Customer Reviews

Person-to-Person Astrology: Energy Factors in Love, Sex and Compatibility

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

 

 

I'm a longtime fan of Mr. Arroyo's work and Person-to-Person Astrology to me is his Magnum Opus. I heard he had a new book out from a very perceptive review by Mary Plumb at [...] which really gives an excellent overview. I agree with her assessment that "this is a wise and wonderful book." It's very accessible for non-astrologers and yet it has so much to offer us perennial students of the subject.

I really enjoyed the beginning chapters. He's quite critical of our modern culture and observes how it prevents us from recognizing our authentic selves, and shows how astrology can help us discover our essential nature, and recognize our individual motivations and expectations. He's an amazingly clear writer who's not afraid to tell it how he sees it... and even if you don't agree, it's really thought provoking!

What's different about this book, compared to other astrology books, is its scientific and scholarly approach. This isn't just `theory'. Over 30 years of research and counseling he gathered hundreds of quotes from interviews and questionnaires so you get real people's experiences to illustrate the "energy interaction" between people. He also has found the best quotes from other respected authors' observations and gives full references to their sources. All these quotations combine to give us a clear overview so we can better understand our relationships and how we resonate or clash with each other.... He explores many little-noted aspects of astrological factors and really illuminates their meanings in a strikingly original way. This is a great practical guide for analyzing relationships.
UPDATED:
Additional reviews have recently been published that are not available online, which objectively confirm my initial evaluation of this book. The Journal of the largest organization in the UK, The Astrological Association, points out that PERSON-TO-PERSON ASTROLOGY "shows how astrological knowledge can be a useful tool for those seeking more authentic ways of relating." I would emphasize the word "authentic" since it is a major theme in this book, which seeks to strip away a lot of the socially conditioned and politically correct veneers we encounter. The reviewer calls Mr. Arroyo's writing "lucid and inspirational" and states that it is "refreshing to be reminded how straightforward and useful this energy approach to Astrology can be."

Also, a review in the USA's largest circulation popular astrology magazine, Dell's HOROSCOPE, is extraordinarily complimentary about the quality of this new book, calling it "one of the most comprehensive, explicit guides to the psychology of relationships," and goes on to say that "Arroyo's take on astrology transcends most anything on relationships you can find, and this includes any book in the pop-psychology, self-help, spiritual, or astrology sections of your favorite bookstore." The review concludes: "PERSON-TO-PERSON ASTROLOGY is bound to become an instant classic. Anyone interested in the astrology of relationships would be well advised to get this book before anything else."
Check it out! You won't be disappointed!

A review of PERSON-TO-PERSON ASTROLOGY by a professional counselor recently appeared in the Canadian publication The Astrological Guild Book Review. Unlike a couple of previous Amazon reviewers of this book, this woman (who holds a M.Ed. degree) has obviously read this important and stimulating new book carefully and open-mindedly. She notes that "this book was a very engaging read" and that Arroyo's approach "resonates with the energies that we are made up of and can be felt in everyday life." She seems to detect and appreciate many of the same qualities in this book that another reviewer in "Mountain Astrologer" magazine commented on and praised (available online). The Canadian review concludes: "Although Arroyo claims this book is written for interested non-astrologers or those at the novice level, I would recommend it as well for those who are more advanced ...as it is well written, informative and inspires a more visceral, meaningful understanding of our experience."
It is unfortunate that some Amazon reviewers are so self-centered that they can't see the book itself for what it is, and only judge it based on whether it fulfills their "expectations" of flattering comments about their own wonderful birth charts. It is revealing that a couple reviewers who are "disappointed" still give the book 4 stars! And they do not seem to appreciate the scope of research or the variety of new approaches and observations about astrology contained in this fascinating book.
The comments about Arroyo's repetition from his earlier books are misleading, exaggerated, and inaccurate, since I would estimate that at least 95% of this book is entirely new material. He actually further refines the keywords and evocative key phrases developed in his deservedly popular classic works. All of the quotes from questionnaires and interviews with a wide variety of people are new, as are the extensive quotes from researchers, scientists, psychologists, and various well-known historical figures. He is obviously well read.
In short, there is simply nothing else in astrological literature or astrological research that remotely resembles this book. And none of the dozens of books on astrology, relationships, and compatibility explains human interaction at the energy level like this volume does; nor do any of the other books contain a trace of research to substantiate their assertions--let alone such a wide-ranging and intellectually stimulating cornucopia of intriguing and often striking new ideas. The depth of the psychological portraits of the sign placements of the Moon, Venus, and Mars alone make this book worth twice the price.

