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Joan McEvers
ONLY WAY TO LEARN ASTROLOGY, volume 2: Math & interpretation techniques - Marion March & Joan McEvers, $14.95
 Contents:
Acknowledgements; Index of horoscopes; Foreword; Preface;

Part 1: 1. General rules, tools needed, "do you have a computer?"; 2. Formula how to find the house cusps; 3. Formulas to correct the planets; 4. Tips for computer users (and safeguards for all, whether computer generated or manually done);

Part 2: Introduction: steps to refine delineation; 5. Standouts - lack of elements, lack of quality, lack of house emphasis & unaspected planets; 6. Standouts continued - lack of a specific aspect, configurations & final signature; 7. Retrograde planets; 8. Intercepted signs & houses; 9. Mutual reception, final dispositor, chart ruler, planet in high focus; 10. Chart patterns; 11. The overview of the chart; 12. Decanates & dwads; 13. The lunar nodes; 14. Delineating the house cusps; 15. Aspects to ascendant & midheaven;

Part 3: Introduction: steps to give you further insight; 16. Planets in oriental appearance, the prenatal eclipse, the vertex; 17. Arabian Parts; 18. Fixed stars & critical degrees; 19. Odds & ends; 20. Steps to delineation. Appendices.

Comment: From the Preface:

Part I in this book provides the mathematical tools to calculate the horoscope, with or without a computer. Part II provides tools to refine your interpretive ability to enable you to find some of the less obvious areas in the horoscope. Part III provides tools to gain further insight, by showing you some of the sensitive points in each chart - the icing on the cake.

The second in their outstanding series of comprehensive teaching texts. (Regrettably, volumes 1 & 3 are now out of print January 29, 2007.)

ACS Publications, 271 pages.


THE WEISER GUIDE TO PRACTICAL ASTROLOGY - Priscilla Costello, $12.95

Contents:

Acknowledgements
Introduction by James Wasserman (series editor)
A brief overview

Part 1: The theory of astrology:
1. The planets: the first place
2. The signs: the second place
3. The houses: the third place
4. Aspects: the fourth place

Part 2: The pratical application:
5. Understanding a chart
6. Example: Oprah Winfrey's chart

Conclusion
Bibliography

Comment: Despite the small size, or perhaps because of it, a fairly solid book. There are few diversions & the actual delineations (the cookbook sections) are succinct & to the point. Aspect delineations are divided into harmonious and disharmonious, which sort of kind of works. I would like to have seen conjunction added to that, but on the other hand, one can always get a good book on aspects as a supplement. Charles Carter's comes to mind.

Weiser, 141 pages.


THE ULTIMATE ASTROLOGER- A simple guide to calculating & interpreting birth charts for effective appliction in daily life - Nicholas Campion, $15.95

Contents:

Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. The Planets: Ten major planets; Minor planets; The asteroids; The planets, their associations & meanings
2. The Zodiac
3. The Planets in signs
4. The twelve houses
5. The planets in the houses
6. Calculating the horoscope
7. The aspects
8. Interpreting the aspects
9. Natal astrology
10. Prediction: transits & progressions
11. Relationships & the comparison of charts
12. Horary, electional, mundane & financial astrology
13. Medical astrology
14. Astrological gardening
15. Indian astrology
16. Chinese astrology
17. Becoming a professional astrologer

Resources
Glossary

Tables: Ephemeris, 1960-2010; Sidereal time (master table, individual years, 1960-2007); Tables of houses (0 - 60 degrees, in whole degrees); Sun-sign changes, 1960-2010 (format: date - sign - time); The longitude equivalent in time; The accleration on the interval; Daylight tables for the UK & US.

Comment: With appendices, the book proper ends on pg. 180. The remaining 113 pages of Tables comprise an ephemeris, 1960-2010, a table of houses, and miscellaneous other minor tables (see list above). With the inclusion of forecasting, synastry, electional, horary, mundane, medical, Indian & Chinese chapters, the result is a book with lots of data but little depth.

Hay House, 293 pages.


