Archives.

 Good morning.

2 November 2006. Future trends.

I trying to forecast likely events for a person it is essential to use a combination of forecasting methods rather than putting all the emphasis on transiting planets as is often the case. To use transits alone is to to risk missing major influences, but also it is essential to use only those transits capable of producing noticeable changes. 

Transits.

The rule is: the quicker the planet transits - the less effect. Transits of the Moon through to Mars are of little use in forecasting as their effects are so slight as to be negligible, and they are easily swamped by other factors. They are often included in computer reports, but that doesn't make them valid. It could be argued that Jupiter and Saturn do offer possibilities, but their transits need to be considered carefully before inclusion into the report. The outer planets - Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are highly significant, not only when they form aspects to the natal chart but also as a general background effect in a House, and at this juncture I should say that the House system used should be Equal House - not a quadrant system such as Placidus, Koch, etc. The vexed question of House systems will be discussed tomorrow, as will the possibilities offered by Progressions, Directions, and the Solar Return.

3 November 2006. The Houses.

In dealing with transits, or indeed any other form of predictive work, it is absolutely essential to have a House system that  gives accurate results, and the only one that does is Equal House. It was good enough for the ancients and still provides the best framework for prediction and indeed normal charting. As its name implies, the Houses are all of equal size, making the chart immediately readable and avoiding unnecessary calculations. In contrast, the alternative is to use one of the many quadrant systems, such as Placidus, Koch, Regiomontanus, etc., and there are over 40 of these in existence, using various methods of calculation to produce Houses. So which one should you use? No one can give an answer other than to say, 'It appears to work for me', or, 'It was the most popular, so I used it'. 

Let me pose a question. If six different Astrologers use six different quadrant system Houses, they will all say that their method works, yet in comparing these charts one would find that they are all different to some degree. Planets may actually be in different Houses. So who may I ask is right?    

Then we have the business of 'intercepted' Houses, which to me seems like an excuse to get round the fact that in many cases a Sign cannot rule a House, which is plainly ridiculous. It also means that the ruling planet of such a Sign also cannot rule a House. This goes against all the rules of Astrology, and indeed common sense. From a forecasting point of view, if we have a planet that doesn't rule anything, how can we make a complete forecast? If the Houses are distorted, how can we make accurate timings? 

It is also a fact that quadrant systems are unable to produce charts for large parts of the Earth because the distortion of the Houses is so great that the chart is unreadable. Again, this makes no sense. If a Houses system is to be of any use it must be available for any location. 

One of the main excuses for using quadrant systems is that they are used by 'respected' Astrologers, so the House system must be okay, mustn't it?  Well, actually, no, for the reasons already given. In any case, for every Astrologer who can be quoted as a devotee of quadrant systems I can quote one who uses Equal House, so this reason isn't valid.  

The bottom line is that traditional methods work best, so who are we to change things unless there is a very good reason? Quadrant systems are a mathematical curiosity and as such should be treated with great caution. I am not saying that they are of no value, but what I am saying is that they shouldn't be used for normal charting. If anything, they give a slightly different way of looking at a chart, but this needs to be explored properly rather than being accepted as the norm. The regrettable thing is that they are being used widely with seemingly no understanding of the implications. Examples of quadrant system charts will be posted shortly so that you can see the problems. 

7 November 2006. Directions.

As I have already stated, the use of transits alone, especially with the inclusion of the quicker moving planets, are unlikely to to reveal the complete picture of likely future events. Unfortunately this is all you can expect if you pay for reports from fake Astrologers like Jonathan Cainer. It is absolutely vital to include Directions, Progressions, and the current Solar Return chart.

Directions offer an accurate prediction method and also have the advantage of being easy to calculate, in fact one can do this in one's head with a little practice. Two methods are in use, Solar Arc and the One degree method. For a particular year, Solar Arc adds the movement of the Sun since birth to the birth position of each of the planets and Angles and is approximately equal to 1 degree per year. The One Degree method simply adds 1 degree for every year of birth. Thus if a person is, say, 25 years old, then 25 degrees are added to the birth position of planets and Angles. Any aspects formed between these new positions and the natal planets and Angles are noted and interpreted. Owing to the fact that Solar Arc and One Degree method tend to run close together it isn't easy to say which method is best, but my own inclination based on observation would suggest that the One Degree method is the most reliable. More tomorrow.

