First steps to study Astrology...

MareSaturni

I know there are a thousand 'I'm new help me' threads here, so I apologize in advance for repeating the subject. I need help, but it's not really related to the theory and practice of astrology... but about the first steps of study.

I grew up with basic astrology, but I don't have a solid knowledge of it. I really want to change this, I want to be able to understand charts and no longer limit myself to sun signs and rising signs.

However, I don't know where to begin. There is so much information, so many different details and rules that can influence the interpretation of a chart... I feel lost!

I have one book called The Astrologer's Handbook by Frances Sakoian & Louis S. Acker. It was the 'most complete' book I found here for a reasonable price, I'm not sure if it's very good or not, but that's where I am starting.

I don't know if I should start interpreting charts already, or if I should first read and keep journal with the most important things. It's so much information that I don't know what works as a 'base' and essential knowledge and what is advanced knowledge.

I am just looking for some references... if you had to advice a student of yours on the first things to learn, in what is the 'base' of astrology, what would you say? Which books/authors would you recommend? Which method of study did you find that worked for you?

Unfortunately many astrologers I met here are either psychologists or... people who got lost in the Crazy Side of the Force, and learning astrology from them is like learning a new religion. That's not what I want... I see that many of you here have a more objective approach, a healthy balance between art and science, and that's what I am seeking in my studies. :)

I hope some of you feel like sharing some starting tips.

Thank you for you help!
 

Minderwiz

Sakoian and Acker is on our resources list:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=15205

And we've got other books and websites that are good resources listed there, which you might find useful.

There's no unified approach to Astrology, so one of the things that you will have to do sooner or later is to decide what approach feels right for you (and of course you can always adapt or change it as you develop). The psychological approach has dominated Astrology for the last 70 years or so and before that the Theosophists were the dominant force, though they too focussed on character reading, In the last 20 years there's been a growing interest in Traditional Astrology, that is Astrology as it was 'originally' practiced (or to be more precise the methods that were employed in the Hellenistic, Medieval and Renaissance periods) Whilst that's my interest and passion it is very different from the modern psychological approach but you will find some introductory books listed in the resources, of which the recent book by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro 'On The Heavenly Spheres' is an excellent introduction.

Whichever approach you initially decide on, I'd advise you to keep it as basic as possible, consistent with a distinct use of planets, signs and houses (some approaches tend to conflate these). Leave out all but the 10 planets (or 7 if you decide on the tradition) and keep to major aspects, Don't move beyond that until you feel very comfortable with it, no matter how much you see about other bodies, such as asteroids, or newly discovered bodies such as Chiron or Sedna. Again when you have mastered the basics, you can add these if you feel the need. The same goes for minor aspects, these can be added later if you feel the need.

Using more than 10 planets/bodies and including minor aspects gives you a horrendous job in trying to find your way around a chart. It can be done if you've built up gradually but if you try and start there you'll just end up with brain ache. The astrologer Ben Dykes tells a story of giving a seminar and seeing a young woman at the back with a pained expression on her face. He stopped to ask her if she was OK and if she was able to follow what he was saying. He also asked her if she had a copy of her natal chart and she pulled out one with about 25 bodies on it and the aspect lines were so dense in the middle that it was impossible to decipher, No wonder she couldn't follow him.

You might also try reading something on the history of Astrology, again there's some books in the resources thread here and one excellent book is the History of Horoscopic Astrology which goes from the Greek innovation of the horoscope chart to the present day.

Don't be afraid to post questions here as you begin to work through.
 

MareSaturni

Hi Minderwiz!

Thank you for answering! :)


Minderwiz said:
Sakoian and Acker is on our resources list:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=15205

And we've got other books and websites that are good resources listed there, which you might find useful.
Click to expand...

It's good to see the book I'm using in the references! And I liked how they are divided in different 'levels' of learning - it's going to be very helpful! I'll print it an see which other books I can find here.


Minderwiz said:
There's no unified approach to Astrology, so one of the things that you will have to do sooner or later is to decide what approach feels right for you (and of course you can always adapt or change it as you develop). The psychological approach has dominated Astrology for the last 70 years or so and before that the Theosophists were the dominant force, though they too focussed on character reading, In the last 20 years there's been a growing interest in Traditional Astrology, that is Astrology as it was 'originally' practiced (or to be more precise the methods that were employed in the Hellenistic, Medieval and Renaissance periods) Whilst that's my interest and passion it is very different from the modern psychological approach but you will find some introductory books listed in the resources, of which the recent book by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro 'On The Heavenly Spheres' is an excellent introduction.
Click to expand...

Interesting... it seems Astrology has as many 'schools' as Tarot! :laugh: Both Psychological Astrology and Traditional Astrology seem very interesting, but they are also completely different! I suppose that the book I have is closer to the psychological approach, is it not?

I hope you don't mind me asking, but why do you prefer the Traditional Astrology? (I think that most of astrology basic 'guides' do not offer the Traditional perspective, not even an introduction as to how it differs from 'modern' Astrology...)


Minderwiz said:
Whichever approach you initially decide on, I'd advise you to keep it as basic as possible, consistent with a distinct use of planets, signs and houses (some approaches tend to conflate these). Leave out all but the 10 planets (or 7 if you decide on the tradition) and keep to major aspects.
Click to expand...

