Astrology Explored

March 1, 2008

Star Guide to Weddings: Your Horoscope for Living Happily Ever After by April Elliot Kent 2008 Llewellyn Worldwide– In a perfect world, people would seek out astrologers along with their pre-marriage counseling and get a full reading of the challenges their proposed union would present. As a matter of course, people would choose their wedding date upon the recommendations of their astrologer, thereby minimizing the rate of failed marriages. Take it from someone who chose her wedding day on the basis of astrology, (and the marriage is still strong 16 years later) such a consultation will help minimize the pitfalls and maximize the strengths of the proposed union.

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January 19, 2008

Chiron: Healing Body and Soul by Martin Lass 2005 Llewellyn World Wide

Discovered in 1977, thirty years later, many of us astrologers are just learning to get a grip on this planetary body. Barbara Hand Clow pioneered this work in 1987 with Chiron: Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner and Outer Planets: Martin Lass continues this work with this book.

Occupying the place between Saturn representing the physical world and Uranus, the first step into the higher realms, Chiron gives us the “boost up” to new perspectives. From Lass’s perspective, Chiron sheds light on our psychological wounds, giving us an impetus to heal them. He details Chiron from start to finish from a metaphysical treatise on the myth of Chiron and how to relates to quantum physics to the effects of Chiron on different generations. Yet the material in this book is laid out in a clear, concise and understandable way so that the material is not lost on the reader. The observations of Chiron by sign, house position and aspect are on track and startling in their accuracy. Especially delightful is a chapter on Chiron and past lives, worth the price of the book for this chapter alone.

However, I find the emphasis on Chiron and “woundedness” over done. The truth is all the planets from Saturn on out express a “wound”, a place of pain that is a springboard for growth. Saturn outlines our fears, Uranus marks separation from society, Neptune, what we use for camouflage to hide our imperfections from ourselves and others, and Pluto, the ultimate smack down to wake us up to reality.

However, hunker down with this book and discover the wonderful symmetry of Chiron working in your chart. You’ll be surprised with the insights that you gain into your personality.

Casual astrology readers may be fascinated by the material, but could easily get lost, and the rest of us can benefit from Lass’s insights.

[tags] astrology, Chiron, Martin Lass

January 5, 2008

The Only Way To . . . Learn About Horary and Electional Astrology by Marion D. March & Joan McEvers 1994 ACS Publications

Marion D. March and Joan McEvers have written many popular astrology books, from The Astrologer’s Handbook, to Predictive Astrology and The Astrology of Human Relationships and their six book “The Only Way To . . .” series. With this volume of the series, March and McEvers hit their stride. In one concise volume they adroitly explain horary and electional astrology. For those just learning about astrology, horary is the art of answering a specific question and electional astrology is about choosing the time to initiate an action.

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December 15, 2007

Title: Delineation of Progressions
Author: Sophia Mason
Publisher: American Federation Of Astrologers, copyright 1985
Used to delineate the evolution of an individual and as an addition to predictive techniques, progressions are powerful tools. Though there are several approaches to progressions, the most commonly used are called “Secondary Progressions”. Imagine the placement of your birth planets then move them forward one degree for every year of your life. This is your progressed position for each planet. Progressed as well are your Midheaven and Ascendant.

Progressions illustrate your personal evolution. For instance as your progressed Sun moves from one sign to another, your personality incorporates the qualities of the new sun sign. So carefree, love and leave ‘em fire sign eventually incorporates the more serious aspects of careful, practical earth planet that comes after it, the earth planet loosens up their communication style with the air sign that follows. Progressions are also used as a predictive technique.

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November 14, 2007

True Crime Astrolgy by Edna Rowland, 1996 Llewellyn Publications
Edna Rowland takes on the fierce some task of examining the astro signatures of some of America’s most infamous murders and suicides and does a marvelous job at it. Even after some eleven years after first publication this work holds up well even to the more recent research in these areas.

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November 3, 2007

Time and Money, by Barbara Koval
Llewylln Publications, 1991

Since childhood, you are told that if you work hard and are a good citizen of your community you will be rewarded with financial stability. People who lose their homes do it through financial imprudence. Poor people are poor because they make bad choices. In other words, people going through financial hard times have only themselves to blame. Though not the point of this book, Time and Money illustrates the utter foolishness of this view. With a combination of astrological techniques and sound economic history and theory, Barbara shows us the natural cycles of economic growth and recession and the reasons for it.

Barbara tells us what our economic leaders do not, that our money supply is an artifical construction, grossly inflated by the amount of credit that is put out by financial institutions. She explains how the economy works by controlling the money supply and why the flow of money is cyclic. Once you read this book you’ll understand why the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer.

