A complete guide to what an astrologer does, the topics people ask about, how a kundli works, fees and tips to choose well.

Think of the sky on the day you were born. The sun, the moon and every planet stood somewhere at that exact moment. An astrologer takes that picture, draws it as a chart and tries to say something useful about your life. In India this is mostly Vedic astrology, also called Jyotish, and the chart is the kundli. Plenty of families still check it before a wedding. Others do it before a new shop or a new job. Some people go simply because nothing is working and they want to hear another view.

People land on this topic for different reasons. Maybe you want an astrologer who lives nearby. Maybe you only want to know what a session costs before you call. Or maybe you have never been to one, and you wonder what actually happens in the room. Each of these is covered below.

When you are ready to compare, you can look through astrologer listings to see profiles, areas and the type of reading each person offers in one place.

What does an astrologer do?

The work starts with three facts from you: the date, the time and the place you were born. From these the astrologer draws your kundli. Next comes the reading. Where does each planet sit? Which houses look strong? Which period of life are you in right now? Then the astrologer explains what all this may mean for work, marriage, money or family. Some also choose dates for events, and some suggest remedies at the end.

A word of honesty before we go further. Astrology is a belief, not a science. It can help you look at a problem from a new side. It cannot promise what will happen next. So take it as one opinion, listen to it, and then decide with your own judgment.

Which topics do people ask an astrologer about?

People mostly come with questions like these:

• Marriage. Kundli matching comes first, and then the date of the wedding.
• Work. Should I change my job, or start my own business?
• Money. Is this a good time to invest or to buy a house?
• Family. Fights at home, or a hard time between husband and wife.
• Children. A new baby needs a birth chart, and a name that matches the birth star.
• Health. Only as a second view, because a doctor must always come first.
• Muhurat. A good date for a wedding, a house entry or opening a shop.

What is a kundli and how is it read?

Now the kundli itself. It is a drawing of the sky for the exact minute and place of your birth, split into twelve houses. Every house stands for one area of life. One is about work, one about marriage, one about money, one about home, and so on.

Nine planets sit inside these houses. The sign that was rising in the east at your birth is called the lagna, and the chart is built around it. Your moon sign matters a lot too, and so does your birth star, the nakshatra. Families use the birth star when they choose a baby's name.

Then come the dashas. A dasha is a long stretch of years ruled by one planet. Astrologers use it to say what kind of phase you are living through now. For marriage matching they put two charts side by side. They count points called gunas, and they also check things like mangal dosha.

Which type of astrologer should you choose?

Which one should you pick? It depends on your question.

If your question is about marriage, work or the next few years, go to a Vedic astrologer who reads the kundli. A numerologist works with numbers from your birth date and name. A tarot reader uses cards and answers one clear question at a time. A Vastu expert studies a house, a shop or an office, mainly the direction and the layout. A palmist reads the lines on your hand. And then there is Nadi astrology, an old tradition from South India that uses palm-leaf records.

Be careful with anyone who claims to be an expert in all of these. Ask how many years they have spent on each one.

What details do you need for a reading?

You need only three things: your date of birth, the exact time and the place. The time is the tricky one, because a gap of even a few minutes can change the chart. So look for the real time. A birth certificate may have it, or a hospital paper. If not, ask the oldest person in your family. In many homes the time was written down on the day, in a diary or a family register.

What if nobody remembers the time? Some astrologers do birth time rectification. They guess the likely time by checking big events of your life against the chart. It is not as sure as a recorded time. So ask the astrologer how they do it, and how sure they are.

How does a consultation work?

The session usually opens with kundli analysis, where the astrologer prepares your chart. After that, you ask your question. The astrologer looks at the chart and answers for that part of your life. You may leave with a good date, a simple remedy or a clear next step.

You can sit face to face, talk on the phone or use a video call. Most sessions run from twenty minutes to an hour. Write your questions down before you go. Once the talk begins, it is easy to forget half of them.

Is an online consultation as good as meeting in person?

For a chart reading, yes. The chart comes from your birth details, so it does not care where you are sitting. A call saves you the trip, and it lets you speak to a person in another city. Still, some people feel better when they meet face to face. That is a perfectly good reason to choose it.

What affects the fee of an astrologer?

There is no fixed rate. The fee of an astrology consultation depends on how experienced the astrologer is, how long the session runs and what you want from it. A written report costs more than a talk. A home visit, or a Vastu visit, usually costs extra.

Ask about the fee before the session begins. Ask, too, whether remedies or gemstones are charged on top. Raising this at the start is easy. Raising it after the session is awkward.

What is the usual cost of an astrologer in India?

The table below gives an approximate idea of what common services cost. Use it as a reference before you call, and confirm the exact fee with the astrologer.