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My year of getting readings -- do we need a bbb? (Read 417 times)

EarthandAir
MemberMy year of getting readings -- do we need a bbb?
« on: 24.04.2009 at 19:01 [UT+1] »I've learned a lot about astrology the past two years I've been coming to this forum. I never would havestudied it before - -never would have been able to gather the information or talk to as many like-minded people
and I think this place is a stunning and impeccable service for anyone who wants to know more or talk about
astrology.
But because I came to a sort of stopping point in studying my own chart, I decided to enlist the help of a
Posts: 800

professional astrologer. At first I bought a lot of canned charts and then this year I eventually spoke to several
astrologers and paid up to 150 dollars for a "reading" - and I want to tell you something -- not all of thesepeople are alike. I've had really helpful and deep experiences from these meetings in some cases because I
could tell that the astrologer felt his job was to counsel me -- and then I have had these really incongruous andstrange interactions with people who were clearly just liking the attention and the feeling of being in charge ofinterpreting someone else's psyche.
To date, not a single one of these people could clearly rectify my chart. I had a *great* reading and verysatisfying experience from two astrologers, both men, who are clearly in it for the love of the game and not tofurther their own egos. I had *horrible* experiences with two others, both of whom are high profile online andboth, as far as I'm concerned, are raving narcissists who became astrologers because they liked the attention.
I've had a passing thought that I would love to start a little forum so that people could rate and relate theirexperiences with the astrologers they get readings from. The interaction is so intimate, and the reader has somuch innate control over a person's mind in the space of that hour that you run the risk every time of getting
your head messed around pretty badly and your money pocketed for your trouble. I'm not an astrologer: I'm a
consumer, and sometimes I wish there was something I could do to impose a little quality control.
What do you think? Do you think this is a good idea?

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Charlie Charles 2nd

Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #1 - on: 24.04.2009 at 21:02 [UT+1] »Sounds like a good idea for a thread.
To make it interesting I think you need to identify what you found valuable or not about the encounters. Ideallygiving some information about the 'astrologers' background and training if you have it.
You're no doubt aware that anyone can call themselves an astrologer and unfortunatley there are plenty ofcharlatans around. Risky business.............
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scorpio_me
Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #2 - on: 24.04.2009 at 21:07 [UT+1] »I've had four readings this year, two from high profile astrologers each with several books, and found varying
degrees of connection and understanding from them, however I would hesitate to rate them publicly because
just as our relationships are all unique, so our relationships with astrologers are unique. You might love onethat I found too pedantic, I might like the one you found too 'old school.' There's just too much personal
preference here. Unless of course someone just doesn't know their stuff.
I wouldn't want to see anyone taken down whilst another person might find that same reader wonderful.
It is pretty amazing, though, the difference, isn't it?
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SyzygyEx Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #3 - on: 24.04.2009 at 21:23 [UT+1] »this already exists, and I will try to locate the URL for you. It's not well-run. It's basically something someone
slapped together and now ignores, more or less.

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moondust
Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #4 - on: 24.04.2009 at 21:35 [UT+1] »I think firstly, that in any sort of reading you need to be able to connect with the astrologer and if you don't
any 'professional' astrologer would immediately offer to close the reading and not charge you.
I have had readings with several astrologers, a couple of whom are published and very well known. Face to facereadings do work better for me, but that is maybe a personal thing. You just need to find someone youconnect with. Have had readings that have absolutely blown me away.
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EarthandAir

Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #5 - on: 24.04.2009 at 23:14 [UT+1] ». I wasn't aware it existed, Syz, though I'm not surprised...
scorpio_me; I have the same feeling you do and I had a sort of moderated scenario in mind -- no bashingalllowed, thoughtful comments only, etc.
I've no doubt it's hard enough to make a living as an astrologer, but it could end up being a win/win scenario.
I'm sure more people would take a risk on someone who had a good review; commentary, etc -- and would be
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reassured if they did not find a bad one listed.

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Neptune's StormEx Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #6 - on: 25.04.2009 at 15:47 [UT+1] »Quote from scorpio_me on 24.04.2009 at 21:07 [UT+1]:
I've had four readings this year, two from high profile astrologers each with several books, and found varying degrees of connection andunderstanding from them, however I would hesitate to rate them publicly because just as our relationships are all unique, so ourrelationships with astrologers are unique. You might love one that I found too pedantic, I might like the one you found too 'old school.'
There's just too much personal preference here.

