Maybe I wouldnât have realized the need for an extensive, plotted rewrite of the book and definitions accompanying the Oracle of the Radiant Sun if, in fact, my moon was not in Leo, and if I had not drawn the card representing the Moon in Leo on New Yearâs Eve.
Hereâs the card that made the decision for me, about whether or not to go forward:
Because even though I had already toyed with the idea, THIS cardâs write-up was so egregious, and reminded me so much of those useless newspaper horoscopes that turned me off to astrology for decades, and highlighted such an extreme cultural difference between America and England, (and by the by affronted me and my Leo Moon personally), that something obviously had to be done.
So I am starting with this card even though Iâll be doing the rest of the deck in the order the authors gave them. This card, APPRECIATION, is the begining for me, and so apt, in all regards.
Things I Appreciate about The Book
The idea of merging Horary Astrology and the form of an oracle on cards was, on the surface, pretty ingenious, and also incredibly complex. The entire concept necessitated a lot of work, study, knowledge, and decision-making in two fairly incompatible directions, and despite the extreme drawbacks of the book, this shows-- Smith and Astrop put a lot of work into this.
John Astrop was an extremely experienced astrologer who designed some of the first computer programs for astrologers. He was the author of over a hundred books on the subject of astrology, including a whole series for parents to help them understand their wee baby Scorpios or what have you. So this guy was no slouch. My beef with him and his book has nothing to do with my sense of his expertise or seriousness. This wasnât someone who threw something together carelessly.Â
Another thing I like about the book is how well organized it is.Â
And thatâs pretty much it.
The idea just doesnât work. Merging two entirely disparate systems seems like a good idea at first but it becomes, pretty rapidly, an attempt to merge one set of things that are tangible with arbitrarily assigned meaning (astrology) and another set of tangible things with arbitrarily assigned meaning (cards), but the party of the first part is, you know, an actual thing that is happening regardless of what you think it means. The moment you are born, the sky looks a certain way, period. The moment you ask a specific question the stars and planets are in specific places, period. Thatâs what horary astrology is-- the moment the question is âbornâ is the moment the stars are consulted, which is pretty neat and the basis for most ancient astrologersâ jobs with royal courts.
And what the sky looks like when you ask your question will have, most likely, ZERO to do with which cards you pull from this oracle deck. The two things are operating on a totally different wavelength. Thereâs nothing wrong with either of those wavelengths, but there is also nothing whatsoever connected between those two things.
That said, itâs not that thereâs zero connection symbolically between astrology and, say, Tarot. Tarot cards have a lot of interconnections to astrology. Thereâs no reason these cards canât be utilized in that fashion, perhaps even more directly. The germ of the idea isnât terrible, but the way the book attempts to carry it through is kind of a disaster.
The main thing I do not appreciate is the fact a PERSONAL HOROSCOPE makes no sense to include on a card that anyone can pull out of the deck. There is no good context in which this will work, hence my comparison to cheesey newspaper sun sign horoscopes that are largely useless.
At the top of the page it reads: APPRECIATION. Moon in Leo. [Shows the astrological symbols.] MOON-Security. LEO-Creative Self-Expression.
Take a good look at that card. Hereâs the description in the book: â...a rich and elegant lady performs on a lute. Her audience is a swift symbolizing spring and new creation. Below is a cornucopia bursting with fruit symbolizing man and woman, Sun and Moon.â
And now the book definitions: âPERSONAL. The emotions of somewhat prima-donna-ish Moon/Leo characters require affection, appreciation, and lots of good opportunities for over-dramatic expression. This card indicates a need to be center stage as regards feelings, because for Leos big is beautiful, and they can be as emotionally generous as they are bullying. Emotionally, Moon/Leo people are great romantics. Feelings are important to them and must be apreciated and respected if Moon lions are to maintain their usual warm optimism. Children can be an important part of their life and, whether they have any of their own or not, people with th is planet/sign combination are fond of the company of young-thinking people. This basically emotionally optimistic person has a tendency to over-impulsive actions where loved ones are concerned. He or she often has a good natural feeling for art and can benefit from developing latent talents in this area.â
Okay, itâs New Yearâs Eve, a traditional time to consult an oracle. Usually I use Tarot but this year I got funsy and used this deck. One of the three cards I pulled was APPRECIATION. A word that has a definition, and a word that, when it appears on a card, by itself with specific images, gives you a very particular feeling, idea, advice even? You know, the main reason people consult an oracle on the New Year, combined with wanting to know what might lie ahead?
And instead you get a whole slew of ideas about... Moon Leos. Say you are a Moon Leo, youâre nothing like any of that, and you are aware that your entire chart is in play so thatâs probably why, but how is any of that helpful? Thatâs a lot of real estate taken up on a page to make a bunch of general commentary on someone with their Moon in Leo, and emphasis on âgeneralâ and âcommentaryâ because
None of that commentary is implied by the card, either in terms of image, the word it is illustrating, or even the notation at the top of the page about the astrological symbols and their meanings. But say you are NOT a Moon Leo-- what does any of that have to do with you? Was this entire process of consulting your oracle deck a waste of your time? Sure seems like.