ASTROLOGY FOR YOURSELF: How to understand & interpret your own birth chart - Douglas Block & Demetra George, $19.95
 Contents: Figures in this book, Tables in this book, Exercises in this book, Acknowledgments, Introduction

Part 1: Learning the basics:

1. Introducing the zodiac
Astrology as a language of energy
The building blocks of the zodiac: element, polarity, modality, orientation
A final synthesis: writing your sun sign interpretation
2. The structure of the birthchart
How to read your birth chart
Reading your planets by sign & house position
An overview of the alphabet: keywords for the planets, signs & houses
Summary of the astrological alphabet
3. Writing your personality profile
The Sun, Moon & ascendant
The four angles in the birth chart
The planets in the birth chart: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn
The trans-Saturnian planets: Ambassasors of the galaxy: Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
The asteroids & Chiron: Chiron, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta
The new asteroids in the birth chart: Psyche, Eros, Lilith, Toro, Sappho, Amor, Pandora, Icarus, Diana, Hildago, Urania
4. Work signs & love signs
Astrology & your vocation: Sun sign careers, the work houses
Astrology & your relationships: My birth chart's love potential
Compatibility & connectedness

Part 2: Digging deeper:

5. The birth chart as a whole
Hemisphere emphasis
The Moon's nodes
The Part of Fortune & Moon phases
Retrograde planets & intercepted signs
6. Planetary patterns
The planetary aspects
How to locate the aspects in the birth chart: Interpreting planetary asepcts
Astrological timing: Astrological transits, Looking at transits in a birth chart, Interpreting transits in the birth chart
7. The applications of astrology
Astro-psychology, Vocational astrology, Synastry: the astrology of relationships, Medical astrology, Astrology & child rearing, Electional astrology: the art of timing events, Mundane astrology, Astro-economics, Historical astrology, Horary astrology
8. Looking inward
Discovering what I've learned

Appendices: A. Keywords for signs; B. Keywords for the houses; C. Keywords for the planets; D. How to obtain a computer printout of your chart; E. Martin Luther King Jr. birth chart; F. A planetary emphemeris, Mars-Pluto, 1932-2000; G. Progressions

Bibliography.

Comment: This is a workbook, designed to help you teach yourself how to interpret your chart. For the signs & houses, it relies primarily on keywords in the appendix. Planets & asteroids get more extensive treatment.

Workbook entries go like this:

The Sun: Keyphrases:
My source, center, will, vitality & life force
My potential for creative self-expression
My ability to focus my talents & realize a life purpose

1. My planet the Sun is in the sign of ____________________ (from Table 2)
My Sun sign represents my purpose, will & power. I can best express this potential by fulfilling ________________ (keywords from appendix A)
When I am using these sign qualities skillfully, I tend to be _____________, ___________, or _______________ (from appendix A)
However, when I'm using these signs qualities unskillfully, I may be ____________, ___________, or ____________ (appendix A)

[etc.]
If this approach appeals, then this book will work. First published in 1987 & not updated, which means many of the books in the extensive bibliography are no longer available (alas).

Ibis Press, which is Nicholas Hays, which is RedWheel/Weiser, 254 pages, oversize.


PERSON TO PERSON ASTROLOGY: Energy factors in love, sex & compatibility - Stephen Arroyo, $18.95

Contents:

Preface
Author's note: A personal invitation to the reader
Important guidelines for those new to astrology
Introduction

1. Compatibility & the language of relationships
2. Should I really take astrology seriously?
3. Love, sex & relationships: Throughout history & today
4. Astrology in the 21st century: A new viewpoint
5. How astrology amplifies our understanding of the energy interaction between people
6. The four elements, the twelve signs & the rising sign
7. The Moon: The moods we live with
8. Mars & Venus: Not all men are from Mars & not all women are from Venus
9. Venus in the fire signs
10. Venus in the earth signs
11. Venus in the air signs
12. Venus in the water signs
13. Mars in the fire signs
14. Mars in the earth signs
15. Mars in the air signs
16. Mars in the water signs
17. "Aspects": The energy interactions between planets
18. Using astrology & chart comparisons wisely & realistically

Appendices:
A. Astrology, a language of energy
B. Chart calculation services
C. Moon sign tables, 1927-2000
D. Venus & Mars sign tables, 1927-2000
E. Tables for estimating the ascendant (or rising sign)
F. Bibliography & abbreviations used in the text

About the author.

Comment: While the book says it's about relationships, there is almost nothing in the book actually comparing one chart to another. As the book is otherwise introductory in nature, I have put it here.

Throughout the book, Arroyo illustrates his writing with responses from his own questionnaires that he has collected over the years. Continuing a trend he first started in his book on Jupiter, Arroyo also liberally sprinkles his text with materials borrowed from other authors. In the Jupiter book, he borrowed from Charles Carter, who, having died in 1968 as a very old man, did not object strenuously. In this book he has continued this practice, borrowing from his own works, in addition to those by Grant Lewi, Lois Sargent, Ronald Davison, Debbi Kempton-Smith and some 25 others. Many, like Ms Kempton-Smith, still living. These borrowings were without permission (none are given in the book), and, in at least one case that is known to me, expressly against the author's own wishes. So it is reasonable to conclude the publishers of this book, Frog, Ltd., which is part of North Atlantic Books, of Berkeley, CA, are going to see a pack of attorneys sometime soon.

