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Bobbe Bramson's avatar

Well said as always, Frederick. And I KNOW it's well said because YOU wrote it! I'm an ageist as well, because, you know, life experience DOES count for something, even if our culture has us drawing big and little hands on a mandala at 65 to prove that our brains are still working and can tell the time. Thanks for the John O'Donohue quote...I hadn't known that one, but it is priceless.

Frederick Woodruff's avatar

John always delivered. Gone waaay too soon. Thanks for your comment, Bobbe

Marie P.'s avatar

It's time someone took on the glut of subpar astro babble. Like you, I can tell when I'm reading something where AI has meddled with the construction. And I am seeing more and more of it on Substack. Can you imagine what that astrologer would be like to have a reading from? I'd love to see you do a post in the future where you recommend some of the astrologers that you enoy reading. I think we'd all value something like that coming from you. Thanks, again, Fred.

Frederick Woodruff's avatar

Thanks Marie, that's a great idea. I'll pull a post together like that with suggestions for my readers.

carolyn lewellen's avatar

And I can tell when the M.D. used AI to write my clinic notes. Same cook book style.

Frederick Woodruff's avatar

Oh, its incoribible! 🩺

Eva Sylwester's avatar

I got into writing horoscopes in my mid-30s. I'm glad I didn't get that job in my 20s — I wouldn't have had the life experience to be good at it when I was younger.

After I lost my horoscope writing job to AI, I started retraining as a tax preparer at age 39. I at least had the benefit of filing my own taxes as a self-employed freelance writer for several years before I started the formal tax course.

Some people do pass the Oregon tax preparer exam in their early 20s and go from there. It's hard for me to imagine doing that job with that little life experience, but the problem is that everyone has to be 25 somewhere.

Frederick Woodruff's avatar

Fascinating path, Eva. I'd imagine all the pubs, or most of them that are still active, are using AI to do the scopes.

You might have dodged a bullet, though, as I've heard from old time sun sign writers that it begins to erode brain cells.

And such an intriguing shift from astrology to tax returns. Thank you for your comment.

Hadley's avatar

Frederick, thank you for this. It was pure gold for my ageist soul.

Frederick Woodruff's avatar

The Grampaw and Granmaw revolution is here! Thanks, Hadley

Monica in SoCal's avatar

Try asking ChatGPT to draw your chart. The results are good for a pitiful laugh.

Frederick Woodruff's avatar

I did that last year, it had my Scorpio moon in Gemini. How in the fuck can that happen when it had birth time, and all the rest. And to think people are trusting it for accurate charts.