The Inner Sky: How to Make Wiser for a More Fulfilling Life [Paperback]

As someone who has been interested in understanding various concepts in astrology, I have often been displeased with the amount of information overload that is all too often given in typical "cookbook"-type astrology books. Many astrology books provide lengthy lists of descriptions that explain the meaning of when particular planets appear in specific signs or houses in an individual's birthchart, as well as some information about aspects between planets. Unfortunately, too many of these "cookbook"-type astrology books don't provide sufficient (or any) explanations as to how to synthesize the information from the numerous lists into a concise and unconfused birthchart interpretation, or how to recognize which features in a birthchart are more important than others.

Thankfully, this is not the case with Steven Forrest's 1988 book "The Inner Sky: How To Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life". In his book, Mr. Forrest provides an elegant set of guidelines that enable novice students of astrology to grasp what the most important features in a birthchart are so that a concise synthesis of the lengthy amount of information contained within it can be effectively navigated and understood without falling prey to information overload. (In my opinion, information overload is probably the single largest impasse that most students of astrology face when attempting to interpret a birthchart.) Mr. Forrest advises that to begin a birthchart interpretation, an individual should only focus initially on three key features: the sun, moon and the ascendant; which is what he refers to as the "primal triad". By using the archetypes of the signs in which the sun, moon and ascendant occur, a basic understanding as a starting point for developing a more comprehensive interpretation of a birthchart can be more easily remembered as more features of the birthchart are slowly and methodically taken into consideration. This includes something that no "cookbook"-type astrology book that I had previously read effectively addresses: how to understand a planet's position in a sign and house taken together. The next step that Mr. Forrest suggests is to then consider whether the birthchart in question has any hemispheric emphasis by observing how many planets are contained within each birthchart hemisphere. Then, one of the most beneficial descriptions (in my opinion) that Mr. Forrest describes in the book comes into play: identifying the focalizers. Focalizers are those planets within a birthchart other than the sun and moon that should be given greater emphasis (or priority) in interpretation. No "cookbook"-type astrology book that I had previously read had ever provided a clear way to identity which planets in a birthchart should be regarded as the most important. This alone makes "The Inner Sky" stand out as an extremely useful resource. Other guidelines that Mr. Forrest suggests should follow understanding the primal triad, the hemispheres and the focalizers include understanding the moon's nodes and looking for common themes among everything that has been studied thus far. Mr. Forrest also addresses how to resolve seemingly irresolvable conflicting bits within a birthchart because his approach to interpreting a birthchart involves psychology, not fortune telling; and is commonly referred to as evolutionary astrology.

Before Mr. Forrest discusses the interpretive techniques that I listed above, he begins "The Inner Sky" with some basics in his first part of the book that he names "The Territory", which contains three chapters. The second part, named "Words", contains four chapters where he gives vivid and extremely useful understandings of the individual signs, planets and houses. The third and final part, named "Sentences", contains five chapters and is where Mr. Forrest explains the guidelines as I mentioned in the previous paragraph and then proceeds to give a well-written interpretation example.

Consequently, with its 12 chapters, four appendices, comprehensive glossary, index and wonderful writing, I rate Steven Forrest's book "The Inner Sky: How To Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding a methodological approach to interpreting astrological birthcharts. In my opinion, this is probably the best book to read first to begin a study of astrology.

An excellent book by a highly regarded author, "The Inner Sky" takes the reader through a gradual, systematic approach to weaving together the elements of the birth chart. Though this book is dense with information, author Steven Forrest strikes an easy-going and engaging tone that encourages rather than overwhelms the reader. Some information is given on the mechanics of how to cast a natal (birth) chart, but the primary focus is on understanding the characteristics of the houses, signs and planets, and how they interact with each other. Major aspects are covered, as well as the influence of retrograde planets. Rather than providing lists of rigid interpretations for each configuration, "The Inner Sky" teaches the reader what questions to ask, and where in the chart to look for the answers. The author takes the view that an astrological chart indicates inclination and opportunity, not irreversible fate. Most importantly, you will learn to organize the wealth of information present in the birth chart in a way that enables you to give a professional, fluid and intuitive interpretation without losing the structure of the chart. After practicing the methods outlined in the book, you should be able to do an "in person" chart interpretation without having to stop and consult reference materials. You will learn to identify the seeds of opportunity present in whatever chart you are looking at; you will be able to articulate, for each individual, the early warning signs that they are getting 'out of balance' with themselves; and you will discover what experiences, in which life arenas, will help them re-connect with their essential self. If you could only buy one book to learn natal astrology and the basics of chart interpretation, "The Inner Sky" would serve you well. For those interested in further reading, "The Inner Sky" contains an appendix of books recommended by the author, Steven Forrest, all of which are reputable and handily broken into "beginner's" and "advanced" categories.

"The Ram. Horns down, charging. Fierce. Unyielding. Will the Ram crack his skull? He doesn't care. Nothing can intimidate him. Nothing can force him to swerve. Victory-- or self destruction in the effort to attain it: two destinies. One will claim him."

If you like this very descriptive, provocative, and sensual passage, you'll like The Inner Sky. It reads like a movie trailer at times, but it does have lots of good information that helps you get a "feel" for astrology. There's a wonderful section on just what astrology is and what it can tell us. A good introduction to the basics of chart interpretation. He approaches astrology as a foreign language, which I really like. Good for you if you're looking for concepts rather than details.

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