Book Review: Mercury in Retrograde

Rachel Stuart-Haas, Mercury in Retrograde: and Other Ways the Stars Can Teach You To Live Your Truth, Find Your Power, and Hear the Call of the Universe. New York: Tiller Press, 2021.  ISBN: 9781982165086.

 

Genre: astrology

Subgenre: reference, esoterica

Format: hardcover

Source: Berea branch, Madison County (KY) Public Library 

 

I picked this book up at the public library out of curiosity, plus at the time there was a Mercury retrograde going on. This book is a nice introductory text on astrology and its basic concepts. From planets to zodiac signs to retrogrades and houses, this book defines terms and explains them. The author's claim is that celestial bodies have a constant impact on your life. If you understand this and how it words then you can improve your life. 

The book is arranged as follows: 

• Introduction.
• Chapter 1: Covering the Basics.
• Chapter 2: Understanding Transits.
• Chapter 3: The Planets in the Houses.
• Chapter 4: Eclipses aka Cosmic Change Agents.
• Chapter 5: Retrograde Real Talk.
• Chapter 6: Understanding the Aspects.
• Chapter 7: The Asteroids and Chiron.
• Chapter 8: Harness Your Moon Wisdom.
• Chapter 9: Tips and Tricks to Take Your Practice Further.
• Conclusion.

A strength of the book is that the lessons build up gradually. The author begins with the basics, then adds a concept, building up on previous lesson, then on to the next concept. You learn in an incremental way. 

The book is not an in-depth course, but if you are interested in learning the basics of astrology, then this is a pretty good starter book. If you are a student of astrology the book can be a good reference source on the basic concepts. I would add that for Tarot and cartomancy students this book may be of interest if they want to start adding astrology to their repertoire. As I wrote, this is not an in-depth course, but it gives you enough to get started. Once you do commit to serious study, you'll want to seek out more advanced works. 

You can read the book just for learning. However, to really get the most out of the book you need your astrological birth chart. There are places online where you can get your chart for free. You do need to know your birth date, time, and place. Once you have that, you can study your chart (or anyone else's I suppose) using the book as guide.

The book overall is very accessible and easy to read. This is not a book for advanced and/or professional astrologers. This is more for folks who are curious and want to get a working understanding of astrology. For me, as a cartomancy student, it could be a good supplement to my Tarot study, and it could be helpful if or when I decide to integrate astrology into my readings and studies. 

I would definitely recommend this for public libraries as it is an accessible book for anyone interested in the topic. If your library already collects books on astrology and other esoterica, this could be be a good option. I would view it as optional for academic libraries. In my own library's case, I would consider it adding it as it may be of interest to the campus pagan group. 

In the end, I really liked it. As a basic book I do recommend it. 

4 out of 5 stars.