because i am only a learner when it comes to astrology i was hoping some of you could advise on what books and software i should buy

and FREE programmes would be even better though i am perfectly happy to pay.

 i already have koch  media astrology cd-rom and wow astrology so what others are the best.

I ordered a copy of Astrological Roots: The Hellenistic Legacy a few days ago, I might post a review it once I'm finished with it if anyone's interested.

Personally, if I were you I'd look in to the Traditional and Cosmobiology for a good foundation first, I was mistaken by looking in to far too much of Modern astrology beforehand (this isn't to say it isn't useful, just that none of the books I've read on it so far has made me feel that well grounded in it).

www.astro.com is a good place to start

There, you can 'draw' all the basic charts for free. I highly recommend it as the best place to get your bearings and play around a little before you purchase any software. 

If you search for the tag astro.com, others have written about it on these boards.

Or see Related Posts below.

I received my copy of Astrological Roots: The Hellenistic Legacy by Joseph Crane today. While I'm only in to the first few chapters, I have to say I'm very impressed with the work so far, and believe it should be required reading for anyone in to Western Astrology.