Karmaweb offers astrological readings (natal charts) for a sum of £20.00. The natal chart will consider the position of the planets in the heavens at the time of your birth, and by analysing the major aspects, provide a personality analysis. These reports are not generated by computer, each one is personally calculated and an individual analysis is written for each subject. They do not predict your future, or tell the story of your life, but they will give you a deeper insight into your personality, based on your astrological profile.

Readings can be sent out via email to an address provided by the customer, but a hardcopy printout is also available. The cost for this is included in the cost of the reading.

• What is astrology?

Astrology is well-known to many people through newspapers and other popular media, that offer astrology columns claiming to tell the future for the week for that individual. While it is possible that certain applications of astrology can predict events based on the position of the planets, Karmaweb does not offer this service. Instead, we offer a personality profile based on this information.

Modern astrology in the West supposedly dates from around 4000 BC, and originated in ancient Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians needed to calculate the flow of time so they could judge the seasons, planting cycles, and other rhythms vital to their society. Their best guide for this was the monthly lunar cycle and the motions of the stars. Eventually, the motions of the planets took on a religious significance, and the Mesopotamians came to worship the planets as their deities. Once astronomy, the rising science of mathematics, and religion combined, astrology was born.

Western astrology is based very much on astronomical events, and until the 17th century AD, the two studies were inexorably linked. Certain constellations were chosen as focal points for celestial activity – we now know these constellations as the Sun Signs. The motion of these twelve constellations through the heavens, and the actions of certain bodies within these constellations, supposedly influences our lives. Precisely how this works is a matter of some contention in the astrological and scientific community. Radio emissions from the planets, magnetic or gravitational forces, and even levels of celestial energy that possibly cannot be measured have all been considered. The truth is, it is not fully understood, but the experiential evidence for the success of astrology is vast. Astrology works, and even if we cannot explain why, the detail into which one person can be analysed based on their birth information is extremely deep.

• How is a natal chart calculated?

A natal chart shows the positions of the planets and the constellations at the exact time of your birth, relative to the physical location on the planet. By calculating the distances and angles between the planets, a series of relationships, called aspects, are calculated. Every aspect has a different interpretation. By working out every one of the aspects, and studying them as individuals and as a whole, a detailed personality profile can be generated. Since no two people are born at exactly the same moment in exactly the same geographical spot, no two people are ever the same astrologically speaking. This is why a reading done by a professional astrologer is far more accurate than anything seen in a newspaper. Newspaper astrology can only really focus on one or two aspects that influence everyone under that Sun Sign. An individual reading goes into much more detail, and as such, is more likely to be meaningful.