Review: AstrologyAnswers.com and "Katherine"

AstrologyAnswers.com takes a soft-sell approach. Its weekly-horoscope emails are based on genuine planetary motions and weekly email "Beneficial Thoughts" contain no links beckoning you to buy readings. There are plenty of common-sense articles to peruse on its home page. But, oops...the owners (there is no "Katherine") made some mistakes and leaked some info that undermine their credibility. Click here for the details.

Many have asked about Adrian Ross Duncan, a real astrologer and his association with this site. I emailed him and have posted exactly what he told me: here.

When an Online Astrologer Says, "Act Now or You Will Miss Your Lucky Transit"

When an online astrologer predicts a "lucky transit" for you in a few days or weeks -- but says you will miss this once in a lifetime chance for luck and money unless you purchase her guidance, her spells, or other services, right now...is that true? what should you do?  http://sylviasky.hubpages.com/hub/When-an-Online-Astrologer-Tells-You-Act-Now-Before-You-Miss-Your-Chance

Horoscope Review: Daniel "Whelland" Dowd, Salt of the Earth & Real

Unique, earthy weekly forecasts and more by an old rock 'n' roller: http://sylviasky.hubpages.com/t/28d720

Horoscope Review: East Indian Horoscopes and Karma Reports Free at Cyberastro.com

Today's fashionable concepts such as "slow living" and "simplifying life" and the benefits of meditation are based on Eastern spiritual principles, and so is a horoscope site I've visited for many years now, both to get my daily or weekly 'scope and relax a few minutes in its very cool "online meditation room." The site is cyberastro.com, based in India. I once emailed its resident astrologer/swami a question and $10. In a few days I got a truthful and reasonable email answer by a real human being based on real planetary aspects, although, naturally, for that cheap price it didn't go into a lot of depth. (Want to try it? You can do that from here. Price per question is now $15.)

There are no psychics or posers at Cyberastro.com. These are mature and knowledgeable Hindu astrologers. The site offers traditional Western sun-sign astrology in a tan-colored grid on the right side of the homepage; click on your Sun sign for daily, weekly, or monthly 'scopes. But if you are willing to sign up for a free membership, giving your birth information so you don't have to enter it every time you want a report or service, there are a lot of free reports and services.

Free online services include a Hindu-style birth chart very different from the one you are used to, Romantic Compatibility, Numerology (I'm a 5), Your Monthly Karma Index Report, advice on herbal healing, and the online meditation room (a video) with its hypnotic flickering candle and chanting. Or see what your day, week or month will look like according to Hindu (also called Vedic) astrology. These free services are computerized but their point of view is fresh and interesting, a nice change from the usual Internet astrology which increasingly is corporate-run, with many daily horoscopes starting to sound alike.

Of course on Cyberastro.com you can become a premium member, or purchase other more in-depth kinds of reports such as business and financial predictions for the year ($40 to $95 U.S.) or the $50 "Vedic Astrology based Report, which will indicate you about the ups & downs prevailing in your life path during next one year, so that you can avoid the slumps & take advantage of the favourable times." Who wouldn't want that? (Smile.) The one thing I recommend against is buying the site's prescription gems. If you try CyberAstro's paid services, do email me and let me know whether you were satisfied.

Sylvia Sky, experienced astrologer, monitors 70-plus online horoscope and psychic sites for quality and accuracy. Copyright 2011 by Sylvia Sky.

There is No "New Zodiac Sign"

Relax. There is no new zodiac. Every few years some clown muddles the facts and announces that there are really 13 zodiac signs, because in the sky between the constellations Scorpio and Sagittarius lies a small part of the minor constellation Ophiuchus (oh-fyoo-cus), the celestial Serpent Bearer. The newspaper article that created the confusion was written by a Minneapolis Star-Tribune staffer who misunderstood what a planetarium employee was talking about, and he in turn misunderstood astrology.

Both astronomers and astrologers use the term “zodiac.” From Earth it appears that our Sun, Moon and planets always travel along the same path through the sky. Because they travel this path “through” certain constellations, these constellations have been singled out as symbolic and special. As a group they are called the zodiac. Individually they are called “signs of the zodiac,” and for thousands of years it has been decided that there are 12 of them. The word “zodiac” is Greek for “circle of animals.”

