How to make astrology more accessible without demanding that astrologers charge less

Lately I have seen a lot of talk around the subject of the accessibility of astrology, namely about pricing for consultations and widespread communication of astrological concepts. Some great questions are being raised, such as: what is an accessible price to charge, how do we talk about astrology in layman’s terms, and the big one—should astrology be made more accessible at all, or is it worth gatekeeping some knowledge from the uninitiated? I don’t want to get into that last question today, but rest assured, I do have many thoughts about it. Today I am writing from the perspective of wanting to increase the ease of access to astrology and lower the barriers to entry.

What I want to get into is a few suggestions for ways that astrology can be made more accessible, without simply demanding that working astrologers lower their rates and survive on less. While it’s an unfortunate truth that often the barrier to entry is financial, the solution is not to ask more people to go without necessary resources. If, and that’s a big if, we are attempting to make astrology and its concepts more easily accessible because we believe in its value as a tool for self-improvement and reflection that should be in the hands of more people, then we need to get creative with our strategy. I have some ideas.

Literal accessibility.

This may seem obvious, but once you start examining things through the lens of access and ability, you will notice that a lot of things (and people) slip through the cracks. These can range from small things, such as forgetting to use captions on Instagram videos, or much larger accessibility barriers, such as not requiring masks at indoor events, forgetting to comply with ADA standards, or neglecting to offer a virtual attendance option for astrological conferences. 

Sometimes, implementing accessibility can seem like just an added expense or even a hassle, especially when there’s no immediate or guaranteed return on that investment. But rest assured, it’s a far bigger hassle and a great disappointment for the people who are not given the option to participate in astrology due to simple things, such as not hiring an ASL interpreter to be present during talks or not offering transcriptions of recorded virtual events when they’re put up for sale. Yes, it is true that implementing more accessibility will require more effort and more money, but the loss of overall value (in the form of human presence) is far greater if these things are ignored, in my opinion. 

As a consulting astrologer, it’s also important to make your spaces for clients as accessible as possible. If you offer video readings only, have you considered opening up your practice to readings over the phone as well? Or offering a chat-based service for those who may have issues with audio processing? You don’t have to do everything, but it’s imperative to be open to anything when it comes to your clients and their accessibility requests—even if it means not taking the booking and referring them out to another astrologer who can meet their needs. Integrity and curiosity both go a long way in building a client base that trusts you, and you can always build trust by letting current and potential clients know that you’re willing to do what it takes to make astrology accessible for them.

Be a sponsor.

This is perhaps not the most popular practice, but I am on a mission to normalize sponsoring access for others when you have the means. What does this mean, exactly? It means that if you are buying a ticket to, say, a webinar by an astrologer you love, and you can afford to buy the ticket twice, then you buy the second ticket and offer it to someone who wants to attend but can’t afford to. Or, you want to support an astrologer you love but you don’t have the time, capacity, or desire to get a reading from them at the moment, so you sponsor a reading, and that allows the astrologer to give someone a free reading without actually having to sacrifice any income. Everybody wins!

Talk about it.

Yes, with normies. (Again, remember that these suggestions are for people who want to make astrology more accessible. Some people don’t want that at all and would prefer to keep certain knowledge and concepts insulated, so they might balk at this advice. That’s fine.) I’m gonna say it: you make astrology more accessible by talking about it with people who are not astrologers. This can be hard, especially if we are always braced for dismissal or ridicule whenever we bring up our beloved astrology, but if it’s safe for you to do so, be open about the fact that you do love astrology! Sing its praises and share its impact on your life with people who are curious, or at the very least respectful. If you have a knack for translating complex topics into simple language, work that muscle when your friends come to you with their beginner astrology questions. If you’re passionate about putting this tool in the hands of more people, then use your mouth.

The least effective tactic for creating change is shame. There is no reason to shame ourselves or others for not being perfect at accessibility or for not offering 100% of the accommodations 100% of the time. A community functions best when people are utilizing their loving boundaries with themselves and others so they can show up in their best capacity. As long as you are maintaining curiosity as a baseline in conversations about accessibility and accommodations, you will go far in figuring out ways to make astrology easy to access and exciting to learn. Astrology is a language, and like any language, you learn best when you have others to speak it with. It’s deceptively simple at times, I think, to increase astrology’s reach and impact, and it all comes back to how we show up as community members, friends, collaborators, colleagues, and forever students of astrology.

P.S.: My accessibility services are 30% off this month! Shoot me an email at saturnsgoldtarot@gmail.com if you are in need of transcription, closed captions, or alt text.

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