M. J. Abadie - Teen Astrology. The Ultimate Guide to Making Your Life Your Own

Acknowledgments

Writing a book is a solitary task, but the process of getting it published in final form involves many people. I want to thank the following especially for their vital contributions to this complex process:

First and foremost, my deepest appreciation goes to Laura Schlivek, the books project editor, whose enormous task it was to coordinate all the parts and make them come out as a whole. A more magnificent job could not have been done and she did it with grace and good humor in spite of the many difficulties encountered. Not only did she serve as a compassionate adviser, but she coped with mountains of details. Its said The devil is in the details, and Lauras patience with the tedious work of organizing countless details was nothing short of magnificent. My good fortune in having her as my editor is equal only to my gratitude for the splendid manner in which she held everything together on its long route to the printing press.

My thanks, too, to Priscilla Baker for her good eye in the final stages of typesetting.

Jon Graham is thanked for his enthusiasm for Teen Astrology, which made it a reality.

The support of the publisher, Ehud Sperling, was, of course, invaluable.

To my long-time friend, H. M. Frombaugh, I am grateful for the delightful illustrations of the astrological animal symbols that add so much to the books visual appearance.

Anne Sellaro, my agent and dear friend, wasas alwaysthere for me when I needed business advice or just a shoulder to lean on. I feel blessed indeed to have Annes counsel and understanding.

For kindly allowing me to excerpt some passages from her book Changing Your Destiny, I am indebted to my friend and fellow astrologer Mary Orser.

My assistant, Will Varley, was a treasure who cheerfully took on a multitude of chores, no matter how dull or exacting, with unfailing good humor and thoroughness.

Chris Santini, best of friends, gave aid and comfort throughout the long process, always cheering me on and reminding me to call on the angels when I needed help.

A group of young teenage friends lent their comments along the way and I thank them all for their useful input.

Last but not least, I thank you, the reader, for being the indirect inspiration for Teen Astrology, which was conceived and written with you in mind. My hope is that it will serve you as a valuable guide during your teen years.

Preface

Why an Astrology Book Just for Teens?

A s a teen, you are presumed to be different from an adultand many adults, if not all of them, assume that young people are something other than themselves, something basically alien. The reverse is also trueparents can seem to their teenage children to be of another species entirely.

The truth of the matter is that as a teen you are not an adult; you are in the process of becoming an adult. The difference between you, a teen, and adults is that you are a work in progress, and nothing that exists as potential has yet crystallized into permanent form. The teen years are crucial to the human development process, for during them there is more room for experimentation and exploration of who you are and how you want to live your life than you will have as you grow older.

The purpose of astrology is not to predict the futurethat is, fortune-telling. Put simply, astrology is the best tool we have, or have ever devised, including psychology, for understanding an individuals inner dynamics and for making the best of them.

Since the teen years are of primary importance in forming the adult you will become, its an ideal time to enhance your own understanding of yourself. And astrology can give you insightsavailable through no other methodinto yourself and your relationships with other people, including love interests, parents, and friends.

My inspiration for writing this book came directly from my work on Child Astrology, a book for parents about their children. Through exploring how parents can best raise their children, I realized that as children reach their teen years they are in a position different from that of younger children. Teens stand on the brink of adulthoodthey just arent quite there yet.

My own teen years were extremely difficult, and since I became a professional astrologer there have been many times I wished achingly that Id known astrology when I was a teen. What a difference it would have made! For example, I never could relate to myself as my Sun Sign, and so I thought astrologyas I knew it from columns in magazines and newspaperswas all bunk. I wasnt at all like those columns described my Sun Sign, and that confused me.

Later, when I studied astrology and found out that there are ten Planets, not just the Sun, a world of wonder opened up for me and I began to understand myself in a way that before had been impossible. When I discovered that in addition to the ten Planets I had an Ascendant, or rising, Sign, and I found out what it was, a lot of the confusion about who I was cleared up like a strong north wind blowing the sky clean of clouds and revealing the clear blue filled with sunshine.

Thats why this book is written especially for the teenage reader. It addresses the concerns particular to your age period and tells you how to find out about your complete selfnot just your Sun Sign, which is only one-tenth of your entire astrological picture.

At the same time, its a book you can show your parentsand you can learn things about your parents that will help you make sense of them and their actions, especially when there is conflict between you. This book will help you to understand yourself as you are now and to peek into the future to see how you might develop your individuality. In addition to covering the basic fundamentalswho you are and how you relate to the worldit also is about choices, because making choices is a major part of becoming an adult. Right choices made early prevent regrets arriving later. Wrong choices made early can color an entire life, sometimes ruining it. This is especially true in the case of relationships involving love and sex. Right choices, made with a full knowledge of yourself and your potential, can lead to a happy and successful adult life.

Although Teen Astrology is written in plain, nontechnical English, it is not a simplified or watered-down version of astrology, as are many astrology books written for adults. Its serious, because life is serious business. Sure, being a kid is supposed to be a time to have funbut as every kid knows theres a lot of stuff to deal with that isnt fun at all. Theres pain and stress, emotional and physical trauma, anxiety and lack of self-confidence, worry about school and learning, and wondering if youre doing it right.

Therefore, this book is about self-understanding, which ultimately is your own responsibility. The sooner you undertake it, the better off you will be. Knowing your Planetary energy patterns and how they work will put you ahead in the game of life. Difficult patterns can be minimized and used constructively when you know about them in advance. Positive patterns can be maximized.

The main purpose of this bookwritten especially for you as a teenis to help you learn who you really are, what your potentials are, and how to accept yourself without being judgmental. When you have a clear mental picture of who you are and what you have the possibility to become, then you can make choices about how you will use your energies. You can change or modify any facet of yourself once you know what it is and how it operates. However, if you accept someone elses evaluation of what you