The Moon in Astrology

Contents:

Introduction: Free will & conscious choice; the chart as evolutionary tool

1. Understanding the natal moon: introductory materials, moon through the signs, moon through the houses
2. Understandng the progressed moon: introductory materials, progressed moon through the signs, progressed moon through the houses
3. The natal & progressed moon: aspects between moon & planets, moon & angles, moon and nodes
4. Life notes: two progressed lunar journals: Male, first lunar cycle; female, second lunar cycle

Web resources and further reading

Comment:

A lot of words. After the smoke clears, the first chapter starts with Moon through the signs. After introductory notes for the sign, the sub-heads for each sign are Living, Loving, and Losing your way. A similar format is used with the houses, where, after introductory remarks, we have two sections per house: Make it real, and, Self-sabotage. Alan Oken's observation, that the moon goes through phases (i.e., is unstable) is better than anything here, alas.

The second chapter is on the progressed moon. Again, after the smoke clears, we get delineations of the progressed moon through the signs. These are much more extensive than the natal delineations, around eight pages per sign. (Probably the most extensive progressed moon delineations in print.) For each sign, there are no introductory notes. We begin immediately with The Turning Tide, then, Your True North, Taking the Helm (courage! clearing the air, risky business, fierce creatures, let's get physical), and, How to Avoid Being Swept out to Sea (kicking the proverbial dog, feel the burn, stress management). Subheads vary according to sign. Your humble reviewer has no idea what it all means, and is not quite sure the author knows herself. At the moment, my progressed moon is at 6 degrees Libra, which means it changed about six months ago & by now should be comfortable there. Here is Herring's delineation:

The prior Virgo progression may have left your hands dirty from all the hard work, so it's time to clean up! While it can depend on the house your progressed Moon is moving through now [the progressed third / natal fifth - Dave] many people experience a desire to reinvest in their personal appearance as this progression warms up. Libra is ruled by Venus, a planet representing the human desire for love & beauty, so you may begin to pay more attention to your personal appearance, as well as noticing your surroundings more regularly and feeling appreciation when it's clear that extra care has been taken to beautify them. (pgs. 122-3)

Well, no, not me. My hair is as long and straggly now as it's ever been (it's a hair emergency!!) & my desk is an even worse mess than it was last year.

We then come to the progressed moon through the houses. As Herring does not mention progressed houses, we will restrict ourselves to considering only the progressed moon through the natal houses. After the smoke, houses are treated in the same fashion as the signs: No introductory materials, and with the same heads: The turning tide, Your true north, Taking the helm (fake it 'til you make it, be the director, prep time, think short-term), and, How to avoid being swept out to sea (table for . . . one?, out of the frying pan, into the fire, idle hands) (Again, the sub-heads vary according to house.) This is, again, much more than any other author has put in print, so we should expect much more in the way of useful detail.

And here, I could see where the author was going. She rambles, but seems to have the right idea. My progressed moon is now in my natal fifth. There's no point reading Herring's bright & chirpy delineation, because I have natal Saturn there. But when I back up, to the progressed moon in the natal 4th, she's basically got the right idea. You go back to your family, you go back to your past. To me, that was on-going past life work that came to a head during that period. Pity Herring needs so many pages to get a simple idea across.

The final chapter deals with progressed moon to natal planet aspects. Herring once more returns to her murk. A week ago I was reading Robson. He said that a natal Moon-Mercury opposition, especially on angles, made you stupid. Since I have that (waning and near some angles), I could see that. So I thought about it. If Mercury is intellect & the moon common sense ("common" is the no. 1 keyword for the moon), then of course hard aspects between the two will result in fundamental conflict. (I have more resources than just the aspect between those two.)

But Herring hasn't a clue. She's writing theory, presumably what she got from Steven Forrest, whose books she cites in Further Reading at the end. Here is Herring on progressed Moon to natal Mercury:

When your progressed Moon makes an aspect to your Mercury, you are experiencing emotional shifts that shine a light on your existing perceptions & opinions. You may be encountering issues around your voice, such as why, how, and when you speak up (or don't). A challenging aspect from your progressed Moon could have you working out feelings of uncertainty or confusion about what you think or want to say, while a comfortable aspect may signal an ease in vocalizing your ideas. (pg. 246)

So many of you have written me privately, giving me thanks for dragging you away from books like this. From time to time I hear from outraged authors, offended that I would say such things, wondering why I'm in the book selling biz if all I want to do is run everybody down. My reply is that I'm not a bookseller, I'm an educator. My website is my classroom.

