One of the delights of running a regular astrology site – especially one called Astrology: Questions and Answers ! – is the ensuing dialogue with emailers and commenters. Some of it can be quite testing, as this recent enquiry, from ‘Horoscope, revealed:
Is it true that REAL astrologers do not charge for their services as it is against the code to take profit out of a gift from God to help people? I read this and saw a medium on tele say it. In these circles it is donations given based on good work. Is this true at all?
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ashwintrivedi.com
Dear Ms/Mr/ X (I am assuming ‘Horoscope’ is not your real name)
this interesting question strongly suggests that you associate the practice of astrology with the practice of mediumship. They are two separate activities. Thus a comment on how mediums operate cannot usefully be applied to the practice of astrology. Before getting down to discussing the issue of payment of fees for any professional service, be that professional an experienced lawyer, doctor, accountant or astrologer, it might be useful for you to know, very broadly speaking, what astrology is.
Popular star sign or sun sign astrology is the most well-known kind. Perhaps that is the type you had in mind? This astrology functions largely as popular entertainment, in which the point of reference is the twelve Sun or Star signs under which individuals are born, depending upon the time of year, eg Scorpio, Aries, Leo, etc.The predictions offered on the basis of this limited focus entertain millions of people across the world on a daily basis.
However, popular astrology can only give a general picture; it’s like trying to tell the story of a complex play with reference to only one character on the stage, ie your Sun sign. To get a view of all the characters on the stage of your life, you need a map which an astrologer draws of the heavens for the particular time, and place as well as the day of your birth.This map, horoscope or birth chart can then be used, via the position of all the planets on that day, as a tool to describe, as lucidly as possible, the different characters on the stage of your life and how they interact with one another.
The key thing people gain from an astrology reading, in my view, is confirmation of who they actually are, along with their strengths and weaknesses, their difficulties – and their gifts. It gives them more confidence and courage to be themselves. It is a very powerful and potentially spiritual experience to have a stranger, who knows nothing of you, describe your essential qualities accurately from a map drawn of the heavens for the moment you entered this world.This helps you to see that we are all interconnected and part of the One, whatever name you choose to give that vast, indescribable Mystery.
Regarding qualifications and training, I have a university degree and three post-graduate diplomas, the third of which involved three years’ travel to and from London in order to meet the stringent requirements required to obtain my Diploma in Psychological Astrology in 1998. This included one year of mandatory personal therapy in order to have the experience of being a client myself.
I am not alone in having made considerable efforts and allocated a great deal of time and money to becoming skilled and competent at my profession.Whilst not wishing to speak for my colleagues, all the astrologers with whom I associate are well-educated people of considerable intelligence and integrity who share the same core values as I do regarding the importance of treating our fellow human beings with sensitivity and compassion. We owe this to those who come looking for help and clarification, often at turning points in their lives. Their experience, and mine, is that an astrology reading can be of considerable assistance.
And now, about money….
In the process of being useful people in the world, astrologers, like anyone else, need to eat, put a roof over their heads, and bring up their families. We also need to pay for our office rent, professional indemnity insurance, professional supervision and organisational memberships – as well as the many other expenses involved in running a professional practice. Ms/Mr X, are you suggesting that we should live in this world and practice our profession without charging realistic fees to cover our living costs like everyone else? I do hope not.
In conclusion, thank you very much for asking your question. It has provided me with an opportunity to give readers a window into how responsible, professional astrologers actually operate.
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Endnote:
This post was re-published as my 7th Not the Astrology Column in the May/June 2016 Issue of the UK’s Astrological Journal, edited by Victor Olliver.
Zodiac
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800 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2018
Astrology: Questions and Answers 
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6.7.18
Reshma Mudirakkal :
This is timely as I have been contemplating ways in which to write such an article myself (since I realized that maybe, just maybe with the passage of time perhaps I am less provoked !!!) now I am going just point towards this very article as by writing it so succintly, you write (stand up) for us all who face this. Astrologers esp ones who have been generationally doing this in India charge nothing. This of course makes those of us who charge for work look “business minded” ! Its not easy to explain years of dedicated ongoing learning, integrating to enrich the material and our personal connection with the symbols. Thanks for answering this question.
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Reshma, you are more than welcome. Feel free to use it, as long as you give me a credit. Anne
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6.7.18:
Carole V Anderson:
Beautiful answer…well stated.
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Many thanks, Carole. Glad you think so.
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6.7.18:
Carole V Anderson: I think that many people have no idea of the invisible knowledge any professional has to acquire, in order to serve others…
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Yes, agreed. That’s why it’s important now and then to speak out – from a measured, professional base…
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A dignified and intelligent response offered with grace to a questionable question.
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Many thanks, Carrie! Your opinion, as always, is very much valued and appreciated.
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This should be compulsory for people to read Anne. Maybe we should just keep copies and hand them out to people when they ask us such questions 🙂
Beautifully put!
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Well, thanks for that, Carole! I do feel strongly that we should be able to respond in a detailed, professional manner especially to challenges which seek to undermine.
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6.7.18:
Sasha Savage:
An extremely delicate answer to what may have been a blunt question. Your professionalism, experience and compassion deserves to be respected, and that means financially as well. No one needs to choose your unique service, but if they do, they are choosing to receive an incredible and very personal consultation, which should be paid for. 💛💛
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I so much appreciate this feedback,Sasha, thank you!🌻🌻
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6.7.18:Leah Whitehorse:
Such a good answer with just enough bite to send the message home. You are far more patient than I am with this type of question.
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Thanks, Leah! I’m pretty sure you would’ve said much the same yourself…
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8.7.18:
Leah Whitehorse: Yes…but I might have had to censor some swear words :-
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8.7.18:
Bob Ruth Hoole There are so many issues here it’s hard to know where to begin. But one sticks out for me and that is Astrology being seen, primarily as fortune telling. It’s public face reduced to parlour games. The media helps here but so do astrolgers themselves. The years of work and study are invisible, not to mention the time prior to any consultation. In fact time is a significant issue as in any professional contact, up front you pay for my time. But in the end what we face is the general ignorance about what we do, how much work is involved, how many years we spent learning and developing or skills. Unfortunately I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future. Cheers, Ruth
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Well, Ruth,there’s nothing much we can do about the charlatans and the irresponsible people who have no idea how to deal with their fellow citizens’ vulnerabilities. But we can be ethical, responsible, and professional in our own practice.
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8.7.18:
Bob Ruth Hoole:
Anne, I suppose in the end we just get on with it; realising what a treasure trove we have inherited.
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Beautifully put, Ruth!
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Well, this post has certainly produced a spectrum of responses – if you want to see some more, do drop by my Astrology: Questions and Answers Facebook Page from which I have posted a selection of comments here so that folk not on Facebook can see them. Posting on the Astrology Explorers Page on Facebook has produced an even bigger selection of comments – clearly this is a topic which generates strong opinions.
My own values and ethics as a practising professional astrologer should be obvious to those of you who have read the whole post, but by way of final comment I am pointing everyone in the direction of that late, great astrologer Donna Cunningham who had some forthright things to say about how astrologers should conduct themselves, with special emphasis on being aware of clients’ vulnerabilities and taking great care in what is said and HOW it is said….
If you read the whole of Donna’s cautionary post, it leads to a whole series of articles to which anyone practising astrology – professionally and otherwise – should pay attention.
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