While I have greatly appreciated this particular work, I feel it deserves four stars instead of five. I would like to give it five stars, but if someone thought that he would all of a sudden comprehend the use of Arabic parts by reading this book, he will be sadly mistaken. I think it should either be renamed, reworked, or both.
In Zoller's defense however, it is a great scholarly work. Even so, it pales in comparison with his current understanding of medieval astrological methods. He is the world's foremost authority on the subject, but since the book was written nearly twenty years ago, his understanding has greatly advanced since its first publication. Moreover, I have serious doubts that he would mention the modern planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) in an updated version, as he has in this one.
The work attempts to do several things at the same time. First, it is in large measure a translation of Guido Bonatti's 13th century work, "Liber Astronomiae." Second, Zoller tries to bridge the gap between the modern astrological mind and the medieval one. Third, he gives practical applications. Since older methods were not that well known at the time he wrote this work, I think it was difficult for him to know how to approach his end goal.
Moreover, his having to jump back and forth between Bonatti's medieval sentence structure and modern thought makes it tough on the reader because sometimes Bonatti is teaching you and other times, it is Zoller. I would rather he paraphrased the translation and put it into his own words in order to create consistency.
At the time that he wrote this work, few if any astrologers practiced older methods. In this regard, Zoller was a pioneer who took a step backwards in order to move other astrologers forward. For example, most astrologers were calculating the Part of Fortune incorrectly and did not know all of its true implications. Also, they really had no idea on how to use the Arabic parts at all. Zoller's translation efforts began to change all of that. Today, there is a thriving community of medieval astrologers, due in no small measure, to his scholarship.
All in all, Zoller tries to convey an ancient concept to a modern audience while retaining the flavor of the original users of Arabic parts. This is a lot to handle, especially since modern readers twenty years ago were largely unfamiliar with ancient doctrines. Furthermore, unlike many scholars who discourse upon ancient topics, Zoller brings the methods forward into a contemporary world so that they can actually be used. It is a big job to do for one man; especially since he was bridging the distance between medieval and modern mindsets.
The most valuable component of this work is in the first two chapters - "How the Parts Were Lost" and "The Metaphysical Basis of the Parts," but especially the latter. If one truly wants to understand the reasoning behind the Parts and of medieval methodology in general, then one must also comprehend the underpinnings of their thought system - a system that greatly differs from contemporary minds.
Arabic parts have no place in modern astrology. Their rationale and proper use will escape contemporary thinking. In the first place, contemporary thinking is essentially egocentric and has been reflected in modern astrological methods. Modern astrology views one's chart as having to do completely with oneself and every planet in every house as representing a component of the person's psyche (egocentric). Medieval astrology, on the other hand, sees the different planets as representing specific people and the houses as areas of an objectified circle of existence. It tells you about your father, mother, siblings, teachers, friends, lovers, children, etc... In other words, it's not all about YOU; rather, it is about your life circumstances, both good and bad. Furthermore, it implies a connectedness to all things, whereas modern thinking sees each individual as discreet and unconnected.
Modern thinking is also divorced from formal and final causation and is essentially scientific in format. Scientific thinking, in its purest form, does not ask questions like, "What is the purpose behind this? What is it for?" (final cause) and "What caused this to be created?" (formal cause). To ask these types of questions, a metaphysics is required; something beyond the physical reach of empirical science. Modern astrological methods reflect modern science in that they seek to explain all events from a non-metaphysical perspective. It is essentially mechanistic.
Medieval thought, on the other hand, employed formal and final causes at the cutting edge. It sought to find meaning (purpose - final cause) and origin (the Creator - formal cause)and this has been reflected in medieval astrology. Therefore, unless one understands the underpinnings of medieval thought, the study of Arabic parts will be jibberish and irrelevant. Even if one could prove their efficacy to a modern mind, the proof will not be accepted because it cannot fit into the criteria that qualifies for proof in the modern mind; namely one physical body acting upon another in a mechanistic sort of way.
Medieval methods are primarily numerical and metaphysical in nature. The use of transits, for example, were used very little. Rather, numerical techniques were used for prediction, much like the Vedic system that is still in use today. In order to accept the efficacy of these types of methods, a comprehensive and sturdy metaphysics is required; one that makes rational sense. Zoller's book, at the outset, attempts to indoctrinate the reader into this type of thinking, but it will require considerable time in order to fully embrace it. Even so, it is well worth the effort!
To sum up, the book is great; albeit with the understanding that the reader will have to change the way he approaches his view of the universe in order to understand the rationale behind the Parts. Furthermore, he must study! Once a person develops a mind that can accept an ancient cosmology and a numerical ordering of a metaphysical causative factor, the book will soon become an indispensible guide.
