Brady's Book of Fixed Stars [Hardcover]

Bernadette Brady (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

For the first time, this book offers astrologers: Paran Maps and Star Phases for over 60 stars; new insights into the natal use of fixed stars, as well as their use in mundane astrology; extensive appendices of Heliacal Rising and Acronychal Settinggraphs and tables so that, for any given location, the dates of these risings and settings can be found; a list of 176 stars with their 21st century Ptolemaic precessed positions versus their commonly-considered positions based on Ulugh Beg's methods.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Most readers are aware of sun signs and the significance of zodiacal constellations, yet the importance of fixed stars, especially those outside the ecliptic (the plane through which the planets travel), is often overlooked in contemporary astrology. Brady has returned to the art's origins, reviving the ancient meanings ascribed to individual stars in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Fixed stars add their own influences to a person's horoscope (sometimes subtly, sometimes with drastic changes) through "paran" relationships with the planets. A star and planet are paran when they simultaneously occupy certain positions in the sky. Brady has accomplished the daunting task of charting the rising, culmination, and setting of 176 stars. She has researched their mythology in several cultures, and offers an interpretation of how each of the stars can affect a horoscope. While figuring paran relationships can be done with good computer software, such programs do not offer the rich history and revealing interpretations found in Brady's Book of Fixed Stars, and there is also something to be said for consulting charts and the nostalgia of old-fashioned, hands-on astrology. --Brian Patterson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 460 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877288860
• ISBN-13: 978-0877288862
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,855,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bernadette Brady M.A. is a professional consulting and teaching astrologer who lives in Bristol, UK.

She holds a masters degree in Culture Astronomy and Astrology from Bath Spa University, UK . In September, 2006 she was honoured by the Astrological Association of Great Britain by being award the prestigious Charles Harvey Award for "exceptional service to astrology". And in 2008 with the Regulus Award in theory and Understand by the USA community at UAC in Denver

In her capacity as an astrologer she lectures, teaches, designs software and writes. She is renowned for her innovated work in visual astrology, the role of fixed stars in western astrology and for her work in predictive astrology. Her latest work is in mapping chaos theory to astrology.

She is currently reading for her doctorate in determinism in western astrology at Bath Spa University (UK) and is a tutor for the MA in Cosmology and Culture at Wales University, Lampeter UK. And a tutor for Schumacher College, in partnership with the University of Plymouth, in their MSc programme Holistic Science.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars easier than I thought, excellent revival of a good method, December 31, 2000

By 

charwoman (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brady's Book of Fixed Stars (Paperback)

I'd been avoiding this book probably because I expected working with parans to be difficult. I succumbed to it during a recent chest cold and it turned out to be so clearly and well written that I had no trouble getting my one-track mind off the ecliptic. Brady's discussion of the history, charting methods, and meanings of the stars/constellations are enjoyable and enlightening, often providing a constructive viewpoint where classical interpretations do not. Computers make it unnecessary for astrologers to watch the sky, and this book has encouraged me to change my habits on that count. Unlike many astrology books, this one left me feeling ~better-educated~ and ecouraged me to research further on my own. Very useful for evaluating charts with questionable birth times. Looking forward to seeing what wider use of this method may yield over the next few years. And here's hoping Brady will develop a report module for Solar Fire!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to your Astrology library., January 17, 2001

By 

Jude Cowell "Jude" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brady's Book of Fixed Stars (Hardcover)

When this book had just come out, I attended Ms. Brady's Fixed Star workshop in Atlanta, May,'98.The lecture given was enthral ling ...Ms. Brady's interest & expertise in her subject were very impressive. Naturally, I signed up to have a Fixed StarReport done by the lady herself, & it has added "oodles" of info to my own charts, etc. Soon I had the book in hand & have been very impressed with it also. Not a beginner's book,perhaps,unless you have an interest in myths/archetypes.SolarFire4 software has the lists, etc., but no written report...you need this book to "read all about it". Beginning/Middle/End of life info can be yours!Which stars are connected to your chart/planets? Find out.. & be amazed!!

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Astrology Book!, February 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brady's Book of Fixed Stars (Hardcover)

Brady's Book of Fixed Stars brings the world of fixed stars to the tropical astrologer. Her method of delineation takes into account the ancient myths associated with the constellations, and her introduction of the ancient technique of star "parans" has consistently shed additional light on natal charts for me. My only quibble is her relying on Barbara Walker's "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets", which is notorious in some circles for wishful thinking and poor scholarship. Nevertheless, this book is an important addition to the astrologer's toolkit.