Positive Energy: Real Astrologers Who Write Daily Horoscopes

Instead of reviewing another psychic or horoscope scam, let me present you instead with a list of 12 genuine astrologers who write genuine daily horoscopes you can find on the Net. I've corresponded with several of them. Some of them also offer additional services. http://sylviasky.hubpages.com/hub/Online-Horoscopes-Written-by-Real-True-Astrologers

True Horoscopes and Finding Psychics: Your Questions Answered

How much will a real horoscope cost? Can I find a real psychic on the Internet? Sylvia Sky of Horoscope Review answers 20 of the most commonly asked questions about astrologers, horoscopes, clairvoyants, psychics, and tarot card readers. Click here.

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.

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: Really Great Compatibility Readings at Zodiac-traits.com

It’s said, and you’ve heard it, that Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn) pair best with Earth signs. The same with Air, Fire, and Water signs. Matching elements always seem to have a four-star or four-heart future, while a mixed pair such as Taurus/Aquarius might get a snarky “What were you thinking?”

Fortunately, experience eventually proves to us all how wrong casual Sun-sign compatibility readings can be. Reducing 12 Sun signs to four "elements" makes such readings less accurate, not more so. The solution is compatibility readings with depth and detail. For this I joyfully recommend http://zodiac-traits.com.

Astrologer Nancy Fenn profiles each of the possible Sun-sign pairings, and not just (for example) Virgo/Cancer but Virgo woman/Cancer man — or Virgo man/Cancer woman. Because naturally those will differ! Each discussion is about 1,000 words long, maximizing the chances it will mirror your own situation. Fenn describes how to attract a certain sign, how much romance, passion, and friendship the couple are likely to share, and how it may end. Fenn is honest and has a sense of humor. If you like, she offers an individualized compatibility report, using both partners' birth information, for $19.95. On the site, readers share their own fascinating compatibility triumphs and woes. One of the comments called zodiac-traits.com “a brilliant site.” I think it is. And it’s easy to navigate. Five stars.

Fenn has another URL profiling natal astrological traits including Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising Sign at http://zodiacsigntraits.com. It’s good also. Who is Nancy Fenn? She teaches online astrology courses and calls herself America’s expert on Saturn Returns (very unfortunately suggesting that the second Saturn return can be lethal if the first wasn’t negotiated well). Common sense I hope tells you that planets can’t kill anybody. Planets can’t destroy a solid relationship, either.

Sylvia Sky, experienced astrologer, monitors 70-plus online horoscope sites for integrity and accuracy. Read more of her horoscope reviews at hubpages.com. Copyright 2010 by Sylvia Sky.

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.

Michael Lutin's Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Horoscopes, Plus More

Michael Lutin used to write the witty and knowledgeable horoscopes for Vanity Fair, and that's how I became his devotee. Michaellutin.com just got a makeover, much for the better, but to see your "Daily Fix" you must still scroll down the home page. "Daily Fix" is blanket advice for all signs, based the day's most powerful planetary energies. I find this helpful and feel secure because Mikey knows his ephemeris. Daily Fix messages are often riddled with typos probably because busy "Mikey" lives in fast-paced NYC, but you'll know what he means.

Find Lutin's "Next Week in Review" scopes -- for all twelve signs -- through the menu buttons on the left. They usually are refreshed late Monday or early Tuesday. I take them seriously. Lutin's "Your Monthly" predictions are a single paragraph, except for the sign concurrent with the Sun, and not as helpful. My bookmark is on the Daily Fix.

On the homepage's right side are the premium offerings. For $15 Mikey will email you his interpretation of, say, Saturn leaving Virgo for Libra and what it will mean to your Sun sign. I ordered one and felt it was not worth $15. For free, and to get a sense of who Michael Lutin is, see his five-minute YouTube video on Pluto in Capricorn. He believes it means "you're (all of us) under surveillance," and "the party's over" -- and he's so right. Four stars out of five.

Who is Sylvia?

An Aquarius with a Scorpio ascendant and 12th-house Scorpio moon conjunct Neptune, I began studying astrology in 1976. I monitor 70-plus online horoscope sites and cast and interpret natal, transit, horary, and compatibility charts. For two and a half years I wrote a monthly astrology column using the name Sylvia Sky, and I published an article on The Grand Cross in American Astrology under my real name. My Pluto is at Midheaven conjunct Regulus. I'm also a trained media professional and writer, and live in the U.S.A.

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!