Lee
I would be delighted to see a book by Minderwiz. Or by Astraea. Or by any combination thereof.
Speaking in general, I think there is a real need for a very specific kind of book which to my knowledge doesn't exist yet.
I would like to see a book which is geared toward the astrological beginner who would like to learn how to do horary. It would take the absolute beginner from zero knowledge to being able to do interpret horaries on various topics. The information Minderwiz has provided in this thread and others is great as a conceptual introduction to the various factors, but I think a book-length work is really necessary to enable a beginner to actually learn to do.
The book would be self-sufficient, without the reader needing to read other books. If the author thinks it's necessary to learn to calculate charts by hand, then by all means include a few chapters for that (and of course in that case the reader would need to consult an ephemeris and table of houses).
Obviously this book, no matter how large, would need to be considered simply an introduction, and a beginner, having finished the book, would obviously not be considered a fluent astrologer.
The point of the book would be to get the reader up and running, however rudimentarily, with interpreting charts. I believe this would enable beginners to be in better shape to tackle more advanced texts on the topic. I believe the big problem with horary is that most of the people who are interested in it are already accomplished astrologers. This makes it difficult for the beginner who is interested in the subject to follow the conversation. It's a catch-22. The person interested in horary is expected to read things that aren't really understandable by beginners.
So, I think this ideal book would focus on the down-to-earth, the practical, the how-to. Certainly an introduction to the philosophy behind the whole thing would be great, but then the book should get down to the business of helping the reader get going with interpretation. After finishing the book, the reader can hopefully go on to other texts which explore more of the philosophy and history.
It would also be nice if the author chose and focused on one methodology rather than presenting a survey of different methodologies. Anthony Louis's book is very enjoyable to read and very informative as a look at different methods, but it doesn't really get the beginner up and running in any one of those methods.
I'm sure there are those who would consider me and people like me (there must be others... mustn't there?) to be intellectually lazy and wanting to be spoon-fed. I'll accept that criticism. Not all of us have the capability -- whether because of time constraints, energy constraints, financial constraints, educational constraints, or all of the above -- to wade through ancient texts. Or at least to wade through those texts without some practical experience so that we can understand more of what we're reading. Obviously, basic modern astrology texts are, to say the least, not ideal for this purpose. "On the Heavenly Spheres" is a very good beginner's book on traditional astrology, but, again, it doesn't get the reader up and running with at least some basic interpretation.
I'm sure such a book would necessarily leave the reader with only a shallow understanding of the art. But we have to take baby steps before we can walk. The current state of the literature requires us to perform complex dance steps before we've learned how to walk.
So, if anyone out there wants to write such a book, I can guarantee you at least one copy sale!
Speaking in general, I think there is a real need for a very specific kind of book which to my knowledge doesn't exist yet.
I would like to see a book which is geared toward the astrological beginner who would like to learn how to do horary. It would take the absolute beginner from zero knowledge to being able to do interpret horaries on various topics. The information Minderwiz has provided in this thread and others is great as a conceptual introduction to the various factors, but I think a book-length work is really necessary to enable a beginner to actually learn to do.
The book would be self-sufficient, without the reader needing to read other books. If the author thinks it's necessary to learn to calculate charts by hand, then by all means include a few chapters for that (and of course in that case the reader would need to consult an ephemeris and table of houses).
Obviously this book, no matter how large, would need to be considered simply an introduction, and a beginner, having finished the book, would obviously not be considered a fluent astrologer.
The point of the book would be to get the reader up and running, however rudimentarily, with interpreting charts. I believe this would enable beginners to be in better shape to tackle more advanced texts on the topic. I believe the big problem with horary is that most of the people who are interested in it are already accomplished astrologers. This makes it difficult for the beginner who is interested in the subject to follow the conversation. It's a catch-22. The person interested in horary is expected to read things that aren't really understandable by beginners.
So, I think this ideal book would focus on the down-to-earth, the practical, the how-to. Certainly an introduction to the philosophy behind the whole thing would be great, but then the book should get down to the business of helping the reader get going with interpretation. After finishing the book, the reader can hopefully go on to other texts which explore more of the philosophy and history.
It would also be nice if the author chose and focused on one methodology rather than presenting a survey of different methodologies. Anthony Louis's book is very enjoyable to read and very informative as a look at different methods, but it doesn't really get the beginner up and running in any one of those methods.
I'm sure there are those who would consider me and people like me (there must be others... mustn't there?) to be intellectually lazy and wanting to be spoon-fed. I'll accept that criticism. Not all of us have the capability -- whether because of time constraints, energy constraints, financial constraints, educational constraints, or all of the above -- to wade through ancient texts. Or at least to wade through those texts without some practical experience so that we can understand more of what we're reading. Obviously, basic modern astrology texts are, to say the least, not ideal for this purpose. "On the Heavenly Spheres" is a very good beginner's book on traditional astrology, but, again, it doesn't get the reader up and running with at least some basic interpretation.
I'm sure such a book would necessarily leave the reader with only a shallow understanding of the art. But we have to take baby steps before we can walk. The current state of the literature requires us to perform complex dance steps before we've learned how to walk.
So, if anyone out there wants to write such a book, I can guarantee you at least one copy sale!