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Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners
A fun and sassy no-nonsense invitation to the practice of astrology with easy-to-understand tools for self-development and conscious living Astrology books are typically either overly simplistic sun-sign books or overly complicated chart calculations filled with astro jargon. Astrology for Real Life goes beyond simple sun-sign interpretation and at the same time cuts through the complications of horoscope analysis to make understanding your chart in depth, simple and easy. The goal is to make astrology accessible to total newbies and provide a working reference guide for intermediates. The book is presented in workbook format exploring each part of chart interpretation―signs, planets, houses, aspects―with exercises following each chapter and fill-in-the-blank lessons that take the reader through all the just-learned steps. The tone is warm, fun, and personal, and the exercises give the reader experiential hands-on practice. The end once you learn the basics in Astrology for Real Life , you can easily navigate the cosmos by making them work for you. It’s kind of like a roadmap where we begin by understanding the terrain and the tools available. From there, the planets will guide you in making brave, excellent choices in love, work, and life. It’s profound, fun, and practical. You’ll learn how to interpret your chart with confidence and use astrology in a practical, proactive way, with no astro excuses (blaming the stars for your issues).
288 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2019
280 people are currently reading
1143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 19, 2019
I’m an astrologer and have been practicing and studying astrology for over 40 years. Which means that I have read a LOT of astrology books in my long career and love affair with astrology. I’m also a Virgo which also means that I’m incredibly picky and discerning when it comes to astrology books.
And Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners by Theresa Reed is hands down one of THE most comprehensive, well written, wonderfully informative and just downright helpful astrology books I have ever had the pleasure to read. As an astrologer, I thought I already knew it all, but Theresa leaves no stone unturned in her quest to create a wonderfully comprehensive sourcebook for everything astrology. Which means I learned a thing or two about some of the more esoteric aspects of the craft.
This book is filled to the BRIM with so much information. It’s like an astrology bible. But her warm and witty writing style also makes the information incredibly accessible. It’s so fun to read you almost don't realize how much you are actually learning.
Astrology is an enormously complex system. Which often scares people off from even TRYING to understand how it all works.
But Theresa has taken that complexity and through this book created a beautifully accessible map that anyone can follow with ease and pleasure.
If you are a newbie to the world of the stars or even an old astro dog like me, buy this book and prepare to be enlightened, entertained and educated about astrology in the most delightfully thorough and clearly defined way!!!
And Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners by Theresa Reed is hands down one of THE most comprehensive, well written, wonderfully informative and just downright helpful astrology books I have ever had the pleasure to read. As an astrologer, I thought I already knew it all, but Theresa leaves no stone unturned in her quest to create a wonderfully comprehensive sourcebook for everything astrology. Which means I learned a thing or two about some of the more esoteric aspects of the craft.
This book is filled to the BRIM with so much information. It’s like an astrology bible. But her warm and witty writing style also makes the information incredibly accessible. It’s so fun to read you almost don't realize how much you are actually learning.
Astrology is an enormously complex system. Which often scares people off from even TRYING to understand how it all works.
But Theresa has taken that complexity and through this book created a beautifully accessible map that anyone can follow with ease and pleasure.
If you are a newbie to the world of the stars or even an old astro dog like me, buy this book and prepare to be enlightened, entertained and educated about astrology in the most delightfully thorough and clearly defined way!!!
October 27, 2020
I bought this book impulsively while grabbing incense the other day, because I've seen it floating around here and there and I've heard good things about it. Turns out, those good things are totally true! This is one of my favorite books that I've read this year, so I'm so happy that I picked it up. This is definitely 10x more helpful than any other book on astrology that I've read, because it explores astrology as an art and science as opposed to just feeding you information about the different signs and planets. Instead, you get a little bit of everything.
I don't have much to say about it other than:
1) This book is so easy to fly through. I read it in just under a week, and that includes all the time I spent writing all the journal prompts and completing all the exercises. The tone is personal and everything is explained in just enough detail to leave you feeling comfortable with the information you are absorbing. There's no heavy or pretentious jargon that leaves you feeling so overwhelmed you end up not learning anything. Rather, there were so many beautiful moments that helped little bits and pieces of things I already knew click into place and make more sense together as a whole than before.