As long as there have been mathematicians around to do it, astronomers and astrologers (who used to be one and the same) have divided the sky around earth into 360 degrees and subdivided it into 12 equal sectors to make it simpler to map and study. Twelve also honors the marvelous handiwork of God, who frequently arranges things in twelves. Of course the night sky doesn’t present itself with 12 equal anything, just as a chickens don’t lay their eggs a dozen at a time. The 12 equal sectors drawn in a sky map don’t exactly fit the actual constellations, and never have. Some of the constellations in “the signs of the zodiac” are very large and spectacular, such as Scorpio, while others are small, such as Aries.

The mathematical division of the sky into 12 equal sectors is what has given us 12 equal zodiac signs. They are also called Sun signs, because the Sun is the most noticeable celestial object that appears to travel through these signs. If a planet travels through the edges and not the heart of a 13th sign it doesn’t fit the system and is simply treated as if it doesn’t count. Astrologers and astronomers both work with a zodiac that has 12 signs and no more.

Astronomers at NASA determine the first day of spring by calculating the moment the Sun enters not the constellation of Aries but the Aries sector. But if the sectors are equal, why is the first day of spring sometimes March 20, sometimes March 21, and always at a different hour? Because the Earth is not quite a perfect sphere and wobbles on its axis, scientists make small adjustments to the hour and even the day that our Sun seems to enter the Aries sector. That’s how the date gets on your calendar. Rumors that climate change has caused the Earth to wobble are false.

The Vedic astrologers of India use sectors which better match the actual constellations, but are still idealized as equal in size. Traditional Chinese astrology divides the sky into 28 sectors. The few astrologers who acknowledge the four or five stars from the constellation Ophiuchus as a 13th zodiac sign use what is called “the galactic zodiac,” which as yet has no tradition that distills the sign’s meaning. However, the story of Ophiuchus tells that he was a healer, and his serpent continues to this day as a symbol of the medical profession.

The most widely practiced and familiar astrology is Sun-Sign astrology, with 12 equal signs, and it is not changing.

Sylvia Sky, experienced astrologer, monitors 70-plus online horoscope and psychic sites for quality and accuracy. See more reviews and articles. Copyright 2011 by Sylvia Sky.

Which Psychics Aren't Real?

I have been asked how I can tell which online psychics are fake.

I write horoscope reviews. If an online ad offers a free horoscope, I request one. I'm an astrologer, so if the 'scope makes no sense, I try again, giving a different name, email, and birthday. If I get the same reading, I got my "free horoscope" -- it's just fake, that's all.

Maybe along with or instead of a fake horoscope, they promise or send a card reading, or long emails selling "clairvoyant" or "psychic" services, or a "second reading." By now I sense that I'm being misled. So far I've found misleading ads by:

1. Norah
2. Jenna
3. Gabriella
4. Tara
   

These are misleading ones. When I investigated their individual claims of being "a fourth-generation clairvoyant" or "winning a Psychic of the Year Award," finding no proofs of these claims I checked for Internet complaints. (So should you.) If there are many bitter complaints, all the evidence, starting with the fake horoscope, points to fakery overall.

"Tara" told me I'd won the lottery -- that's amazing, considering I didn't even play!

The names and faces of these "psychics" are fronts for businesses that rake in millions by misleading people. They do not give customized, individualized psychic readings. Their products are "canned." This is tragic for desperate people who want online psychics to tell them winning lottery numbers or explain a child's death.

About Real Psychics

Real psychics are extremely rare and do not need to advertise. They build a regular local or regional clientele through word of mouth.Maybe they could advertise through Yahoo and invite the entire Internet to come get a reading from them, but that would be a terrible overload for one person, don't you think?

Real psychics do not need to "do" astrology or Tarot readings, and so are unlikely to offer those. Astrology and Tarot are two totally different arts and require extensive education and training. By contrast, real psychics have a gift. They do not need to be trained or mentored. They probably have unlisted phone numbers. They may very well be miserable with their gift and wish they did not have it.

It works the other way, too: Real, trustworthy astrologers do not claim to be psychics. Astrologers and psychics have nothing in common. Misleading ads for "free horoscopes" bet that most people don't know this.

Still think you need a psychic reading?

First, Google the name of the psychic or company and see what other clients have said. Do NOT pay money or call a number if you find complaints. Fake psychics are big business. Needy, suffering people are their bread and butter.

