Reddit mentions of On the Heavenly Spheres

On The Heavenly Spheres

It isn't exactly simple, but it's authentic.

The first step, and this is going to sound really silly but I promise it isn't, is to just actually learn astrology. There is no way that you're going to be able to get into the application of astrology on a spiritual level before you can apply astrology at easier, mundane levels. Astrology is a system of divination at its core and if you can't access the very basics of that system to understand messages from the divine (the top down approach) you're never going to be able to go the other way (the bottom up approach).

One thing you need to know is that "Esoteric Astrology" as a separate concept or school, was coined by Alice Bailey in 1942. It isn't really an application of astrology to the soul so much as it's...hogwash. Spiritual astrological techniques aren't completely remixed systems, they're simply more deep-dives into basic classical techniques. Notice I said classical techniques. Modern astrology has basically lost all notion of spirituality and replaced it with fake spiritism. It's more concerned with the psychological than the spiritual but does a really great job of conflating the two in a way that would be embarrassing if it really even cared.

Classical astrology, on the other hand, has a much deeper history and relationship with theology and religion. It's something much more like a system of belief and thought than modern astrology which tries to borrow and apply more materialistic ideas from the scientific theory or religious ideas from other cultures (not necessarily a bad thing) in an awkward and clumsy manner (through a Western interpretation rather than an authentic one).

Getting a good understanding of classical astrological technique and how to use it are going to be your first steps. Trying to connect with planets to get them to help you connect to a greater source of divinity is going to be impossible if you can't look at an astrological chart and understand what a planet is telling you within that context.

Getting started is always the hard part, but On the Heavenly Spheres is decent, Hellenistic Astrology is good, I have an in-progress section on my site with a lot of information for people getting interested in classical astrology. If you're interested in more spiritual applications of astrology you might find the astrological magic section interesting.

Classical, aka traditional, western astrology is, imo, the best way to go. Thoughout history, it has been used to advise on matters of state, marriage, commerce, theft, and to diagnose & treat disease. A court astrologer had to be accurate, or face the consequences!

An amalgamation of Egyptian, Vedic & Hellenistic practices, given to us by the ancient Greek, Jewish and Arab astrologers (Valens, Sahl, Masha'allah, etc.), and by medieval scholars like Bonatti, Lilly, & Morin, the art flourished into the early 1800's when it became dumbed down due to anti-fortune-telling laws, and 'rational' thought.

A very good starter book is On the Heavenly Spheres. It covers everything you need to know for further study.

Dr. Benjamin Dykes, professor of Medieval History and astrologer, has published numerous translations of classical astrological works, by several of the astrologers listed above, including his own Astrological Magic: Basic Rituals & Meditations. Nice to see a magickal work from an actual astrologer.

Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate by Chris Brennan was ten years in the writing, and it shows.

The Skyscript web site is about the best astrology site around. Lots of history, technique, and articles. Their forums, especially horary, have declined sharply in quality over the years, though you can still read the older messages.

On the Heavenly Spheres: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0866906096/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_A3EBzbYNYRKVX

Will give you a good foundation in traditional astrological concepts minus modern psychological interpretation