The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology by Juliana McCarthy

The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology Reviews

• 
  Leah Rachel von Essen

  This book is an excellent primer for figuring out your birth chart. It gives very good information for each sign and planet (ex. Moon in Aquarius), and it does the best job I think of any astrology book I've read of explaining what the planets are actually trying to tell you. It is succinct and easily read. While there isn't extensive information on houses and aspects past explaining to you how they work, the explanation was the first in astrology that I actually understood, and I now think I'll be able to look at what houses my signs are in and understand what that means for the first time despite having dedicated plenty of time to astrology in the past. This is a lovely and informative book.
  
  The downsides are ones rife throughout astrology, but still downsides. I'm tired of the binaries—signs being masculine/feminine, or phrases like "who benefit most of all from members of the opposite sex," which make this book and astrology in general feel very outdated and uninclusive. Similarly notes that indicate that some signs are likely to easily find wealth "from family" as if that's related to your sign, and physical descriptions in the ascendants such as "pale-skinned." These types of currents running through astrology can make it feel very exclusionary and only welcoming of certain kinds of people, which is a shame.
• 
  Kelly K

  I approach astrology the same way I approach religion with more of a fascination than a belief. However, this taught me how to read my star chart so fuck yeah for learning something I never knew I wanted to learn. Reading the results of where the planets fell into what signs during my birth was definitely fascinating. Especially when you hit Pluto and it's all generation based cause that bitch is slow and you find out your generation aligns with the same generation that started the Revolutionary War to chase freedom and YOU'VE NEVER FELT SO MOTIVATED TO HAUL ASS YOUR WHOLE LIFE.
  *ahem* *muscle twitch*
  This is your friendly reminder to go vote next week.
• 
  Raúl

  Este libro es una maravilla. Después de haber leído otro libro de astrología, no tenía las expectativas muy altas con este, pero sin duda las ha superado con creces. No había leído un libro sobre conocimientos básicos de la carta astral tan completo como este, ya que, además de incluir una descripción de todos los planetas en cada uno de los signos (aunque sí que hay alguna posición olvidada), incluye partes como los aspectos, una guía para leer cartas astrales y hasta un glosario, la recomendación de páginas web y de otros libros sobre astrología (!). Estoy seguro de que este libro me va a acompañar a lo largo del tiempo, para poder conocer algunos aspectos sobre mi vida y sobre la de los demás.
  
  Por otro lado, decir que la traductora del libro ha hecho una labor increíble.
• 
  Rachel Moyes

  My first ever book about astrology. Was pretty good, helpful at rudiments. It felt repetitive because the shades of meaning between houses and planets felt mushy.
  
  I had a really hard time with the chapters on Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The examples she used to explain how one of these planets in a sign affected a generation of people felt very cherry-picked and U.S.-centric. I couldn't tell the difference between someone born while the planet was in a certain sign and someone doing something while the planet was in a certain sign.
  
  After those chapters ended, though, I hopped right back on board. Overall an accessible entry point to astrology.
• 
  em

  tells you things about yourself that you might not even know yet.
• 
  Katerina

  4/5
  
  Bookstagram
  
  As a avid learner of the world, I am always on the lookout for something new to delve into. While astrology is not new to me nor the idea of charting, zodiac sign, and astrology philosophy - I just didn't have a full grasp of it. Insert The Stars Within You and the amazing depth that Juliana McCarthy goes into.
  
  This book is a perfect introduction for people like me who did not grow up studying astrology and the horoscopes or just didn't pay attention to it in detail. I was amazed at the depth that the author went into from the zodiac signs to what happens when the planet falls into a specific zodiac during your birth. It was just mind blowing!
  
  I think one of the great things that I need to point out to readers is that the book is easy to understand. With many astrology books, one runs into the issues of science terminology that is hard to understand and not explained very well. The Stars Within You is great with including only the terminology that you need to know and keeping the rest at a readable level.
  
