Books Inc. Berkeley proudly welcomes Alicia Blando to the shop for a introduction to her book Open to Interpretation: A Doctor's Journey Into Astrology!
Feeling inadequate as a young doctor, Alicia Blando embarks upon a search for her life’s path. Her ensuing journey leads her to seek out unconventional teachers, embrace the diagnostic capacity of astrology, and ultimately discover an astrological map that holds the potential to trace her life’s path and purpose in connection with planetary movements: past, present, and future.
As a young doctor working in the middle of the HIV epidemic in the early ’90s, Alicia Blando feels unsure of the effectiveness of the medical profession. To gain insight into her life’s path, she seeks advice in some unconventional places, and lands on astrology as her way forward. Astrology, based in astronomy, has specific rules; it can’t be easily manipulated. The scientist in her can’t help but respond to this idea.
At a pivotal group demonstration, Alicia finds a mentor, Iris, who introduces her to the study of astrology. By learning to read the horoscope, Alicia gains insight into her potential and manifests her ambition to travel and explore healing techniques from indigenous cultures. Eventually, her search for new teachers and past knowledge takes her from Manhattan to the Peruvian Amazon, Belize, and Bolivia, where she discovers ancient ways of healing among people who consider the sky to be a continuation of nature on earth. She connects with the tenets of astrology as the language that describes man’s connection to the sky environment. The horoscopic map gives information that can assist in making better choices in life, Alicia learns; it has the potential to analyze a person’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and health concerns.
Alicia’s journey off the beaten path ultimately leads her to true self-exploration and connection with the world around her, as well as a desire to share her knowledge. In Open for Interpretation, she shares her story of finally finding the map she’s been seeking—and explains how we can all use that map to access our true selves and untapped potential.
“A contemplative consideration of incorporating astrology into daily life.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Open for Interpretation is a moving memoir about a medical doctor’s search for a guide to a life of connection, meaning, and purpose.”
—Foreword Reviews
“Blando’s prose is clean and concise, and her storytelling moves effortlessly between the conscious and unconscious mind and body. . . . For those drawn more to the practical than the magical when it comes to the intuitive arts, her scientific perspective on astrology will be particularly appealing."
—BlueInk Review
“Dr. Alicia Blando’s Open for Interpretation is a beautifully written memoir that will pull at your heartstrings as she pursues a medical career that is juxtaposed with her passion for astrology. She writes with brutal honesty about her self-doubt and questions whether to give up on her dream to become a doctor. At the same time, Alicia uses the language of the stars to view herself objectively and build the confidence to become a physician. Join her in this illuminating journey as she combines her two passions: medicine and astrology.”
—Ronnie Gale Dreyer, MA, author, astrologer, and teacher
Alicia Blando trained and practiced in the medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation. While working as a physician, she became interested in how indigenous healers diagnosed and treated their patients without the technology present in modern medicine. This curiosity was supported by what she learned about herself through the study of astrology. As a Western physician who has followed the tenets of astrology in her life, she believes that the practice of astrology can function as an adjunct method to study many aspects of life, including the tendencies for certain disease processes. Alicia currently works as a medical consultant. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
