Marcia Moore (May 22, 1928 – January 14, 1979) was an American

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

and

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

teacher brought to national attention in 1965 through

Jess Stearn Jess Stearn (April 26, 1914 – March 27, 2002) was an American journalist and author of more than thirty books, nine of which were bestsellers. Early life Stearn was born in Syracuse, New York to David Stearn, a rabbi. He graduated from Syracus ...

's book ''Yoga, Youth, and Reincarnation''. She was an advocate and researcher of the dissociative properties of the drug

ketamine Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It is also used as a recreational drug. It is one of the safest anesthetics, as, in contrast with opiates, ether, and propofol, it suppresses ne ...

. Moore disappeared in 1979, and although her remains were found in 1981, the cause and circumstances of her death are still unknown.

Biography

Early life

Moore was born Marcia (pronounced mar-SEE-uh) Sheldon Moore, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

on May 22, 1928, the only daughter of Robert L. Moore, founder of the

Sheraton Hotel Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an international semi-luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Cen ...

chain, and Eleanor Turner Moore, who was an artist, illustrator and

esotericist Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

. She had three brothers: writer Robert (Robin) Moore, John S. Moore, and William K. Moore.

Robin Moore Robert Lowell Moore Jr. (October 31, 1925 – February 21, 2008) was an American writer who wrote '' The Green Berets'', '' The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy'', and with Xaviera Hollander and ...

wrote ''

The Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...

'' (1965) and '' The French Connection'' (1969) among other books. In 1947 she married Simons L. Roof, an aspiring writer, and in 1950 the couple moved from Cambridge to Concord. They had three children. In 1955, the family left for an extended trip to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where they studied Hindu and esoteric religions. They returned to the United States in the fall of 1957. Moore finished her studies at

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

in 1960. Her senior thesis was published under the title ''Astrology Today: A Socio-Psychological Survey''.

Drug proponent

With her

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

husband Howard Alltounian, she became a proponent of the drug

and published ''Journeys Into The Bright World'' in 1978. The book promoted the existential richness of the ketamine-induced

dissociative Dissociatives, colloquially dissos, are a subclass of hallucinogens which distort perception of sight and sound and produce feelings of detachment – dissociation – from the environment and/or self. Although many kinds of drugs are capable of ...

experience, and the possibilities for using this drug in conjunction with

Jungian Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

Disappearance and death

In the winter of 1979, at age 50, Moore disappeared. Her remains were found two years later in the woods near her

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

home. It has been hypothesized that on a winter night in the forest, Moore had injected all the ketamine available to her, became unconscious, and died of

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...

. Her lower jaw was identified via dental records. Writer

Ann Rule Ann Rae Rule (''née'' Stackhouse; October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American author of true crime books and articles. She is best known for ''The Stranger Beside Me'' (1980), about the serial killer Ted Bundy, with whom Rule worked an ...

stated that Moore's skull had been found with a hole in it; one of her friends suspected it was a bullet hole, but investigators believed it may have happened due to the skull's exposure to the elements over two years. This information was not immediately published by investigators at the time of the discovery. The cause of her death remains unresolved.

Personal life

Moore married four times. Her first husband was Simons Roof, with whom she had three children, Louisa (Loulie) in 1948, Christopher in 1951, and Jonathan (Jonny) in 1953. The couple divorced in 1961, and she married Louis S. Acker in 1962. She later married Mark Douglas and moved to Maine, where the couple published a series of books on yoga. In the late 1970s, she married Howard Alltounian, M.D. (1937–2006) and they moved to Washington, near

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Legacy

Moore's personal papers, the Marcia S. Moore Collection, 1948–1999 (Bulk 1948–1964), were given to Concord Library by her son Christopher Roof in May 2009. Christoper also died mysteriously. His body was found by a hunter in the woods of Maine on November 4, 2010, and was not identified until September 20, 2021. The circumstances around and cause of his death are still unknown.

Publications

*''Reincarnation, the Key to Immortality'', with Mark Douglas, Able Trust edition, , 1968. *''Diet, Sex and Yoga'', with Mark Douglas, Able Trust edition, , 1970. *''Astrology in Action'', with Mark Douglas, Able Trust edition, , 1970. *''Hypersentience: Exploring Your Past Lifetime As a Guide to Your Character and Destiny'', , 1976. *''Journeys into the Bright World'', Para Research Inc, , 1978. *''Astrology: The Divine Science'', Able Trust edition, , 1978. *''Yoga, Science of the Self'', with Mark Douglas, Arcane Publications York Harbor, ASIN: B0006X5POC, 1979.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Marcia 1928 births 1970s missing person cases 1979 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century astrologers American astrologers American astrological writers American psychedelic drug advocates American women non-fiction writers American yoga teachers Female murder victims Formerly missing people History of women in Washington (state) Missing person cases in Washington (state) Psychedelic drug researchers Radcliffe College alumni Unsolved deaths Women mystics