Book Review: Astrology Considered, A Thinking Person's Guide

    CHICAGO, IL, January 16, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Reviewed By Armand Diaz, PhD.

Let's say you have an interest in astrology. Maybe you've had a consultation with a professional astrologer. Perhaps you've been curious about the subject and have been studying it on your own or taking classes for a while. You think that there is value and insight in astrology, but...

There are probably a number of friends, family members, coworkers, and others who look askance at your astrological interest. You may even hesitate to tell some people that you think there is something worthwhile in astrology--after all, it is looked at rather harshly by a great many serious thinkers and reputable people in contemporary Western society. Our culture values science as the system for discovering truth, and mainstream scientists are nearly unanimous in their dismissal of astrology as archaic superstition. In the face of such weighty criticism, how are you to explain that you think there really is something to astrology?

Enter Astrology Considered: A Thinking Person's Guide, a compilation of articles from the Astrology News Service (ANS), an organization devoted to publicizing the true value of astrology. Astrology Considered offers a variety of perspectives on contemporary astrology that show astrology is not a simplistic system but a sophisticated way of viewing intrapersonal, interpersonal, and global dynamics. Happily, it is also an easy read for those who do not speak the sometimes-complex astrological language.

The book is presented in three main sections. The first, Astrology Considered, addresses the philosophical divide that separates astrology from most Western thought, including the scientific perspective. Although intellectually stimulating, this section is very accessible, with short articles that present the positive value of astrology while also addressing the misconceptions of skeptics.

The next section, The Evidence, highlights the growing body of research in support of astrology. Although it may seem unlikely that there is any scientific evidence for astrological phenomena, there have been a number of scientific studies that validate various aspects of astrology. Some of the research supports traditional astrological lore, while others present evidence for entirely new concepts within astrology.

The book concludes with News and Views, which shows the application of astrology to a number of areas in contemporary life. Articles on financial astrology, a new genre of astrological mystery books, astrology in Shakespeare, and even a tongue-in-cheek article (by your reviewer) on Pluto--Walt Disney's cartoon dog--are among the topics in this varied and entertaining section of the book.

With most articles in the range of four pages, the reader is free to move around Astrology Considered in any order, following whatever grabs attention at the moment. One can read about The Beatles use of astrology, follow it up with a study of how divorce rates follow planetary patterns, and then explore the question of whether there are really 14 signs of the zodiac.

Will Astrology Considered convince skeptics that there is value in astrology? Probably not, but that isn't its purpose. A reader who spends some time with the book will come away with a new appreciation of astrology and a renewed confidence in the validity of astrological insight. Astrology Considered demonstrates that it is indeed possible to be a thinking person, well grounded in contemporary reality, and still recognize the rich value astrology offers. It's a great book for astrologers to give their clients, and an interesting and fun read for anyone.

Edited by Edward Snow. Astrology News Service, 2014
192 pages. Find it on Amazon.com.

The Astrology News Service (ANS) is jointly sponsored by the American Federation of Astrologers(AFA), the Association For Astrological Networking (AFAN), The International Society for Astrological Research (ISAR), the National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR), and the Organization of Professional Astrologers (OPA).

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