Customer Reviews

Solar Returns Formulas & Analyses

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

 

 

As an astrologer with 25 years of learning and 10 years of practice behind me, I had become frustrated at the dizzying array of solar return techniques available and the way each proponent defends his/her technique fiercely and claims that it is the only right one. Frankly, that's tiresome. In Ms McCullough's book I found no such browbeating, veiled insults or soapbox monologues. Instead, I found many, many useful examples and a set of 30+ rules clearly explained.
I have searched far and wide looking for a technique that I can use and have come to the realization that most of the techniques in use seem to work well for their proponents, but that they differ greatly in approach. In Ms. McCullough's slender book I found my answer: an approach to erecting and interpreting solar returns that I can use effectively. As to whether this approach will work for you, that's for you to determine. Be aware that this approach is based on a tropical solar return that is not precession-corrected. It includes no sidereal techniques at all, which makes this method simple and straightforward. Ms. McCullough also makes a strong case for equal house charts (for both natal and solar returns) and supports it throughout the book with her many examples.
This is a basically solid book with a few obvious flaws. Thank goodness its flaws are apparent rather than hidden. The book may seem anecdotal because some of the examples are taken from Ms McCullough's own life, and some of them are used more than once as illustrations of different principles. This didn't bother me because it made the author transparent, which I personally appreciate. I think too many astrologers try to write in a distant, academic style and just end up sounding pedantic and unnecessarily complex. And by far the majority of her examples were taken from what can only be the client base of a consulting astrologer with many years' experience.
Her writing style is also a bit goofy at times (far, far too many words in all capitals, which makes solid information look amateurish and makes the reader feel shouted at) but the information is soundly derived from the charts provided in the text. I found this book tremendously useful once I got past the writing style and I appreciated Ms M's friendly and approachable tone.
I would recommend this book to students of astrology because it is so clearly and simply written and also because Ms McCullough's method is a great example of why so many longtime astrologers eventually end up using the equal house system. As a bonus, her technique makes extensive use of derivative houses, which is a great lesson for students all by itself.
For professionals, I'd say that if you are committed to a solar return technique and it's not tropical/non-precessed, you should definitely skip this book because it will add nothing to your knowledge base. If, on the other hand, you are committed to a tropical/non-precessed technique, then this book will likely have much to offer that you haven't considered. And if you are uncommitted, this book is certainly worth a look.

True-life examples make this book fascinating. Many astrologers are not familiar with the use of "equal houses" or "solar returns." These are facets which should be studied closely and applied to all charts. Any serious astrologer should consider the information in this book, which contains many easy-to-apply rules. This author seems to be highly experienced and knowledgeable.

I enjoyed the no nonsense style of writing without all of the psychic mumbo jumbo. Good info, with easy to read ... and easy to understand charts that show significant life events. As a beginning astrologer I found the work to be stimulating as well as informative. A bargain at the list price, and a welcome addition to the bookshelf.

This is one of the best books about solar returns. The author uses equal houses exclusively (I'll have to try this out one of these days). I haven't heard about this author, but her true-life examples and very valuable rules show that she is very experienced and that she knows what she is talking (writing) about. I'm going to buy her 'love' book too !

McCullough's book is outstanding, because it is intellectually vigorous. It is entirely internally consistent, and doesn't mix different systems to give the appearance that it is intellectual correct. It is comprehensive as well, needing no supplements except a general knowledge of rulerships and so on that every astrologer should know. The test of the book is to test it against one's own database of individuals and see whether the system works. I did so, and the system works with uncanny accuracy. I should note that although a great part of the book derives from traditional understandings of astrology, the book is not traditional. It is a challenge to the conventional application of solar return interpretation, and as such demands that the traditional approach be justified and not just accepted. It is just one of the better astrology books I have read in any area of the field.

I'm a do-it-yourselfer most of the time when it comes to astrology, not a pro. Every solar return book I have read has some new and different things from the others, and this one is no exception. Would I want this book as my only one if I could only afford one? No. But, it is a useful addition to what I already have because it does contain quite a few ideas I haven't seen anywhere else. I was disappointed there was only one major rule for marriage, and when I tried it out on my own solar charts, it didn't hold true. Some other rules I tested did, though.

Astrology is a life long passion of mine. Friends have encouraged me to go professional. I quickly discovered that the more that I explore Astrology, the more there is to learn. It seems like I will forever be a student of Astrology even as a professional. I really appreciate Solar Returns, Formulas and Analyses by Nance McCullough.

The fact that Nance McCullough is a gifted teacher of Astrology at the college level shines through in this book. This book is a godsend. It is packed with useful information explained in a no nonsense style that gets right to the point. Challenging concepts are presented in ways easy to comprehend The Book has true life examples that reinforce understanding of formulas for Solar Return Charts. This bodes wells for Nance McCullough as teacher in addition to being as Astrologer.

The success that I experience as a professional Astrology will be attributed to books written by talented professional like Nance McCullough. The book is an absolute bargain and soon to be much used treasure on my bookshelf.

I would like to be fair to Ms. McCullough because I consider myself to be a beginner, altough I've been dabbling with astrology for years. I have just a few more pages until I'm done but I think this book is confusing and not well written. I think the author would have been better off presenting fewer techniques for interpreting solar returns and spent more time organizing the information in an easier to follow fashion. My biggest peeve.... she constantly refers to charts that are chapters ahead and or behind the current topic and doesn't label them except with letters and numbers. arrgh!! I think she should work on improve her editing skills or hand her work over to someone else who possesses greater skill in this area.

For the beginning astrologer, this might be an amusing read. For anyone who is serious about the profession, though, it is sure to disappoint. At least, that's what it did for me. Ms. McCullough claims to have been an editor in a previous career. She apparently forgot her skills while penning this anecdotal, incomplete and inconsequential series of astrological events. It appears that personal experience alone suffices for Ms. McCullough to deduce astrological rules and guidelines for solar returns. The lack of any kind of statistical and scientific foundation of her findings, together with an amateurish writing style, makes this work very hard to swallow. Not worth the effort of ordering. Note to the publisher: get a copy of QuarkXpress and a decent typesetter.