How to Choose an Astrologer for a Consultation: What to Look For

Today, calling yourself an astrologer takes very little: a short course, a social-media page, and a willingness to start seeing clients. The market is flooded as a result, and a person looking for a serious practitioner for the first time can find it hard to tell who is actually in front of them.

Working alongside experienced professionals are graduates of express courses, intuitive astrologers, tarot readers who have added astrology to their list of services, and people who have simply learned a handful of popular interpretations. On the surface they look the same: everyone offers a “natal chart reading” and promises to help you make sense of your life, differing only in audience size and the gloss of their public image.

So do not be guided by follower counts, the quality of the photographs, or the polish of the website. It is far more useful to look at a few signs of professionalism. They do not guarantee a remarkable practitioner, but they do filter out a large share of the random ones.

Sign 1. Professional accreditation

Despite the common view of astrology as a hobby, astrologers have international professional organizations. They do not admit new members on request — they verify qualifications first, and they require members to follow a professional code of ethics.

The best known are:

• APAI (Association of Professional Astrologers International) — a British association that admits members after a qualifying exam.
• ISAR (International Society for Astrological Research) — an international organization that certifies astrologers through the ISAR CAP program.
• NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research), AFA (American Federation of Astrologers), and FAA (Federation of Australian Astrologers) — large national professional organizations.

Membership in such organizations does not make someone a good astrologer automatically. It does show, however, that the practitioner takes the profession seriously and is willing to meet professional standards.

If there is no accreditation, that does not automatically mean low qualifications. But then the other signs matter all the more.

Sign 2. Publications

A serious practitioner usually does not stop at consultations — he writes.

This may take the form of books, articles in specialist journals, research, detailed chart analyses, or analytical material on his own site.

Publications in specialized outlets are especially valuable, since the text there goes through editing or peer review. Such material can be checked, discussed, and, if need be, criticized.

If an astrologer’s entire public output consists only of short videos, stories, general horoscopes, or descriptions of planetary transits, it is far harder to judge the level of their professional knowledge.

So look not for mere social-media activity, but for professional publications through which you can judge the author’s qualifications.

Sign 3. Examples of forecasts

This is perhaps the most important criterion — and, at the same time, the rarest.

Many astrologers today specialize in psychological interpretation of the chart: they speak about character, talents, relationships, or compatibility. Such consultations can be interesting and useful, but they are fundamentally different from predicting events.

The key test of an astrologer is simple: can the astrologer show real forecasts, made in advance?

A good forecaster usually publishes examples of his work — forecasts stated ahead of time, naming the event and the time window, followed by what actually happened.

These may be articles, video recordings, case analyses, or research material.

If there are no such examples at all, it is almost impossible to judge the quality of the forecasting.

Of course, not every practitioner is obliged to work with forecasts. But if you are coming for a forecast of events, it makes sense to choose someone who can show the results of their previous work.

Sign 4. Professional community

A professional rarely works in complete isolation.

He takes part in conferences, publishes in specialist outlets, belongs to professional societies, and discusses his methods with colleagues.

This matters, because it makes an astrologer’s work open to professional scrutiny. Speaking in front of colleagues is far harder than speaking in front of one’s own audience: arguments have to be defended, and mistakes have to be explained.

A gifted practitioner can, of course, work outside the professional community. Openness to professional discussion, however, usually speaks in favor of his qualifications.

A short checklist

Before booking a consultation, ask yourself four questions.

• Does the astrologer have professional accreditation?
• Does he have books, articles, or other serious publications?
• Does he show real examples of forecasts made in advance?
• Does he take part in professional life — conferences, associations, specialist discussions?

If you can answer “yes” to at least two or three of these, that is already a good sign. If the answer to all four is “no”, you should look for another practitioner — regardless of the number of followers or social-media popularity.

A short overview: who to look at

What follows is not a “best of” list — it is a set of landmarks: schools and astrologers who have verifiable qualifications, publications, and professional recognition. These are starting points for your own search, not an exhaustive roster.

Schools and traditions:

• School of Traditional Astrology (STA), United Kingdom — founded by Deborah Houlding in 1996; teaches horary and traditional astrology in the lineage of William Lilly; programs approved by APAI and APAE.
• Faculty of Astrological Studies, United Kingdom — one of the oldest and most authoritative astrology schools (founded in 1948); its D.F.Astrol.S diploma is recognized by APAI.
• The Morinus School — teaching in the tradition of Jean-Baptiste Morin, with an emphasis on the prediction of events; founded by the author of this article; recognized by APAI.
• Kepler College, USA — founded in 2000 as an institution with an astrology degree program, now a distance-learning school with diploma programs (KPDA, KAPDA); allied with NCGR, ISAR, and AFA.

Astrologers:

• Anthony Lewis, USA — astrologer and psychiatrist, Regulus Award laureate (1992); author of Horary Astrology Plain and Simple, The Art of Forecasting with Solar Returns (by Morin’s method), and translator of the 18th book of Morin’s Astrologia Gallica; NCGR member; known for detailed chart analyses and case studies.
• John Frawley, United Kingdom — one of the principal revivers of traditional horary astrology, a student of Olivia Barclay; author of The Horary Textbook, The Real Astrology (Spica International Book of the Year, 2001), and Sports Astrology; runs his own diploma program; over 35 years of practice.
• Oscar Hofman, Netherlands — a specialist in classical medical astrology; founder of the International School of Classical Astrology (IVAK, the only recognized astrology school in the Netherlands); author of Classical Medical Astrology — Healing with the Elements (The Wessex Astrologer, 2009); trained under John Frawley.
• Deborah Houlding, United Kingdom — historian and researcher of traditional astrology, founder of the School of Traditional Astrology; author of The Houses: Temples of the Sky and an annotated reproduction of Lilly’s Christian Astrology; recipient of the Charles Harvey award (2010) and the Regulus award (2018).
• Sharon Knight, United Kingdom — astrologer with more than 30 years of experience, Astrologer of the Year 2016; Fellow and chair of APAI (leading the association for over a decade); graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies, qualified QHP under Olivia Barclay, medieval astrology under Robert Zoller; holds a master’s degree in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology.
• Robert Corre, USA — a teacher of the tradition of Jean-Baptiste Morin; runs courses on the 21st book of Astrologia Gallica and Morin’s method of determinations; one of those restoring Morin’s system to modern practice.

About myself

I also work in the tradition of Jean-Baptiste Morin — one of the greatest European astrologers of the 17th century. This school was built from the outset to predict events, not to provide a psychological portrait of the personality.

I am an accredited member of APAI, I publish research and books, I speak at international professional conferences (ISAR, OPA), and I show examples of my forecasts openly.

Among my publications — the book Predictive Astrology Textbook — Mastering Forecasting (The Wessex Astrologer, 2025) and peer-reviewed research in the journal Correlation.

If you would like to see what professional predictive astrology looks like in practice, book a consultation. If you are interested in training, full details are on the learning programs page.