With a new year upon us, we could all use a dose of self-awareness to welcome the next chapter of our lives with. A new book promises to give you just that by looking to the stars for answers.

Out soon from Summit Books is Practical Magic: Your Guide To Everyday Astrology, a contemporary astrology guide by Chinggay Labrador that’s the perfect companion for modern mystics. This book goes beyond giving vague forecasts for your sun sign—your go-to sign when you consult your horoscope—and takes you through what the stars have written out for you so you can apply your more comprehensive stellar smarts to your everyday life.


What sets Practical Magic apart from other astrology resources is its adherence to Dynamic Astrology, an approach that uses the stars to promote personality development rather than merely prediction. It does this by consulting your birth chart, a blueprint of what the sky looked like at the time of your birth where each area of the sky corresponds to your specific personality traits. Knowing your birth chart, including the signs that were present when you were born and the planets and houses that contain them, helps you put together the different aspects of your personality, leading you to a clearer picture of yourself and a sharper vision of how you could become even better.


“The point of personality-based astrology is self-awareness,” Chinggay writes. “It’s waking up to the different facets of your self so that you can, fingers crossed, experience life more mindfully.”

While it trains your eyes to the stars, Practical Magic also keeps your feet firmly planted in the ground. It clues you in on your everyday energies and arms you with practical astrology advice that you can apply to the different areas of your life—from family to friendships, from romance to career.


As its quirky icons and meme-inspired illustrations show, Practical Magic never takes itself too seriously; in fact Chinggay often acknowledges that people are more than just their signs. At the very least, Practical Magic is a light, fun read through which even the most casual astrology enthusiasts can get to know their signs better and pick up self-improvement insights along the way.

Chinggay Labrador is a freelance writer and tarot reader. She is the best-selling author of Summit Books’ Popped trilogy and creator of the tarot reading service Practical Magic. Learn more about her work at www.practicalmagic.co and @practical_magical on Instagram.

Practical Magic will soon be available in bookstores and on Lazada for P450. For updates on the book's launch, follow @SummitBooks on Facebook and @summit.books on Instagram.