Tips on How to Get a Good Astrology Reading

These are some tips from my perspective as a practising pro astrologer on how to get the right astrology reading from the right astrologer for you. These tips will not necessarily apply to other astrologers, nor will other astrologers necessarily agree with them. (Astrologers pretty much never agree.)

1. Only have an astrology reading done if you feel you need one.

2. Check out an astrologer's writing, perspective, and style ahead of time before purchasing a reading. A lot can be determined by the sound of a person's voice, so video or audio of the astrologer might be helpful to you. Finding the right astrologer is an individualized thing, and no astrologer is for everyone. Make sure this is a person whose perspective and expertise you appreciate and would like to receive.

3. Every astrologer practises astrology differently, and most have a very potent, individualized style. If you are looking for a reading in a certain astrologer's style, you will find it only from that astrologer. I'm not the female version of so-and-so, nor will I adopt the style of another astrologer. (I mean, what would be the point of that?) If you're looking for a reading from a particular astrologer, get that reading.

4. Understand that an astrology reading is not a psychic reading. Though astrology readings often involve psychic/intuitive skills, an astrologer is not there to read your mind. Astrology readings are based on concrete symbols and data. It's fine to leave your reading open to the astrologer's interpretation if that's what you'd like, but if you're looking for information on specific areas or topics, let the astrologer know when you purchase the reading. A general idea of your astrological literacy can also be helpful so the reading is neither too basic nor too heady.

5. Outside the details and direction given to the astrologer about the reading, try to keep a check on expectations about what you want to hear. This allows what you need to hear to come to you through the astrologer. Astrology is a very mysterious thing, and something you read or hear in a reading could apply to your life or make an important connection for you five or 10 years hence.

6. Don't stretch on cost. If you can comfortably pay for a 30-minute reading, pay for that, and work with the information you receive. If you're stretching outside your comfort zone, that generally means the astrologer will be, too. There is a certain energy allotment for each reading, and adhering to price constraints keeps the reading within that allotment.

7. Conversely, don't expect 60 minutes of astrological analysis for the 30-minute price. There is only so much that can be done within the time frame of each reading. Respecting your astrologer's time, energy, and boundaries are keys to a happy astrologer.

8. If you have something to add or a question to ask during a live reading, don't be shy - by all means, say it/ask it. Your involvement and direction are generally helpful in live readings. That said, the more you talk, the less the astrologer does, so keep it balanced!

9. Appreciate the fact that we have access to astrology and astrologers in immediate and unprecedented ways due to the proliferation of the internet. What a cool thing that you can find an astrologer, order a reading, and receive that reading all within a matter of days. This process could have taken months or years previously, if you had access to astrology at all. What was once limited to the financially and socially uber-privileged is now available widely. Astrologers who once practised in relative obscurity are now becoming more accessible public figures, and you can check them and their colleagues out extensively before you lay down your hard-earned money. We have great astrological advantage by living in these times. Keep this context in mind, understand that astrology has never before been flying around with the speed, frequency, and quantity as it is now, and be responsible with it.

10. Even after following these tips, there is still an experimental element and an element of chance when it comes to having an astrology reading (or any reading) done. This just goes with the territory. It keeps things interesting. In the same way that you might have to go to a few different hairdressers before you find just the right fit, you might have to experiment with different readers before finding the right one or ones for you.

The hope with these tips is that they will help to keep the right readings rolling through the medium of astrology!

Avoiding Unsatisfactory Astrology Readings on Ask the Astrologer

I was a guest on Matt Savinar's astrology-based radio show Ask the Astrologer recently. We delved into a very complex topic, and I hope we did it some justice.

Avoiding an Unsatisfactory Astrology Reading Part One

Avoiding an Unsatisfactory Astrology Reading Part Two

What to Do if You've Gotten a Reading With Which You are Not Happy

Tips On How to Get a Good Astrology Reading

These are some tips from my perspective as a practising pro astrologer on how to get the right astrology reading from the right astrologer for you. These tips will not necessarily apply to other astrologers, nor will other astrologers necessarily agree with them. (Astrologers pretty much never agree.)

1. Only have an astrology reading done if you feel you need one.

2. Check out an astrologer's writing, perspective, and style ahead of time before purchasing a reading. A lot can be determined by the sound of a person's voice, so video or audio of the astrologer might be helpful to you. Finding the right astrologer is an individualized thing, and no astrologer is for everyone. Make sure this is a person whose perspective and expertise you appreciate and would like to receive.

3. Every astrologer practises astrology differently, and most have a very potent, individualized style. If you are looking for a reading in a certain astrologer's style, you will find it only from that astrologer. I'm not the female version of so-and-so, nor will I adopt the style of another astrologer. (I mean, what would be the point of that?) If you're looking for a reading from a particular astrologer, get that reading.

4. Understand that an astrology reading is not a psychic reading. Though astrology readings often involve psychic/intuitive skills, an astrologer is not there to read your mind. Astrology readings are based on concrete symbols and data. It's fine to leave your reading open to the astrologer's interpretation if that's what you'd like, but if you're looking for information on specific areas or topics, let the astrologer know when you purchase the reading. A general idea of your astrological literacy can also be helpful so the reading is neither too basic nor too heady.

5. Outside the details and direction given to the astrologer about the reading, try to keep a check on expectations about what you want to hear. This allows what you need to hear to come to you through the astrologer. Astrology is a very mysterious thing, and something you read or hear in a reading could apply to your life or make an important connection for you five or 10 years hence.

