Eclipses Astronomically and Astologically Considered Scanned Version

This little work is designed to instruct the mind as yet unacquainted with the phenomena of eclipses, and to counteract the prejudice which affirms without examination that these phenomena are in no way connected with mundane events. In dealing with my subject I shall have occasion to speak of eclipses of the Sun and Moon not only in their physical causative relations, but also in their symbolical and prognostic relations. If we can show that there are definite physical effects attending eclipses of the luminaries, it should be an easy matter to entertain the possibility that they may also have an effect in the psychic and mental sphere of our life, owing to the known relationship of mentality and organism.

That eclipses may have, further, a symbolical and prognostic value, follows from the fact that they can be calculated in advance, not only as regards the celestial position in which they occur, but also the mundane locality in which they will be witnessed, their duration and dimensions. For if we regard man as related upon all sides to his greater environment, represented by the celestial amphisphere, we may rationally suspect that changes taking place in that environment will produce in him a variety of corresponding changes and modifications.

And we have no reason to suppose that all eclipses will act upon him alike, seeing that they occur in different parts of the heavens and from different signs and constellations. Only from like causes we must argue like effects, and all that remains for us is to show that this is the case. In this way it is possible to build up an astrologia sana as far removed from the superstition of the popular mind as most natural phenomena are from the folk-lore connected with them when they are properly studied and scientifically regarded.

The work here presented is intended to be an introduction to the proper study of eclipses rather than a complete exposition either in theory or practice. It is, in short, intended to show what eclipses are, how they are caused, the means of calculating them with adequate accuracy, and finally of finding a logical place for them in our scheme of thought as a part of that Cosmic Symbolism by which the Divine Intelligence is rendered to us intelligible.

London, 1915 SEPHARIAL

About the author

Dr Walter Gorn Old (born 20 March 1864, at 2:06 a.m. LMT in Handsworth, England; died 23 December 1929 in Hove, England) was a notable 19th century mystic and astrologer, better known as Sepharial.

An eminent English Theosophist, Sepharial was a well-known and respected astrologer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and wrote numerous books, some of which (particularly those on numerology) are still highly regarded today. He was editor of "Old Moore's Almanac", which is still published in the 21st century.
Overview

As a young man Sepharial initially studied medicine and followed this up with studies in psychology, oriental languages, astrology and numerology. In 1886 he started to write an astrology problem page in the Society Times, where he answered the public's questions, and in 1887 at the age of just 23 was admitted to the "inner sanctum" of the Theosophical Society. He was in fact one of the founder members of the Theosophical movement in England. Madame Blavatsky (whom he lived with until her death) called him "The Astral Tramp" because of his nightly explorations into the astral plane (Ref: Kim Farnell's book).
Influential legacy

He became a very influential author in the fields of the occult, astrology and numerology, and his writings had a considerable impact on E. H. Bailey and Alan Leo, who he introduced to Theosophy. He can be credited as the first astrologer to use Earth's "dark moon" Lilith in his calculations. Genuinely erudite, Sepharial had for example a greater knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, and historical methodology than most of his astrological contemporaries and this showed in his writings. Sepharial's "Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised" (co-written with Charubel) foreshadowed Marc Edmund Jones's subsequent (and nowadays better known) work on Sabian Symbols. However, many 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. A colourful character, Sepharial started a number of astrological magazines, all of which failed to establish themselves.
Books

Sepharial wrote many books, most of which are rare and out of print. Here are a few:

* Sepharial: "New Dictionary of Astrology", republished by Arco, New York in 1964.
* Sepharial: "The New Manual of Astrology" (in four books).
* Sepharial: "Astrology Explained".
* 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 1913. Modern edition: ISBN 1-59605-404-2. (on numerology).
* Sepharial: "The Silver Key".
* Sepharial: "Cosmic Symbolism".
* Sepharial: "Science of Foreknowledge".
* Sepharial and Charubel: "Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised" (on astrology).
* Kim Farnell: "Astral Tramp". Ascella Publications, 1998, ISBN 1-898503-88-5. (biography of Sepharial).