How to choose an astrologer: seven signs of a good one
Anyone can call themselves an astrologer today. The classical qualities of a good one, the warning signs, and a simple test you can use before trusting a reading.
With videos and apps everywhere, anyone can now call themselves an astrologer. Knowing the names of rashis, planets and nakshatras does not make someone a good one. Astrology carries a real responsibility, because people come to it when they are anxious and vulnerable.
Seven qualities the classics ask for
- Purity of body and mind, and a daily spiritual practice.
- Truthfulness: saying what the chart shows, gently, without bending it to please or frighten.
- No greed: even if a fee is taken, money should never drive the advice.
- Tact in sensitive matters, such as hardship or relationships.
- Never predicting death. This is forbidden in the tradition.
- Confidentiality: your chart is not discussed with anyone else.
- Leaving you calmer. A person should walk away with clarity and courage, not fear.
Warning signs
- Remedies are pushed before the chart is explained.
- You are told something terrible will happen unless you pay for a ritual today.
- Every problem is blamed on one planet or one dosha.
- Famous people's charts are "analysed" online with different lagnas in different videos. Matching known events to a chart afterwards is easy; predicting from an unknown chart is the real skill.
A simple test
Take the birth details of someone whose life you know well, a parent or an older relative, and ask for a reading without saying who it is. A good astrologer will describe the broad direction of that life: the kind of work, the turning points, the difficult years. If what you hear is only general reassurance followed by a list of remedies, look further.
Accuracy and the birth time
Even a skilled astrologer depends on an accurate birth time. The lagna changes about every two hours, and all twelve houses move with it. Use the time from a birth certificate or hospital record where you can.
At NexTych Astra every reading is calculated from your exact birth time and place, and explains the reasoning behind each result. Start with a free reading, or read more about Pandit Vyas Ji.