Resources for Learning Astrology
Matthew Stelzner
The process of learning astrology is unique to each person, and the best advice is to follow your own guidance. I think it is essential that each student of astrology begin wherever he or she is most excited. If you see a book that calls to you, start there, if you are drawn to take a class, follow that intuition. Each student will follow a unique path into the mysteries of astrology, and each must begin with his or her fascinations. That said, what follows are my recommendations (often drawn from Richard Tarnas and Stan Grof’s recommended reading list) for the beginning student of astrology.
First, I am very happy to finally be able to refer people to Richard Tarnas’ magnum opus Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View, recently published by Viking. Here is a link to the book’s website www.cosmosandpsyche.com.
This would be the first book to read if you are considering exploring astrology for the first time. It is simply the most compelling modern text of astrology that I have ever read. This is also the book to give to open-minded skeptics.
My next recommendation would be that you consider ordering a set of tapes recently recorded of Rick Tarnas and Stan Grof teaching Psyche and Cosmos I: Toward an Integration of Transpersonal Psychology and Archetypal Astrology. They are available through Conference Recording Service Inc. (510) 527-3600...40 hours on 30 tapes for $200. This is the introductory class that started me on my journey into astrology, and I'm so glad it is now available on audiotape.
My personal favorite beginning text is Geoffrey Cornelius and Maggie Hyde’s Introducing Astrology. This is one of the “Introducing...” series and is in the form of a illustrated comic book. It may look simplistic, but I find this to be both a deep look into the philosophy, history, and science of astrology, while at the same time being an amusing broad overview of the basic vocabulary of the art. There is also a new beginner text written by Charles and Suzi Harvey titled Thorsons Principles of Astrology, which I find quite accessible and stimulating. The Harvey’s are world-class astrologers and this text contains many wonderful gems. Another great read is Caroline Casey’s Making the God’s Work For You. This one puts an emphasis on the ritualistic side of astrology, while at the same time covering the basics of the astrological vocabulary. I also highly recommend Casey’s audiotape collection Inner and Outer Space, produced by Sounds True audio. If you can afford the sixty bucks, this is one of the most inspiring and entertaining intros to the astrological worldview, and is sure to be enjoyed by beginner and advanced student alike.
Two books that Tarnas and Grof have recommend for beginners are Demetra George and Douglas Bloch’s Astrology For Yourself, and Steven Forrest’s Inner Sky. The first is a workbook, which some people find helpful, and the second is a general intro to the basics. I think Forrest is very good, but his writing style I find very flowery. I like his book Changing Sky better, which is a general intro to predictive techniques like transits and progressions. Of course, Rick Tarnas’ first astrology book, Prometheus the Awakener is also a must read. I should also mention that the Isis Institute www.isisinstitute.com has a wonderful tape catalog which includes a set of lectures given by Rick Tarnas and Stan Grof. These lectures would serve as a wonderful introduction to any beginner (and would be very stimulating to the advanced astrologer as well). --These are a shorter version of the tapes mentioned above.
Once you’ve got down the basics, you can start to study your own chart, and this is where you can go in a number of directions with the books you choose to read. If you are of a Jungian persuasion I suggest you get started on any of Liz Greene’s books. There is a wonderful series called Seminars in Psychological Astrology, which is coauthored by Greene and Howard Sasportas, and I find it very stimulating. Tarnas and Grof use the first in the series called The Development of the Personality, but all of them are quite good. Another required book in Tarnas’ class is Stephen Arroyo’s Astrology Karma and Transformation: which is a classic and a great read: anything by Arroyo is worth reading. Then there are Rob Hand’s books. His Planets in Transit is an essential book for anyone interested in following their transits, and his Horoscope Symbols is one of the richest sources of astrological wisdom.
Other helpful books for following one’s transits are: Frances Sakoian and Louis Acker’s Predictive Astrology, and Howard Sasportas’ The Gods of Change. And for more advanced study, consider Reinhold Ebertine’s Combinations of Stellar Influence, which is considered a classic by many astrologers. Of course, if you’re going to follow your transits, you’ll also need what’s called an ephemeris, which is a listing of the exact location of each planet on any given date. You can buy a yearly version, good only for current transits, or if you want to look up transits for other points in your life you’ll need The American Ephemeris for the 20th Century, which is published by Astro Communications Services.
