Astrology and AI

Astrology and AI
Posted by Shannon Cunningham on Jun 18, 2025

People will sometimes ask me if I’m worried that AI will take over my job as an astrologer. My answer is always an assured no.

Explaining the basics so clients have context for their consultation isn’t the most interesting part of my work. It’s material I’ve explained so often that I can almost do it by rote. I can feel the clock ticking while people listen and try to absorb what I’m saying, waiting for me to get to the good stuff. Still, I think it’s important that clients understand a little about the planets I’m referencing- especially the inner, personal ones- and have some sense of what the hieroglyphic-looking chart in front of them actually represents. I keep these explanations short and sweet because there’s only so much information anyone can absorb during a consult, and I don’t want to burn up precious time on Astro 101.

For this reason, it’s genuinely helpful when clients arrive with a basic understanding of astrology- the larger picture. This is where astrological websites, apps, software, and AI really shine. There are many free platforms where people can input their birth data and explore their charts. AI, in particular, offers clear explanations of things like Sun signs, Moon signs, and Rising signs. I’ve asked Google AI plenty of questions myself and have been impressed by the thorough overviews and breakdowns it provides.

I still remember the first time I found astro.com and the hours I spent clicking around my chart, reading everything I could. It remains one of the best free astrological resources available.

Astro apps and software programs have only improved at handling the fundamentals, including basic synastry and composite chart comparisons. There are gaps- big ones- but these tools are worlds better than the old magazine compatibility guides that reduced human complexity to Sun-sign pairings.

The first time I read for a professional astrologer, I was extremely nervous. What could I possibly tell someone who knew their chart inside and out and was familiar with the same techniques I used? As it turns out, reading for other astrologers has become one of my favourite things to do. We can skip the basics and move straight into what’s unfolding in their chart. Every astrologer has preferred techniques, and those differences make the work richer.

I consider myself a modern astrologer. I’m deeply influenced by Richard Idemon, one of the pioneers of blending psychotherapy and astrology, as well as Steven Forrest, Liz Greene, Mark Jones, and Mary Fortier Shea. I pay close attention to elements, qualities, and orientations, and I’m currently fascinated by larger life arcs- particularly the Progressed Lunation Cycle and the way Evolutionary Astrology frames the soul’s purpose.

Many astrologers have returned to Traditional Astrology and Whole Sign houses. Others focus on asteroids, Zodiacal Releasing, Arabic Parts, Hellenistic profections, Time Lords, Solar Returns, or the Fixed Stars. One of the reasons I love astrology so deeply is that the subject is inexhaustible. It’s ancient, cross-cultural, and endlessly adaptable. Different systems function like schools of philosophy or languages- distinct, nuanced, and, to my mind, equally valid.

The age-old question of whether astrology is an art or a science has always intrigued me. My answer is: both.

Charts rely on precise mathematical and astronomical calculations. I’m old enough to remember doing much of this by hand- working with Tables of Houses, calculating progressions, and learning to read the American Ephemeris. While the math and mapping were not my favorite part of earning my diploma with the CAAE, I recognize their importance. And this is where technology, including AI, is a true blessing.

Once the calculations are complete and the chart is plotted, the work moves into interpretation- what astrologers call delineation. This is where the art begins.

Chart synthesis is the real work of astrology, and it’s often where casual students stop. A single birth chart contains layers upon layers of information, much of it contradictory. Understanding what carries weight, what recedes, and what requires time to unlock takes practice and experience. Software printouts can run to hundreds of pages, but volume doesn’t equal meaning.

There are principles that guide interpretation: understanding planetary condition and dignity, the significance of exact versus wide orbs, the role of chart singletons, and how certain configurations unlock through progressions or transits. Sometimes a chart contains a tension that must simply be lived with until time provides an opening. I tend to speak in metaphor- it helps.

In forecasting, astrologers look for repetition. The same theme needs to appear in multiple techniques before it’s considered active. Transits must be read in relation to the natal promise, which remains constant throughout a person’s life. Someone with a challenging natal placement is often already skilled at managing its effects, so an astrologer can discern whether a coming transit will be acutely disruptive or simply familiar terrain.

This level of discernment isn’t something I see AI mastering. Even if a system were trained on generations of astrological observations, interpretation still depends on lived experience. You can only guide someone as deeply as you’ve gone yourself.

Most professional astrologers will tell you there’s an intuitive component to their work. After studying the chart and doing the mental calculations, you sit with it. You let it speak. Early in my career, I spent up to twenty hours preparing for a single consult. Even minutes before a session, I’d be cramming information and wishing for divine intervention. Over time, the process became more fluid, but I still allow at least twenty-four hours between reviewing a chart and meeting with a client. Insights often arrive unexpectedly- in the shower, on a walk, in quiet moments.

There’s also something sacred about the interaction itself. I try not to make assumptions about a client. I meet them as they are, with histories, genetics, vulnerabilities, and unspoken reasons for seeking guidance. Often, what they’re really coming for reveals itself only once trust is established.

Understanding the full complexity of being human- the fear, resistance, longing, and slow pace of change- is something I don’t believe AI can replicate. Unless it were to live many lifetimes as a sentient being, deliberately choosing the frustrations and contradictions of human existence.

And this is why we need each other. Human to human. To reflect, counsel, illuminate, and help one another connect with the deepest, most complicated parts of ourselves.

AI can help people arrive informed. Astrology is what happens when someone is truly met.

xoxo,

S