8 November 2006. Where does Cainer get his ideas from? Progressions.

Strange isn't it that almost every time a new idea appears here it mysteriously reappears in a slightly different form on Jonathan Cainer's web site. Some of us would call it plagiarism, but no doubt Cainer has another excuse. This time I postulated the idea that Mercury retrograde would cause people to go back over old ground perhaps discovering things forgotten, or finding that an old interest came into focus again. People from the past who had been out of touch for some time could also reappear. It is also a time for rethinking established ideas so that realisations may be made and new light shed. None of this is 'text book' Astrology. Watch it appear on Cainer's web site tomorrow. In the meantime, don't take any notice of the wild speculations being made about the Mercury transit of the Sun. It happens several times a year and is of no consequence. Also see Skywatch. 

To continue with forecasting future trends. As with Directions, there are several types of Progressions but only the secondary method is of any real value. It is based on the idea that one day is equivalent to one year of life. Thus, if, say, someone was 30 years of age, then we would count 30 days from the day of birth and calculate the planetary positions for that date using the original time of birth. Sounds complicated, but it isn't really. As with Directions, any aspects to the natal chart are noted and interpreted. Some Astrologers interpret the progressed chart as well, and I would agree that there is some merit in this. 

10 November 2006. Return charts.

Having briefly examined the main components of prediction - Transits, Progressions & Directions - I will now look at the final element of prediction, the Solar Return. 

In theory, there is a return chart for every planet but in my opinion only the Solar Return offers any useful information and guidance. The Lunar Return gives only minor changes and events and it's effects are easily swamped by even minor transits, therefore it should not be relied on. A major problem occurs with the others due to retrograde motion which gives rise to no less than three possible charts, so which one do we use? No one seems to know and it is fair to say that this hasn't been properly researched yet. Although it is possible to calculate the positions of most planets accurately, this is not the case with Saturn or the outer planets. In tests using three different types of software none could agree, and the difference was sufficient to offer Ascendants over a wide range. I know there are some people  [Jonathan Cainer & others] who swear by the Saturn Return, but if you can't get an accurate Ascendant then the resulting chart is seriously compromised, and in any case we still have the problem of three charts to choose from. I think we can forget about Saturn Returns until these problems are solved. 

More on the Solar Return tomorrow. 

11 November 2006. Solar Return.

Of all the predictive methods on offer, the Solar Return is arguably the most accurate and comprehensive of all, yet quite surprisingly it is given little attention by Astrologers, while the fake Astrologers either ignore it altogether or try to sell you a computerised hotchpotch. 

A Solar Return chart is cast for the moment the Sun returns to it's natal [birth] position, and naturally the more accurate the birth time, the more accurate the Return chart. This chart can be read in its entirety to give an almost complete picture of the year ahead. I say 'almost' because one should always include the major Transits, Directions and Progressions in the overall assessment. Nevertheless, the Return sets the tone for the whole year. 

The position of the Sun by House and aspectation will clearly show the main direction for the year. Thus, if the Sun lies in the 9th House it can be expected that the subject will engage in 9th House activities, such as learning, freedom-seeking, travel, etc. However, that is not the end of the story because every area of life can be examined in great detail and forecasts made, which is far better than trying to judge the future trends through Transits alone. What happens, for instance, if there are no Transits affecting an area of life yet a person has a vital interest in this scenario? Well, if you are buying a fake Astrologer's report, hard luck!  The Astroscope range of personal reports includes this method of forecasting. 

I should also mention that the Solar return offers even more through a process known as rotation in which it then becomes possible to forecast exact events at specific dates and it can be very accurate. I hope to offer this method in the near future. 

13 November 2006. Security alert. 

If you are unfortunate enough to receive an email from some describing themselves as abdu_gambo do not under any circumstances open the attachment as it contains a dangerous Worm. The attachments appear to be photos or videos but they are nothing of the kind. Also be aware that your antivirus software may not detect this threat as it is disguised, needing special techniques to reveal the real nature of the attachment. Delete the email immediately as this will remove the threat. 

20 November 2006

Over 95% of Astrologers are fake.

Surprised? How can this be?

Astrology is an unregulated profession, which in effect means that anyone can set themselves up as an Astrologer, say whatever they want, and do whatever they want. Some of them are just dreamers who simply copy things from books and put them on their website in order to create a good impression and sell fake Astrology reports. Other are more cunning, flouting not only the laws of fair play but the law itself. Anything goes, with would-be Astrologers saying whatever comes into their heads, especially in print and on Astrology forums. Crazy isn't it? Imagine if you had, say, a serious legal problem and you approached a lawyer to defend you only to find out after the event that he wasn't actually a lawyer, in fact he had only read one or two books on the subject before launching himself as a fully fledged practitioner of the law. Fortunately this can't happen because the practice is regulated. No such regulation exists in Astrology. Yes, I know there are bodies who give the impression that they control things, but they don't. As I said - anything goes. 

