8. Become What You Are

In this chapter the author continues on the same line of thinking like in chapter 7, starting with a quotation from Erich Fromm, in his Man for Himself (1947):

"Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality."

and another argument for free will:

"The horoscope does not show what we automatically are, but the person we are created to be."

In the middle of those precious theories, the author shows that to become what you are is a task which can be sustained with astrology by analyzing a chart and giving advices about the natural state of that person (even so considered "bad aspects" can have a good effect). Astrologers should try to make people understand how they really are:

"You meet people who have been told they must not become what they are, but should try to be somebody else. Aries is told not to be pushy, Aquarius not to be so impersonal, Capricorn not to be so self - centered. From birth onwards Gemini tends to be lectured by parents and teachers about his inability to concentrate, to do one thing at a time. How can you possibly do your homework with the radio on! But the astrologer's job is not to try to turn a person whose whole being resists concentration into someone born under another sign, such as Capricorn or Scorpio, for whom one - pointedness may be essential for right development.

On the contrary, the task is to encourage Gemini to raise his natural inclinations to the level of sophisticated skills. Gemini should be told: Do as many things simultaneously as you can. Take a simple assignment or operation and make it as many-sided as possible. After all, to be able to handle parallel lines of activity expertly is a valuable asset in many walks of life. [...] So whatever job Gemini is doing, the advice must be to make it as multiple and diversely interesting as circumstances permit. Everything possible should be done to encourage versatility, because that is the key to successful Gemini self - expression."

Then, the author makes other valuable observations for each zodiacal sign, for example in the case of Sagittarius:

"To function properly Sagittarius must have an inkling of what it is all about, and especially some well-defined social or moral values. The Archer needs some mark beyond himself, beyond the expedience of the present situation. And again, Sagittarius often has to be encouraged to keep exploring and experimenting, an essential element which may be lost in middle life when the curiosity natural to youth has faded. These people may not realise it, but getting into a rut brings about a more certain deterioration of their personalities than life's adversities."

In conclusion, try to evolve the way your chart shows, don't run from your personality:

"While astrology never promises automatic success, we shall not win any glittering prizes if we are working against the grain of our cosmic development".

9. Living with the Stars

The author presents astrology like a science which can help us different areas like: predicting and understanding events, counseling or psychotherapy situations, creative thinking and problem solving. 

10. The Far Edge

"Everything we learn about the connection between ourselves and the heavens points to a universe which is far stranger in its operations than even the theoretical physics of our day - itself light years ahead of the common sense of the fabled man on the Clapham omnibus - would ever suspect."

Yes, it is. Far. Maybe if we wouldn't be so "blind" and would try to use astrology efficiently like a science things would be better:

"But how important would be for humanity if astrology, by not fitting into any familiar picture of reality, had all the time been testifying to an utterly different reality, the true reality! How sad if that reality had to wait another thousand years for its flowering because the clues to its existence had been left neglected!"

In the final, other examples of how astrology works: the massacre of Thomas Watt Hamilton in Dunblame, princess Diana death, the sinking of Titanic etc.

MY EVALUATION: 8,85

Conclusion. It is a good book about the philosophy behind astrology, about what astrology is and how it should be looked by people. It is one of the few books which shows in a modern view what astrology really is: "the greatest truth", as the author writes. On the other hand the chapters and their content seems to be incomplete, maybe the multitude of practical examples are not very well chose, maybe are too many or the line of thoughts is not in a natural order, but reading the book gives you the sensation that something is missing, that is not expressing a complete, clear philosophy of astrology. Mircea Eliade, one of the best historians of religion and philosophers, said that "a good thinker will not be a good writer". I am sure that Dennis Elwell  is a good thinker. My evaluation is 8,85.