The Secret Language of Stars and Planets: A Visual Key to the Heavens

Full of history and mythology, I especially liked the section on archaeoastronomy. For a more detailed look at this subject, take a look at the books by A.F. Aveni.The authors do seem to be supporters of the pseudoscience astrology, although they never make a case for it in this book.Astrology is supposedly based on the movements of the heavens, but I have never met an astrologer who even begun to understand Kepler's laws or Einstien's relativity equations, all which describe the movements of the heavens.Two technical errors in the book: They say (p72) that Pluto is bigger than Mercury. No, Mercury is over twice the size of Pluto.P. 43 says there were 3 kings in the Christmas story - a common misconception. Technically, it doesn't say how many, which is why some traditions hold many more.A note on p 105: They mention the "unknown God" that Paul refers to in Acts. They are apparently unware of the historical records which suggest this monument to the unknown god was dedicated to the God of Christianity years before Paul arrived after this God performed miracles for people in the area. An interesting look into biblical authencity that the author's overlooked.

A fine generalist introduction to the metaphors of the sky. Generalist because it is concerned with more than western astrological symbols. At this stage in human history, with our emerging global viewpoint & understanding of the Earth itself as a living being, astrologers, too, must allow their knowledge to expand & deepen. We are slowly passing out of the Piscean Age & into Aquarius, & that means irresistable changes. Those with pagan or wiccan inclinations need a less Eurocentric comprehension of sky spirituality. The Secret Language of Stars and Planets, while rooted in the Western Zodiac, takes a multicultural path beyond those borders. So all of the Planets are provided with some identifications from Chinese, Egyptian, Incan, Indian & Pre-Columbian cultures, though not in especially great detail. Still, the artwork is lovely (if a bit less so than Dr. Fontana's "The Secret Language of Symbols") & the information is accurate. The really outstanding part of this book is the section on Sacred Alignments. The astronomical designs and spiritual purposes of twenty seven ancient sites are explored. In addition to the obvious ones like The Great Pyramid, Stonehenge & Avebury, the book explains the layouts of such far flung power centers as Hashihaka in Japan, Vijayanagara in India, the Cahokia mound complex in Illinois, the Chaco Canyon "Ancient Ones" area in the Four Corners region, and several South American sites including Machu Picchu. Just enough to stimulate one's curiousity for more learning. These wise, ancient peoples experienced the world in ways that are difficult for us to know. But we must try. To do so, we have to get past our limited geo-political views. Gaia deserves no less. The sky belongs to no one. The sky belongs to everyone. Bob Rixon