Funny world. While you’re off getting your “horoscope”, I’m grabbing examples out of the air - Aries, Mercury in Gemini and you come back with a chart, Aries, Mercury in Gemini.
The posted chart has Mercury in Pisces.
The Skeptic’s Dictionary on the Forer Effect states that “his personality analysis was taken from a newsstand astrology column.” So… yeah.
And we all know how useless that type of reading is compared to the real thing , right?
Well, actually, no we don’t. Not until one of you who is a true believer shows us an example of a supposedly real thing to compare it to.
Would you be willing to do mine?
Good catch, Sparrow, kinda figured something like that, but couldn’t track it down. Your Google-fu is strong.
Gee, Czar, how come you couldn’t do that, it was your cite, after all. Your “topper”.
And we tell you that sun sign crap is crap, how come you can’t just accept that and move on, if you’re case is as infallible as you claim, what’s the difference? If you’re so sure, how come you need an unfair advantage, how come you insist on making the rules up on the fly? You’re pretty much got every advantage, what are you worried about?
Uh, yeah. It was late. Mercury was transitory. Lets change the subject! How about those Pats, huh?
The only one making up the rules here is you. You claim that sun signs are crap and not worth analyzing, but you won’t give us an example of a reading that isn’t crap in your eyes.
Damn right I have the advantage-you’ve been given multiple cites with studies and tests that back up our side, and all you’ve contributed is snark.
“And we tell you that sun sign crap is crap, how come you can’t just accept that an’d move on…” indeed-I don’t recall the part of this thread where you were appointed arbiter of what parts of astrology are and are not valid, and until you can come up with a supposedly better example I think we’ll just have to stick with the examples we do have on hand.
Well, see, the thing is, I’m the guy who knows something about it, you’re the guy who doesn’t know a “sun sign” from a “horoscope”, and doesn’t care to. How do you fight ignorance without an open mind?
And now you want somebody to do a chart for you? After all the contempt and hostility you’ve displayed, you figure you’ve got that coming? Its a bit of work, you know. Oh, right, you don’t.
Well, thats up to Pix, I guess, but its more generosity and respect than you’ve given, why would anyone believe there’s the slightest hope for a fair hearing? I sure as heck wouldn’t, but if Pix is up for it, well, I gotta admire that. I think you should too, but I can’t prove that either.
All I want is an example of a professional astrology reading. The reason I didn’t go to Pix before is that she said that she only dabbled in it, and you kept insisting that it had to be done by a professional. Are you willing to accept her try as an authentic astrological reading, as I am, even if it turns out to be sun-sign based?
I find it hard to believe that you can’t find one single example of an astrological reading online that you can approve of, by the way. Could it possibly be that any example you come up will look just as vague as those you’ve put down in this thread? There’s only one sure way to tell…but I’m not holding my breath. If you want to show us the difference between good and bad astrology, all you have to do is show us the good.
No, a dabbler ought to be able to give you some insight, given a fair hearing. Its that last part I’m a bit uncertain about, since you have offered nothing but contempt and derision. I let that get on my nerves, so this became exactly the argument I sought to avoid. Well, I fucked up, luckily, no one is hurt but me, and all I did was waste my time.
I don’t need to convince you of anything Czar. If that impractical experiment could be performed and proved me wrong, I shrug and get on down the road. Big hairy ass deal. I’ve made a wrong turn or two, I’m OK with that. No one is trying to tear off your lab coat and make you go dance under the full moon with the mud people.
But enough. Go in peace, and God speed.
Perhaps I can help. I would be happy to supply my details, so you could do a chart for me.
In this thread, I ran a lengthy test of remote viewing on the SDMB and achieved a satisfactory result for the subject (who was perfectly happy with my behaviour throughout).
I appreciate that work is involved for you - perhaps I could compare it to me doing free chess analysis in several threads here (because I am a professional chess teacher 
).
Let me know if this sounds suitable to you - it would certainly help us all fight ignorance! 
