A cynical rant about the state of Pop Astrology
January 7, 2009 by Jeffrey Kishner
I’m having a moment. Perhaps the retrograde station of Saturn opposite my natal Venus is “making” me question my values.
But hear me out.
I’ve been doing this Relationship Blogging Thing for more than two years. A lifetime, I know. And I feel guilty. Guilty of supporting the status quo, of perpetuating the Popular Astrology Industrial Complex.
You know all those books at Barnes & Noble on dating and astrology? I’ve tried reading them, and I get bored after reading through Taurus. There is a hunger out there for information on astrology and relationships, but most of the food at the buffet is total utter crap.
And I suspect I have been offering you a plate of stale potato chips.
Not totally — there are posts I am proud of — but I often feel I am writing for page views. I don’t publish something if I haven’t had a good time writing it, but am I offering anything new?
It’s not realistic to think that Sasstrology will break new ground, but I’d like to at least challenge readers to look at relationships in a different way, not to offer pre-packaged stereotypes and half-truths.
Transiting Venus entered my Seventh House last night, and I had a new experience. I allowed myself to be receptive to “the moment” in way that I hadn’t before, because I am usually too caught up in my agenda. In the meantime, the transiting Saturn-Uranus opposition has been challenging me to outgrow old relationship patterns, as it is straddling my natal Venus-Pluto opposition.
As I change, the blog must change — if I am to have any integrity. Yet being “on the path” is a challenge, as I also want this blog to grow and prosper. Serve fast food to get millions of page views … or cook a gourmet meal for those who want to be truly nourished?
I’m sure in my lighter moments I will be fine offering the occasional bacon cheeseburger on a bun, because sugar and fat meet our primal needs. But right now, I’m on a health kick.
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Jeff,
I wouldn’t be so quick to label your content as a “plate of stale potato chips”.
I know first hand how frustrating it can be to keep coming up with fresh material and then present it in a way that appeals to a broad base of readers. None of it is easy, from writing material to building a reader base.
I think you should be proud of the community you’ve built here. Many people are involved and interested in what this blog has to say. The truth is many people are here because the content appeals to them.
If you think the content lacks depth, then by all means put up some more complex posts, mix up the complexity level. But by all means keep what works.
Thank you for the Aquarian perspective. I am currently mired in emotional angst, but I am sure it will lift.
aww jeffy boi.
see, i’ll give u advice I got from a super sugar and fat loving friend, who happens to be fat.
he’s a designer, just like ur site; with the endless codes, this man toils and sews and sews sun up to sun UP… yes.. he sews and fits them on models and sews some more.. (to make a living of course) but he has a passion for it.
once, he went to show his collection to some potential clients.. and because he’s a fast food lover.. (and I mean it) they told him to his face:
“we’ll buy your clothes way before we buy your image”
u believe it? it sent me up the all.. experiencing what ur feeling now.
regurgitating useless mumbo jumbo to people to get by which in turn keeps everbody in the same position theyre at. it does nothing so beat em where u can by making the most of it…
its what my friend said to me. he said “my clothes will improve and I will grow… and these mothaf*ckers will sho nuff b tryin to buy my image next season. I aint worried about them…”
yes, my friend was also slightly ghetto fabulous.
thats why I, my dear friend, advise u to raise ur middle fingers to the world and do as u please. : )
there.. problem solved.
have u looked at dr.standley’s website? idk where she gets her sources from or how awesome it is but its jam packed with tons of stuff. maybe u could get some ideas if ur not feeling content aside from the ’sunday paper horoscope’..
anywho, its 2009 buddy. all that “not performing up to par” stays there.
this year its not about that. its about your personal best.
make it happen.
and in case “there” isn’t clear.. I mean there. in the post.
fo sho.
im gonna make a group later that will be dedicated specifically towards positive thinking and I think u would benefit much from it.. I don’t think the lilith one would b for u but the other might raise ur spirits bud.
u need to think jupiter
Jeffrey, I don’t know how to put this into words, but i’m gonna try.
I came to this site (well, SS) because of you!
Somehow or other I became aware of you in my travels, and i came to realize that here is a person that i can respect what they say. I don’t know where i first saw you online, or how long it’s been, but i always look forward to reading what you have to say.
Wait a sec, ur a Virgo rising! hmmm, being a little nitpicky and dissatisfied, eh?
oops, typo – should have been (SC)
@steamyweenie, thanks for the pep talk
@ watergirl – indeed I am Virgo Rising, and Saturn just went backwards in my First House — I think it’s affecting me pretty deeply, maybe showing up as being extremely hard on myself. I’ll get out of it in May
Serve gourmet food, please
Yay! I’m proud of you!
I think… you need to kick it up in the way that you want to. Don’t serve the status quo. The status quo will catch up to you.
And no matter how horrible that papyrus font for “seduction central” was, the blog still had its FUNK. And I want that hererererere.
Also, my opinion (I know this should’ve been in another post). I had some Jack and Ginger this evening.
I feel like the first page acts too much like a headline in the front of the news paper. I loved the value put on readers comments, kick ass writers, AND burrowed images from random flickr page, and I wanted to see MORE of that. It had more of a community feel. That was what I loved. PEOPLE. RANDOMNESS. Here, I feel it got too organized and commercialized really quick. I don’t want another tarot.com. I don’t want another ivillage.
@May, I appreciate your honesty.
I still put value on reader comments on every page but the home page; I still feature kick-ass writers; and I’ve been using stock photos instead of Flickr, mostly to save time searching for images to feature on the home page.
It was indeed my intention to make the home page look like an internet magazine rather than a blog. I wanted it to look sleek. I felt that SC looked amateurish, and believe that Sasstrology is more likely to grow if it looks professionally-produced.
However, I’m not aiming to be another astrology.com (iVillage) or tarot.com. For one, I still maintain a personal voice here (Jeff’s corner) where I rant about whatever’s bugging me — which you won’t find at a major astrology portal. Two, the content here is still pretty tightly focused on relationships and sexuality. Three, this is still a one-person operation with a few paid freelancers, attracting just a small portion of the audience that these other websites get.
Do I want Sasstrology to be as popular? Of course I do. But I still insist on maintaining a high editorial standard, even if a post is about seducing a Taurus.
Now matter how this site looks, I still believe it has FUNK. And, especially with transiting Uranus conjoining my MC ruler, I will be chafing against the status quo … yet also trying to be practical (Saturn opposing my MC ruler), which means offering content that attracts a wide audience.
This place is a work-in-progress. I cannot believe it’s not even three months old. I’m basically trying to manifest a vision here, and appreciate any feedback to help mold it to meet readers’ needs while still (at least occasionally) challenging their perspectives.
Hi Jeff,
Don’t be so hard on yourself. We all walk that fine line, in an effort to be of service to as many as possible–and you do it with humor and honesty, both in short supply.
In short supply elsewhere, that is!!
@Julie, thanks. By the way, you can hawk your URL here anytime
I’m having one of my emotional Scorpio moments when the shock of truth cuts through the Age-of-Pisces BS fog. ‘How To Tell A Bastard By His Sun-sign’, ‘Go Put Your Strengths To Work’ (Buckingham), and ANYTHING by Ayn Rand cause these revelations. I Googled “cynical astrology” and this site was #1. I love this blog because I have been reading this same namby-pamby booo-zhee crap since the Reagan era (there’s your reason, by the way: I’m a bookseller, so I appreciate that publishers have to make profits). Have you noticed that humorous “dark astrology” books are closer to the truth? Read Crowley!