Great Minds in Astrology: Steven Forrest

Welcome to a series about the Great Minds in Astrology. Each month this post will look at the key thinkers and practitioners in the field of astrology, from ancient to contemporary times. Numerous men and women have made significant contributions to the field of astrology. These Great Minds provide a large bibliography of writings worth reading and putting into your own astrology library. This article will talk about Steven Forrest.

This article will distill a thinker’s essential and many contributions and provide a book list of their key works. As with any thinkers who write extensively, some books stand out more than others, and these will be identified. Some works have practical application and others are theoretical, depending on whether or not you wish to practice astrology or just study it.

Steven Forrest (January 6, 1949 –)

Steven Forrest is a prolific author and lecturer. He helped found the school of Evolutionary Astrology, stating that it is “a form of psychological astrology which is integrated with metaphysics. Where a twentieth century psychological astrologer might focus on the dynamics of childhood, the evolutionary astrologer focuses on the childhood of the soul—prior lifetimes, and the issues left unresolved from them.”.

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Steven Forrest published his first book –The Inner Sky – in 1984. Below is the full list of his books:

• The Inner Sky: How to Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life (1984/2007)
• The Changing Sky: Creating Your Future with Transits, Progressions and Evolutionary Astrology (1986/2008)
• The Night Speaks: A Meditation on the Astrological World View (1993)
• The Book of Pluto: Finding Wisdom in Darkness with Astrology (1995/2013)
• Stalking Anubis (2002)
• Yesterday’s Sky: Astrology and Reincarnation (2008/2012)
• The Book of the Moon: Discovering Astrology’s Lost Dimension (2010)
• The Book of Neptune (2016)
• The Book of Fire: The Life-Givers (2018)
• The Book of Earth: Making it Real (2019)
• The Book of Air: The Art of Paying Attention (2020)
• The Book of Water: Healing, Regeneration and Recovery (2020)

Comprehensive Astrology Library

His many books are must haves for any astrology library, especially for individuals interested in learning astrology. He is, by far, one of the most accessible writers in the field. It is worth having all his books. If you cannot buy them all at once, then here is a suggested order of purchase:

1. Inner Sky
2. The Book of Fire, The Book of Earth, The Book of Air, and the Book of Water
3. The Changing Sky
4. The Book of the Moon
5. The Night Speaks
6. Yesterday’s Sky
7. The Book of Neptune and the Book of Pluto
8. Stalking Annubis

The Inner Sky

The Inner Sky is the de facto text to own. It is, perhaps, the best modern text introducing astrology and describing its framework in a rational and exciting way.

From the back cover of the 2007 edition:

Steven Forrest’s timeless astrology classic, the Inner Sky, remains a groundbreaking exploration into an astrology based on freedom and choice rather than deadening predictions. Still one of the best and most frequently recommended astrology primers for beginners. The Inner Sky guides the reader into profoundly rich and empowering evolutionary cosmology that frames life within a context of possibility, hope, and wonder.

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The Books on the Elements

If you start with the Inner Sky, then these books would be good to purchase and read next. They provide a deep dive into the signs and houses ruled by each element. Here’s what each one, explained on the back of each book.

Fire

“In The Book of Fire, award-winning astrologer Steven Forrest offers a triumphant celebration of human resilience. Supported by all nine astrological ‘Fire’ symbols, your spirit can survive anything – and still go dancing the next day. Regardless of your Sun Sign, the healing magic starts with mastering the paths of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. It continues as you learn to embrace Mars, Jupiter, and the Sun itself. Your resilience finally blossoms in the three Fire houses: the first, fifth, and ninth. Together, these nine powerful words in astrology’s rich vocabulary are the Life‑Givers.”

Water

“In these pages, Forrest offers a detailed exploration of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces, along with their planetary rulers and their associated astrological houses: the fourth, the eighth, and the twelfth. Together, these powerful words in astrology’s magical vocabulary are the key to returning to joy and wholeness no matter what life throws at us.”

Air

“In these pages, Forrest offers a detailed exploration of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, along with their planetary rulers and their associated astrological houses: the third, the seventh, and the eleventh. Together, these powerful words in astrology’s magical vocabulary are the key to nothing less than aligning your mind with reality as it actually is.”

Earth

“In these pages, you will learn how to forge a deal with each one of these powerful allies, both as they operate in your natal chart and as they move through it via transits and progressions. The Book of Earth promises to help you build a gateway that links sky to earth, imagination to manifestation, and dreams to actual biography.”

The Changing Sky

The last book to round out your introduction to astrology should be the Changing Sky, which helps you learn about transits and progressions. Moving beyond the static birth chart, this book explores the interaction of your chart with the current movements in the sky, as well as how your chart evolves (progresses) from the time you were born.

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From the back cover:

You are never confined to an inescapable fate. Instead, the planets offer you a whirling kaleidoscope of possibilities, with your freedom and the power of your imagination in the driver’s seat.

Learn Transits – the current positions of the planets in the sky as they trigger your birth chart. Outer planets are discussed in terms of their “teacher” or “trickster” potentials. Also addressed is the cycle of the houses and the evolutionary tasks represented by each one.

Progressions – a day is symbolically equated to a year in one’s life, providing a highly personal “inner developmental clock” Thorough explanations of the progressed Sun, Moon, Angles, and planets through the houses, signs, and aspects.

You simply cannot go wrong owning and studying all his books!