This book is a "comprehensive guide" indeed to assessing planetary aspects in an astrological chart by an experienced and psychologically astute astroThis book is a "comprehensive guide" indeed to assessing planetary aspects in an astrological chart by an experienced and psychologically astute astrologer.
It's all here: the meanings of the individual planets, what the aspects are and their orbs, a full "cookbook" of the relationships between individual planets, and, what I thought was perhaps best of all, a section devoted to the angles of the chart and how the planets relate with those. Sue Tompkins places much emphasis on the angles, correctly noting that these, more than any other feature of a chart, identify an individual, and therefore traffic on what she calls the Ascendant and Midheaven "complexes" needs to be given special emphasis in chart interpretation. She has persuaded me to look at the angles differently.
The author skips over the aspects between the outer (trans-Saturnian) planets, noting that these form over long periods and tend to reflect worldwide trends rather than things things that are felt in the individual personality. This is a reasonable choice, but this reader would still have liked to see the author give it a shot, even if in relatively abbreviated form and perhaps only for those aspects that she herself has worked with. The outer planets, after all, do make aspects with each other, and I think it would be good to include them in this comprehensive guide, even if their meaning in an individual's chart is not the same as for the inner planets.
Also, the planetoid Chiron is not included, and a growing number of astrologers, including this reviewer, are inclined to treat it as a planet and as a fully paid-up member of our solar system for the purpose of astrological interpretation, just as we do Pluto. To bring Chiron into the picture, I would really recommend Melanie Reinhart's Chiron and the Healing Journey: An Astrological and Psychological Perspective.
But in all, this is an excellent resource for an astrologer, and you could do very well if you relied only on it for interpreting aspects. I think it's an essential text, and that if you were to have only half a dozen books in your astrology library, this should be one of them....more
The American Civil War presented as a graphic history told in a series of telling vignettes. A cool idea and well executed, although sometimes I wondeThe American Civil War presented as a graphic history told in a series of telling vignettes. A cool idea and well executed, although sometimes I wondered about the choice to use such a muted color palette--I think to create a "historical" effect, like sepia. And while the vignettes were all interesting and well chosen, I thought that some of them could and should have had more dramatic punch. But, in all, an absorbing and fast way to experience some of the qualities of that infamous war....more
A mix of science and history, this is a fast-moving graphic look at the development of the first atomic bombs in the United States. Crisply written, nA mix of science and history, this is a fast-moving graphic look at the development of the first atomic bombs in the United States. Crisply written, nonpolemical, and with some arresting images in the black-and-white artwork....more
If you're a Christian, or are willing to become one, this book lays out a strong and principled approach to being a man and a father in the contemporaIf you're a Christian, or are willing to become one, this book lays out a strong and principled approach to being a man and a father in the contemporary world. For this author, man and father are synonymous terms, regardless of whether one has had actual biological offspring, since a man's role and purpose in the world is to act as a "father" to others who need dependable and unselfish guidance and support.
Munroe's views are based on the Bible, which he takes seriously and literally. And if you're willing to accept all Bible stories, especially that of Adam and Eve, as literally true, then his arguments are strong and well formed. You can even say the same about his views on homosexuality, for which he became notorious in his native Bahamas (he died in a plane crash in 2014), for in the Bible God's position on homosexuality is as clear as can be.
The big question is whether one who is not a Christian, or not a Christian who takes every Bible story literally, can still benefit from Dr. Munroe's vision of fatherhood. I like to think yes. My own experience is that genuinely spiritual people, of whatever stripe, are a positive force in the world. Here Dr. Munroe tells men, especially young men who may feel confused and aimless, how to gain a sense of purpose and meaning in life, and thereby become the rock that others can lean on or stand on for support. Feminists would no doubt howl with execration at his ideas about men being the heads of their households, but I suspect that many women would be happy to marry a man who was principled, ethical, and dedicated to the welfare of his family. Munroe's vision of man as the head of the household is that he leads by example and does his best to help everyone in his care to realize their potential.