Llewellyn, 286 pages.

Contents:

Introduction: The eternal dance
How to use this book: For the complete beginner

1. In the beginning: The new moon: Infant's moon: Aries Dryad's moon: Taurus Little brother's moon: Gemini Mother's daughter moon: Cancer Sun child's moon: Leo Maiden's moon: Virgo White knight's moon: Libra Raging moon: Scorpio Gypsy's moon: Sagittarius Forgotten one's moon: Capricorn Father's son moon: Aquarius Dreamer's moon: Pisces 2. Call to action: The crescent moon: Torch-bearer's moon: Aries Gardner's moon: Taurus Little sister's moon: Gemini Mother's son moon: Cancer Clown's moon: Leo Apprentice's moon: Virgo Dancer's moon: Libra Blood moon: Scorpio Traveler's moon: Sagittarius Mountain climber's moon: Capricorn Father's daughter moon: Aquarius Mermaid moon: Pisces 3. Internal crisis: The waxing quarter moon: Brigand's moon: Aries Woodcutter's moon: Taurus Liar's moon: Gemini Weeping moon: Cancer Actor's moon: Leo Counting moon: Virgo Black knight's moon: Libra Executioner's moon: Scorpio Seeker's moon: Sagittarius Miner's moon: Capricorn Rebel moon: Aquarius Martyr's moon: Pisces 4. Soul's redemption: The gibbous moon: Adventurer's moon: Aries Farmer's moon: Taurus Mercenary's moon: Gemini Life-giver's moon: Cancer Singer's moon: Leo Housewife's moon: Virgo Lover's moon: Libra Cloaked one's moon: Scorpio Scholar's moon: Sagittarius Smith's moon: Capricorn Trickster's moon: Aquarius Poet's moon: Pisces

5. Consummation: The full moon: Warrior's moon: Aries Earth mother's moon: Taurus Storyteller's moon: Gemini Sea mother's moon: Cancer Queen's moon: Leo Spinner's moon: Virgo Artist's moon: Libra Priestess's moon: Scorpio Priest's moon: Sagittarius Grandmother's moon: Capricorn Friendship moon: Aquarius Healer's moon: Pisces 6. The greater good: The disseminating moon: Soldier's moon: Aries Builder's moon: Taurus Scribe's moon: Gemini Shield-father's moon: Cancer King's moon: Leo Weaver's moon: Virgo Ambassador's moon: Libra Witch's moon: Scorpio Philosopher's moon: Sagittarius Grandfather's moon: Capricorn Apostle's moon: Aquarius Moon of the angels of mercy: Pisces 7. The wound on the outside: The waning quarter moon: Survivor's moon: Aries Merchant's moon: Taurus Magician's moon: Gemini Widow's moon: Cancer Usurper's mooon: Leo Fate's moon: Virgo Judge's moon: Libra Madwoman's moon: Scorpio Hunter's moon: Sagittarius Miser's moon: Capricorn Heretic's moon: Aquarius Moon of lost souls: Pisces 8. Into the embers: The balsamic moon: Veteran's moon: Aries Ancestor's moon: Taurus Teacher's moon: Gemini Moon of the keeper of memories: Cancer Bard's moon: Leo Monk's moon: Virgo Sacred whore's moon: Libra Phoenix moon: Scorpio Shaman's moon: Sagittarius Dragon's moon: Capricorn Prophet's moon: Aquarius Mystic's moon: Pisces

Epilogue

About the author

Comment:

The moon has eight phases. Here are delineations of all eight in each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. So you can look up yours. A scan of the contents, above, will orient you to the author's point of view.

Raven Kaldera is a transgendered shaman, presumably not native American. He lives in central Massachusetts, where he - and his family - are King, Queen & Princess of a small pagan community, Asphodel. Wiki tells me that "transgender" is a muddled term that means anything you like. A guess would be that Mr. Raven is a bisexual cross-dresser.

The essays are of uneven quality, as one might expect. Reading myself, the Leo full moon / the queen's moon, Kaldera wanders back & forth between delineating a Leo Sun, and delineating a Leo Moon, as if he was confused. Leo moons don't want to lead, they merely want a corner to shine in. Each delineation is about four pages, including a page of brief quotes.

