Are Computerised Astrological Reports Accurate or a Waste of Money?

Being an astrologer for over thirty years I have seen very little change in how computerised astrological reports are generated. They even make out that size matter’s – the longer the report the better value for money, when in fact the report is a series of generalised assumptions about specific planetary positions and aspects in your chart based on your full birth date, time and place of birth. These fragmented reports offer the client little value and personal detail with interpretations that could apply to anyone – overall they are a waste of money and damage the reputation of astrology.

I remember when I had my first astrological computerised astrological report back in the mid 1970’s but was quite basic even though it was produced  by the well known astrologer Roger Elliott. You would have thought with technology advances a computer would be able to correctly synthesise a chart and produce stunning astrological interpretations. However, things have not changed. Although astrology is based on simple three core principles the twelve zodiac signs, the planets (including the Sun and Moon) and twelve houses (life experiences), it becomes more complex to synthesise the chart and identify what are the strong and weak planets or astrological configuration in the chart?

Although it is in part a process of elimination the computerised reading falls over because the programme cannot go to this level of understanding creatively and in such detail. However, it has not stopped the growth in people and organisations in exploiting this mass production approach to astrological interpretation preying on the lack of understanding of the public and lining their pockets! Due to the media culture promoting the generalised horoscopes (horror scopes) has provided a solid platform for this phenomenon because after reading so much waffle over the decades it’s not surprising that people doesn’t expect much from astrology so a computerised report may seem appealing and interesting! Don’t get me wrong astrological software has been widely used since the early 1990’s and is very fast and accurate for calculating a chart or derivatives such as a progressed/converse, composite, relationship, meeting or solar return chart to name a few. So it is an excellent tool for the amateur and professional astrologer.

However, like I said earlier the software in its present form cannot be used to accurately interpret an astrological chart because reading a chart properly has to be done spontaneously and creatively where as a computer deciphers the astrological terminology in a robotic language and churns out generalised planetary configurations that has been programmed. For example if you had Mercury conjunct Mars in your chart the computer would just provide some text describing this configuration e.g. you speak your mind etc. However the paragraph of waffle that follows does not take into consideration of what this configuration really means or its relationship to the rest of the chart. A professional astrologer would have to weigh up what these planets mean in relation to other astrological data in the birthchart. For instance is Mercury conjunct Mars linked to any other planets and what are their sign and house position. Whether either planet may be the ruling planet of the chart or rising (near the ascendant) or cumulating (near the MC) as you can see there are many different issues to consider the list goes on.

Chart interpretation is a complex, creative and dynamic process that should be delivered in a fluent, spontaneous way which makes sense to the client. Importantly it requires attention to detail and a synthesis of the whole chart which a computer cannot presently deliver....Yes anyone can start a business doing astrological charts..software only costs £200+ and your off!

Until we integrate artificial intelligence and affective computing into computerised astrological reports you will just receive a report that has little astrological value but a good money making scheme for others!