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Astrology-Based Advice… What Happened To It?
Behind the scenes @ ElsaElsa
isthmus writes on The History Of The Elsa Blog
“Another major change is dropping the advice columns. I think ppl really liked the specific advice based on a person’s astrological signatures. Personally, I miss them!”
Actually they were not dropped. The advice posts died on their own, or more succinctly I allowed them to die because after writing them for two years, I still had to beg for questions.
I never had enough questions of the right quality come in organically. I was only able to keep that feature of the blog going thanks to one of the readers here, Lupa, who would regularly post to message boards where she was liked and respected and ask people to send questions.
After awhile, this just got ridiculous so I quit begging, Lupa and she quit begging her peeps and the rest is history.
In short, I tried very hard. I put my whole heart into it and I did my best in a sustained effort over 2 years but I just couldn’t get the thing to fire.
See the pattern? ::laughs::
33 Responses to “Astrology-Based Advice… What Happened To It?”
Jessica, yes I still post them on the rare occasion I get an appropriate question but there was a lot of pain and punishment that went along with writing those which I’m not apt to invite again.
Basically the questions had to fit certain criteria we had busted our asses to come up with. If the question did not meet this criteria, I had to reject it and a large percentage of people who had their question rejected would write me back to tell me what a cunt I am.
At this point I do not see setting up for that to happen again. Let someone else give it a whirl.
See, the perception of me is very skewed and I don’t seem to be able to do any about it. I mean, I do all kinds of things about it - my character is written in every line on this blog but this is just a feeble thing when you put it up against God’s agenda.
So from my perspective this is like asking,’Hey Elsa! Want to go out there and be stoned some more?”
Ha ha ha.
“No man, I think I’ll pass on that.” 
Aha! I remember sending you a question once that did not meet the criteria, but I don’t believe I did any name-calling in response. 
This makes it an interesting puzzle to me now (Gemini Moon). I thought that the right question was sort of non-personal, but that’s probably not it since I see lots of boyfriend-girlfriend-husband-cheating advice in the archives. Do you think it would help people submit appropriate questions if you posted the list of criteria?
Or just ignore me. I hear ya loud and clear - who wants to get stoned?
I’m sorry it worked out like that. Not much to add, just that your advice was always succinct and well executed and I thought you did great with it.
“who wants to get stoned?”
Exactly.
If I ever do that again with any regularity… if I maintain a publishing schedule the way I did, it will be because I am paid (by someone who can come up with a large enough audience, the questions are there).
In other words there will have to be support. I tried to be self-supporting but I failed so I adapted and I don’t have any regrets.
I asked a question about 3 years or so ago. I guess it matched criteria cause you answered it! With great advice I might add! I did take your advice, and here I am still happy. Thanks for that!
I was going to say this! I found this blog last spring when I was travelling in Asia with loads of time to kill as my friend was in business meetings all the time. I would spend hours going through the archives reading those questions about relationships - I loved them! I found the astrology interesting but your advice on relationships was so sharp - psychologically incisive and straight to the point. I also found it so humorous when you would tell people - ‘it’s going nowhere, deal with it!’ I thought these had gone because so many people were having consultations now to get this advice on a one to one basis.
Sounds alot harder than it looked with all the criteria to think about though…
I asked a question about 6 months ago that didn’t meet the criteria. I did no name calling. I didn’t know about the criteria, but I just told myself not to take it personally and that you must get a bajillion requests for advice. In any case, I’m the first to admit that it was complicated and would have never worked for the format of your blog.
Just for the record, a lot of people did not call names but a lot of people did.
See, I am interested in the sociology aspect of this… how people behave so there was a collateral benefit to being called a cunt, it just exhausted itself.
Glad this came up because I agree with the others here, this was a feature I liked a lot — and what brought me to the site to begin with — and was disappointed when the advice posts went away. I did not know that they died a slow death due to lack of people writing in with questions.