Not fair of me to say that each of these moons implies a given sun-sign behind it, which Kaldera ignores. Here is a random excerpt, from The Housewife's Moon: The Gibbous Moon in Virgo:

The Gibbous Moon in Virgo finds the Accountant of the Waxing Quarter Moon taking an entirely unexpected turn. Where once life revolved around numbers & criticism, and the pursuit of human company was entirely voluntary (if ideally necessary), here the Universe loses patience, takes the emotionally chaste Virgo Moon, and shoves her straight into a place where she is forced to balance both detail-oriented tasks & human interaction, often of the most difficult kind. The Housewife's Moon is also called the Stepmother's Moon, with all the connotations of the Stepmother's choice to be good or evil in her task. Virgo is not a natural mother of the sort that the Taurus and Cancer mother archetypes are; she is once removed, a caretaker who did not chose to be one, of people that she may have no instinctive feeling for. (pg. 164)

You will note the Gibbous Moon in Virgo implies a Sun somewhere between 15 Capricorn & 30 Aquarius, the Sun's position defining the Moon's, in every case. In the back of the book, About the author, which was presumably written by the author himself (as these things usually are), it says, In writing Moon Phase Astrology, Kaldera communed with the Moon God in his religious tradition, who guided him through the secrets of the ninety-six Moons of this book. Which means this book was at least inspired by channeling. I wish authors would rely on their wits & hard won experience, rather than the voices they hear.

If you search carefully through the table of contents you will note how the moon's sign progresses as it moves through the phases. Here is the same thing in a table, for your amusement:

Phase; Sign New Moon Crescent First Quarter Gibbous Full Disseminating Third Quarter Balsamic

Aries Infant Torch-bearer Brigand Adventurer Warrior Soldier Survivor Veteran

Taurus Dryad Gardner Woodcutter Farmer Earth Mother Builder Merchant Ancestor

Gemini Little Brother Little Sister Liar Mercenary Storyteller Scribe Magician Teacher

Cancer Mother's Daughter Mother's Son Weeping Life-Giver Sea Mother Shield-Father Widow's Keeper of Memories

Leo Sun Child Clown Actor Singer Queen King Usurper Bard

Virgo Maiden Apprentice Counting Housewife Spinner Weaver Fate Monk

Some of these look as if there is a progression from one phase to the next, but most seem to lack that.

Destiny Books, 355 pages.

Acknowledgments
Introduction: the dark Moon

1. By the light of the slightly tarnished Moon
2. The mythic Moon
3. The devouring Moon
4. The rejecting Moon
5. The raging Moon
6. The karmic Moon
7. The cathartic Moon
8. The sacred Moon
9. The renascent Moon
10. Afterlight

Appendix: The Pluto Moon dialogue

Endnotes
Bibliography
Index

Comment:

The book is psychological in nature, and not cheerful. Type in the book is about 8 point (small), so there's an awful lot to read. Chapter 1 introduces the moon (your mum) and Pluto. When the two merge (i.e. are in aspect), we get the Hades Moon. Chapter 2 introduces many myths & archetypes.

Chapter 3, The Devouring Moon, gets us into the good stuff. If you have moon in aspect to Pluto, and your mum has her moon in aspect to Pluto, especially if yours is with hers or hers is with yours, she devours you. Subheads to the chapter include, archetypal expecations, the unsafe womb, the maternal matrix, the absent father, maternal bondage, gender differences, sons & mothers (that's a trip!), "my mummy's dead", mind games, emmeshed family patterns, love or enmeshment?, a very close family, the fountain of eternal youth?, and, the withering womb.

Chapter 4, The Rejecting Moon is about, well, rejection, abandonment and alienation (pg. 115) In chapter 8, The Sacred Moon, we get Dracula & vampires. The author has a grim point of view & marshals pretty much everything she can to support it. While there are, here and there, helpful suggestions, the overwhelming weight of the book is to emesh the sufferer further into his problems, the sort of, "you think you have it bad, look at this!"

Weiser, 316 pages.

