Intermediate & Advanced Astrology: Books by Charles E.O. Carter

C.E.O. Carter (1887 - 1968) was the most outstanding British astrologer of the 20th century. After the death of Alan Leo, Carter ran Leo's Astrological Lodge at the Theosophical Society, from 1920 to the 1952. He was first Principal of the Faculty of Astrological Studies, which he helped found in 1948. He edited The Astrologer's Quarterly from 1926 until 1959.

During his lifetime, most of his books were published by the Theosphical Society, which, in the decades following his death, steadily faded. There was a time, not too many years ago, when Carter's books, excellent though they are, were hard to get. Some were out of print. They are all now back in print.

Carter's books, penetrating & full of unique insights, are ideal for intermediate & advanced astrologers. They are, in fact, virtually in a class by themselves. Instead of a book on synastry, or forecasting, or horary or elections, Carter's books are organic wholes. Instead of treating aspects in one chapter, signs in another, and planets in a third, Carter shows how individual astrological factors combine to create living, breathing people. For example, Carter tells us that a cardinal grand cross has one sort of effect if it falls in succedent houses, quite another if it falls angular. It is this constant interplay of factors, and Carter's brilliant, lucid exposition, that makes his books so precious.

September, 2012: Here is a pdf of Carter's rarest book, The Seven Great Problems of Astrology. It was first published in 1927. You read it on-line, you may download and print it.

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	THE PRINCIPLES OF ASTROLOGY: Intermediate astrology book 1 - C.E.O. Carter, $21.95 Contents: Foreword to the first edition Foreword to the second edition Foreword to the third edition 1. Astrology & its subject-matter: 1. The uses & nature of astrological knowledge 2. The Sun, Moon & planets 3. The signs of the zodiac, sign rulership & lord of the horoscope 4. The houses of the horoscope 5. The nature of the aspects 6. Minor considerations 2. The erection of the horoscope 3. The Sun, Moon & planets in detail: 1. Planetary strength 2. The Sun 3. The Moon 4. Mars 5. Jupiter 6. Venus 7. Mercury 8. Saturn 9. Uranus 10. Neptune 11. Pluto 12. Tabulation of basic psychological concepts respecting the planets 4. The qualities, elements & signs in detail: 1. Their mutual relations 2. The qualities 3. The elements 4. The signs considered in detail 5. The houses in detail: 1. Their meanings 2. Secondary house influences 3. House-orbs 4. Methods of house-division 6. The judgment of the horoscope: Character: 1. Character & destiny in child & adult 2. Moral status 3. Disposition & temperament. The effects of the planets in the signs 4. Intellectual abilities 5. A table of the effects of the aspects 7. The judgment of the horoscope: Destiny: 1. Health & death 2. Relatives, marriage & friends 3. Vocation & finance 4. Accidents & violent deaths 5. Parents & children 6. Travel 7. Religion, mysticism & occultism 8. Examples of delineation 9. Personal appearance 10. Prognostication: 1. Classification of factors 2. Transits, lunations, revolutions & the diurnal horoscope 3. Secondary progressions 4. Primary directions 5. Symbolic directions 6. Rectification 11. Horary & electional horoscopes: 1. Horary questions 2. Elections 12. Theoretical considerations Bibliography Index Comment: While Carter said he intended this book for "beginners", he didn't quite mean that. While he does spin you through the basic signs & houses, while he tells you how to construct a chart (both north and south of the equator), if you've already grasped that, you'll be prepared for the amazing details, the practical, hard-won, sharply observed things that you simply won't find anywhere else. Open the book anywhere & you'll be surprised. Mutable signs rising tend to slouch. What's another way to spot a Leo rising? They love fur. Did you ever really want to know what death looks like in a chart? How about infant mortality? Carter gives you the good, and the bad, and so much more as well. Get this book (and the companion, Some Principles of Horoscopic Delineation, below), and, using them, learn astrology and unlock his other books, among them: Astrology of Accidents, Encyclopaedia of Psychological Astrology, Symbolic Directions in Modern Astrology, all of which you will find elsewhere on this page. But enough of me. Here is Carter, himself. From the Foreword to the first edition: The present work is designed to give a clear and concise presentation of the essential facts of modern Astrology. A good deal of experience in teaching the average beginner has convinced me that, while there are several text-books suitable for the use of the more advanced student or of a novice who has the advantage of personal tuition, the majority are either too prolix or too condensed for one who is compelled to be his own instructor. Moreover, Astrology is now to some extent in the melting-pot : on the one hand, many new ideas are being introduced ; on the other, statistical research, such as earlier astrologers could not carry out for lack of sufficient data, has cast considerable doubt on the validity of portions of the rather incoherent mass of tradition that till recent years represented astrological science. The beginner does not wish to be confronted with controversial matters, however attractive he may find them later. He requires, firstly, a statement of what may be regarded as known astrological facts ; and secondly, an explanation as to how these facts affect human life. It is this that I have aimed at giving him. An endeavour is made not to neglect the theoretical aspects of Astrology, for the modern student dislikes what appear to him as isolated statements, and looks for a logical and synthetic aspect to our teaching, without, of course, wishing to plunge at the outset into metaphysical speculation. I trust that the Index will be of considerable use in practice, since it should enable the student to find readily those passages that deal with any matter that may trouble him. Finally, I would express my sincere hope that this book may be of some value in assisting its readers to grasp something of the true nature and worth of astrological science, both in the commonest and the most sublime aspects of human life. Those who have realized what this may mean to the individual are reluctant to set any bounds to their estimate of the beneficial effects that its universal recognition, in a proper form, would mean to the human race. - Charles Carter Click here for a PDF extract. Astrology Classics, 216 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

