Customer Reviews

Parkers' Astrology

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

This book is not for you if you think of astrology as a casual hobby. This isn't one of those books you buy if you want to read about your best friend's personality and be done with it in an hour. By far more thorough than your average "quickie" astrology book, this one will get those brain cells working as you calculate local sidereal times, correct for longitude and latitude, and figure out the exact positions of planets at the time you were born. It takes a while before you get the hang of calculating charts, but it's definitely worth the trouble, as you can then make distinctions between powerful interplanetary aspects and weaker ones where the angle is 5 degrees off-center. This is a great help when figuring out what everything means. Nearly half the book is devoted to helping you interpret all of the chart influences. Mercury in the 6th house in direct opposition to the Ascendent? You'll find out what that signifies here!

The Parkers also give advice on progressing the birth chart to make predictions about life events, comparing charts of partners to search for rapport or tension, and answering specific questions about health, lifestyle, etc. The book is also beautifully illustrated, though the binding is not very robust. The ephemeris only covers through the year 2000, so you'll soon need a newer one if you want to look at the charts of newborns.

Parker's Astrology is a lavishly detailed and gorgeous book that gives not only explanations of signs, houses, and all that good stuff, but also explains in detail how to derive every sort of chart one would expect from a single omnibus book on the subject.

The book has a failing though in interior organization. Items are scattered about without any sense of order I could find. Concepts and procedures would be introduced and then not utilized until dozens of pages later. The writing is a bit colloquial at times, and definitely not the most accessible. Having read through the book twice, I am still not completely sure what a 'progression' is, though I know how to generate one.

Overall, I think this book would be an excellent second book for one with a confirmed interest and background in astrology, but for someone just starting to learn, a different source might be more useful.

This book although beautifully printed has at least one major inaccuracy in its pages. It attributes the invention of the 90 degree astrological dial, a specialized technique based upon the 4th harmonic, to Reinhold Ebertin. In fact, Ebertin learned about dial technique from Alfred Witte and other members of the Hamburg Schule(it is well documented that Ebertin studied Hamburg Schule symmetrical astrology techniques before developing Cosmosbiologie and authoring the excellent COMBINATION OF STELLAR INFLUENCES). This inaccuracy is disturbing not only because it is not true: it also robs an entire post World War One generation of brilliant German astrologers of credit rightfully theirs. Now whether this error is due to poor editing, haphazard research, or ignorance, I cannot say. But if there is one error of this magnitude in Parker's revised book, how many other errors are possibly contained within the text? While I find this book vastly superior to THE ONLY ASTROLOGY BOOK YOU'LL EVER NEED, the Parkers have certainly been around long enough on the astrological scene to get their historical facts straight. I suspect that parts of this book were farmed out to other writers, a common practice when revising coffeetable books. Anyone well acquainted with the Parkers might want to bring this error to their attention. The book is otherwise nicely designed, beautifully printed and has fairly detailed sections on AstroCartography and Synastry. But can one in good conscience recommend a book that in a few facile sentences disenfranchises an entire significant movement(i.e.Uranian) in Twentieth Century Astrology?

I'm so glad I got this book from the library and didn't pay a dime for it! As many other reviewers mentioned here, you simply cannot create a birth chart using this book. This is rather a major issue as it's presented as one of the main reasons for getting the book. The book is also organized in an extremely illogical fashion. In one example, while calculating your Ascendant, the book tells you to stop and use a test to see if your calculations are correct. However the test cannot be used at that point because crucial information is not found until several more pages of calculations are completed. The mystery is why other reviewers who mention these same points still give this book a high rating.

I suppose if one already knows how to draw charts the reasons for buying and being satisfied with this book would be different. However if you are a beginner and use only the directions and tables in this book to create a chart, you will quickly discover how impossible it is. For example: information on including Daylight Savings Time isn't even included (the authors instruct you to look it up in different sources); most of the tables, which are extremely complex for a beginner, don't even include instructions on how to read them; and parts of the instructions and tables were produced using one set of calculations while the rest of the only example provided was produced using another. In that last case the authors basically say "whoops!" and tell the reader to ignore that the two sets of numbers won't match up. Couldn't the authors take the time to correct their own critical errors before rushing the book to print?

Altogether extremely unsatisfying and useless!

For anyone starting out, this is an excellent general introduction to the whole of astrology. Some 15 years ago, a very similar volume by the Parkers was one of the books from which I learnt the basics of astrology. Their style is accessible, imaginative, and not too heavy.

Whether you are interested in basic Sun sign characteristics, basic chart interpretation, prediction techniques, or which sign rules mulberries and bilberries (Sagittarius apparently!), its all here. The book is divided into four sections, which includes detailed tables for drawing up charts. Beginners should not be put off by the long section on the complexities of chart calculation, even though this is useful information. It is of course very easy to get a copy of your natal chart done by computer, and start from there.

The often beautiful illustrations and pictures add considerably to the quality information in Parkers Astrology. It certainly makes the process of learning astrology easier on the eye! I recommend this book for the beginner, perhaps together with one of the more "serious" introductions, such as The Classic Guide To Astrology by Ron Davison.

I was excited to see the many topics that were covered in this book, but I was disappointed as soon as I started to read. From a literary point of view, this book is very poorly written. It is full of grammatical errors, historical inaccuracies, and mathematical guesswork. It is beautifully illustrated, but I wasn't looking for a picture book.

I bought the book hoping that I would learn more about the equations used to complete a natal chart. The math used in the book is not at all difficult...just ridiculous.

Quote: "In astrology, two and two sometimes add up to one and a quarter and sometimes five."

Yes, I agree the so-called "prejudice" held against astrology is sad, but this book only perpetuates the idea that astrology is a "pseudoscience." It would have redeeming qualities if I wasn't afraid to trust the data presented.

i wonder if ANYONE has ever successfully create a chart using this book. it is poorly written, very confusing, and has left me frustrated and baffled. if you're looking for a guide to do-t-yourself charts, look elsewhere.

Yes, if one were looking for an astrology book that taught one accurately how to calculate a chart, this one would leave you in the dark. However, if one is just using this as a reference to a ready made chart (and there are many internet sites that will do this for you for free. See Astro Dienst) this is a very thorough and informative reference. Before buying any astrology book (of which I own many) I always check to make sure the descriptions are accurate for my own personality before purchasing (you'd be surprised that a few books I've found miss the mark). Parker's offers some interesting insights on interpretation that vary from other sources. For example, in the rising sign readings (hidden somewhat after the general sun sign readings with the interesting illustrations), they touch a little on the descendant's role. It brings a whole new perspective to the way I used to interpret rising signs. In interpretations, Parker is complete to the nth degree. The large charts in the back, also, has saved me gobs of time from having to log onto my computer and look up individual planet placings of friends and family I couldn't remember.

Fascinating and interesting. This book is the most concise and user-friendly guide to astrology i have read. I highly recommend it.