Parkers' Astrology: The Essential Guide to Using Astrology in Your Daily Life

First of all, something to note is that I *believe* this particular version is the first edition of many- or at least that's what it says inside. Knowing that it was written & published almost 30 years ago, I was curious to see if there would be some "outdated" ideas in there compared to some of the more modern astrology books I own. I was pleasantly surprised in this area, but I will get to why in a second - I would like to address the book as a whole first. I cannot stress this enough: It doesn't matter if you're a beginner, or a super advanced astologist. This book is a must have on your shelf. Now, there is no astrology book out there that will have EVERYTHING you need to know about astrology, but Parker's Astrology comes pretty darn close - at the very least, it contains a much wider breadth of information than I have found in even some of the more highly rated astrology books out there. I have bought quite a few of the best selling astrology books on Amazon and while each of them always have something interesting and new to offer, quite often I'm left feeling like I'm only getting an overview of a subject that is much deeper, like there is so much more to it that I'm missing. Parker's Astrology does not make me feel that way at all, in fact, it very much hits that sweet spot of curiosity I have about these things and most of the time, delves even deeper than that. As others have written, this book is littered with charts, illustrations that are both beautiful and helpful to those of us who are visual learners, and some really nice photography. As a full time artist and designer I am VERY please by how visual this book is. At the same time, by no means does it overpower the writing but actually strengthens it. The only time I find myself a bit displeased with the graphics is in section 4 -- I attached a pic to this review so you can see what I mean -- with the brown paper background, black text and white graphics behind the text it can become a bit difficult to read, but thankfully it is not so bad that it's illegible, or even super difficult, just noticeable. Take that with a grain of salt as this is also my day job so I am more aware and prone to be picky about these things, however I worry that someone older with bad eyes or someone with a learning disability like dyslexia may struggle with these parts. By no means does that make this book any less worth buying though. The writing is fantastic, and like I said, very in depth but still engaging. Parker's Astrology is written and laid out like a more traditional textbook, which I LOVE because while it is very information heavy, it also breaks it up in such a way as to not feel too overwhelming. This book doesn't shy away from talking about more advanced astrology but also does a really great job of making sure that what they're writing is easily digestible and understandable - in other words, it doesn't baby you or condescend by being written "too simply" but it also isn't written too academically or pretentiously. I mean no shade to those books that love using big fancy advanced astrology terms every other word because they have their place, but I really admire how Parker's Astrology can talk about more advanced subjects in a way that both beginners can follow and also still in depth enough to satisfy the more advanced. I am really impressed with how engaging the authors are, especially without being as personal as many other astrology books that are written in a more novel like format & bring in the authors personal voice and experiences (which is also by no means a bad thing and something I enjoy too, it's just not what you get with this book!). Despite being less personal, it is still very personable if that makes sense. In other words, it is definitely not dry - coming off more like a friendly mentor. I attached a pic where this is exemplified well, the part where it talks about "positive and negative" signs, relating it to feminine/masculine and what that means. It's a really great example of how the books narrative is almost very much like a friendly mentor who is teaching you everything you need to know - it does a good job of saying "hey this is relevant information" while also adding in the BUT of that info, and gives you context to how to actually use it in practice - even if you disagree with the narrator, I find o prefer this presentation of info soooo much more than the books that simply dump a bunch of info on you that this sign is this or that and never gives you any other context or guidance on how to interpret it. This segues into my last part, which I know some of you may not care so much about but I still think is personally very important to factor in. When I'm taking in information I consider things like what time period it was written in and how they talk about certain issues related to gender, race, sexuality etc. Surprisingly, while this book doesn't necessarily address these things outright like some more modern books do, it also isn't as problematic as some either. Take the same passage I pointed out about the positive/negative and feminine/masculine signs for example. I've read a couple of more progressive books that have been written in recent times that do an amazing job of discussing this subject more in depth, something missing here but, I also didn't expect it to be in there anyways. However I still appreciated that while Parkers Astrology brings it up both in the passage I posted and a few other parts, it doesn't put as much importance on gendering signs as many other more traditional books do, and is much less rigid in GENERAL not just for this subject but many others. Another pleasant surprise was to see that in the section where sun signs are broken down, with each sign given a full page illustration of a person representing their sign, EVERY SINGLE ONE is obviously a poc, or at the very least they are all very obviously brown and have non-caucasion features. This may not be important to most and some of you may even be wondering why I bring this up, but I know there are some of you who would appreciate this. Lastly, while this book is very much focused on more traditional western astrology (not the kind of traditional that doesn't have Pluto in it tho, although they do mention those planet differences in traditional and modern in there!) and doesn't dive deep into the many different practices around the world like for example vedhic astrology, it also doesn't shy away from talking about the many different cultures and influences on astrology overall. I would say though while this book has more on the history of astrology and how it came to be than some other modern books, you will be dissapointed if that's all you're looking for. Overall, this is a must have for anyone interested in this subject and comes highly recommended, and very much worth the price. I enjoyed it so much I am planning on buying the new version that is being released next month (September 2020 as of the time of this writing) so I can have a "newer" version too....but make no mistakes, this first edition is by no means lacking. I hope this review was helpful to you!