2) Do the exercises! One of the best things about this book is that it gives you simple, straightforward, and concrete exercises that are made to help you process the information and practice over and over. I firmly believe astrology is in the "practice makes perfect" category, and I fully intend on referencing this book in the future whenever a certain placement or aspect has me stuck. You could even use the book to just practice reading different charts. The re-read value is so high!
3) Reed provides examples in case something is particularly complicated or if she's introducing something completely new. She also encourages you to evaluate those famous birth charts and asks you questions to get you to analyze celebrities you're already familiar with. That way you're not just memorizing information, you're learning how to apply what you're learning!
I suppose the only other thing I could mention is that if you're looking for a book that just goes into great depth to tell you about your sun sign...this isn't the book for you. There are plenty of books that give you every detail about your sun sign, but this isn't one of them. Astrology for Real Life is a dive into the entire birth chart and how to read it, breaking down each part of it (signs, planets, houses, aspects, and more advanced work). It's precisely the kind of book I've been looking for to help me solidify my foundation of astrology.
I'd recommend Astrology for Real Life either for complete beginners, people who have already dabbled a little bit, or even intermediate astrologers who just want another resource to round out their pre-existing knowledge of the subject (which is where I found myself while reading it). Overall, this is going on my favorites shelf. Highly recommend!
I don't have much to say about it other than:
1) This book is so easy to fly through. I read it in just under a week, and that includes all the time I spent writing all the journal prompts and completing all the exercises. The tone is personal and everything is explained in just enough detail to leave you feeling comfortable with the information you are absorbing. There's no heavy or pretentious jargon that leaves you feeling so overwhelmed you end up not learning anything. Rather, there were so many beautiful moments that helped little bits and pieces of things I already knew click into place and make more sense together as a whole than before.
2) Do the exercises! One of the best things about this book is that it gives you simple, straightforward, and concrete exercises that are made to help you process the information and practice over and over. I firmly believe astrology is in the "practice makes perfect" category, and I fully intend on referencing this book in the future whenever a certain placement or aspect has me stuck. You could even use the book to just practice reading different charts. The re-read value is so high!
3) Reed provides examples in case something is particularly complicated or if she's introducing something completely new. She also encourages you to evaluate those famous birth charts and asks you questions to get you to analyze celebrities you're already familiar with. That way you're not just memorizing information, you're learning how to apply what you're learning!
I suppose the only other thing I could mention is that if you're looking for a book that just goes into great depth to tell you about your sun sign...this isn't the book for you. There are plenty of books that give you every detail about your sun sign, but this isn't one of them. Astrology for Real Life is a dive into the entire birth chart and how to read it, breaking down each part of it (signs, planets, houses, aspects, and more advanced work). It's precisely the kind of book I've been looking for to help me solidify my foundation of astrology.
I'd recommend Astrology for Real Life either for complete beginners, people who have already dabbled a little bit, or even intermediate astrologers who just want another resource to round out their pre-existing knowledge of the subject (which is where I found myself while reading it). Overall, this is going on my favorites shelf. Highly recommend!
September 22, 2019
One of the topics I marked for further study during my Ovate Grade (through the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids) was Astrology. I thoroughly enjoyed the basics, but there was much that remained a mystery to me. A mystery that I wasn't even really sure where I should begin. When I saw this book I excitedly ordered a copy. Astrology for Real Life, a Workbook for Beginners by Theresa Reed was the perfect fit for my understanding of Astrology.
What excited me about this introductory book to Astrology was it was short enough not to be overwhelming. I wasn't really sure how much time I wanted to devote to the study of astrology. Afterall, I am intrigued by a lot of subjects and must be strategic about what I spend my time on. Despite the small size the book packed a punch on answering questions about birth charts and their use.
The author does a wonderful job orientating readers to the birth chart. You can expect to understand the different houses, aspects, and their connections to the signs. Beyond just dictating to readers what each facet of the chart means, readers are encouraged to look at their own birth chart (or famous examples) for real world practice. I kept a printout of my chart as my bookmark while reading. It made for easy access as I filled out the workbook pages at the end of each chapter.
Learning to put all the different facets together for a more complete reading will take practice, but this book gives readers the basics to get started. I'm keeping this book on my shelf to refer back to as I continue my exploration of astrology. It doesn't feel or read like a traditional reference book, but it combines hard information with the causal tone seen in more fluffy new-age books. It should appeal to a multitude of readers that way.
