{"id":19624,"date":"2019-04-01T01:10:20","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T06:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=21054"},"modified":"2019-04-01T14:39:52","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T19:39:52","slug":"book-review-midlife-is-not-a-crisis-by-virginia-bell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2019\/04\/01\/book-review-midlife-is-not-a-crisis-by-virginia-bell\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review- Midlife Is Not a Crisis: Using Astrology to Thrive in the Second Half of Life by Virginia Bell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Book Review<\/strong>
Midlife Is Not a Crisis<\/strong>
Using Astrology to Thrive in the Second Half of Life <\/strong><\/em>
by Virginia Bell <\/strong><\/em>
Published by Weiser Books<\/strong><\/em>
Pages: 242<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\nWhat\nothers call a midlife crisis, Virginia Bell calls a Mid-course\ncorrection, saying, \u201cWhatever we\u2019ve left out of the equation,\nwhatever we\u2019ve ignored, begins to rise up and can no longer be\ndisregarded. This cycle involves four planets and is spread over a\ndecade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWith\nthat, she welcomes readers to understand life\u2019s most important\ncycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAs\nshe began to study astrology in her early-50s, Bell came to realize\nit wasn\u2019t about something happening in the sky, but something\nhappening within each of us, \u201cand could be a valuable tool for\nself-discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn\nthe introduction, she explains the Chiron Return takes place between\n49-51, when the comet returns to its place in the birth chart. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cIn\nmythology, Chiron was a great healer and teacher, and this passage is\none of the best times to become fully conscious of whatever has not\nbeen healed. For many of us, our lives take off in a different\ndirection from what we had anticipated, and often there is failure or\nloss that serves as a catalyst for this,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nShe\nhad had my full attention. That\u2019s when I got divorced, moved and\nchanged jobs. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOn\nthe next page she notes that Uranus takes 84 years to come back to\nits place in the natal chart, and that in our early 60s, it makes the\nlast aspect, giving us a second wind. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cThere\u2019s\na sense of freedom that comes from this edgy aspect, provided we are\nwilling to take some risks and extend ourselves beyond our comfort\nzone. It\u2019s worth doing, because the actions we take now will impact\nwho we become at eighty-four when Uranus comes full circle,\u201d Bell\nwrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThat\naspect happened as I made a commitment to find a school bus, renovate\nit to be an RV and make my future a life on the road, a witch on\nwheels. That will finally come to fruition this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nNow\nI was hooked. I wished I\u2019d had this book starting with my Saturn\nRerun around age 29, because \u201cMidlife Is Not a Crisis\u201d serves as\na guidebook to the landscape on the second half of our journey. She\nexplained, \u201c[I]t helps to have some knowledge of the terrain, so\nyou can prepare and pack accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAt\nthe beginning of the book is a concise overview of astrology that\nintroduces beginners to astrological terms, and the concepts of\nplanets, signs and houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBell\nparaphrases Carl Jung, writing, \u201cAnything born a moment in time has\nthe characteristics of that moment. The birth chart is a picture of\nthe sky at the moment of birth. It is a snapshot of the heavens and\nall the planets. It is frozen in time. In the next moment, everything\nmoves, but that picture is yours forever; it is eternal, a piece of\ncosmic DNA.\u201d \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nEquating\npower places on the planet to power years in our lives, Bell lays out\nthe lifecycle we all share at the same age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n29\tFirst\nSaturn Return (Growing up and getting real.)
\n37-45\tMidlife\nJourney (Breakdowns and breakthroughs.)
\n49-51\n \tChiron Return (The youth of old age.)
\n58\tSecond\nSaturn Return (The new elder.)
\n62-63\tClosing\nUranus Square (A second wind.)
\n70s\tThe\nSeventies (Real problems, real possibilities.)
