Books to buy/read

Publications, including free downloads, commercially available publications, and user recommendations of books PLUS sub-forums discussing astrological software of interest to Sidereal astrologers.
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Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:37 pm

I'd like to suggest that there will be a new header just below "Many things" that has the name "Books on sidereal astrology" ...but not just another thread within "many things" that can be hard to find. Rather a header that one can see as soon as he enters the forum front page. I think only admins can do that?

And inside this thread there will be a list of books that are good to buy to learn more about sidereal astrology, f.ex. Jim's book and Ebertin and Fagan Bradley and so on.

Within this thread would be great to also list if there are e-books or online reading available.

I am about to make an order on Amazon, and would like your suggestions on which books are the best reads.
Will definitely get Jim's book and Ebertin, am wondering if I should order some more.

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:38 pm

Jim Eshelman wrote:I don't think a new header is warranted yet - but I've marked your well-titled thread so that it will stick near the top. I don't know if this will have long-term value but, at least for now, let's run with this and see what people have to offer.

If there is high-volume participation and one thread doesn't do it, we can spin off a new header - otherwise, I like to keep them as small as possible to improve navigation. (Maximum gain for use of space, balance, etc.)

While a list would be good, I'm skeptical this will amount to much. There has been essentially nothing new in decades, and older stuff is hard to find. I came out with the first new major book on Sidereal astrology in 30 years a couple of years back (my Visions & Voices) and it has gotten essentially zero attention in the Sidereal community.

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:38 pm

Garth Allen, Taking the Kid Gloves Off Astrology (you can find it online, as mentioned here http://www.solunars.net/viewtopic.php?f ... 7187484d8c, but this one is I think a classic to have in paper - if you get the chance to find some copy!)

Cyril Fagan, Astrological Origins
Cyril Fagan, Primer of Sidereal Astrology

James Eshelman, The New Instant Astrologer
James Eshelman, Interpreting Solar Returns
James Eshelman, Visions and Voices

Ebertin, Combinations of Stellar Influences

Sidereal Ephemeris (a must-have for serious study!)

--- that's all I can remember that I have in my home library, all good and worth obtaining!

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:39 pm

SteveS wrote:And,

'Solunars Handbook', a collections of Cyril Fagan articles published in American Astrology Magazine from 1953-1970.

'Solar and Lunar Returns', Donald Bradley, his planetary deleinations alone are worth the price for this book.

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:39 pm

Jim Eshelman wrote:Add Gleadow's works. There are three titles and I forgot which of them are the same book (i.e., two books total). I think the first two below are the same book (on sign characteristics and history) and the third is his "origins of the zodiac" work.

The Zodiac Revealed
Your Character in the Zodiac
The Origin of the Zodiac

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:40 pm

Jim Eshelman wrote: I don't think full understanding is there until one knows how to calculate from scratch (and some of the math and astronomy that go with that). Therefore, I'm going to suggest adding to the list another of my books, Horoscope Calculation (published by AFA).

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:41 pm

Arena wrote:Very true, I've seen so much more by looking into the solarfire mundane charts and it is indeed very important for us to learn the settings of solarfire to be able to study sidereal astrology. There are threads in this forum to teach us how to do this and that - but the search option in the forum is not very good, so I can't find them as I don't remember exactly where I saw them.

Solarfire settings
http://solunars.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t ... e+settings

Solarfire tips and tricks for the sidereal astrologer
http://solunars.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t ... e+settings

Mundoscope wheel for solarfire 6
http://solunars.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t ... mundoscope

Are there more? Please add them into this thread for the purpose of having "stuff to read"

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:43 pm

FlorencedeZ. wrote:This book was helpful when I started learning about Sidereal astrology:

Anna-Kria King, The Goldmine in your Files.

It has some great "nuggets'' in there too.
Jupiter Sets At Dawn wrote: Spherical Astronomy for Astrologers by George C. Noonan, Jr, Ph.D. (pub date 1974)

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:43 pm

I ordered a few books and I got my first envelope yesterday, with Solar and lunar returns by Donald A. Bradley from 1950. It's used and looks old and it feels good to handle a book and read it, instead of only having reading material on the computer.
I felt like a little kid getting a present while opening up the envelope! :D

I finished it this morning. I noticed that I was "prepared" to read his book because I knew what he was talking about since I had read everything there is to read in this forum and online about Sidereal astrology.

