Is An Astrology Course Worth The Expense?

Crystal Starseed

Well-known member
Hi all. I know there is already a thread called 'Career Path as an Astrologer', but what I want to know is, is it possible to make a living as an astrologer today? Can you feed and sustain yourself on earnings made this way? I.e. is anyone in demand? I realise this may be a prickly subject for some, as they associate professional success with material success or believe others do so, and are concerned what others think... so I'm appealing to the more candid and fearless professionals out there who don't mind telling!

I was thinking of doing a professional course to become qualified, but this is a bit of a bad habit for me as I tend to accumulate qualifications like some people collect stamps and most of them have cost money to do and don't recoup any money back, at least not in the 'alternative' sector where I've tended to specialise. I see qualifications as more strings to my bow, yet they are in reality quite limited in their means.
There is also the possibility that I may never be a 'professional' anything any more for various reasons so it would also have to be worth it on a purely personal and intellectual level, which I believe it will, as I think I need a structured way to navigate the more complex and technical aspects of astrology.
It's ironic but the only course I once started and never finnished was with an astrology correspondence course here in the UK when I was 16 with a very well established school. I found the basics of it too simplistic and cartoonish and decided I could not believe in something which didn't ring true for me, based on my own experiences and observations.

It also need to feel free to question what I am taught otherwise I will feel disingenuous or be made to feel subversive for being bothersome (or vice versa?):innocent:

I am a better writer and speaker than I am a listener. I excel working on my own for this reason, so I would be okay doing charts and ranting on, but not necessarily sitting and listening to people! I often find it draining, but it's been a while since I've been in any kind of work type environment due to my circumstances as disabled.

I'm not looking at this as a sole career occupation, as I honestly don't believe in careers, however silly that sounds, at least not in the coventional sense for me. All I've ever really pursued in this lifetime is freedom and freedom for all, and those things which seem to allow that on an existence level. So of course this influences my decisions about what I will do with my time and what is really worth it.

Any advice or contributions from your own experieces with astrology courses or making a living will be gratefully received! Namaste!:kissing:
 

StillOne

Well-known member
I am a better writer and speaker than I am a listener. I excel working on my own for this reason, so I would be okay doing charts and ranting on, but not necessarily sitting and listening to people! I often find it draining, but it's been a while since I've been in any kind of work type environment due to my circumstances as disabled.

Hi, I've only been to an astrologer a couple of times. Having said that, it was more of a therapy session in that I felt I needed someone that would listen to my concerns then look at the chart for answers. So I would say that listening skills and a desire to engage in conversation to be imperative based on my limited knowledge.
 

Mark

Well-known member
Crystal Starseed: If I were considering those options, I wouldn't put much weight on any particular school of astrology unless they were able to impress me. I tend to look at things similarly to you, meaning that I would be doing a disservice to my client by only applying what I have been taught, rather than what is needed. Here's my basic criteria: If another astrologer can best me at my own game, then I should learn from him. If I best the other astrologer, then he needs to be learning from me! Titles and qualifications don't make any difference at all to the job that needs doing.
 

miquar

Well-known member
Hi CrystalStarseed. I don't think you necessarily need to do an astrology course to become a professional astrologer. If you're able to learn without someone giving you a structure then you can get everything you need from books and practise. The reading material you tend to get on courses is very sparse, and so you'll end up needing a decent amount of books either way. The reason why I think reading plenty of books is important is that its a way to absorb the experience of astrologers who've spent many years practising. I would be quite selective about who I read so as not to fill my head with all sorts of obscure stuff that would only clutter a chart reading if I tried to use it.

Now that I've been taking a small astrology class at home, I'm glad that I went through the FAS diploma coursework because I have plenty of background about what plane intersects what plane to give a particular axis, etc. But as far as stuff I use in readings goes, nothing I learned on the diploma course was invaluable in terms of not being able to get it from a book or from my own reflections and practise.

Once you've absorbed an understanding of the core of each astrological archetype, and have a basic grasp of the rules of thumb on the technical side (eg square aspects being more powerful than sextiles, etc) you're ready to start practising on people you know, famous people, or people on a forum like this.

And following on from what StillOne was saying, its how you manage the interaction that counts. My guess is that this would come as second nature to you, but if you feel unsure and you haven't done so already you could enrol on a counselling course or similar.

There's a CPA seminar transcript called The Astrologer, The Counsellor And The Priest, which is very useful for anyone considering practising professionally. I think you'd be good at being aware of the kind of astrologer you are, and also sensitive to what kind of person you're interacting with, which is worth more than knowing everything there is to know about astrology.

In terms of making a living, I wouldn't assume you'll be able to make all of your living from it, at least until you've been able to gradually build up a client-base and reputation.

Hope this helps. Everyone is going to have a slightly different take on this issue, and what's best for you obviously won't necessarily be quite the same as what's right for anyone else.
 

Claire19

Well-known member
Astrology is hard career to make a success at and you need to run schools or have a high profile and be willing to charge large amounts of money for readings. This I do not believe in. You can do it as a sideline.

Please see my private message.
 

Claire19

Well-known member
Crystal Starseed: If I were considering those options, I wouldn't put much weight on any particular school of astrology unless they were able to impress me. I tend to look at things similarly to you, meaning that I would be doing a disservice to my client by only applying what I have been taught, rather than what is needed. Here's my basic criteria: If another astrologer can best me at my own game, then I should learn from him. If I best the other astrologer, then he needs to be learning from me! Titles and qualifications don't make any difference at all to the job that needs doing.
I agree that some certificate from an astrology school is not necessary.
We can learn individually through books and online lessons etc and then practise, practise and more practise with loads of charts and then when confident put yourself out there with adverts, taking stalls at fairs etc.

Gain a reputation for accuracy and hence earn some kind of income but to be a full time astrologer is difficult.
 

miquar

Well-known member
I don't think you necessarily have to charge high rates to make a living from astrology, nor do you need to run schools. But I guess it depends what one's expectations are of income. There is an issue I think of putting up with a lower hourly rate initially because you'll be taking longer to prepare for readings. I would decide what hourly rate you feel is appropriate/necessary, then times that by 3 for the price of a reading including a look at transits and progressions for the coming year. That leaves 90 minutes for prep and 90 minutes to spend with the client. Initially, you might be spending longer in prep, and that's what I mean by the hourly rate being lower initially. Also, there will be some clients who have an issue related to a specific experience from their past, so you might also feel a need to look at transits and progressions for that time too, which will obviously take more time.

But I think it would be wise for anyone starting out as a professional astrologer to 'not give up the day job', as Claire says - a sideline initially.
 
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