Alan Leo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Alan Leo, born William Frederick Allan, (7 August 1860 – 30 August 1917) was an English
astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
, author, publisher, astrological data collector and
theosophist Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neo ...
. He is often referred to as "the father of modern
astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
". His work stimulated a revival of astrology in the Western world after its decline at the end of the 17th century. Leo was a devout theosophist and he worked many of its religious concepts such as
karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
and
reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...
into his astrology. He used the
Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...
's vast international connections to publish, translate and disseminate his work across Europe and America.


Astrological technique and influence

Leo was born in
Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
, and took the name of his sun-sign as a pseudonym, is credited with starting the movement towards a more psychologically-oriented
horoscope A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an ast ...
analysis in astrology, being the first astrologer to argue for a loose interpretation of possible trends of experience rather than the specific prediction of events. His influence has been described as marking a 'turning point' in horoscope delineation, because, as astrological historian James Holden explains: In 1890, Leo invited George R.S. Mead to found an occult lodge in
Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...
, South London. Towards the end of his life, in 1909, and again in 1911, Leo travelled with his wife Bessie Leo to
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
where he studied Indian astrology. As a result of his studies in India, he later attempted to incorporate portions of Indian astrology into the western astrological model. Leo's book ''The Art of Synthesis'' (1912) was a probable influence on
Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...
's work ''The Planets''. In this book, Leo gave the planets descriptions such as "Mars the Energiser". Leo was a non-smoker, teetotaller and
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
. In 1915, Leo founded the Astrological Lodge of London.Hone, M., ''The Modern Text-Book of Astrology; revised ed.'', p.295. (London: Random House, 2004) .


Legal controversies and death

In 1914, aged 54, Leo faced prosecution against the charge that he "did unlawfully pretend to tell fortunes" through astrology. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence, but it led to Leo's belief that astrology needed to be revised to be legitimised.Deborah Houlding, 'Prediction, Providence and Power of the Self', ''Traditional Astrologer Magazine'', vol. 17, September 1998; online a
Skyscript
(retrieved 11 July 2012)
His advice to fellow astrologers was: In 1917 Leo stood trial again on a similar charge. Despite his insistence that he told only "tendencies" and not "fortunes", he lost his case and was fined £5 plus costs. Leo was convicted of fortune-telling on 16 July 1917. He died a few weeks later from an
apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...
(
cerebral haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...
), at 10:00 am on 30 August 1917, whilst on a holiday at
Bude Bude (, locally or ; Cornish language, Cornish ) is a seaside town in north Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Bude-Stratton and at the mouth of the River Neet (also known locally as the River Strat). It was sometimes formerly known as ...
in Cornwall, which was intended to restore his health after the ordeals of the trial. He had used the 'holiday' as a period in which he rewrote hundreds of pages of astrological text to "recast the whole system and make it run more along the lines of character reading and less as the assertion of an inevitable destiny", despite being warned by his wife that "he needed rest badly after the worry and anxiety of the law case", and was overworking himself and heading for a breakdown. After his sudden death the rewriting of his work was completed by his friend and colleague H.S. Greene. Greene also remarked on how the 1917 prosecution had caused worry for Leo during the process of the trial.


Works

*
The Astrologer's Magazine
', edited by Alan Leo
Vol. IV (1894)Vol. V
series 1895–. *
How to Judge a Nativity
'. 2 vols. 1904. Reprint, London: Modern Astrology Office, 1928. *
Astrology for All
' series 1903–. *
The Progressed Horoscope
'. London: Fowler 1906. *
Horary Astrology
'. London: Modern Astrology Office, 1909. *
The Key to your own Nativity
'. London: Modern Astrology Office, 1910. *
The Art of Synthesis
'. Originally published 1912 as "How to Judge a Nativity" in the ''Astrology for All'' series. London: Fowler 1968. *
Casting the Horoscope
'. London: Modern Astrology Office, 1912. *
Esoteric Astrology
', first published 1913. Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont, 1989. *
Alan Leo's Dictionary of Astrology
', edited and completed by Vivian E. Robson. London 1929. *
Thousand and One Notable Nativities: Astrologer's Who's Who
'. Publisher: L.N. Fowler & Co; 2nd edition (1917),


References


External links





{{DEFAULTSORT:Leo, Alan 1860 births 1917 deaths 19th-century astrologers 20th-century British astrologers Astrological data collectors English astrologers English astrological writers English male writers English Theosophists