My opinion about psychic readings done "remotely" by phone or email is that electronic energy fields and the pressure on both the reader and the caller greatly interfere with the clarity of a psychic transaction.

Local psychics have websites so people can find them or book a reading, so you can try that, but I have been to two local psychics and was disappointed. One struggled along, getting everything wrong, and then declared me "hard to read." So it was my fault!

The other did a move that is classic fake! Very often, a fake psychic will tell you that someone important in your life has the initial "R." Every one of us has that, whether it's Robert our boss or Rover our dog, or a neighbor or lawyer with that initial.

A friend I'll call Sarah went to a psychic, although it was 70 miles outside of the city and its price was very high. The psychic was a plain-faced, working-class woman who lived with her parents in a small house and met clients in the living room. When Sarah came in, the psychic said she saw an orange aura and said, "You're anticipating something," and asked, "Who's George?" Sarah had just had a first date with a man named George. That was probably much like the experience you will have if you find a real psychic.

But if you don't find one, in my opinion your best bet for quick customized information and guidance is a local Tarot card reader with a good reputation, one you meet in person. Ask around at salons, coffeehouses, spas, and hotels. A real Tarot reader is a combination counselor and diviner, and an ethical one will be glad to give you references. The price will be reasonable.

Sylvia Sky, experienced astrologer, monitors 70-plus online horoscope sites for quality and accuracy. Copyright 2010 by Sylvia Sky. See other horoscope reviews.

Busted: How to Know if Astrologers are Real or Fake

Don't waste your money on fake astrologers. Here are ways to gauge who is probably fake and who is worth your time and money. To get the best results, know what to look for, AND research your choice of astrologer before spending any money:

Real astrologers do not claim that they personally are psychics and mediums too.

An online astrologer who always goes by just one name is fake. "Jenna" is fake. "Norah" is fake.

A fake will tell you about "your stars." A real astrologer will tell you about "your planets."

Real astrologers will ask you for your birth time, date, and place. They also need a birth date, time, and place for anyone you are asking about, such as a spouse. They will tell you truthfully that they can't give you accurate information without these facts.

Fakes say "star signs" rather than "sun signs."

A real astrologer will tell you that sun-sign astrology is very simplified astrology, and that the most accurate horoscopes are custom-made for individuals and are much more involved.

If you can make an appointment with and meet an astrologer in person, he or she is probably a genuine practitioner. Ask if he or she has a certificate (has taken a standardized test or graduated from an astrology course). Note: Testing for credentials became common in the U.S. only in the 1980s. Older astrologers may be self-taught or may have studied with experienced teachers, but may not have taken the tests.

"Intuitive" or "psychic" astrologers may not be lying when they say they think they can "intuit" or use psychic power to "do astrology," but real astrology is never a matter of intuition or psychic power; it's about math and skill.

A real astrologer will be glad to give you references.

A real astrologer will give you his or her contact information.

A real astrologer will never tell you what you "must" do.

A horoscope reading cannot solve your personal problems. If your situation is overwhelming, or involves bodily harm, a real astrologer will refer you to counseling or other resources.

An astrologer who has been in business only a short time, or is very young, may be the real thing but may not be experienced at interpreting charts for clients. As in any profession, experience counts.

An astrologer who pushes you hard to buy a reading, or sends repeat e-mails, or otherwise makes you uncomfortable, is probably fake.

An "astrologer to the rich and famous" is likely a fake. If his clientele was really the rich and famous, he would be making a good living and not needing to advertise.

A real astrologer will take at least a day or more to create your chart and study it before setting up a meeting to interpret it for you and answer your questions.

A real astrologer prefers not to give readings over the phone, although sometimes it can't be helped.

A real astrologer will give you an hour or a half-hour of time in which to answer your questions about your horoscope. Fifteen minutes is not enough time.

A real astrologer charges professional rates. $100 per hour is about right; some charge as much as $200. Remember that they have prepared and considered your chart or your question before meeting with you. If they are real astrologers, you will not have to have this same reading done over again.

Cheaper horoscope readings are available online, for much less money, but they are probably totally computerized, and you do not get to ask questions about them.

Real, in-person astrologers often record the session for you, or, if they're older or not comfortable with the technology, will allow you to make your own recording of the session.