A generous offer, Glee, and I don’t doubt the spirit of it. I respectfully decline, I haven’t actually practiced in…Dear Og! Twenty years!..and I don’t know if my chops are hip anymore, you dig? Used to play chess (favorite opening: The Cecilian Defense! I’ll be here all week, try the veal…) but at some point it started to get on my nerves, and I’d rather have a root canal than a chess lesson. No offense.
Besides, it really ought to be done in person, for the best result. And it ought to be a complete stanger, forest and trees. Clarity can be hindered by personal consideration, I can’t see the charts of people I’m close to for spit. (Hell, I was sure she loved me, it was right there in the chart! Ooops.) Heck, there’s probably half a dozen perfectly competent practioners on the Boards, but they might be reluctant to admit it. Can you blame them?
But I appreciate the respectful tone of your offer, it made my morning. Peace.
And thanks for the tip about that thread, looks interesting. More things in Heaven and Earth, eh, Horatio?
This thread asked if people believed in astrology and you and a couple of others have answered that. Thank you.
I hope you won’t mind if I now make some comments on the above post.
I appreciate that, for example, if you don’t practice chess then your playing standard will go down. But surely astrology is fixed, in the sense that the fundamental knowledge doesn’t change?
Why does it need to be done in person? Surely the precise birth date and location etc are all you need?
I am a little worried, since I know that it is possible to learn things about people by observing them. (As a teacher, I have successfully identified a culprit merely by noting that he was the only one in the class looking guilty!)
What does astrology say that you learn from having the subject present?
I am not a complete stranger, since you have access to nearly 8,000 posts of mine here! 
However I would happily take part in the experiment.
I would also like to know why you are so confident in astrology…
I wasn’t trying to trick you, but when you’ve had a chance to read the year-long :eek: thread, you’ll see that the Remote Viewer decides he doesn’t have any powers.
I think this was quite an achievement by all concerned. Running a sound Internet experiment is pretty hard to do, and changing people’s minds is also not easy. 
Por nada.
Not at all. My original intent.
A chart interpretation is a very complex thing, there are nuances and subtleties abounding. You don’t excercise, you get flabby. And pride, I guess, its a lot easier to live with the idea that maybe I haven’t got it anymore than take the risk of proving it.
Its all you need, true enough, but there is a more bountiful harvest if the practitioner and client can collaborate. I’ve written up charts for people I didn’t meet, and that went fine, but there was some energy missing, it was lacking. Sure, you can do a competent, professional job, but its nothing like the satisfaction that comes from direct contact with people.
Then don’t bother. You already have an open mind, what’s to gain? Done right, a chart reading won’t surprise you much, its you, after all. If you need to prove something to yourself, I think that’s the worst reason to do it, you’re setting up an internal argument that cannot be resolved. Better just to shrug and say “OK, maybe yes, maybe no, what’s for dinner?”
Context. It clarifies.
Experience. And I hesitate on the word “confident”. It works far better than it should, which is that it shouldn’t at all. That’s about all I’m willing to testify, esp. to an audience of hard-core rationalists, the sounds of knives being sharpened is distracting. Its really a “take it or leave it” thing, Glee, neither of us will be harmed, regardless. When I say I have no need to convert anybody, I mean what I say. I am content with my experience, but it is personal, subjective, and that’s that. That doesn’t bother me at all, but it sends some folks into a tizzy. Who needs, already?
By the way you describe the encounter, it works exactly like a cold reading.
Really? Boy, there’s a shocker. Hey, thanks for sharing!
No, thank you for clearing up exactly what it is you do. When you can’t meet with the client in person, yo give back generalities that are generally pleasant but could apply to just about anybody. The advantage when you get to meet the client in person is two-fold:
- Through conversation you can collect information that you can later feed back in different words, making you seem insightful.
- Through watching face and body movements, you can gauge how accurate your musings are. You start off in generalities, “read” the client’s reactions, then tailor and refine the conversation.
Yes, I’d say meeting and talking to someone in person is definitely essential in creating a good astrological reading.