Meet Hannah Lura Helford of Hannah Lura Readings in Northfield

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Lura Helford.

Hannah Lura, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was a child, I didn’t listen to anyone, I only did what I wanted to do. I had so much energy for life! I loved big and lived big and followed my heart’s desire! My parents are love-filled-worry-warts and were terrified that my boundless will would get me into trouble in life. My family are education-centered, my dad is even a professor, and they followed the belief that if you don’t succeed in school, you don’t succeed in life.

Needless to say, school was placed as the top priority. So when I started fourth grade and school became more academic and less play, my parents decided it was time to get serious about my behavior. They took me to see a psychiatrist and I was diagnosed with ADHD and given Ritalin AND Paxil. I was a 9-year-old on a kiddie cocktail of medications.

This lead to the worst year of my life, it was filled with violent episodes including suicidal ones. Everyone was telling me I needed to fit a mold my body and soul couldn’t squeeze into, and with the drugs poisoning my brain, I wanted out.

After the hell of a year that fourth grade was for me, my parents adjusted my medication and thankfully I never acted out like that again. But I was miserable throughout my school years. I was seen as “broken” because I wasn’t “successful” in in school, and I didn’t particularly care about it. ADHD is just the name “broken” was given in this instance.

I’m not sure how many chapters of school books I ever actually read. But starting at the age of 12 I was mesmerized by astrology. Granted, I only knew about sun sign astrology at the time, but I loved my astrology books. My favorite was the Astro Twins book called Astro Style.

Eventually, little by little, I became more and more exposed to the never ending study that is astrology. First I learned from a friend that not only am I a Leo sun, but I’m also a Capricorn moon, an Aries rising, with Venus in Gemini and so much more! This was all great fun until…

A few years ago my cousin and I stumbled upon Steven Forrest’s book The Inner Sky. That day we spent over 8 hours non-stop reading, discussing, and learning. The Inner Sky showed us that astrology was so much more than just something fun to think about, it was ancient, sacred knowledge.

From studying astrology, I’ve found that my hyper, attention-hopping, willful, loving, energy can easily be found in my chart, these are all things that are NATURAL for me. Astrology helped to show me that I’m not broken, it taught me that we are all humans, we all make mistakes, we all have challenges, we all have pain, and we all have healing, and strength, and beauty to give this world. Astrology allowed me to see that contrary to the beliefs of the school-centered diagnosis-filled world I grew up in, no one is “broken” or “wrong;” we’re all perfectly unique, living our destiny.

After the freedom that revelation gave me, I was hooked and committed, I was going to devote myself to the study of astrology, and spreading the joy it can bring. So I traveled to the Portland School of Astrology to get my astrological education.

A few months after graduation, October 2016, I started Hannah Lura Readings. And in May of 2017 I released an article that detailed my life’s struggle called Lessons from a 9-Year-Old Suicide Survivor. I hope to one day combine my knowledge of astrology with my love of writing to create a story that can be a catalyst for other’s healing.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road for Hannah Lura Readings is just starting! The biggest struggle I face as an astrologer, is something all astrologers face: we’re not seen as credible. Astrology is often immediately written off as “baloney” or grouped in as the same thing as tarot, palm reading, and other new age fashions. Very often astrologers are invited on shows to be ridiculed and humiliated, many people have made up their mind that it’s wrong and very often they don’t even understand what astrology actually is.

Astrology is actually an ancient study that dates back over 3000 years. There is a big debate on whether astrology is a science, religion, etc. But I think it is best explained as a language of symbols. Astrology has an alphabet of planets, signs, and houses and each symbol represents a different archetype, very often more than one. There are rules you have to follow when reading these symbols so that the proper information is relayed, so you need to be fluent enough in the language to properly read a chart, but once you are, you can create art with it, the possibilities are endless: there’s health astrology, karmic astrology, psychological astrology, spiritual astrology, writing inspiration astrology, predictive, relational, ancestral, it goes on and on.

In my readings I focus on relational, psychological, and karmic astrology. As someone who was put through hell in the education system, I love working with parents to help them better communicate with and understand their children, especially when that child is struggling to fit the system. Parents want the absolute best for their children and the path most traveled is through aceing the education system, so when a child isn’t succeeding in school, parents can sometimes feel like it’s the end of the world. It is my passion to help these worried parents see that nothing is wrong with their child and to help them recognize and nurture their children’s strengths so that they can grow into the incredible individuals they are meant to be outside of the “norm.”

The biggest challenge I face with this quest is that people are terrified to question the school system. 75% of our children’s lives revolve around the school system, so questioning it means questioning the way we live. People forget that our school-systems are man-made and therefore flawed. In time I believe people will be more and more open to recognizing and evolving the way we educate our children.

Please tell us about Hannah Lura Readings.
Hannah Lura Readings for now is just me! Carl Jung who was a famous psychologist and astrologer said that “one astrology session is equal to 19 therapy sessions” and that’s really what I do. I help people feel better and find answers to their problems. Like psychologists, I help my clients uncover their unconscious motivations, I help them figure out what directions to take in life, I help them find the patterns they have been repeating so they can evolve them and move forward, I help them find whatever answers they are seeking.

The biggest difference between a psychologist and an astrologer is that there is no “normal” to measure up to in astrology, so I’m not judging if someone is doing “right” or “wrong” I’m simply there to help my client feel better and to help my client find the path that is best for them and only them.

I’m most proud of my Worried Parent Readings. This is where I help parents who are worried about their children, feel more at ease and confident about their child’s strengths and abilities. Astrology shows us where we shine as individuals and I want to help guide everyone to their unique path of highest good, especially when that path differs from the norm. So with the readings I give to parents, I help them find places and strategies outside of school where their children can shine and finally feel successful and good about themselves.

I’m very excited to announce that my sister and I will be starting a podcast together! We are not 100% on the name yet, but we are leaning towards The Astrologer and The Skeptic. My sister comes from a science background and we are coming together to unearth and resolve the confusion that lies in the miscommunication (or often lack of communication) between astrologers and skeptics. You will be able to listen in on hannahlura.com

I think what sets me apart from others is my drive towards empathy. I am forever trying to learn and understand different perspectives, everyone has something unique and valuable to contribute to this world, I thank each and every one of you for yours.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory happened many times… Every time we would go see a movie in the theater, we would wait until the credits rolled, and then my sister and I would go to the front of the theater and dance to the credit music. We made a stage anywhere we could, we loved to perform. My sister has been my best friend and biggest supporter. I would not be where I am today if it was not for her. I’m so thankful to be able to work with her.

Pricing:

• In-Person/Phone Reading $100
• Personalized Natal Chart Reading Video $45
• Worried Parent Reading $50
• Weekly Forecast Reading $25

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.hannahlura.com
• Phone: 847-616-2767
• Email: readings@hannahlura.com

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.