Over the next few days I will attempt to expose some of the devious and often unlawful practices of these people, so be prepared for some surprises as I begin with the celebrity Astrologers who have high profiles, make lots of money, and deceive the public in the process. 

22 November 2006.

Over 95% of Astrologers are fake.

Part 2. Celebrity Astrologers.

By 'celebrity' I mean those individuals who write horoscopes for newspapers and periodicals, have a large following and frequently appear in the media as experts in their field. They have a high profile, bask in the light of public adulation, and make lots of money. So what is the problem? Simple - they know little or nothing about Astrology!

Let me ask you this. Show me another profession in which the practitioner knows little about their subject, more often than not gets it wrong, and yet makes huge amounts of money. Would you employ a lawyer, doctor, dentist, accountant, or indeed any professional person if they had a similar appalling record of failure and incompetence? No of course not. Yet the public queue up to listen to the rubbish they spout and worse still give them money by purchasing their poorly set up computer reports or subscribing to the ramblings available by telephone. Some of them use the incorrect association with the paranormal to con you into believing that they will read your Tarot cards, while in fact they are using a cheap computer program. Yes, money means everything to some people. 

And what about their qualifications for the job and their ability to deliver? Well, it may come as some surprise to you to discover that these people know very little about Astrology, but they get round it by concentrating on just one factor out of the many available in a chart - the Sun Sign. Anyone can become a Sun Sign Astrologer. All one needs to do is read a book like Linda Goodman's Sun Signs, digest the contents and then launch themselves into a career as an Astrologer. It helps if one throws away most of the rules of Astrology - they do tend to get in the way. There are inconvenient rules stating quite categorically that you cannot deduce a person's finances, health, career, relationships, or anything meaningful using just the Sun Sign. Rules that state you should not make utterances that are not based on the highest standards of the art - utterances like the infamous 'Harmonic Concordance' or attempting to turn ordinary and relatively insignificant phenomena into major events [Sun Venus conjunction] . Rules that state you simply cannot go on an predict the future on a daily basis using the transits of the quicker-moving planets. Yet they do all these things and more. And what about those predictions? What is to prevent the unscrupulous practitioner from simply saying whatever comes into his or her head? Nothing. Does anyone bother to check these 'predictions' ? I doubt it. And that is why they get away with it. 

Let's stop describing these people as Astrologers - they aren't. They are people with an eye for fame and profit who couldn't give a damn about the integrity of their subject, or indeed the effects they are having on public perception of Astrology, or the public themselves. I have frequently challenged these people to perform a basic Astrological task, that of interpreting a birth chart. Not one of them has seen fit to respond. See the challenge to Jonathan Cainer here. They are taking money under false pretences and dragging a perfectly honourable profession down to the gutter level. Naturally, the scientists just love these people as they can be held up a perfect examples of why, in their opinion, Astrology is nonsense. And who could argue? 

The result is that the Sun Sign Cowboys will continue to con the public and that the public will continue to get predigested crap rather than the real thing - unless they wake up to the fact that there is something better - it's called Astrology. More to follow. 

24 November 2006.

Over 95% of Astrologers are fake.

Part 3. How to use a computer to fool people. 

The computer, or rather the Astrological report writer software, is a godsend for the fake Astrologers, be they celebrities or just dishonest money-grubbers. No knowledge of Astrology is needed to work one of these things - just put in the birth data, push a button and - hey presto - out pops a 'report' So what is the problem? Firstly, the software needs to be set up properly if it stands even the slightest chance of producing something vaguely resembling the character of the person whose birth data this is. More often that not, the program is used straight out of the box with no attempt to get it working correctly, which is why these reports are largely nonsense, having wrong House systems, wrong orbs, too few or too many aspects, inconsequential artifacts such as asteroids, nodes, and Arabic parts. They are junk - expensive junk at that. 

The report writer looks at your chart, lists the chart factors, such as planet in Sign, planet in House, and aspects to that planet and then it accesses a database of readymade interpretations to produce a list which is supposed to represent 'you'. Apart from the absurdity of such a process, it is worth pointing out that if, say, you have a Sun square Saturn in your chart you will get exactly the same 'interpretation' as anyone else who has this configuration. Likewise for all the other parts of your chart. These reports are nonsense, but worse still they enable the non-Astrologer, fake, or criminal to pretend to be Astrologers, taking large sums of money from the public in the process and giving a completely false impression of what Astrology is and what it can deliver. More to follow.