I love his approach and style of writing. He is straight forward and almost a bit arrogant sometimes, but within a polite interval of arrogance :)

I just read this sentence smiling:
As with most controversial topics in any field of study, there is often more argumentation from both sides than straightforward efforts to settle the question through evidence based upon research. (p.85)
This has been my approach for all the years since I started studying astrology, and I've oftentimes challenged forum crowds to take part in gathering data from REAL cases to settle some questions, without much success since people do not always want to go through the work process of gathering real data and putting forward real examples to study together. This is also the reason I like this forum so much.

I must say that Jim has done a great job to put all of Bradley's interpretations in this forum. I discovered I had already read them all, so much of this book was not new to me :) ... but now I am reading his delienations of charts and I notice that he does use the houses in all his delienations. He emphasizes the planetary placements within houses. Both in his natal and solunars. He goes through how the luminaries would express themselves differently through the native depending on house placement, not sign placement. He doesn't even mention the signs so much, only the houses. He does note the signs though when he speaks about where the chart ascends. He finishes the book by emphasizing the locality charts (relocated charts) and he says that they may be of more importance than the natal chart when the individual has moved from natal place.

I noticed as well that he says that Mars must be present when blood is shed. It is not a Saturn or other planet's expressions, that is pure Mars at it's worst. I would have to look through all those mundane events that Jim has gathered information about to see Mars' blood shedding.

I also note that Mars-Saturn combination (along with Pluto) is the worst according to him, it seems... but also Mars in combination with Sun and Moon and Saturn-Mars-Neptune.

I want to add that I noticed he does say we should use all the Ptolematic aspects, conjunction, opposition, squares, trines and sextiles. And he does use them all.
I do understand Jim's teachings though that the first three are the most potent and in that order, and I like the way he has stated that they are dynamic (not negative forces) and will make things happen, while the last two are static or "soft" and you won't notice them as much.

I hope you all agree with me that this thread is a good place to put our thoughts about the books mentioned in here and discuss them if we like.

My journey of discovery is to be continued. I've been searching for some kind of astrological "truth" for so many years and I feel like I am getting closer and closer to the target, although there are a few chapters (other books) and practice/exercises left to get through.

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:44 pm

Jim Eshelman wrote:Glad you enjoyed the book so much :) I agree, it's wonderful (and I always liked his style, though perhaps because our angular Aquarius Moons click on the same sort of attitudes).

Regarding his use of houses and all the Ptolemaic aspects, this book - though highly revered among Siderealists - was written as Bradley's first interpretive work as he was moving from his (already significant) career as a Tropicalist. He was basically writing as a Tropical astrologer who had discovered Sidereal solar and lunar returns, and he brought this thinking with him. He soon dropped it.
I noticed as well that he says that Mars must be present when blood is shed. It is not a Saturn or other planet's expressions, that is pure Mars at it's worst. I would have to look through all those mundane events that Jim has gathered information about to see Mars' blood shedding.
Mars and blood - agreed. Here's the summary paragraph on foreground Mars from the last edition of SMA: "Mars is foreground for a wide range of hurtful events, including fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, and violent explosions and accidents. High profile deaths by inflammatory illness or (more commonly) by violence, notorious shooting incidents where many are killed, significant military and police activity, the inauguration of war, actions causing great violence and damage in the name of war (including terrorist actions), and a general air of crisis and assault facing political leaders all are characteristic of angular Mars."
My journey of discovery is to be continued.
Yay! :D

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:47 pm

Ok I see. Better not bring Mars to the angles whenever I get to relocate :) ...except in wider foreground maybe if the Sun is angular in my case.

So the journey continues, today I got another envelope in the mail. I bought them all used, so they are coming in from different sellers from different directions ...so two more to go.

Today it was The Combination of Stellar Influences by Reinhold Ebertin from 1972, the year of my birth :)
So now I can study all of his combinations of 3 planets. What I can see from just browsing through it that surprises me a bit is that he does use the "points" as the third point as well, such as the nodes and Asc and MC. It's great I have the weekend ahead to study this book.