I agree, this is a very slippery slope, especially considering so many people who consult an astrologer are
simply looking for a mirror.
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Velvet Sphinx

Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #7 - on: 25.04.2009 at 16:03 [UT+1] »A lot may depend on the synastry that you have with the individual: which of their planets your planets are
triggering and thus the 'slant' that they might unconsciously feel compelled to put into the reading.
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beetlejuice
Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #8 - on: 25.04.2009 at 16:14 [UT+1] »I have paid for my chart to be read three times, and had it read almost free by a very nice lady, all a long timeago. The almost free chart reading was the best, a very insightful Scorpio lady astrologer. The worst was one
that cost a lot, a middle aged Piscean woman who just gave me a piece of her mind, was very judgemental,
with hindsight totally wrong and totally unhelpful, and charged a lot for it. Does anyone ever refuse to pay if
the reading is actually not a reading? At the time I was too young to think of challenging that. She was awful,
I don't think she even looked at my chart.
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Lisalou 2

Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #9 - on: 25.04.2009 at 17:34 [UT+1] »Hello,
I've been to 2 astrologers, both of whom were excellent. The 1st was a face-to-face reading. He was amazingly
good considering he hadn't been studying the subject that long, but he did have a gift for it & was also able toPosts: 548

read charts psychically, I think. The 2nd was a telephone conversation regarding a medical matter, & he wasvery good too. I think you're quite entitled to ask for a refund if you're not satisfied with the service provided.
I would also expect any astrologer to have a better knowledge than myself, & both of the astrologers I
consulted did, though I wouldn't call myself an astrologer. I don't think that is too high an expectation. Do
you? I've learned a lot from the Astrodienst site, on which there is some excellent knowledge displayed. I've
been interested in astrology for about 35 years & have enjoyed reading astrology books during that time.

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Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb

Quinn
Ex Member« Reply #10 - on: 25.04.2009 at 17:47 [UT+1] »a lot of useful comments have already been made and i'd like to say that many clients are just looking for a
mirror...some just want to offload(they need a cross between a shrink and a priest)....all needs are different
I've found the best clients are those who keep an open mind....i've been saying for a long time that clientsshould be given guidelines about what to expect,I've had some nightmare experiences and also some very
uplifting ones at both ends as a reader and as a client
there are some bad readers...just like there are bad salesmen,doctors,cleaners,dentists and bad bankers,thesethings can be trial and error and its always worth follow instincts and i've personally found a good way to find areader you connect with is to choose a name you already have an affinity withas a reader...the number of times you get clients with similar transits/aspects/signs to yourself areuncanny,personally I can never be arsed to read if i don't have a good connection...it's too much hard work andyou feel like you're straining,but i do know that sometimes because of negative feedback(usually them saying
no to everything) I'll ask if they want to terminate the reading(which they refuse to do) and then right before
the end they confess everything and it turrns out I was spot on...that is soooooooooooo annoying...and iusually tell them off for thatas a client I remember one lady telling me I'd wait years before having children(I already had 3 at that point)
i've had a number of failed predictions but also some very accurate ones...the last astrologer who read for me
was really good and he wasn't famous,he didn't give concrete predictions but did accurately predict the moods
and focus that was coming up,gave useful timing and a few other things
expectations are important but mostly I think if you want specific answers or if you're desperate you should
stay away from readings completely....it really depends HOW you use astrology and what you think it's capableofthe happiest clients are those who use it as a means to clarify their own thoughts rather than give them hardand fast answers,they want the high probability predictions but know that fate/being human does not give a
100% guarantee
I have also had readings with people who others thought were great and i thought they were crap so i agreewith what scorpio me and i think neptunes storm said about needing to be careful with how these readers are
rated
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ammeh

Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #11 - on: 25.04.2009 at 19:14 [UT+1] »I got a professional reading for my 15th birthday--the lady cast the wrong chart! She mixed my birthday up
with her niece's birthday in the same month. If I hadn't done enough research beforehand to know my moon
wasn't in Aries, she would have given me an entirely incorrect reading.
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She was a very nice lady, but she just didn't seem to know that much about astrology--she didn't go any
deeper than my planet placements by sign and house. If I remember correctly I asked her about aspects andshe said she didn't know much about them.
If I ever got a professional reading again I'd do my research first...I wonder if there's some database ofastrologer reviews out there. XD

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Quinn
Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #12 - on: 25.04.2009 at 19:38 [UT+1] »astro*live*link's are generally good for phone readings

