1. Kepler is the most accurate astrology program: Accuracy of all planets is 1 second or arc. The DST information is also updated to the minute. In order for calculations to be correct, not only must the planetary positions be correct, but the time zone and daylight saving time informatin for the place must be correct. Suppose you do a chart for a child born in Venezuela any time in the year 2008 or later. Chances are very good that if you are not using Kepler 7, your software will calculate the chart incorrectly.

If you already own an astrology program other than Kepler 7, try entering this data, and see if your program shows that DST was observed. If not, find out if there is an update from the vendor of the program.

In 2009 and early 2010 we made hundreds of corrections and updates to the time zone and DST tables. Some of the countries that have updated information are: Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Easter Island (territory of Chile), Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Morocco, Netherlands, Russia, Pakistan, Syria, Turks and Caicos, and Venezuela. In addition to updates for recent years, new research by astrologers living in different areas of the world has identified errors for tables going back as far as 1981. Research into legislative records, newspaper reports, and other records continues and as new information comes in, we will continue to update the tables. We are grateful to the dozens of different researchers who provide this information.

Another exampe is a chart for current events in Iran. Iran also recently changed laws regarding DST. Some software reviewers and astrologers may tell you that all of the top astrology programs are equally accurate, but they may want you to think that so they can trade off the pros and cons of different programs.

Kepler is the most accurate program because we update the time zone and DST information regularly as new laws are passed. This requires a lot of work, but we want to make sure that your charts are accurate. If you are using any other software, be especially careful when you do charts within recent years. Our attention to time zone and DST accuracy is not a trivial issue; it ensures that your charts are accurate. Also, there are articles on our website comparing Kepler's calculation of astrological details like stationary times of planets and planetary ingresses with other programs, and Kepler's calculations consistently prove to be extremely precise.

2. Kepler is extraordinarily easy-to-use. As you enter charts and select printouts, they are listed on the right side of the screen. You can rapidly jump between charts and printouts with ease. Kepler users can bring up the information they need quickly and easily.

Also, Kepler is a beautiful program that makes using the program enjoyable. Menus are clearly organized and easy to access. Icons at the top are color-coded to facilitate ease of use, especially for beginners. Even though Kepler has a vast number of features, the beautiful and clear organization makes it easy to access the information that you want.

Here are some of the reasons why Kepler's user-interface is so fabulous:

• Kepler's data entry is faster than other programs. In Kepler you do not have to click an atlas button and start searching for places, or need to enter the state or country first. Just start typing and the places instantly appear. This is super-fast and extremely convenient. Do telephone consultations, including 800-number consultations, talk shows on the radio with actual charts because you can enter the chart data about as quickly as you can type. For extreme speed, use the hot keys, which can be faster than clicking with the mouse, and you can see the chart wheel on the screen extremely quickly.

• Kepler's look-up of names is also extremely fast. You don't need to know if you saved a chart on disk. Just type in the name and it will appear in a list if it is there. You can easily filter out the charts of famous people, etc. Kepler has had these fantastic data entry screen features for over 20 years. Talk to a Kepler user and they will tell you how convenient this is, or click here to see a Demonstration of Kepler.

• One click to select another chart in the current batch of charts: Suppose you have entered a natal chart for Jack and Jill, their composite chart, Jack's progressed chart, and Jill's solar return chart. That's a total of 5 chart entries and all of them are listed in the upper right corner so you can bring up any of them with one mouse click. This feature is not unique in astrology software, but the concept is used to handle prinouts as well.

• One click to select previously selected printouts! Suppose you have viewed a time line forecast for Jack and now you are viewing Jill's time line forecast and you want to bring up Jack's time line forecast again. It takes just 2 mouse clicks, and it so intuitive and natural that you hardly think about it to do it: Click Jill's chart in the list of chart entries in the upper corner, and then click on the time line forecast in the ilst of printouts directly beneath the list of entries. Kepler remembers what you have previously selected. Users frequently tell us that this simple and elegant concept allows them to work very quickly, without stress and hassle. By the way, we are using the term "printouts" here to be the same as "reports"; it is a listing, graphic or other information that you have selected, but you may not necessarily print.

• Progressions, returns, composite charts as easily accessed as natal charts: Suppose you want to look at the AstroMap of Jill's solar return in order to see where she should be on her birthday. Just click on her solar return. Accessing previously selected Solar Return Charts is just as easy as selecting previously selected natal charts. Then select the AstroMap (or click on it in the list of printouts if you already selected it). You can select a BiWheel or chart comparison or other printouts involving 2 or more charts of any combination of charts (natal, progressed, returns, etc.) of any of the people very easily.

