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.
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