I'm a complete novice when it comes to traditional astrology.
Are there any good free tutorials that I can learn traditional astrology from the ground up? Where would be a good place to start?
Thanks,
Holdorfold
I've been in a similar state for the last year or so, here's what I'd recommend:
If you have the money to buy books, go for Joseph Crane's "A Practical Guide to Traditional Astrology". It's probably the most clear, simple, and basic introduction of traditional (largely Hellenistic/Medieval) thought. His tone is really nice and he welcomes experimentation.
From there, Avelar and Ribeiro's "On The Heavenly Spheres" is a great way to build on it, though be aware that they leave some things out. Combining the two, you should have a pretty decent basis in the basics of traditional astrology. That's where I'd start looking at actual traditional authors as you've learned the vocabulary at that point. All you have to do now is learn to apply it through studying the old authors.
Christian Astrology is good, not because Lilly is the best thing that ever lived (sometimes he slips up, and if you've studied the two books above, you can recognize when), but because it rewards careful study and critique. Using the first two books you will understand a lot of the "whys" behind Lilly's techniques, allowing you to meld them as you need to rather than just following slavishly and it'll help you avoid taking the extreme examples presented in CA literally...which will help you with almost all traditional authors.
From there it's really up to you, but this should be enough to get you on your way. Good luck!