But for such a man to be entirely credible he does need to have a strong spiritual grounding, and in Munroe's view this means being thoroughly versed in the teachings of the Bible. For the real question is what one does when the going gets tough. The godly man has the Bible and his church as his supports; what does the secular man or the non-Christian man lean on? I think that men from other spiritual traditions, such as, say, Buddhism (where I've had my own spiritual training, such as it is), can probably take valuable advice from Munroe's book, even though Munroe himself is dismissive of other spiritual traditions. If you believe there is such a thing as masculinity and masculine virtues, then it makes sense to apply these notions to that most defining of male functions: fatherhood. If you can ground those virtues in spirituality, then you're on your way....more
For me, this book took a bit of getting into; I found that it starts rather slowly. But the pace picks up, and the fantasy world the author depicts isFor me, this book took a bit of getting into; I found that it starts rather slowly. But the pace picks up, and the fantasy world the author depicts is intriguing. The writing is a bit prosaic--few figures of speech--but the author is not afraid to express tender feeling between characters, and the thematic ideas are provocative and stimulating. I really like that the series title, His Dark Materials, comes from a line of Milton, and I think the alethiometer is one of the coolest gadgets in literature!...more
A book that is famous, widely read, and well intended, but this reader's caring gene was never activated. I found myself not believing any of the actiA book that is famous, widely read, and well intended, but this reader's caring gene was never activated. I found myself not believing any of the action. I was impressed though with some of Bradbury's terse, metaphor-rich prose; I didn't see that coming....more
An insightful and well-argued work that brings together multiple strands of evidence to show that the paradigm of heaven in the Book of Enoch is not,An insightful and well-argued work that brings together multiple strands of evidence to show that the paradigm of heaven in the Book of Enoch is not, as is mostly assumed by scholars so far, the Jerusalem temple, but the royal courts of the Hellenistic and Persian worlds. God was envisioned as a powerful king, the angels as his courtiers, and the fallen Watchers as rebellious courtiers--a phenomenon well known to the courts of that time and all times....more
Beautifully narrated and perceptive work that comes to a rather unsatisfying end--a whimper, not a bang. But the many individual chapterlets make forBeautifully narrated and perceptive work that comes to a rather unsatisfying end--a whimper, not a bang. But the many individual chapterlets make for absorbing reading....more
This cheeky, fast-moving, and sometimes shocking satire still has sting, since the injustices and absurdities that it juxtaposes so densely are stillThis cheeky, fast-moving, and sometimes shocking satire still has sting, since the injustices and absurdities that it juxtaposes so densely are still largely in place today. We like to call ourselves rational and religious, but look what we do. . . ....more
Another valuable addition to the storyteller's toolkit. In this thesaurus, the authors detail how to construct the "wounded" characters who are capablAnother valuable addition to the storyteller's toolkit. In this thesaurus, the authors detail how to construct the "wounded" characters who are capable of change and who are most involving for audiences. Includes a well-organized crash course in psychology as it relates to character design, and then a wealth of information on how characters might be shaped by wounding events....more
This book, originally published in 1903, is the best thing I've found on Greek mythology or Greek attitudes to things of the spirit generally.
I forgetThis book, originally published in 1903, is the best thing I've found on Greek mythology or Greek attitudes to things of the spirit generally.
I forget exactly what prompted me to get it, probably favorable mention of it in some other book, but in July 2010 I got myself a used copy of the stout Meridian Books paperback published in 1955. An imposing tome of 682 pages, it sat on my shelves until just 5 months ago. At that time I had hit, as I occasionally do, a gap in my reading, and I came down to the "library" (a carpeted storeroom housing our freezer and 3 Ikea Billy bookcases) to prowl for something of interest. I finally decided to give the Prolegomena a chance.
I was immediately impressed with the author's perceptiveness, authority, and approach. The book's 12 chapters take one on a journey from "chthonic rituals" of "ghosts and sprites" to an extended discussion of Orphism, which occupies the last 4 chapters. And what a journey it is: I felt that all kinds of puzzles and mysteries and seeming inconsistencies of Greek mythology resolved and fell into place. The fascinating thing about this book is that it has very little to do with what I had always thought of as Greek religion, which was a religion centered on the familiar gods of Olympus. Jane Harrison occasionally mentions these gods in passing, but her interest is in all the religious phenomena that lay in the penumbra of the spotlight pointed on Olympus by Homer and other classical authors. Her interest is in tracing the development of Greek religion from its most primitive manifestations up to its most sophisticated ones. The Olympian gods formed part of that story, but only a part, and seemingly, as this author tells it, by no means the largest part.
I was already aware that ancient Greek religion had been formed by a collision between the prehistoric matriarchal system of the ancient inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula and Crete and the patriarchal invaders who swept down from the north and east. But Harrison shows how the deepest layers of Greek religion need to be sought in the beliefs and behaviors of primitive people who fear, above all, ghosts. Much of what develops into what we call religion begins with the riddance and placation of the souls of the dead, who, when angry, vengeful, or envious, can bring terrible misfortune to those still living. Long before there is anything so definite and well characterized as a personal god, there are countless invisible sprites--the Keres of ancient Greece--who affect the human world for good and ill, and many of Greece's famous festivals and rituals had their origins in repelling, expelling, and appeasing these ghostly figures.
