‘Reading Anne Whitaker’s words is like sitting down over coffee with an astrology friend who has thought deeply about questions you might never have imagined. She’ll not only entertain you, she’ll enlighten you too.’
Steven Forrest…..
Anne Whitaker’s latest book ‘Postcards to the Future: Mercurial Musings 1995-2021‘, an acclaimed collection of 60 essays, articles and columns, is available everywhere on Amazon: Print version costs £18.07 ($25.00) {NOTE: ebook version, cost £8.99 ( $9.99) also available}. ‘Postcards…’ can also be purchased locally in Glasgow G20 at Opal Moon and The Yoga Extension, in London at The Astrology Shop and Watkins Books .
SPECIAL OFFER: after a number of requests for signed copies, I’m offering UK readers ( sorry, worldwide readers, postage too expensive outwith UK…) a signed copy of “Postcards…” for only £15.00 including postage. To take up this offer, just send £15.00 to my PayPal account: a/c number contact.anne.w@gmail.com and I will send on your signed copy within 48 hours. Thanks in advance!
From The Wessex Astrologer, owner and publisher Margaret Cahill, has this to say:
‘…This beautiful collection of essays and articles from the prolific and talented Anne Whitaker brings together her work on a vast array of subjects. Opening the book at random, the very first sentence I read was on p.153 – and it had me right there. “Every so often, I take a vow not to buy any more books.” You just know this one won’t last. Brilliant. A woman after my own heart. The fact that Anne regularly breaks her own vow is crystal clear in the breadth and depth of the essays included here; it very quickly becomes apparent that her mind is like an elastic band as she roves from Cycles to Science to Ethics to Fate to Mary Shelley to Bacon Sandwiches to… just about anything you can think of…Even if you’ve just made a similar vow, break it for Postcards to the Future. You’ll be so pleased you did…’
Margaret Cahill
NOTE from Anne: I’ve shared a few of the many five star reviews “Postcards…'” has received – in addition to those left on Amazon UK and Amazon.com – in the comment boxes below. Just scroll down if you’d like to read them!
Juliet Sharman-Burke
Centre for Psychological Astrology
London UK
October 2021
“Postcards to the Future” is the perfect book for the present time. Today so many people feel fragmented, too busy to concentrate on anything for long, overwhelmed and exhausted with the amount of information coming at them from the internet, the media and social network platforms and cannot face embarking a long complicated book which has to be read chapter by chapter to make any sense. “Postcards to the Future” offers a range of incredibly stimulating and wise bite-sized essays, articles, interviews and blogs covering all things astrological which can be dipped into by beginners and knowledgeable astrologers alike. There is literally something for everyone in Anne’s “ Mercurial Musings”. Her “musings” are, in fact, packed full of valuable information but presented in such a reader-friendly way that even complex ideas seem simple. Anne uses astrology to frame life events, big and small, in a truly charming way. Her writing style is inclusive, her breadth of knowledge inspiring and she generously shares her own experience and personal opinion in order to bring astrology to life. Anne shares many fascinating encounters , among my favourites is “Encountering fate – in the middle of nowhere” an extraordinary story of an ordinary man, not to mention her account of her own introduction to astrology in a launderette, to name but a very few. Her willingness to share her chart and many significant life events really make the book come alive in a magical way. Anne covers a wide range of astrological themes from planetary cycles, fate, to wounding and healing, to scientific discoveries, lunar cycles, eclipses, planetary ingresses, transits, progressions and more, which are both delightfully easy to read and truly profound. Her dedication to the art of astrology, her clients and students shines through the pages, as does her humanity, humility and sense of humour. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Brian Clark
AstroSynthesis
Australia
The Mountain Astrologer Magazine September 2021
‘Astrologers operate on the margins of our fragmenting, reductionist culture. But we represent an unbroken line to a time which in many ways was wiser than ours is now’
This line from the preface of the book is a clue that we are in the hands of an author and astrologer who honours the time-honoured traditions of her art and craft. For over two decades Anne Whitaker has written essays, articles and columns on a wide variety of astrological subjects that have been published in leading magazines such as The Mountain Astrologer, Dell Horoscope and The Astrological Journal or prominent websites like Astrodienst (astro.com), as well as her own outstanding blog (anne-whitaker.com). In Postcards to the Future, Anne gathers together this rich collection of resources to compose a diverse, yet coherent volume of astrological themes meaningful to anyone interested in, studying, or practicing astrology. Anne’s skill at the art of storytelling seamlessly weaves the astrological symbols and their storylines into a literary fabric that is both engaging and colourful.
