• Identify the signs of the zodiac
• Understand the Sun, the Moon, the planets, the rising sign, and the 12 houses
• Discover the rulers of the signs
• Map your own horoscope (or a friend’s)
• Use astrology in daily life
• Capture the heart of each sign of the zodiac, and more!

Astrology for Dummies, Second Edition demystifies astrological charts and uses plain English to show you how you can take advantage of the wisdom of the stars. Whether you’re looking to assess relationships, examine your potential, or make some basic decisions — like, when to go on a first date — Astrology for Dummies, Second Edition helps you discover how understanding your position in the cosmos illuminates the secret corners of the self, provides a key to understanding others, and even offers a glimpse into the future.

In "The Cosmic Cookbook" section, Orion takes the reader through the basics of birth chart interpretation. Sun signs, Moon signs, the positions of all the planets in the various signs and houses e.g. Mars in Aquarius, Uranus in the sixth house and so on. Real life examples are scattered throughout the book. Other sections cover basic compatibility, both Sun sign combinations and more complex relationship astrology. Towards the end there is "Ten Types Of Astrology" (including Vedic and Chinese) and some more esoteric features of the horoscope are briefly covered in "Ten Ways To Complicate A Chart" (such as midpoints and Arabic parts).

An excellent starter. "Parkers Astrology" could be a colourful complement to this volume, and I recommend Stephen Arroyo's "Chart Interpretation Handbook" as a possible next step.


Ok for beginners   April 2, 2004
 19 out of 20 found this review helpful

This was my first book on Astrology, and I must say it's definitely helpful in understanding some of the most confusing basic ideas behind the subject. The book goes into plenty of detail about what all the planets and houses mean and it teaches you how to read your own chart. I've already learned more from this book alone about my chart than I can even put together. However, I found the information about aspects a bit weak. The chart for figuring out the aspects of your chart didn't seem quite accurate (...), and the information about more aspects farther into the book was not easy to understand. I'd say if you want to learn more about aspects to find another book, but this is pretty good if you're just starting out!