How an Astrologer’s Prediction Echoed Through Decades of My Aunt’s Life

The Words That Stayed

Photo by Bruno Souza on Unsplash

“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca

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Several decades ago, when my “Aunt Nancy” was in her twenties, she went to an astrologer who told her she wouldn’t live past the age of 39.
She was shaken upon hearing this information — as anyone would be in her shoes. Every major decision she made after that was influenced by that one prediction. She believed that time was running out for her.

Aunt Nancy lived in Queens, New York, during the 1980s. The prediction by the astrologer led her to get involved with the Sri Chinmoy Centre, based right there in Jamaica, Queens.

Some people might call it a cult. She didn’t care what anyone called it. My aunt was always a free spirit and marched to the beat of her own drummer.She dove into it headfirst — meditation, chanting, volunteer work, attending concerts of spiritual music, as well as local athletic events, and living a simpler life in general. She even cooked communal meals for the group.

She brought her two young daughters into it as well. They all attended meetings, wore Indian-style clothes to the Centre, and followed a dedicated spiritual life based on Sri Chinmoy’s teachings and guidance.

Back then, kids didn’t get a say in matters like that. We just did what our parents told us to do, and that was that.

As I recall, I visited her twice during those years. I was a teenager at the time and attended a couple of the meetings with Aunt Nancy and her girls. I met many young people there. One of the teenage girls I met claimed to be a classmate of the actor, Ricky Schroeder. He was a big star and had his own TV show, Silver Spoons, at the time.

I also met Sri Chinmoy himself. I remember he smiled at me and nodded his head. On one occasion, he was playing tennis, so we all went to watch him. He wasn’t what I expected — just a regular guy who liked to play tennis. It was all pretty cool, to be honest.

There was one thing I found peculiar, though. Apparently, Sri Chinmoy had some clothing preferences for modesty. He did not like his followers to wear sleeveless tops, but he was strangely fine with them wearing shorts. When I mentioned it to my father, he made a crack about how maybe Sri Chinmoy was a “leg guy.” (Classic Dad. Still makes me laugh.)

But I digress.

As the years went on, 39 came and went. Then 40, 50, 60, and 70. Nothing happened to Aunt Nancy. Sometime during those years, she quietly walked away from the group. No dramatic exit — she was just done with it.

Throughout this time, her husband wasn’t involved in any of it. He stayed out of it completely. He didn’t seem to care either way. He just let her do her thing. He might have been of the opinion that it was something she needed to work through.

In her later years, my aunt had several major health scares. She even went to the Mayo Clinic for some of them. She eventually moved to Minnesota and settled down there. It worked out perfectly for her, as one of her daughters lived in the area with her family.

Final Thoughts

The astrologer was wrong all along. My aunt lived decades longer than anyone said she would. But somewhere deep down, I think she always felt like time was a little bit borrowed.

It’s strange how a few words, spoken in passing, can end up steering whole parts of a life.

Has anything someone said to you — even if it turned out to be wrong — ended up shaping your life in a way you didn’t expect?

A version of this story originally appeared on Medium.