• A very smart way to handle overlapping windows: Astrologers sometimes access a huge amount of information, such as chart wheels, forecasting information, interpretations, listings of various kinds, etc. It is impossible to see it all on the computer screen and if you have too many windows they overlap each other in confusing ways. Kepler handles this issue elegantly: there is a graphic window for chart wheels, time line format forecasts, and other graphics, a report window for interpretations and listings, and an AstroMap window for AstroMaps. You can click on the window in the background to bring it to the foreground. You can also select them in the list of printouts and you can easily bring up other previously selected printouts by selecting them in the listing of printouts.

• Also, Kepler opens up another program ("Kepler Workshop") for some printouts, such as the Vedic, ephemeris, sky map, and graphic ephemeris. Kepler is actually 2 programs that are synchronized with each other, allowing you to jump between various groups of information by clicking on "Kepler" or "Kepler Workshop" in the task bar at the bottom of your screen. The combination of overlapping windows and two programs synchronized together, plus the listing of previously selected printouts in Kepler gives you a smart and elegant way to view lots of information and jump between different reports, listings, and graphic printouts quickly and easily.

• Color-coded and well-organized pull down menus: Kepler's menus along the top of the screen are beautifully organized. The blue icons on the left side create new entries, like natal, progressions, returns, composite charts, and relocated charts. These are selections that create a new chart. Next to this are the yellow selections for printing, saving to file, and e-mailing. Next to this are the green icons which select the printouts; this is the largest selection, and on the right are the purple icons for customizing, settings, help, and other features. You can also select words from the pull down menu above the icons and you can use hot keys (Alt + key) if you prefer using the keyboard instead of the mouse. The smartly organized menus give Kepler the ability to provide you a massive amount of information very easily.

• Helpful hints and smartly organized screens: We design screens to be practical and useful, and our effort pays off when you are using Kepler with actual clients. Kepler is not designed to just look good in a demonstration, but to actually perform well when you are analyzing charts, running an astrology business, or conducting research.

  In short, Kepler's user interface is elegant, simple, powerful, and polished so that you can do the work you want to do rather than try to figure out how to do it.

3. Kepler has the most beautiful chart wheels. Not only do some wheel styles have shadowed 3-D glyphs and other enhancements, Kepler has Art Wheels. An Art Wheel is not just a circle with planets placed in it. It is an artistically rendered wheel by a graphics artist. You have 30 to choose from and there is also an optional Art Wheel CD. If your astrology teacher or other astrologer tells you that all programs produce similar wheels, then he or she probably does not know about Kepler's art wheels.

4. Virtually all schools of astrology included in one program! Not only does Kepler have the usual assortment of BiWheels, TriWheels, QuadWheels, progressions, transits, etc. but also classical western and Vedic features. For example, when Kepler produces sapta varga planetary strengths for Vedic astrologers, you can be assured that the calculations were meticulously checked against leading authorities like Charak to ensure their accuracy. Where there are discrepancies in calculations, there are settings for selecting your preference.

The rules for Vedic yogas are very complicated. In developing our list of Vedic yogas, we identified dozens of errors in many books as we worked to ensure the highest possible accuracy. Vedic astrologers, have marveled out how easy Kepler is to use, and features like having a nice scrollable window for whatever varga charts are desired, easily sizing chart wheels (by the way, a fabulous feature when your computer is attached to a projector and you are teaching or lecturing at a conference) make Kepler's Vedic features, just like the rest of Kepler, a pleasure. You can purchase AstroMap, Vedic, Research, and other specialized programs from other companies or get them all in Kepler in an easier-to-use, totally integrated package for much less money. Kepler simply has more features than other programs.

5. Kepler is the most comprehensive research program available anywhere: Kepler's AstroSignature research is fabulous for comparing groups of natal charts, and with over 18,000 charts included, and the easy selection of different categories, you can, for example, easily see if athletes have more aspects to Mars than musicians. With Kepler's powerful AstroSignature feature, you can specify a list as long as you like of specific astrological factors. Over 20 AstroSignatures are already included. You can also do research on individual features if you want. But what makes Kepler really shine is the ability to do AstroSignature forecasting, compatibility, and pairs research. The AstroSignature forecast graphs when a person is likely to be more accident prone or have better athletic performance. Of course you can customize or create your own AstroSignature (combination of astrological factors) with the easy-to-use customizing screens. Is it really possible that a $300 all purpose program really has the most powerful research features? It is true, and this is one of the many reasons why Kepler users love their software. We have found that some software reviewers and other advisors on astrological software do not clearly explain the vast difference between Kepler and other programs. We hate to have to toot our own horn, but we need to get the truth out to you! :-)

