Book Review: Keywords for Astrology by Hajo Banzhaf and Anna Haebler

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not super into astrology, but I do enjoy reading my horoscope from time to time and looking at Libra memes. That's where my general interest and understanding ends. I couldn't tell you the first thing about most signs, let alone make predictions based on a birth chart. Astrology has always felt super complicated and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. That's where Keywords for Astrology: The Essential Guide to Correspondences & Interpretation of Planets, Signs, Houses, & Aspects by Hajo Banzhaf and Anna Haebler comes in.

Originally published in 1996, this new edition has been updated and now includes a forward by Theresa Reed, author of Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners. It's always nice when authors and publishers are open and willing to update books as we learn more. Witchcraft, the occult, and spirituality, like society, are ever-changing, and as we learn more it's important to update information.

Keywords for Astrology opens with a note to the reader about gendered terms. Despite the use of feminine and masculine, it is important to note that all genders are included, and you should use the terms that you relate to. It also mentions that gendered names such as "bull" and "king" include all genders, not just masculine-presenting people. I love this note and believe it's an important one to include any time gendered terms are used. It's also mentioned in this note that this book is a translation, and they have done their best to maintain the integrity and meaning of the original text. 

The authors then go on to say that some people will huff and puff because the book is outlined as lists with little background. This is true, but it's done so that the reader can begin learning the language of astrology. Like any specialization, there is vocabulary and language found in astrology that has to be learned in order to fully understand the practice. I have very little knowledge of astrological terms such as rising, ascending, descending, houses, etc, so I feel completely in the dark when others use these terms. Keywords for Astrology takes the guesswork out of the language, but not in a memorization sort of way. Instead, the authors offer sentence stems, allowing the reader to explore astrology using their own birth chart. This is exactly what I did. There is little point in my reading every single passage at the moment, so I focused on myself.

All entries include the good and the bad, strengths and weaknesses. This is important because not all individuals manifest the same way, even if they have similar astrological charts. For example, I am a Libra. Libras tend to be peacemakers but can also be indecisive and snobbish. While indecisiveness is often presented as a weakness, it is also a strength. It's not that Libras cannot make decisions, it's that we weigh our options before making a choice, which takes time, but more often than not, pays off in our favor. My fiancé says I have self-control, instead of being indecisive, and I appreciate that outlook. Each entry is full of information that can be plugged into the sentence stems offered at the beginning of the book, and as you learn more, you can refine these sentences to be more specific.

Furthermore, the authors make it clear that a horoscope or astrological chart is not the end all to you, your personality, and your future. Instead, they are ways things could manifest. You always play an active role in your life and therefore can change any outcome you wish to. You have free will and should exercise it at all times. This is an incredibly important note to have in an astrology book because too often I see people resign to their fate without realizing nothing is set in stone.

If you are interested in astrology, new or old, I highly recommend Keywords for Astrology: The Essential Guide to Correspondences & Interpretation of Planets, Signs, Houses, & Aspects by Hajo Banzhaf and Anna Haebler. If used properly, it can be a potent tool for beginners as well as experts in astrology. Even if you just use it to look at your own birth chart, it's well worth the purchase and the learning opportunity. While you can purchase full reports online, I highly recommend learning how to read your own chart so you can better understand yourself, your shadow, and your magic. Hands-on learning is always longer-lasting than being spoon-fed the information.

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