	SOME PRINCIPLES OF HOROSCOPIC DELINEATION: Intermediate astrology book 2 - C.E.O. Carter, $18.95 Contents: Foreword 1. The scope of the nativity 2. The aspects 3. Mundane position 4. Sign-position 5. Planetary position 6. Infant mortality & longevity 7. Suicide & insanity 8. The violent criminal 9. Outstanding abillity & failure 10. Directional delineation Comment: In an effort to teach chart interpretation (ie, actually getting meaning from the various pieces), Carter first gives some general guidelines: A mixture of hard & soft aspects produce better people than too many trines or too many squares. He extends this to aspect patterns. Carter notes that crimials often have harmonious aspects from Moon & Mercury to other planets in the chart, one of many surprising discoveries. He considers mundane position as an explanation for people born on the same day who don't quite have the same the same life. He says, the further planets are from an angle (moving counter-clockwise), the less significant the planet is. (Looking at my chart, where all the planets are in succedent or cadent houses, none angular, I have to agree.) Carter follows with a chapter on Planetary Psychology, with some of the best writing on Venus & Uranus (along with all the other planets, including some notes on Pluto) that I can remember. With that for an introduction, Carter introduces some well-defined groups of people & then does statistical analysis to show what people in the various groups have in common. Among them, infant mortality & longevity, insanity & suicide, the violent criminal, and, outstanding ability and failure, treated generally. Let Carter himself have the last word. From the Foreword: Most text-books, including the one for which I am personally responsible, are mainly of an analytical character and do not attempt to guide the reader far along the path that leads to proficiency in horoscopic delineation. In fact, few attempts have been made to attack this problem, and for a good reason—it is so difficult. Delineation is an art and it cannot be taught as one teaches merely factual knowledge. It comes with experience, if the student have the right inborn aptitudes; that is all that can be said. However, there seems to me to be a sort of border-land that lies beyond the realms of purely text-book teaching and yet is within the scope of instruction. No one can make a student into a good delineator, and, on the other hand, almost anyone with moderate teaching ability can inculcate the alphabet of astrology : between these two extremes there is a field wherein, I think, experience can help inexperience and some general principles can be formulated and explained. This is what I have attempted here, illustrating my ideas in separate chapters that deal with important classes of psychological condition. This book is designed to follow The Principles of Astrology and may be read in conjunction with The Astrological Aspects and The Encyclopaedia of Psychological Astrology. Click here for a PDF extract. Astrology Classics, 136 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

	AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASTROLOGY - C.E.O. Carter, $18.95 Subtitled, An Encyclopaedia of Character & Disease, this was the result of decades of study of hundreds of horoscopes. Carter discovered zodiacal degrees that produce abscesses, poor vision, goiter, medical ability, jaundice, immorality, musical talent, spinal curvature, oratorical ability, insanity, alcoholism, asthma & much more. He found general astrological guidelines for illnesses & personality traits such as boredom, love of animals, hayfever, imagination, rashness, rambling speech, stoicism, satire & much more. Specific degree areas for specific traits, as well as general guidelines for many more. In the Foreword, the author writes, This work is a attempt to produce a useful astrological Encyclopaedia of Character, and, as far as data permit, of Disease.... Some reference might perhaps at this point be made to the study of the local zodiacal influences which are frequently mentioned herein. Even from the earliest times certain parts of the Zodiac, usually identified with nebulae or fixed stars, have been considered to possess peculiar powers. Medieval writers also published lists of degrees to which they assigned special names & qualities, such as azimene, pitted, smoky.... Recently Mr. Maurice Wemyss has published, in the pages of Modern Astrology, numerous articles dealing largely with degree-influences, treated in pairs of opposites - 0 degrees Aries-Libra, and so on - and it is now widely held that the study of the individual characters of degrees is one of the most promising fields of astrological research.... My own investigations in this direction, while stimulated by Mr. Wemyss's valuable work, are the results of original study. I am not prepared to say whether the influences in question are inherent in the degree, or for some reason originate in a wider zodiacal area. In some instances the peculiarity seems very local; in others much more extensive. In some cases it seems to derive from one degree only; in others, from a pair of opposite degrees; in others again, from the corresponding degrees in the four signs of the quadruplicity. In any event, the reality & value of these local effects are beyond question, although our knowledge of them is in its infancy. It should be noted that the values of degree-areas are often to be seen in progressions as well as in the natal figure. (pgs 5-6) Sometimes known as Carter's Little Green Book. Often witty, always surprising, a book you will use forever. Includes six nativities of interest, and a table of local influences mentioned in the book. Click here for a PDF extract. Astrology Classics, 199 pages, paper. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

	MUNDANE ASTROLOGY: Three classic books by H.S. Green, Raphael & C.E.O. Carter, $24.95 Contents: Book 1 by HS Green: Mundane or National Astrology Mundane astrology; Solar ingresses; New moons; Eclipses; Planetary conjunctions; Daily aspects; Comets; The 12 houses in mundane astrology; The Sun; The Moon; Mercury; Venus; Mars; Jupiter; Saturn; Uranus; Neptune; Countries & towns ruled by the signs of the zodiac; Transits through the signs; Conjunctions in signs; Mundane maps for conjunctions; Transits & directions in mundane astrology; The effects of eclipses; Earthquakes; Strength; Prominence; The strongest aspect; Co-operation of influences; Some mundane horoscopes; Appendix: Horoscope for foreign countries. 125 pages Contents, Book II: Raphael's Mundane Astrology: Mundane astrology; The planetary & zodiacal signs & symbols; The 12 mundane houses, their power & significations; The significations of the planets; The essential & accidental dignities of the planets; The mundane maps; How to erect the mundane maps for foreign parts; Concerning the 1st house & planets therein, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th; How to judge a mundane map; Example of a mundane map; Eclipses; The effects of solar eclipses; The effects of lunar eclipses; Planetary conjunctions; Earthquakes; Comets; The parts of the world affected by the signs of the zodiac. 80 pages. Contents, Book III: An Introduction to Political Astrology, by C.E.O. Carter: Foreword; The aims & the subject matter; The Material Employed, part 1: Classification of the material, Astro-geology & astro-topology, Eclipses & lunations, Great conjunctions; The Material Employed, part 2: Stations, Comets, Ingresses, The nativities of important persons; The Material Employed, part 3: Inceptionals, The horoscopes of nations, Some special horoscopes, The New Year figure; Historical cycles & newly found planets; The sun, moon & planets & the signs & houses in political astrology. Appendix 1: Calculation of foreign horoscopes; Appendix 2: List of cities with suggested astrological affinities; Appendix 3: List of countries with suggested astrological affinities. 103 pages. Comment: Here, in one volume, are three complete books on mundane, three of the best. Green & Raphael's books are the fundamentals. They are a comprehensive guide to the classic rules of mundane. Green organizes his book planet-by-planet, Raphael organizes by house. The two are complimentary. Of note, Green's descriptions of eclipses by house, Raphael's description of eclipses by decanate. Raphael wrote in 1910, Green wrote about the same time. Carter's book, building on the other two, was published in 1951. He was writing in reaction to the failure of astrologers in London to foresee the outbreak of World War II. They knew there was a full-scale war going on in China, they knew things in Europe were tense, but they had studied the mundane charts for 1939, they knew the fuss with Germany would blow over. And they were wrong. Charles Carter determined to find out why. This book was the result of his studies. His plea for better data has largely been met, but the need for more work remains. Astrology Classics, 308 pages overall. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