6. Kepler has the best AstroMaps. Again, you can purchase an AstroMap program from other companies and spend perhaps as much as you would for the entire program. It would take many pages to convey the depth, elegance, and power of Kepler's AstroMaps, but suffice it to say that the variety of maps, the superb AstroMap Explanations that you can give clients along with the map, the comprehensive AstroMap interpretation that you can produce and also pop up on the screen when clickong on any place, and the 10 different "Treasure Maps" are a few of the extraordiary features.

7. Kepler includes the finest interpretive programs. Although many of our customers purchase optional interpretive reports, you do not need to purchase any to have an extraordinary selection of reports: the Cosmo Natal, Cosmo Compatibility, Cosmo Forecast, Harmonic Highlights, Vedic Report, and the Major Life Themes Report are some of the reports included. Amazingly, some of these reports are provided in Spanish, French, German, and other languages. The Cosmo Natal Report is even available in Japanese.

8. Flexibility to Do What You Want: Translate an interpretive report to a foreign language, or even write your own report from scratch. Totally redesign a chart wheel, setting the size of the wheel and the features you want and the tables you want, including such details as font sizes.

9. MultMedia Interpretation of Your Chart! One of the extraordinary features of Kepler is a spoken interpretation of your chart. While listening to the interpretation, there is background music and an image of what is being described. This is engaging and fascinating. We have seen people be very touched as they experience these readings, even to the point of being brought to tears. We call this interpretation the Live Mini Reading. With Kepler you step into the future and you step into a world of features that are not included in other programs. Some software reviewers and astrologers neglect to tell you about these extraordinary features of Kepler. We have a team of people who have dedicated decades to bringing you the very best astrology software in the world, and we have priced it as absolutely low as possible. I do not know how long we can keep up giving so much for so little, but take advantage of it while you can.

10. Kepler is not only for professional astrologers to us but also the best program for learning astrology! Kepler's Avalon lessons feature has been praised by many of our beginning to intermediate level users. One person told me that her teacher is amazed at how she knows so much, sometimes surpassing even the teacher's knowledge, even though she started the course with little background. This customer said that her teacher does not know her "secret weapon": Kepler's astrology lessons. With interactive exams and a clear development of ideas, you can really learn on your own. This is not just a collection of articles; it is a step-by-step learning program. Also included in Kepler is the AstroEncyclopedia feature that provides the ability to look up and read about various topics in astrology. If printed out, the AstroEncyclopedia would be over 1,000 pages; this is a valuable resource to have. Kepler is not just a program for obtaining calculations; it is a rich set of resources and tools for professional astrologers and students of astrology.

11. A Free Chart Wheel Service Online! Another extraordinary feature for those who own Kepler and at least one interpretive report is that we provide you a free 24-hour online chart service that you can link to from your website. The free online chart service may contain some of the interpretive reports that you have purchased as well, which people visiting your website can purchase.We do everything for you: our Internet server does the work, we charge the credit cards, etc. If you have a website, put a link to your free chart service. Kepler is a 21st century program with this Internet feature, the Live Mini Reading, and other cutting edge features.

12. Graphics Library: Kepler includes hundreds of graphic images that can be included in many of the interpretive reports produced from the Kepler program. These beautiful images were developed by astrologer artists.

13. A Superb Help System and Excellent Customer Support: When you click on "Help" in Kepler you enter a world of information that would take thousands of pages to print. You can click on the "Index" button to get information about the topic that you are interested in, or you can follow the links in the well-organized screens. The huge Help system is organized so that you can find information quickly, and there are links to Kepler's AstroEncyclopedia feature that allow you to learn about the technique or astrological concept as well as obtain information on how to select or use a feature in the program. We also have a well-deserved reputation for having the best customer support in the industry.

14. Kepler is always improving. Our passion is astrology software. When a person is passionate about something, they do it regardless of what the monetary or other rewards are. Kepler is always improving. You can expect major leaps forward every several years from Cosmic Patterns. We don't rest on our laurels. We believe in moving astrology forward to a new level by having more sophisticated astrology tools. Those customers who purchased Kepler in the early 1980's and have stayed with us are glad they did, as they have found that we are dedicated to improving our products. The first version of Kepler came out in the early 1980's and we pioneered many breakthroughs in astrology software since then, and we will continue to do so in the future.

