resources for study ~ all levels

MareSaturni

I mentioned this book in another thread, but I consider it so good I think it deserves to be here too. I wholeheartedly recommend the book Graphic Astrology by Ellen McCaffery to all Astrology students who feel a bit overwhelmed due to the amount of information.

Why? Because it's a book that presents Astrology in a sensible and straightforward way (a rarity nowadays!). It it does not indulge for pages and pages about all psychological possibilities for each planet and every combination, and it does not exaggerate in the personality descriptions. And yet, the book is packed with information written in a very clear and non-dogmatic way... and it's good to read. It's well-written!

The book follows a modern approach (it includes the outer planets and the rulerships/dignities), but it has some information on the Traditional rulerships/dignities. It has a nice chapter on the history of Astrology as well. Also, it does not propagate some common prejudices against certain Sign/Houses/Planets. In fact, the authors tells you to have an open mind about all all parts of the chart, for each of them has a role in our life and universe.

Remember that all twelve signs of the zodiac will be in your own horoscope, so start from the beginning to see the good in each sign, and despise none. Each one of you has a head, even if your Sun does not happen to be in Aries.

So... here's my recommendation. This book is a refreshing read, and a good guide to have in your collection. As a beginner, this book has been very helpful to me, and I hope other will enjoy it too! :)
 

lilangel09

There are numerous blog posts here that will help a person at any level of astrology.

http://www.elsaelsa.com/

If you are a beginner, you may want to look at these in particular.

http://www.elsaelsa.com/astrology/tag/beginners/ [various posts about aspects and etc.]
http://www.elsaelsa.com/astrology/2010/11/26/how-to-learn-astrology-books-for-beginners/ [list of books recommended for beginners]
http://www.elsaelsa.com/astrology/tag/workshop/ [examples on how to read charts]

These links are more helpful in reading charts. You will need a book or a few books, because each planet-to-planet aspect, house placement, and sign placement is not listed there.
 

spinningspider

Steven Forrest

I've just finished reading Steven Forrest's classic, "The Inner Sky," and can't say enough good things about it. The writing is superb...clear, witty, and incredibly interesting. http://www.forrestastrology.com/Books/The-Inner-Sky
I can tell that ALL of Steven's books will be eventually devoured by me in the future. Also, he generously gives a recommended reading list on his site to consider: http://www.forrestastrology.com/reading-list
One by one I've been collecting these books on Amazon and other used book sites/stores, for continued study.
It's my wish to eventually apprentice with Steven, and info on that can be found here:
http://www.forrestastrology.com/stevens-apprenticeship-programs
 

Kathy123

Newbie...

... okay, I have no idea where to start with astrology. I am more interested in learning about the planetary alignments, retrogrades, etc., than birth charts... not sure if they are part and parcel of each other or not, but I would love to know the meaning of mercury in retrograde, etc. Can anyone recommend a b-flat basic book for someone who has never considered anything about astrology before? Thanks.
 

Minderwiz

... okay, I have no idea where to start with astrology. I am more interested in learning about the planetary alignments, retrogrades, etc., than birth charts... not sure if they are part and parcel of each other or not, but I would love to know the meaning of mercury in retrograde, etc. Can anyone recommend a b-flat basic book for someone who has never considered anything about astrology before? Thanks.

There are books/articles that cover Mercury Retrograde (indeed Erin Sullivan has written a classic covering the Retrograde cycles of all the planets). However if you are just starting out. you may find that and other books/articles make assumptions about your knowledge which will be out of line with what it actually is.

At the bottom level you should start with a basic introductory textbook, or at least have one handy if you are going to attempt a more complex work. You might also find a text on Astronomy for Astrologers (there's a work by John and Peter Filbey). Again though I'd say get to know the basics first before branching into that, unless you already have a reasonable grasp of Astronomy.
 

Kathy123

There are books/articles that cover Mercury Retrograde (indeed Erin Sullivan has written a classic covering the Retrograde cycles of all the planets). However if you are just starting out. you may find that and other books/articles make assumptions about your knowledge which will be out of line with what it actually is.

At the bottom level you should start with a basic introductory textbook, or at least have one handy if you are going to attempt a more complex work. You might also find a text on Astronomy for Astrologers (there's a work by John and Peter Filbey). Again though I'd say get to know the basics first before branching into that, unless you already have a reasonable grasp of Astronomy.

Thank you very much for you response, I have NO grasp of astronomy at all. From your response, I am assuming it is Astronomy I want to look at instead of Astrology?

I was under the impression that astronomy is the study of the planets, star clusters and hubble telescopes... more of a science; and Astrology is the birth charts, planets, houses.. more of the divination. However, I may be confused... and this probably isn't the thread for this discussion... thank you for your reply :)
 

spiraling

A good intro. that combines both modern, psychological and classical systems of planetary and sign placements/rulerships is Kevin Burk's Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart.
 

Kathy123

A good intro. that combines both modern, psychological and classical systems of planetary and sign placements/rulerships is Kevin Burk's Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart.

Thank you! I will definitely check that one out!!
 

Minderwiz

Lee Lehman on MP3

I've just discovered a set of MP3 Albums by Lee Lehman on Amazon. These are:

1. Foundations of Astrology 1 - from the earliest natural Astrology to the Hellenistic period

2. Foundations of Astrology 2 - Medieval period from Arabian astrologers to Seventeenth Century

3. Foundations of Astrology 3 - Eighteenth Century to modern day.

4. Foundations of Astrology Refining Techniques - The Soul in Ancient to Medieval Astrology

5. Foundations of Astrology Refining Techniques - Essential Dignities

In the UK these are selling at £7.49 each (including VAT) and can be downloaded from Amazon or kept in the cloud (or both).

I've bought an listened to Volume 1, which lasts for over an hour and is a great complement to Campion's Dawn of Astrology. It's odd to have a talk rather than a book but it's something I began to get used to with Chris Brennan's lectures. She speaks quite quickly at times but I did manage to keep up with her. Newbies may find that they need to replay parts of the track or listen several times before getting her information clear, as there's a lot of it.

Volumes 1-3 are of interest to those who wish to have a good knowledge of the history of Astrology to the present day and therefore put things into context. They will be useful to everyone, no matter what methods or techniques you currently use.

Volumes 4 and 5 are more likely to be of interest to those exploring the Traditional approach or who have an interest in both the medical and indeed magical dimensions of Astrology

The good thing about this series is that the volumes can be bought individually as and when you are interested. You can even purchase some of the tracks separately if you only want information on a specific issue (UK price £0.89 including VAT) This of course allows you to spread the costs and if you are unsure of whether the series will work for you, then buying one album or even one track as a sample will enable you to make a decision before committing any more of your hard earned money :)