My memory on this could be a little fuzzy, but I was one of those people who wrote in (twice) and got an email ‘form letter’ telling me my query did not meet the format for the website. I didn’t write you to call you a cunt, but I do remember being confused and a little miffed because I wasn’t aware of what the ‘right’ way to ask a question was. I think my questions ran a little long, but you said you had an editor, so I figured that was part of his job if some parts had to be cut to make it work. Other than that, I didn’t know what the magic formula was to get a reply, especially when you were saying at the same time that you were seeking questions.
I also was in a fair amount of emotional angst at the time, which was why I wrote … but I didn’t get the sense that this was taken into consideration in the reply. Maybe there are others like me who are looking for a little relief from their relationship woes (which you were offering in maintaining an ‘advice blog’), only to get slapped down. That’s how it came across to me. Again, I didn’t write back to call you names but a part of me can understand the impulse.
It was especially puzzling because, like Bella, I came across this blog and scrolled through most of the archives to read the letters and responses. So I have a good sense of who wrote previously and what the ‘quality’ of those letters was. And let’s just say that there were plenty of poorly worded and bizarre letters mixed in there, which DID get a reply. So the rules of engagement here were not very clear.
But whatever. I still continued to read because I found it more entertaining (and informative on the astrology) than not.
And to repeat Jessica’s point: Was the criteria for advice letters posted here? I don’t remember seeing it.
So to me, it’s like you were rejecting people for not following rules that were not published or made clear to begin with.
Laura, the criteria was posted and 1000 people understood it without an issue. Apparently you weren’t one of them.
In whatever case your contempt for me comes shining through and I hope I have returned the favor.
I sent in a question and it was rejected for not fitting the criteria. No clue what that meant, so I ignored it…
Where’s the criteria? I’m sure I can hammer out at least one question that fits it since I’m always in need of advice.
I must add that the tone of the form rejection letter is kind of abrupt, like “shame on you for not paying attention to the correct criteria!” It kinda melted some of the luster away from this blog (and Elsa the astrologer) that I enjoy so much. But as someone said above, I didn’t take it personally because it was obviously a form letter.
What Jazzy said. I sent questions that were accepted and answered, and I sent questions that didn’t work and were therefore rejected. Sometimes it was frustrating and disappointing but um… It’s not like I was getting hit with a bill for sending a submission, you know?
Oh, and also… The advice was awesome! But I understand not wanting to go through the difficulties again. The open questions are a pretty good replacement for the straight-up advice, because it opens the floor to different perspectives, whether people know the astrology of it all or not.
Jazzy the criteria is still there under the ask tab up top.
It is/was a form letter and I did not write it.
But really when you are telling someone you are not going to use their letter there is no way to say that without the person registering some kind of rejection. I mean, there is just no way it can be done because if there was a way, we’d have found it. That letter was agonized over but you see the situation here. You can’t please everyone no matter what.
In other words if there was a flowery rejection letter, I’d have gotten just as many “cunt” mails.
“Why don’t you just come out and say you’re not going to use the letter, cunt? I don’t need this motherfucking flowery shit you bitch…”
See what I’m saying?
The point I have tried to make over and over and over that people just can’t seem to grok is this:
I can’t do any better. I mean, I really can’t do any better so telling me I should is fruitless.
Fact is, HQ and I are inordinately nice people…. both very motivated to serve and I am telling you we TRIED. We both worked very hard and the result seems to be two things: Complaints and complaints.
Complaints because your letter was not chosen why or how or complaints because I don’t write the stuff anymore.
Like I said. I tried, and I mean I tried with my whole heart. I tried, I sustained the effort, I failed and all I can say is let someone else try and maybe they will fare better?
I am a fighter downed from relentless pummeling with no desire to get up and that’s just the situation on that.
The upside is the work is still there. I think there are probably 500 posts if not more. It’s really all I can do.