\n84\tUranus\nReturn (The homecoming,)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nShe\npresents information in a gentle and encouraging manner, always\npointing to the gifts, strengths, lessons, vulnerabilities and tools.\nShe\u2019s like a tour guide, helping you navigate the map of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cThese\ncycles or power years are the great turning points in life; at every\njuncture there will be challenges, lessons, and losses \u2013 in this we\nhave no choice. Our freedom lies in how we respond: consciously or\nunconsciously, awake or asleep, with fear or with love,\u201d Bell\nwrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nShe\nsums up the astrology chapter by saying, \u201cIt\u2019s all good. There is\nno such thing as a bad chart or a bad aspect. Hopefully, we all have\nsome great aspects in our birth chart, as well as some challenging\nones. Why challenging ones? We\u2019re here to learn. The hard aspects\nare the ones that push us to grow, change, and achieve. Too many\n\u2018easy\u2019 aspects can make us lazy. Nothing is written in stone. We\nall have free will. The chart represents potential. Ultimately, it is\nup to us what we do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nI\nintend to keep this book until I\u2019m 84.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Midlife Is Not a Crisis: Using Astrology to Thrive in the Second Half of Life on Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About\nthe Author:<\/strong>\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lynn\nWoike<\/strong> was\n50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before\nshe consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She\ndraws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her\nSicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae,\nBuddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling\nfrom each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses\nReiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making\nher job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the\nwork it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with\nher large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can\nfollow her boards on Pinterest<\/a>,\nand write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review Midlife Is Not a Crisis Using Astrology to Thrive in the Second Half of Life by Virginia Bell Published by Weiser Books Pages: 242 What others call a midlife crisis, Virginia Bell calls a Mid-course correction, saying, \u201cWhatever we\u2019ve left out of the equation, whatever we\u2019ve ignored, begins to rise up and can no longer be disregarded. This cycle involves four planets and is spread over a decade.\u201d With that, she welcomes readers to understand life\u2019s most important cycle. As she began to study astrology in her early-50s, Bell came to realize it wasn\u2019t about something happening in the sky, but something happening within each of us, \u201cand could be a valuable tool for self-discovery.\u201d In the introduction, she explains the Chiron Return takes place between 49-51, when the comet returns to its place in the birth chart. \u201cIn mythology, Chiron was a great healer and teacher, and this passage is one of the best times to become fully conscious of whatever has not been healed. For many of us, our lives take off in a different direction from what we had anticipated, and often there is failure or loss that serves as a catalyst for this,\u201d she wrote. She had had my full attention. That\u2019s when I got divorced, moved and changed jobs. On the next page she notes that Uranus takes 84 years to come back to its place in the natal chart, and that in our early 60s, it makes the last aspect, giving us a second wind. \u201cThere\u2019s a sense of freedom that comes from this edgy aspect, provided we are willing to take some risks and extend ourselves beyond our comfort zone. It\u2019s worth doing, because the actions we take now will impact who we become at eighty-four when Uranus comes full circle,\u201d Bell wrote. That aspect happened as I made a commitment to find a school bus, renovate it to be an RV and make my future a life on the road, a witch on wheels. That will finally come to fruition this year. Now I was hooked. I wished I\u2019d had this book starting with my Saturn Rerun around age 29, because \u201cMidlife Is Not a Crisis\u201d serves as a guidebook to the landscape on the second half of our journey. She explained, \u201c[I]t helps to have some knowledge of the terrain, so you can prepare and pack accordingly.\u201d At the beginning of the book is a concise overview of astrology that introduces beginners to astrological terms, and the concepts of planets, signs and houses. Bell paraphrases Carl Jung, writing, \u201cAnything born a moment in time has the characteristics of that moment. The birth chart is a picture of the sky at the moment of birth. It is a snapshot of the heavens and all the planets. It is frozen in time. In the next moment, everything moves, but that picture is yours forever; it is eternal, a piece of cosmic DNA.\u201d Equating power places on the planet to power years in our lives, Bell lays out the lifecycle we all share at the same age. 29 First Saturn Return (Growing up and getting real.) 37-45 Midlife Journey (Breakdowns and breakthroughs.) 49-51 Chiron Return (The youth of old age.) 58 Second Saturn Return (The new elder.) 62-63 Closing Uranus Square (A second wind.) 70s The Seventies (Real problems, real possibilities.) 84 Uranus Return (The homecoming,) She presents information in a gentle and encouraging manner, always pointing to the gifts, strengths, lessons, vulnerabilities and tools. She\u2019s like a tour guide, helping you navigate the map of your life. \u201cThese cycles or power years are the great turning points in life; at every juncture there will be challenges, lessons, and losses \u2013 in this we have no choice. Our freedom lies in how we respond: consciously or unconsciously, awake or asleep, with fear or with love,\u201d Bell wrote. She sums up the astrology chapter by saying, \u201cIt\u2019s all good. There is no such thing as a bad chart or a bad aspect. Hopefully, we all have some great aspects in our birth chart, as well as some challenging ones. Why challenging ones? We\u2019re here to learn. The hard aspects are the ones that push us to grow, change, and achieve. Too many \u2018easy\u2019 aspects can make us lazy. Nothing is written in stone. We all have free will. The chart represents potential. Ultimately, it is up to us what we do with it.\u201d I intend to keep this book until I\u2019m 84. Midlife Is Not a Crisis: Using Astrology to Thrive in the Second Half of Life on Amazon *** About the Author: Lynn Woike was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19624\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}