On Traditional Astrology for Today

This is a reasonably good crash course in traditional astrology. It’s a bit more conversational than other texts, which works to its benefit, and it’s well structured, starting very easy and gradually ratcheting up the complexity. It’s essentially designed for someone who already knows modern, personality-based astrology and is curious about traditional techniques — planets, signs, houses, aspects, lots, profections, and more are all here. I was especially interested in the discussion of the signs. In modern astrology they’re usually a set of personality traits — Taurus is stubborn and sensual, Libra seeks harmony and beauty, Scorpio is a little self-protective — but traditional astrology doesn’t see them that way at all, and while it isn’t quite clear what they are, I found the description of them as kinds of places compelling: Capricorn associated with citadels, wells, flowing water, and cemeteries, those Saturnian places, made more sense to me than “pragmatic, hard-working, and traditional.” This should be seen only as a starting point for moving from modern to traditional astrology — the chapters are brief, but effective.