Today's astrologers commonly use computers to calculate astrological charts, but proper chart interpretation can be done only by a human astrologer. It's like your doctor: She gets the results of your lab tests, but she has been educated to interpret what they mean for you.

No real astrologer will ever tell you that horoscopes are "spooky," "shocking," or "scary."

An astrologer who says you have a terrible chart and there's no hope for your business, love life, or whatever, is fake or very sick in the head; even more so if he suggests your future success depends on buying more readings from him.

A husband and wife team ("I can't meet you Thursday, but Bob can") who also claim that they are both psychics, is probably fake.

A real astrologer will not be so specific as to say, "You will meet a tall dark stranger," or "Yes, he is having an affair with your best friend," or "You will lose your job in two weeks, then go work at Wal-Mart." He or she will talk about planetary conditions and likelihoods, saying something like, "Saturn is entering your tenth house, and for the next two years job or career matters may be challenging. It may help you in this area of your life to become serious and organized."

No real astrologer will speculate about your lifespan.

A real astrologer cannot tell you the exact date, time, and place you will meet your "soulmate," or what his name is, and what he will look like. To answer that question, you really need a fake.

Sylvia Sky, experienced astrologer, monitors 70-plus online horoscope sites for quality and integrity. Read her reviews of 20 different sites at http://hubpages.com/profile/sylviasky. Copyright 2010 by Sylvia Sky.

Horoscope Review: The Mystery of LSN's Daily Horoscopes

An impressive daily horoscope column copyrighted only by "LSN, Inc.," made me curious to know the astrologer's name. So I emailed LSN, an Atlanta-based mobile media and marketing company that feeds mobile websites "content," such as weather, gas prices and horoscopes. And got no answer. But I still wanted to let people know about that nice substantial scope and credit its author.

Searches showed the column scattered across the Net, and syndicated also by a service called Topix that does what LSN does: spread content through online and wireless mass media. Nowhere was the individual astrologer's name revealed. But the searches proved that the horoscopes were not computerized but in fact custom-written for each sign each day.

Finally I matched the syndicated scopes with an individual astrologer: Rob Tillett, editor and publisher of Australia's astrologycom.com. Tillett's team of astrologers offers a site with 4,000 (four thousand!) pages of information: lovescopes (a.k.a. the "Nude Horoscope," not very naughty); weekly, monthly and annual forecasts; teenscopes; compatibility stuff; and articles that discuss in depth, for example, pagan holidays or the meaning of Venus in Scorpio. Tillett confirmed that he writes the daily horoscopes, and they are syndicated to a firm called Tinbu. Tinbu's clients include Topix and LSN. Some U.S. television networks feed LSN horoscopes to their mobile sites. I now realize that LSN never sent me the astrologer's name because they they had no idea who it was. Only a search back through a long chain of providers uncovered the author. And, half a world away, he had no idea he was LSN's astrologer, either, and as such had at least one big fan.

Tillett's daily Sun-Sign forecasts on his home site, astrologycom.com, offer half a month's worth of daily forecasts: September 1 through 15 are online on September 1. Feel confident that Tillett correctly states the Moon's current placement in the zodiac, or when planets go retrograde. Now, fifteen daily scopes and 4,000 pages can be distracting, and of course contain some bloat -- real astrology doesn't generate or "predict" lucky colors or numbers -- but they're harmless. Prepared to dismiss the site's monthly "Tarotscopes" by Lili Rosace because horoscopes aren't done with Tarot cards -- period -- reading them I saw that she's a real Tarot reader, and I respect that.

Five stars for the daily forecasts' integrity and the site's educational and entertainment value.

Horoscope Review: Personalized DailyTransits From Adze.com

Few astrology sites will calculate your transits daily and for free, but since 1995 the site of the late, flamboyant astrologer Adze Mixxe has continuously done that. With your input, the "Personal Daily Horoscope" part of the site figures the position of the planets at your birth and compares them with the current, always-changing planetary positions. The result is a list of aspects, which Adze's site interprets, a little bit.

After entering your information once, bookmark and visit to see lists of what astrologers call "transits" or "transitory aspects" : today's, tomorrow's, and yesterday's. But on Mixxe's site these are communicated in astrological symbols or glyphs. Unless you know your glyphs you get only Mixxe's brief and quirky computerized advice for each aspect: advice categorized as useful for either hours, days, or weeks. It might be a long list of aspects. It might be short. The calculations are accurate; they aren't the problem.

