Best books and sites for astrology newbies?

[Shallah Kali]

I did a chart on Astro Dienst and while my google-fu is working good so far I really need to sit down with a book and the printouts to fully absorb the information. It is too tempting to keep opening link after link after link. Skimming the current transits I am undergoing I now understand why I have been feeling massive energy surges for the past week often lasting hours at a time. Pluto square Pluto, Jupiter square Jupiter, and a whole bunch of other squares including Uranus square natal Moon, Saturn, & Neptune.

[juno jones]

1. Some fave sites:

Blogger directory, great for current events and transits.:

http://astrologyblogger.com/


MSN Horoscopechat- good resource for definitions and basics:

http://groups.msn.com/HOROSCOPESCHAT


Bob Marks Online Astrology- good tutorials:

http://www.bobmarksastrologer.com/TOClessons.htm


and astroids:

http://treehousemountain.com/

As far as books go, Robert Hand's series on transits, houses, etc. are very useful and easy to find.

I have a bunch more favorites, but these are some of the better reference sites that might help you continue to make sense of the astrodienist charts. Hope this helps. :)

[Dover]

2. I'd highly recommend a class if you can find one locally.

I got started on my own chart many years ago and began with some basic books that I'm not
sure I'd recommend as there are now so many improved versions of the same info.
But Robert Hand's Symbols book is wonderful as is his Transit book. And then there are authors who specialize in the various planets like Liz Greene's Saturn book and Jeff Green's Pluto book to name just a couple.
Once you understand the characteristics of the different planets, signs and houses, the next
step is probably to learn the various aspects and begin to see how they all interact in your
own natal chart, and then by transit from day to day, month to month, year to year.

There was a very good list of Astrology books posted in this forum some time ago, but unfortunately
I didn't save the link. But surely someone else did, and will post it. Or you might try a forum search.

I'm excited for you! You have some very dynamic planetary aspects going on. What better time to
jump in and come to recognize these inner energies so they can be more fully integrated.

Have fun!

[Shallah Kali]

3. Are transits always so wild? The more symbols I figure out the more wild it is

No wonder I feel like I am getting zapped by power surges! I tis a good thing I started ramping up my clearing exercises or I would be totally :crazy: :woohoo: :crazy: :bounce: even more than the usual instead of mostly !

The sun is currently conjunct my natal Moon & Neptune, square to Mercury and sextile to Pluto.

Current Moon is conjunct natal Venus, Trine Mars, Square Uranus, Trine Pluto

Current Mercury conjunct natal Moon, square Mercury, conjunct Neptune

Current Venus is conjunct natal venus, , trine mars, square Uranus

Current Mars is conjunct natal Moon, square Mercury, conjunct Neptune, sextile pluto

Current Jupiter conjunct natal Venus, trine natal mars, square Uranus

Current Saturn is in opposition to natal mercury, trine venus, trine mars, square saturn

Uranus square natal moon, conjuct natal mercury, sextile mars, square saturn, square Neptune

Neptune is conjunct natal sun, square natal mars, conjunct Jupiter, trine Saturn,, trine Uranus

Pluto is sextile the natal sun, sextile natal Jupiter, opposition to Saturn, sextile Uranus and square natal pluto.

and all of that is leaving out all the minor aspects! You astrologers must have wonderful memories as I have my work cut out for me just memorizing the symbols beyond the major aspects.

I am not sure if this will let ya'll look but here is my chart in google docs
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=d25sqcv_3cb3bqwz9&invite=

The data sheet
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.6d010fbe-7554-4d15-9112-0d1fce55e059


years ago a friend did my chart (which I promptly lost :() using a different house system that the above chart which gave me Sag rising. I tried astrodienst and another site that let me choose Koch and astrodienst gave me Scorpio rising and adze gave me Sag rising :shrug: I emailed her the new chart and she still thinks I am more Sag than Scorpio and tried to explain about cusps. Using Placidus my ascendant is Scorpio 23 degrees 39' 4". If I can find another site that lets me select Koch I will try again and see if it calculates like the others or something totally different!