How to Find and Choose an Astrologer
There are a number of different ways you can find an astrologer. The Yellow Pages in major cities will list astrologers under that heading. Most metaphysical bookstores have a "staff" astrologer or consulting astrologer who provides astrological services. On the Web, Metalog provides a listing of astrologers by country and state, along with qualifications.
Qualifications vary among astrologers. These days, anyone can download a shareware astrology program and run off a chart. However, only someone who has studied astrology for several years should be considered as potentially competent. Astrology is a complex and difficult subject to master, and cannot be learned in a matter of weeks.
The American Federation of Astrologers licenses astrologers, and is the major source of certification for astrologers in the United States. There are, however, other organizations as well. Astrologers can also be licensed through their city, county, or group. All licensed or certified astrologers should have taken some relatively lengthy testing in order to be granted their license or certificate.
If you are looking for an astrologer, ask about their qualifications, licensing, or years of experience. There are many unlicensed/uncertified astrologers with a wealth of experience, and some who are certified may not be what you're looking for.
Good astrologers consider themselves professionals, and will therefore charge a professional fee for their services. This fee can vary quite a bit from one to another, but should generally be in the range of $50-$100 or even more for a natal chart.
Don't expect to find good astrologers on the 1-900 psychic lines. Although there are some, many of these lines give superficial "cheat sheets" on astrology to all their employees, whether or not they know anything about astrology. If it sounds like a telephone psychic is reading your horoscope out of a newspaper, they probably are. Look elsewhere for someone truly qualified.
As we all know, Web pages are no guarantee of reliability, either. If you find an astrologer via a Web page, again, ask their qualifications and length of experience. Ask them if they use computerized interpretations, or provide their own.
Please also feel free to e-mail me about the services I offer as a professional astrologer and psychic.
Hopefully, these tips will lead you to a wonderful
experience with a professional astrologer.
Computer Astrology
There are dozens of computer astrology programs on the market these days. I have downloaded many shareware programs and been horrified at their inaccuracy. If you choose to download these programs, make sure you have had your chart (and preferably a couple of family members' charts as well) done by a reputable astrologer or astrology computing service. Compare these with the results you get in the computer program you downloaded. This may give you an idea how accurate the program is.
My favorite resources for computerized astrology are Astro Communications Services for reasonably priced and highly accurate chart printouts (around $5), and Microcycles for astrology programs and other related software. Both are located in California. Microcycles' phone number is 1-800-829-2537. They have an excellent staff which will work with you to determine your computer and astrological needs.
Matrix Computing has made some excellent programs; I used their Quick*Charts and was very pleased with it. I have also used the CCRS Horoscope program, and although it is excellent for research purposes, I did find it clunky to use. I am currently using SolarFire 4, as recommended to me by Microcycles, and have been quite pleased with it.
The phrase here is caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). Be very careful in choosing any program, including astrology software.
The other concern in computerized astrology is computerized
interpretations. You can order your chart from many locations, and
get a nice 20-page or so summary. Although these can be quite fun
and vaguely accurate, their "cookbook" format does not allow for real integration
of the interpretation of your chart. Although the cost is cheaper
than the services of a professional astrologer, these reports will usually
just give you a superficial start in understanding your chart, and will
be contradictory (and in some cases, downright wrong). If you have
$15 or $20 to blow, you may gain some tidbits of insight, but a real, in-depth
and cohesive interpretation can only be given by a professional astrologer.
Recommended Reading
There are many, many excellent books on the market,
and I couldn't begin to recommend them all. Below are just some of
my favorites from over the years. Contact your local metaphysical
bookstore for more information and recommendations.