..The Astrology bug... I've been bitten!

I've always understood "basic" astrological terms (planets, signs, houses, etc...).. but I've never really studied astrology beyond the surface...

This past weekend, something inside told me to buy some books when I was at Borders...

I have to say - astrology may give the tarot a real run for its money when it comes to my time! I am only a quarter through my first book, but I am *loving* it... I find that it works so similar to my my own mind... While I am creative, I am also very analytical. Astrology offers a mix of intuition and science... It is just 'clicking' with me...

I am really excited to learn more!!!! There seems to be a TON to study.... I'll have to dig through some of the past threads in here when I have some free time!

For those that study both, when do you use astrology vs. when you use tarot?....

dolphinprincess said:

While I am creative, I am also very analytical. Astrology offers a mix of intuition and science... It is just 'clicking' with me...

For those that study both, when do you use astrology vs. when you use tarot?....

Click to expand...

I also find Astrology fascinataing because of the mixture of the intuitive and the 'scientific'. I like reasons for things and Astrology usually has a reason for the way things are done. Sometimes these reasons have got 'lost' or 'mislaid' which is one of the things that got me digging into the historical side.

I started out with Astrology and although I have some familiarity with Tarot, I'm afraid it's usually Astrology that I reach for first. It gives so much more information about a situation.

PS

I forgot to ask - What books did you buy??

Dolphinprincess, you are so right -- astrology is fascinating and endlessly rich and involving. There couldn't be two more complementary fields of study than tarot and astrology: whatever is learned about one enhances understanding of the other, and in tarot decks which are specifically related to astrology (such as the Thoth, though there are hundreds of others), the correlations become even more dramatic.

I am retired now, but was for 33 years a professional astrologer. In 1988, I began to study tarot and discovered how reading the cards alongside the chart could facilitate insight into clients' experiences. I found it especially helpful to use tarot with horary charts (horoscopes cast for the purpose of answering specific questions), especially those concerning relationships and emotions. For me, it works best to study the chart first and then explore the cards for nuance and subtle levels of detail. It will usually be found (indeed, in personal experience I have never known it to fail) that the cards both confirm and enliven discoveries made via the chart.

While the astrological chart is a graphic two-dimensional representation of the sky at a specific point in time and space, the visual impact and imagery of tarot make for a very distinctive impression on the psyche. And while astrology involves a detailed understanding of mathematics and astronomical phenomena, tarot offers direct access to the intuitive levels linking the stars to the symbolic realm. There couldn't be a happier marriage -- best wishes on becoming the uniter of these fields within yourself!

For any issues regarding timing, astrology is far more specific. I also prefer astrology in terms of having a quick psychological sketch of a querent.

I find for immediate situations, tarot can provide a faster deeper connection to getting the gist of what is going on in a querent's life although that might just be my reading style. Also, it's a lot more portable. You can take a deck anywhere w/ease - readings for others can be very fast, spontaneous, face to face.

Well, your responses definitely reinforce my newfound interest in astrology! I was just so surprised at how I felt when I started reading my first book... It was one of those "AHA" feelings... like "this just feels right"...

Minderwiz, I find that I, too, like the reason behind astrology..

The book I am reading now is by Kevin Burk (Astrology - Understanding Your Birth Chart).

I also have Secrets from a Stargazer's Notebook (which was recommneded to me years ago by an astrologer), Predictive Astrology, and Planetary Triggers....

Any other suggestions?

THANKS!!!

(edited - I also ordered that book Surviving Your Saturn REturn.. I am approaching 29 1/2 and I am definitely feeling it!)

l Have the Kevin Burk book - it was the text that really got me started on the road to traditional approaches - though I had already begun to use the traditional rulers before I read it.

If you want to pursue the traditional route Lee Lehman is one of the best exponents - her Classical Astrology for Modern Living is a really good book, if a little demanding.

If you want to take a more modern approach, Stephen Arroyo has some excellent texts, other good authors would be Tracey Marks, Alan Oken or Liz Greene.

There are of course lots more - there are far more books on Astrology than Tarot - I would suggest that its worth looking at both traditional and modern approaches and then reading in more depth about the approaches and areas that attract you most.

Congrats Dolphinprincess on finding the GREAT study of Astrology! I use both but for different reasons. I find that Astrology is more scientific and I appreciate that with a Virgo Moon. Tarot taps more into my psyche and creative intuition. Both are indispensible sources of wisdom and help to me.
Enjoy your learning. I am always seeking to know more about Astrology, though it is very complex.
Blessings,
Indigo Rose

Indigo Rose said:

I find that Astrology is more scientific and I appreciate that with a Virgo Moon.

Click to expand...

I also have a Virgo Moon..

***Also,

Minderwiz - Thank you very much for the book recommendations. I know, as with every subject, there are many good books - and also a whole lot of "fluff"... Its sometimes hard when you start exploring a new topic to make sure you are reading the former and not the latter... !

Stupid question (beginner here!).. What is the difference between Modern Astrology and Classical Astrology???

THANKS

Into Astrology, too

Hello dolphinprincess!

Good to hear that you're getting into astrology, my favorite occult subject.

I have been studying astrology much longer and more in depth than tarot. But a friend who's gotten into a tarot-deck-buying-spree, has revived my interest in tarot.

I would use astrology to see the bigger picture. And like Isthmus, I would use tarot for right-then-and-there readings. Tarot is so much easier to do on the spot than astrology.

On the other hand, astrology seems more like a science, which I suspect will eventually be accepted by academia. It might be a stretch of a thought, but Western astrology (as opposed to Eastern astrology, which is way too deterministic) is almost a hybrid of astronomy and psychology.

Like you, I have a lot to dive into, and I know I'm going to enjoy it!