I'm not a expert after reading this book. However, I feel WAY more knowledgeable about astrology and find my excitement for the topic to have grown.
What excited me about this introductory book to Astrology was it was short enough not to be overwhelming. I wasn't really sure how much time I wanted to devote to the study of astrology. Afterall, I am intrigued by a lot of subjects and must be strategic about what I spend my time on. Despite the small size the book packed a punch on answering questions about birth charts and their use.
The author does a wonderful job orientating readers to the birth chart. You can expect to understand the different houses, aspects, and their connections to the signs. Beyond just dictating to readers what each facet of the chart means, readers are encouraged to look at their own birth chart (or famous examples) for real world practice. I kept a printout of my chart as my bookmark while reading. It made for easy access as I filled out the workbook pages at the end of each chapter.
Learning to put all the different facets together for a more complete reading will take practice, but this book gives readers the basics to get started. I'm keeping this book on my shelf to refer back to as I continue my exploration of astrology. It doesn't feel or read like a traditional reference book, but it combines hard information with the causal tone seen in more fluffy new-age books. It should appeal to a multitude of readers that way.
I'm not a expert after reading this book. However, I feel WAY more knowledgeable about astrology and find my excitement for the topic to have grown.
March 30, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the author's style. I've read a lot of beginner astrology books and I feel like I learn something new from each of them.
It's pretty par the course for basics. I didn't really have any issues with it.
It's pretty par the course for basics. I didn't really have any issues with it.
January 1, 2022
Astrology is science and this book proofed it again for me. And it’s fucking complicated! If thiamin’s for beginners I don’t wanna know how a book for pros would look like.
September 21, 2021
This book certainly does what it says on the tin - its a good little reference guide for beginners and covers a decent range of basic astrology concepts.
The little exercises provided I found useful at various times, at others - I did not care for them. None the less, they made sense to be there.
The book was well structured and easy to follow and the authors writing style is concise yet light hearted enough to keep your interest.
Bonus the language is not something from 30+ years ago, which always helps with such subjects!
I was not blown away by it, but I cannot find much fault with it either - its a really solid modern introductory book to astrology and I will happily be keeping this for future reference in my library.
The little exercises provided I found useful at various times, at others - I did not care for them. None the less, they made sense to be there.
The book was well structured and easy to follow and the authors writing style is concise yet light hearted enough to keep your interest.
Bonus the language is not something from 30+ years ago, which always helps with such subjects!
I was not blown away by it, but I cannot find much fault with it either - its a really solid modern introductory book to astrology and I will happily be keeping this for future reference in my library.
May 20, 2022
Good beginner book. You can understand the basics with this book. It goes just deep enough for you to start practicing reading a chart. That said, it could have used more examples and sometimes explanations weren't clear. Anyway, it has some helpful charts and basic descriptions for each placement in a chart.
December 17, 2022
It’s a swell intermediate book, introduces nearly everything. Although the writing style is very corny, her interpretations are interesting and she references other books to study.
The bad; it oversimplifies many things and the “high vibe, low vibe” was annoying.
The bad; it oversimplifies many things and the “high vibe, low vibe” was annoying.
June 12, 2022
Hands down the best intermediate astrology book I've ever encountered.
November 25, 2021
Content-wise this is a 100%. The author's style is one which you'll either find comfortable and chatty, or cringeworthy. This is probably more a review of my personal sensibilities than it is the book.
Here are a few random quotes: "I know, I know, it's a lot to think about. But know this: with time and practice you'll absorb all of this astro-jazz." "Alrighty, people. This book should have whetted your appetite (astro-appetite?) and given you enough knowledge to be astro-dangerous. Heck, at the very least you can now understand what those smarty-pants are talking about when they say 'transit' or 'Chiron'. You can speak their language! Yay!" "Suddenly, that Cappy Moon ain't so bad! Yay!"
So if you love that sort of style (and many reviewers do), this is the book for you. Personally it's like fingernails on a blackboard to me (even that quote shows my age). But those breezy quotes I cherry-picked are quite unfair to the content, which is good solid genethliacal astrology, which detours into progressions, transits, how to read an ephemeris, and other at least intermediate subjects.
