[Each month Maya will describe one of her favorite astrology books. This month, she begins at the beginning.]

People often ask me to recommend a good beginner’s book. If you’re interested enough to do a bit of work, I suggest Astrology for Yourself: A Workbook for Personal Transformation by Douglas Bloch and Demetra George.

This book has become a classic primer. My copy was published in 1987, and it continues to be republished.

The reader uses their own astrological chart, and step-by-step works through the basic astrological principles, like a detective, eventually interpreting their own chart. The authors are both well grounded in astrology, and are able to lay out the basics in a simple fashion.

In fact, the language of astrology is simple. There are three basic categories—planets, signs, and houses—and all interpretation is based on a thorough understanding of the meaning of each term, 34 in all. Practice is the key. A student could go through this simple book with many charts, of people they know or people in the news, and develop a workable understanding of astrology.

Since every chart is different, every combination different, experience is essential to develop a framework of meaning for each of the 34 terms. This book provides a good grounding, but like any other discipline, it requires practice to develop skill.