Hello! Welcome to my website and thank you for being here!
I don’t know whether it’s a function of being “gemini rising” or simply because I’m a cyclical “moon-ruled” woman, but whenever I read back on how I’ve introduced myself here on my website, I cringe and think, “what the hell is this?!”
Sometimes I feel polite and proper, like I should follow the generally accepted standard of a flowery introduction that is peppered with unsubtle self-promotion. However, today I feel like writing an honest and friendly account of my journey from very very shy little girl, to this flouncing and arguably, overconfident, astrologer.
People often ask me when I first discovered Astrology and I tell them, “always.” I remember being 4 or 5 and first seeing the word Sagittarius and time literally stopping and the world moving around me. It was a very very strange sensation and one of my clearest early memories.
Mum was dressing me and an ornament caught my eye. It was a white ceramic crib that had my vital baby stats painted on every surface. “Francesca Louise Oddie, 8lbs 1oz, Sagittarius…” That word, Sagittarius meant something to me. I walked over to the little crib, picked it up and observed it from every angle. The strangest sensation of moving through a vortex of darkness flecked with lights surrounded me. This word meant something to me and the earth moved. I kept asking Mum (Gemini rising) who insisted that it was just “some silly thing to do with the sky and I shouldn’t worry about it.” Obviously, I decided she was wrong and resolved to return to the matter ASAP. (Petit Taurus moon tenacity.)
I remember knowing everyone’s birthday in primary school, reading whatever I could and obsessively collecting birthdays and characteristics about people. However as a Saturn dominated chick, my progression was rather slow.
Numbers, patterns and making links has always been my “thing.” My friends used to test me on when certain parties and events were because I knew the date that everything happened. I was often asked, “what are you going to do with this memory of yours?” For years I didn’t know, and it DROVE ME MENTAL. My 20s were this sea of confusion, a love of foreign things, learning, numbers, meeting people, remembering things, connection people and ideas, wanting to drive ethical business and TO FIND OUT WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING!
Today I *love* to help people connect to their core key skills because not being able to pinpoint and leverage mine was inconceivably and endlessly frustrating.
At University I read Natural Sciences; Biology, Philosophy and Theology (in true rising gemini fashion) I couldn’t let go of Science nor could I let go of Philosophy, so I studied both with a little bit of Chemistry and Italian on the side.
In 2007, after some travels and twists and turns of fate I moved to Italy (May the 13th 2007) as I had always been eager to speak another language. After a year and via a stint working in the Alps I found myself in Rome. This too was a decision that was born out of obsessive thinking. I used to doodle Rome and draw pictures of The Colosseum in my diary. I thought I was too timid and too much of a country gal to deal with a big city but there I was at midnight, writing the word Rome over and over again like a woman possessed!
The decision was made after my Dad realised that his Mum had worked in the Alps in the same town where I had been working and from there she went to work in Rome. Fate seemed to take me by the hand and guide me to the most glorious city the world has ever known (besides Nottingham.)
I found a job working at The Vatican Museums as a Tour Guide, by virtue of my random degree that included some Theology modules that I chose on instinct.
That was a dream experience, I used to be fizzing with excitement as I finished my tours outside St Peter’s Basilica under the brilliant blue sky. I used to FLY home I was so high. My feet didn’t touch the ground as I went to buy myself an ice cream with my tips and always had plans to meet friends in the evening.
I feel the same buzz today when I lead Astrology workshops but more recently I’ve been antisocial! The London effect, everywhere is too far.
The Vatican Museums have an enormous selection of art that includes Greco Roman, Renaissance, Egyptian… you name it, they’ve got it! I learnt so much more about art history, ancient civilisations and the threads that connect them all whilst I worked there. Astrology is the study of these Greek and Roman myth and Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are all understood more fully by experiencing the art, sculpture and family tree that connects them.
I remember seeing Venus and her humble breasts and chunky thighs and thinking of Shakira! Who would’ve thought I would end up reading and learning so much about these Roman Gods? It’s actually not that surprising because I LOVED it so much and was far more fascinated than I would’ve expected myself to be.
I loved my time as a tour guide and now with all the spiritual lingo I talk, I would say that “my higher self” was guiding me to Rome because I had to immerse myself in Roman history and culture as that is ostensibly the root of modern western astrology.
After moving back from Rome I was very lost, my Sagittarius spirit deflated a little as my Jupiter Return came to an end. I was UK based but still a seeker! I began working with VetsMediCover an exciting project where I learnt about online business, animals, pet health and pet nutrition. I completely altered my health by applying what I learnt about animals to myself and my skin transformed from bumpy and angry to smooth and happy within two weeks! More on this in the Health section of my blog!
To keep my Sagittarius spirit happy I enrolled at University again to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Management and Business Ethics. A topic that I really believe in and the reason that I donate a % of profits from my Magic Momenti chart sales to The International Refugee trust.
After years of obsessing about Astrology, interrogating everyone I met about their time of birth and birthday the universe had to SHOVE me into learning astrology by introducing me to a clairvoyant. I was very into astrology, but not into any psychic phenomena. I was far too scared of that!
However, I met psychic, Suneet Goomer at Home House when we were attending the same networking event and she BLEW MY MIND. She told me this was a big event, that her psychic said she would be meeting someone called Francesca. She told me about my ex-boyfriend, my best mate, my family… it was WILD and I’ve not a had a reading even a quarter as good since that first spontaneous flurry of information.
