Considerations XVII: 3 The book is divided into six sections, each split into different chapters. ‘In At The Deep End’, the first section, deals mainly with the key subjects of Essential Dignity and Reception, together with Antiscia and Arabian Parts, and clarifies many of the problems students encounter when trying to understand why it is that close positive aspects between planets sometimes give the desired reactions, yet fail at other times. ‘Let’s Get This Straight’ contains seventeen parts that answer points that frequently trouble astrologers, these include the exact effect of the Moon‘s Nodes; the primary importance of the Fixed signs, especially when angular; the greed of the ever-hungry Moon; Hayz; Cazimi; and that odd phrase ‘increasing in number’ that is encountered so often in classical texts. ‘The Master Astrologer: William Lilly’ provides useful insights into the political and religious environment in which Lilly worked. ‘The Background’ is serious stuff, though presented in a light, readable style. Here the discussion begins with the switch from a spiritual background to an increasingly profane one that has entered not only astrology but so much of mankind’s daily thought since the Renaissance. It then moves on to Value, contrasting the divinity of the Sun with the mortality associated with the Moon, briefly relating a history of wealth, from gold and silver to today’s artificial paper currencies, and associating this with the modern belief that our present knowledge is superior to that of all past cultures. Another essay, ‘The Moon as Mind’, compares the limited role Mercury plays in the assessment of a person’s mental capacity with the much greater importance of the Moon in this matter, a comparison that may surprise many moderns. ‘Advanced Techniques’ contains a valuable assessment of temperament, against which the traditional astrologer is better able to assess how any aspect between two planets will manifest in life. Someone of a sanguine nature reacts very differently to a w S t than does a melancholic, despite modern textbooks completely ignoring such a possibility. The author’s approach differs slightly from Lilly’s, which Frawley believes is misleading due to the way the various testimonies are weighted. The example chart, that of singer Roy Orbison, is clearly analyzed for his temperamental balance—predominantly sanguine but with a powerful melancholic streak, which provided him the opportunity to rise above what threatened to be a destructive melancholy through his rational faculties. This section also contains some worked medical charts. Finally, we have the excellent section on ‘The Houses’, referred to above. This is an excellent book. Like Frawley’s first, it is very readable; instructions and ideas are well presented, often mixed with sparkling wit, and all is explained simply and clearly. Students may view this as a basic text, to be studied alongside Lilly and other early masters of our craft. Long-time traditional practitioners will enjoy it simply as an entertainment. Astrologers of the modern schools (Humanist, Psychological, etc.) will view it as extremely dangerous, something that undermines the very basis of their approach to astrology. It is a book that should be read and re-read by all who intend calling themselves astrologers. —Ken Gillman
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