I am in love with this journey :)[/quote]
Arena wrote:So, Ebertin was finished this weekend. I can indeed agree with you all that this is a very good buy. Very true, it is a great reference book for how the planets interact, two or three together. He doesn't go into grand cross forming though (with four or more planets). So when you have a grand cross forming, you will need to improvise, read three and three. F.ex. in my SSR this year I have the SSR Moon forming a grand cross with the Venus-Jupiter-Pluto T-square, and then it is also forming a grand trine with Saturn and Mars. So I need to read a few three way aspects :)

It seems by his calculations and method explaining that he uses this mostly when it is a symmetric midpoint that is formed, as in T-squares and Grand trines. I do think I saw some examples on two conjunct planets in aspect to the third by conj., opp. sq. trine and sextiles though.

I've read through the aspects forming many times as I want to try and remember a bit from this book, but it is indeed a necessary reference if those have been tested (at least some of them) by thousands of charts. To me it seems like Ebertin was very much into proving by examples just like Bradley was and probably Fagan as well.

So now I am awaiting the third and fourth books that come from the same vendor ... looking forward to some more reading.
Jim Eshelman wrote:Excellent. Yes, the book's great. Just remember that his Pluto can't be trusted very well - the notes were composed in the 1930s and '40s when very different thoughts about Pluto's nature prevailed, primarily dealing with power and covert power structures. Pluto's results are powerful, but they aren't about power etc.
Arena wrote:Just received the third book of four, so Eshelman will be the last one to arrive :)

The third one is Primer of Sidereal Astrology by Cyril Fagan. I'll read it over the weekend.

So now I have the cream of sidereal astrology books :)

Jim, since you say Ebertin's notes on Pluto are not reliable, what is your own opinion that Pluto is all about? Would you say it is more about changes, transformation, separation, death? To me there is a power element to Pluto, I did see that in my own life when going through Pluto-Uranus angular period - but that is not the only thing Pluto is about.
Jim Eshelman wrote:
Arena wrote:Jim, since you say Ebertin's notes on Pluto are not reliable, what is your own opinion that Pluto is all about? Would you say it is more about changes, transformation, separation, death?
That's the basic element in predictive work, e.g., in Pluto transits. Within a natal we end up using different language - e.g., people with strong Pluto's aren't any more transformation-prone than others - but it's the same underlying principle. You can review natal Pluto characteristics here:
http://solunars.net/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1997&p=71#p82

Speaking de novo on Pluto, I think the best ways to talk about it seem a little abstract because most people aren't used to speaking about the things Pluto deals with. It is deeply existential; in particular, Pluto deals with our essence of existence devoid of characterization or consideration. Bradley correctly identified the key idea (in "Kid Gloves") as that which separates or singles out from the masses, the one-in-a-million, both odd and outside the odds. It isn't beholden to socialization or others' ideas about what it should be like - it is singled out from any sense of collectivity.

In natal aspect analysis, I've found the most useful key-in language is, "free of arbitrary expectations." That is, people with luminaries closely aspecting Pluto have little tolerance for other people's expectations, especially if those expectations seem arbitrary or formal. Mercury-Pluto people have little tolerance for other people's arbitrary expectations on how one should think or on what's true; Venus-Pluto people need to love without consideration of other people's arbitrary expectations; and so forth. That might be a useful key to jumping into the middle.

This "singled out" is without ego. It's not an ego-distinction per se, in the way the Sun is, it's just an acute awareness that, ultimately, they are separate, alone, isolated, their own person - without any particular emotion inherently attached to that (and not in a way that excludes a simultaneous awareness that all are connected).

Transformation comes from this because it really means going "trans" on the form of things - getting outside the current framework, pulling back to the place where existing frameworks and definitions are experienced as arbitrary and stepping outside of them. The origins of separation in these themes should also be obvious.

Does that help?
by Arena on Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:38 pm

Yes indeed, this helps.
Arena wrote:Ok so now I almost finished Primer of Sidereal Astrology. It is a very good one. But to me I don't think I will ever use half of that book since the first half (or more) is all about calculations. I think I will rely on Solar Fire to do those for me :) ... but it is indeed helpful to know which charts to use and then I must learn how to use them all in Solar Fire.

The second half or the last third of the book is very interesting to me, since it is interpretations.

Anyway, it feels great to have a tiny "library" of three books now ... am waiting for the fourth book written by the teacher in this forum, Mr. J.E.

