Marc Edmund Jones wrote about planetary patterns back in 1941. The Guide to Horoscope Interpretation remains the seminal work on the topic. Since it is long out of print and written in a style that some find difficult to read, I’ve undertaken the task of updating and extending Jones’s ideas.
Originally published in 1980 under the title Perceptions in Astrology, Bil Tierney’s work is equally a classic for the study of aspect patterns. Updated in 1983, it became Dynamics of Aspect Analysis: New Perceptions in Astrology.
The two topics—planetary patterns and aspect patterns—intersect and intertwine. The ideal Bucket planetary pattern, for example, contains a Grand Cross aspect pattern.
There’s a myth among some astrologers that it takes hours to prepare for a consultation with a client. Those astrologers pride themselves on giving every chart the attention to detail they feel it deserves. Unless we have the good fortune to find celebrity clients willing to retain our services, we need to work more efficiently than that. We need to summarize the information in a natal chart quickly and reliably, in a matter of minutes, not hours. Yes, it can be done that fast and—more important—it can be done well.
I’ve had the good fortune to be trained by the noted astrologer Noel Tyl. He told me from the first lesson that I was to spend no more than fifteen minutes preparing for a consultation. To get to that point, you have to master the art of chart synthesis. You need to be able to glance at a natal chart and drink in gulps of information.
This book is not a quick reference guide. It’s a text for the serious student of astrology. It’s aimed at the intermediate to advanced student. Jones felt the need to start with the very basic question “What is a horoscope?” I assume the reader already knows the answer to that question.
When it comes to style, I prefer a more conversational tone than what is found in the average astrology text. Be prepared for plenty of contractions. The occasional sentence fragment, too.
It takes more than a little chutzpah to rework the ideas of someone with the standing of Marc Edmund Jones or Bil Tierney. Rest assured, there is more to this book than a rewording of those classics. Even if you own The Guide to Horoscope Interpretation or Dynamics of Aspect Analysis, you’ll find plenty of new information here.