27 November 2006.

Over 95% of Astrologers are fake.

Part 4. How to spot a fake Astrology site.

Fake sites are generally divided into two types: The enthusiastic amateur and the out and out fraud. Today I will deal with the former. 

Fake Astrology sites are not always easy to spot because the majority use professionally designed web sites to snare the unwary, so don't be fooled by flashy graphics. It's the content that gives them away because it is almost entirely concerned with Sun Signs. Usually, this material has been copied from books or someone else, some of it is so speculative as to be absurd. You will not find any genuine Astrology references or helpful advice such as can be found on this site. 

Any references to past lives, karma, ley lines, precious metals, crystals, or in fact anything to do with the paranormal should also be a warning sign. Whether these things are true or not is not the issue, what is the issue is that they are not and never have been part of Astrology, which is a logical system of deduction requiring nothing more that basic intelligence to understand and use. 

Flashing adverts for non-related subjects, such as debt-solving, should also tell you that the site operators are interested in making money rather than providing a genuine Astrology service. You are almost certain to find links to supposed 'Astrologers'. many of whom will turn out to be fakes or telephone cheats; some will even prove to be out and out scammers such as Pasqualina. Why are they there? Either the site operator is more concerned with the extra revenue generated by these links or simply doesn't care. 

Finally, you will find glowing references to their Astrological reports, giving the impression that they are just for you, produced to the highest standards, designed to reveal everything about you and your future, some with money back guarantees [don't count on it!] etc., etc. They are also fake, being produced by a computer program which is more often than not poorly set up, thus giving the wrong interpretations. In any case. no computer program can emulate the work of the professional Astrologer. One of the real give-aways is that they are often promised 'instantly' online - which is quite absurd because genuine Astrology takes time. Some, however, are trying to get round this by deliberately delaying delivery in order to give the impression of being genuine. As I said, the overall impression of the site detailed previously should have warned you anyway. 

If in any doubt about an Astrology site, check them out in my database. It is constantly updated, but if you are not sure then please get in touch and I will advise. The alternative is to risk being conned or ripped off by the scammers. More tomorrow. 

28 November 2006.

Over 95% of Astrologers are fake.

Part 4 How to spot a fake Astrology site [2].

Now we come to the most devious of all Astrology sites, the ones run by scammers. Although these sites have been professionally designed to make them convincing, they are easy to spot because the majority of them consist of only one page asking you if you would like a free horoscope. An exception to this rule is the Pasqualina site which also offers 'references' and other lies. Rochelle Gordon [richesloveandspirit.com] also lists her 'qualifications' which are unproven and highly suspect. She has connections with known Internet criminals. The main thrust is always the free horoscope though. What you get in return is a lengthy and convincing sales pitch filled with false promises and downright lies, such as the 'fortunate period' or the 'important transit' that is about to sweep into your life. Failure to respond with money will result in a constant bombardment of more pressure sales and lies. Your email address could also be sold to spammers. The end product is nothing more than a cheap computer report, but the real payoff for the major scammers is that of selling useless lucky charms and the like. If you are really unlucky you may find that you get nothing for your money or that your credit card has been raided and unauthorised funds have been removed. 

One variant is particularly devious because it is a front for junk mailers and has nothing whatsoever to do with Astrology per se. Horoscopes get my answers.co.uk is a site to be avoided unless you want junk mail with the attendant risk of being conned or ripped off. 

The main scammers are listed on the left, but there is a large database containing more information of the practices of these people together with an up to date list of fake Astrologers here. I can't guarantee this covers all of them as new ones are appearing all the time, but if you have any doubts about an Astrology site [and you should have!] then please get in touch and I will advise. 

I cannot stress this strongly enough. The vast majority of Astrology sites are fakes and they get away with it because up to now no one has bothered to expose them. They also continue to cheat and lie because the authorities who are supposed to protect you and I are simply not interested, using the excuse that it is 'beyond their remit' [Advertising Standards Authority] or that pressure of work prevents further investigation [Trading Standards}. Google, which hosts their adverts, has no obvious mechanism for dealing with these cheats and removing their ads. It is a disgrace, and one the authorities should be ashamed of, especially when one considers the sheer scale of the scams in operation. Park your car for one minute over the limit and pay a rip-off fine. Cheat thousands of people and get away with it time and time again. That is the sorry state we find ourselves in.

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