Here are a few random quotes: "I know, I know, it's a lot to think about. But know this: with time and practice you'll absorb all of this astro-jazz." "Alrighty, people. This book should have whetted your appetite (astro-appetite?) and given you enough knowledge to be astro-dangerous. Heck, at the very least you can now understand what those smarty-pants are talking about when they say 'transit' or 'Chiron'. You can speak their language! Yay!" "Suddenly, that Cappy Moon ain't so bad! Yay!"
So if you love that sort of style (and many reviewers do), this is the book for you. Personally it's like fingernails on a blackboard to me (even that quote shows my age). But those breezy quotes I cherry-picked are quite unfair to the content, which is good solid genethliacal astrology, which detours into progressions, transits, how to read an ephemeris, and other at least intermediate subjects.
September 25, 2022
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, I found it a bit corny. I had a hard time following and understanding some of the stuff. I think it mostly came together by the end but I had a lot of questions throughout this book. Overall it made me realize astrology is not for me and something I don't really buy into. Curious if I read a different book as my first book if I would feel differently. Overall it showed me that every sign is a part of you and so you can basically take anything from any sign and apply it to who you are and why. Most things on my chart didn't actually make much sense to me other than my sun sign and ascension sign but everything else seemed very inaccurate which made me feel like the whole thing was inaccurate. I also didn't end up reading most things in this book because a lot of it was about signs that I wasn't a part of, or about reading other people's charts, or was just so in depth and hard to understand that I had no motivation to try to.
February 22, 2021
Reed herself acknowledges that this book merely scratches the surface and that it’s more of a launching pad. And I agree! Overall, I thought it was a good introduction to a lot of astrology basics. I also really liked the use of exercises. It’s always helpful to bring these topics and concepts down to earth and actually put them to work.
I found the author’s style to be pretty approachable, although (as a millennial) I thought she was trying a little too hard with the constant use of slang. It felt forced and kind of corny, honestly!
I also found the section interpreting the planets in each sign and house to be repetitive—there’s only so many ways you can describe the archetypes. But I get that the author probably intended this to be more of reference section to look back on when doing future readings, as opposed to something to read through every sitting.
I found the author’s style to be pretty approachable, although (as a millennial) I thought she was trying a little too hard with the constant use of slang. It felt forced and kind of corny, honestly!
I also found the section interpreting the planets in each sign and house to be repetitive—there’s only so many ways you can describe the archetypes. But I get that the author probably intended this to be more of reference section to look back on when doing future readings, as opposed to something to read through every sitting.
June 23, 2025
I think it’s a really complete book for learning the astral chart. It even covers transits and progressions. I would say that this is like a full course. I like when authors put references in their works, which is the case. The only thing that I would change is that the information is massive, and I would have appreciated more exercises, but it is a very complete book anyways, more than any other that I have ever read for learning this subject. I would definitely recommend it. Also, a really important thing is that this book is based pretty much on the occidental way of seeing the astral chart, it doesn’t cover aspects related to karma, upbringing, transgenerational stuff, and so on.
November 25, 2019
A great introduction to astrology with explanations about all the terms, a lot of practical exercises and some interpretations for planets, houses etc.
If your family had books about the Sun signs in the 80s you'll want to read this book to get a clear overview of astrology.
For anyone that want to dig deeper there's also a plethora of book recommendations available throughout the book (but without leaving that annoying "couldn't YOU just tell us instead" feeling)
Do I believe in astrology? Not sure. Was I curious about how it's said to work? You bet! This book helped with that!
If your family had books about the Sun signs in the 80s you'll want to read this book to get a clear overview of astrology.
For anyone that want to dig deeper there's also a plethora of book recommendations available throughout the book (but without leaving that annoying "couldn't YOU just tell us instead" feeling)
Do I believe in astrology? Not sure. Was I curious about how it's said to work? You bet! This book helped with that!