Part 1: Rules of the road, Maximizing results, Tables of the new moon through 2050

Part 2: What to wish for when the new moon is in each sign

Part 3: Releasing past karma through the power of wishing

Part 4: Ongoing wishes, an alphabetical list of topics, each covered briefly: (Abuse, addictions, assertiveness, authority, brothers, business, career, cars, change, children, communication, confidence, courage, creativity, depression, discipline, exercise, father, fear, food, friends, fun, habits, happiness, health, home, honesty, integrity, job, legal issues, love, management, marriage, meditation, money, mother, organization, parents, partnerships, peace of mind, pets, phobias, play, prayer, procrastination, profession, relationships, reputation, romance, school, security, self-confidence, self-control, self-esteem, self-respect, self-worth, sex, siblings, sisters, sleep, social status, spiritual help, stress, success, thoughts, travel, trust, vitality, weight loss, work, world peace)

Part 5: Conclusion - Living in a new land.

Comment: The premise of this book is that when you first see the new moon, the thin crescent low in the evening sky, you should make a wish on it. The premise of this book is that such a wish, based on the sign of the new moon, is more likely to come true at this time than at any other time. This is really more low grade magic than astrology. An example wish, from the Sagittarius new moon:

Sample wishes to inspire freedom:
"I want to easily find myself taking a trip to ___________ at a price I can afford"; I want to easily find myself taking trips & traveling on a regular basis"; I want to experience the freedom & enjoyment of living my life"; I want to have more positive adventures in life".... (pg. 107)

Bantam, 313 pages.

Contents:

Acknowledgements
Preface: A heavenly cycle
Introduction: The Emerald Tablet

1. A short history of the Saros: Babylonian beliefs, Early theories, Ptolemy's Earth-centered system, Copernicus' solar system, Galileo's support, Newton's theories, Halley's influence, Van den Bergh's recognition system

2. The mechanics of the system: What is an eclipse?, The solar eclipse, The lunar eclipse, The lunar saros, Following the evolution of a lunar series, The astronomical birth versus the astrological birth of a series, Does a lunar eclipse trace a path?, What happens before a series begins?, Identifying the individual series

3. What's it all about?

4. Using the lunar Saros series: Basic principles of use, Lunar saros in utero, The lunar saros in transit, The anomaly of the penumbral eclipse, The nodes of the moon, Practical steps, Eclipse interpretation

5. The hidden power: The 2004 tsunami, Cyclone Tracy & the destruction of Darwin

6. The discovery of DNA: The arrival of the lunar saros, The discovery, The participants: Watson & Crick, The January eclipse & the discovery, The birth of lunar saros series 123, The discovery & the birth of the lunar saros series 123, Watson, Crick & the saros birth, The composite Watson & Crick, What can we make of all this?

7. Two very distinct series: Lunar saros 122, Lunar saros 123, Group connections

8. Historical lunar eclipses: The siege of Syracuse, The fall of Constantinople, The Christopher Columbus lunar eclipse, Masters of destiny?

9. Back to the future: The Bali bombing, The London terrorist attack, Carl Gustav Jung, Sri Sathys Sai Baba

10. Conclusion.

Appendices:
A. 250 years of lunar eclipses
B. Lunar saros series birth data for series 100-150

Abbreviations
Sources of chart data
Glossary
References

Comment: The Saros Series, an evolving means of classifing eclipses, says that a total eclipse will be followed by another total eclipse in 223 lunar (synodic) months, where such a month, from full moon to full moon, is equal to 29.53 days. Two hundred twenty-three of them is 6585.32 days, or 18 years, 10 or 11 days (depending on leap year) and about 8 hours. Because there are 223 months in the cycle, there are, potentially, 223 different Saros series, but because human observation, ie, numbering, started with eclipses in the Second Millennium BC, we have only counted 150 Saros series so far.

Each of the lunar saros, the subject of this book (as apart from the solar eclipse saros) starts with a penumbral eclipse. Successive eclipses in an individual series (ie, eclipses 223 months apart) progressively become darker & darker, more and more total, until they start to fade out on the other side. A single saros cycle, from initial penumbral eclipse, to total lunar eclipse, and back out to penumbral eclipse, takes about 1300 years. As penumbral eclipses are invisible to the naked eye, and as the Earth's penumbral shadow is not well defined, it was only in the 20th century when the lunar saros was reasonably well-defined. These are preliminaries.

Now we have the astrology, ie, what saros means. When a lunar eclipse occurs, it activates the series to which it belongs. It remains active until the next eclipse (similar to the prenatal eclipse). This is compared to the first eclipse in the particular saros series, and both are then compared to the natal or event chart in question. Beauchamp uses both traditional wheel charts as well as the 90 degree dial & midpoints, finding many close aspects between sets of charts. He also shows the overall tenor of a given Lunar Saros - no. 132, the one Lady Diana was born under, which is described as unfortunate. She was born four months before a Saros 132 eclipse, and died 5 months after another Saros 132 eclipse.

