Crushable Interview: The Astro Twins

“Identical twin celebrity astrologer” sounds like the dream job of a 10-year-old only child. But for Ophira and Tali Edut, better known as the AstroTwins, it’s their life.

The sister astrologer duo take a very methodological approach to astrology. They have worked with celebs like Beyonce and Sting, and their forecasts appear in Elle, Lifetime and on Sirius/XM radio. Using a person’s birth date, as well as the time and their location, the twins work up an astrological chart by mapping the exact location of the planets when you were born.

The chart reads like a cosmic road map – of your strengths, weaknesses, past life experiences, and lessons you’re meant to learn in this one. They can forecast periods of peace and prosperity in your life, and help to explain times of conflict and change.

Tipped off to their existence by a friend, I decided to get the low down on how they became astrologers,  ask some questions about astrology that I’ve always wondered, and get my own reading.

How did you (both) become astrologers?
Very much by accident. It was back in 1993 or so. We were studying art and publishing at the University of Michigan when Ophira’s then-boyfriend gave her a natal chart as a birthday present. That’s a horoscope wheel that maps where all the planets were at the moment of a person’s birth, and tells an in-depth interpretation. Since we’re twins born 4 minutes apart, we have the same chart, so we were fascinated to read this bizarrely accurate summary of ourselves. Honestly, it was the most insightful thing we’d ever read, and we were like, how could someone know this?

Shortly after that, we got some free software to cast charts, and began doing that for all our friends. We would read the interpretations of their Moon or Venus sign from various books. But we both have photographic memories, so we’d remember everything we read, or nearly every person’s sign we ever talked to about it. So we became this fun party trick/carnival act — identical twin astrologers! — and friends started calling us The AstroTwins. A few years later, we were in New York, and a friend introduced us to the editor of Teen People. We wowed her with our twin shtick and got our first magazine column. It just took off from there.

What do you do when you disagree on a forecast?
We rarely disagree, but we might have slightly different interpretations. That’s how we learn — it’s cool to hear how someone else would analyze a forecast.

What’s the difference between an astrologer and a psychic?
Astrology uses mathematical angles and is based on the time, date, and place of a birth or an event. It measures things down to the second! Psychics make their forecasts based on clairvoyance, intuition, or things that can’t be learned or quantified in the same way. But there’s intuition and forecasting involved in both, and some astrologers go out on just as much of a wacky limb with their predictions.

What training/certification is out there for would-be astrologers?
There’s an astrology university called Kepler College that offers a BA in astrological studies and certificate programs. There’s also the AFA (American Federation of Astrologers) at astrologers.com, which has a whole accreditation program. It’s intense! They want you to get out the pencils and paper to hand- calculate the charts instead of relying on the computer. Personally, we haven’t gone to that level of training — we’re mostly self-taught, from books and looking at hundreds of charts over the past 20 years.

How do you see the role of astrology in people’s lives?
When done right, it’s an amazing tool for timing. For example, some periods are good for taking action around career or love, while other cycles are better times to do inner work, or take that steady paycheck. Our private clients come to us when they feel stuck at a crossroads, and are kind of paralyzed there because they’re afraid to make the wrong move. So we help them understand the timing of everything, and what would be the best next steps to take, so at least they get into action again. People really waste years from this fear of making a mistake!

What are the signs of a quack astrologer?
Someone who can’t explain WHY s/he is intepreting something a certain way. Astrology is based on planetary movements and the angles planets form to each other (called aspects). So a legit astrologer could explain and give a range of dates for any forecast.

How does one go about finding a good astrologer? It’s not really something you can look up on Yelp…
Word of mouth referrals are probably the best way to avoid blowing $100 on Madame Zorba…oh, and that extra $50 for her healing crystals to remove a curse. Oh brother. You actually MIGHT be able to look an astrologer up on Yelp. The AFA website lists accredited astrologers around the world, too.

Do people under the same sign really tend to exhibit the same traits?
Absolutely! There’s a range, sort of a cosmic Kinsey scale, but definitely within that spectrum.

What’s the biggest “Whoahhh…” moment in your careers?
We’ve had many! We’ve walked into meetings and guessed the sign of everyone around the table. We’ve predicted a few elections and presidential candidates. We’ve even walked up to people and guessed their exact birthdays! Ophira’s first words to our friend Vinnie were “November 8th.” That was his birthday and she somehow just knew it. We’ve been scaring him ever since. Sometimes, we just get a strong feeling!

What would you be if you weren’t astrologers?
We’d work in design and publishing, like we always have. We actually have had a web design agency for many years called Mediarology, and we built our own website. It’s something we keep on the back burner because it’s important to keep those skills sharp for our own business.

What’s the best sign? No, really..tell us..
We kind of have to root for our own sign, right? Team Sagittarius!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The AstroTwins

Identical twin sisters Ophira and Tali Edut, known as The AstroTwins, are the founders of Astrostyle.com and the authors of multiple bestselling astrology books. Their horoscopes reach millions here and through their resident astrologer column at ELLE Magazine.