Astrology for Yourself: a Workbook for Personal Transformation by Douglas Bloch and Demetra George. Wingbow Press, Berkeley, 1987. Astrologer Richard Nolle (who predicted the Asian tsunami), says on the original book’s cover, "The best primer in print for the newcomer to astrology or the student at any level."
This is still true. I reviewed this book some years ago (April 2001), but people continue to ask me for a recommendation for a beginning text, so it’s time again to mention this fine book.
The teaching in Astrology for Yourself is simple, accurate, and built on sound and sensible astrological and educational principles.
First of all, you start with your own chart. In whom are you more interested? Who do you know better?
Astrology is a language of energy. The authors begin by teaching the basic building blocks—the four elements, polarities, modalities, and orientation of a chart. The reader then learns the keywords for the planets, signs, and houses, which form the framework of an astrological chart.
The four chart angles, all of the planets, Chiron, the big four asteroids, and a dozen more asteroids are all discussed.
After teaching the basics, the authors write about more advanced ways of seeing charts—e.g., using Moon’s Nodes, Moon’s phases, retrograde planets, intercepted signs, planetary patterns, aspects, and transits.
The third and last section of the book deals with applications of astrology in many areas of life, such as relationships, timing, and medical conditions.
There are quizzes throughout the book, and questions which make the reader think about about various applications of astrology, and particularly in regard to oneself.
Positive and negative manifestations of a planet’s energies are listed. This can be quite revealing to the reader, who is working with his/her own chart.
Both of the authors are truly good astrologers, and the reader can get a good grounding in astrology through studying Astrology for Yourself. However, to learn astrology—like with anything else—it is necessary to practice, practice, practice. After you’ve completed the book, working with your own chart, get your friends’ and relatives’ charts, and proceed through it again with each one of those charts.
One can never OD on the astrology basics. I’ve used this book for myself, and found it useful.
Astrology for Yourself is a gem for the astrology student.
