From Mercury Hour, October, 1988:
THE PASSING OF AN ASTROLOGICAL GIANT
By MARC PENFIELD"It's ironic, and quite coincidental, that on the same day as the announcement of Carroll Righter's death, the media published reports (according to statements made in Donald Regan's book) that the President was interested in Astrology and might have used it to determine the most propitious times to initiate certain activities. The ensuing flap over whether Pres. Reagan used Astrology brought our craft into the forefront of national attention.
"Of course, most people here in Hollywood have at some time or another sought the advice of an astrologer, so for anyone to think that a former movie star was unfamiliar with "the science of the stars" is about as insane as thinking that a stock market analyst had never read a financial prediction or forecast.
"The Dean of American Astrologers, Carroll Righter, met Evangeline Adams in his Youth, she told had the perfect chart for an astrologer, but he continued his law studies until a sporting accident nearly ended his life.
"Seeing that he had the ruler of his Sun sign (Uranus) and the ruler of his M.C. (Jupiter) in the eighth house of his chart, he decided to relocate to Los Angeles in 1939 where he set up shop doing charts for many people in the entertainment industry. At this time his progressed M.C. was 6 Aquarius, sextile Jupiter in the 9th and approaching a conjunction of natal Mercury. After a prediction made to Marlene Dietrich proved accurate, his clientele increased immeasurably and before long he was the "astrologer to the stars."
"Names like Arlene Dahl and Robert Cummings sought his advice, and even President Ronald Reagan mentioned him in his autobiography. I've been to Righter's house and there was a picture of Righter and Reagan on his piano.
"It's possible that Righter was the source for the Cancer rising chart for Reagan published many years ago (shown in Sabian Symbols) giving a birth time close to 2 p.m., as corroborated by Anne Edward's book "Early Reagan" wherein she alludes to a birth time in the early afternoon.
"Righter began writing his famous Astrology column in 1951. He always said "the stars impel, they don't compel," the title of one of his more appealing books. Righter held weekly study sessions at his home here in Hollywood, as he had done for the past 25 years. I met many of my friends here in town there on Tuesday nights. The first hour when I first attended back in 1973 was on Mundane or Horary Astrology taught by John Bradford, an expert in Financial Astrology.
"The second hour was Righter's court appearance. Sitting in an old chair at the head of the living room, he lectured on the up coming transits for the following week, giving extra consideration to the movement of the Moon. The third hour was mainly on delineation of famous people taught by Robert Skeetz, a local astrologer who also writes for a Beverly Hills newspaper. I met many interesting people at these meetings over the years, namely Victoria Shaw, an actress who now lives in Australia who became my best female friend here in town, and Bob Skeetz who gave me my first copy of the Nadi System of Rectification.
"From evidence in Regan's book and other astrologers around town, Reagan did use Astrology during his career. If he used the information wisely (which it appears that he did), then it can be to the favor of the a strologer who advised him, be it Righter or another astrologer in Washington. It's well-known that Lincoln sought the services of a psychic in the White House and held several seances during his term. Teddy Roosevelt kept a chart of himself on his desk and Franklin Roosevelt once sought the advice of Jeanne Dixon, the famous psychic. Kennedy should have listened to the astrologers who felt that he should never have gone to Dallas. Who knows what the world would be like today if he had listened?
"Even if Righter didn't gain the respect or attention world wide that he might have desired, the flap over whether the President used Astrology certainly gave Righter's craft the attention he could never acquire in life. Righter paved the ground for other astrological columnists like Sidney Omarr, Joyce Jillson and Jeane Dixon. Without Righter's great luck and powerful following our craft might still be in the dark recesses of history."
To Righter's Memorial
Memorials to Other Columnists
Memorials L-Z, Continued
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CREDITS: Biographical information for this memorial came from AstroDatabank and Aspects Magazine. The background comes from Crazy Girl. The golden Aquarius symbols are part of a set at RAD Graphics.
