Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Beginner Astrology Books and How to Read Them

Hello all,

Before I provide the list, I want to set the stage.  Astrology is a vast and deep field of study, which has, in the study of it, three very broad layers or gates.  The first layer is the data layer, the fundamental information needed to study the craft.  Even this layer has its pitfalls.  Just going in you can choose from Tropical Western Astrology (the most common in the US and Europe), Sidereal Western Astrology (based on astronomical precession of the stars over time - example: my Sun is Aries in Tropical Astrology and it is in Pisces in Sidereal), Vedic Astrology (Hindu/Indian), Cosmobiology (developed to eliminate the House systems from Tropical Astrology, which are numerous), and on and on. Every culture on the planet has some form of Astrological practice. The books I provide in the list below are for Tropical Western Astrology, the kind of Astrology I practice.  In this first layer, the student faces the daunting task of learning vast amounts of information that simply have to be memorized.  You have to have at the tip of your tongue the meanings of all the energy points, signs, and houses.  You have to memorize the meanings of the various aspects that connect energy points.  You simply have to know this information cold if you want to move beyond raw data into useful interpretation.

The second layer or gate is actually the most difficult to penetrate or pass through.  The second layer requires the conversion of the raw data into a meaningful interpretation.  You can look up and write down that a Sun in Aries is a pioneer or individualist and you can look up and write down that a Sun in the 6th House is a person in service to others.  But what do you say about a Sun in Aries in the 6th House ... this person is or should be independent in his or her service to others, meaning s/he should probably work alone and not as a part of team.  His Life Path will focus on work/health issues (6th) and s/he will have to be wary of burning out (the shadow side of Aries drive ... being overdriven).  At some point you have to ENRICH the raw data with meaning, and that skill is the MAGIC of Astrology.  I compare this step to learning a foreign language.  At first you are very conscious of interpretation and you mind goes through the process mechanically until you "smooth" out the back and forth to the point that you refine the translate/translate process until you can no longer "see" the process.  When I look at charts now, I don't see discrete pieces of information, I see the full interpretation.

The final layer/gate is what I like to think of as the "wonder layer;" the vast, beautiful sea of knowledge and wisdom, the quantum theory of the practice.  This layer is the esoteric layer, where the mystery resides, and unfolds, and becomes mystery again.  Some days I am just in awe.

The stage setting is almost complete.  As a former English professor, I have some very clear ideas about how to read books more or less successfully.  Having a reading strategy to approach the beginning books will make them more enjoyable and less daunting. Whichever book you buy, plan to have two items with you when you sit down to read: a copy of your birth chart and a pen (not a highlighter, but you can have one of those as well).  You can get a free copy of your chart at the outstanding website Astrodienst.  The print out will include a legend that tells you which sign each of your energy points are in and then you can see which house based on the numbers inside the pie pieces.  Once you have your chart in hand and you have read the introductory chapters of the book, get your pen out and approach the cookbook part of the book by looking up your chart information only.  Don't read Sun in Aries, then Sun in Taurus, and so on without any kind of personal reference.  Start with your Sun sign and read about it and write your name next to the description.  The move on to your Moon sign and so on through all the energy points.  Next, get a friend, family member, lover, or co-worker to give you their birth data and the repeat the process using their chart.  Do about 10 to 20 of these and you'll find you way through almost all of the data, but with intent (to figure out your friends, family, lovers, and co-workers).

Write everyone's name next to each energy point description.  You may be very surprised to find certain patterns and a lack of patterns.  When I did mine the first time (and have kept adding since) I found most of my friends were fire and air signs, and most of my lovers were Aquarius and Cancer (really, 3 of each, and none of certain other signs), and most of mentors were Sagittarians and Capricorns (not surprisingly).  By reading the book with chart in hand, you will not get drown in data that has no immediate connection in your life.  By noting all the data from the charts that IS MEANINGFUL in your life, you will more quickly absorb the facts and "save" them in your mind's hard drive.

Here is a list of the best beginner books:


If you cannot a good price for some of these books on Amazon, then let me suggest Alibris Books online; they have a great selection of used dealers and you can often find copies at very low prices.  
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