Hi, I’m Adina Luft — owner of The Cosmic Deli

I’ve been doing astrology for a decade.

I’ve studied with the greats. Mainly Steven Forrest and Rebecca Gordon, though I never bothered paying for their certificates because, frankly, I would rather buy new clothes and more Dirty Martinis.

All astrological information is available via books and short courses. If you want to get into astrology I suggest first picking up Steven Forrest's book: The Inner Sky. The best way to be a good astrologer is to practice reading a lot of natal charts. Sort of like reading a menu at the deli and then comparing it to what is coming out of the kitchen. Yes, I compared a human being to a sandwich.

I’ve been a health coach, a life coach, and a yoga teacher. I’m certified through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and did my 200-hour yoga teacher training at the now-defunct Yoga to the People NYC.

If you want a case study in human nature — and why you should never make anyone your guru — Google the downfall of Yoga to the People. Most “spiritual” people who take themselves seriously are a few pickles short of a full jar.

Yup. It’s best to keep one eyebrow raised. Like when someone’s done too much ayahuasca or meditated without grounding themselves and suddenly thinks they’re the messiah. No. He’s not the messiah, he’s just a very naughty boy.

ANYWAY. I read natal chart. I help you see your strengths, weaknesses, and why your doubt is a liar. I like the term Evolutionary Astrology because it’s not about putting you in a box — it’s about freeing you from your self-imposed ones. We are truly unlimited. But sometimes, we get stuck in loops. In patterns. In limited views of ourselves and what we are capable of.

Astrology helps you spot your patterns, break them, and move forward. Often the thing that is most terrifying is actually what will make you happiest and most fulfilled. Growth is scary. But complacency and boredom is even worse.

Your natal chart helps you see your natural tendencies so you can stop judging yourself or thinking you’re missing out. It steers you to your strengths and true soul calling.

Astrology reminds us that we all have different recipes. The way we process, connect, love, create, work, and show up is all unique. Sometimes the thing you’ve been beating yourself up about isn’t a flaw at all, it’s just your flavor. The goal isn’t to fix yourself — it’s to embrace YOU.

Once you know your own recipe, you stop trying to order someone else’s special. That’s what natal chart readings are for.

I don’t do predictive astrology (if someone tries to sell you “the future,” sorry, but it’s probably bubkus. There are a few exceptions but I’m not getting into that here, this is already too long). I do cosmic weather reports. The current energies, the transits, the stuff shaping the bigger picture of your life.

I do synastry charts — a peek into how your planets dance with someone else’s. Two cosmic sandwiches, one plate. Sometimes it’s love, sometimes it’s indigestion.

Astrocartography looks at the world map and how different locations light up different parts of your natal chart. Perfect if you’re thinking about moving, traveling, or just trying to understand why some cities taste like stale bagels and others taste like fresh ones.

I’ll tell it to you straight, slice it thin, and serve it with a side of pickles. Oh, and by the way, I’m a self-proclaimed mystic. Not in the crystal-ball, floaty-voice way. More in the: I’ve seen some shit and came back going, holy fuck, that was wild, way.

I’ve explored consciousness. I’ve meditated. I’ve met the parts of myself most people avoid until their second divorce or their third vipassana retreat. I’ve sat in discomfort without trying to escape it. I’ve walked through my own underworld alone without psychedelics or ceremonial props. As Salvador Dalí said: “I don’t do drugs. I am drugs.”

I mean, bitch, same.

Astrology gives the energetic map. My intuition helps us navigate the terrain.