I know I struggled for years! It wasn’t until I noticed my husband casually talking about his wife being an astrologer (and defending me when necessary!) that I was finally able to put on my big girl pants and own it. If he could put his reputation on the line and be proud of me, then I needed to do the same for myself.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

I’m sure a lot of readers will be able to relate, but I am extremely camera shy!
There are two ways for astrologers to advertise for themselves – the first is to start a blog, and the second is to start a YouTube channel. Guess which one will help you the most?
I have been trying to start a YouTube channel for months. I practice and practice. I know exactly what I want to say and how to say it. And then as soon as I hit record, it all falls apart. It is way more difficult than I ever thought it would be, and I did not think for a moment that YouTube would be my biggest hurdle when I started out on this journey.
As far as what I’m doing to fix it, I’ve decided to adopt more of a presentation style with slides so I don’t have to be so awkward about reading my screen. I’m very comfortable with more academic settings and giving lectures, so I think if I focus more on presenting and less on trying to be a YouTube personality, I will be a lot more comfortable.
I am also recording several videos in advance because of how long it takes for me to produce a single video. You have to be very regular on YouTube for your channel to be pushed to viewers, and that’s not going to happen if I don’t record ahead of schedule.
The thing about being camera shy… You just have to get over it until you’re not shy anymore. I’ll get there with time, I’m sure. Just have to keep hitting record.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cherokeecase.com
• Facebook: Midnight Blue Astrology
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@MidnightBlueAstrology