There are many other fine astrology texts out there, and you might consider anything by Dane Rudyar, Charles Harvey, Richard Ideman, Greg Bogart, Glenn Perry, Tracy Marks, John Addey, Charles Carter, Alexander Ruperti, or Margaret Hone worth pursuing. Two of my favorite books not already mentioned are Sue Tompkin’s Aspects in Astrology, and Geoffrey Cornelius’ The Moment of Astrology. The first is a fine text which goes into great psychological depth concerning each planetary combination, and the second is a wonderful look at the philosophy of astrology. Cornelius’ book looks at astrology’s roots in divination and considers all of the scientific evidence for and against astrology. It’s a great read for anyone who wants to understand how astrology works.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the work of James Hillman here, as his understanding of the archetypes is as deep as any astrologer. His Revisioning Psychology should be on the shelf of every archetypal astrologer (right next to Grof’s Beyond the Brain). Also, I highly recommend Hillman’s recent Soul’s Code, which I found to be one of the most liberating books I’ve read in a long time.
Finally, a word about famous chart collections and computer software. At a certain stage in astrological study one begins to want to see the charts of famous individuals. For this, the best source is Lois Rodden’s Astro-Data series, with Astro-Data II being the largest and most exciting collection. Rodden now has her entire collection of over 30,0000 data available on CD-Rom, and it is one of my favorite possessions (visit www.astrodatabank.com for more info). Also, Stephen Erlewine’s The Circle Book of Charts is worth getting, as it contains many historical charts not obtainable elsewhere. I should also mention that the internet can be an excellent source for astrological data (particularly when you are looking for just the date and place of birth for the famous person).
If you decide to pursue astrology deeply, you will want to get a computer program to help you construct charts for all your friends and family. There are, of course, many options for software for both Macintosh and PC users. Being a Mac-lover, I can safely say that the best software for the Mac comes out of Time-Cycles Research (1-800-827-2240 www.timecycles.com) and is called IO Edition. I absolutely love this program. I recommend you get the “Pro-Pac” which comes with everything you need and includes the bonus dynamic wheel program IO Sprite (which allows you to watch transits in live and accelerated motion). At least be sure to get the package that includes IO Atlas, which really is essential to chart calculation. I’m not as familiar with the PC, but I believe the consensus is that the best program is coming out of Rob Hand’s outfit Astrolabe (1-800-843-6682 www.alabe.com), and is called Solar Fire. Everyone I know who has this program is very happy with it.
One last note. The best place to start when learning astrology is with a good astrology reading. So, whenever you hear of a good astrologer, go get yourself a reading. Each reading you receive will shine a different light on your chart, and give you new insights. Also, no book can substitute for the direct learning experience that happens with a master teacher. So, if you can find a good teacher, sign up for a workshop, and see if the teacher is available for tutoring.
I hope this has been a helpful introduction to the resources available for the student of astrology. Learning astrology is a magic experience. Enjoy!
Addendum
A few other books I
have found more recently:
Ray Grasse’s The Waking Dream is a very
helpful book for those who want a deeper philosophical/ cosmological
understanding of how astrology works. Chris Bache’s book Dark Night Early
Dawn, while not explicitly an astrology text, is one of the most important
recent books in the field of Transpersonal Psychology, and his insights have
important consequences for astrology. Similarly, Jorge Ferrer’s new book
Revisioning Transpersonal Theory is an extremely important text for
astrologers who wish to situate themselves within the field of Transpersonal
Psychology. Lastly, I want to recommend Andrew Harvey’s recent book The
Direct Path. I think this book is important for anyone on a spiritual path,
and it contains very helpful suggestions which can be useful to astrologers like
myself, who feel astrology is a spiritual path.
© 2024
Matthew Stelzner. All rights reserved.
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