February 20, 2023
excelente libro que resume tooodos los temas relevantes para la astrología. me encantó repasar contenido que ya sabía, y aun más, poder aprender sobre nuevos temas :D theresa escribió el libro perfecto. es demasiado completo, cubre literal todo pero sin demasiado detalle (porque si no sería eterno), hace resúmenes, da tips, recomienda lecturas para profundizar y además brinda reflexiones súper lindas. creo que es un amazing read para hacer mientras se lleva un journal de astrología para estar full inmersx en la lectura. me encantó demasiado, 10/10 🤍🤍🤍
September 14, 2024
Fantastic handbook for newbie astrologers and great reference guide for all astrologers!
This is a must read for those curious and newbies to astrology. Theresa Reed writes in a clear, informative, succinct and often humorous way. I now have a much better understanding of astrology and feel that I can confidently interpret charts as long as I have this book nearby to refer to. I highly recommend it!
This is a must read for those curious and newbies to astrology. Theresa Reed writes in a clear, informative, succinct and often humorous way. I now have a much better understanding of astrology and feel that I can confidently interpret charts as long as I have this book nearby to refer to. I highly recommend it!
December 8, 2025
Astrology has interested me for many years, but I usually either see overly simplified newspaper horoscopes or information that is overwhelming and confusing. This book takes out the overwhelm and confusion without taking things down to the newspaper horoscope level. I don't know if I'll ever be able to read a chart without having resources on hand, but I can at least make basic sense of one just by working my way through this book.
December 21, 2019
I love Theresa Reed and have followed her website mainly for tarot, however, I'm happy to finally delve into Astrology and understand more than just my Sun and Moon signs! Thank you for this book, and I look forward to learning more about my birth chart, and interpreting those of my friends. I really like the suggestion to have a Dinner with the Stars party!
April 28, 2021
Love Theresa Reed! She writes as she speaks, and in such a way that you feel like you're having a conversation with a friend more than reading and learning. This is the best book to start your Astrology journey into the complex levels of your own Natal chart. At first, I saw my chart as a wheel of tangled up necklace chains, but now I understand how i connect to myself and the world around me.
January 14, 2023
I have every book of Theresa's and with each one I learn that much more. I've been following her since the early 90s and I can truthfully tell you that she is the real deal. She knows her craft well. Keep on writing Theresa and I'll keep reading your books. I'm sorry for the late review, but it's better than no review.
December 6, 2019
This is one of the best books for beginners entering the world of astrology. It is well thought out and organized and can teach anyone, not matter how much or little they know about astrology going into it!
December 28, 2019
Absolutely excellent resource for anyone with even a middling interest in astrology. Clean, straight-forward, and fun. I found myself pulling up my chart on my laptop as I was reading this book in bed! It's now a go-to recommended book for anyone who wants to know more about astrology.
February 17, 2021
I love this author and astrology has always been an interest of mine. The way Theresa writes makes it actually make sense especially when talking about the houses and other aspects that I’m not very familiar with and this is a book I’ll delve into over and over!
May 1, 2021
When I got this, I thought it was going to be a fun, breezy intro to astrology. I was wrong. It was hard and required some real concentration. That said, I learned a ton about what astrology really is and how it can be used. I found it super interesting and very insightful.
January 25, 2022
I would highly recommend this book for those who are lost in learning astrology. Theresa actually did a great job in explaining astrology in a simple & interesting way ,and though I'm a seasoned astrologer, I still
find the steps and checklists she shared for charts interpretation very helpful.
find the steps and checklists she shared for charts interpretation very helpful.
Read
February 7, 2023DNF - wonderful book but as soon as I was introduced to aspects and “low vibes” and “high vibes,” my brain combusted. So, not that beginner friendly for someone who has a mercury in Sagittarius so uhhh take that as you will.
December 13, 2023
I read this as a textbook for the Introduction to Astrology class. The information felt so overwhelming and complicated when I started, but I'm actually beginning to grasp the concepts. I do recommend this, as well as Kevin Burk's which was the other textbook.
January 8, 2025
I just finished listening to all of her episodes on “Astrology Bytes” podcast. Theresa is a great teacher and I am so happy I purchased this book. She’s such a great educator for the beginner Astro student. I can’t wait to purchase more books and keep learning from her! Thanks Theresa!
October 20, 2019
Excellent book for beginners who want to get overwhelmed about EVERYTHING astrology has to offer. Interpretations are modern but meh.
January 20, 2020
Awesome book! I honestly learned so much and I really liked all of the fill in the blank areas!
100% recommend!
100% recommend!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews