Customer Reviews

Identifying Planetary Triggers: Astrological Techniques for Prediction

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Golden nuggets of information buried in a muddled, overly detailed presentation. Not for beginners. If you are a professional astrologer or have a few years of study behind you, you'll be able to pull out a couple of very useful techniques you may not have seen elsewhere--the use of anilunar returns, for example, which is the return of the moon to its own place in the solar return chart. I found it to be an extremely accurate predictive device, and very simple. There is also the wonderful technique of progressing the Saturn return chart, which is a blessing when dealing with older clients still struggling with Saturn's lessons. And she does a very thorough job of taking us step by step through the process of using return charts as predictive devices--not only solar and lunar returns, but the important(and under-used)returns of Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Her advice on how to prioritize progressions is a useful reminder for everyone from beginners to seasoned professionals, and she makes an important point many astrologers forget--that the return charts reflect what is happening in the progressed chart in the same way that the progressed chart can only be an unveiling of the potential in the natal chart. My problem with the book is that it's very difficult to use as a reference work. If you had difficulty interpreting a return, you'd be hard pressed to find an answer here--no index to help you find what you need. And there are much better books on interpreting progressions and transits. I wish that the publisher had coaxed a smaller, more useful book out of this author. Is it worth buying? Yes, if you're serious about your astrology; particularly if you've been swimming in the more esoteric astrological waters lately, and need to get your feet on the ground of practical predictive techniques.

This book has more info on Return Charts...from Sun to Saturn, & all planets in between...than I've found in any other book. Ms. Teal clearly explains each type, along w/ Diurnals, transits to progressed charts,anlunars,& much more. Learn how to track a planet's transit through a Return chart,or progress a Return chart. Also covered are the transits of the planets, plus the transitting Nodes. Fantastic!

Ms. Teal has already written a comprehensive overview of what her book does. What I love about this work is the information about Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter Returns, because there is so little else written on them. She covers a lot of information including progressions, transits, and other Returns as well. There are numerous examples to illustrate in a well-organized, very readable work that is easy to reference. Lots of valuable information not readily available elsewhere!

A complete forecast reference!!! I found Identifying Planetary Triggers to be a thorough reference for learning prediction techniques and timing. I bought the book because I was interested in learning about planetary returns and I was not disappointed but I found later that interpreting my lunar returns has been even easier since I went back and read the first part of the book on progressions. Ms Teal says that important themes will be repeated from the progressed to the return charts and I've found this to be true. Also, my ability to accurately spot important days and the kind of activity from my lunar returns and my solar return is beginning to be impressive. The section on Transits contains a rare find! The previously unpublished manuscript by Heber Smith who was Evangeline Adams instructor is included and that material alone is worth more than the price of the book. I highly recommend this book and I've now ordered Ms Teal's book on prediction.

This book gave a lot of information about deliniating returns, and with a few personal major life decisions on my mind, I sat down to read her book with my chart along aside. Now, I've studied Astrolgy all of my life, and people tell me I am quite good at helping them make decisions using their birth date as a guide. (I am a great-grandmother, and have studied Astrology for many, many Moons.) But I was sooooo stymied by my own stars~! It was very hard for me to be objective when I was trying to make wise life-changing decisions. So, I emailed to Celeste Teal for help. (She offers a once a year maintenance plan that integrates all of the methods detailed in the book, based on the client's birth data.)
It was last fall when I consulted her for guidance, and every point she brought up in her feedback to me has proved to be 100% accurate. She opened my mind up into seeing all the possibilities on my path ahead instead of just seeing the things I wanted to see happen in my Horoscope. All the techniques she used to help me are clearly outlined in this book, I really learned a lot and feel I am a much better Astrologer, after seeing how she applied her methods to my birth data.

Not for the beginner, and the organization structure is not for everybody, but the heart of this book is worth any reading time devoted to it. I particularly like the way she approaches planet returns. She discusses Solar, Saturn, Jupiter and even personal planet returns. Her honoring of one of our astrological ancestors, Hubert Smith, by including some of his transit intrepretations, is refreshing in this current humanistic astrology era. For me, this one of those astrology library basics.

In her second book Celeste Teal reveals something more about techniques for prediction. Though she refers a lot to techniques already mentioned in her first book the most valuable parts in this book are about the return charts and the transit descriptions by dr. Smith. This book is a must read for all astrologers.

I found this book so very helpful when I work on charts. It's given me ways to put different charts together. I love the insight on the planetary returns. It's very detailed and comprehensive.

I admire the author's obviously in-depth knowledge of the topic of predictive astrology and I wish she had incorporated more of it in this book, which is very hard to read and has no flow. It would have been more useful to have the data in the last 3 chapters at the beginning, with much greater detail and the first 12 chapters as an appendix. While there is some great information in this book, it is hidden within a lot of trivia and anecdotes that are more confusing than informative.

If you are looking for specific information about predictive astrology, this is not the book for you. It is written for an experienced astrologer who already has a foundation of knowledge in astrology and wants to study charts. I have re-read this book several times as I go deeper into my study of astrology and each time I find that the author hits on a topic and then leaves the reader wanting more information. She also glosses over many issues and assumes that the reader knows what she is talking about. The way this book is written, the way the information is presented and the lack of flow do not present the author's knowledge or abilities in the best light. I hope she re-releases it with better editing, more consistency and an idea of what it is she wants the reader to learn from the book, all of which are seriously lacking.

I have had the original print since the 1990's. It is the book I used to learn astrology with. At the time I knew nothing about astrology and read this book over and over again until it finally clicked in. I guess you could say it was my "breakthrough" book. I still have it, taped up to keep the binding in place, worn well from repeated use. I still keep it near me at all times when doing research. It is a great tool. What's offered is very practical interpretations. This book is useful for beginners and advanced.

Now as a consulting astrologer, I noticed as I go further into consultation I find a greater need for the more esoteric or psychological descriptions of the energies that the planets symbolize. Beyond just events, clients want reasons, explainations, possibly a way out. We know that these energies manifest in the mind and spirit and it depends on free will as to how they manifest in the phyisical world. Still, clients want to know, "Am I going to win the lottery?" "Will I get married this year?" etc. Of course, we always have horary, but the total picture can be achieved by looking at the birthchart, progressions, etc. The book mentions horary, and other predictive techniques but methodically outlines judgements using progressions and transits, always using the natal as the foundation, of course.

There are many great astrology books, but I just love the ones that use the type of phrases I see in this book such as:

"The Saturn/Neptune square is often associated with a chronic illness", or "There must be aspects involving the 7th house ruler for marriage to take place", or that natal North Node conjunct Pluto is a configuration noted in charts of people who commit suicide or experience a violent death. The author carefully weighs all of these factors clarifying that, "For one event to take place, either fortunate or unfortunate, there will be three or more aspects made among the progressed or natal points or vice versa, all of which indicate a similar theme."

Prediction is often the bases of our astrological pursuits, whether it be of consultation, teaching, research, or just curiousity. This book, I think, can satisfy all of these.