Why are some astrologers so negative when interpreting charts?

Question

Why are some astrologers so negative when interpreting charts?

Answer 1

After practicing Astrology for 12 years now, I have come to the conclusion that 'sugar-coating' is a waste of time. And I came to this conclusion because the people that come to me to have their Charts read, are in a mess... either that, or they want a date to get married, buy a house, etc etc.



When people are in trouble, I have found it's best to just lay it out. I say what I see... and if I see co-dependence issues, I call them on it. If I see manipulation, I call them on it. If I see egocentricity, I call them on it.



Now then, having given them the bad news, I also give them the good news. But the bad news is always first, as I want them leaving with a good feeling about the good news AND the steps they need to take to get that good news in the forefront of their lives.



Quite frankly, I am appalled at how many Astrologers sugar-coat everything. I first got into Astrology because I had gone to 4 Astrologers who sugar-coated what was going on in my life; and, while I enjoyed the good news, I didn't get any help whatsoever as to why all this bad stuff was happening.



Because I believe in Astrology, I resolved then and there to get to the bottom of it, so took up the study myself and became a practicing Astrologer.



The problem is this: In days of olde, Astrology was all about PREDICTION, period. There was none of this psychological stuff going on. Self-examination was quite unheard of. People went to an Astrologer to find out the best time to do whatever... buy a cow, sell a cow, get betrothed, and to whom. But in today's modern world, we view things in a psychological sense.



And most Astrologers are not psychologists. They don't know how to give the good with the bad, they aren't comfortable with it, so they don't do it. They sweep 'the shadow' under the carpet. But does that REALLY help the client?



I say it does not. If you've got Mars conjunct Pluto opposing Uranus, you've got some MAJOR control issues going on. And it needs to be pointed out very directly. None of this shilly-shallying around it, or ignoring it. The client has come to you for help, so explain that this issue is the reason why they're having the trouble they're complaining about.



As well, I am not of the school that people are all that evolved, either spiritually or psychologically. I do not give them the benefit-of-the-doubt about that at all. I view all the 'crap' stuff first, (focusing especially on the Mid-Points and Fixed Stars), and consider that this is where they are coming from. If, in my speaking with them, I ascertain that they have some semblance of ascendency, then we go from there into the deeper, more mystical-side of Astrology, the Universe, and Everything, *lol*



But on the whole, I would say that most people have a great deal of unconscious, unresolved, and intractable baggage that, until it's pointed out to them, would never occur to them as suffering from, never occur to them as being the cause of their troubles. Hence, why they feel lost, feel out of control, feel hopeless, feel the world is against them, blah, blah, blah, and have now fallen thru my door to figure it all out.



The individual aspects point to those things that desperately need to come to the client's consciousness, both the good stuff and the challenging stuff. And, in my view, it's my job to do just that for them.



In my opinion, negative aspects DO NOT lead to positive results in a mundane sense at all. Negative aspects are there for a reason, that reason being for us to recognize them, acknowlege them (own them), and transcend them. They don't go away. What goes away is our perception of them, our response to them. WE are the one's who change our mind about them. Hence, 'Dear Brutus, the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves.'



Truly, the easiest forte of Astrology is the Predicitive one, the Electional one. They want a date, you provide it. No muss, no fuss. But when someone asks 'Why?'.. Why is this happening? Why is my life a mess? Why doesn't anything ever go right? Why did my lover leave me? Why did I get fired? Why? Why? Why?', then the whole can of worms is opened. They want more than a date... these people want 'Understanding'. And that is a huge job. And one that far too many Astrologers really aren't conducive to filling.



I have yet to read one Astrology book published in the past 15 years that wasn't what I consider 'baloney', (except for Edna Rowland). My education has been from the Astrologers of past. The one's who didn't 'sugar-coat'. The ones that said it like it IS. All this new-agey, mumbo-jumbo Astrology is just 'crap' as far as I'm concerned. Rob Hand doesn't hold much water for me at all, and Liz Greene even less.



Give me Sepharial, Barbara Watters, Nicholas DeVore, Alan Leo, HL Cornell, Reinhold Ebertin, Sophia Mason, Doris Chase-Doane, Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson any day of the week... people who actually said 'what was what', who don't treat you like you'll crumble to pieces.

Answer 2

And I just asked why so many astrologers give too positive and rosy interpretations!!!



Well im after honest readings. There are harmonious and not so harmonious aspects/positions in charts and i strongly believe that every challenge/trouble is a learning experience, bad aspects so as good aspects are always karma from our previous lives. When i notice challenges or just real troubles in charts i try to warn or more likely guide them, prompt them to pay attention to this. Of course truth hurts and very few of us is strong enough to handle with it.



It's important also that good sides are acknowledged and person im giving this reading feels encouraged and open to my words. That do they want to learn is not my problem, they have thousands of years time to flog a dead horse.



I personally am pissed that i get dishonest readings about that how nice and cute i am. Many astrologers give people only what they want to hear.

Answer 3

It certainly gives astrology more of a bad name, doesn't it? When fear and hatred are spread through astrology it starts feeling an awful like Christianity and countless other religions as they have been interpreted by certain hateful (yet eloquent) individuals. These things are not necessarily hateful or fear-mongering in their purest form, but humans certainly have a knack for making them that way.



People like to bring other people down, everybody does that in every single relationship they are in. It is a common psychological function (we downplay the positive traits and achievements of others in order to feel better about ourselves in comparison, since we are all self-conscious in many ways). It only makes sense, then, that people who happen to learn about astrology do the same thing. They have just managed to get into a position of authority in which people will listen to their negative comments. Perhaps some such people even get into astrology for that precise reason - in their search for themselves, they have found a niche in which to degrade the qualities of the people around them and in turn manage to avoid learning anything about themselves at all.

