On the Heavenly Spheres

by Helena Avelar, Luís Campos Ribeiro

Thousands of years ago, people first observed a correlation between the heavenly bodies and events on Earth. Out of these early observations and subsequent refinements came what today is known as astrology. For most of these millennia, astrologers used only the seven visible planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. It is out of this tradition that Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro have written this extensive book on astrology. The rules and principles here presented apply to all branches of astrology,natal, mundane, horary and elective. Their method is the traditional and time-honored one, and includes, among others, chapters on: The Planets The Zodiac and the Signs The Essential Dignities The Houses The Aspects Chart Dynamics The Condition of the Planets The Fixed Stars The Parts The Power of the Planets Using this traditional method, it is possible not only to thoroughly and completely read the natal chart but to do so with a breadth and depth of meaning not found in the modern methods of astrological interpretation. It avoids cookbook-type methods and centers on the practical understanding of the astrological concepts, presenting the Tradition in present-day language. In addition, more than two hundred fifty illustrations make the traditional principles easy to understand and use in chart interpretation. This practical how-to book is one of a kind, and the one that will teach you the traditional methods and you reach into the past to benefit from the knowledge of the authors and astrologers from ancient Babylonia through the medieval period. It is suitable for both beginners and advanced students, as it provides the indispensable core of astrological knowledge, at the same time allowing more experienced students to organize their knowledge into a coherent system.

Genres: Astrology, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Occult, Witchcraft, Divination, Esoterica

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, count me impressed. Avelar and Ribeiro have pretty much written the book I've been looking for for a few years now: a modern introductory text to traditional astrology. The authors have pulled together the basics from several ancient and classical sources and have written them up in a style that 21st-century readers will probably be more comfortable with. They have also been generous with illustrations and just about every point they want to make comes with a helpful diagram. Unlike many astrology books, they don't separate natal astrology out but refer to natal, horary, mundane, and elective throughout.

Regrettably, there are also some jarring flaws. For one thing, there's no index. The table of contents is detailed and it's followed by an excellent list of the illustrations, diagrams, and tables. These help, but they're just not the same as an index. If you want to quickly look up at what point "under the beams" turns into "combust," good luck. The book also needed another round with a proofreader. While most books have the odd typo here and there, some of this book's typos were in an important table or changed the meaning of sentences. Plus, there was the occasional just-plain-wrong statement. (Uranus can too be seen with the naked eye. I'm sorry if that messes up the rationale behind the perfect symmetry of the traditional system, but making factually incorrect statements about matters of science isn't going to help astrology's credibility.) I found the general tone of traditional = good; modern = bad irritating, as I have with other works. I understand the authors needed to clearly make the distinction between traditional and modern astrology, but sniping at modern practice seemed unnecessary.

But despite these criticisms, I really did enjoy this book. I got a lot out of their discussions of the primary qualities and the Parts, including information I haven't found in other texts. And it's hard to overstate the effect of reading about a difficult topic in modern English: I could devote all of my energies to understanding the astrology instead of also having to work my way through arcane sentence structures. It was a disappointment to come to the end of the book and find that the authors only gave a taste of what delineating a chart would be like in the traditional manner, but they hint that that will be the focus of a future book. Studying everything in this book may hold me until then.

[Jennifer Zahrt · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the most important textbook for a beginning astrologer. I have yet to see another book beat this one in it's explication of the essential elements of astrological practice.

[Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pretty book! It's fairly complete, very clear and well-structured with lots of illustrations. Is a real pleasure to read it. The approach is traditional but necessary for understanding the present astrology too. Ideal as first astrology book.

[Galo Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An indispensable introduction to traditional astrology. This, and Chris Brennan's Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune are among my top go-to recommendations for serious students. The deeper I go into the traditional material, the more I glean at modern psychological astrology with more skepticism since much of its reconstruction was based on incomplete information during the time of its recovery in the west, particularly during the time of Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society. Much of the astrology of that time was infused with New Age beliefs, Eastern Philosophy, and other elements that had nothing to do with the conceptual frameworks and internal logic & symmetry of the tradition as it was practiced before the 1700s.

*** What's missing from this book is an index. How and why the authors or the publisher completely bypassed this is a mystery. Every reference book NEEDS an INDEX!

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not knowing anything about astrology I don’t know what to expect. This was a great resource. There is a lot of good information in this book. I did read it cover to cover but I also keep referring back to it.

[Aniah · Rating 5 out of 5]

as a traditional astrologer who spent waaay too long fumbling around and trying to find reputable trad resources, i seriously recommend this masterpiece to beginners! i wish i'd found this book back when i first got serious about studying astrology - it would've answered so many of my burning questions, filled gaps left by modern/pop astrology, and kept me from having to unlearn a lot of misinformation. this is a beautifully-written guide to understanding the building blocks of astrology and WHY thing means what they mean within this framework. its a great introduction to the tradition and it covers so many intricate topics. i hope all astrologers and astrology enthusiasts stumble upon this work of art!

RIP Helena Avelar <3

[Constantinos Nterziotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly recommended book for everyone who wants to study traditional Astrology and obtain a good structure. It is centred around the Hellenistic period till the Medieval Period reaching William Lilly. It is basically a book that explains in a perfect way, the western Medieval Astrology. 

[Crystal Melbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

THANK YOU.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. The best guide-book on Traditional Astrology I have found.
Why didn't I know about this earlier!
I wish all the authors' books were in English translation.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

minus points for the 129827 typos

[Combusta · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few books out there that can introduce you to traditional astrology, but this one is probably the best one in my opinion. It can be a bit overwhelming if you're not familiar with classical concepts, but I personally think it's very well structured.

Of course it's not a perfect book, and it contains a few typos that must be corrected, but it's a 4.5 for me, since I think other similar books are either too long for beginners or too simple and void of real content.

At the end of the book there's a chapter dedicated to the modern planets and why they don't use them. I liked it, but it was too brief and superficial.

I really suggest beginning with this one and then taking Zoller's course in medieval astrology, for example, or any other book or course that is more advanced, since this book is a great introduction but I don't think it’s meant to be a way to truly learn the practice.

[Nadia]

I went on a deep dive looking into traditional astrology a bit ago. This is a straight textbook focused on the key concepts and their practical application and it's light on the theoretical and historical context. Outside the scope of this book, the historian in me wants to read up on the context of the times in which it was practiced. I appreciate that it did not just discuss birth chart astrology and did touch on other applications given that back in the day astrologers were often employed for statecraft, though not as much as I would have liked. I had to do a bit of work to find a copy that was sold by someone other than Amazon but I'm glad I did.

[Stephanie Mee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book an amazing study guide for traditional astrology. I think it's ideal for someone who already has a general understanding of astrology basics, but wants clarification on traditional approaches. It covers a broad amount of topics in just enough detail that the reader gets a general understanding, but not so much that it is overwhelming.

[Cindy Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um livro brutal para quem está a iniciar os seus estudos em Astrologia! Contém um bom resumo das técnicas tradicionais e as bases essenciais para um Astrologo 🙏🏻 Muito obrigada ao Luis e a Helena pelo seu contributo para manter viva esta tradição!

[Giovanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on traditional astrology; a must have!

[Melissa Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prático, didático e cheio de imagens. Ótimo para ter uma boa estrutura da astrologia tradicional.

[&#x1f90d;&#x1fab7;&#x1f90d;&#x1fab7;&#x1f90d; · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a reason why this is recommended as THE BOOK to read if you want to get serious about astrology. I can’t recommend it enough.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leitura obrigatória para quem se interessa pela aprendizagem da tradição astrológica.