Cass Jackson - Astrology, Plain & Simple: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need

Copyright 2005, 2016

by Cass & Janie Jackson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Hampton Roads Publishing, Inc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Previously published in 2005 by Zambezi Publishing Limited, Devon, UK.

Cover design by Jim Warner

Interior designed by Kathryn Sky-Peck

Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-57174-747-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

Printed in The United States of America

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Dedicated to our grandchildren

Alastair, Carin, and Christopher

Thomas and Rebecca

Joby and Amy

Jazmin and Samantha

T here is nothing simple about astrology, a friend told us. All those measurements and degrees and logarithmswhat's simple about it?

It's true that over the centuries a certain mystique has built up around the science of the stars. It's equally true that there is now a resurgence of interest in astrology, and many would-be stargazers are seeking simple do-it-yourself instructions to help demystify the art of chart interpretation. Astrology Plain and Simple provides an answer to that quest.

You almost certainly know your Sun signand that is the most important astrological factor of all. Once you know the Sun signs of your friends and relations, you'll be able to read them like a book. Add to this Sun sign knowledge some idea of the effect of the planets on each sign and you'll understand why these people act as they do. This information in itself is more than sufficient for you to begin to understand what makes people tick.

If, after absorbing this amount of know-how, you become so hooked on astrology that you want to learn more, this book goes on to explain houses, aspects, transitsand a variety of other strange-sounding words. Sure, you'll need to put on your thinking cap, but providing you're not expecting to become Astrologer Royal or to set up in a lucrative business, you'll find everything you need to know. If you're the ambitious type (Aries or Leo perhaps?), you can easily find out more by delving into other books, or surfing the web, or attending courses. Quite literallythe sky's the limit.

lists all the zodiacal signs in order, and their corresponding animal or symbol.

Imagine standing on top of the world, able to see the sky all round you. The zodiac would form a belt around you, with the constellations in the order in which they are normally encounteredAries, Taurus, Gemini, and so on around to Pisces, which completes the circle.

The ancients realized that the Sun, as it traversed the sky, passed through every zodiac sign each year, before starting its round again. Records were made of the dates on which the Sun passed from one constellation to the next. Although they vary by a few days each year, the dates for each sign are typically as shown in the table on .

	Aries	Ram	March 21April 19
	Taurus	Bull	April 20May 20
	Gemini	Twins	May 21June 21
	Cancer	Crab	June 22July 22
	Leo	Lion	July 23August 22
	Virgo	Virgin	August 23September 22
	Libra	Scales	September 23October 23
	Scorpio	Scorpion	October 24November 21
	Sagittarius	Archer	November 22December 21
	Capricorn	Goat	December 22January 19
	Aquarius	Water Bearer	January 20February 18
	Pisces	Fishes	February 19March 20

This divided the year up very nicely into twelve almost equal sections. The astrological year always starts with Aries, which begins around March 21, the spring equinoxa time when the days and nights are of equal length. This was also the start of the ancient Roman calendar, and while other calendars have come and gone, this one has stuck fast, as far as astrology is concerned.

Imagine that you are again standing on top of the earth, with the zodiac slowly moving around you. You are standing at the center of a disc, of which the zodiac forms the border. Dotted about on this disc are the planets that also appear to be revolving round the earth.

From our point of view on earth, the Sun appears to pass though each zodiac sign during the course of the year. This orbit is so regular that anyone can find their Sun sign by looking at their horoscope in the newspaper, or at the dates listed in the table on . Although this works well for most people, the Sun doesn't change sign at exactly the same time or even on the same day of each year. This means that those who were born on the cusp (that is to say, on the border) of two Sun signs might not be sure which sign is truly theirs.

Astrologers also use the Moon and the planets of the solar system in their studies. A Moon sign will show your inner, emotional .

The rising sign (also known as the ascendant), is the sign of the zodiac that was rising above the horizon at your time of birth. It is another very important factor since it says something about how other people perceive you. The rising sign is connected to the time of day you were born. All twelve zodiac signs will rise during the course of 24 hours. Unfortunately, they are not broken into nice, neat 2-hour blocks of time. Don't worry: this book will help you find your rising sign in !