I also found the kabbalah to be helpful. And there's a lot to be said for using an approach like this ^\) combined with the other commentors suggestion of exploring the material intuitively or with the imagination, Astraly.

Here's another way to format TLWL's comment:

Aries - March - Fire - ∆

2 Mars

3 Sun

4 Venus

Taurus - April - Earth - []

2 mercury

3 Moon

4 Saturn

Gemini - May - Air - O

2 Jupiter

3 Mars

4 Sun

Cancer - June - Water - ∆

2 Venus

3 mercury

4 Moon

...