Lets start by saying that any book by Arroyo is better than no book from Arroyo. And that any book from Arroyo is better than about 90% of other astrology books out there. Having said that, this is not one of Arroyo's finset works, in my opinion. It is a book on some of the basics of relationship astrology, and it is directed at an audience of beginners and complete astrology novices. And here lies the snag with this book. Arroyo is such a refined astrologer, that a book of basics written by him, seems like a complete waste. Its like a gourmet chef teaching how to boil an egg. Or an Einstein teaching first graders their times tables. Reading this I was left with a feeling of dissapointment that after so many years of not publishing any new works, there was nothing here for me to sink my teeth into.

The book itself is of course well written and pulsing with Mr Arroyos very warm and insightful personality. But it is basically a book about Moon, Mars and Venus placements by sign (no mention of houses) and their role in relationships and compatibility. The intent here is that of looking at compatibility as energy exchange between individuals as signified by the energies of the elements and signs. Good concept, but he wrote about this much better and in more depth in his book "Relationships and life cycles".

Overall a perfectly good book, but a bit of a dissapointment to this old timer, who was anticipating an Arroyo book with a little more substance to it, maybe a little closer ot his classic Astrology, Karma and Transformation. But then, that would probably be asking too much. As such, glad this man is publishing at all and hoping to soon be hearing about more forthcoming titles from this exceptional author.

If you have heard or suspected that there might be some substantial truth in astrology, this is an excellent place for an open and intelligent mind to start.

Over the last 30 years, Stephen Arroyo has achieved widespread international recognition for his outstanding astrological writings. In his previous books he has explored the depth and complexity of modern psychological astrology in clear, accessible, entertaining language. However, this book is written more for the general reader and independent thinker, not astrologers who already know their stuff!

The first few chapters explore a wide range of issues related to both astrology's lack of widespread acceptance and the problems of forming healthy relationships in the modern world. Arroyo refers to the "mass psychosis" of the modern Western lifestyle that bombards us with commercial images and unrealistic expectations. Our ability to form relationships with each other is one area that suffers as a result. The author suggests that if more people opened their minds to what serious astrology has to offer, they would find a much-needed, precise, insightful tool for self-understanding.

Arroyo gradually moves on to explore astrological basics such as the four elements, the twelve signs and the rising sign. The personal planets and relationships are covered in great depth, with countless everyday quotes and examples from many years of observation. This is very high quality writing that deserves respect.

For a new book from my absolute favorite astrology author
I was quite disappointed .
No new insights, a lot of basic and retreaded information from his older books.
I still use all his older material on a regular basis and recommend them highly for their incredible insights into the human condition but this one is really not worth it for anyone who is already familiar with his work.

The Good Stuff: Arroyo has some interesting and deep stuff here on how the elements and modalities interact between folks; to me this is easier to sort out than his earlier work. And he has some interesting observations about what interactions tend to play a huge part in relationships. This book could be worth reading for that alone, which is good, because ....

The Bad Stuff: his take on gender and sexual orientation verges on sexist and homophobic (he is upset about "extreme gay" organizations that evidently get youth to "identify" early on, as well as "extreme feminists"). He seems bitter about women and wary of LGBTQ folk. That having been said, there are some thoughtful nuggets of information here in amidst the dung.

I love this book. I have read all of Steven Arroyo's books and found "Person to Person Astrology" to be quite insightful and comprehensive. I will be referring to this book for many years!

Yes, everything i read was RIGHT ON !- Good way to understand people near and dear to one self. - I enjoyed it indeed.

Very interesting, but a little bit of a retread of his and others' work. Also, how did this guy become such a misogynist? We women are not saints but we certainly don't create ALL the problems that men experience.