  This was definitely a great resource when it came to not only reading my chart in more depth but also learning more about the history of astrology and what is was used for! I definitely think I will invest in my own copy of this book instead of just relying on the library copy. It would be nice to grab it from my shelves when I need a refresher or a reference.
• 
  Florencia

  Un excelente libro para iniciarse en la astrología, y para profundizar si recién arrancás y llevás leídos poquitos libros más light sobre el tema (como yo). ¡Pude profundizar un montón sobre cada planeta y entender muchísmo mejor mi carta natal!
• 
  Ashley

  The Stars Within You was an enjoyable and informative introductory read. McCarthy did a nice job of explaining the origins of the signs as well as the meanings of the planets and houses, while also adding her own insight on what those meanings look like in contemporary society. I found the discussion of the outer planets somewhat lacking; the ideas were there, but the historical examples were a bit unorganized. All in all, definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in interpreting star charts.
• 
  The Starry Library

  'The Stars Within You' by Juliana McCarthy is a quick and easy guide on Astrology. Basic enough for beginners and concise enough for advanced Astrologers, this guide is for anyone no matter where they are on their Astrological journey. This is not an in depth exploration of Astrology, but rather, a simple manual on how to piece archetypes together. For example, what does having the Moon in Pisces in the 10th house conjunct Mars denote? These are the fundamentals of Astrology- piecing together seemingly separate symbols until they form a complete cosmic picture, not unlike the starry sky above.
  
  A brief look at the history of Astrology was discussed along with a real life example of an Astrological chart. What I especially loved was that Juliana included the mythology of the 12 zodiac signs which I haven’t seen in many other basic Astrology guides. This is important to include because the mythologies contain plenty of secrets and clues as to why the Zodiac signs behave as they do. I also liked the explanation of the hemispheres in the chart and how this offers plenty of insight into an individual (a lot of Astrologers skip over this part). The beautiful black and white images created by Alejandro Cardenas helped to denote the raw essences of Astrology that can be meditated upon for further insights as recommended by the author. What made this book a "modern" Astrology guide was that there was an emphasis throughout about how we are not bound by our Astrological placements. We can view our planetary positions as opportunities for inner work and self-awareness as opposed to restrictions and limitations. What I felt was missing from this book were instructions on how to decode a natal chart using Astro.com. For example, how would a beginner know how to use the aspects grid? Also, it would have been nice if a different celebrity example was used instead of the one presented in the book. Someone more modern and relevant would appeal to a wider audience. 
  
  I hope that Juliana McCarthy will follow up the 'The Stars Within You' with another Astrology guide that will perhaps look at other facets of Astrology using her simple and easy explanations, ie; the Asteroids, Solar Return Charts, Secondary Progressions etc. As an Astrologer, I appreciated the trip down memory lane of Astrological fundamentals and I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking to empower themselves using the great celestial map of the universe.
• 
  Tapasya

  Firstly every word of the book is something I already know. And I’m sure every Astrologer knows this. But for non-astrologers this book is good. Even for me it is good. Reading astrology books is something I devour. Just that I expected some new points but it’s fine. Goodread.
• 
  Helen Hnin

  This books describes astrology as Intuitive Art and I vibe with that so hard. But other than that, it was only just fine. Good for beginners. It has everything from sun to aspects.
• 
  Jéssica Pedro

  Super easy to understand, an awesome book for starters in the Astrology world!
• 
  Emilie

  Wonderful book! I began my astrological journey about 8 years ago. Everything I learned was through online research, observation and personal intuition. I read charts for people now (for fun) because astrology is just something I get. However, despite my background, this book pulled me down to the fundamentals of astrology. It was like I took my own path but needed to check my bias and the facts and refer to simplicity in order for upward projection. I highly recommend this book to anyone!
  
  I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars for a few reasons; first, there were I felt some subtle biases showing about some signs/placements (I understand it, though), and I also felt that it got a bit repetitive between planets & signs. I personally feel very strongly that each planet is almost a new sign in an of itself, so I did disagree with a few minor approaches.
  
