Professional Astrology, Reiki & Shamanic Healing

Ancient methods. Rigorous practice. Compassionate insight.

Ida Benedetto

Planetary System chart from Yaggy's Geographical Study, 1887

Welcome to Fierce & Tender, where traditional astrology, reiki, and shamanism are explored with rigor and heart. Clients praise my mix of intuitive wisdom and grounded focus, which promotes a sense of ease and openness during sessions. Benefit from time-tested practices learned from master teachers.

Get in touch to schedule a session.

Services

Astrology

Solar quilt pattern representing cosmic patterns

Astronomer Ellen Harding Baker's Solar System Quilt, 1876.

Astrology is the search for correlations between what we witness in the sky above and what we experience in our day-to-day lives. Astrology was created millennia ago to track the timing of seasons and expanded to consider all areas of life. By examining a diagram of the sky as seen at the moment and place of a client's birth, we can use celestial patterns to understand life circumstances.

This was better than any therapy session I've ever had.

Ideal Uses

  • Recognizing patterns across life cycles
  • Making aligned decisions during transitions
  • Gaining perspective on recurring themes
  • Preparing for significant changes with wisdom

My Training

I studied traditional Hellenistic methods through intensive training with Demetra George, a leading figure in recovering classical astrological wisdom, passing the coursework with distinction. I also completed advanced Horary training with Wade Caves and Lee Lehman, learning to answer specific urgent personal questions.

Reiki

Reiki healing practice in NYC

Electrography image of vital waves of the hand. From Dr. Hippolyte Baraduc's The Human Soul, 1896.

Reiki is an energy healing practice developed in Japan in the 1920s through the combination of Shinto and Buddhist practices. It brings about balance on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. This is achieved through meditative self-practice and treatment sessions where a practitioner shares an energetic connection with a client through hands-on or distance healing.

Amazing. My abdominal pain has subsided. I feel clearer, calmer, and centered.

Ideal Uses

  • Supporting recovery from illness or injury
  • Reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality
  • Processing emotional stress and trauma
  • Developing energetic awareness and sensitivity

My Training

I trained in traditional Japanese Reiki through the International House of Reiki with Frans Stiene and his student Natalie Jaspar. This lineage maintains a connection to Mikao Usui's original methods, emphasizing spiritual practice alongside healing techniques. My training includes Reiki I, II, and III certifications, plus a specialized 20-month training in Extended Energy Awareness with teeni dakini.

Shamanic Journeying & Parts Work

Shamanic journey work in New York City

Two students share a rocking chair. Macalester College, Minnesota, 1890s.

Shamanic journeying uses percussive sound to enter non-ordinary states of consciousness to connect with reality beyond the senses, like inner wisdom, helping spirits, and ancestral knowledge. Parts work brings various aspects of ourselves into conversation to discover different paths through familiar situations. These practices share many techniques for reconciling inner conflict and welcoming in spiritual support. They promote access to guidance beyond rational analysis.

That was brutal! I'd definitely do it again.

Ideal Uses

  • Navigating life transitions with support
  • Processing grief and loss
  • Retrieving lost aspects of yourself
  • Connecting with spiritual guidance

My Training

My training includes six months of Peruvian shamanism with Kay Dougherty, shamanic psychopomp work with Tony Allicino (in Sandra Ingerman's tradition), Mediumship training at Arthur Findlay College, and Deathwalker training with Zenith Virago. I also integrate Internal Family Systems methodology (Level 1 and 2 certified), which provides additional tools for understanding inner parts work.

About Ida Benedetto, NYC Healer

Ida Benedetto, NYC astrologer and healer, professional portrait by Shannon Taggart

Photo by Shannon Taggart

I am a professional astrologer, Reiki practitioner, and shamanic healer with over a decade of study under master teachers and experience supporting numerous clients facing everything from relationship challenges to death's door.

My approach emphasizes lineage learning and historical authenticity. In astrology, this meant studying with Demetra George to understand Hellenistic methods recovered from ancient texts. In Reiki, I learned traditional Japanese techniques through Frans Stiene and his student Natalie Jaspar. For shamanic work, I studied with teachers whose integrity and humility temper the quixotic nature of the practice.

I believe these practices work best when we combine fierce commitment to traditional methods with tender attention to individual needs. I act as a hollow reed that larger forces can pass through, balancing the rigor of process with a soft stance towards what's at work in any particular circumstance.

Get in touch to schedule a session.

Broader Professional Context

I am the Founder & Experience Director of Uncommon Places Design, a consultancy specializing in experience strategy, design, and facilitation for high-stakes gatherings. My research on the design of transformative social experiences integrated lessons from well-done sex parties, funerals, and wilderness trips. It has been widely read within and beyond the experience design community and can be read in full online at Patterns of Transformation. See my general bio site here.

Client Experiences

That was intense. You're a natural.
I can't wipe the smile off my face. You have a gift!
Your combination of intelligence and spirituality is beautifully integrated. People have their doubts about spirituality, and yes a lot of people do 'go off the deep end,' but I'm really excited to see where you go with this journey. It's anchored in something profound.
I could feel you so strongly, I opened my eyes and expected to see you there! So much warmth.
"That was different than other Reiki sessions I've had... It went so much deeper!"
When you touched my heart, suddenly, after so much heartbreak, I knew what real love feels like.