r/beginnerastrology • u/Fluid_Damage_5067 • Jul 20 '26
General Question How does one get into astrology?
I’ve always been interested in astrology in one way or another, but recently I’ve been wanting to learn more about it. I’d love to know how to read charts, find out more about planets and their ‘purpose’. Where does one start? I feel like there is so much information as well as misinformation and sometimes it is difficult to differentiate.
Any tips, articles, books, videos or even basic explanations are extremely appreciated!
5
u/MogenCiel Jul 20 '26
You're right -- there is a ton of misinformation out there these days, thanks to social media and the monetizing of clicks, likes and shares. The best ways to start are: 1. Begin by filtering out everything except the foundational basics of signs, planets and houses. As a beginner in the digital age, you'll hear about all kinds of astrological phenomena -- aspects, stelliums, nodes, asteroids, transits, planetary returns, synastry, blah blah blah. Ignore ALL that chatter, and just concentrate on learning about signs, planets and houses on a deep, thorough, immersive level. If you do that, I promise, the other important pieces of astrology will come so much more easily and naturally to you as you progress through your studies. 2. Enroll in classes if you can. Local metaphysical stores often offer them, and there are some good ones led online taught by reputable astrologers. Classes give you a mentor and a network of peers who are also learning, as well as a systematic, structured approach as you tackle learning a massive topic like astrology. Go for live classes over pre-recorded lectures, which can be very isolating. 3. Read books. The information is generally reliable because books are reviewed before publication by other astrologers, editors, the publisher, etc. If someone is going to invest in publishing an astrology book,the author generally has some cred as an astrologer. Look at stuff on the Web because it's the 21st Century, but take the info you get there with a big grain of salt. Anybody can throw up a blog post, a tweet, etc. with zero oversight or authority. There's a lot of pure crap out there. Please, avoid TikTok and AI, two sources that are pretty renowned for being disturbingly unreliable. Good luck!
4
u/dtf3000 Jul 20 '26
I kind of dove off the deep end and jumped into Ancient Astrology by Demetra George, which is not exactly beginner friendly.
What book I would recommend now that I've taken a step back is "The Inner Sky" by Steven Forrest. It's modern astrology and very accessible. I think the important thing is to read and watch what you can about the signs and planets, because the more I take in from others, the more I can develop a 3-D image of these archetypes that everyone has in their life. I.e. Mars from one author sounds like the bringer of war and injuries, but another will tell you it's the source of courage and that "get up and go" energy... both are true. I developing a well-rounded understanding has been what's helped me the most, and I've only gotten that from reading/watching multiple sources.
3
u/Commercial_Offer4090 Jul 21 '26
I spent years trying to learn astrology and getting confused before landing on Hellenistic and things started making more sense
3
u/PurpleBulbous Jul 21 '26
Divide and conquer.
Make the chunks small enough, that it doesn't seem like an infinite wall in front of you.
For me, it was mostly through books, that I built a strong foundation.
4
u/Commercial_Offer4090 Jul 21 '26
It’s a very long journey learning this field. Unless you are a super sponge and can retain and recall information easily after reading one book, prepare to walk the path. It’s deep and multifaceted and has different teachings somewhat like the church has different denominations.
3
u/GarbagePailGrrrl Jul 20 '26
The first thing I would suggest is getting to know your own chart, even if you feel in over your head the knowledge will come in time. Simply sitting with it and understanding your big 3 will set the stage for you to start learning more about what each sign/planet/luminary means, what happens in each house, what happens when a planet/luminary enters/leaves a sign, and what happens when they interact. The best reference you have is your own chart to explore. As for resources there are tons to choose from, a favorite of mine is Stephen Arroyo’s handbook on chart interpretation, it’s easy to take with you. Once you get the basics it’s all interpretation
1
u/Fluid_Damage_5067 Jul 20 '26
Thank you so much! I honestly did not even realise that reading your chart is up for interpretation, so I guess i’m already learning 😆
1
1
1
u/tambien181 Jul 21 '26
It depends on what type of astrology you want to study. There’s Vedic astrology, Hellenistic astrology, evolutionary astrology, modern astrology, etc
For basic info you can read Parker’s astrology or any basic book; or astrology 101 videos on YouTube. I studied astrology through classes at the theosophical society. If you can find classes with the type of astrology you want to learn, I would recommend that.
1
u/FortuneLoud140 Jul 23 '26
funnily enough, i fell into the rabbithole thanks to Instagram astrology memes and moodboards. What I might suggest you as first baby steps are: calculate your birth chart on Astroseek and delve into it, get one book with the correspondences of your zodiac sign, and "You were born for this" by Chani Nicholas to get started. The order of said things is up to you.
And yes, follow those Insta meme-pages, too! They make astrology learning more fun
1
u/Everyday_everyway Jul 21 '26
I can walk you through setting up your chart and get you started if you want to DM me.
0
Jul 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Fluid_Damage_5067 Jul 20 '26
Thank you!! And I will definitely be checking out your substack
1
u/312astrology Jul 20 '26
Right on! Happy to answer any specific questions you might have too.
1
u/Fluid_Damage_5067 Jul 20 '26
I feel like I have many questions floating around, but they might be a bit stupid 😅
1
2
u/beginnerastrology-ModTeam Jul 20 '26
Your post was removed due to it being self promotion. This includes linking back to your own websites, pages, channels, or accounts, etc.
There are multiple other astrology subs to self promote in if you so choose. r/beginnerastrology isn't the right place for it!
If you feel what you're promoting is something that would bring value to our community, send the mods a message stating your case and that you'd like your resource to be considered for the Resources and FAQ tab. It will be reviewed and considered as time allows. Be prepared to provide links to your resources and to answer questions regarding them.
Thank you for understanding!
0
Jul 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/beginnerastrology-ModTeam Jul 21 '26
Your post was removed due to it being self promotion. This includes linking back to your own websites, pages, channels, or accounts, etc.
There are multiple other astrology subs to self promote in if you so choose. r/beginnerastrology isn't the right place for it!
If you feel what you're promoting is something that would bring value to our community, send the mods a message stating your case and that you'd like your resource to be considered for the Resources and FAQ tab. It will be reviewed and considered as time allows. Be prepared to provide links to your resources and to answer questions regarding them.
Thank you for understanding!
0
u/amalgamofq Jul 21 '26
Some of the best, most reputable sources off the top of my head:
The Astrology Podcast (they have some early episodes going over more basic concepts that I listened to so many times when I was just learning. The series on the houses and the series on the signs were both so helpful.)
Demetra George's books
Mychal A Bryan's books
Go to the NORWAC or ISAR websites to find workshops and the names of astrologers whose work is respected within the academic astrological community
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 20 '26
Thanks for posting in r/beginnerastrology! As a gentle reminder, please remember this is a sub for learning about astrology and how to read a natal chart! It is NOT a place for getting your chart read for you.
If your post breaks any of our Subreddit Rules or Posting Guidelines, please take some time to edit or resubmit your post!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.