Harrison shows how goddesses and gods eventually emerged from these primitive spirits, and how these gods eventually became clearly distinguished and named--even if with a number of different names. And she shows how these two eventually gave way to a higher, more mystical kind of religious experience and practice that gained the name Orphism. Some investigators have believed that Orpheus was a god, but Harrison dismisses this view. To her it's clear that Orpheus was a man, a revealer and reformer who created a mystical new religion inspired by the worship of Dionysos and injecting new esoteric meaning into primitive rites.
Much of the author's argument is based on the interpretation of ancient Greek art: vases, bowls, funerary monuments. The book is richly illustrated with black-and-white reproductions of these, and Harrison's depth of knowledge of these artifacts is most impressive. She knows what she's talking about.
The prose itself is very readable. Harrison writes with passion and admiration, even as she does not hesitate to criticize and pass judgment on ancient practices and authors when they reveal signs of savagery or confusion. She is quick and punctilious to acknowledge the work of other scholars, but unafraid of noting when she disagrees with them or rejects their ideas. She is also well versed in the ancient authors and treats them in much the same way; she relies on them, but is aware of their personal shortcomings. There are a couple of interesting footnotes too in which she admits that some theory of her own, already appearing earlier in the book, is in error! Read carefully.
In all, a thoroughly excellent book. If you're new to ancient Greek mythology and religion, then you probably should not start here. Acquaint yourself with the Greek myths and festivals, and then reach for this book. You start to see how all those various strange myths start to make sense; they are expressions of a few guiding principles that underlie their formation.
For us in the West, Greek mythology is the mythology; when we talk about "myths," often we mean Greek myths. Our culture is shot through with them; our modern stories are based on them and are filled with allusions to their events. For example, I'm currently reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, published in 1995, and I suddenly realized that some of the action was based on the Oedipus myth. But those myths are the tip of an iceberg, and to appreciate them fully one should have a sense of the shape and depth of the berg that lies below the waterline. Jane Harrison's book examines the underwater part of that iceberg, and it's illuminating indeed....more
Intriguing premise and intelligent narration, but there was too much use of flashforwards/flashbacks for this reader, and too many things hidden. I foIntriguing premise and intelligent narration, but there was too much use of flashforwards/flashbacks for this reader, and too many things hidden. I folded my tent at page 214. Lots of great details, though, written by a trained scientist....more
Sylvan Muldoon, both an experiencer and a student of astral projection, presents dozens of short case histories from people in various walks of life wSylvan Muldoon, both an experiencer and a student of astral projection, presents dozens of short case histories from people in various walks of life who have experienced the "exteriorization" of their astral body from their physical body. Some are by people who already have spiritualistic beliefs; many others are by people who had never given such matters a thought. Muldoon notes that the broad similarity of the experiences points to their being something actual and worthy of proper scientific study. Sounds reasonable to me. The implications are as big as can be for us all. For interesting and recent scientific investigation into the existence of "subtle matter" (that is, the ether of which astral bodies are presumably made), check out The Discovery of Subtle Matter by Klaus Volkamer, published in 2017....more
An unusual take on the postapocalyptic genre, featuring a lone man making his way west 16 years after a global nuclear war has devastated the United SAn unusual take on the postapocalyptic genre, featuring a lone man making his way west 16 years after a global nuclear war has devastated the United States. He comes across a mailman's uniform, and starts wearing it and exploiting it. I was interested by the premise and to see how it would unfold, but I found that the story never really got going, and the cast of characters kept changing, with minor characters flowing by but not connecting. At page 166 I decided to stop....more
This book is actually a collection of stories--a fact mentioned on neither the cover nor the title page. The title novella runs 159 pages. It was origThis book is actually a collection of stories--a fact mentioned on neither the cover nor the title page. The title novella runs 159 pages. It was originally published in 1954, a fact which does not appear on the copyright page ("copyright 1995"), but on a separate "copyright acknowledgments" page. The overall impression for this reader is that this book is deceptively packaged.
This book is perhaps the original of the "zombie apocalypse" genre, although in this case the walking dead are vampires. Each night they crowd around the Los Angeles house of Robert Neville, seeking his blood but not getting it, since he has barricaded himself in. The story unfolds as a mystery as to how the world has degenerated into this appalling condition, with Neville trying to work it out while he raids vacant stores in the daytime and drives stakes through the hearts of any sleeping undead that he finds along the way. The prose is lean and pacey, if functional. The opening sentence gives the flavor of the narration as a whole:
On those cloudy days, Robert Neville was never sure when sunset came, and sometimes they were in the streets before he could get back.
No metaphors or other figures of speech--just the facts, ma'am. There is much description of the extremes of Neville's emotions and their bodily expression. An unintentionally comic touch is how much liquor Neville spills as he tries to pour and drink it.
I found that by page 79 I was just waiting for it all to be over. With 80 pages still to go, I realized that I didn't want to wait that long, so I pulled the plug....more
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