15. Technical Sophistication: Not every astrologer needs technically sophisticated features such as correctly calculated rotated parans or direct distance aspects to fixed stars, charts in right ascension, or midpoints in declination, but some do. As we improve all aspects of Kepler, we keep pushing forward on specific technical calculations for the very advanced technical astrologer as well.

16. Most important of all: Information, not just data, for the practicing astrologer: This might be the most important feature of all. Many features of Kepler are designed with the consultation of practicing astrologers. Kepler is not a hodge-podge of calculations. We work to provide useful information that is organized the way that astrologers need it. For example, the time line forecast allows you to see what transiting and progressed influences are in effect for a month or up to a year with ease, and you can easily control whether outer planets are included, or parallels of declination, midpoints, minor aspects, etc. The asteroids wheel with a selection of over 1,000 asteroids included, etc. are all features designed to bring you the information that you need as a practicing astrologer. We are grateful to the many astrologers who consulted and advised us on the details needed to improve the grpahic ephemeris, classical western features, for example. Every astrologer works differently and we cannot develop a program that suits only our personal preferences. Kepler is an excellent program for beginners and hobbyists as well, but we give special attention to developing tools that are useful to the professional. A feature can sound good on paper but be awkward to use in actual practice. We are focused on developing a program that really works for you in practice, not that just sounds good in an advertisement.

• Kepler is a Total Resource Regardless of What Your Interest in Astrology Is! You willl never outgrow this program!

The Dream: A Program For Every Astrologer! Why is Kepler only $300? What is the gimmick? Why do we do this? If Kepler's research features are the best, why not charge $200 or more just for this? The same question could be asked about Kepler's AstroMaps, Art Wheels, online chart service, Vedic features, etc.

Our goal is to make Kepler available to as many people as possible. Many astrologers do not have lots of money. If you are a professional astrologer, we have designed Kepler to be a program that will benefit you even if you own another astrology program. With a vast number of features at a low price, Kepler is a resource that can benefit you even if you are primarily a Vedic astrologer using a particular Vedic program, or a modern psychological astrologer and you like to Keep It Simple and do not need lots of technical features. With the vast number of features in Kepler, you are likely to find that Kepler provides you something that you will want to bring up at various times in your work, studies, or research. Like every business, we need to have enough revenue to support the business. We have been able to do this, although business people have advised us that our company would bring in more revenue if our prices were higher and more in line with industry standards.

* Why have I not heard about Kepler's extraordinary features before? If you haven't heard about them before, it might be that you have talked to an astrologer who simply does not know. Although we create great software, wbeen a bit shy about telling people clearly how Kepler stands head and shoulders above other programs. We may be the developers of the best software but we may not be the best marketers. In this article, we are breaking out of our shyness to tell you the truth about Kepler! :-)

Almost all astrologers know about Kepler and they know that Kepler users tend to be happy and enthusiastic about their Kepler program, but many have not investigated to find out what Kepler really is capable of. Some astrologers and software distributors, upon discovering Kepler, fortunately, become wildly enthusiastic and become strong promoters of Kepler. However, there are also some astrologers who evaluate Kepler on the way Kepler was 10 years ago or more rather than comparing the programs as they are today, or who have just not looked into the matter. Not to get too psychological here, but some software vendors and reviewers may unconsciously wish that they could compare and contrast different programs as if they were all relatively equal because that makes their job of consulting you on which program to purchase more important, but in reality Kepler has evolved to a level of sophistication that is unparalleled. Also, astrology is a vast field. A complete software implementation of just one school of astrology, such as, for example, the Huber system or the Uranian system, is a massive undertaking. No one program will have every single feature in every other program, and there are specialized programs for specific schools of astrology that sometimes can be helpful to the professional astrologer. If Kepler was perfect, we would not be costantly improving and expanding it. Most astrologers, though, are likely to find that the only astrology software that they need is Kepler. You can purchase separate research, Vedic, AstroMap programs, etc. from other programs and spend over $1,000 for all this, but Kepler has it all in one beuatifully integrated program for a retail price of just $300. Some of our customers who own thousands of dollars of calculation software from other programs as well tell us that they are still amazed that Kepler has so many features that are not in any of the other programs. Do research all software available. The higher quality astrology software costs hundreds of dollars or more, and of course you want to choose the best program. After you do this I think you will agree that Kepler is the best choice, and for professional astrologers who already own other software, purchasing Kepler can be worth the price to obtain many features not available in other programs.