The problem is that Mixxe died in 1997 and the site treats his words as sacred. Were he alive he'd update the antique look of this site and delete Paul McCartney and Heather Mills as a Celebrity Hot Couple. He'd likely expand or refine his advice for each aspect. For transiting Pluto square natal Jupiter, he advises, "Challenge motivations," a phrase so vague it can't be called "wrong," but not very helpful either. Another aspect advised reading You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay, so I did, and I can't say it hurt me, but it took up my time.

Know that entering your birth information does not generate a natal horoscope or "personality reading." The site offers that and other types of computerized horoscopes for a fee. Do not bother with the site's free daily Sun-sign forecasts. As one of the earliest online astrologers, Mixxe could not benefit from a competitive atmosphere such as we have today. Seekers can now choose from many daily Sun-sign scopes of more value.

Mixxe's site attracts me only when I'm too lazy to calculate my own transits. I then interpret the results using other resources. So should you. I give Adze.com two stars out of five for continuing to offer free transit calculations.

Horoscope Review: Jeraldine Saunders, Successor to Sydney Omarr

For millions of people, Sydney Omarr (1926-2003) was the first astrologer they had ever heard of. At peak, his syndicated daily Sun-sign horoscopes appeared in 200 newspapers. To this day most daily astrology columns, printed or online, use his blend of Sun-sign astrology and advice, and almost exactly the same small inch of space, although online astrologers have no space limitations. They're just channeling Sydney Omarr!

A byproduct of Omarr's column were millions of skeptics who said, "Those things are so general they could apply to anyone," and in fact the nicest thing many astrologers could say about "Sun-sign astrology" is that it is a recent development. But thanks to Omarr's influence, millions don't know that there is any other kind. When astrology caught on big in the 1960s, Omarr went from weirdo to celeb, made a fortune selling Sun-sign annuals, and inspired imitators.

Omarr's forecasts were workmanlike, spotty, sometimes eccentric -- one predicting "Seafood tonight!" had me buying fish for supper. After 25 years I wondered who'd eventually replace him. Alternatives to Omarr had appeared and their forecasts seemed more accurate or at least more thoughtful.

Omarr appointed Jeraldine Saunders, who had briefly been his wife. A former cruise director, Saunders invented the "love boat" concept, and in 1976 published the book that inspired the Love Boat TV series, and if you don't believe me, look here. As a daily astrologer, after a shaky start Saunders has done well. She or her assistant (she will turn 87 on Sept. 3) seriously follows the ephemeris, interpreting the day's planetary aspects. There is no question the astrology is genuine. The Jeraldine Saunders scope is better-written, too -- really rather tasty -- but appears in few places online, and in some of those it's still labeled "Omarr's."

Stepping in for Sydney Omarr was no small job; so many readers had known no other name in astrology. From beyond the grave, Omarr the franchise still sells books. As the Omarr daily column became scarcer I too took my interest elsewhere, but Saunders, very Virgo, delivers reliable quality, and deserves your attention. I give her column four stars out of five.

Horoscope Review: "Shocking Online Horoscope" at Premiumastrology.com

Click on those little text ads saying "Scary Accurate Horoscope" or "Shocking Online Horoscope," and you may well be linked to premiumastrology.com where "Norah" is offering a FREE HOROSCOPE. Enter your name, your sign, and then choose a "wish" from a drop-down menu. Enter also your birthdate and e-mail address. You will soon receive in your email box a letter from Norah saying how special you are--so special that Norah got back to you much sooner than the stated 48-hour wait, so she could let you know about yourself and your exciting future.

The email links to a long message, the same, regardless of Sun sign -- on a webpage belonging to premiumastrology.com. This message reiterates that major planetary aspects will make the next 103 days, or 23 days, or whatever, very important, but to benefit from the aspects one must take action. This message contains links to the "premium" part of "Premiumastrology": Purchase her "product," a full reading, for $80.

Now, while it is true that currently the sky holds major planetary aspects, that is always true. It is always true that the next 103 or 23 days of your life will be very important. And it is always true that to benefit most from favorable astrological conditions, you must take action. Now that you know that, you needn't give Norah your information or money.