Find your lunar saros. In the back of the book are 250 years of lunar eclipses (1800-2050), each with their identifying Saros number. After that, for each series, there is the initial eclipse, with date, time (UT), and planetary positions, which include the node & Chiron.

There is nothing else available on the Saros series, and this is an excellent book.

Madding Crowd, 208 pages.

Dedication
Acknowledgements

Part 1: Revisioning the dark:
1. The dark Moon
2. The dark goddess
3. A lunar her/story of the feminine

Part 2: Goddess of the dark Moon:
4. Nys, goddess of the night, and the daughters of the night
5. The serpent-haired queen Medusa
6. The dark maid Lilith

Part 3: Rebirth:
7. The dark goddess as the muse of menstruation & menopause
8. The initiation mysteries of Demeter & Persephone
9. The healing power of the lunar darkness

Index

Comment: From page 12:

The dark phase of the moon, not to be confused with the dark side of the moon, occurs each month in the three days immediately preceeding the new moon. At this time the waning crescent dissolves into blackness, and the moon disappears from sight. Because the light that we see as coming from the moon is the sun's reflected light, the dark moon is in a sense the moon's true face.

On the front cover, the obligatory plug by Michael Lutin, whom I once overheard saying he did not read any of the books he was asked to review. Of this book, he wrote: Brimming with insight, information & mystery... For everyone with thirsty souls & inquiring minds. Maybe if I mention this often enough, I might shame him into reading a few of them.

Harper San Francisco, 298 pages.

Contents:

Acknowledgements
Invocation
Introduction

1. The lunation cycle
2. The lunation phases workbook
3. The twelfth house
4. The dark goddess asteroids & the dark moon
5. Pluto, south node of moon, void-of-course moon, eclipses

Appendices:
A. Keywords
B. Ephemeris for the dark goddess asteroids, 1935-2051: Atropos, Hekate, Lilith, Medusa, Moira, Nemesis, Persephone, Prosperina, Pythia
C. Instructions to determine natal & progressed lunation phases

Comment: Extracted from the Introduction, a paraphrase: This is a companion book to the author's Mysteries of the Dark Moon. In this book, astrological techniques where you can apply the philosophical concepts presented in the earlier book to your own life. This book is written primarily for the astrological community. The story the moon tells is of birth, growth, fullness, decay & disappearance, followed by rebirth & another growth cycle. The new, full and dark phases of the moon are prototypes for the emergence, fulfillment & completion of any life process. (pg. ix)

The first chapter is an introduction to the lunation cycle & the eight major phases of the moon.

The second chapter is a workbook. Sun sign, moon sign, sun/moon phase. In places you fill in the blanks, using self-selected keywords found elsewhere. With phases, you answer questions, such as, Who or what are my "ghosts of the past" (family of origin imprints, fears, insecurities, dependices, addictions)? - a question only those with a semi-square to square waxing new moon need bother with. Then there are progressed phases, which is defined as progressed sun to progressed moon. At the moment, my progressed phase is balsamic. According to the text, I should be making adjustments to everyday reality, I should be attempting new techniques, I should note strugges on my path, I should be asking "why" & looking for a revelation. (pg. 47).

In the third chapter, on the 12th house, we go dark. Which is, after all, the theme of this book. Which is that period of time when the moon is lost in the blaze of the daytime sun. Among the subheads, Twelfth house as closure, Twelfth house & karma, Twelfth house & our hidden life, Twelfth house & psychological dimensions of the unconscious, Hidden enemies of the twelfth house, Twelfth house & healing the soul, Healing power of the lunar darkness, Twelfth house & hidden treasures. There are lots & lots of keywords, and a workbook section, in case you didn't "get it".

