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

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th cen ...

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

apocryphal Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

Book of Enoch. An eminent English

Theosophist Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

, Sepharial was a well-known and respected

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 ...

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

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, 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, orga ...

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 practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

and followed this up with studies in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

oriental languages A wide variety of languages are spoken throughout Asia, comprising different language families and some unrelated isolates. The major language families include Austroasiatic, Austronesian, Caucasian, Dravidian, Indo-European, Afroasiatic, Turk ...

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, 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 o ...

and

numerology Numerology (also known 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, of the letters in ...

. 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, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

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

Madame Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, uk, Олена Петрівна Блаватська, Olena Petrivna Blavatska (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875 ...

(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, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

and

, and his writings had a considerable impact on Alfred H. Barley and

Alan Leo Alan Leo, born William Frederick Allan, (Westminster, 7 August 1860 – Bude, 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 ...

, 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 ( ; he, Wiktionary:לילית, לִילִית, Līlīṯ) is a female figure in Mesopotamian Mythology, Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, Judaic mythology, alternatively the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-demon. ...

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

. 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. Sepharial also 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, 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''. *Sepharial: '' Eclipses: Astronomically and Astrologically Considered and Explained''. *Sepharial: ''Science of Foreknowledge''. *Sepharial and

Charubel John Thomas (1826–1908) was a Welsh mystic of the late 19th century. He used the professional name Charubel to practice, claiming to be a clairvoyant, occultist and healer. Early years As a young man, John Thomas studied for the Christian mi ...

: ''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 astrologers 19th-century astrologers