Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Suitable for beginners but good for any level astrologer, August 25, 2002
This book is a delight. Caroline Casey has a degree in semiotics and a marvelous wit, describing planetary energies through anecdotes, myths, and sacred wisdom, all with a light heart, and a reverent irreverence. Perhaps it's best to share a quote. I take this from the section on Uranus: "To grow shiitake mushrooms, one plants the spores in a stick and lets it sit for a year. Then you must strenuously pound the stick to awaken the dormant life within. For the same reason, during midlife and Uranus transits, we get pounded. Like the spores, we are comfortably snoozing when suddenly, "What the...?!" Thump! Thump! Thump! We invoke Uranus by posing the question, "If I feel agitated, restless, or on the brink of a discovery, where in my life do I want lightning to strike?...." If you've got your basics down and want to know more about the planets, or about your transits, this book is such a good choice.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Smashingly different, August 19, 2002
This review is from: Making the Gods Work for You: The Astrological Language of the Psyche (Paperback)
I chanced upon this book going for half-price in an Australian self-help centre. Had I not stopped to look beyond the cheesy purple cover, I would have missed one of the most intriguing and thought-provoking adventures in astrology ever. The difference between reading an academician's view in astrology and that of a layman is huge. For those who aren't ready to go straight into the depth and heaviness of Liz Greene, and want to get out of the tabloid astrology type reading, yet don't want to read candid, matter-of-fact portrayals such as Linda Goodman puts it, Caroline Casey provides a fresh, witty, reverent and yet playful spin on the planets and signs. It's the difference between reading Jung's academic works and reading his made-for-the-normal-person 'Man and His Symbols'. Treating each planet in terms of archetypes, suggesting little rituals for honouring each, and drawing on her own experiences as well as that of myth, it's not your average read. What I especially love is her playful writing style, as well as her comprehensive treatments of each planet. For instance, with the difficult Pluto, Casey redefines what it means to deal with the trials of death, rebirth and transformation: she teaches how to honour the darkness, describes the stages of descent, to release control through broad techniques of ritual and incantations, leaving it up to the reader to do as she wishes. This is not a how-to book, but is for the person who wants to see how these archetypes play out in her life, and how to honour them whilst struggling through them, and realising, as Casey says at the end, 'making the gods you.'
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this book and have gobs of fun., June 9, 1998
Beware! Yes, be aware. A spell has been cast and tossed into the sea of eternity. There is no escape. What fun. We have a conspiracy of mystics here. I have listened to Caroline Casey's radio program. Although she is clearly creative, intelligent and entertaining, often I have found it redundant, even bording contrite - due mostly to the callers. I always had the feeling that if Caroline could emerse herself in the extended contemplation and focus that comes with writing a book, we would get a truly valuable piece of work. And so it is. Making the Gods Work for You is a living, breathing, dancing alchemy. Fun, insigtful and practical. Whether you know the language of Astrology or not, makes no difference. One thing that got a me smile out of me is how she likes to use the word fierce alot. I did not find anything fierce about it. Dynamic, yes. What was imparted throughout the book is a graceful, delicate, in-depth and respectful offering of the fullness and magic of life. She enters honestly into all the dimensions of ourselves as represented by the signs and planets and invites the reader to explore, experiment, doubt and dance with the scariest parts of ourself - from the most condemend to the most reverent - seducing us into the undeniable understanding that each contains the other. As an astrologer, I was particularly taken with the form of the book. It's inside out. My favorite arrangement. After the usual intro/preparation she begins the journey with Pluto. Wonderful. She then moves on to the rest of the outer planets and closes with the Sun. The layering effect is rich and full of surprises, taking the reader on a juicy pilgrimage, from here to here. She has really contributed a valuable service to our world. Read this book and have gobs of fun.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
