Don’t Treat Astrology Like It’s Some Joke

In response to Laugh Lines, “Things in the 7th House Are Getting Weird,” Oct. 5): The last laugh is on writer Matthew Smith and The Los Angeles Times, for being so ill-informed as to think astrology is the sun-sign column that appears in every daily newspaper along with the funnies and the crossword puzzle.

Most astrologers have advanced university degrees in a variety of academic disciplines and use astrology as another tool to fine-tune various aspects of their work. For example, Forbes Magazine recently accredited Arch Crawford, a noted financial astrologer whose newsletter reaches thousands from major brokerage houses to individual investors, with having the most successful record for forecasting stock moves in 1994. I could cite hundreds of other verifiable astrology successes, but all would agree that the discipline is far more complex than the simplistic columns found in popular publications.

As for the humor, no astrologer is so thin-skinned that he can’t appreciate some light-hearted kidding, however, there is a significant difference between humor and ridicule.

--CAROL TEBBS

Hacienda Heights