Walter Gorn Old (born 20 March 1864 in Handsworth, England; died 23 December 1929 in

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

, England) was a 19th-century astrologer, who used the nom-de-plume "Sepharial", after an angel in the

apocryphal Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

Book of Enoch The Book of Enoch (also 1 Enoch; Hebrew language, Hebrew: סֵפֶר חֲנוֹךְ, ''Sēfer Ḥănōḵ''; , ) is an Second Temple Judaism, ancient Jewish Apocalyptic literature, apocalyptic religious text, ascribed by tradition to the Patriar ...

''. An English

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 ...

, Sepharial was an

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 ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and wrote multiple books, some of which are still highly regarded in some circles today. He was

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of '' Old Moore's Almanac'', which is still published in the 21st century.

Overview

As a young man, Sepharial initially studied

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and followed this up with studies in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

oriental languages Asia is home to hundreds of languages comprising several families and some unrelated isolates. The most spoken language families on the continent include Austroasiatic, Austronesian, Japonic, Dravidian, Indo-European, Afroasiatic, Turkic, ...

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 ...

and

numerology Numerology (known before the 20th century as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, ...

. In 1886, he started to write an astrology problem page in the ''Society Times'' where he answered public questions, and in 1887 was admitted to the "inner sanctum" of 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 ...

. He was one of the founding members of the Theosophical movement in England.

Madame Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian-born mystic and writer who emigrated to the United States where she co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an international foll ...

(whom he lived with until her death) called him "The Astral Tramp".

Legacy

Sepharial became an influential author in the fields of the

occult 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 mysti ...

and

, and his writings had a considerable impact on and

Alan Leo Alan Leo, born William Frederick Allan, (7 August 1860 – 30 August 1917) was an English astrologer, author, publisher, astrological data collector and theosophist. He is often referred to as "the father of modern astrology". His work stimula ...

, who he introduced to Theosophy. He can be credited as the first astrologer to use Waltemath earth's hypothetical natural satellite in his calculations. Since he considered it to be black enough to be invisible most of the time he call it "dark moon"

Lilith Lilith (; ), also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden ...

.University of California ''The Earth's Second Moon, 1846–present''.

. A number of his books and other works were put together in a rather slapdash way, which made his reputation less enduring than it might have been. Sepharial also started a number of astrological magazines, all of which failed to establish themselves.

Books

Sepharial wrote multiple books, most of which are rare and out of print, including the following: *Sepharial: ''New Dictionary of Astrology'', republished by Arco, New York in 1964. *Sepharial: ''The New Manual of Astrology'' (in four books). *Sepharial: ''Astrology Explained'', republished by www.astrologyinaction.com in 2012. *Sepharial: ''The Book of the Simple Way'' Pub 1904. (Translation of Lao Tzu's Chinese classic, the ''"Tao Te Ching"''). *Sepharial: ''The Kabala of Numbers'' Pub 1911. Modern edition: . (on numerology). *Sepharial: ''Second Sight: A Study of Natural and Induced Clairvoyance'', William Rider & Son: London, 1911 *Sepharial: ''Kabala: Ancient Secrets Of Numerology'' *Sepharial: ''The Silver Key''. *Sepharial: ''Cosmic Symbolism'', 1912 *Sepharial: '' Eclipses: Astronomically and Astrologically Considered and Explained''. *Sepharial: ''Science of Foreknowledge''. *Sepharial and Charubel: ''Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised'' (on astrology). *Sepharial: ''A Manual of Occultism''. *Sepharial: ''Astrology: How To Make Your Own Horoscope'', R. F. Fenno & Company, New York (N.D.) 126 pages w/ illustrations, 1920 *Sepharial: ''The Arcana Or Stock And Share Key'', kessinger publishing 48 (On Financial Astrology) *Sepharial: ''The Law of Values: An Exposition of the Primary Causes of Stock and Share Fluctuations'', cosimo classics 56 Pages (On Financial Astrology) *Sepharial: ''The Theory of Geodetic Equivalents'', David McKay, Philadelphia *Sepharial: ''How to Read the Crystal or Crystal and Seer'', 1922

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1864 births 1929 deaths English astrological writers English astrologers English writers English occultists English Theosophists 20th-century British astrologers 19th-century astrologers