Postcards bring to mind mercurial journeys, explorations and imaginative tales. The manuscript is like a votive to Mercury, as the subtitle suggests. Mercury’s archetypal presence is honoured on each page through the connections, reflections and revelations that astrological thinking induces, as well as in-depth and humorous insights into our human circumstances. When Mercury guides the pen, we have well-crafted and evocative images. Apparent too is that all the astrological essays are connected by timeless themes and images, both practical and philosophical, mechanical and metaphoric. From the present, Anne introduces and reflects on what she has written in the past, like postcards to the future.
The book is sectioned thematically; for instance, two major sections are dedicated to planetary movements – one called Cycles includes observations and inspirations on the Jupiter, Saturn and the Saturn-Pluto cycles. Then in Planetary Ingresses, Transits, Progressions, Anne shares her insights into transits and ingresses, looking back to Uranus in Aries and forward to Pluto in Aquarius. I particularly enjoyed what Anne reveals in Secondary progressions: stepping into the mystery.
Other sections on Ethics and Practice, Fate, Healing & Wounding, Astrology Meets Science, and Teaching Astrology are reflections and anecdotes shared by a seasoned astrologer to help others on the path to consider the practice of and participation with the art. Anne’s extensive experience in these areas is inspiring. Students will appreciate the sections Angles & Degrees, Cusps, Houses, Twins, Lunar Stuff, and The Big Picture as she explores the confusions and questions that arise for us all as we become more absorbed in this endlessly fascinating and imaginative study.
The book is published by Writing from the Twelfth House and as we discover at the beginning, Anne has a crew of planets in the 12th house – Sun, Moon, Venus, Saturn and Mars – and Mercury too if we do Equal or Whole Sign houses. As suspected, her tales from The Twelfth House are rich and beautifully written. She also shares with us her passion, or obsession as she says, for Mary Shelley and the links and legends that arise from her chart.
Throughout the manuscript, Anne shares with us her personal stories to animate the depth of astrological images that she is illustrating, and to bring the continuity and coherence of planetary cycles to light in the context of a life. Besides being captivating case studies, these accounts remind us that astrology is not only an objective study, but a deeply personal and subjective narrative which illuminates the depth of our experiences through the symbols of our sky.
Prolific writer, creative thinker, caring soul and in-depth astrologer. Anne Whitaker reveals all these characters in this superb compilation of astrological writings and musings, inspired by her forty years of immersion in astrology. I greatly admire the way Anne animates astrological symbols so they live in the moment and touch us deeply. Postcards is brimming with these moments.
John Green
Principal
Mercury Internet School of Psychological Astrology
Astrological Journal UK
October 2021
There are two types of astrology book I tend to recommend to astrologers and astrology students. The first type are ones that go into wonderful depth about a small part of astrology, a planet, a technique, a philosophical or psychological idea. The second type are those written by someone with a wonderful, working knowledge of astrology who plays with many different ideas on diverse topics. These are like a fruit salad for the soul. Anne’s book is one of the second type and is a real feast for those of us who adore these pick and mix style essays on a wide range of astrological ideas.
The book’s subtitle, Mercurial Musings 1995-20, tells us all we need to know. Here is a collection of over 60 essays written by Anne during that 25 year period which lead us, Hermes like, across a range of topics, thoughts, ideas, teachings, interviews, book reviews and more in-depth analysis of certain subjects. Anne’s mind is eclectic, inspiring and has a delicate yet sharp and insightful focus. Anne thoughtfully includes her own birth chart so we can even track the ideas across her chart, as well as vividly see the 12th house connections alluded to in the company publishing the book. Her essays can be very personal and her generosity of spirit in providing us with her personal transits and progressions as various events unfold in her life give all astrologers a real case study to follow through the work.
You’ll find essays on the techniques of astrology, aspects, houses, cusps, transits, progressions, eclipses and much more. Each are delicately worked through with real life case examples as well as reflections on the personal impact on Anne’s chart. There are philosophical takes on the subject of fate, astrology and science and the important issues of ethics in our work. You will also find much to digest regarding astrological cycles and ingresses as we get wonderful takes on subjects such as the Saturn Cycles or Jupiter’s ingress into a certain sign. Each of these are explored with world events, a take on celebrity charts as well as the impact on clients. It all makes for a real insight into the mind of a working astrologer and one that we can learn much from.
