How To Choose An Astrologer

Choose your specialist and you choose your disease. – The Westminster Gazette, May 18, 1906

As in any profession, there are many kinds of practitioners in astrology, some are more qualified than others, some may even be incompetents. In choosing an astrologer you should use at least the same care you would use in choosing any other professional. Common sense is often your best guide both in selecting the astrologer and in evaluating the astrological consultation. Also friends can be of help – if you have trusted friends who have visited an astrologer, ask their recommendations. How did they experience the astrologer?

If you have never visited an astrologer and don’t know what to expect, shop around. Call several astrologers but don’t necessarily visit the first person you talk to. Interview astrologers – your first point of evaluation will be how the astrologer sounds during your telephone conversation.

First of all, you should know and remember that astrology is not an exact science, thus whatever any astrologer says, depends on what kind of a person he or she is = the personality of the astrologer is even more important than her or his astrological expertise. Thus it is very important for you to know as much as possible about the astrologer before you make your decision.

DIVERSE QUALIFICATIONS

Astrologers have very diverse backgrounds, training and abilities. And of course personalities. Study carefully the advertisement for astrological services. Does it promise too much? Does it look professional? Where did you find it = in a respectable magazine, or in a column for fortune-tellers? If possible, call up several astrologers asking questions before setting up a consultation. Be sure you know how much it will cost you. Will you get the reading on tape? If the astrologer discourages taping, you may want to reconsider …

Try to find out what type of a person you are talking with. Ask the astrologer about her or his background, training, experience, values. Many are self-taught and there is nothing wrong with that. Neither is there anything wrong with being an amateur astrologer, but you should know what you are getting. A well-qualified astrologer will be happy to provide the information you request. How the astrologer answers – or doesn’t answer – your questions tells you a lot about the astrologer’s personality and her or his counseling skills.

You might also want to know the age of the astrologer – you can’t become a good astrologer without a lot of practice and long experience, thus age is often a good factor as it usually means more practice.

POINTS TO OBSERVE

After you’ve phoned all the possible astrologers, select the best pick of the lot. Observing following points during and after your initial phone call may help you to evaluate the astrologer:

• Did the astrologer listen to you? Did the astrologer answer your questions If he did listen to you, good. If he didn’t, you may be sure that he or she will not listen to you or answer your questions later on either.
• Was the astrologer too pessimistic or optimistic? Too much into either direction, usually means that the astrologer isn’t realistic. Did the astrologer promise too much or make any extravagant claims? Did you get an impression of a candid and honest person with good ethics? A person you could trust? Who would respect your privacy? Who would be empathetic and supportive? Would you send your friends to this type of person?
• Did you like her or him as a person? This is a very important point, perhaps the most important one. To have a good astrological consultation, you should be able to feel comfortable and at ease with the astrologer = without a good rapport there will not be a good consultation. An astrologer is first of all a human being, her or his personality is always of major importance in any consultation.
• If you are religious, you should also know something about the astrologer’s world view and religious beliefs, because you might not feel comfortable with an atheistic astrologer or an astrologer with strange esoteric views. If you are a believing Christian you might not want to visit an astrologer who tells you his or her speculations on your karma or past lives or fills your mind with strange occult mumbo-jumbo. A good astrologer will not be offended by being asked about her or his world view before a consultation.

ACCEPT ONLY THE BEST

Take your time in evaluating astrologers and making your choice. Finding a good astrologer might make a huge difference in your life, because you may begin to see your life from a new perspective and learn new things about yourself. Unfortunately also a bad astrologer might make a huge difference in your life. A well-known astrologer, Dane Rudhyar tells us about letters he received from people telling how “fearful or psychologically confused” they had become after consulting even a well-known astrologer and being given a biased character analysis and/or distressing predictions.

Even a single astrological prediction or character analysis can have tragic results because astrology touches some very deep issues in human life. And also because astrology is sometimes seen as a kind of infallible cosmic truth. Which it isn’t. It is just a language used and interpreted by human beings who even with best intentions may make some blunders: “I am appalled sometimes at the damage that can be done by astrologers who have no understanding of psychology and who are free with “predictions” and sow seeds of doubt and fear in their clients”, wrote astrologer and Jungian analyst Alice O. Howell in Jungian Symbolism in Astrology.

Thus do yourself a favor and accept only the best, because the astrologer may be touching some very deep and sensitive issues in you and in your life. And make also some preparations for your astrological consultation. Otherwise meeting new and exciting things may make you forget the questions you had your mind. And then after preparing yourself for the consultation, enjoy it…

Last updated on February 18, 2017 at 5:08 am. Word Count: 1005