Suneet is a Taurus just like lots of the important important people in my life. As we collected our jackets from the cloakroom I asked if she was born around 8pm, she confirmed as much and that triggered her into telling me I would be an astrologer and I’ve been an astrologer in all my past lives! At this point I was still crying and terrified because she had confirmed that she’d been communicating with my spirit guide (essentially a ghost that is with me at all times!)
LOL – how far we come…!
I began studying at the London School of Astrology in 2014 and since completing a three year apprenticeship there I have also taken the following courses:
Professional Forecasting in Astrology
London School of Astrology
Diploma in Chirology (Palm Reading)
London School of Astrology
Numerology
The College of Psychic Studies
Foundation Tarot
The College of Psychic Studies
The Astrology of the Red Book (Carl Jung)
The Faculty of Astrology
Angel Energy Healing
The College of Psychic Studies
Tarot and Psychic Development
The College of Psychic Studies
I am currently studying Esoteric Astrology and Herbal Medicine.
Astrology is illuminating and fascinating. It is more complicated that I ever imagined it to be, more far reaching, more accurate and never fails to amaze me with the precision it offers.
Thank you so much for being here and I hope you will keep in touch by subscribing to my website and following me on instagram.
I have worked with Soho House, The Ned, Wilderness Festival, Port Eliot Festival, Lost Village Festival, Monica Vinader, Fresh Beauty, She’s Lost Control, Crabtree & Evelyn, Lulu Lemon, Oliver Bonas and continue to collaborate on really exciting projects.
I have put together concept events, held readings and am devising a series of online products that are *exiting* please do subscribe and keep in touch.
To book a reading with me, you can do so via this link which saves lots of emails back and forth! If you would like to book me for an event please email me hello@francescaoddie.com, I would love to hear from you as I love events!
Below is some historic content to the link I have with Frankinsense & Mirth (my original blog that I started in 2014.) When I qualify as a Medical Astrologer and Herbalist I will use this again.
Thank you for reading and talk to you soon,
Francesca xx
Why Frankinsense?
• It’s like my name!
• … I talk lots of sense! 🙂
• I am very frank.
• The three kings gave gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (they were astrologers!)
• This binds astrology and religion (despite all religious traditions being rather indecisive about this.)
• I bind astrology with natural heath care.
• My favourite Neal’s Yard products are made from Frankincense.
• In aromatherapy frankincense is used to help deepen the breath, it has supreme healing properties and can assist with helping people relax away from the chatter of their mind into meditation.
• In Ayurvedic medicine Frankincense or “dhoop,” has been used for hundreds of years for treating arthritis, healing wounds, strengthening the female hormone system and purifying the air.
• Frankincense is sourced from trees that grow on top of rocks. Magic!
“Whenever we have allowed ourselves to become oppressed by the mundane or tied to the past- indeed, restricted or weighed-down by any form of over attachment – Frankincense can help us to break free.”
Gabriel Mojay
My ultimate goal is to help people heal from emotional anxiety, insomnia, tension in the body, relationship disasters and to help people trust their instinct and flourish abundantly. Frankincense is connected to the all the ways I intend on doing this. It is a bit long winded, but I like it.
(I first wrote this in 2015 and I don’t like to delete it because at its core, it’s still true!)
Definitions
frank
adjective
open, honest, and direct in speech or writing, especially when dealing with unpalatable matters.
“a long and frank discussion”
open, sincere, or undisguised.
“Kate looked at Sam with frank admiration”
unmistakable; obvious.
sense
noun
a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
“the bear has a keen sense of smell which enables it to hunt at dusk”
a feeling that something is the case.
“she had the sense of being a political outsider”
verb
perceive by a sense or senses.
“with the first frost, they could sense a change in the days”
mirth
noun
amusement, especially as expressed in laughter.
“his six-foot frame shook with mirth”
science
noun
the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
“the world of science and technology”
a particular area of science.
What do I do?
I talk to you and would like you to think of me as an old friend who wants the best for you. I feel a certain responsibility as an astrologer, it’s a privileged position to be in when people trust you with their lives and stories. I hope to nurture people and give them some ideas about themselves to develop. I hope that people feel better after speaking to me. My goal is that you leave me feeling understood and optimistic about the future.
It is a privilege to see someone’s chart and understand what makes them tick. The way it works now is to listen, talk and help you feel more sure of yourself and your choices.
The main thing I do is to stick to real talk, astrology is not an airy fairy subject. It is practical and it is rational, the intuitive interpretation is grounded in reality.
What don’t I do?
I do not yet talk about medical issues. I have completed a qualification in Medical Astrology but need to complete my studies in Homeopathy before I can act on that, so for now, it’s collaboration only!
I will not tell you precisely what happens, but instead offer key words, examples and metaphors what will help you to prepare for what might be coming, or how you might be feeling.
I prefer to say, “I don’t know” rather than say something to satisfy you. I am often asked “when will I meet someone?” and I will never limit you with an answer. I prefer to help you love yourself as much as you would love a partner. I want you to be the best version of yourself; happy, secure and full of love, life and purpose. That’s how the alchemical potential of astrology will enable you to draw useful life experiences and people towards you.
Want to know more? hello@francescaoddie.com – I would love to hear from you