Astrology is the language in which all of existence speaks, says astrologist and tarotist Bess Matassa. In Star Charting, she leads readers on a vivid journey through the twelve signs of the zodiac as a poetic practice and transformative framework for befriending both the familiar and the strange. Matassa blends personal narrative, sensory immersion, inquiry exercises, and communal calls to action to reframe this ancient art as a modern manifesto for healing division by exalting the astounding complexity within this wild world. In contrast to more technical manuals on birth chart interpretation, this is magic-making as an exploratory treasure hunt, forging radical pathways to personal and collective evolution. Twelve modes of bearing witness to life and moving with its currents. Twelve styles of championing creative change. And twelve ways of never, ever losing heart.

Bess Matassa, PhD, is a New York-based astrologer and tarot reader who has authored books and decks that include The Tarot Almanac and NYC Tarot.

“An incredible, ambitious and timely contribution to rethinking astrology, Star Charting offers a holistic approach to the subject. Matassa refuses to fixate on the mathematics of the discipline and instead focuses on the ways that each person has elements of each sign. A gifted astrologer and writer, she is able to distill the essence of each astrological aspect into a vision of astrology that is unique and important.”
-- Amber Jamila Musser, author of Between Shadows and Noise: Sensation, Situatedness, and the Undisciplined

Introduction. The Practice of Astrology  1
1. Aries. Vivifying + Vitalizing
2. Taurus. Absorbing + Retaining
3. Gemini. Channeling + Conveying
4. Cancer. Sheltering + Returning
5. Leo. Baring + Romancing
6. Virgo. Supplicating + Devoting
7. Libra. Clarifying + Elevating
8. Scorpio. Magnetizing + Excavating
9. Sagittarius. Venturing + Riding
10. Capricorn. Claiming + Weighing
11. Aquarius. Witnessing + Envisioning
12. Pisces. Allowing + Releasing
Acknowledgments