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The Secret Language of Astrology: The Illustrated Key to Unlocking the Secrets of the Stars

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Never before have the inner workings of astrology been laid bare with such clarity and common sense as in this unique book and web link package from renowned astrologer Roy Gillett. Both a history and a practical guide, adorned with superb illustrations and photographs, The Secret Language of Astrology unlocks the secrets of the stars, giving readers the tools to analyze and interpret the complex interplay of influences that shape our lives. Contains a special access code for an Astrolable™ website where readers can create detailed birth charts in seconds!

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

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Roy Gillett

48 books3 followers

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5 stars
83 (29%)
4 stars
116 (40%)
3 stars
57 (20%)
2 stars
23 (8%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for vivi.
31 reviews4 followers
November 1, 2025
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 3 out of 5 stars
Man was the book something ?!?! Don't get me wrong, this book was really good but it dragged at some points and flew too quick at others. The beginning of the book, when discussing the history of Astrology, was the hardest to get through. Some of the authors sentences straight up did not make any sense to me. It felt poorly worded and had me re-reading paragraphs way more than I usually do, which says a lot as an ADHD reader. Aside from the first part of this book, the information was great and I actually understood it. The information was useful, conscience, and even had lovely pictures affiliated with what I was reading about. This would be a great coffee table book :))
This is not an end all be all book, as is the case with many astrology and occult books, so if you're really interested in astrology, this is a great starting point!
The only reason I am giving this three stars instead of four is because of the beginning, and the fact that it may confuse people nearing the end of the book. ★
Profile Image for Luna Itza.
69 reviews2 followers
July 24, 2021
wow.wow.wow. I always felt an attachment to western astrology since the moment i first grasped the smallest concept of it as a kid. As i got older, it certainly became harder to find it’s credibility in this technologically scientific world. But as I was nearing 23 I had this awakening through the uprising and popularity of astrology online. So I absolutely delve into it without a doubt and tried to learn everything I could. First, by understanding that there’s multiple placements in a birth chart, the houses, etc. What mercury in Retrograde meant and why i felt like my life was always falling apart during those times lol. And then I found this book recommended to me on goodreads and later found it at barnes and nobles in the self transformation section. I thought long and hard about buying this despite how much I already wanted it because as usual, I doubted my capability of understanding such complexities in this cosmic system. I started it slow and eased into the signs. And for some reason it didn’t occur to me that at the end it would add it all up and break down how to interpret birth charts. As soon as i reached the aspects section I gotta be honest, i was terrified lol. I didn’t think I could understand the terminology or even the math behind it. But i still pulled through and read it over and over slowly until i understood. All in all I think this book was wonderful. It was so insightful, perfectly written to help anyone who’s coming into this fresh understand the overview of western astrology and how to approach it here on out. I have so much respect, like an insane amount, for this profession and this system. Ive never felt so personal and passionate for something as much as I have with astrology. I feel as if now I have a greater understanding for the logic and the science behind it and it gives me a greater pleasure to share it with others who are having trouble grasping this cosmic concept. All in all, a great book.
Profile Image for Emma.
4 reviews9 followers
June 3, 2017
I was looking to find a book to help me interpret birth charts and explain zodiac signs in detail. This was the absolute perfect book! It lays everything out in best way and the illustrations are not only helpful, but gorgeous. This book explains every little detail you need to know by providing: charts, guides, explanations, and step by step examples to help you along.
5 out 5 stars - would recommend to anyone looking for a guide to reading charts, or anyone just looking to learn some more about basic astrology.
Profile Image for Sanni.
190 reviews
November 18, 2022
This book had a lot of useful information, which I was looking for from this book. I really enjoyed resding it and I learned many new things even though, I knew much before reading too. I do recommend it, if you want to learn more about astrology!
Profile Image for Jenna.
44 reviews6 followers
January 3, 2021
It’s very concise and helpful. Organized with lovely illustrations to boot. Even if you’re not familiar with astrology at all, you would likely have a much better understanding of it after reading this. I have been reading about astrology prior to going in, so it helps to have a little bit of an understanding of it, otherwise the ending chapters may lose you a little bit, but either way, it’s a great reference tool.
Profile Image for Csaba Safrany.
5 reviews2 followers
April 24, 2019
It's a perfect coffee table book. The illustrations are excellent. The content is also first class. The book is ideal for beginner astrologers. Everything you need to interpret your birth chart is present in an extremely concise manner. Each planet, sign, house, and aspect is assigned a keyword. It helps you to think about astrology "grammatically". The keywords are very useful but after a certain point in your studies you'll need much more advanced books to broaden your knowledge.
Profile Image for Hollie Korreckt.
89 reviews2 followers
January 4, 2019
This did a really good job at helping beginners like me learn about what goes into a birth chart and the meaning behind things that I have never heard of that can explain our personality. Now I feel like I can reference this book to help my analyze mine.
Profile Image for Crystal.
79 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2021
This book was gifted to me by a new friend I think this is a beautiful book it can make a beautiful gift for someone starting in astrology and for someone who just wants a nice representation of the astrology book if you were like myself and you were not a beginner at astrology this book will basically be a beautiful book to keep on your coffee table for your guests I do think that the book can definitely help someone who is new navigate their charts navigate the houses and navigate the zodiac and navigation aspects navigate symbolism the relation of color herbs crystals different correspondences with in different charts but this alone will not be enough to really start you off you will eventually have to branch out into other books that can give you a more in-depth guidance but this book is laid out very well with general information and it’s laid out in a way that is not scary or hard to understand
Profile Image for notformebabesbooks.
250 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2022
Maybe actually 2.5 stars…overall the book contained a good amount of substance, and I definitely was able to add notes to my own journal that clarified many aspects of astrology for me. I think the major downfall of the book was how jumbled but also very fast the information was. Especially regarding the history of astrology, it was just a lot of information that was a little confusing and boring. Another nitpicky annoyance for me was the slight changes for the presentation of each zodiac sign; sometimes, two pieces of info would be presented in different orders for different zodiacs, and honestly that bothered me. But that’s more of a personal thing for me haha. Solid info, though, but wouldn’t read again.
Profile Image for Rem.
223 reviews25 followers
Read
November 28, 2025
"Our need to have, to possess, may become so intense that it is impossible for us to let go. When this happens, contentment is impossible. Only in letting go--in appreciating and knowing without grasping and needing to have--can we find true lasting happiness." Pg. 34

