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Title: Astrology: Using the Wisdom of the Stars in Your Everyday Life by Carole Taylor
Details: Copyright 2018, DK Publishing
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "EXPLORE THE ORIGINS OF STAR LORE, UNDERSTAND THE KEY PRINCIPLES, AND DISCOVER HOW TO APPLY ASTROLOGY TO EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE.
Astrology demonstrates how millennia-old techniques can offer a complete system for self-understanding and self-enrichment, as valid today as it's ever been.
Using your birth chart as a starting point, learn how to interpret the zodiac signs, planets, and astrological houses to better understand yourself.
With practical advice and case studies, discover how to nurture your relationships, cope with life's uncertainties, release your imagination, and much more.
MAKE THE MOST OF ALL LIFE'S CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WITH ASTROLOGY"
Why I Wanted to Read It: I've been looking to brush up my astrology, but I knew I'd need a book for beginners. Thankfully, a book list had a series of suggested books and this was one of them.
How I Liked It: I have a confession to make. No, it's not overly verbose frustration at badly written books. It's also not historical nitpicking. You knew those already. And if you've been reading this blog awhile, you'll also know about me that I'm a Witch of some years experience. And here's my confession: while I've happily taken to some subjects Witch-adjacent (tarot cards, mythos, herbs and stones to name a few) there are some with which I've struggled, and astrology is one of them. I'm not just a beginner, I'm someone who's developed a kind of twitchy, annoying reluctance to the subject since I've struggled with it in the past. Could this book help someone like me (namely me)?
The book is laid out in big, colorful, graphic-laden, very simple-to-understand chapters. There's a section giving some of the history of astrology (including the fact that "sun sign" astrology, the most common kind found in any newspaper, was developed in the 1930s and despite its prevalence, many astrologers feel it limited), a section on the Zodiac signs, a section on the planets, on the houses, on your birth chart, on understanding yourself with astrology, and finally on life events. The book also has a glossary as well as additional resources and the book frequently helpfully points back to where earlier topics were explained when they're discussed later.
I freely admit that even with the recommendation that this book was for beginners, I was still nervous and uneasy. However, the book is exquisite. Not only does it have easy to read, easy to understand information, it's laid out not only in a simple way, but in a way that helps you appreciate the beauty of astrology, rather than fear it.
I was honestly surprised at how much knowledge I started picking up and actually retaining, a big first for me with this subject. The gentle and easy to understand style helps make complex premises easy to understand and even fascinating. The book isn't entirely interested with whether or not you "believe" in astrology, so much as here's what astrology actually is (which I greatly appreciate, as I navigate what I personally believe about it).
The book avoids DIY/self-help formulas and traps as well, and I genuinely appreciate the debunking/demystifying aspects when done this way:
Popular books on astrology often convey the idea that certain signs will easily get along and other combinations are a recipe for disaster-- for instance, that two people with their Sun in air signs are compatible, but a couple with different Moon signs are bound to run into problems.
The reality is more complex: a relationship can only be understood in the context of the whole birth chart and the life stories of each person involved. The notion of compatibility is an intricate one and, since relationships are arguably the most powerful medium for our growth and self-development, it is worth considering that we are most drawn toward people who help to catalyze this process in us. (pg 174)
Not just that other popular books are wrong, but exactly why they are wrong so you can learn better. That's actually incredibly useful.
I can't say whether or not this would be any good if you're experienced with astrology, although I do always think it's good to keep abreast of "101" books even if you're an adept at the subject. But I do know that for me, someone for whom astrology discussions previously sounded like a lot of noises whizzing merrily over my head, this book is wonderfully surprisingly excellent on nearly every level.
Notable: One area of the book that could use a touch up, although this could be true of most astrology for all I know, are the Queer issues.
Venus and Mars contribute directly to our picture of sex and romance in the chart.
Venus reflects the classic feminine deities of erotic love, such as Aphrodite, Inanna, and Ishtar- images of the romantic impulse.
Mars reflects the classic masculine warrior deities, such as Ares and Nergal-- fiery and potent.
In the chart, Venus and Mars balance and complement each other and combine to show the seductive, sensuous, affectionate (Venus) and heated, passionate, ardent (Mars) aspects of sexual attraction. We each show these in our different ways according to the placements by sign and house, the aspects that Venus and Mars make to other planets, and the houses they rule in our chart. (pg 181)
I don't know. A claim could be made that regardless of our gender, regardless of our orientation, we all carry forms of this energy, that it isn't necessarily binary and heterosexual.
But holding up and emphasizing woman/feminine/beauty/love paired with man/masculine/war/strength seems a bit tired and I'm sure there's a way it could be made more inclusive, particularly given the prevalence of Queer people in classical mythology (yes, really).
For a man, transits to the Sun or Saturn might coincide with becoming a father, just as for a woman a transit to the Moon (or to the planetary ruler of the 5th house) can coincide with getting pregnant. (pg 211)
Oof. Trans and nonbinary people exist and are interested in astrology, and this isn't very helpful. Again, it's a problem that could go with astrology as a whole, but I feel like this is something again easily made more inclusive to everyone, as astrology is not just for het/cis people.
Final Grade: A
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