	THE ASTROLOGICAL ASPECTS - C.E.O. Carter, $17.00 Contents: Introduction; Aspects of the Sun; Aspects of the Moon; Aspects of Mercury; Aspects of Venus; Aspects of Mars; Aspects of Jupiter; Aspects of Saturn; Aspects of Uranus; Aspects of Neptune. Comment: This is Carter's classic, back in print. Carter classifies aspects as Harmonious, Inharmonious & Conjunction (variable). By "harmonious", he generally means trines & sextiles, by "inharmonious", squares & oppositions, but not always so. Based on the author's extensive observations, which are often fascinating. AFA, 133 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

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	THE ASTROLOGY OF ACCIDENTS - C.E.O. Carter, $14.95 Contents: Introduction; Part 1: Accidents in general: 1. Preliminary considerations 2. Sign-position 3. House-position 4. Aspects; Part 2: Particular forms of accidents: 5. Asphyxiation 6. Drowning 7. Burns 8. Scalds 9. Gunshots 10. Blows 11. Crushing 12. Wounds & cuts 13. Vehicular 14. Falls 15. Machinery 16. Railway accidents 17. Poisons 18. Explosions 19. Animals 20. Localization. List of local influences extracted from this book Index. Comment: People often ask if there is “proof” for astrology. Astrologers are not so much worried about proving astrology, as they are in using it to reveal nuance and detail. In 1929, after writing four previous books, Charles Carter (1887-1968) set his sights on discovering the astrological reasons why accidents happen, and which people are most prone to them. In part he wanted to test if astrological fundamentals were true or not. Carter knew that astrology works, but does it work the way it has long claimed, or, if it does not, can the real rules be discovered by analysis? This book is divided into two broad sections. In the first, Carter compiles raw sign and house placements of Sun, Moon and planets, along with the angular separation of pairs of planets, to determine which planets, in which signs, in which houses, and which specific angles, produce the most accidents overall. The results are surprising. In the second section, Carter analyzes specific accidents for common traits. Sixteen different classes of accidents are analyzed, among them drowning, gunshots, burns, falls, and railway accidents. While the number of individual cases were limited, Carter was able to determine critical degree areas. New in this edition, a list of local influences derived from Carter’s work, and a useful index. This book was first published in 1932. Most of the first edition was destroyed in the bombing of London, a curious fate. Click here for a PDF extract, on Vehicular Accidents. Astrology Classics, 126 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

	SYMBOLIC DIRECTIONS IN MODERN ASTROLOGY - C.E.O. Carter, $12.95 Contents: Introduction 1. Symbolic methods, and various time-measures 2. The interpretation of directions 3. The prediction of marriage 4. The "measure of death" 5. An example of directional investigation 6. The question of exactitude Summary Index Comment: In the introduction, Carter says, Ideally a directional system should fulfill four criteria: 1. No important event should be without a direction. 2. No direction should pass without an event. 3. Events and directions should correspond narrowly in time. 4. Events and directions should correspond in character. Systems that work sometimes are unsatisfactory, nor is a system of much use if it produces directions that disobey the third and fourth of the above canons. We must be able to tell from our directional scheme both when events will happen, and what their natures will be... (pg. 10) ...[T]he ideas embodied in the present work are not put forward as discoveries, but rather as recoveries. Astrology, I believe, is part of the Arcane Tradition of inestimable antiquity and value. This tradition has suffered some corruption and has in part been overlaid with mistaken additions. But the cure for this is not a wholesale attack upon all Astrology, but a search for first principles of the science, and a reconstruction of our theory and practice upon these foundations....(pg. 7) Symbolic directions, as the term implies, are those that correspond to no known planetary movement. Among the various symbolic directions discussed in this book are: The One Degree (often used in Solar Arc directions). The Naronic, a ratio of 4/7ths, which Sepharial described as useful in defining the periods of depression & expansion in any life... (pg. 25) The Duodenary of 2.5 degrees (division of a sign by 12) known in India as the Dwadashamsa, which Carter says gives excellent results. The Sub-Duodenary, which is 1/12th of 1/12th of as sign, which is 12' 30", which Carter says is useful for rectification. The Novenary, of 3 degrees 20 minutes, formed by dividing a sign by 9, which is known in India as the navamsa. The Septemary, of four degrees & 2/7ths, formed by dividing a sign by 7. Disregarding the One Degree system as common, and combining the Duodenary & sub-duodenary, Carter counts these as four systems. Of them, he says, ...[Y]et the Four Measures constitute a net through which few events will pass without proper directional authorization! On the other hand, they do not furnish such a crowd of directions as to make it a foregone conclusion that there must be one or more for every possible occurrence - a criticism that has been made (I think unjustly) against some systems. Those who find the four measures too many to apply to all elements of the map are advised to use only the traditional significators, the Sun, Moon and Angles. These will amply suffice for all important events, but if the exact time of precipitation is required, then lunations, transits, and lunar secondaries should be used. (pg. 33) Carter then goes on to the Fractional method, a variable system, and then goes on to show what use can be made of these systems in ordinary life. A useful book. We are now printing it, and have added a useful index. Click here for a PDF extract, on The Prediction of Marriage. Astrology Classics, 91 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

