I own several other books by Barbara and while I admire them and aspire to understand them I've found them a bit heady for me...I'll open, flip through, glean some wonderful information until my brain hurts and then put them down for a while. ;)

This book is a whole other story...I devoured this when I was finally ready to read it. On the advice of a total stranger I met over a year ago I'd purchased the book and simply tossed it aside at the time, obviously not ready yet. I feel as though books just call out to you when there's something you need to know. That happened with this book recently when I was experiencing the most uncharacteristic dark energy that seeemed to be taking over. I've always been this beacon of laughter, light and joy and don't buy into the whole "midlife crisis" whining so that wasn't a generalization I would give any power to at all.

I'm glad I stuck to my guns on that one because this book explains the positive and empowering aspect of not only the energy I'm coming into now, but the major life transitions at 30ish and in the 50s as well. So it covers 3 key transitions. As someone who has practiced and taught Kundalini yoga for a while and studied astrology since childhood, this book speaks my language. And it does so in a way that made me feel excited and powerful, not mournful or lost, as I see so many others feeling when they approach this energy.

I'd honestly like to give this to everyone I know because it does cover such an inclusive range of life experiences. Even reading about what was happening when I was in that Saturn return stage at around age 30 made some things click. I find knowledge helpful even in hindsight, where it can still become wisdom in action.

Sometimes I wish this had a different title because I think it can put people off when they mistakenly assume it's just about something physical and sexual...this is so much more than that. This is a ray of sanity and pure light during times when things might seem like utter chaos.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in their 30s, 40s or 50s who is finding that they are experiencing some transitions that might be overwhelming, baffling, intimidating or downright daunting. This dispels some fear-based myths and brings you into a space of understanding, self love and pure power.

Contrary to the title, this book really has to do with transits of Uranus & Neptune in your chart and life. Don't be scared by the title or the author; this is a worthwhile read for people wanting to understand mid-life crises.

three monthes after my 40th birthday i was reeling with incomprehension. i had turned into some kind of dr.jeckyll and mr. hyde. the morning after a totally unsatifying $150 session with a respected astrologer, my copy of this book arrived from amazon. for $12(!) this book explained to me what was going on, why, what i could do about it, and showed me a promising path of spiritual unfoldment where i had begun to expect imminent insanity and a sad slow demise.

i've been experiencing kundalini awakening and following my own astrological transits for ten years, but it took barbara hand clow to show me what was right in front of my face in terms of mid-life. now instead of confusion and fear, i have calmed down, recommitted to disciplined spiritual practice, and i feel on track again. this book is a wonder of clarity and help. her other books are great too.

I'm 51 now. I've been watching people grow for 20 years in my practice. This woman, Barbara Hand Clow, has it DOWN about the big transitions that create a true human being. She's also an astute and intuitive astrologer, and you'll pick up some insights there, too.

This book describes and helps validate the changes and experiences undergone at mid-life by many individuals. She gives advice for men and women on how to handle the need for inner change and growth while preserving their relationships intact in most instances. While sharing her caution and respect for the rising of kundalini energy, and her view that it should not be forced to arise at an improper time, I do not agree that one always needs to wait until age 36 or so to let this energy begin to awaken. Damming and smothering the flow of kundalini energy when it is trying to rise at any time can have unfortunate effects as well, I believe. Use of certain meditation techniques and physical disciplines like Kundalini Yoga can help to make this awakening safe and smoother when it does occur. Unfortunately, the subject of kundalini awakening has been neglected by western science and astrology, so this book is performing a valuable service by acknowledging the phenomenon and giving helpful advice on how to handle the experience. I believe that just reading that many other people have had similar experiences can help a person to feel better about themselves and not just think they are "going crazy." When I first experienced kundalini rising, I had no one to talk to about the phenomenon, and I only realized years later that other people had these experiences of the feeling of energy flowing in the body as well.
I found the sections in this book on the astrological houses and the polarities they represent to be particularly helpful and inspiring. I found the updated material on Saturn at the end of the book to be helpful as well in describing and plotting phases of one's career and life. In addition, Barbara brings in material on the cycles of Chiron, the heavenly body discovered in our solar system in 1977, and its return to its original position in our natal charts at age fifty. I found this material on Chiron, the wounded healer and ruler of many New Age techniques and modalities, to be so intriguing and moving, and to have so much resonance in my own life experience, that I have bought her book on Chiron and have started to read it as well. Her chapter on Global Shamanism near the end of the book helps tie the experiences of the individual in with the journey of society as a whole and helps to postulate some remedies for current problems of society. I do wish there had been more material on the planet Neptune and its transits at midlife as well. She also does not talk about the planets in the various signs, and transits of the outer planets to other planets in the natal chart, probably due to space restrictions and to the fact that this book was written for a general audience, not just for astologers and those interested in astrology. Therefore, the timing and character of certain events might be a little different for some people due to other factors in their individual charts not examined here. It would be helpful to the reader to get their chart done after reading this book to further personalize Barbara's findings. Also, books like Jeff Green's book on Pluto, or Bil Tierney's "Alive and Well" books on the outer planets could help expand the knowledge of the reader even further. Overall, this book is an excellent beginning to anyone wanting to examine the subject of mid-life crisis from a spiritual point of view.