Astrology: The Modern Mystic's Guide to the Stars

by Sepharial

"Astrology is a revelation, an enlightenment, and a conviction." —Sepharial

For millennia the art of astrology has given humans a way to understand the movements of the stars and provided a glimpse into the future in the process. Travel, love, money, career—the details of our futures both big and small are written in the stars and charted by the planets. Astrology gives you the key to reading your own star charts and unlocking the celestial influences that can shape the world around you.

Originally published in 1920, but now fully updated with modern language, Astrology is a classic guide to the art of reading the stars. The book walks readers through the mysteries of astrology, helping them understand the details of their horoscope and exploring a range of topics from health and money to love and success. It’s the perfect guide for anyone looking to unlock the mysteries of the heavens.

140 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Dr Walter Gorn Old (1864-1929) was an eminent English Theosophist, and a notable 19th century mystic and astrologer, better known as Sepharial. He initially studied medicine and followed this up with studies in psychology, oriental languages, astrology and numeurology. In 1886 he started to write an astrology problem page in the Society Times, where he answered the public's questions, and in 1887 at the age of just 23 was admitted to the "inner sanctum" of the Theosophical Society. He was editor of Old Moore's Almanac, which is still published in the 21st century. He was one of the founder members of the Theosophical movement in England. He became a very influential author in the fields of the occult, astrology and numeurology. He can be credited as the first astrologer to use Earth's "dark moon" Lilith in his calculations. His works include: Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised (with Charubel aka John Thomas) (1898), New Manual of Astrology (1898), The Book of the Simple Way (1904) and The Kabala of Numbers (1913).

Reviews

[Saralsmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good beginner level astrology book. Divided into easy sections, it explains planets, zodiac signs, aspects, everything a person would need to read their own star chart. It also discusses how to read others according to the same factors. I think individuals new to astrology would appreciate the cut and dried information and how it is presented. I love when astrology books have illustrations, and since I am reading an advanced readers copy, I am unsure if the finished product will have any of those. That being said this book could use some to break up the bare bones of the material.
There are hundreds if not thousands of astrology books on the market, this one has all the information organized in an understandable way. I would purchase it for someone who was just starting their astrology journey.

[JoAnna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Essentials for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This is the republication of a 1920's copy of this book, updated to have modern language and easier to consume for the modern audiences. It is a short guide to astrology, ranging from what each part of an astrological chart means, to how you can interpret the different parts of the chart to find out major things in your life (such as love and death). This is not a bad book, but I think for me a lot of it still felt very stuck in the 1920s. I think this is a great reference book for anyone who wants to learn how to plot a birth chart/astrological chart, but I wouldn't use it to determine what someone's sign was based on physical characteristics. A lot of it felt very Eurocentric in that way, and I am sure it was just a product of its time, but I was hoping that with the update that some of that would have gotten updated as well. I would say if you are going to read this - take that under consideration and take some of the more physical attribute aspects with a grain of salt. Otherwise, this is a quick read and not a bad reference guide.

[Meow558 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was informative and very heartfelt.
It covered a great deal of material, in a very little book. Would be great for reference. It also has a lot of helpful charts, as well as links to getting your own horoscope.
It begins by covering the signs and discussing what each term means, such as retrograde and what the different houses mean. Then, once you are done learning all the jargon, the rest of the book is devoted to covering each aspect of the horoscope, such as love, money, friendships, traveling, children, etc.
I wish that there were pictures, to allow for people who learn best from diagrams. For the physical editions, l think it would be very accessible if the book was color coded, allowing you to see easier and quicker.
However, it is still easy to understand, and very personable. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an introduction to astrology, and a jumping off point to getting more involved. I would also recommend if they simply wish to learn more about themselves.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this ARC on NetGalley.

[LittleRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published more than 100 years ago, and now it has been updated for modern times, this book will have you creating and creating your astrological charts in no time. I really like that the book was updated, not rewritten…because what works, works.

I enjoyed reading this and it’s timely as 2022 is the year I have dedicated to learning more about astrology and reading charts. I’ve never read the original version, but I can heartily say that I am glad it was updated before I did read it. It makes it so much easier to follow when you don’t have to translate in your head as you are reading. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Astrology…it’s a great tool for your Astrological and Magickal bookshelf.

[Cath T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having never read Sepharial(Walter Gorn Old) before I wasn’t sure what to expect given the newer revelations in astrology, however, I think this still holds up. Sepharial offers a basic outline of chart reading, including an example. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone is is brand new to astrology or just has a casual interest as the language is a bit hard if you’re not already familiar with it. Still informative and interesting. I do recommend having your own chart pulling up so you can interpret your chart while reading his guide.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Damiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and all-encompassing manual for learning Astrology. It certainly details everything from the basics to the uses in charts. I felt like it was very dry however and it was hard to stick with and concentrate on. That said this is a great manual for those who just want the information without any opinions or stories. However, for those, like me, who enjoy a more personable way of learning, this might be more difficult to dig into.

[Alexa Esperanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m an astrology novice and I found this book really helpful in starting to interpret my birth chart. Astrology can seem really complex and overwhelming when you’re just getting started and this book does a great job at explaining things in simple terms. There’s a lot of great references charts and lists some online resources for further exploration.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Read through NetGalley. This book gave me a better understanding of everything I’ve been trying to understand in my birth chart. I’ve read several books on this subject and this book is in my top faves. I know I will read this again for it’s packed with information. I’d like to thank the author for an amazing book and sharing this knowledge.

[Lovely Loveday]

Astrology The Modern Mystic's Guide to the Stars by Sepharial is a well-written, very informative read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an introduction to astrology and a jumping-off point to getting more involved.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great detailed guide on how to read a horoscope. It includes details of each sign, the houses and sextiles needed to create a birth chart. There is even mention of children, travel and death based off of your birth chart. It's a great start for anyone who wants to learn to read horoscope.

[Katie Capon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very in-depth deep dive on astrology. A lot of it was above my head but still very interesting and intriguing.