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	ESSAYS ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF ASTROLOGY - C.E.O. Carter, $19.95 Contents: 1. The sun, moon & minor planets 2. The major planets 3. Aspects & exaltation 4. The positive-negative polarity 5. Aspects in terms of the signs 6. The first six or northern signs 7. The last six or southern signs 8. Problems of the houses. Comment: Carter wrote this book in London during World War II. It was his first book in more than a dozen years. In this book, Carter turns his attention to fundamentals. Why the planets are what they are. How the Sun differs from the Moon. How Jupiter and Mercury are interrelated. Having had his fill of aspects in terms of the planets, in this book Carter tells us of aspects in terms of signs and the elements they represent. A planet in a fire sign, in square to a planet in an earth sign, Carter says, is an obviously difficult combination: Fire consumes earth, or, earth smothers fire. On the other hand, air/water squares are much less stressful. Carter was particularly fascinated by the nativities of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, his contemporaries. Charts for both men are given. Mussolini he declares to be a “bombastic Italian dictator”, but Hitler remained a puzzle. The last essay in the book is an interesting discussion of the Ptolemaic, Porphry, Campanus, Regiomontanus, Placidian & Carter's own system, which he calls Poli-Equatorial. He gives examples. Charles E.O. Carter, one of the leading astrologers of the 20th century, was President of the Astrological Lodge at the Theosophical Society from 1920 to 1952. He was first Principal of the Faculty of Astrological Studies, which he helped found in 1948. He edited The Astrologer's Quarterly from 1926 until 1959. Essays on the Foundations of Astrology was first published in 1947. Click here for a PDF extract, on Aspects in Terms of the Signs. Astrology Classics, 186 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

	THE ZODIAC AND THE SOUL - Charles E.O. Carter, $14.95 Contents: Foreword 1. The derivation of the twelve 2. The Zodiac & the unfoldment of the soul. 3. The signs & the planets as cosmic ideals 4. The Zodiac as a path to the good 5. A final inquiry 6. The Zodiac & the art of directing 7. On transits 8. Pastures new 9. Some brief studies: i. Short-lived genius: Rupert Brooke ii. Genius & eccentricity: Percy Bysshe Shelley iii. Genius allied to madness: William Blake iv. Death from hardship & ill-treatment v. Psychological defeat vi. The nativity of a heroine: Edith Cavell vii. Suicidal tendencies viii. A man of courage: William T. Stead ix. A great philosopher: Ralph Waldo Emerson x. A maniac genius: Adolf Hitler Index Comment: In this book, Carter shows how the Zodiac of twelve constellations describes an ideal world. In other words, how the soul – the ideal – reveals itself in astrological terms. In the process, Carter invents a new form of rulerships, based on the traditional exaltations, which includes the outer planets. Carter also teases us with his unpublished system of numerology, which was based on 12, rather than the usual 10. As astrology is based around the numbers 2, 3, 4 and 12 (not 5 or 10), a base-12 number system is of immediate interest, but, realizing his subject was abstract and unlikely to appeal to all, Carter also includes innovative ideas on directing, and on transits. The result is a book that fascinates on many levels. The Zodiac and the Soul was first published in 1928, with revisions in 1947, 1960, and 1968 (look for the footnote), the year of his death. Revisions are how Hitler came to be in a book originally written & published well before anyone in London knew of him. Click here for a PDF extract, On Transits. Astrology Classics, 128 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

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