"We need to learn to move beyond attachment. Accepting loss by welcoming change and still being loving, even in our darkest hours, is what truly endears us to others." Pg. 35

"Jupiter is a friend, but we should not follow him blindly. Too many ideas at once can confuse us and over-activity can lead to exhaustion or an accident. Excessive passion or kindness can expose us to hurt, while over-indulgence can dull discrimination." Pg. 39

"Pluto helps us to face our subconscious fears. But Pluto makes the problems we face difficult to avoid and deny."
"Pluto's birth-chart position shows our individual vulnerabilities. It tests whether our fears are valid and how long the dangers we face may last.
Accepting missions that heal our lives is the happiest and safest way. Then Pluto cannot undermine us. It is on our side." Pg. 47

"Genuine peace actively created space for good things to happen." Pg 100

"The wisdom of Pisces comes from realizing that to deny our connection with everything, to view life as a battle against the world, is to experience drowning alone. When we let go of attachment to material reality, and come to see our essential union with the universe, liberation follows, just as Pisces heralds the arrival of spring, the time or regrowth and resurrection as the year's cycle begins again." Pg. 127


Profile Image for Ashley Monette.
650 reviews7 followers
August 12, 2019
This book was good. It had a lot of information on it that I already knew because I’ve read a few astrology books already. The things that set this book apart from the rest is that there’s a lot of history of cultures, mythology, and facts on how planets move, etc. that part was cool but sometimes it was too much and I didn’t care. I think this is worth a read but there are other astrology books I’ve liked better.
Profile Image for Courtney Trethric.
16 reviews
October 10, 2022
Loved this book, though, it's a little impossible to sit down and read all in one go. I found this to be helpful when first learning about the planets. Since there is SO much information, it's a little easy to get lost and distracted.

Though, I will admit I loved the tabs at the top talking about each planet & sign colors, elements, incense, and things of that nature.

The part at the end was particularly helpful when looking at the planets in each sign.
Profile Image for alex.
28 reviews2 followers
April 8, 2020
the art in this book is absolutely gorgeous. i love the fact that the last sentence is completed by the end of the page instead of continuing on to the next one. it was a little difficult to understand at times, and i had to reread passages, but i loved the pictures and real life connections made to celebrities and history!
Profile Image for J.
32 reviews1 follower
March 29, 2019
Pretty good and concise book about astrology, with a link to determine your own birth chart and how to read it. Pretty interesting and fun read. I don't think its fact or science but cool to read and think more about understanding yourself.
Profile Image for Ana Isabel.
104 reviews6 followers
July 14, 2022
This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are stunning. Best of all it's the most complete and introduction to Astrology that I have seen for a long time. I have bought it as a gift for friends who are just discovering this ancient art and highly recommend it to all.
Profile Image for Coby Friesen.
192 reviews1 follower
December 20, 2022
Always good to read another perspective on astrology. I liked how in depth with history and symbolism it went for each planet, sign and house. I also came to new understandings about certain astrological mysteries. But I did find the writing to be dry, cold and impersonal.
Profile Image for Duncan Akyeampong.
148 reviews
January 14, 2021
It's alright it did teach me some few things that I didn't know about like for example houses and birth charts and plants.
63 reviews
January 21, 2021
A solid beginner book but missing a few pieces such as how to interpret the Ascendent and MC which I always find important when looking at an astrological chart. Nice pictures and nicely laid out.
56 reviews
September 26, 2022
Great introduction to astrology especially if you know nothing about it. Very insightful!
Profile Image for Kyrsti .
57 reviews1 follower
June 27, 2022
Absolutely beautiful book! Lots of good information for beginners and can help with doing your own birth chart. But as a beginner myself, found the birth chart making a little complex. Provides a decent amount of history about the signs as well, which was interesting. Also provides an overview of the houses, signs that are cardinal/fixed/mutable, and the elements associated with the signs. Probably would not be my go-to book to reference astrology, but a great coffee table book with good information. Easy to read/understand.
Profile Image for Jennie.
159 reviews
June 25, 2012
Interesting enough, but not my favorite book on the subject. Any of Linda Goodman's or Grant Lewi's books are easier to read and understand. I took a glimpse at the companion website, which is necessary to use the book in any useful way. Not a big fan of trying to read a book and computer screen at the same time.
Profile Image for Elbe.
20 reviews2 followers
December 29, 2012
Was reading the Estonian translation from 2012 and had quite a few questions on the words and phrases used there. Sometimes it seemed that there were more the words that got translated than the actual meanings... Otherwise - great book for a beginner to get to know what all those star signs, 12 houses and mysterious aspects mean in much more meaningful way.
Profile Image for Wendi.
109 reviews
June 20, 2012
Visually attractive. Nice coffee table book.
Profile Image for Brittany Perry.
700 reviews7 followers
August 12, 2014
very good and easy t understand I got it to have as a reference book since I tend to reada lot of books with astrological references.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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