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EarthandAir

Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #13 - on: 25.04.2009 at 20:42 [UT+1] »Quote from Quinn on 25.04.2009 at 17:47 [UT+1]:
a lot of useful comments have already been made and i'd like to say that many clients are just looking for a mirror...some just want tooffload(they need a cross between a shrink and a priest)....all needs are different
I've found the best clients are those who keep an open mind....i've been saying for a long time that clients should be given guidelines
about what to expect,I've had some nightmare experiences and also some very uplifting ones at both ends as a reader and as a client

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there are some bad readers...just like there are bad salesmen,doctors,cleaners,dentists and bad bankers,these things can be trial and error
and its always worth follow instincts and i've personally found a good way to find a reader you connect with is to choose a name you
already have an affinity withas a reader...the number of times you get clients with similar transits/aspects/signs to yourself are uncanny,personally I can never be
arsed to read if i don't have a good connection...it's too much hard work and you feel like you're straining,but i do know that sometimes
because of negative feedback(usually them saying no to everything) I'll ask if they want to terminate the reading(which they refuse to do)
and then right before the end they confess everything and it turrns out I was spot on...that is soooooooooooo annoying...and i usually tellthem off for that

Quinn, I appreciate your thoughts -- but if there are bad readers just like there are bad bankers and dentists,then this seems to support the idea of a review site. The thing is -- almost *every* profession has guidelines
and a professional association to guide it -- and I know that astrology has several excellent associations but
there are quite a few more astrologers than belong to such organizations simply because it costs money tojoin; some people aren't joiners, etc.
Yet without a mechanism for general examination of client experiences the client is taking a *heeeeuge*gamble with his money and also his psyche.
I have a Saturn ruled chart and Venus in Virgo. I could hang out a shingle tomorrow *I suppose*, and start
charging money for piecing together a general narrative from a birth chart I made with astrodienst software but
I never would. I would never dream of doing such a thing because my *expectation* is that the people who do
this for a living are absolutely brilliant at it. How else could you have the nerve to ask someone else for fifty to
one hundred and fifty to *three hundred dollars* for an hour of your insights?
It seems -- present company excluded of course -- that the door for charlatanism is sort of widening since now
astrologers and other types of "readers" can be contacted and give their readings over the internet -- meaning
they don't have to use their real names, have an actual address from which they are working, and have theoption of simply disappearing if dissatisfaction gets hot enough. But the internet is self-policing; networks
form to control the quality of content. That's how people know they're not going to get cheated on ebay; thebuyer/seller relationship is published for others to see. There's even a place for that on something likekeen.com -- it gives a buyer some reassurance that he's not throwing his time and money down the drain, andgives the seller a chance to build a fairly earned reputation.
I'm actually surprised I haven't seen more of this kind of thing already.
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astroelle
Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #14 - on: 25.04.2009 at 20:43 [UT+1] »One factor that often applies with psychotherapy and can also apply to good astrology readings - the insight or
benefit isn't felt or realised immediately, but sometime later. I had a reading 19 years ago and one key point
she made I couldn't connect to and then a year later all was clear. I feel this longevity of effect is to bewelcomed more than any 'feelgood' factor.
I'd be interested to know how, if at all, any astrologers here check out/ sound out their clients or offer any
information about how to get the best out of their reading, before it begins?
Astroelle
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QuinnEx Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #15 - on: 25.04.2009 at 21:34 [UT+1] »earthandair;i know there are certain regulations already in place in a lot of countries, i remember seeing keen a
few years ago now and there were so many to trawl through it seemed a bit overwhelming,most of the badreaders i have come across don't work for very long....it must take some balls to blag people like that,i think
it's far more common to come across inexperienced readers or those who think they can do it when they can't
and i have to support those that are inexperienced because a lot of the learning comes with doing it fulltime/part time and sometimes not getting it quite right.
prediction is a nightmare....we have free will ultimately and nothing in life is cast in stone
personally i wouldn't pay $300 for a reading and everyone should always have a 20 min reading first to see ifthey click
astroelle i think you're right on the late connections,I do generally talk to my regulars about what they can getfrom the reading but i'm lucky with the clients i currently have....some people just want you to tell them what
they want to hear and honesty can be met with very negative reactions such as wtf do you know etc
i remember talking to my therapist about a few clients last year (she was also a lover of astrology/mysticism)and she commented that those who do readings are on the front line for some seriously fragile people,often
when they go to therapy they have already taken the step to get better....but the readers get those who areincredibly desperate..they don't want to take responsibility.... they want someone to wave a magic wand....I
have had many arguments and been on the end of negative criticism because i refuse to pander to those in
extreme fixation with an unobtainable desire,i have also told many clients they need therapy not readings....towhich most reply...yeah whatever
there are so many astrology/tarot/psychic readers out there that i'd say it's impossible to get them all under
one umbrella so joe public can get his/her rating quickly,most who want a reading do it on the spur of the
moment and never take the time to look into things more closely,
an old company i worked for had a five minute rule...if you weren't happy you would get a refund so long as
you didn't have the full reading...and i think some make the mistake of carrying on even if they are having a
bad reading and then complaining after the event.....you wouldn't go to a restaurant eat a full dinner thendemand your money back would you??
and you generally do know within the first few minutes if it's okay or not,I'd recommend anyone asking for arefund if they are not confident within the first few mins and i'm pretty sure most decent readers (andcompanies)would oblige
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direct Jupitarian
Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #16 - on: 26.04.2009 at 06:27 [UT+1] »Haven't had any outside astro. readings done on me. I haven't done a full chart reading for anyone in a longtime because i don't feel i'm intune enough to do so in the most helpful manner.
When i use to do them before, i never charged but would take donations. It sort of irks me sometimes to see
astrology being used in such blatantly greedy and materialistic ways when people casually charge like 300
dollars for a chart reading. Many of these high powered, well known, and expensive astrologers also speak of
having spiritual ideals and beliefs, which i don't get the discrepancy between.
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EarthandAir

Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #17 - on: 26.04.2009 at 07:35 [UT+1] »I know, Dj -- it's just...confusing. I'm a bit enmeshed with this community; I wonder, are they charging 300
dollars because they took some Prosperity seminar and were told to charge and believe believe believe? Or
what.
Quinn: I think you might underestimate the audience, especially the internet audience. Internet audiences are*reading*, and this means they are already contacting a level of abstract thought you don't get to with offhand
conversation or even television. If I read a review that said something like: "Well, I'm 57 years old and have
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driven a bus all my life, but I now want to be an international popstar and this astrologer told me to look into
community theatre and *I'm dissatisfied*"...I would be capable of reading between the lines.
Or: " My astrologer did not reassure me that my lover would come back to me eventually" or: " this astrologer
kept telling me I was a terrific teacher when I am clearly supposed to be a *movie star*" or: " I just left prisonand my wife is sleeping with somebody else and my astrologer refused to give me any lucky Lotto numbers"...
Anyone aware of the human condition would be able to read the review of an astrologer's skill with a grain ofsalt and a touch of lemon zest. People are generally sort of cooler than you're making out, but I understandyour skepticism.

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SyzygyEx Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #18 - on: 26.04.2009 at 08:12 [UT+1] »yeah, for a long time (a really long time) i refused to besmirch myself with taking money for chart readings, butthen it became a lucrative business down in Los Angeles when I lived down there, and then in San Francisco,so... I gave in. But then, I never claimed to be on any spiritual path, either.
It's a service. If you want tobuy things with money, you get paid. Simple.
god, I've never had a client not pay. That would be so weird.

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Quinn

Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #19 - on: 26.04.2009 at 13:02 [UT+1] »earthandair;maybe a ratings system would work for those who are like you ....but not everyone is likeyou,generally people dismiss comments and just look at the star ratings(well thats what i do on amazon)

its common here to pay £1.50 a minute which is £90 an hour and there are a few that will spend a couple ofhundred a week regularly...but generally it's a twenty minute job,i charge much less than the going rate but likesyzygy I would not read for free...it's one thing joining in at a place like this but privately is a different
matter...i know it's my love to live my life this way,i honestly could not see myself doing any other work but
then i've been studying for 15 years so why shouldn't i get paid for what i know...i shouldn't have to take a jobthat i have no interest in just so i can do readings for free.i don't see how in order to be considered spiritual
you have to be poor but then neither do i think excessive greed is appropriate...readings have never been
free...offerings of rice/flour or other things were always given but my landlord won't accept 3 kilos of potatoes
and some mung beans as payment of rent,I have every intention of being comfortably well off through my art
and have no guilt about it because studying astrology alone has easily cost me £2,000 in books andsoftware...that came out of my own pocket,then on top of that there is the stuff to do with spirituality/new age
stuff/different healing systems/ and personal therapy to get this stage of my life( and the number of hours
spent on it day in and day out)
i hear what is being said about spirituality V materialism and i do agree....to a point...but it is considered aluxury service not an essential one
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Ed Falis
Ex Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #20 - on: 26.04.2009 at 15:09 [UT+1] »Quote from direct Jupitarian on 26.04.2009 at 06:27 [UT+1]:...
When i use to do them before, i never charged but would take donations. It sort of irks me sometimes to see astrology being used in suchblatantly greedy and materialistic ways when people casually charge like 300 dollars for a chart reading. Many of these high powered, wellknown, and expensive astrologers also speak of having spiritual ideals and beliefs, which i don't get the discrepancy between.