My favourite section explores the chart and life of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Like Anne, this is a figure who has always held a fascination for me with her intriguing and often tragic life. Here the astrology really comes alive in showing us how what happens above can illustrate what we are working through here below. This is a great section for students of astrology to explore, showing them how the planets weave their influence on our lives in a real sense. Anne brings great depth to this exploration and links it right up to date with her essay on Mary Shelley, the influence of science and the current state of the environment, it’s a fascinating read.
There is something for everyone here. For the student there are little snippets of insight that you would not get from your usual textbook readings, a glimpse into the mind of an experienced astrologer. For the intermediate astrologer there is real elucidation from an astrologer who knows their astrology and how to work with it, tips and tricks that will help your daily practice or research. Finally, for the experienced astrologer, here are new ideas and thoughts to set us thinking, questioning or leading us to an ‘aha’ moment as we stretch our minds into new arenas. You want this book not just on your shelf, but open to dip into whenever you fancy a satisfying astrological snack.
Autumn 2021
Here is an extract from a favourite review, from my long-time colleague Karin Hoffman, Editor at Astrodienst : thanks again, Karin!!
‘…Present and future astrologers will find in this deep and varied collection nuggets of pure gold, forged in a lifetime, collected and polished for display and – most importantly – for enlightenment and use.
But not only the contents of this book are noteworthy but also Anneʹs unique writing style. It is story-telling at its finest: humorous, direct, clear, full of width and depth. Combining the ordinary with the extra-ordinary, the biographical and anecdotal with the greater context and the big picture. True to style, Anne never leaves the sphere of everyday experiences, while never failing to lift them up to a cosmic level. She never leaves the metaphysical, while weaving it into the fabric of the plainly physical.
This is something Iʹve always loved about Anneʹs articles. Youʹre drawn in from the word ʺgoʺ and you donʹt want to stop until you have reached the final full-stop.
So? Want to know more about this fascinating book? Well, go ahead: buy it…and immerse yourself into this world of cosmic experience…’
Dr Armand Diaz
NCGR Members’ Newsletter (USA)
Spring 2022
When was the last time you curled up in your favorite chair and opened up an astrology book that you knew was going to be informative, entertaining, and would really get you to think?
Pretty often, if you’ve been reading the books I’ve been reviewing in this and past editions of Memberletter. But Postcards to the Future offers something different, because it’s a collection of essays on a wide range of topics, from specifics like the cycles of the planets, to professional issues like ethics, all the way to the “Big” questions about astrology, life, the universe, and everything.
That’s a tall order, but Anne Whitaker is up to it, as she takes a heart-centered and thoughtful approach to the topics. The essays contained in this book were also written over time, so that they are the products of the author’s reflection and consideration. One outstanding characteristic of her writing, to me at least, is that Whitaker doesn’t come from one hundred percent within the realm of astrology. As much as she is an astrologer, and an accomplished one at that, and as much as she has extensive knowledge and experience, she comes across as curious about astrology, and that curiosity leads to an openness that is very refreshing. There’s no dogmatic insistence that she has the right answer, and no tacit understanding that the reader will agree with everything she says.
One of my favorite essays is on “The Art of Astrology: Healing, Wounding, Or Both?”, an extended discussion of how astrology helps, but also how it can wound. Encouraged by the report of a one-time client she had seen years ago, Whitaker asks her long-term students to write about their experiences with astrology. Typical of her style, the author assumes little going in, and is cautious in dealing with the (encouraging) results.
Science and astrology is always fertile ground for debate, and Whitaker doesn’t disappoint. After a brief introduction to the topic, she states – correctly – that “I know it’s not like me to rant.” Her first short essay in this section should be required reading for astrology students, not because it will help convince skeptics (it will not), but because astrologers themselves need to understand enough about why astrology can be valid while not fitting into the scientific-materialist paradigm.
There’s so much more. A section on the Moon. Mundane transits, like Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius. There’s a section on fate, and one on teaching. Throughout all the many topics, Anne Whitaker’s friendly, comforting, insightful style pervades, inviting discussion. She’s probably out on a walk in the lonely Scottish landscape, and you’re curled up in your favorite chair. Have some tea. And read this great astrology book.