He goes on: âWhen this card appears in a reading, it can indicate a powerful need for recognition in some aspect of life. There may be a feeling that those around are not responding appreciatively enough, provoking an unhelpful over-the-top responseâ Imma stop him for a sec, how on earth is anyone going to get that from this card? From the image? From the word APPRECIATION? In context with many cards in a traditional Tarot type reading maybe the first sentence, okay, but the rest of it? And in a single-card draw?
He continues: âThe card can also indicate emotional dependency on a partner or close friends. Positively, if the card does not refer to the questioner, it can portray someone popular, generous, and much admired by others.â So if this card is drawn by you for you, youâre a mess, but if you want to know about someone else, theyâre awesome, and also if neither of you has a Moon in Leo it still somehow applies to you for reasons, or it doesnât and you need to find a card that does. Got it.
And last: âEVENTS: A lavish occasion; theatrical event, childrenâs performance; pride in an achievement; short-lived fame, excessively dramatic behavior; family party or gathering.â Three of these things are not events, by any stretch of the imagination.
This is what makes any book accompanying any deck, whatâs the word, BAD. It is a bad book if it doesnât mesh with the cards.
One of the constants throughout this book is how resolutely negative each of his definitions are compared to the images on the cards. Some of this negativity is really excessive, especially for a deck that doesnât use reversals (I do, so weâll get into that a bit.)
Also many of his definitions donât fit the card at hand but will fit another card that actually means the thing he ascribes to another card. For example, OPTIMISM is for no apparent reason also about âextreme and immovable fundamentalismâ, and yet this deck literally has a card called EXTREMISM. Youâll note the repeated references to âdramaâ and âover the topâ and such with APPRECIATION-- yet there is literally, in this deck, a card called DRAMA.
Books on oracles and Tarot often step into the role of a professional reader to ostensibly help the amateur who is trying a deck of cards for the first time to have a successful reading, and thatâs fine. But itâs often unclear when an authorâs opinions are just that, opinions, and not a hard and fast definition. It would be more useful to add an example of the card in a reading so the person excitedly trying out their first or second or thirtieth new deck will clearly see there are myriad ways of interpreting the card, and this deck would have benefitted from this. Then the author, a man of experience and a wide knowledge base, could have put his opinions of Moon Leos or whatever in there without ruining what is probably a perfectly good and perhaps brilliant divination tool.
When this card appears upright in a reading, it can indicate a powerful need for recognition in some aspect of life and that it is time to pursue this. It can mean that the querant is appreciated more than they realize, or are unaware of how much they should appreciate about themselves and their circumstances. It is time to be thankful and show your gratitude for this. If the card does not refer to the querant, it can portray someone popular, generous, and much admired by others, or someone the querant should appreciate more.
When this card appears reversed, it can indicate emotional dependency on others to show appreciation for the querant-- for example, if this card appears reversed in a reading with cards indicating jealousy, insecurity, and drama, the meaning might be that the querant needs to take a step back and remember they cannot find in others what they cannot find in themselves. This card might indicate a need to be center stage, and there may be a feeling that those around are not responding appreciatively enough. Acknowledge these feelings.
PERSONAL. Â Moon/Leo characters require affection, appreciation, and lots of good opportunities for self expression. Â Moon/Leo people are great romantics. Feelings are important to them and must be apreciated. Â He or she often has a good natural feeling for art and can benefit from developing latent talents in this area.
EVENTS: Â A lavish occasion; Â theatrical event, childrenâs performance; pride in an achievement; Â family party or gathering;Â awards ceremony;Â promotion or congratulations
See how I moved and shortened âPersonalâ so those who might have a Moon in Leo (and know about it) can see a general newspaper-horoscope definition and find something useful in the context of the card? Iâm a big fan of usefulness in a reading. It does nothing to tell someone a bunch of general opinions about something they canât change-- itâs perfectly fine to tell someone the consensus opinion, sans judgement, and let them see if it fits them. (No, this definition still largely doesnât fit me, but thatâs okay, because in the context of my overall chart I can see where the parts that do fall into place.)
So thatâs where Iâll be going with this over the course of the year. As I go Iâll be writing each of my rewrites out and putting them in the book, possibly even gluing over the pages, so I can consult it when I need to.
Because above all, I deeply appreciate the feel of this deck, the images, the energy of the ideas behind it, and the couple who put it together as what was probably an exciting labor of love. That energy wasnât destroyed by my objections to the follow-through that is the book, and that alone is a testament to how worthwhile this deck really is.