I clicked on the "Who is Norah?" link and find she is not called an astrologer but a "psychic" and "medium" with an "international reputation." Some ads call her a "fourth generation clairvoyant," but the website doesn't, and there is no documentation or proof regarding these claims. This type of "psychic" has her audience, but it shouldn't include anyone seeking customized and genuine astrological advice. She's a "bot" or robot e-mail computer. Everyone receives the same vaguely worded messages.

Real psychics exist, but don't need to advertise; word-of-mouth suffices. Some people use telephone psychics or online psychics as counselors or sounding boards. That's fine; good luck to them all. I just want the world to know it will not get astrology from Premiumastrology.com. For that reason I rate Premiumastrology.com zero stars out of five.

Horoscope Review: Jacqueline Bigar, Daily Newspaper Horoscope

Labeled the chintziest form of horoscope, daily-newspaper horoscopes nonetheless appear in nearly every paper, because readers demand them. These scopes are vastly important, reaching millions and generating public interest in astrology. They are the only contact with astrology some people ever have--including cynics who say, "Oh, this horoscope stuff; it's so general it could apply to anyone. Who could believe humanity is made up of 12 groups that all have certain traits." Yet these same people can't resist reading their daily forecasts, if only to find fault. Authors of these scopes have enormous power and the responsibility that comes with it.

Jacqueline Bigar's column, Bigar's Stars, begun in 1991, is syndicated to 200 U.S. newspapers and internationally, so her column is probably familiar to you if you ever pick up a paper. And you likely rate her column "Feh" without even reading it, because it's printed in the same paper that you use to line the birdcage. But Bigar wouldn't have her position if she didn't skillfully tread a very fine line, without fail. Imagine her job. She must write:

• 12 forecasts and a birthday forecast for every day of the year, with no holidays.
  
• These must be in simple language, and 50 words max, and
  
• the tone must always be mild, preferably encouraging.

Each Sun-Sign forecast concludes with the word "Tonight" and a word or phrase characterizing the upcoming evening. Bigar furthermore assesses each Sun Sign forecast and assigns them one to five stars depending on the astrological currents of the day. Here is where the cynics might point out that one-star days (Bigar labels them "Yuck") almost never appear. But if Bigar gives, say, Gemini's day just one star, some Geminis will not leave the house. Honest to Pete. That's not good for the workplace and the economy! Their bosses will phone the newspaper to complain about the horoscope. The call will be transferred to the features editor. The features editor will complain to the syndicate, and the syndicate will complain to Bigar. And like everyone she wants to hold on to her job.

Now, given her workload and the severe restrictions on content, how sharp and accurate would you expect the forecasts to be? About two stars out of five? That's what I give them.

Bigar otherwise keeps a low profile. She is not a Web-celeb, and seems uninterested in keeping up with initial blog and Twitter postings. Her modest-looking website offers consultations ($179), indicating that she has time to do them and could probably use the money. Newspaper astrology serves readers better than a comic strip, yet newspaper editors consider horoscope columns "filler" or "junk entertainment" and pay accordingly.

Sally Brompton: Daily in The NY Post

Before the Internet, in the grocery store checkout line I'd grab a copy of TV Guide and find astrologer Sally Brompton's scope for the approaching week. Brompton, one of Britain's three top tabloid astrologers, is a pro, and this Yank became a fan because her short weekly scopes were on point. Now I consult her column through the daily The New York Post online. Interestingly, TV Guide online, the U.S. version, does not run horoscopes, and TVguideuk's daily astrologer is Russell Grant, who delivers more or less a fortune cookie.

Although the sites for Brompton daily scopes are few -- don't go to sallybrompton.com to find them, because she's too shrewd to give anything away --her weekly scopes are even more elusive. They appear in the online version of the Sunday London Daily Mail, but you can't see them until Monday morning, London time. Media lord Rupert Murdoch owns the Mail (and TV Guide, The New York Post, FOX News and more), and he isn't giving anything away, either. Canadian national newspaper The Globe and Mail will show you Sally Brompton's "weekend" horoscope, a single entry meant to cover Saturday and Sunday. But if you consult The New York Post you will find that Brompton does write and post a separate Sunday horoscope.

Brompton also writes, in teeny-bopperese, horoscopes for the print version of the monthly Seventeen (USA). That magazine's online scopes come from astrology.com.

