Dr. Marc Edmund Jones (October 1, 1888 – March 5, 1980) was an American writer, screenwriter and

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 ...

Early life

Born October 1, 1888, at 8:37 a.m. CST in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri, Marc Edmund Jones showed an early fascination with complex patterns in the environment, which later influenced his development of a distinctive philosophical system. His evolving ideas would contribute to notable perspectives on

occultism The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...

and the

Kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...

worldview. He was raised in Chicago within the formal, late

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

parental framework of the time. His early influences included

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices which are associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes in ...

neighbors who moved in next door and an aunt who introduced him to

Theosophy 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 Neop ...

. His lifelong interest in astrology began in 1913, leading him to explore occult principles more deeply. Over time, he also developed an interest in spiritualism.

Work

Marc Jones has been called the dean of American astrology, and is perhaps best remembered as the leader in the twentieth century of a movement to reformulate the study of astrology. He developed the seven categories of horoscopic patterns or distributions of the astrological planets around the

zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...

, which are called the Splay, Splash, Bundle, Bowl, Locomotive, Bucket, and Seesaw shapes or patterns. He created the Sabian Symbols with the assistance of the clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler in 1925, and in 1953 he published ''The Sabian Symbols in Astrology'', a book that renders a specific symbol and interpretive character for each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac that are found on the astronomical ecliptic. Early in life he became a writer of silent

film scenario A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a ''teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of wri ...

s, and worked in that profession for a number of years. In 1923, he founded the special-studies group known as the Sabian Assembly, still in existence in the twenty-first century

He was ordained as a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister in 1934, and later received a PhD degree from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He taught and lectured across the USA for years. His most voluminous written work is the set of Sabian lessons on philosophy, the Bible, astrology and cabalistic pattern, at which he labored for decades. Dr. Jones died on March 5, 1980 in Stanwood, Washington. His major visible legacy exists today in the Sabian Assembly which he founded and his books, most which are still in print.

Published works

*''How To Learn Astrology'' *''The Guide To Horoscope Interpretation'' *''Horary Astrology'' *''Astrology: How & Why It Works'' *''The Sabian Symbols In Astrology'' *''Essentials Of Astrological Analysis'' *''Scope Of Astrological Prediction'' *''Mundane Perspectives In Astrology'' *''Fundamentals Of Number Significance'' *''The Counseling Manual In Astrology'' *''How To Live With The Stars'' *''The Marc Edmund Jones 500'' *''George Sylvester Morris: Philosophical Career & Theistic Idealism'' *''Gandhi Lives'' *''Occult Philosophy'' *''The Sabian Manual: A Ritual For Living'' *''The Sabian Book Of Letters To Aspirants'' *''Man, Magic And Fantasy'' *"Ten Words Of Power" *"Patterns Of Consciousness: The Ibn Gabirol Squares"

External links

*
Astrology's Memorial to Marc Edmund Jones and His Work

Non-Sabian Astrologer Perspective on Marc Edmund Jones

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Marc Edmund 1888 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American astrologers