6. Don't stretch on cost. If you can comfortably pay for a 30-minute reading, pay for that, and work with the information you receive. If you're stretching outside your comfort zone, that generally means the astrologer will be, too. There is a certain energy allotment for each reading, and adhering to price constraints keeps the reading within that allotment.

7. Conversely, don't expect 60 minutes of astrological analysis for the 30-minute price. There is only so much that can be done within the time frame of each reading. Respecting your astrologer's time, energy, and boundaries are keys to a happy astrologer.

8. If you have something to add or a question to ask during a live reading, don't be shy - by all means, say it/ask it. Your involvement and direction are generally helpful in live readings. That said, the more you talk, the less the astrologer does, so keep it balanced!

9. Appreciate the fact that we have access to astrology and astrologers in immediate and unprecedented ways due to the proliferation of the internet. What a cool thing that you can find an astrologer, order a reading, and receive that reading all within a matter of days. This process could have taken months or years previously, if you had access to astrology at all. What was once limited to the financially and socially uber-privileged is now available widely. Astrologers who once practised in relative obscurity are now becoming more accessible public figures, and you can check them and their colleagues out extensively before you lay down your hard-earned money. We have great astrological advantage by living in these times. Keep this context in mind, understand that astrology has never before been flying around with the speed, frequency, and quantity as it is now, and be responsible with it.

10. Even after following these tips, there is still an experimental element and an element of chance when it comes to having an astrology reading (or any reading) done. This just goes with the territory. It keeps things interesting. In the same way that you might have to go to a few different hairdressers before you find just the right fit, you might have to experiment with different readers before finding the right one or ones for you.


The hope with these tips is that they will help to keep the right readings rolling through the medium of astrology!

Readings from Willow's Web Astrology

I list the types of readings I do, but it's not mandatory that you choose one particular type in order to have an astrology reading done.

If you don't know the particular reading that suits you and your queries best, just describe your circumstances and give some indication of the type of perspective you're looking for. Using this information, I can determine how to orient the reading.

I'm not a predictive astrologer, and that is by conscious choice. Contrary to what many might desire, I don't want anyone predicting the events of my life ahead of time, and, therefore, that isn't my form of astrology to practise.

I value the helpfulness and effectiveness of astrology as a soulful navigational tool, one that provides context by describing conditions, circumstances, dynamics, themes, and timing in an immediate and detailed way with depth and catalytic power.

Through astrology, we can verbalize and "make real" certain feelings, experiences, dynamics, and energies that would otherwise remain vague, potentially throwing us off track.

If it speaks to you, the clarity astrology provides is invaluable.

This is a basic description of the individual readings I offer: 

Natal: A natal reading works with your astrological birth chart, a very soulful document, indeed. This is the chart of planets, bodies, and points in the zodiac at the moment you were born, when you became a person on the planet separate from your mother. My understanding of the astrological birth chart is that it is both a micro and a macro document, indicating how the personal life is connected to broader collective forces and what the broader impetus is for that individual. This type of reading describes your astrological placements and indicated themes. It includes strengths and talents as well as potential pitfall areas. This type of reading is useful for self-understanding and awareness of life's astrological themes.

Transit: A transit reading is a reading of the current placements and movement of the bodies and points in the zodiac and what they indicate in relation to your natal chart.

If a person is looking for assistance and perspective with current circumstances and themes, the reading looks at the recent past, describes the present, and talks about themes that carry into the future. This type of reading is effective for getting to immediate details that can help a person make more informed and clear-headed decisions, taking corrective action where necessary and capitalizing on benefits coming through various transits. It is good for perspective (What's going on in my life?), context (What's some of the meaning of it?), and timing (How long is this going to last? What's up ahead?). It provides an analysis of the astrological indicators as far as successful ways to deal with themes and events. 

Secondary Progressed: With this reading, your natal chart is advanced one day in the ephemeris for every one year of your life. This provides another astrological lens to look through that provides valuable insight into themes and any upcoming "chapter shifts" in life. I generally read the current transits as they are interacting with the Secondary Progressed chart. This reading gives a sense of how things have advanced in you and in your life since birth. It advances the themes of the birth chart (which remain foundational/root themes).

Relationship Synastry: This is a reading for any two individuals in relationship and describes the relational dynamics. This type of reading is most commonly done for romantic pairings but can also be done for business colleagues, family members, friends - anyone in any type of relationship. The natal charts of both individuals are placed in a bi-wheel - a double-layered wheel - and the aspects and interplay between the two are described in order to give an analysis of the relationship and its dynamics. I sometimes look at the Relationship Composite chart in a synastry reading, as well, which is considered the chart for the relationship itself.

The Four Major Asteroids and Black Moon Lilith: This reading focuses on Ceres (now considered a dwarf planet), Vesta, Juno, and Pallas Athene, as well as Black Moon Lilith (the point of lunar apogee) in your chart. These bodies/points are sometimes considered secondary, but they can be quite prominent and influential, especially when they are being aspected by transit. This reading fleshes out some of the feminine influence in the chart. I can add other asteroids by request.

The internet has made it easier for people to really suss out astrologers before choosing to have a reading done, and I'm all for this. It's important to have an astrology reading done by someone you trust, whose perspective you value. If you enjoy what the astrologer has to say in general, you will probably enjoy your reading.

No one wants to waste time and money on a reading that does not hit the mark, and almost no astrologer wants to waste his or her time and energy doing one. Doing research and using your intuition helps to ensure that the right readings are being done with the right people involved.

If it's your first time having a reading done by a certain astrologer, it's a bit of a crap shoot. There's not much that can be done about that; it's the nature of the astrological beast. I will say, though, if you find an astrologer who gives you the information and perspective you need when you need it, it's well worth the price.