Leo, Alan

Alan Leo
natal chart (Placidus)
natal chart English style (Equal houses)
natal chart with Whole Sign houses

Name	Leo, Alan Gender: M
Birthname	William Frederick Allan
born on	7 August 1860 at 05:49 (= 05:49 AM )
Place	Westminster, England, 51n30, 0w09
Timezone	GMT h0e (is standard time)
Data source	Bio/autobiography Rodden Rating B Collector: Rodden
Astrology data	14°53' 15°19 Asc. 27°03'

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Alan Leo

Biography

British astrologer, businessman and author, a Theosophist who is considered the father of modern astrology. Leo wrote a series of astrological text-books, founded a successful astrology magazine, and established an organization that remains vibrant some 90 years later. He shifted the focus of astrological work from prediction to personal analysis and is responsible for articulating the popular astrological precept that “character is destiny”.

Brought up by his mother in difficult circumstances, Leo had no formal education beyond grade school. He worked in various jobs until becoming a traveling salesman. In 1885, Leo began studying astrology and met F.W. Lacey (Aphorel) and Walter Gorn Old (Sepharial), members of the inner circle of the Theosophical Society. Through them, he met Madame Blavatsky and became a Theosophist himself. He kept his day job as a salesman, however, until 1898 according to “The Astrology Encyclopedia.”

Using the professional name of Alan Leo, he and Lacey decided on November 12, 1889 to launch The Astrologer's Magazine, later renamed Modern Astrology. Choosing a publication date of July 20, 1890, they gave away free horoscopes to subscribers. In the four years between 1890 and 1894, they dispatched more than 4,000 written horoscopes. When Lacey withdrew in 1894 to pursue other interests, Leo became the sole proprietor. He met his future wife, Bessie, when she became a new subscriber to his magazine and placed an ad. They married in 1896, a relationship that was said to be platonic.

By 1898, the magazine was doing so well that Leo was able to abandon his sales job and give his full energies to astrology. His Modern Astrology Publishing Company grew steadily and built up a big business in astrological materials. In the early 1900s, he wrote several substantial books as well as a number of short works on astrology. His books were so popular that they were repeatedly reprinted, and almost a century later they are still in print.

Through his publications and tireless efforts, Alan Leo became so widely known that he created renewed interest in astrology, but with a different emphasis than astrologers who came before him. Whether by inclination, philosophy or events of his era, Leo emphasized character description rather than prediction. Amidst his success, he was twice prosecuted legally for "fortune-telling." In the first case, in May 1914, he was acquitted on a technicality. The following year, 1915, Leo established the London Astrological Lodge of the Theosophical Society, and two years later he was brought back into court on a second case. In July 1917 he was fined £25 pounds, equivalent to over $3,000 in early 2005.

Alan Leo died on August 30, 1917, 10:00 AM in Bude, England, just one month after his second court case. Bessie published his autobiography after his death, in 1919.

Link to Wikipedia biography

Link to Astrodienst forum archive

Relationships

• business associate/partner relationship with Lacey, F.W. (born 26 March 1854)

• opponent/rival/enemy relationship with Sepharial (born 20 March 1864). Notes: Rival

• spouse relationship with Leo, Bessie (born 5 April 1858)

Events

• Social : Begin a program of study 1877 (Karma and reincarnation)

• Relationship : Meet a significant person 1890 (H.P. Blavatsky)

• Relationship : Marriage 1896 (Bessie)

• Crime : Trial dates May 1914 (Tried for fortune-telling)
  chart Placidus Equal_H.

• Crime : Trial dates June 1917 (Tried for fortune-telling)
  chart Placidus Equal_H.

• Death, Cause unspecified 30 August 1917 in Bude (Age 57)
  chart Placidus Equal_H.

Source Notes

Data given in his book "Esoteric Astrology." In his book, “The Progressed Horoscope,” he published his chart with the word “approximately” after the time.

Sy Scholfield quotes from "The Life and Work of Alan Leo" by his widow Bessie Leo (London: Modern Astrology, 1919), p. 177: "Alan Leo was born at Westminster on August 7, 1860, and Mr Lacey has mentioned that the time originally given was 6 a.m. The result of rectification was to change the ascendant from the beginning of Virgo to the end of Leo, and the accompanying map, set for approximately 5.49 a.m., is that which was considered by Mr Leo himself to be his true horoscope."

Categories

• Family : Relationship : Marriage more than 15 Yrs (Married 21 years)

• Family : Relationship : Stress - Distant (Platonic marriage)

• Lifestyle : Work : Same Job more than 10 yrs (Salesman over 10 years)

• Passions : Sexuality : Celibacy/ Minimal (Marriage said to be non-sexual)

• Personal : Religion/Spirituality : Theosophy/Vedanta (Theosophist)

• Vocation : Business/Marketing : Sales (Traveling salesman)

• Vocation : Education : Researcher (Reincarnation, karma)

• Vocation : Occult Fields : Astrologer (Pro)

• Vocation : Writers : Astrology

• Vocation : Writers : Autobiographer

• Vocation : Writers : Publisher/ Editor (Publisher)

• Notable : Famous : Top 5% of Profession

• Notable : Book Collection : American Book