I holed up in my bedroom with an orange astrology book at my Saturn. Fed up with not knowing astrology, I wasn’t coming out until I knew what that circle and the things in it were. That was the kick-off.

Sure enough, I was blown away, in awe of infinite knowledge, and it has been that way now for the 20 years ever since. I have taken classes here and there, at the Theosophical Society in Boston, and other classes too. Every time I go to a party and meet anyone, when I come home, I enter all the new data in my program, even before I go to bed. This way I get to see the chart and the person. You can learn a lot that way. I also had a binder with my chart, my family’s and a few friends and I scoured those too. I made lots of copies of my chart and I penciled the transits in from my Ephemeris. Once I got my first computer in 1993, I didnt really need the binder anymore, because I had my astrology software with the databank of people in that.

It was an exciting time. Uranus, Saturn and Neptune had all just crossed over my ascendant and my Saturn.

Once I got my first computer in 1993, I didnt really need the binder anymore, because I had my astrology software with the databank of people in that.

Thank you Elsa and everyone for your responses to my question. I’ve been interested in astrology since the 4th grade - I’ve read several books and have a basic understanding, but when it comes to casting and reading a chart, I’m lost. Chalk it up to numbers, I guess. Math and I have never been friends. That is the part during the correspondence course where I threw in the towel -the math. Also, it didn’t help that at the time, I had 3 young boys to look after and finding time to myself to study anything was virtually impossible. So maybe this is a second chance to study something that has held my interest for over 30 years.

Deirdre: I once belonged to a message board and asked our resident astrologer for a recommendation for astrology software and was discouraged from purchasing anything because I guess she didn’t think I knew enough to use it. Do you feel it is a learning tool, or do you have to already know how to cast and read a chart to use the software?

Thanks, everyone.

Marianne

I was eleven. It was right after my dad died, and I had a lot of time on my hands because my mom was MIA, mentally, and so was I. She had purchased an coffee-table astrology book because that was what was in vogue at the time. She didn’t pay much attention to it, but it captured my imagination. She’s a Capricorn, so it was a Capricorn book, with an ephemeris in the back for Capricorns only.

With a calculator, FOR WEEKS, I painstakingly deduced my own chart from that, taking into account planet transit lengths as it might apply to mine, and found where my own planets might lie and what that might mean… and then she gave me some money for my own Sun-sign astrology book with the ephemeris and all. I was right with my calculations, was inordinately proud, and I took it from there.

I really admire everyone’s tenacity, especially at such a young age. Back then, I didn’t have much confidence in my abilities - I needed to be shown how because how could I figure out something so complicated all my myself? LOL

Elsa, I’m curious (a perpetual state for me, I suppose), did you feel you related to Aquarius when you believed it was your ascendant? And when you realized it was really Capricorn, was it like an “aha!” moment? I ask because, if I were told (back then) I had Leo rising, and I read the description, there is no way I could have ever related to that. I may have WANTED to relate, but in all honesty I could not have.

Just wondering.

Marianne - I just saw your comment. I will get on it tomorrow, into something else now.

I big to differ a bit on the question “When’s it time to graduate from novice to authority?” I believe that there are mountains and mountains and mountains levels of intermediate in there, maybe like novice being 0 and ‘authority’ (if that every truly exists) like being 100. I feel like the last ten year of non stop obsessive examination and study at the most intense imaginable levels has brought me to mabye, about a 39.

For me, it was having a great teacher in person and then reading some great books– and then reading charts for others.

Also having readings is a great way to learn (altho expensive).

Astrology is so individual, as well. Generalizations are helpful– but, for example,transiting Saturn conjuncting my Moon is not meaning “depression” as the books would say. My point: it’s not one size fits all. A great astrologer sees that, works with interpretation/instinct, and the individual–

It becomes a mystery to “solve” — very Scorpionic..

I started being interested & learning astrology at 8 when I discovered my mum’s hidden Linda Goodman sun signs & love sign books but it wasnt til I was 16 when I learnt about charts. From there I just read books and read things online as well as seeing how a chart compared to who/how the person of chart was in reality. I think I learnt by mixing what I read along with my own interpretions and experience and intitution of what I felt something was.

I think though Marianne if your reading here at Elsa’s site you cant go wrong. I’ve learnt so much just from this site, not only from Elsa’s insightful and emotive posts but from open disscussions like these where there is an exchanging of stories and experiences.