Very pleased with all aspects

I first acquired this book in 1991, when I became serious about studying astrology. I don't need to use it very often now, but I highly recommend it for advanced beginners. I recently purchased a copy for an aspiring astrologer as a gift. The illustrations are lavish, and the book is written in a clear, concise way, which makes it easy to understand, even for the novice astrologer. The "Glossary: is very helpful, as is the alphabetized section, "Astrological Sources of Characteristics." This book is not for a rank beginner, but for someone who is earnestly seeking to become a knowledgeable astrologer, I highly recommend this book!

If you are just learning about astrology, or you have been studying off and on, this book is a great tool. You are able to understand transits, how ascending signs work, and what activity goes on the houses. Julia and Derek Parker are very down to earth and teach astrology for anyone on any level. The illustrations are beautiful,and add to the wonders of astrology.

this book was recommended to me by one of my customers when we realized we both shared studying astrology as a hobby. great for both beginners and experts. it even has templates and shows you how to make/draw your own astral chart. very informative and explains just about anything that can be in your chart. good condition with minimal use. would recommend to others interested in this topic:) Pisces with rising libra!

As a practicing astrologer for many years, I'd like to say that, this book has it's definite pros & cons. When I first got into astrology, I found this book in the public library and it proved a fruitful first step. It presents itself with lots of colored pictures & diagrams, a history of astrology, a look from an astromer's point view, along with cookbook interpretations for both house & sign placement (natal, prog and transits). It also offers a good summary on every sun and ascendant sign, and touches on some basics when looking at synastry, as well as personal life questions like career, health, etc. If you're looking for information on *how* to draw up a natal chart, this book is flatly too difficult. I was able to draw up my own natal but it took a couple months. Desperation forced me to, as the internet and software programs weren't available at the time. If you want to learn how to do the calculations by hand, I would suggest "March, Marion D. & Joan McEvers: THE ONLY WAY TO LEARN ASTROLOGY, VOLUME 2: MATH AND INTERPRETATION TECHNIQUES" as the starting point. You'll also need: - an appropriate ephemeris (Midnight GMT preferred) - a World Atlas containing exact latitudes & longitudes by city - a Table of Houses (basic Placidus or Koch) - a book on Time Changes which addresses issues such as Daylight Savings Time, Wartime, etc. I don't believe there is one single book out there that contains all the above information as it would be bigger than an unabridged dictionary. Unfortunately, I'm not finding Marion March's Volume 2 book on Amazon.. (how strange), but it's out there and definitely in print. 8) Other than that, if you're serious about studying astrology, you should be expanding your book collection immensely because by no means will any one book be sufficient. Parker's Astrology is definitely a nice place to start though.

I purchased this book for a freind of mine last Christmas and was surprised to read a comment in the Christmas card he sent me this year talking about this book and how truly informative and insightful it was. It pleases me to know that money I spent for a gift last year is still pleasing the person I purchased it for this year, especially in our economy. Dave B. Houston, Texas Go Texans!

Only just got this book. It`s well made & sturdy & should take quite a lot of use. Love the illustrations, really quite beautiful as well as helpful. Seems to have everything like a budding astrologer like myself will need. Has everything ... have no doubts, if you want to learn western astrology I personally have seen nothing better for beginners like myself or even intermediate students. Buy it & enjoy, a beautiful and useful book. Oh, and as usual, amazon prime delivered next day promptly as usual.

What a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about astrology. The way this book is designed is very cool. It reminds me of older school books, where they put in some images to make it more interesting and to keep students from getting discouraged by reading a lot of text. It has a playful design, while being informative as well. You get to learn how to draw your own natal chart and it is written in a way even an absolute beginner can follow. Great book, wish I had found it sooner.

I'm very happy with this astrology book. It is full of very practical, in depth and helpful astrology information. It is well written easy to understand and has beautiful illustrations.

I work with Astrology for about 40 years and wish I had had this book from the outset! It has valuable informations even for me = good for beginners and for pro's! BUT it arrived NOT in a 'GOOD CONDITION' (see picture) from worldofbooksde. I would buy that book again, but not from that seller!

I'm writing a book about an astrologer. I know nothing about the principals of the subject at all so I asked an astrologer what would be the best book to get. I need to know every aspect of the subject. She put me onto this book. I looked through it and find it's used by practicing astrologers because it holds information they need to practice their art over years. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone wishing to learn the subject properly; it's facinating. Maybe I'll get hooked.