Answer 4

It is the same in the fields of Psychology and Psychiatry - more so in Psychiatry. The experts seem to use the pathology to describe the person and focus on it as the sole indentification almost to the exclusion of everything else until they are involved with the person in therapy. Then they start tapping into all the intra and interpersonal strengths, family support, response to medication, etc. to treat that pathology.



I suppose some astrologers are so negative because they receive some secondary gain for themselves by doing so (I can see the downside of your life, and it makes me feel better about my own); they have a lot of Virgoan traits in their own charts which readily identifies perceived imperfections; or they are truly empathic to know that challenging squares are often painful, and pain is the universal language which is easiest to understand and interpret.



Yes, squares can be building blocks for developing skills but not always are skills developed. Squares can lead to disappointment and failures, especially if not adequately compensated by other factors in the chart - they do not always result in a benefit from balance in and of themselves.



So, I believe the best way to view difficulties in a chart is to be aware of them as independent aspects within the perspective of the big picture. That is, I think it would be helpful for advanced astrologers to learn to also indentify the compensating factors in a chart when they interpret "negative" aspects.



Edit: ha, ha - almost predictable and probably didn't even read the answers before the TDs.

Answer 5

May be you haven't met the right person(s).

I have never heard and astrologer stressing on the negative side of the chart. I have heard expressions like: "It would be a challenge for you to .." or " make sure you keep an eye on..." I would say it was that positive/negative was balanced 80:20

Answer 6

i have thought of this before too. i also believe, much like you said, that negative aspects can be looked at as a learning experience. i do not know why astrologers focus on the negative aspects. i think maybe because a lot of astrologers aren't actually very passionate about their work, and are just in it for a quick buck. maybe it is easier to pick out the bad aspects of someone then it about the positive about a persons personality? also, i think that if you tell someone something bad about their future, they will keep coming back to you for more answers...



i use astrology to benefit me in a positive way. there are negative things i have learned about myself, but i make sure that i don't let it get to my head and if it is really something worth thinking about, then i use it to better myself. I think that an astrologer who is genuinely passionate about their work would see it like that too.



bottom line: some astrologers are just in it for the money :/

Answer 7

I am not sure they so much as 'focus' on the negative as they make sure you know the challenges of such an aspect. Most astrologers I know tend to put a positive spin on it... I want the negative though. It feels more honest...

Answer 8

Go to Astro again. Click on the "interactive" partner chart, and then click on the chart. It's a lot more in depth than the report. All you have to do is click on each house and it shows you what it mean through a pop-up window. Make sure it's the interactive one.

Answer 9

I understand what you mean . Even though astrologers nowadays have a more open and easier views on challenging aspects , they are still challenging now matter how nice you want them to be. It is like the same thing with Saturn , this greater malefic planet was viewed very negatively , almost nothing good could come out of it. But now they understand the meaning of it and agree that Saturn could give us very good and rewarding experiences. Still Saturn is saturn, he isnt gonna give us free gift now, is he ? no matter how we nice we make him to be.



But negative aspects ( and Saturn ) always give frustration and all kind of internal beating first before any thing good can be taken out of it. For many of us , square aspects are lessons of a life time and the best reward that most of us can expect from squares is experiences ( wisdom and knowledge ), we can expect to take other challenges in life a bit easier . Having been able to master a square does not mean we will get any kind of tangible reward from it , and wisdom and knowledge can make us a more aware and stronger individual , not necessarily completely conquered the challenges the squares bring. It would be really hard-pressed to consider squares an indulgent , jovial , shining walking little prince/princess. So for the reward that come out of the squares, its more the skill of shouldering challenges and withstanding them easier



I think many astrologers tend to pick up on " jumped out " aspects first , and harsh aspects tend to just jump out ( or maybe the more grown up we are, the more cynical we become and the easier we can pick up and talk about negativeness ? ). Another " why " I can think of is that it depends on the level of detachment of an astrologer , some let their own personal views get in the way of reading a chart ( and I am talking about person to person session, not online computerised reading ). For example, an astrologer with all the " light and shine " aspect of Jupiter and Venus would be very disturbed at intepretating a chart with Plutonian , Saturnian dominance and their intense ( and perceived scary/ugly emotions ) , so much that they avoid bringing the issues up at all. Or an astrolger with an overserious and cynical temperaments could easily identified with a heavier , harsh aspects seen in a client's chart and project some of their own views onto reading the client's chart. Some astrologers nowadays see good aspects ( or just any aspect ) and either completely down-value them , or make them out to be " bad ". Last but not least , some just know about astrology , yet have some twisted delusions that they are " good astrologers " , these are usually to be avoided at all cost. These fakes can project whatever issues they have in life ( failure in relationships , issues with family , self-inflated delusion, deep inferiority complex , envy , jealousy ) onto their clients. This is the worst kind of passive agressiveness where one can use what one knows about astrology to manipulatively pull other people down to his level due to their lack of knowledge in astrology - " hey, since I am a complete failure , nobody else can succeed " attitude.



I cant really pick which way is better , and I dont think they should be separated that way , first we look at the whole chart , make note of what stand out ( be that negative or positive ) , then we look closer at each aspect, then put them all back together to get a whole picture. I think most clients/people would wanna have an aspect-to-aspect description first to understand in details what she/he is potentially good at , or what challenges there might be , then astrologers can give them advise on the whole picture and suggest them how to utilise their " positive " aspects to help with the " negative " ones. I think for most of us , negative aspects always play dominant first and obvious first , and unless we are ready to confront them , we wouldnt even recognise our innate potential ( good aspects ).