Customer Reviews

The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology (Essential Guide To... (Alpha Books))

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As a practicing astrologer for twenty years, I've often been asked to recommend a good beginner's book on this subject. And while there are plenty of basic astrology titles available, I haven't felt enthusiastic about any of them... until now. Ms. Kent's book is clear, comprehensive, and engaging. It's exactly what the title claims it is: an essential guide to practical astrology!

This book is disguised as a fun, informative, and easy-to-read basic book on astrology, but it is really a Pandora's box of giggly "aha" moments and profound "wow" realizations. April Elliott Kent has a unique way of teaching by analogy and imagery, leaving plenty of room to relate to the material in a personal way, either as a casual observer or a serious student.

I have a feeling this book will not end up on the shelf anytime soon. I'm having way too much fun reading it to put it away. I haven't even finished it, and I am already re-reading portions of it. Kudos and Thanks, Ms. Kent, for such a good time!

First of all I love the Wonderful Blog and writing of April on Her Big Sky Astrology website - you need to get her emails and you need to read this book. Very clearly written, nothing scarey, just lots of clearly stated methods to see your chart, plan your life and save the anxiety of thinking you have to track someone down for every urgent decision in your life. This is a great map to your chart, a wonderful primer on astrology and certainly a fundamental book for anyone living and aware on the planet. Enjoy her, she is a fine astrologer and entertaining writer.

Some areas that might benefit you personally are the detailed outlines of each sign, the explanations as to how your personal chart is expressed by the houses and the planetary placement. To further aid the novice as well as keen astrologer is the methodology for a daily, monthly or yearly approach to your chart and life. Try the simple, step by step info and you will have a much keener insight into how unique you are, and best of all, how to make the most of that. Note: I am an intuitive reader and it even gave me insights! How good is that!??

Toward the end of Practical Astrology, April Elliott Kent calls her own Chapter 16 "awesomely comprehensive." I'd use the same phrase to describe her entire book, which ambitiously categorizes all the basic concepts and several advanced principles and cycles of Western astrology. Yet Kent makes these easy to understand and enjoy by using practical and humorous examples. Some of the examples she uses are laugh-out-loud funny, such as her point that when asked what they want to do with their lives, Pisces Sun people might say "something to do with dolphins." It's just the kind of imprecise and poetic answer a Pisces person would give. A newcomer to astrology may find this tendency of the Pisces sign to love sea creatures intriguing and enchanting, and it is. Yet more astrologically seasoned readers will recognize and be tickled by the aptness of the description for the Pisces sign.

Ms. Kent also shares some of her own reasons for respecting and practicing the stellar art, including the fact that the Indiana farm people she knew growing up rarely made a move without their Farmer's Almanac, and that a treasured, hand-cast copy of her grandfather's natal chart commissioned by a "gypsy" was passed down to her by her mother. In addition to those naturally drawn to occult knowledge or metaphysics, the book may appeal to the thoughtful reader of history, non-fiction, or popular science who has never given astrology a chance, because the astronomical realities behind astrological reasoning are intelligently explained. I especially enjoyed the book's cogent references to historical persons such as Benjamin Franklin and William Shakespeare who used or referenced astrology.

This isn't what I would call a book for the faint of heart, though even absolute beginners can likely find wisdom here. The book is rather for the intelligent individual who may have had some exposure to astrology yet who may now be eager to learn the stellar art in earnest, and apply it in practical ways. Like good lasagna, there are many layers to astrology, and as with lasagna, the noodles can either hang together with the cheese and the sauce and spices or not. Kent gives the reader all the ingredients and suggests possibilities for layering; it will be up to the astute reader to make his or her own delicious pasta dish of well-married flavors and self-understanding from reading and very likely re-reading in depth the varied sections of the book. Some of these sections become deeply resonant with meaning the more they are read.

Unique among astrology books as far as I know is the division of astrological cycles into daily, monthly, seasonal, yearly, and long-range planners, and collecting all these into one book. This organization helps to show just how many lenses one can use to look at the stars--up close for daily use or at a distance for yearly and long-range planning. I especially enjoyed Kent's descriptions of the Moon signs in the Daily Planner section of the book. I recommend this book for those ready to move beyond their daily or weekly newspaper horoscope and get serious about learning to speak the astrological language. The book would make a great gift for anyone intelligent and open-minded, who is ready to take a journey among the stars and learn more about how they tick.

Practical Astrology is a perfect description of what this book is. Practical. It is funny and entertaining. Sometimes astrology books are so funny in their description, that they are not accurate in their descriptions. This book does not do that. I have been interested in Astrology for over years. In each chapter, I learn something new or see information in a way I had not thought of before. For example, Ms. Kent stated that astrology was not a science. In my learning, I was given the impression that astrology was scientific. That baffled me. I was very grateful to hear Ms. Kent say that it was not.

There are "astrologers," and there are Astrologers. April Elliott Kent falls into the latter category. While, both in this book and the emails she sends to her fans and followers, her whimsical and humorous approach to life is clearly evident, make no mistake: She knows her stuff. But unlike some dry and pedantic types, April presents even the most complex material in a clear and practical way. And in an era where astrology is finally gaining some respectability again after some four centuries since science was divorced from anything metaphysical or spiritual (i.e., anything a scientist couldn't see, quantify or prove in a sterile lab), April shows why it is truly "practical astronomy." She's not only a most amusing writer; she's a well organized one. She tells you up front what this six-part book contains; she delivers the information; and then she sums up what she just told you (along with several helpful appendices at the end). Even better, there are "astro tips" and "astro alerts" sprinkled throughout Practical Astrology to demystify certain terms or counter popular myths. To sum up, this is a book that contains solid information, clearly and logically presented, that entertains as much as it informs. As April says, "you'll definitely find out what astrology is good for, other than annoying your sister (the scientist) and offending your brother (the minister)."

I'm a complete novice when it comes to astrology. I know the basics (enough to ask "what sign are you?" at a bar -- and get laughed at!) but after that, I didn't know much else. Until now. This book is so easy to sink your teeth into -- well written, with wit and substance, I found that I couldn't put it down. April's examples are so "real life," that it makes complicated concepts easy to comprehend. Even for me. I highly recommend it!

This is a terrific introduction to astrology. April Kent uses analogies that are very accessible to the reader and explains what can be an esoteric subject in practical, easily understood terms. She has a great sense of humor as well that just comes right through in her writing. If you're new to astrology like me or know someone who is, this is a great book to start them off with!

Just a caution: I purchased the Kindle edition of the book and not all of the graphics come through, such as the glyphs. It doesn't detract from the reading of the book, but I might thumb through the hard copy as a comparison.

I've considered myself a novice Astrology lover for a couple of years now, so when I first picked up this book I thought perhaps it would cover things I already knew. Well, yes and no. It did cover the basics (yay!) but it also made me look at certain aspects of my chart and others that I hadn't considered. Very thorough book - I'd buy it for any Astrology lover/buff in my life!

I have been reading astrology books for years, for fun. This was given to me as a gift and I am really impressed with this book. It has been very fun to read. There was never a dull moment while reading it. It has funny, insightful information that I think everyone would find worthy of reading.
I highly recommend this book, for fun and for deep insights into the human psyche.