So you are looking for advice and let’s face it, there are many astrology sites out there offering services. How do you know which service or reading is right for you? Many of the computerized sites are run by people who don’t even know astrology themselves! Since I’ve recently began offering computerized readings myself, I thought I would take a moment to explain to you the difference between a personal reading by an astrologer and a computerized reading. What are the benefits of each? What are the drawbacks of each?
A computerized reading can offer good general insight. Say you want to know what is coming up over the next few months, just so you can have some idea of what could happen. The type of computerized reading that could help would be a forecast (otherwise known as a planetary transit reading)--be it a Love Forecast, a Business Forecast, or just an overall view, a computerized reading is the best way to go. For an astrologer to personally calculate and interpret your transits, she (or he) would have to spend many long and possibly torturous hours working with your charts. If you want a personal forecast by an astrologer, you are going to have to pay good money to receive one. Sure, some astrologers will tell you they are personally doing your transits…but guess what, they aren’t! Unless you are paying about 100+ for a 3 month forecast, they are selling you a computer reading they are trying to pass off as one they ‘personally’ worked for you. Any time you see these types of readings (example follows), you are probably receiving a computer reading:
Venus trine Moon
(with a paragraph or so of text)
Pluto square Ascendant
(with a paragraph or so of text)
And so on and so forth. This is NOT a personal, handwritten reading, even if the ‘astrologer’ managed to take a few moments to input a few paragraphs of their own advice (in fact, most professional astrologers won‘t write their readings out anyway. Many simply talk to you via the phone or send you a tape. It is more difficult and time consuming to write out an astrology reading, which is why many won‘t even bother). If you just need a general overview, spending a lot of money just doesn’t make sense. However, if you have an important date coming up--your wedding, a major move--you may want to spend the money and hire a professional astrologer to get deeper insight and advice into what may happen.
My personal thoughts on computerized astrology readings is that they are best used to gain basic insight. If you want to know more about your compatibility in general with someone, get a computerized compatibility reading. If you really NEED to know the potential of a relationship and receive advice on how to navigate the relationship for the best possible positive relationship (particularly if you are in a difficult situation and need help), hire a professional astrologer to work your compatibility or even perhaps enter into a consulting relationship with your astrologer for ongoing advice and support. A computer reading can just look at your aspects and spit out various aspects (sometimes conflicting ones!) that can help you understand each other better. It obviously can’t give an opinion or offer support. But overall, a computerized compatibility can give you good insight into your relationship in general.
Here is a basic checklist of the benefits and drawbacks of each type of reading:
Computerized Readings
Plus
~ Excellent for Future Forecasts
~Great for General Information
~General Insight into your personality, relationships, and life
~Very inexpensive
~Tons of info (although you will have to take all of the conflicting information into consideration yourself)
Minus
~Very limited in it’s ability to answer SPECIFIC questions
~Conflicting information that may make some aspects of the reading feel that it isn’t describing you or your relationship accurately. You will have to determine what is right and discard the rest yourself.
~You can’t ask the computerized reading what it meant about something said in the reading
~Can’t Offer an Opinion or advice
~Can’t Offer Support
An Astrology reading with a Professional astrologer
(Written, Taped, Phone, In-person, Chat room)
Plus
~ Excellent for Specific advice and answers to your questions
~Great for deeper insight and advice into your personality, relationships, and life
~Your Astrologer will take all conflicting information into consideration while working your reading and will provide you with a much more concise and fluid, integrated reading. No astrological understanding should be needed to understand what your astrologer is saying. (Of course, there are some who do work readings in astro-lingo. I am not one of them!)
~You can ask your Astrologer what he or she meant by something in your reading
~Ongoing support if needed
~Many Astrologers offer a retainer service or ongoing consulting
~Some Karmic Astrologers can offer you specific past life details (in conjunction with channeling. This is one service I provide for my clients. A computerized karmic reading will be very general and simply be full of possibilities, not specific information).
Minus
~Can be quite expensive, depending on the quality of the service, the experience level of the astrologer, and whether the astrologer is in demand (how many clients the astrologer works with has a direct bearing on the cost. Obviously an astrologer who is sought after for their skill and knowledge will have a heavy client load and must limit how many people she or he works with. One way to limit the client load is to raise the cost of service).
~There may be a significant waiting period for your reading or consultation. Please see above about demand.
~Your reading will be shorter, but should offer much more specific and concise information
I am now offering both Computerized Readings AND Personal Consultations!