I rarely charged when doing readings. But I don't see anything unspiritual in an exchange of energy in theform of reading <-> money, as long as it's agreed between the parties involved.
- Ed
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dayliaEx Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #21 - on: 26.04.2009 at 16:09 [UT+1] »Some people like to throw money around on whatever. Helps em feel rich, powerful, valuable, special. Qualityof item or service is just not as attractive/important/impressive as the size of the price tag. WEll, to each theirown!
I agree with Ed -- no problem exchanging money for services provided and energy/time spent rendering same.
That's what money is, after all -- just another form of energy.
A new-age business person once tried to enlist my services as an astrologer, to do paid readings. I refused,
after doing the first reading because while the client paid $200+ for that session, I rec'd $80
when all they did was book an appt (one min on the phone) and I did all the work! So don't think the fee
you've paid for some reading is necessarily going to the astrologer. MIddle men can be expensive.
I like what author Ted Andrews has to say about psychic readings:
I never did a full consultation more often than once a year. There is rarely enough change within a 12-month
period to warrant repeated sessions...a psychic who encourages repeated sessions is milking the client forreasons other than professional ones ... a client who encourages and seeks frequent sessions is not taking
responsibility for his or her own life.
(from Psychic Protection by Ted Andrews)
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loulouaz
Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #22 - on: 26.04.2009 at 17:03 [UT+1] »Quote from direct Jupitarian on 26.04.2009 at 06:27 [UT+1]:
Haven't had any outside astro. readings done on me. I haven't done a full chart reading for anyone in a long time because i don't feel i'm
intune enough to do so in the most helpful manner.
When i use to do them before, i never charged but would take donations. It sort of irks me sometimes to see astrology being used in suchblatantly greedy and materialistic ways when people casually charge like 300 dollars for a chart reading. Many of these high powered, well

Posts: 1185
Gender:known, and expensive astrologers also speak of having spiritual ideals and beliefs, which i don't get the discrepancy between.

Yes you're right i agree direct Jupiterian , some people (astrologers) are just greeeeedy materialistic money
grabbers. Donations are fine i would have thought - from the "clients"( horrid word that).
I suspect there are some astrologers who woud be expecting some young uns' to hand over their pocket
moneythat is too greedy for words...
Loulouaz.
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dog8818

Member

Re: My year of getting readings -- do we need a bb
« Reply #23 - on: 26.04.2009 at 21:04 [UT+1] »Being the owner of a metaphysical store, I have a small sign on the desk that says "interested in an astrology
reading? Just ask". Over the years, many people have asked. I tell them who I am, what I've done, and ask
them what they are interested in learning through astrology. Through that interaction I can tell if there's going
to be a good "fit". Many times I've turned down readings for people because I know we would not speak thesame language, and that I wouldn't be able to move into the space to speak in a way where they could hearme. So I don't want someone's money if they can't receive something from me. Then the interaction also
gives them some psychic space to discern whether or not they'd want someone who talks like I do to even do areading for them. Through the years I've done "free mini readings" and those were the worst clients. They
weren't even listening, just trying to get all they could from a 20 minute mini-reading, and invariably tried to

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Gender:push for more. Blech. Then, many times I just find myself so interested in a customer and their stories (there
are many people who tell me their stories simply because I own the store) and I get curious about their chart
and ask if I can look at it. Those people are the most fun, because they are conscious of their issues and it's
just always a fun interaction, and I don't take money for those things, I consider it field research.
As to the Nordstrom variety astrologers, I think people find who they fit with, and if they have a Nordstrom
mentality (it ain't worth it if it doesn't hurt when you write the check) then there are astrologers who can
accommodate that. And is that so bad? Who is that hurting? Free will, folks. Caveat Emptor, and all thatjazz. If there are karmic implications, and judgments to be made about that, is it our job to do it, and is there
possibly some jealousy over those who do charge that kind of price? BTW, just in case someone jumps down
my throat about that, I charge $110 for a reading. Less if someone can't pay that and seems sincere to me.
Free if they just plain fascinate me. I studied for 25 years, I'm entitled to name my price. There are those
astrologers with psych degrees and other credentials that are absolutely fixated on who has what "right" tocharge, and from what I've seen, those people usually have the same judgmental attitude towards the receiversof their readings as well, but layered with righteous justification.

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