My Mountain Astrologer review of Solar Fire 8
The new version 8 of Solar Fire Gold was released in June 2011. Like its predecessors, version 8 is incredibly well-designed and easy to use, and runs under all recent versions of Windows (including all versions of Windows 7).
For those unfamiliar with Solar Fire, it was the first astrology program designed specifically to work with the Windows graphical user interface. This makes it amazingly easy to learn and to use. (You can read more about astrology programs and the graphical user interface on the TMA link page*.) The program is also incredibly powerful, with the best predictive graph, top-quality chart animations, a simple-to-use page designer, phenomenal chart file and time search functions, and a great many other fine features.
The biggest enhancement in this version is the inclusion of the complete Solar Maps version 3 program, which works perfectly from within Solar Fire. Previous versions of Solar Fire had a "Lite" version of Solar Maps, with a minimal set of features. So it's a great boon (and great savings) to have the entire program built-in, because it is a top-notch astromapping program. It has an excellent user interface (e.g. with the best zooming function of any astromapping program), a wide array of astromapping capabilities including Cyclo*Carto*Graphy and map lines for Fixed Stars & Paran, the ability to easily customize it (e.g. add cities to maps, change the colors of lines, etc.), and top-notch interpretations of Astro*Carto*Graphy lines, Local Space lines, and Parans. To read more about Solar Maps, please go to the TMA link page*.
The program's built-in ACS atlas has been updated with the latest time zone and daylight time changes, and users can now edit and update the time zone information themselves, if changes occur between versions of the program. During installation, the program looks to see if you have an older version on your PC, and if so, your chart files and many of your settings are automatically imported into the new version.
A major new feature in the program is their Appointments Manager. With this module you can create a schedule of all of your appointments, create receipts, email reminders to clients, time sessions, record the readings, create a database of clients -- including their contact information and charts and notes -- and even set the pricing structure and calculate the price of each session.
In previous versions, to view extra points in a chart wheel, you had to create an "extra points wheel" which displayed these points in an outer ring around the natal chart. With version 8, you can now place up to 50 extra points in chart wheels. You can create any number of sets of extra points, and choose from a wide variety of points including Fixed Stars, Arabic Parts, midpoints, planetary nodes, additional angles, Eclipses and Lunar Phases prior to the birth, and many other bodies.
For those interested in compatibility assessment, the Kuta method used in Vedic astrology is new to the program, in the Ashtkoot module. This compares the Sidereal Moons in two people's charts, employing a number of criteria, to generate a compatibility score.
Solar Fire has always had an unparalleled Animate Chart feature, and now it's enhanced by a new location button (to immediately change the location for the animation), the addition of week time increments, and the placement of an animate button on the View Chart screen.
There are new glyphs for 65 asteroids, and a new alternative glyph for Neptune.
For Classical astrological work, the program now offers chart wheels with extra rings showing Face rulers, Term rulers, Egyptian Rulers, and for the Vedic astrologers in the audience, Nakshatra rulers (just be sure to change the Zodiac to Sidereal first!).
The artists in all of us will enjoy the new Chart Art added to this version including twelve Renaissance depictions of the signs, twelve Composite Chart Art pages, and more.
Astrology teachers will find it a bit easier with their students, because they will be able to create a single file with all of their settings to provide for their students, so that everyone's version of Solar Fire uses the same aspects, orbs, etc.
Especially for those who never purchased Solar Maps, Solar Fire Gold version 8 is a very worthy update. The Appointments Manager will appeal to professional astrologers, and all of the many new touches continue to make Solar Fire an incredibly powerful and well-polished astrology program.
For more information on Solar Fire Gold version 8, feel free to go to http://www.solarfiregold.com where I will be posting more information as well as video tutorials on the program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solar Fire Gold 8 News
Please purchase the update or new version through me, as I am offering the best pricing and fastest shipping, and also a whole new collection of beautiful Chart Art pages that I've designed myself, (available only through me).
The new features of the Solar Fire Gold version 8, as shown on their website, include:
A complete Appointments Manager, to help professional astrologers keep track of their clients' sessions, email reminders, etc.
Solar Fire Gold 8 includes the full Solar Maps program. Solar Maps has been my favorite astro-mapping program for years. I love the well-designed interface, the quality of the interpretations, and its integration with Solar Fire. To have the complete version of Solar Maps included in this update is a great boon.
For those who work with extra points, like asteroids, Fixed Stars, Arabic Parts, midpoints, planetary nodes, etc. you will now be able to add up to 50 of the points you want to any chart.
As Vedic astrologers know, the Kuta system of compatibility assessment is one of the time-honored techniques used in India for arranged marriages. Solar Fire 8 now has this Ashkoot system as a feature.
Solar Fire 8 offers 65 asteroid glyphs, the ability to email your settings to others, interpretations for the Vertex, new Chart Art, and new chart wheel designs that include an extra ring showing face rulers, Nakshatras, Egyptian rulers, or Ptolemy Term rulers,
In issuing the new version, the ACS Atlas has been updated, and chart animating has been integrated with the View Chart screen, too.
My Initial Findings on Solar Fire Gold version 8:
I've started testing the new version, and discovered that:
1. The version of Solar Maps included is the exact same version as the standalone version 3 of Solar Maps, not an updated version. Nevertheless, this is a great astromapping program that works seemlessly within Solar Fire Gold version 8.
Those unfamiliar with Solar Maps can look at my full review of its features by clicking here.
2. The only new visible menu item is the Appointments Manager. Otherwise, the program looks the same.
3. It is very convenient to have a new Animate button on the View Chart screen, so you can immediately animate any chart you're viewing.
4. The Nakshatra Wheel shows the nakshatra planetary rulers, not the nakshatra names, around the natal chart. This is still very useful, but requires the user to know the nakshatra rulers for it to be meaningful.
5. The Appointments Manager is well-designed, and can record sessions in the WAV audio file format, if you have a microphone installed on your PC. The WAV format is lossless (I.e. the computer doesn't remove any auditory information) but it creates very large files which would need to be compressed if they are to be emailed to clients.
6. The Extra Points feature in Solar Fire Gold version 8 works very well. This enables you to choose which extra points you want to be displayed in chart wheels, selecting from midpoints, nodes, Arabic Parts, Fixed Stars, prior-to-birth Lunar Phases and Eclipses, etc. You can also create as many sets of extra points as you want. Note: Solar Fire Gold version 8 does not draw aspect lines to the extra points.
6. In doing my testing, the installation of Solar Fire Gold version 8 overwrote several of my customized settings (e.g. my set of planets and aspects, retained charts, etc.). It is always a good policy to keep a backup of your settings in case this occurs on your PC. To do so, find the Solar Fire User Files and copy them to a CD, DVD, or large flash drive.
7. Be sure to look at the new Chart Art pages. With each update, Esoteric adds colorful new pages. The latest ones are for Composite charts and Solar Returns (and make nice gifts).
8. I will add more information on the update as my research on it progresses.
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