Four stars out of five for Brompton's professionalism and accuracy. Lacking one star because it's too hard for online horoscope readers to get more of her.

Ganeshaspeaks.com: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly

Ganesha is the Hindu god of prosperity, a friendly and jovial god with an elephant's head. I enjoy Ganeshaspeaks.com horoscopes -- generated in India -- because, starting with the home page, readers are offered a huge range of choices: daily, weekly (my favorite), monthly, and annual scopes, and also love-match-by-sign scopes, all free. Also one may register and enter birth information and receive for free a current biorhythm chart or one's "lucky direction," among other fun things. For a fee you may consult with the very serious-looking Ganeshaspeaks team of astrologers. They write and post blogs about current astrological conditions and how they affect business, stocks, or sports.

If Vedic astrological principles and predictions are strange to you, there is more than enough Western-style or "zodiac" astrology on on the site so that those who never heard of Rahu and Ketu can skip it and still experience the site's generosity and richness. The Vedic stuff is always there should you want to check it out. Although the daily and weekly zodiac scopes are brief, in my experience they have proven to be right on the mark and very pleasant reading. Because it's generated in India, if you live in North America be sure to consult your daily Ganeshaspeaks.com readings in the early half of your day, because at about noon the next day's horoscope will be posted and there are no archives. I happen to like looking a day ahead at what Ganesha is planning for me.

Make a visit to GaneshaSpeaks.com and see for yourself. Three and a half stars out of five.

Eastrolog.com: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annual

Eastrolog.com, by "professional European astrologers" who are never named, in fact comes from a site based in Utah, U.S.A., and almost certainly the "European" astrologer/writer is Valentin Dragu-Banu, a Romanian translator and webmaster for whom English is clearly a second language. Eastrolog.com has a homepage with advice for all signs; individual daily, monthly, and yearly horoscopes; and Sun-sign compatibility notes. The site is easy to navigate. Its advice, however, takes a brusque, no-frills approach which can feel refreshing but more often feels like someone wagging a finger in your face. Sample daily scope, Aquarius, July 25, 2010:

"The results of your efforts at work over the last period of time will start showing. You will have the opportunity to assert yourself in society, but the tense atmosphere around you will not work in your favour.

You are advised to avoid meeting with friends today, for you might easily be involved in a quarrel.

You'd better avoid driving today, for you are prone to causing an accident."

Good to know. However, about half the time Eastrolog sounds like a Chinese menu. For example:

"Aquarius’ Love & Relationships Horoscope In July 2010

In your relational life there are two significant directions: one of them highlights shared intellectual preoccupations and communication, and the other highlights an increase of the interest in sexuality, not for the pleasure in itself, but for the influence it can have on the harmony in the couple.

The conclusion can be that July 2010 might be an excellent month to discuss with the partner various aspects of eroticism, maybe even have an update of the knowledge in the field."

Dragu knows what's going on in the sky, but Eastrolog is not good counsel for a casual horoscope fan or one who needs guidance more complex or nuanced. Dragu is a professional translator and it sounds as if the "Love and Relationship" scope above was run through translation software. Nonetheless I check Eastrolog occasionally, particularly when I'm impatient to read "tomorrow's" horoscope. Two stars out of five.

Monthly: Astrologyzone.com

Let's start with my absolute favorite monthly horoscope, Susan Miller's astrologyzone.com. Miller's a certified astrologer with a huge following because she writes lengthy, detailed, highly specific monthly forecasts for each sign for free. They appear around the first of the month, and they are so good that another horoscope site, which does fairly good daily and weekly scopes, www.dailyscopes.com, refers you to Miller's site for monthly forecasts.

Miller offers daily horoscopes by email for $4.95, and I'm tempted, but by searching I thought I'd found a place where I could read them for free. I was wrong. When writing monthly forecasts Miller will refer to the reader, distinctively, as "dear Aquarius" (or "dear Virgo," or whatever). I'd found a daily scope that used the "dear" and sounded so much like Miller I was convinced. But Miller assures me that those are not her scopes; they are the work of imitators.

One year I ordered Miller's wall calendar but did not like the dark and swampish New Age paintings that served as their illustrations. But Susan Miller, astrologer, has my total respect and -- trust me -- that's saying a lot. Five stars out of five, especially for those two-thousand-word monthly scopes!