It's all in the Stars and Planets - Queer Astrology for Men
Written: Mar 09 '04 (Updated Mar 09 '04)
Product Rating:
Pros: Hits some personalities on the head, fun to read, learn about your quirks
Cons: astrology isn't that real is it?
The Bottom Line: Pick up a copy, compare signs, and see what’s painted in the stars for you - most of all have some fun and learn a thing or two about yourself
jps246's Full Review: Jill Dearman - Queer Astrology for Men: An Astrolo...
Are you a gay man who’s tired of reading their horoscope and seeing that they are supposed to be finding a lovely lady in their future or are you just looking for something that is more tailored to the queer man than anything else you’ll likely find?
If you are, then you will probably enjoy Queer Astrology for Men written by Jill Dearman. A woman writing a book for gay guys you say? Jill Dearman is a lesbian astrologist with years of experience in astrology (both gay and straight) and provides an interesting take on the familiar zodiac for gay men.
What do I get in this book?
The book opens with a short introduction that goes over the basics of the zodiac, astrology and a gay guy’s place in that realm. It is useful introduction for anyone not familiar with astrology and for anyone who is, it’s a good catch-up for what you might have been forgetting.
Part One of the book is dedicated to the twelve sun signs: Aries; Taurus; Gemini; Cancer; Leo; Virgo; Libra; Scorpio; Sagittarius; Capricorn; Aquarius; and Pisces. Each sign is given it’s own chapter and each chapter starts with a quick overview of the sun sign. For example, since I was born in mid-April I’m an Aries and my element is fire, my ruling planet is Mars and my best traits are being brave, thoroughly unjaded and energetic (I’ll leave out my bad traits). After the quick highlight version of the sign, the chapter delves into the details of what a gay man born under a certain sign will have propensities for according to the zodiac and astrology. Generally the chapter starts with an overview of what that sign is like in life, followed by how that person is in bed, how to seduce him, how to date him and finally how to last in a relationship with him. Oddly enough it seems to almost explain me – and if you were around when my partner and I were reading it, you could have seen him pointing that out and laughing the entire time, especially since:
The Aries gay man is a primal force…he’s not a control queen, it’s just that the darling boy loves to be in charge…he needs to be his own boss first, and then he can boss you around.
I try to counter that with the chapter’s closing:
This man is a true innocent in the world and wants to make his own way on his own terms, without having to lie, cheat or steal to get to the top. But get to the top he will, because he is a true individual and a real risk-take, in the best possible sense. He’s a rare breed and he knows it.
Now that makes me feel better.
It’s uncanny how many of the descriptions fit your personality or the personalities of the people around you. However that’s probably one of the pitfalls of Astrology, anyone can ready anything they want into an astrological chart and see what they want to see. We all latch onto things that we think we are like and we ignore the things that don’t necessarily line up.
However for my partner and I, Jill Dearman seems to have done a pretty good job describing us in broad terms within an astrological frame of reference.
Part Two of Queer Astrology for Men focuses on the compatibility of the various signs and this is where I have the biggest laugh in most any other astrology book. According to other books and charts, my partner and I are destined never to be together since Cancer and Aries never mix quite right and relationships always fail. I think though that Jill Dearman’s hit it on the head with her book and her analysis of the situation between the two signs when she points out that it can work and that even though it is a fire/water relationship, there are certain aspects of each sign that draw each of the signs closer together. For example:
These guys will either go from zero to ninety miles per hour in the first month or will be so annoyed by one another that they never speak again
This is exactly how it happened – there was an instant attraction the first time we met and since then, we’ve never stopped. It’s refreshing to see an astrology book look deeper into the dynamics of the various relationships than simply stating, “won’t work.”
As in Part One, the chapters in Part Two are broken down by sign and each combination of that sign with another sign is explored and described. The descriptions here are a little bit shorter (considering the number of possible combinations) than in Part One, but there is a lot of ground to cover too. The highligts of each relationship or reviewed, such as personality dynamics, sexual relationships and what it takes to make it last.
The advice and insight throughout Part Two, like that given in Part One is written in a humorous and fun fashion that makes reading the entire book fun.
Thoughts
To me, astrology has always been something “fun.” I’m not going to plan my life around the position of Saturn or worry about certain celestial alignments, but even if there’s absolutely nothing to it, looking at an analyzing personalities and compatibility is a worthwhile thing for anyone to do. In the end I think that’s the best part of both the book, it gives you something to think about – is that really how I act? Are my partner and I like that?
Plus it’s a lot of fun when you have friends over and you go through their sign.
If you’re a gay guy, Queer Astrology for Men is an enjoyable and fun read that can be the start of some deeper thoughts on what really makes you the way that you are. For others, if you’ve got plenty of gay friends, then this book might just help that quirky personality – if you skip over what we’re like in bed (or maybe you don’t want to skip over that section).
So…
Pick up a copy, compare signs, and see what’s painted in the stars for you. Most of all have some fun and learn a thing or two about yourself while you’re at it.
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