A list of astrology book recommendations for beginners is here. But what about great astrology books that for some reason, you never see mentioned?

My pick is Key Words for Astrology by Hajo Banzhaf and Anna Haebler

An anonymous reviewer on Amazon writes:

“This little book cuts to the astrological chase in a concise, clear, exciting style. Banzhaf is a German-language writer (in translation here) whose clipped-to-the-point descriptions of all the basic astrological positions and combinations are steeped in a deep knowledge not only of the subject at hand, but of Jungian psychology, classical mythology, numerology, and Tarot. While many authors who have written valuable books on chart analysis carry on at great lengths to discuss each element of the horoscope, Banzhaf is in every case clear, concise, illuminating, and almost best of all, he supplies us with brief, pithy, mythology or psychology-derived titles for nearly every combination here–titles such as Moon in Aries–the Amazon.”

I agree completely. I found this book 30 years into my study of astrology and still learned something new on every page. I think it is a masterwork. I was floored over the depth of what these authors could convey in just a few words and embarrassed by how little I knew, or had missed about this aspect or that.

This book belongs in every astrological library. I don’t know why no one has never heard of it or why at the moment you can but it for $1.29 but if you are studying astrology and working on the aspects, I would say check this reference first and then go read everyone else’s blah blah. Because there is not a word wasted here and there is nothing like having the answer in hand before you even look into the thing.

List other obscure undiscovered gems here…. thanks!

nonhocapito asks:

“I was wondering if you could suggest to someone that is willing to learn more about astrology one or two fundamental books one should not do without- to start off with the right foot. Old books hard to find it’s okay, I enjoy seeking out old stuff.”

If you know absolutely nothing about astrology and think you might like to learn the first thing to do is find out if you mean it. I always recommend these two books:
Continue reading Open Question: What Astrology Books Would You Recommend To Beginners?

Do you admit to being an astrologer or to having an interest in astrology? If so, how do people react and how do you react to their reaction?

I am challenged only very rarely and I don’t react at all. In fact, the last time I was challenged was in 2000. I remember this because it started me writing! I posted a link to an article on a study by British Telephone that found people did talk more when the Moon was full and a science-minded guy (codasaurus) came on the board to flame me.

I told him I could care less what he thought of astrology but added that astrologer, Dennis Elwell cared very deeply what people like him thought and perhaps he should read his book, Cosmic Loom: The New Science of Astrology.

“It is written for people like you,” I said. “He is addressing the scientific community, he likes to do this but I do not. What do you think? You think just because you see a passing-by astrologer, they are going to want to stop and argue with you? You’re out of your mind…”

But unable to comprehend the fact you cannot make someone be interested in something (arguing with skeptics) they find boring, codasaurus kept coming. And he came back and back and back until he launched my writing and the rest is history. I have been writing daily for nearly 8 years now.

If you cop to an interest in astrology, what are your experiences with skeptics?

The Letters Of Ted Hughes

Midori Snyder writes for The Endicott Studio for Mythic Arts”

“Here’s a new title due out early November that has made my “must have” list: the Letters of Ted Hughes, edited by Christopher Reid. You can read a fabulous review by John Carey in the Sunday Timesonline here. The letters reveal much about his personal, almost religious relationship to poetry — believing in an active link between poetry and the body. Poetry, Hughes felt, had the capacity to heal the body, while prose destroyed it…..”

And here’s the money quote:

“He spent “thousands of hours” studying astrology and requested Faber to publish his books only on days when “the special conditions of the earth’s electrical field” were propitious.”

Read the rest…

A reader asks:

“In the midst of it all, how relevant is our sun sign anyways?”

I know it is fashionable to do away with this or that… the basics of astrology, but I think the Sun sign is enormously important, provided you want to shine, create and be vitally alive, that is. But don’t take my word for it. Read Liz Greene’s freakishly good book, Apollo’s Chariot: The Meaning Of The Astrological Sun and you will never ask yourself this question again. I couldn’t believe this book.

It’s a total inspiration for artists or anyone who does creative work of any kind which by all rights should be each of us. It is so good and so potent I wondered throughout if an artistic person who knew no astrology at all might be able to access it and I think this is the case. It’s sort of like the “truth”. Everyone can recognize the truth because it resonates and this book has that quality.

And I never write in books or highlight them. Being a lifelong heavy user of the public library, I think this is sacrilegious. But I do bookmark bits I want to go back and read again and it did not take me long to notice I was bookmarking every page of this book. ::smirks:: Jeez, Elsa. Guess you’re going to read this one twice.

Bottom line, the Sun is your creative self. I can’t imagine discounting this. It seems more sensible to know everything you can about the Sun in your chart.

Anyone else?

Submit a question to “Ask the collective”

After all these years, when Stephen Arroyo writes a book, it’s an event. He has got to be on of the most knowledgeable and graceful astrologers we’ve got and if you don’t know of him, well I envy you because you’ve just stumbled onto one of the very best astrology writers around.

