Signmates: Understanding the Games People Play

Rating:
Summary: SignMates By Bernie Ashman
Review: An excellent book for someone wanting to gain greater clarity about their relationships. There is no better Astrology book on the market today for the mainstream with such simplicity in suggesting ways for lovers to better communicate. The book is a wonderful and well organized Guide to Romantic Love written in an easy to understand language. The psychological and romantic profile of each sign has been written with great insight and depth. The author writes in a down-to-earth and user-friendly style with humor brillantly woven into the book. He encourages the reader to look past the shortcomings of a relationship, and focus more on the positive. The "Games" identify potential problem areas facing any two SignMates. The Strategy sections point toward resolutions. The Rainbow sections show the height any sign combination can reach. This book is highly recommended for individuals seeking greater fulfillment in their romantic relationships.

Rating:
Summary: The light of opportunities......
Review: SignMates: Understanding the Games People Play
Bernie Ashman, 2000
Llewellyn Publications
St. Paul, Minnesota

"Every day needs to be perceived in the light of opportunities to create harmony with a lover rather than to create problems." ~ Bernie Ashman

Bernie Ashman is an optimist - I like that about him! SignMates: Understanding the Games People Play significantly departs from the typical rule-making pattern of astrological relationship books by offering a positive approach to romantic love regardless of your sun sign chemistry. Ashman describes the global traits of the individual sun signs in Part I and then goes on to teach us in Part II how every combination of signs might interact. This terrific book is written with a straight forward simplicity and obvious passion for encouraging success in every romantic relationship. SignMates is one of those special books that seriously studies the dynamics of romantic relationships while offering light hearted labels and clear strategies for the games people play.
Part I of SignMates offers an overview of each sun sign beginning with the general personality and ego traits. Three major aspects of each sign that are discussed in this section are Relationship Tendencies, The Woman, and The Man. Relationship Tendencies teaches insights about what your relationship with a particular sun sign might offer and some of the difficulties that may be encountered along the journey. The Woman and The Man aspects of each sign acknowledge that even within a single sign, men and women are different! Ashman describes who this person is and what makes them a wonderful partner.
In the second part of SignMates, Ashman admonishes us to "be harder on the problem than on each other." Each sign is studied in combination with every other sign creating 78 potential combinations. Each sun sign combination carries a title such as The Scrutinizers, The Nature Lovers, The Executives, The Dreamers. A brief analysis of a sun sign combination is discussed followed by three games they will likely play with each other. Wonderful tongue-in-cheek labels like Paradise Lost, I Am the President, Scatterbrain, and Visions of Grandeur give us initial clues to each game. The next section within each combination is truly where Ashman excels. Here Ashman gives us the strategies for integrating, assimilating, and overcoming the game tendencies in order to move forward into the delicious long term commitment we all crave. Finally, each combination is shown the rainbow colors of their relationship. Ashman's optimism shows us that regardless of the astrological forces that may work against a particular combination, what we inspire in each other is truly what matters most in this mortal coil!
With a strong Jungian influence, Bernie Ashman brings over 26 years of experience in astrology and working with couples to this thematic work. His genuine interest in helping others to find and maintain long term romantic relationships is evident in the thoroughness with which he has written about each sun sign chemistry. SignMates is a must have for those seeking new relationships or those seeking to improve current relationships. The information here can be the starting point to a journey of deeper understanding of yourself and your partner. So if you are a sure footed Capricorn in love with a vivacious Gemini, take heart, for you are The Problem-Solvers!

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Kathryn lives in Colorado with her nine year old twins. She is a freelance writer, editor, and book review columnist educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the College of Charleston. She is an internationally published author and works as an editior world wide with clients from four continents! Please contact Bernie Ashman for contact information for Kathryn to obtain information on services and workshops.


Rating:
Summary: SignMates By Bernie Ashman
Review: This is a beginner's level astrology book, or maybe even pre-beginner's level. That is to say, there is no astrology in it beyond sun signs. It is mostly pop psychology -- how to get along with your lover, from 78 points of view -- one for every pair of signs. There is nothing new about this book other than the author's particular spin on how each sign gets along with every other. There is a short section in the beginning describing each sun-sign ("Part I: The Twelve Players"). Then in Part II, the bulk of the book, "Let the Games Begin", every sign is romantically paired with every other. Each pairing begins with a title and an equation, e.g., "Aries-Aquarius: The Eager Ones ... Aries + Aquarius = Lickety-split Unpredictability" followed by a summary paragraph about their interaction. Then the author outlines three games per pairing, e.g. in the Aries-Aquarius example, they are named "Don't Crowd Me Game", "Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown Game", and "Lost Direction Game". Each game description gets about half a page, and suggests ways the couple may run into trouble in their relationship. Then comes a section called "Strategies" which offers ways the previously outlined games/problems can be successfully resolved. Finally, each pairing gets a warm-fuzzy section called "Rainbow" which rhapsodizes about the wonderfulness of that particular relationship. It is usually the longest section, running a page or two (although the "Strategies" section may also be a page or more). It is altogether standard, ho-hum, sun-sign stuff, but astrologically sound enough information. Some may like his breezy, upbeat writing style, though I personally found it banal and superficial. A typical passage, p. 120 (Taurus-Gemini): "...Honesty takes courage. It is scary to think our most cherished dreams may be rejected. It is more convenient to hide our true motives -- but does this lead to the result you want? Give clear messages. Learn to negotiate from the truth than try to conceal from fear. This doesn't happen overnight. Old habits are hard to break..." There are actually 478 pages filled with similar cliches, which is, I guess, an achievement of sorts.

Rating:
Summary: Your sign, my sign
Review: This is a beginner's level astrology book, or maybe even pre-beginner's level. That is to say, there is no astrology in it beyond sun signs. It is mostly pop psychology -- how to get along with your lover, from 78 points of view -- one for every pair of signs. There is nothing new about this book other than the author's particular spin on how each sign gets along with every other. There is a short section in the beginning describing each sun-sign ("Part I: The Twelve Players"). Then in Part II, the bulk of the book, "Let the Games Begin", every sign is romantically paired with every other. Each pairing begins with a title and an equation, e.g., "Aries-Aquarius: The Eager Ones ... Aries + Aquarius = Lickety-split Unpredictability" followed by a summary paragraph about their interaction. Then the author outlines three games per pairing, e.g. in the Aries-Aquarius example, they are named "Don't Crowd Me Game", "Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown Game", and "Lost Direction Game". Each game description gets about half a page, and suggests ways the couple may run into trouble in their relationship. Then comes a section called "Strategies" which offers ways the previously outlined games/problems can be successfully resolved. Finally, each pairing gets a warm-fuzzy section called "Rainbow" which rhapsodizes about the wonderfulness of that particular relationship. It is usually the longest section, running a page or two (although the "Strategies" section may also be a page or more). It is altogether standard, ho-hum, sun-sign stuff, but astrologically sound enough information. Some may like his breezy, upbeat writing style, though I personally found it banal and superficial. A typical passage, p. 120 (Taurus-Gemini): "...Honesty takes courage. It is scary to think our most cherished dreams may be rejected. It is more convenient to hide our true motives -- but does this lead to the result you want? Give clear messages. Learn to negotiate from the truth than try to conceal from fear. This doesn't happen overnight. Old habits are hard to break..." There are actually 478 pages filled with similar cliches, which is, I guess, an achievement of sorts.