Arroyo doesn't actually need these borrowings to make his points, but if he, like chefs everywhere, wants to flavor his stew with selected spices, he must still pay for those spices. What he borrows from Lewi & Kempton-Smith, to name only two, are their choicest nuggets, after all. I myself am annoyed. Arroyo, when he's not cribbing, is a B-grade writer. Borrowing, whether with permission or not, will not boot him into the front ranks, despite Richard Tarnas's puff inside the front cover, one of two advance reviews for this book. (And why did Mr. Arroyo seek out reviews, rather than permissions? I wonder.) Arroyo only makes the rest of us look bad.

Frog, Ltd., 403 pages.


THE ASTROLOGY BIBLE: The definitive guide to the Zodiac - Judy Hall, $14.95
 Contents:

Introduction
The zodiac
The elements
The qualities & polarities
The planets
The houses & angles
The aspects
Piecing it all together
The unfolding chart
Relationship astrology
Astrology & health
Eclipses
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements

Comment: It was hard to decide if this book was fancy dictionary, or a fancy introduction to astrology. As it is organized with a view to teaching the subject, it got stuck here. In places the writing is quite good. This is lavishly illustrated, with color on every page. Read it, and it will make you feel as if you know something about astrology, but not, alas, enough to actually make use of it. This book measures 5.5 x 6.5 inches.

Sterling Publishing, 400 pages.


ASTROLOGY: THE CLASSIC GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING YOUR HOROSCOPE - Ronald Davison, $10.95
 Contents:
Foreword; 1. Introduction; 2. The zodiac; 3. The planets; 4. The houses of the horoscope; 5. The aspects; 6. Casting the horoscope; 7. Judgement of the horoscope - preliminary considerations; 8. Judgement - particular considerations; 9. Example delineation; 10. Conclusion; Appendix; Index.

Comment: Long one of the most accessible & popular books on astrology, this classic explains the author's famous keyword system for interpreting the birth chart. Keywords for each planet in every sign & house give tremendous insights into personal (often unconscious) motivation, a simple, useful & reliable system. Davison was the editor of the British journal Astrology for many years. He succeeded Charles Carter as the president of the Astrological Lodge of the Theosophical Society.

175 pages including appendix and index. CRCS, paper.


STEPHEN ARROYO'S CHART INTERPRETATION HANDBOOK - Stephen Arroyo, $14.95
 Contents: Introduction; 1. Astrology at the threshold; 2. How to use this book; 3. The four elements & the twelve signs; 4. The planets; 5. The planets in the signs; 6. The ascendant & the midheaven; 7. The houses - interpretative guidelines; 8. Understanding planetary aspects; 9. Guidelines to chart synthesis.

Comment: The usual planets in signs & houses & in aspect to each other, the ascendant, elements, etc. Guidelines to interpretation, rather than explicit delineations.

181 pages. CRCS, paper.


BREAKTHROUGH ASTROLOGY: Transform yourself & your world - Joyce Levine, $21.95
 Contents: Forward, by Michael Lutin; Introduction;

1. The wheel of life
2. Elements or triplicities - your temperament
3. Quadriplicities - your mode of activity
4. The houses - here on earth
5. The Sun - your sense of identity
6. The Moon - your emotions & feelings
7. Mercury - how you think & communicate
8. Venus - your love nature
9. Mars - how you assert yourself
10. Jupiter - what you value
11. Saturn - your work ethic
12. Uranus - your freedom needs
13. Neptune - your idealism
14. Pluto - your inner drive

15. Aspects - how the planets relate to one another
16. Aspects of the Sun
17. Aspects of the Moon
18. Aspects of Mercury
19. Aspects of Venus
20. Aspects of Mars
21. Aspects of Jupiter
22. Aspects of Uranus, Neptune & Pluto.

Comment: This is a basic introduction to astrology, it covers the usual planets, signs, houses & aspects. Delineations of planets in signs are generally good, though she's better with Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus & Mars than with the outer planets. Her descriptions of planets in houses suffers from a weak grasp of houses, however she does manage to distinguish between houses & signs. Planet-to-planet aspect delineations are largely formalistic & should be better. Sextiles are conflated with trines, squares with oppositions. Levine has been a professional astrologer for some 30 years, but nowhere in the book did I sense hard-won, hands-on experience.

Weiser Books, 312 pages.


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 Home Author Index Title Index Subject Index Vedic Books Tarot E-Mail: Dave


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