Astrology from A to Z, an Illustrated Source Book by Eleanor Bach. Allied Books, New York, 1990.
This is a terrific book, which I just learned about. It is long out of print, but Amazon.com has used copies. I bought one which is like new.
Readers know that I get enthused about certain astrologers. Eleanor Bach is my very favorite, and I feel her loss keenly since she passed over. My favorite periodical was her monthly newsletter, Planet Watch, in which she discussed the daily transits of the asteroids. Eleanor knew the asteroid goddesses intimately, and she has been my main teacher in that field. Like the goddesses, she was practical, and she always talked principles in terms of applications to life. That’s why she found the daily transits so instructive.
This will be a short review, not because there’s not much to talk about here, but because there’s too much to talk about.
The book is a dictionary, but by no means a dry one. Eleanor explains astrological concepts clearly and in depth, with a special emphasis on the asteroids. There are a few pages on Ceres, who is now traveling through Leo and who is in Bush’s first house in his Solar Return. Ceres is the Earth Mother, the Goddess of the Harvest, the productive principle. Eleanor mentions that in Leo, Ceres might nurture dramatic productions. Watch the photo-ops this coming year!
In regard to Leo, she reminds us that it is the sign of the actor, the dramatist. There is a great need for recognition, appreciation, and applause. Leo puts feeling into everything they do, thus magnetizing others to them. Yet, Leo’s feelings are easily hurt.
This is a book which anyone interested in astrology can open anyplace, and find something interesting and instructive. Keep it by your bedside, or on your desk if you’re studying astrology. Eleanor writes in an earthy, personal style which is very easy to read.
