Under a Sacred Sky

Essays on the Practice and Philosophy of Astrology

by Ray Grasse

The Wessex Astrologer, 2015.

Paper – 200 pp. – 14.00 British Sterling

This book consists of sixteen essays, plus two interviews — one with Richard Tarnas and one with Laurance Hillman. All of these have been published previously in The Mountain Astrologer. All are worth a first or second read. All offer thought-provoking material that can enhance your consultation style and skills. What sort of material? Oh, my…where do I begin? For starters, there's What Goes Around Comes Around. No, it's not about karma, specifically; it's about learning from past transits in order to understand future trends. It's about asking about past transits in order to better assess your clients' present and future trends. And to a small extent it's about the value of keeping some sort of diary or daily journal for yourself — because we don't necessarily remember everything about our lives, let alone what might be important. There's a fascinating chapter on astrology and the chakras complete with case studies and chakra charts. And there's a fantastic chapter on station points, which Grasse calls tectonic triggers. Not only does he give a brief discussion of how these might manifest in the charts of individuals (along with lists of individuals who have these) he discusses their role in a wide array of mundane events — battles, disasters, archeological finds, and various media firsts, among other things.

…And speaking of media, there are two whole chapters devoted to the cinema — Astrology Goes to the Movies and Cinema and the Birth of the Age of Aquarius.

The interviews with Tarnas and Hillman are interesting and insightful. I had somehow missed the Hillman interview in its earlier incarnation. I found Hillman a most interesting person and the interview overall very worthwhile. 

OK, so yes, you may have read some of these before. I had. And I will tell you that I enjoyed most of them just as much the second time around. I would also mention that a number of them have been slightly updated. If for some reason, you didn't run across these in their original form, then you're really in for a treat — and I bet you'll be reading some of these again at a later date. Grasse writes well. He is insightful. He touches on numerous topics upon which little has been written. In short, this book is a gem — and a keeper!