Author: Margaret Koolman
Trade Paperback, 200 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn
Publication date: May 2002
ISBN: 0738702218
Price & More Info: Click Here
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Astrology is a complex art and there are a large number of books aimed at the beginner on the market. Margaret Koolman's Soul Purpose Astrology is one of those beginner books. Instead of trying to cover all the details of astrology in one short book, Koolman has elected to concentrate on the basics of natal chart interpretation in her book.
The first chapter is devoted to giving a brief overview of astrology and the information found on an astrological chart. The second chapter -- about 50 pages -- discusses the signs of the Zodiac in some detail, complete with occasional exercises designed to make the reader think about what he is reading. The third chapter devotes about 70 pages to a discussion of the planets and how they interact with the signs of the Zodiac. This book is fairly unique among beginner books I've seen in treating Chiron, a small comet-like ball of ice in the outer solar system (which should not be confused with Charon, the satellite of Pluto), as an astrological planet and provides interpretations for it. Exercises are scattered throughout the chapter. The fourth chapter talks about the houses and the Ascendant. The fifth chapter devotes about 15 pages to the nodes of the moon. Both of these chapters have thoughtful exercises as well.
This book provides a lot of information on the subjects it covers, more details than other beginner books I've read in many cases. On the other hand, it barely mentions important subjects like aspects and how to interpret them. The book is extremely easy to read and beginner-friendly. This combination of detail and omission makes it hard to recommend this book as a first book on astrology. If one is interested in a detailed overview of the Zodiac, the Planets, and the Houses, this book is excellent. Reading this book will allow just about anyone to understand the basics of how these work in a chart. However, if one wishes to learn how to read and interpret charts completely, the poor coverage of aspects in Soul Purpose Astrology is fatal by itself.
Reviewed by Randall
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