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October 27, 2007


by Debbi Kempton-Smith
Bantam Books 1982
Of all the dog-eared favorites in my library of astrology books, this one in the top five of all time best astrology books. Confronting the intricacies of astrology when you are first beginning can be daunting. But Kempton-Smith’s writing style is light hearted and fun, sending you on a giggle filled ride of astrological exploration. Here you will find the basic meanings of all the moving parts of astrology, signs, planets, houses, and aspects. There are even handy little ephemerides of the planets, so you don’t have to go running to a computer to run up a chart when a question crosses your mind about, say, your sweetie who you find has Venus in Scorpio. She says about them:

These cookies will put themselves throught the Cuisart of love, but they only have two speeds, fascinated detachment or to hell and back.

You’ll find pithy observations to ponder, charts to pour over, and even a section on Black Magic Astrology. Calm down, its not really black magic, just a section devoted on using the monthly cycles to your best advantage.

After you are done reading this book, you’ll feel like you know absolutely everything there is to know about astrology, which, of course, you don’t. That is the power of this book, which has stood the test of time and still stands out among all the others as a great astrology book.

Casual readers and beginning astrology students will get the most from this book. Intermediate and even advanced astrologers will learn how to have some fun with a subject that we sometimes take way too seriously.

astrology, astrology books, Debbi Kempton-Smith

October 20, 2007

Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George and Douglas Block 1986 ACS Publications

The complex nature of women and our roles in society is reverberated throughout the themes in this ground breaking work of four asteroids associated with female goddesses.

In pre-Hellenistic society a centuries long cultural war was waged between the invading and patriarchal Archaean tribes from the north and the then matriarchal tribes of Greece. In Greece, the Mother Goddess was worshipped in diverse forms and royal lines of succession came from the distaff side. As the two cultures clashed and eventually merged, the power of the feminine goddesses was subverted and reinterpeted to fit within the patriachal framework of the invading peoples. Here we see the origins of centuries long repression and denial of feminine power The fractured nature of today’s vision of feminimity can be traced to this ancient cultural war.

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October 13, 2007


by Mitchell E. Gibson, M.D. 1998 Llewellyn Publications
Heralded on the cover as “An Astrological and Psychiatric Breakthrough”, “Signs of Mental Illness is a scholarly work attempting to lay bare significant markers for mental illness through the birth chart.

The hope and the promise of this book is that it would provide some insight of use to practicing astrologers when dealing with client’s issues. While astrologers are not psychologists, nor pretend to be, it would be helpful to have some definitive information on the mental health of an individual we are working with. However, with this book, we are not there yet.

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October 6, 2007


Author: Carol Rushman
Published: 2002 Llewellyn Publications

Carol Rushman writes about her book:

“This book is a step-by-step system for making predictions. Each chapter is a step in the process. When you have finished the book, you will be able to predict cycle and trends, and give your client about fifteen important dates for the coming year, as well as big events for the next several years.”

Rushman’s book is jammed packed with extrapolations of various kinds of astrological data. It is apparent from the information in the book that she is a very astute astrologer with an excellent knowledge base on which to base her interpretations. But rather being a step by step system for making predictions, it more like a conversation at the dinner table with two astrologers discussing various books they’ve read. Interesting bits and pieces are interspersed with general astrological knowledge on various techniques. Perhaps it would have helped if her last chapter, (rewritten) was her first. That, at least, would set the stage for the information that follows.

However, there are more reasons to read this book than not.

Worthwhile pieces include T-Square interpretation by modality, planets in retrograde motion and house progressions.

This would be a good text for intermediate astrology students, casual readers and beginners would only be lost, advanced astrologers might find it a good read to brush up on techniques.

astrology, predictions, predictive techniques, Carol Rushman

September 29, 2007

book written by Terry Marlowe
published 2003 Adams Media

If you haven’t picked up a copy of Astrologically Incorrect, you are in for fun filled read.

A tongue in cheek analysis of the sun signs, it it chock full of useful tidbits about each of them. Helpful hints include:

How to deal with each of the signs:

For Aries: “maintain the illusion Aries is in charge�

A sign’s Achilles Heel:

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September 22, 2007

The Association for Research and Enlightenment’s website says this about their founder:

“For forty-three years of his adult life, Edgar Cayce demonstrated the uncanny ability to put himself into some kind of self-induced sleep state by lying down on a couch, closing his eyes, and folding his hands over his stomach. This state of relaxation and meditation enabled him to place his mind in contact with all time and space. From this state he could respond to questions . . His responses to these questions came to be called “readings” . . .”

Edgar Cayce had been giving readings on health for about twenty years before the first reading on astrology was given in 1923. “Upon awakening from the first reading, Edgar Cayce was initially surprised and a bit fearful of the answers he had given. In fact, up until that time in 1923, he thought horoscopes were fake.”

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