Maturity of the Astrologer
There are 3 different levels or stages of maturity that astrologers go thru from beginner to a mature professional. They are as follows:
1) First, the astrologer lacks predictive accuracy, and hedges all assessments in vagaries so that the client doesn't detect the astrologer's inadequacies.
2) Next, the astrologer gains predictive accuracy, and wants to impress the client, and himself, by telling everything that can be seen.
3) Next, the astrologer settles into his or her predictive accuracy, and feels perfectly at ease with it - no longer feeling the need to impress anyone.
In the first stage, the astrologer serves neither himself nor the client, and really shouldn't be doing readings professionally.
In the second stage, the astrologer mainly serves his own ego, building his own image and reputation, paying little consideration to empowering the client to take control of his or her own future.
In the third stage, this is where the astrologer finally begins to serve humanity, with little thought of one's own reputation and recognition. It is at this latter stage, that the knowledge of the future is dispensed with true wisdom, in a way that truly changes and empowers the client.
Additional Insights
Something that I have observed in many disciplines is the phenomena of "fake mastery". Relevant to our field of study, this is where a person is really at stage 1, and is not willing to put in the work to reach stage 2. So, they delude themselves into mastery, and begin to assume the mannerisms and characteristics of those they observe to be legitimately at stage 3. Wrongly presuming themselves to be a stage 3, they shy away from making precise predictions for their client (which they aren't capable of anyway), and then continue the stage 1 practice of vagaries - but in a different vein. This time, there is no attempt to predict, but merely to hand out spiritual advice - telling the client to just perform the spiritual practices and things will be better. Such a person is relieved to be at this point because they now have a "higher, more spiritual" rationale for not making predictions, and this relieves them from the discomfort of having to hide their predictions behind vagaries. It is unfortunately at this stage that the deluded master begins to believe the con that is being perpetrated, and begins to assume the role of teacher; thus, firmly establishing yet another path that leads into confusion and darkness. This is why Vedic Astrology is rife with confusion today, as well as is every other spiritual path.
We see this in many areas today. The person who reads about channeling, and now assumes the same ability. The person who reads about the sunyata, but has never truly experienced it, but now writes a book on the finer points of Zen. The astrologer who can't predict, but assumes to teach, postulate, and hand out the latest pop-psychology as spiritual advice.
The path to mastery is filled with many potholes, and most of us will trip over one, or more, of them on our journey. Most who fall into the pothole I have just described never escape it in the same lifetime.
- Ron Grimes