WHY CONSUMING GENERIC “COOKBOOK” ASTROLOGY CONTENT IS THE WORST WAY TO LEARN ASTROLOGY! (AND WHAT TO DO INSTEAD)

The BIGGEST reason astrology students struggle with putting all of the pieces together to interpret a birth chart is because they’re relying on random free and low cost resources all over the internet to learn bits and pieces of information as they go along. Not only is there no cohesive strategy or foundation for learning this way, but doing this leaves giant holes in their knowledge and no real method for combining what they’ve learned in a meaningful way. 

The second biggest reason students struggle is because they become reliant on cook-book astrology content (e.g. Sun + Libra = fair and balanced with an eye for beauty) to learn from. If you’re truly serious about reading charts, this NEEDS to stop! 

I know what you’re thinking, “Heather, YOU produce cookbook content for your YouTube channel ALL OF THE TIME!” And yes, you’re absolutely right! This is because this type of content DOES have its place. Cookbook astrology content is great for beginners who are new to astrology to ease them into learning and getting familiar with how astrology works by showing them examples of how it applies to them personally. It’s also great for getting inspiration to get your mind going, through simple examples, to help stimulate your own personal ideas about the connections between the planets, signs and houses.

That being said, this type of content leaves out a lot of absolutely crucial information. In fact, it has to in order to remain simple and easy-to-understand! With your average cookbook astrology content, there is no consideration given to understanding the whole chart, the information is simply broken down into small bits and pieces that are disconnected from all of the complex alignments that are going on in the chart!

Have you ever listened to a video on something like your “Mars Placement in All 12 Zodiac Signs,” gotten to the part that describes your placement, and felt puzzled about why it doesn’t seem to apply to you, personally? I’m certain you have! This is because this type of content, while still valuable, typically doesn’t account for additional planetary aspects and influences, House Rulerships, or the way the chart functions as a whole.

This type of content also causes students’ minds to become lazy and can actually PREVENT aspiring astrologers from learning to make interpretations for themselves! This is because astrology is super complex and multifaceted. Astrology readings require the ability to think critically and put the pieces together to create a cohesive and holistic understanding of the birth chart. 

The conventional education system has, through no fault of our own, taught us that intelligence is simply memorizing facts and regurgitating the “right” answer. In adulthood, this attitude toward learning can be problematic across many different career fields, astrology included. Astrology does require technical knowledge and memorization of certain key influences BUT it also requires holistic thinking, intuition, and the ability to put all of the complex information embedded in the chart together in a meaningful way. 

So, how do you learn to do this? It’s actually pretty simple. Get yourself a teacher or mentor who know’s what they are doing, enroll in a cohesive program of study to learn astrology the RIGHT way from an expert you trust, actively engage in the learning process by asking questions, getting feedback, and putting the pieces together on your own (I promise you, you’ll be surprised at how much you know without relying on your go-to “cookbook” content!) and, most importantly, you PRACTICE what you are learning. 

If you do all of these things and commit to your studies and practice, you will end up with clearer understanding of how astrology works, the ability to make meaningful, accurate interpretations without a “cookbook” format to lean on, and you’ll experience a HUGE increase in confidence when it comes to your astrology skills!

PS: If you’re looking to learn how to give accurate and meaningful astrology readings, I have a BRAND NEW COURSE beginning this spring that will teach you how to do just that! Enrollment begins in March, but you can sign up for the waitlist now to learn more about the course as it’s being created AND get exclusive access to my “early bird” registration, discount included!