Hello,
If you don’t know me yet, my name is Blanka 'Lavender' Solun and I’m a teacher, translator, and blogger. I’ve been interested in astrology ever since early teenage times and as I was growing up, my knowledge has extended thanks to articles, lectures, and teachers. Obviously, we live in a world where the word ‘astrology’ is associated with a one-column horoscope which appears weekly in a newspaper. Unsurprisingly, this reduces astrology to a subject for jokes, and is deeply unjust for this ancient wisdom.
As I was delving deeper and deeper into the topics of planets, zodiac signs, houses, and aspects, my mind has been automatically switching from the student mode to the teacher one. ‘How would I explain it to a person who doesn’t know astrology and thinks of it only in terms of a sun sign?’ I was wondering. I naturally started to create explanations that I could give if I met an ‘uninitiated’ person. I guess, once a teacher always a teacher :) The aim was to explain every topic as easily as possible to everyone, including the sceptics. I didn’t want to convert anyone, I just wanted to describe what astrology really is like and let the reader decide. These inner monologues have grown and expanded so much over the years that at some point I understood that it would be best to simply write them down and make space for other things in my mind.
After careful consideration I decided to share these writings with the public and established my blog Embrace the Stars Astrology in autumn 2025. The title came naturally from the line in the song ‘Sons of Winter and Stars’ by my favourite band Wintersun. Now, almost a year later, I’ve decided to gather all the articles from this blog into one place and release them as an e-book called An Introduction to Astrology.
The book, as the name says itself, is an entry into the world of astrology. It explains the most important elements without adding too many details that could be overwhelming. You won’t find out how the Sun in Taurus or the Moon in the 5th house behaves; that’s left for another book about the astrology basics. This is just a starter for you to check if you want to continue exploring this field. The book covers the core issues concerning astrology in a clear and structured way: from its history and foundations to the meaning of signs, planets, houses, aspects, and a practical example of chart interpretation.
All the posts remain freely available here on the blog, just as before. The e-book is simply for those who prefer to read offline, have the whole series in one file, want to give it as a present or would like to support my work.
If you would like to buy my e-book, you can find it here:
https://www.patreon.com/BlankaSolun/posts/introduction-to-165834901
But that’s not all. There’s so much more happening behind the scenes.
As I was writing down the content last year, another blog came into being as a kind of ‘spin-off’ from this one. I wanted to include the topic of psychological astrology but it would be impossible without mentioning the work of Carl Gustav Jung. I was planning to write 4–5 posts just about the basics of the analytical psychology which he created. However, it soon became clear that I wouldn’t be able to incorporate everything I found necessary in such a small number so I expanded the series to 8, then 12 and ultimately 17 episodes. It became apparent that this new Jungian series needs its own space and that’s how Lavender Fields Forever came into being.
The assumption is exactly the same as with the articles about astrology: to explain to the reader basic concepts clearly and easily in a way that can form the foundation of daily practice to create a better, healthier life. I strongly believe that the knowledge of Carl Gustav Jung and his collaborators and followers (particularly Emma Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz, Barbara Hannah, Edward F. Edinger and Robert A. Johnson) can be easily applied in everyday inner work that allows us to move further in the process of maturation (which Jung called ‘individuation’ in opposition to ‘individualisation’). As he famously said, we have to make the unconscious conscious. We will then be able to get rid of the projections of our Shadow onto other people, limit the influence of the Ego on our behaviour and create a strong, healthy bond with the other sex hidden in our psyche (Animus, the inner man in a woman’s mind or Anima, the inner woman in a man’s mind).
I’m not going to lie to you, the whole process is long, strenuous and it requires a lot of courage and determination. However, the effect is so incredibly liberating and character-building that it’s definitely worth going through. I wouldn’t say it to you if I hadn’t experienced it myself; I don’t teach the things I am unable to verify. And the best thing is that you can do it yourself, at your own pace, anytime, any place, without any specific tools or paying any fees. In times when mental health is spiralling down and therapists are difficult to find or afford, following the individuation process is the best thing you can do for yourself. Inner work, self-awareness and personal growth are available for everyone.
This series has already begun on my other blog as well as on my Substack, Patreon, and Buy Me a Coffee profiles. I encourage you to subscribe and follow me for more deep dives into how our conscious and unconscious mind work. Each topic is divided into a theoretical and a practical part which helps you to understand the mechanism and teaches you how to apply it in your life. I am not a professional psychologist or therapist; I write as someone who has gone through this process myself. However, each post includes plenty of quotes from Jung and his collaborators. I wanted to give you the impression as if they were sitting in front of you and speaking directly to you.
All the posts are publicly available, and once the series is completed on the blog, I will create another e-book just like the one about astrology. Here are all the posts which have been published so far:
Episode 0 Know Thyself. Intro
Episode 1 Enter the Labyrinth
Episode 2 See in the Darkness
Episode 3 The Ego
Episode 4 How To Work With Your Ego
I also decided to make an experiment and publish the shortened and simplified version of this series on Wattpad and Inkitt. I’m not sure if it’s a good direction but want to offer it as an alternative to people who find a long deep dive too intimidating and want to begin with something lighter.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you will get the e-book for yourself or for the people who may find it interesting.
Embrace the stars
Blanka