Surfing your Solar Cycles – A Lifetime Guide to Your Stars

I love this book! It’s easy to read and understand if you’re still new to Astrology. It’s a comprehensive guide to helping you make the most of your Solar Cycle, from the best timing for different projects and activities to when to spend time under the duvet. Neil writes in a friendly style, full of humour. It’s a must for anyone interested in Astrology. Ana Isabel for Lightways Astrology Podcast   From the first moment the pages of the book flew open, I was  engrossed. The author, Neil D. Paris, resident astrologer with the Linda Goodman team, USA, manages to convey the captivating writing style of the late, great writer and astrologer.. This is a re-launch of a book published several years ago and whilst fun to read is also essentially practical. It spotlights the transiting Sun and its movement around the zodiac and our charts. It is simple to understand and full instruction of use given. What convinced me of its efficacy was that it accurately described my experiences on first read.  My Sun transiting the restrictive twelfth house had put me briefly in hospital!  What is so wonderful about Neil’s book is that it outlines how to get the best of your current solar experience.  In my case, to experience time out, as Neil says. Naturally each time round the same houses will depend upon the current transits prevailing. Each house is examined fully, which reveals the scope of the author’s research. The depth of the book can be understood from his description of us being spiritual beings seeking a physical experience, yet he guides us gently along the thorny pathways which may be linked to each house, and shows us how to make full use of each experience. He describes comprehensively the type of emotions you are likely to face and how to deal with them. The steps you can take for psychological growth, and the pitfalls to avoid. This book feels like a therapeutic journey which the reader can take on his or her own without the physical presence of a therapist and yet not feeling alone. But even then he tells us, as we move through the first house, that  alone means you are all one. You can change who you are and who you want to be. I rather liked the way he ends Surf 2 (Second house) because you’re worth it. I particularly liked how he describes Mercury Retrograde, associated with the third house, since he sees it in a positive light and gives some very helpful advice on how to get the best of this position. There are signposts how to get the best of a good year in various houses, as well as in a crummy year. For instance in the tenth house you get the promotion you seek, or conversely the company folds.  Neil gives some helpful steps along both paths. There is such a plethora of information that it is also like having a revision of the houses with some added revelations. There is a great deal to absorb which can be done as your Sun begins to transit your next phase. Wanda Sellar for The Astrology Quarterly, the magazine of the Astrological Lodge.