That's VERY helpful, thank you very much! I suppose I should start my study by reviewing the signs (I specially like the way you work with the four temperaments, so I may include this in my study), then the 10 (or 7) planets, then houses and then aspects.

I usually don't have the habit of keeping a journal, but I think I may start to do that with Astrology...


Minderwiz said:
It can be done if you've built up gradually but if you try and start there you'll just end up with brain ache.
Click to expand...

Ah, so that's this weird pain I had in my skull when I starting reading about Astrology and looking at charts. ;)


Minderwiz said:
You might also try reading something on the history of Astrology, again there's some books in the resources thread here and one excellent book is the History of Horoscopic Astrology which goes from the Greek innovation of the horoscope chart to the present day.
Click to expand...

I will most definitely look into this! I think history is very important in any area of study!


Minderwiz said:
Don't be afraid to post questions here as you begin to work through.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your help and endless patience in helping the beginners! I have always appreciated it!
 

jaj

Marina said:
Thank you very much for your help and endless patience in helping the beginners! I have always appreciated it!
Click to expand...
That's true, Minderwiz, your skilled patience is amazing. Truly.

Marina, I remember the early days of study and the confusing array of competing details in the chart. As Minderwiz recommends, it is helpful to choose just a few features to master at first. I'd recommend starting with the North and South Nodes of the Moon, and I'd recommend Jan Spiller's book Astrology for the Soul for her 40-page chapters discussing the north node of each nodal axis. When I first pick up a chart, my eye goes straight to the nodal axis because I believe it helps me understand what the person is trying to accomplish in life. Once I feel I have a bead on that, then I see the rest of the chart as supporting players.

I believe the term "chart synthesis" is the skill you are attempting to master, and I have not yet found a book that uses that title that does a good job of teaching it.

Another approach to understanding the whole chart is to focus on the MC / Midheaven and its aspects. If you'd rather approach the chart from the MC, I like Vocational Astrology by Judith Hill.
 

MareSaturni

Hello Jaj! :)

jaj said:
Marina, I remember the early days of study and the confusing array of competing details in the chart. As Minderwiz recommends, it is helpful to choose just a few features to master at first. I'd recommend starting with the North and South Nodes of the Moon, and I'd recommend Jan Spiller's book Astrology for the Soul for her 40-page chapters discussing the north node of each nodal axis. When I first pick up a chart, my eye goes straight to the nodal axis because I believe it helps me understand what the person is trying to accomplish in life. Once I feel I have a bead on that, then I see the rest of the chart as supporting players.
Click to expand...

Hum... I confess I don't know anything about the north and south nodes. I mean, I know they exist, but I don't know what they mean exactly or even what they are. And I had no idea they were so important in a chart! My only knowledge about them derives from Geomancy, because they rule the Caput and Cauda Draconis - the head and the tail of the Dragon, which are two geomantic figures. :)

Thank you for the book reference, I'll see if I can find it!


jaj said:
I believe the term "chart synthesis" is the skill you are attempting to master, and I have not yet found a book that uses that title that does a good job of teaching it.
Click to expand...

I suppose this is something that comes with time, knowledge and practice. Like with card-reading, the more acquainted you are with the tool you are using, the easier it is to pick the most important factors to form a synthesis. Not every element has the same importance, and the reason why our first interpretations are usually disjointed is because we want to fit all information possible in one place. Synthesis is a sign of experience and intelligence. :)

I am sure my first chart interpretation will be a mess of contradictory information, lol! Oh well! Such is the path of learning!


jaj said:
Another approach to understanding the whole chart is to focus on the MC / Midheaven and its aspects. If you'd rather approach the chart from the MC, I like Vocational Astrology by Judith Hill.
Click to expand...

Again, other two factors I know VERY little about! Thank you for pointing them! :)
 

MareSaturni

I'd like to add here a link to thread with a similar question to mine. I came across it while searching for something completely different!

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=143272

There's a wonderful post by Minderwiz there, that could help other beginners as how to start their Astrology study.
 

Haizea

I thought the way to start learning Astrology was the way you did it, Marina, but now I can see there are many different ways. What I would recommend to start:

1. Sun Signs
2. Elements
3. Quadruplicities/Modes --- Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable ( http://www.trans4mind.com/personal_development/astrology/LearningAstrology/quadruplicities.htm )
4. Aspects (I don't like Acker&Sakoian's book...too gloomy for me). My favourite sites for aspects:
http://cafeastrology.com/natal/planetsaspectsastrology.html
http://www.strangehouse.com/natal-aspects/28.html
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/sunaspects.html

Those pages have so much information that it is messy to find it sometimes. The third link is more clear to select an aspect. For the other two, what I do is to write in google something like SUN TRINE MOON CAFEASTROLOGY (or THE STRANGE HOUSE) and get to the page.

All that above is for Natal Astrology and thinking of a modern psychological approach, though the last link specialized in Traditional Astrology, and especially Horary.
 

MareSaturni

Hi Haizea!

Thank you so much for the suggestions! :)

I have been reading some websites, and making some natal charts at Astro.com, but I confess that the websites make me confused sometimes. I'm trying to start with few authors, in order to start simple. :)

I will make sure to put the Quadruplicities/Modes and Elements in the first part of my study. I am acquainted with the Elements because of my card-reading practice so I suppose this part shouldn't be too hard!
 
New Moon on my Sun Natal Chart with Traditional Astrology