  Overall, a very well written book carefully constructed to teach and bring understanding. McCarthy is pure in her intentions and her passion for each sign as well as astrology’s ability and potential to bring us together and help us grow as individuals is beautiful. I absolutely loved McCarthy’s approach to the practice and connected with it deeply.
• 
  Tamara Pearson

  I love astrology and this guide was very helpful in understanding how to read a natal chart. It's a lot to take in so I dived in and read this book slowly. Digesting as I went along. Some concepts I'm still a little sketchy about, but it's a resource I can continue to visit until I have fully comprehended them. McCarthy does state at the end that there is so much more to learn and that this book skims the surface. I really enjoyed it :)
• 
  Nicoleta-Letiția

  I think the last non fiction book that made me cry was the maths book in 6th grade and it was because I hated doing maths. Now this book almost made me cry because I was so happy I finally understood how the aspects work.
  McCarthy did a fabulous job explaining the basics and not only. I can't emphasize how much I recommend this book for people who want to start studying astrology but don't know where to begin.
• 
  Alex George

  We really turned our back on the sky and started worshipping things we couldn't even see
  
  Smh my head
  
  Fun book to own and bring to parties
  
  I particularly liked learning about the Greek myths behind the constellations
  
  Astrology goes too far when it starts talking about houses tho. Idk what it means that my sun is in the house of sex and death but I dont like it at all.
• 
  Regina Garcia

  The illustrations are truly beautiful. It’s a simple but comprehensible approach to astrology. It’s also smaller in size than for example the huge astrology books I am reading. I loved the myths behind every sign and the example at the end for reading charts.
• 
  Monse Meneses 📚

  Me gusto mucho este libro, si a ustedes les interesa el tema astrológico, espiritual este sin duda será un gran libro ya que al final no solo conocemos más sobre nosotros sino que aprenderás a poder leer tu propia carta natal 💫.
• 
  Ryan

  Perfect for beginner’s like me! The author explains it in an easy to digest way and I loved learning about my birthchart!
• 
  Wondra Vanian

  Essential.
• 
  daemyra, the realm's delight

  A great primer on astrology to help you understand signs, houses, and aspects so that you can begin to read birth charts. Because of apps like CoStar, you might already know your ascendant, where your sun and moon is without ever looking at your birth chart. The Stars Within You breaks it down in simple terms and even goes through a sample reading of Leonard Cohen's birth chart so that the reader can put it all together. It's not complex and it may be a little outdated in some of its interpretations of the signs, as other reviewers have duly noted, but it does the job.
• 
  Krysta Sa

  Very very good intro and basics to understanding astrology...wanna buy for all mah friends.
• 
  Jo

  #StarsWithinYou #NetGalley
  
  An excellent introductory book about the modern astrology. Juliana provides a good explanation of the concepts and she used a wonderful illustration.
• 
  Lindsay Lacher

  An interesting read that gives readers a comprehensive beginner level overview of astrology and helps you learn how to read your birth chart. I would definitely recommend it for beginners or anyone who is just wanting to learn more about astrology in general.
• 
  Zoe Hällström

  I chose to read "The Stars Within You" as I have always had a fascination with astrology. This is a beautifully written book with gorgeous illustrations. I am a beginner to astrology, but this book served as a great guide for me because of its deep insights on all of the aspects of astrology from houses to planets to characteristics of each sign. I appreciated the breakdown of all of the parts of my birth chart but I didn't like that the reader is referred to a website to create a birth chart in order to continue with the book. At times I had to go to the index or back to another chapter to understand or remember something. Other than that, I enjoyed the book. "The Stars Within You" has allowed me to discover new parts of my identity, not because the book told them to me but because it allowed me to explore how they apply to me. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to explore themselves with modern astrology.
• 
  Arianna

  Absolutely loved this book, I couldn’t put it down. Great introduction to astrology, includes interesting history pertaining to astrology and how it has evolved . Teaches you about every zodiac sign and their traits , crystals for each sign & best of all how to read and interrupt your birth chart! A great reference book as well , with useful astrology terms and there definitions. The author really expresses her love for astrology, and makes the information easy for you to understand . Definitely put this on your list of books to read!
• 
  Bernard O'Leary

  I believe in astrology now because, yeah, why not, nothing matters anymore and rational objective reality has collapsed in on itself. To be human is to know so little about the universe you occupy that it's impossible to exist here without some soothing untruths to cling to. My choices were basically this or tech-communism, and I am not reading Aaron Bastani.
• 
  Blaine Wajdowicz

  Very practical guide to an incredibly nuanced and ethereal subject
• 
  Brooke Stark

  too simple ended up giving it away