it's ALL over the place. the writing is bad - unstructured, monotonous, crammed full of useless details that don't go anywhere. don't read this if you want to actually learn about astrology as a field. this is much more of a memoir of Kelly's astrological practice with semi-useless examples thrown in because they're delineated badly and do not make sense in the larger argument she makes in each chapter. beginner level guides must stay easy and brief, so having only chapters on each topic isn't a problem. it's that each chapter doesn't say anything of worth. this is about the author living their life and then writing about their life experiences in therapyspeak language, now to be sold to you with no evidence, fact-checking, etc. it's just anecdotes packaged as the life advice you need to solve everything. it's a book of blog posts.
my issue isn't with the memoir part either, by the way, but with how this book combines every imaginable New Age category to sell: manifestation, law of attraction, therapyspeak, vague palatable spells for everyone to enjoy with no clear training in witchcraft or a clear understanding of how it developed over time. there's been absolutely no research for any of it. when one client has financial anxiety, a sociological and psychological phenomenon, there's not even any lip service paid to any psychological research done in this field.
astrologers have been speaking about whether they should train to acquire counselling skills or not because as our systems collapse and mental health services become more necessary but unaffordable, they are being handed more responsibility ever before for clients' well-being. many astrologers are uncomfortable with this burden and want to refuse because this is a shit-show waiting to happen; others aren't thrilled but feel like they must expand their job description to keep up with the changing requirements because they can't just abandon people. the clients aren't just stressed; they also sometimes ask for advice on major life decisions, which many astrologers have limited life experience on. of course, many recommend therapists or other professionals, or astrologers who specialize in the field they need assistance in. but it's still an open debate that goes unacknowledged in this book as the author dispenses therapyspeak life advice to their clients.
I've been thinking astrology as more and more of a 3H practice, where an astrologer is deeply connected to their neighborhood/community because they organize, protest and work with them. they're not just an astrologer. they participate in mutual aid; they babysit in emergencies; they can help track a missing pet. limiting an astrologer's influence forces them to actually pay attention to their surroundings and to engage deeply with them. I've been thinking about how the job of a magical figure in many stories is to live on the margins because it liberates them to break the rules in ways others can't. they can act as guides and healers precisely because they're liminal. the witch can snort and tell the husband to pull his weight. the sage can scold. the hermit can bang their staff and silence everyone. an astrologer needs to know their community well enough to advise them, to understand their limitations by having experienced them khud. how can you advise someone when you have never lived alongside them? but where does accountability end and those receiving the advice learn to practice skepticism and autonomy? when do they learn to engage, instead of just cowering or sneering?
the best way an astrologer can help is to be so connected to a community that they can patch you through immediately. money troubles? they connect you to a mutual aid network. jobless? they help you find work by using their networks. an astrologer is the central node of a massive network, navigating it to create transfers within. the magical figure is the one who rallies a community and urges them to take a stand. but as astrologers move away from this form of practice, as they reject their limits to have access to a bigger market and more money (which is understandable because rent is so high that a neighborhood won't suffice), they style themselves more as self-help gurus. many become so overbooked or clients can't afford repeat bookings that the only way is to teach clients how to do everything - like chart-reading - themselves, instead of returning consistently for guidance, depth and development of initial concepts. the redefning of astrology creates niches like these: guides on 'attracting' everything from money to love modern astrology-style. for obvious reasons that investigative journalism into life-coaching is beginning to reveal, that is deeply unethical. but the book has no acknowledgements because the clients can usually afford those decisions.
as brutal as trad astro may be, I'm glad it acknowledges your environment and how it may remain unchanged, despite your best efforts. it's not as American Dream as modern astro.
I DNF-ed at 50% because so many respectable astrologers had talked about this book but I realize now it was the same marketing that academics do for each other, the same marketing tactic used when authors write reviews for each other to print on the covers. it doesn't mean they like or endorse the work. they just want to cross-pollinate and access each other's markets. I waited so long for the book to become useful but it was deliberately kept basic to appeal to the largest common denominator. if you want an exciting high-school brush with the woo-woo occult, go ahead; it reads like a Sex and the City-esque watering down, like Carrie's column trying to summarize the human condition. don't use this to seriously study or understand astrology.
tl;dr: really New Age manifestation guide using astrology-speak to sound convincing as it spins a 'if I can, so can you!' tale.