Chapter 4, The dark moon goddesses in astrology, are a selection of asteroids & other points, chosen, first because they are all female (or reputed to be) and, secondly, as they are said to represent fate or other things over which we have no control & to which we must offer worship or fear their wrath. This is the crux of the book & I can't put a better spin on it than that:

Moira is the goddess of fate (pg. 88)
The asteroid Lilith is oppression (pg. 92)
The Dark Moon Lilith is exile (pg. 93)
The Black Moon Lilith is the Hindu god Kali (pg. 94)

On pg. 90, the Black Moon Lilith is defined as, the energy vortex of the empty focal point in the Moon's orbit around the Earth. (my ephasis) Because the Moon's gravity displaces the Earth a tiny bit, it is not exactly true that the Moon orbits the Earth. It is more true that Earth & Moon orbit around a common point, called a baricenter or barycenter. This is the energy vortex, aka focal point, that has been identified, by George & others, as the Black Moon Lilith. Given the relative sizes of the two bodies in question (Earth & Moon) and their distance from each other, this point IS NOT EMPTY. This point is WITHIN THE EARTH ITSELF. As such, it cannot be listed in an ephemeris. It basic position varies according to the sign of the moon, and its final position in the natal chart depends on the ascendant, ie, time of day.

From there, the author goes on to other dark & forboding females. One of the Journal questions for Medusa is, for men, Have I had experiences where I felt sexually manipulated or psychologically castrated by a woman? (pg. 99).

The book notably lacks a conclusion, but the implied solution, hammered home again & again, is The Ancients were smart. Smarter than we are. Smart enough to worship these females as gods. Maybe we should, too.

The other conclusion, similar to Rudhyar's (to whom the author gives credit) is that the progressed new moon is a time of crisis & new beginnings, while the progressed full moon is a time of achievement & triumph. I tried that in my chart. This business, AstroAmerica.com, was three years old at my last progressed new moon. Fourteen years earlier, my progressed full moon was a time of reorientation & destitution after my return from London the year before. If we prove astrology by proving it to ourselves, then so far as I am concerned, the lunation cycle fails.

AFA, 211 pages.

Contents:

A lunar prowl
The pale fire
Introduction

The marriage of sun and moon
The moon is not Venus
Fertility and pregnancy
Psychic tendencies
Water and the moon
Winds of change (summer and winter moons)

The goddess with three faces
The number three
The new moon
The full moon
The old moon

The computational moon
Moon maths
The moon's cycles
The lunar zodiac: The mansions of the moon
Incongruous bookends: Magic squares of moon and Saturn
The tarot card of the moon
The progressed moon
Moon hours
Zodiac degrees with moon relevance
The moon as final dispositor: Casablanca
Eclipses

The poetic moon
Moonscapes
The moon in art
The moon as muse
Mermaids
Rising moons - the ship's figurehead
The moon and fairy queens
The owl and the pussycat
Vintage moon fiction

The black moon
The black moon Lilith
Priapus
Lilith, the history and the legends
The dark goddess of nature
Film noir and fatal women
Sunset Boulevard

Conclusion
Why are they ruled by the moon?

Appendix: How to draw a crescent moon

Index

Comment:

As part of my research for this book, I went looking for the author, Paul F. Newman. I was expecting to find his website, but I regret that I could find nothing at all. Aside from his other books (similar in nature to this), Newman writes for The Mountain Astrologer, and if you're a fan of that magazine, you will like this book.

Opening the book at random, I read this:

There is now irrefutable evidence that there is water on the moon. NASA announced that 24 gallons of frozen water mixed with dust and debris was thrown up when the LCROSS satellite was crashed into the moon's surface in 2009. And later reports confirmed that craters near the moon's north pole contained millions of tons of ice. (pg. 10)

At the time when LCROSS crashed into the moon, the initial reports said it found no water. In response, I wrote, It was said that a lunar orbiter had detected hydrogen (ie, traces of water) in the bottom of the Cabeus crater. Well, yes. You will find a microscopically thin film of water in most permanently shady places on the moon. It comes from the Earth. It is the net result of lunar tides. And that ain’t rocket science. (From the November 13, 2009 newsletter.

It seems as if the water the moon has "borrowed" from the earth is thicker than microscopic. But I digress.

While there is little in the way of actual astrology in the book, there is a useful scattering of random information, such as what I quoted above. And while there are charts and some chart analysis, the charts are mostly for the publication of books, the premiere of movies, even a computer-generated heroine (Laura Croft, tomb raider, pg. 55, as an example of a full moon). Which is a bit abstract.

The section on magic squares is a teaser. I wish the author had written more on it, I wish he had given the various possibilities for all the planets, not just the Moon and Saturn. A "magic square" is a grid of numbers which add up to the same value, whether across, or down, or diagonal. Sudoku is based directly on it. Here is a complete set of magic squares for the seven classical planets.

An interesting book.

Wessex Astrologer, 193 pages.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Moon in astrology

Part 1: Through the houses:
1. The Moon in Aries
2. The Moon in Taurus
3. The Moon in Gemini
4. The Moon in Cancer
5. The Moon in Leo
6. The Moon in Virgo
7. The Moon in Libra
8. The Moon in Scorpio
9. The Moon in Sagittarius
10. The Moon in Capricorn
11. The Moon in Aquarius
12. The Moon in Pisces

Part 2: Aspects
13. Conjunction, square, trine, opposition

Part 3: Transits
14. Conjunction, square, trine, opposition

Comment:

The first section is a comprehensive survey of the Moon by sign and house, some 144 delineations. Robertson treats houses as if they were signs, so, for example, a Gemini moon in the 9th house has the flavor of Sagittarius. Some delineations are more sharply written than others. In the second section, aspects are keyed to signs. Sophia Mason does this better.

From the first section, here is Moon in Scorpio in the first house:

You project a powerful but quiet personality which gives outsiders the impression that you have your emotions well under control. Any open display of feeling you consider rather vulgar for, to you, this means you are then exposing you private self to the world. By a twitch of the lip, a clenched jaw, a tight mouth or a radiant smile, you indicate how you are reacting to a situation. You are an imposing figure with a dignified stance & every move you make seems to have meaning. (pg. 80)

AFA, 233 pages.

168 pages. AFA, paper.

Contents:

Dedication
Foreword

1. The Sun & Moon
2. The houses
3. Meaning of the twelve houses
4. Sun & Moon in the houses
5. Sun in the second house
6. Sun in the third house
7. Sun in the fourth house
8. Sun in the fifth house
9. Sun in the sixth house
10. Sun in the seventh house
11. Sun in the eighth house
12. Sun in the ninth house
13. Sun in the tenth house
14. Sun in the eleventh house
15. Sun in the twelfth house
16. Birth time & the houses of your horoscope, by Charles A. Jayne

Comment:

This is the story of what the Sun & Moon mean when posited in each of the various houses, all 144 possibilities. Suppose your Sun is in your fourth house & your Moon is in your 6th. You turn to chapter 7, Sun in the fourth house, and find the paragraph for Moon in the 6th, and that's you.

AFA, 147 pages.

Contents:
Acknowledgment
Introduction

Part 1: Cycles, phases and modern astrology
1. Cycles and phases
2. The elements of the lunar mandala
3. The skeleton of time
4. In and out of phase

Part 2: A round of 28 phases
5. Phases of the youthful body
6. Phases of the proud heart
7. Phases of the creative mind
8. Phases of the emerging spirit
9. Some ideas on diachronic astrology
10. The moon phase in a birth chart
11. Examples

Appendices:
A. Phases of well known people
B. Symbols used in this book
C. Division by symmetry
D. How to figure the moon phase
E. Glossary of terms
F. Bibliography.

Comment: How to read a chart based on the phase of the moon, day by day. Rudhyar toyed with the idea - and the authors give him credit - but they say the idea actually goes back to William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) & his book, A Vision (1925). Yeats was far more than a poet, but I digress.

Each of the four Phase chapters (see above) covers one week of lunar travel & is divided into seven discreet phases phases. The first is from new moon to first quarter (youthful body), the second, from first quarter to full (proud heart), etc. These are allotted to the various signs. The first phase is to Pisces, the next three to Aries, then the final three youthful bodys to Taurus.

In the second quarter, the first phase goes to Gemini, with Cancer getting the next three & then Leo the final three. (This is how you divide 28 by 12.) In addition to the sign, each day's phase has a planetary ruler & co-ruler. Each day's phase represents a two-year age. The first phase (new moon) is 0-2, the next day is 2-4, day three is 4-6, etc.

Here is a typical delineation: Speaking of Phase 14 (my own), did you know that I receive everything at the hands of others-? That people willingly take up the burdens & responsibilities which [I] drop-? And that many people find the native [me!] incredibly beautiful & act out of infatuation with him-? (Girls! Where are you!?)

Phase 14 continues,

Unimpressed by hero-worship, or even by confessions of love, the native is prepared to drop everything at once if a vision or a feeling directs him elsewhere. As a result of this fidelity to purpose, he projects his ideas upon civilization so strongly that others come to identify his will with their own deeper desires. It wouldn't be unusual, either, for the native to live his entire life without noticing his expanding influence. But time will bear full witness to his excellence, even posthumously. (all from pg. 102)

AFA, 209 pages.