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:48 pm

I would like to add this online source into this thread as I think it is a great read about angular planets.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/48191491/Dona ... artoGraphy

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:48 pm

Arena wrote:Last night I finished the book Primer of Sidereal Astrology and at the end I came across this Novien/navamsa thought from Fagan. I have not really seen much about that in here, but found a couple of threads where it is discussed. Most interesting. The examples he gives at the end of the book are indeed striking and he seems to be on to something with that Novien chart. However he does not explain how to use that Novienic table on page 121.

He does mention in that last chapter that people should be able to see the birthdate of their marriage partner through the Novien placement of Sun or Moon. But then he gives no examples of that. He just says that "the 2nd or 3rd navamsa of the Moon, if not in the first case, for the ladies: and the Sun in the case of the men often indicates the birthday of the husband or the wife, according to the linganioni system of selecting one's matrimonial partner." p.115

Well, I tried casting my own navamsa charts in 2nd 3rd and 9th harmonics in SF as Jim has tought, but I do not see that the Sun shows the same degree as the man I married. But the Novien chart as per Fagan suggests shows something different.

Fagan suggest an orb of up to 6° in the Novien charts.

So I did find this thread where Jim has instructed to trick SF to get those navamsa and novien charts as Fagan suggested.
http://solunars.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3695

I do see that my 9th harmonic chart made from that Fagan's novien does have the Moon at 15.12 Pisces (or 15.33 Pisces with birth hour of 23.44) (and I see the connection to my younger children's Moons, both at that degree) and then Sun is at 27.22 Pisces. The Moon is partile opposite Jupiter of that 9th harmonic chart and they square Mercry at IC. The one man that I have married had his Sun in Pisces (13,18°) in sidereal zodiac and my current long term registered partner has his Sun in Leo and Moon in Cancer so not a connection to that chart (except a trine to the Navamsa Moon and of course the conjunction to my Sun).

The navamsa chart is supposed to give us clues to the character of our spouses through the DSC placement of that navamsa. I see it does in my case :) In the Fagan novien navamsa the DSC is in Virgo and conjunct Jupiter. My longest relationships can easily express that.

Do we ever use the progressed novien as base for those harmonic calculations?

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:49 pm

Arena wrote:So, I did finally receive the last book for my little astro library, Jim's Interpreting Solar Returns

Thank you Jim for writing the book. It was a good read and it's a really good manual on how to read into the SSR's. But this forum is a GREAT guide as well.

It was an interesting example at the end where you pointed out your own mistake because of your own preconceptions. A healthy reminder to just follow the rules :)

I did also in particular like the chapter where you point out the differences in SSR's and TSR's to show the reader how much more accurate a chart the SSR is.

It is good to learn from all those examples in the book, and in this forum.

Most of what I read in this book I had already read in this forum, so again I must say this forum is a good place to learn.
However I did notice a "new" thing or something I have not paid attention to before. And that is to take note of the background planets, to remind us that when they are background in a chart they are not able to function and affect us. So it is not good to have the luminaries and benefics all in the background as it will diminish their effects and ability to help us. Better keep those malefics in the background if possible. I have mostly just paid attention to what is foreground and angular and have not thought much about the rest of the chart, except for those tight 0-3° aspects.

Another thing I may have learned that I did not register before is about those planets that square the MC/IC angle (so it is close to EP). It seems by the book that it would be considered "foreground" and angular even though it is far from the ASC/DSC angle.

The chapter about the enneads in the end I think I have to read through again. I was thinking as I was reading it if it would be possible to use the navamsa/novien chart to read into the enneads?

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Arena » Mon May 08, 2017 4:49 pm

SteveS wrote:Danica wrote:
Do you know of an online source with Fagan's biography with listed years for his most important discoveries regarding Sidereal astrology?
No I don’t, but would be a great find for us if found.
For ex., in which year he discovered that the "decans" are actually the pentades?
I do know the date of one of his most important discoveries-- May 12th 1949 he ‘he solved the problem of the ‘hypsomata’ (exaltation degrees of the planets in the Sidereal Zodiac.). Fagan discusses this discovery timed by maturation of a partile 180 of SQ Moon to SQ Uranus.

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Re: Books to buy/read

Post by Danica » Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:15 am

Last night, I found "The Goldmine in your Files" on AbeBooks for $10 !!!!

When looking for a rare/out-of-print books, definitely check AbeBooks, this is not the first time I've found a rarity there for price trice less than amazon and other places.
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