The list of books I couldn’t live without is a short one. At the top is Llewellyn’s Daily Planetary Guide. Indeed, you might call it my secret weapon, and it can be yours, too.

Every year, usually in late summer, Llewellyn releases its Daily Planetary Guide for the following year. The 2011 edition is now available, and while it’s a bit early to order it if you’re just using it to track planetary aspects from day to day, it couldn’t hurt to get it now so that you’ll have it when the new year begins. You might even add it to your holiday wish list.

For me, it’s absolutely essential, as I rely on it to write my forecasts in advance. Do you think I go through the ephemerides and hand-calculate when each aspect will occur? Gracious, no! It’s all here in this book, which provides a daily rundown of all aspects between the Sun, Moon, eight planets, Ceres and Chiron. It also tells you when the planets change signs and when they go retrograde and direct – all extremely useful. Exact times are noted, for both the east and west coasts of the United States.

Before I write my forecasts, I go through the book and highlight the key aspects. That’s how I know what the week, month, or year is going to look like.

Sometimes I need the ephemeris, though, and that’s in the back of the book, in Universal Time, and it includes Juno, Pallas, and Vesta. There are additional features of the book that I don’t use at all, but they are quite helpful for the beginner. The first few pages contain a quick astrology lesson and explain things such as the void-of-course Moon.

I include all of the week’s most important aspects in my weekly forecasts, but if you have at least a beginner’s knowledge of astrology and would like to have a peek farther ahead, you’ll find this book invaluable. With some guidance and a little practice, you can learn how to use this calendar to create your own transit charts for the big events in 2011.

The Daily Planetary Guide doubles as my desk calendar and appointment book, and I carry it with me whenever I leave town. I truly would be lost without it.

I created a link in the left sidebar in case you’d like to order it from Amazon, which offers it at a great discount. I predict that you’ll get hooked on it, too!

Pat

Llewellyn’s 2011 Daily Planetary Guide
208 pages
ISBN: 978-0738711287
July 2010/Llewellyn Publications
US$12.99