Have you got your copy? I’ve got mine, courtesy long time reader, Libra and librarian, Becca. ::smiles::

I get an extra kick out of the librarian part. Thank you, Becca. I’ll try to get a review up here but already know you can’t go wrong.

When I cracked open “Tracking The Soul With An Astrology Of Consciousness” I knew I had someone’s baby in my hands and I knew I was going to learn something new. Joe Landwehr marries astrology which I know a lot about with the Chakra system which I know little about and I was eager to be exposed his world. I thought the book would challenge me and it did.

The challenge came not because the material was inaccessible due some writing flaw but because of Joe Landwehr himself who is present on every page. And the man transmits. His ability to communicate is so extraordinary it took me several chapters to comprehend the scope of his scope and relax into reading his work. It’s the difference between listening to a guy plucking on his guitar in the corner of a coffee shop and being in the room with a full blown symphony orchestra, you have to adjust.

But as I grew used to being stimulated on multiple levels simultaneously I became more and more appreciative of the author who manages to teach while being both spiritual and sober. He is also high-minded and deep. He is humble and confident and I was thrilled when midway through this ride (half-way through the book) he included his own chart like some kind of present that explained it all and I had to laugh. Thanks, Joe!

Thanks for the superior super-varied cross-section of people whose charts you selected to analyze. Thanks for sharing your intimate experience. Thanks for being willing to reveal your fears and insecurities and let the reader see you human. Thanks for the potent bits your book is chock full of. Thanks for crediting others and most of all, thanks for the innovation to this subject I love so much…astrology.

“Tracking The Soul” is volume one in “The Astropoetic Series”, Joe Landwehr’s lifework. You can get your copy direct from him at Ancient Tower Press and if you do you are bound to be enriched in the same way a trip to the symphony feeds the soul.

Landwehr also offers a mobile workshop based on his book. If you’ve got six people interested in an intense 5-day study, he’ll come to you. For more information, email: THE MOBILE WORKSHOP

Just back from my trip, I’ve not seen a chart for 3 days so I pop open Win*Star Express click “here” and “now” and find the Moon in Gemini forming a Grand Cross with the Sun, Jupiter and Uranus.

No wonder I wrote 7 blogs on the plane… and finished Joe Landwehr’s new book, Tracking The Soul With an Astrology of Consciousness

Busy, busy, how about you?

I am glad the tide shifted on the Mercury poll. Early returns had 69% of people voting me “freak” which makes a gal sit back and contemplate, I’ll tell you. But anyway, the comments on that blog are grand and I think this is a very important topic.

I’ve mentioned it before, but Lois Rodden wrote a book, "The Mercury Method Of Chart Comparison" that vividly illustrated how important communication is in relationship. Poor Mercury… people pay it no respect when as often as not it is what does you in when it comes to relationship and Rodden understood this.

Learning about communication is going to be big with Saturn in Virgo. Taking responsibility for how you communicate, and what you communicate is going be a big deal and I am already experiencing this myself. In fact I am already getting slammed which seems so unfair since I just endured Saturn transit through the 6th house (Virgo’s house) which is an equivalent challenge, but you know. Bit that’s a whine.

Point is this is going to a major topic on this blog for the next two and half years. Because like the Saturn Neptune blogs, I already have about 500 angles on it in my head. ::sighs:: My poor head!

So anyway, think about it (commands Saturn ). Are you satisfied with your communication skills (Virgo) or could they use some work (Saturn)?

We need a good book on midpoints and now we have it. By the time you get to page 20 in Don McBroom’s new book, Midpoints: Identify & Integrate Midpoints Into Horoscope Synthesis, you’ll want to have a chat with him because he has an extraordinary command of his subject. Its obvious McBroom has invested many hours in the study of midpoints and if you’re looking for bang for your astrological book buck I don’t think you can go wrong here.

“Midpoints” is a textbook, make no mistake. Reading this book is akin to attending a specialty class with a competent teacher. A teacher who can make math interesting rather than tedious which to me is a feat.

McBroom has a dozen ways he accomplishes this. For example when he points out the imaginative Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Deepak Chopra, John Lennon, Mozart, and more all have their Sun at the midpoint of Mercury and Neptune you’ve no choice but to become involved. Who do you know with Sun=Mercury/Neptune? Don’t you wonder? I did.

The whole book is rich like that. It gets your attention and compels you to consider midpoints from every angle. As a result you are smarter when you put the book down than you were when you picked it up.

Now I don’t know what else you want when you invest in an astrology book but I would go further to say this text belongs in the library of any serious student of this subject. You just have to expose yourself to all of these things, progressions, return charts and the like and when you’ve got the basics down and are ready for the specialty class, “Midpoints”, hands down this is the book to get.

It’s an excellent job. Congratulations, Don!