I read this in one sitting. Obviously written by a very sincere astrologer who has rediscovered a way for her clients to resolve life issues. The proceedure used is not traditional hypnosis. Yet The individuals who are recorded in this book are transformed thru self-awareness that they experience by re-experiencing past-life circumstances thereby comprehending the underlying truths of their present actions and relationships. Alot seems to be resolved by the process Jeanne Avery has discovered. She explains how to go thru this process yourself in her last chapter.

I loved this book! It is fun, easy to read and the author seems to have a great deal of experience. This is the first book I've read written by a regressionist who admits that some of her patients were historically famous people which makes for fascinating reading.

Jeanne Avery's book on astrological aspects is one of the very best books I've found that describes in REAL LANGUAGE what an aspect FEELS like.

Avery uses vivid and unforgettable examples from the lives of celebrities and people she knows or has read for. There is something about the way she relates these people describing their OWN feelings that sticks in your mind.

In my beginning days interpreting charts professionally (scarey! back in 85), I often relied on her descriptions of aspects to make my points with clients and invariably the clients were nothing less than astounded with the veracity. For the first time, I could really understand what it felt like to have Mars square Uranus when such a person in her book described it as a sugar high or a sugar addiction, the scratch that could never be itched, etc.

And I remember the Pluto Mars person in her book saying her son infuriated her so much that her husband had to hold her hands to her side to keep her from doing violence to him while she literally SHOOK WITH RAGE.

In my beginning practice, I actually had people break down in tears of gratitude when I used these analogies for them to help them understand the difficult energies they were dealing with -- they were so moved that FINALLY someone seemed to understand what they were going through.

It's a real shame this book didn't get reprinted because you can see that I found it quite invaluable. It takes awhile as a pro to build up enough case experience to have your own set of "snapshots" to use in illustrating aspects and Avery has some really, truly wonderful ones. Good illustrations of energy during a chart interpretation/reading build instant empathy with the client and that builds good rapport for anything important that is going to follow. It's part of the magic of astrology.

I would certainly recommend chasing this book down in the used section if you are considering a career in astrology.

I think many people who delve into astrology, due so to examine its accuracy regarding health and death, illnessses and the like. Jeanne offers a rather simple approach, you don't have to be degreed in a medical field to comprehend her work.
I personally liked the insight on which vitamins/minerals an individual should take or increase take of based upon their chart. I shared some of this information with a friend who works with medical astrology, and he commented that some of her associations to body parts and illnesses are not the same as what is used in medical astrology, however he also stated that it is overall very reliable. (It being the information she provides.)
For any one who works with health and illness and well being in astrology, this is certainly one to put on your bookshelf for reference.

Most reviews of this book are positive, so I went ahead and bought it, ignoring the first review, which is negative. After receiving and reading this book, I *completely* agree with what that first reviewer had to say! Go back and read it before you buy this book; it is very accurate.

The descriptions of the ascendents read just like descriptions for sun signs. Because the author assumes your chart will use an equal house system, all of the the descriptions of the houses for each ascendent are inaccurate if your chart uses another house system, like mine does. If your chart uses an equal house system, you may find some use for this book. Otherwise, don't waste your money.

Coming to grips with a good working knowledge of how to interpret the Rising Sign is one of the things my astrology students find the hardest to accomplish smoothly and professionally. I certainly don't mean the formula for interpreting each of the signs at the house cusp. That's child's play. I mean the pyschological function of the Rising Sign as a mask, its pivotal relationship to the 12th, 1st and 7th houses and its capacity to both attract and filter experiences from the outer world. I have always found Jeanne Avery to be a very entertaining writer, but I think the thing I like most about her "Rising Sign" book is that by the time a student finishes it, ifthey read it cover to cover or least sequentially through each chapter of the people they are interestedin, they will have had a good, thorough walkthrough on how to interpret and tie together an entire chart using the house by house by house method that Avery exemplifies. The glaring flaw in this book -- and I always wonder how it could have possibly been justified -- is that not only does it not take into account intercepted signs, it doesn't even mention that there is such a thing and that it could greatly affect a reading you give yourself or someone else using this book.

This is the most thorough book on the subject of one's Ascendent I have ever found. If a skeptic who's simply read one's sun sign description and thought, "that's not me" read this book, they would have to question their skepticism!

Jeanne Avery takes each ascendent through all 12 houses, so we get a thorough picture of how it influences us in all aspects of our life. This is much more fine-tuned and expansive than just the sun sign! Additionally, she uses an ego-centered psychology paradigm (the name of it escapes me at the moment, sorry!) to explain how the ascendent affects our egos. For instance, some houses speak to our adult ego state, while others represent the inner child. She also includes not only the sign on the cusp of the house, but tells you how this sign affects you more particularly based on where the planet it rules is in your natal chart. This is one of the few astrology books that I have read that made me say yes, that's me, and now I know what I have to work on so that these issues affect me constructively and positively, rather than holding me back.

It is best to read this book with your natal chart already completed. The quick-and-easy guide to your ascendent is as accurate as this kind of guide can be (which is shaky at best), but it's more reassuring to come to the book with this information already at hand. Plus you'll want to know where your planets are house wise, to get the full benefit of Avery's information.