Synastry Techniques (The Only Way to Learn About Relationships, Volume 5)

Rating:
Summary: A pretty good way to learn, but not the only way...
Review: Published in 1992, this book is volume V of "The Only Way To Learn Astrology" series. However, the title is a bit of a misnomer in this case because the techniques in this book are definitely not the only way to learn about relationships, so the material is a bit dated. Nonetheless, the two authors McEvers and March (who is now deceased) are very lucid and insightful, so their books are a pleasure to read, and their astrology series is good for beginners. In this book you will be introduced to relationship analysis through the techniques of synastry and composite charts. However, the presentation of this subject is quite different here than in any other text that I've read.

The book begins by examining the individual chart and the individual's needs in a partnership. Hence, the text starts by discussing 1st house and 7th house needs through the twelve signs. The problem is that the actual analysis of these houses are revealed through examples rather than through clearly stated and in depth evaluations of the houses and the planets that are found therein. If you enjoy learning by example, then this approach will be great for you. In fact, the McEvers and March astrology series are fantastic resources for birth information on famous people (which was contributed by Lois Rodden, the owner of the largest data base on accurate famous births), so not only will you learn by example but you'll get accurate birth information for such people as Sophia Loren, Carlo Ponti, the 60's group The Doors, Princess Caroline, Princess Diana, et al. But at times I found myself wishing for more explanation and fewer examples; i.e. more depth. The overviews of the houses and themes connected with partnership were always very brief explanations followed by analysis of actual cases. Some of the examples were helpful, while other examples gave birth to more questions. In terms of presenting how chart analysis is done, this book is really great. However, if you need a step by step in depth explanation on how to do analysis, then you may feel only moderately satisfied with these authors' approach. All in all, I really like this book because it covers a lot of ground, and it's nice to explore astrology by example. I can't think of any other book that presents relationships in the way these authors do, so I would recommend this book as an innovative and frequently insightful approach worthy of adding to your collection, but I would not recommend this book as the only book for you to own on the topic of relationship analysis. I give this book five stars because it contains quite a bit of useful celebrity data, which is complete and accurate.