The Manual of Astrology, the Standard Work

Book excerpt: First published in 1898, this is a very different astrology book from what we have now. There are extensive delineations for the signs of the zodiac, especially when found on the ascendant. There are delineations of planets in signs when they are in the first house or are the chart ruler, in both cases, describing the physical appearance. There are delineations of planets in the various houses, which will also serve for the planetary rulerships of the houses. There are only sketchy notes on aspects. So far as the "pure astrology" of planets in signs, in houses, in aspect, there is almost nothing at all. The reason is found in the second part of the book. We are not reading the chart as a psychological abstraction. We are, instead, looking for specific traits, attempting to answer specific questions. Will we have a profession? What kind of marriage? What kind of children? Will we vanquish our enemies, or submit to them? What kind of illness? We then find the house(s) of the horoscope which rule the question, and then delineate the signs & planets we find there. These are, by the way, the sort of questions that clients would ask, if they only knew we could give answers! The sort of things that astrologers themselves want to know. In the process we learn how to read a chart & get real meaning from it. We get ideas from one section and then apply them to other sections. There are hundreds and hundreds of useful aphorisms, except that Sepharial doesn't label them as such. Get this book, study it, underline key passages, scribble in the margins. You will learn more from this book than most all others put together.