Maxine Taylor, Astrologer

BY BRIAN HOUCK

Maxine Taylor is a pioneer in astrology. She was integral in getting astrology legalized in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the first person in the country to be a licensed astrologer.

She graduated from the University of Florida in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in education. After getting her degree she moved home to Miami, Florida to teach at Miami Senior High School for two years before moving to Atlanta. That is when her life totally changed. She found herself on a houseboat in the middle of Lake Lanier with a group of people, most of whom she’d never met. A lady much older than Maxine started talking to her about astrology and told her everything that was going on in her life, based solely on her sun sign. A sun sign is the position of the sun during the time of one’s birth which then distinguishes you as either Leo, Virgo, Cancer etc.

“It blew me away” Maxine recalled, “It sounded like she knew me.” Maxine was a self-proclaimed skeptic, bringing in previous prejudices, but when the woman started talking, Maxine’s mindset totally shifted.

Later in the week, she was at the supermarket and picked up a book on astrology that had a forecast for the upcoming year, depending on your sun sign. At this point, she was jobless after leaving her job at Miami High and was living “hand-to-mouth.” In that book, it stated that for her sign, all of her financial problems would be solved by the 18th of August. Sure enough when the 18th came around she received her 800 dollar retirement check from Dade County Florida. Maxine recalled, “It took me maybe two minutes to call information and get the phone number of the American Federation of Astrologers.” She was fascinated and determined to find out more.

She began researching astrology, and as she was studying, it came to her out of the blue that she was to be the one to legalize astrology. This would not be an easy task or one for the faint of heart because astrology, as it still is in many places, was considered on-par with fortune-telling and there was strong opposition to its practice. Everyone told her she would never accomplish that in the middle of the Bible belt and her response was, “Oh yeah? Watch me.”

Maxine continued on studying and taking classes until she was eventually invited to be a part of the Advanced Astrological Study Group of Atlanta. The time had come, and she knew it was time to push for astrology’s legalization. She earned a meeting with the DeKalb County commissioners in November 1969 through persistence and diligence. They granted her the first official business license to practice astrology ever issued in the state of Georgia.

Since receiving her license, Maxine has cofounded multiple organizations such as the Metropolitan Atlanta Astrological Society, the Atlanta Institute of Metaphysics, and the Atlanta Board of Astrological examiners. She also made regular appearances on CNN as an on-air pundit for astrology, even being interviewed on The Larry King Show. She is currently on the board of the American Federation of Astrologers.

From our conversation, it was evident that Maxine is an exceedingly gracious and generous person. She does not seem to be driven by monetary motives but rather the desire to help others understand events that are happening and upcoming. When we spoke, the first thing she did was ask me about myself, my goals, and my ambitions. While she looks out for herself, she has made a career out of helping other people make sense of events in their life both good and bad. Maxine is a strong believer in the law of attraction and as a result likes to focus on the positive with her clients. She practices what she preaches, and that belief and positive outlook carries over into her personal life as well.

As of late she is focused on spiritual coaching/ healing, doing readings, and keeping with the times. She has a YouTube channel (Maxine Taylor) where she posts videos multiple times a week in an attempt to reach out and touch as many people as possible.

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