Oh. my. God. I am SO sorry I even asked the question! You clearly said you put your heart into it and were over it already. Apologies - curiosity killed the Gemini moon. Whoopsies. 
This is priceless though: “there was a collateral benefit to being called a cunt”. Hahahahaha. This sounds like…. “Experience: It’s Never Wasted!” 
Elsa, you did good and you still do. If someone gets a fit of the sulks because their question doesn’t get picked, then that’s something they needed to work out with themselves.
(And I say that as someone who DID get fits of the sulks and got my panties untwisted on my own. Because it wasn’t your problem that I was feeling angsty, ya know?)
“You clearly said you put your heart into it ‘
See, that’s right. I said it, I meant it but people still want to scrutinize me and you know what I think?
I think you’d be better off to look at what you did with your heart and leave me to worry about mine. Not you specifically, Jessica, just in general.
I am a human being here that has done LOADS of work for LOADS of people and still I am held up like this and I think it’s STUNNNNNNNING.
I love the way the blog evolves. I liked the advice blogs especially when you answered my questions. But I love the stories and the eye on the sky posts and the trends in the collective.
I LOVE that you got tipped for telling a troll to kiss your ass. Perfect!
I never minded when my questions didn’t fit. I just submitted five different ones until it worked. *laugh* (not really…)
Ok maybe three. Gemini problem solving = keep talking until something interesting happens. Then talk about that.
“Sometimes it was frustrating and disappointing but um… It’s not like I was getting hit with a bill for sending a submission, you know?”
Yeah.
Elsa, don’t worry. We’re not mad at you Ok, I’ll just speak for myself. You don’t owe anyone anything. There are plenty of astrologers who don’t open their mouths (or fingers) for less than $$$.
Now I’m off to read the criteria…
My Saturn in Virgo says “rules MUST be followed!” lol
What does “tipped” mean?
Elsa: is this the criteria that you keep referring to?
“Finally, if your question is too specific to your situation to be broadly relevant/interesting to our readers…”
I read that and typed out a question that I thought was pretty broadly relevant (about general attraction indicators). Now it may not have been interesting…
Oh yeah…I like the blog entries that break down astro basics. Those are really helpful.
Jazzy, tipped means someone donated via the tip jar and on the advice questions, I am no longer asking for them.
Ahhhh. Good for you then Elsa!
Meanwhile, I have to donate $1 for every time I curse in my house. lol
Yeah, I miss reading the advice column, but so what? Elsa, just the other day, I remember feeling a wave of appreciation that you open your daily posts to comment, often using a question to prompt discussion. To me, that alone says so much about your character. Sometimes I participate, sometimes I don’t. But just to know I’m invited in is awe-inspiring. It’s YOUR creation, not ours, but you share. I can only hope to be so generous. So, a big thank you from this corner of the internet universe.
Well I think it’s a damn waste of talent that you can’t have the advice column. PLUS for my own selfish reasons I’m being cheated out of valuable information(double gemini). I always learned something, and now I’m being cheated.
If you can’t handle having a question rejected, you have bigger problems than a blog can help.
I don’t blame you for not doing it, I wouldn’t do it either.
Tam, well look what happened just bringing this up. People can’t see their own ass to save their life but they sure have issues with mine.
There is such a thing a personality disorder and and astrology-based advice is not going to help you with that.
See, the thing is offering this free service does draw a percentage of crazies where as if they have to pay you, they bother someone else.
And my talent is not wasted in the least. It’s just re channeled at the moment and if am really meant to write advice I am sure I’ll be back doing it at some point.
I mean the universe is going to straighten this out without a doubt.
have someone else read the mailbox the rejection letters go through?
i had a heck of a time putting together decent questions. probably how i wrote them, but i think i had a hard time making them general enough…
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Oh, man! I didn’t know this. I love the advice columns too and have many of them bookmarked. If you got a good one every once in a while, would you still do a post in that format? Or does the upkeep of the feature require too much overhead (in thinking, anyway)?