LYN BIRKBECK - Astrologer & Author

website: www.lynbirkbeck.com e-mail: lynbirkbeck@btinternet.com telephone: (UK)+17687-72858

I first became interested in astrology in 1972 after a prediction of my world being turned upside down turned out to be true. After seven years of self-teaching through study and experience, I turned professional in 1979 and since then have used my astrological skills to help and enlighten thousands of people. During that time I have featured numerous times on television, radio and in the press. At a certain point in my career I decided that there was a great gap in astrological understanding that needed to be filled – the one between ‘Sun-Sign’ astrology and ‘horoscope’ columns on the one hand, and the full-blown technicalities of professional astrology on the other. This I successfully achieved with my bestselling Do It Yourself Astrology (1996 Element) which originally came out as a slightly smaller edition entitled Sun, Moon and Planet Signs (1990 Bloomsbury) and is currently available in its third incarnation as The Watkins Handbook of Astrology (Watkins 2006), then Do It Yourself Relationship Astrology (1999 Element) followed by Do It Yourself Life Plan Astrology (2000 Element). All of these books (totalling over 110,000 sales to date) are ‘user-friendly’ in that they require little or no calculation and present astrology in a very accessible and practical way that has both breadth, depth and detail.

Then in February 2002 came The Astrological Oracle published by Thorsons. This utilises the astrologically renowned Sabian Symbols, channelled images for each of the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. Simply by using ordinary playing cards or dice one is put in touch with the wisdom contained within the Sabian Symbols, bringing clarification and guidance to any and all issues that modern life can present us with. The Astrological Oracle is the most exhaustive treatment of the Sabian Symbols yet and in 2015 also became available as an app, Astro-Oracle. It is also published in Kindle under the title The Sabian Symbols - An Astrological Oracle.

2003 and 2004 witnessed the publication of two new books, Astro-Wisdom and The Instant Astrologer. While the former is an innovative and interactive Sun-Sign book which also looks at the significance of planetary cycles in a person’s life purely determined by age, The Instant Astrologer is a culmination of my efforts – in the form of book and CD - to bring ‘true astrology’ to the masses without their having to go to the expense and technical difficulty that were hitherto unavoidable. Both of these are published by O Books at John Hunt Publishing Ltd.

June 2005 saw the publication by O Books of my most cutting edge book, Divine Astrology. This sees the Sun, Moon and Planets, the ‘primary archetypes of our existence’, as portals that are an interface between the generative matrix from which all perceived reality springs, and that reality itself. The ‘reality in the making’ that streams forth through these Planetary Portals is what the astrologer reads as influences and indications, rather like telling the time from a cosmic clock. Yet through relating to the Portals for what they are – direct access points to The Creator – we can download the updates necessary to upgrade our personalities so that they operate more happily, peacefully and effectively. This in turn contributes to a better functioning of the whole. The only condition is that one surrenders to these cosmic intelligences the illusion of control that the ego clings to. The text, images (40 full-colour cards) and rituals that comprise Divine Astrology facilitate this surrender and upgrade.

Understanding The Future (Watkins) came out autumn 2008 and concerns the period 2007-2020, a critical time for humanity and this planet. Understanding The Future also introduces the connection between astrology and quantum theory.

My most recent book (2022) is Dynamic Interactive Astrology (O Books) which is a super-fast method of reading a birth chart with the use of keywords and keyphrases. This is Level One - Planets in Signs and Houses. Level Two will cover the Aspects.

Reviews of Dynamic Interactive Astrology:

"Fascinating fantastic book! Brought to life astrology and helps people understand more."- Karen B (NetGalley)

"I really enjoyed this more in depth understanding of astrology." - Wendy B (NetGalley)

My Beliefs and Aims - I am a great believer in astrology being one of the true great descriptors and liberators of human potential – and so my style of astrology is geared towards achieving these very ends. This means that I interpret charts and write my books with the aim of helping one to become more aware of negative patterns of behaviour that attract pain and difficulty – manifesting mainly in relationship, work or health problems. At the same time, I identify or reaffirm strengths and positive potential, those qualities that ultimately take one forward and upward, and help to find an individual’s rightful place in this world. I also believe that human beings are currently going through a transformation from one form of awareness to another, higher form of awareness. This process is inevitably beset with confusion and conflict as old values usually obstruct incoming new values, and smoothing this process for the individual, and the world as a whole, is the background intention of all my astrological work. In my latest published work described below, this is the specific intention. I see astrology as not only a tool for personal guidance and uplift, but additionally as aiding the evolution of the human spirit. I am also a musician - this and record producer being my profession previous to astrology – a poet, and a trained hypnotherapist.

I live in the Lake District of England with my wife Talia, who co-directs tarotassociation.net.