How to Choose the Right Horoscope and Astrology Website

Introduction

There was a time when tarot readings were confined to small tents at funfairs and horoscopes were only in the back page of newspapers and magazines. These days, the internet has opened up horoscopes, tarot readings and psychic forecasts to a wider audience and given users access to a vast number of daily, monthly and annual horoscopes and readings either on the website or sent straight to their email accounts. This buying guide should give you a brief introduction to the different types of astrology and horoscopes available and the sort of things you should look out for when you’re checking out our reviews.

What do online horoscope websites have to offer?

Online horoscope and astrology websites have a lot of different services on offer which range from free daily services to premium products and readings that are priced according to length, complexity and the level of personalization on offer. Some sites offer their services directly from the site itself or via email but others are simply a portal to services offered elsewhere or via phone (this is particularly common for larger, branded sites that simply allow users to find psychics for phone readings). Many sites also have online stores selling everything from books and DVDs about horoscopes and astrology, to personalized products and the paraphernalia of astrology – including tarot cards, gemstones, crystals and much more. All in all, this category is a bit of a broad church, so it’s important to find a site that suits your needs and gives you what you’re looking for at the best price.

Types of astrology – the basics:

Astrology is an ancient art that has been practiced for thousands of years by many different cultures around the world. Despite that, many of our readers may be unaware as to number of different types and variations of astrology there are. While the list below is far from comprehensive, it should give you an idea of the basics of many of the most common types you’re likely to come across when reading our reviews and checking out the sites.

• Western Astrology – Western astrology is likely to be the type of astrology most of our readers will be most familiar with. Traditional western astrology is based on creating a horoscope for an exact moment an event occurs, usually when a person is born. This is often simplified to the ascribing of a particular “sun sign” (based on the position of the sun at that date) to a person based on their date of birth. Western astrologers use the tropical zodiac, which contains twelve signs and are said to represent personality types and characteristics.

• Chinese Astrology – Chinese astrology is an ancient branch of astrology that is based on traditional astronomy and calendars and is strongly related to traditional Chinese astrology.  In Chinese Astrology, predictions are made based on the relationship between the five classical planets (Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars) and five elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth).

• Horary Astrology – Horary astrology is a specific branch of astrology by which an astrologer attempts to produce an answer to a question by constructing a horoscope chart for the precise time the question was received by the astrologer. The key elements in horary astrology include the position and phase of the moon, the lunar nodes, and elements of other branches of astrology.

• Vedic Astrology – Also known as Jyotish, Indian Astrology and Hindu Astrology, Vedic astrology is a branch of astrology derived by ancient Indian traditions. The purpose of this type of astrology is, it is said, to focus the mind on what it is in life that will make you happy and fulfilled and so helps users to sidestep those issues that will make it difficult for them to achieve their full potential. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac and takes into account the gradual rotation of the earth on its axis and as such is supposed to produce more accurate results. 

Pricing and Subscriptions

Most services in this category offer a two-tier kind of membership, whereby users can enjoy a number of products and services for free simply by subscribing.  In the most part, the free services on offer are daily, weekly or monthly horoscopes that are sent straight to your email account but some services also provide motivational messages, birth charts and more for free. As you would expect, the premium products and services available at the sites reviewed as part of this category range in price from a few dollars or pounds for simple readings, to hundreds of dollars for personalized readings and packages of products. Many of the sites in this category offer users phone or online readings with psychics that are chargeable by the minute.

The Bottom Line

As with most of the categories we review, there are a wide number of factors that will influence your decision as to which astrology site to choose. Luckily for you, although there is a vast amount of choice in this category, many of the sites offer services, readings and predictions for free so it is possible to “dip in and out” of sites to find what you’re really looking for. There’s also a huge variation in quality in the sites we have reviewed, so it is worth shopping around to find a site that has the best combination of variety and quality, so you have access to the right sort of readings at the right price.