THE LIFE AND WORK ALAN LEO — — THE OSOP HIST A STRO LOG E R MA SON B ESSIE LEO A ND OTHER S “1 11 1-1 A FOREWORD B Y A NNI E B E S ANT From the unrea l lea d us to the R ea l , From d arkn es s lea d us to Li g ht, From dea th lea d us to Immorta li ty . L ONDON M D S T G Y C O E RN A ROLO OFFI E , 0 P L B L L I E C R CU S C . 4 , IM ERIA UI DINGS , UDGATE , 4 THE TRA DE S U P P L l E D B Y L N F . L R 8: L E C . CO . P OW E , 7 , IM ERIA ARCADE , 1 9 1 9 . P AG E FO R EW O R D : AN A P P R E C I ATI ON 7 ' ALAN LE O S FA ITH HAP . P A RE N A GE AND E A R LY LI FE C . I T E Y D I I . AR L AY S I N A STRO LOG Y MA AN III. RRIAG E D HO ME L I FE THE P IV . A SSI N G OF A LAN LE O V O M R I N I S N S . S E E M CE C E M P V I. RE I N I S CE N CE S AND A P R E C I ATI ON S V II THE HORO S O P E O LA N E O . C F A L A LA N LE O : R E ST OR E R o r I N N E R TE A C HI N G S OF ASTRO LO G Y B O ORS B Y A L AN LE O FOR E WO RD AN A P P RE C IATI ON IT was my good fortune to kno w Alan L e o fo r man was o f very y years , to me he first all o f Divine a devoted student the Wisdom , that Wisdom whi ch has come down t o us through o f a succession Sages , forming in all a golden thread interwoven in the cord o f human o n evolution , an unbroken thread which are strung the religions o f the world living and T r ro l im . o D e c a e d dead that ivine Wisdom , p in o ur ow n days under its o ld Greek name The OS O hia The o s o h p , p y, he was ever absolutely its loyal , unwaveringly brave in defence , ever to . eager to learn , willing teach I t was the Lamp of his life , guiding him through many hard and thorny ways ; he threw its light o n problems that seemed insoluble and they were 8 LI F E AN D WO RK OF ALAN LEO no no solved trouble could dim its glow , attack could shake hi s faith for he had tried it k and proved it , and he new that in which he had believed by the personal knowledge o f hi s o n w experience . Then I knew him a s a singularly able well balanced and intuitive Astrologer ; his love for this ancient and much maligned science t o was only second his love for Theosophy , and indeed they were s o interwoven in his s o hi s o ne thought , they permeated life , that can scarcely speak of first and second . I ndeed Astrology is a Department O f the D ivine Wisdom , as known in Chaldea and all ancient lands . H e w a s one of the foremost in raising Astrology from fortune - telling to a scientific o f of forecasting conditions , a delineation o f tendencies in a character , a map the an d a wide o n personal nature , outlook coming evolution . H e ever bore in m ind n o t only the circumstances through which the individual re - would pass , but the action Of the individual o n the circumstances , remoulding and re shaping them ; and he remembered that previous re mo uldings and re shapings by the LI F E AN D WOR K OF ALAN LEO 9 spiritualised organism during its present life would introduce far - reaching changes into the life map drawn from the horoscope at birth . He appreciated fully the bearing o n the happenings Of the future o f the pregnant hint ” and The wise man rules his stars , the sequential effect o f his previous rul ings o n those future happenings . He realised that as o f R l the power the Spirit , the I nner u er I mmortal , passed in ever increasing measure o f s o out latency in potency , did the future become more and more inscrutable by means Of ordinary rules , since the emergent new forces brought about their necessary results in fashions well nigh incalculable by most A strologers . O utside these great studies which formed A his life , lan Leo was singularly patient , tolerant and forbearing , unchanging in his loyalty to his friends , and ever the faithful i servant of Duty . O f h s utter devotion to the Great Beings who are the Guardians o f Humanity and the Teachers o f the individual Souls who aspire to learn that they may become the helpers o f the men and women 10 L I F E AN D WOR K OF ALAN L E O i around them this s not the place to speak . The s ilent devotion in the Temple found i ts best expression in a life o f toil and sacrifice fo r human service and his work will ever be hi s best memorial . ANNI E B ESAN T. A LAN L E O ’ S FA I T H I AM convinced that the problem O f the inequalities o f the human race can only be successfully solved by a knowledge o f Astrology . “ I believe that the Principle which gives life dwells in us and without us comes from the Supreme I ntelligence through the Rays o f the Sun , and I am convinced that this life is affected o r modified every four minutes in the O f time by diurnal revolution the Earth , also by the annual motion of the E arth round the Sun , affecting the Changes Of Season and ’ men s individual natures . “ I believe the Soul o f Humanity is immortal o r perp e tual ; a nd I am convinced that each individual soul o r mind is symbolised by the Moon in its ebb and flow , and various phases , also by its relation to the Planetary Spher e s O f Influence and as the Mo o n affects 11 12 LI FE AN D WO RK OF ALAN LEO ' the tides S O does it affect lunacy and influence f the sanity o individuals . I bel ieve every human being belongs to a Father Star in heaven or Star Angel a s did jesus Christ according to our Scripture and I am con vinced that every man derive s hi s will power from a Planetary Sphere o f Infl u o r ence which he uses , abuses , by whi ch he can overcome evil tendencies and control his animal nature , hence Astrology teaches that D Character is estiny , also that the Wise man rules his Stars while the fool obeys them . I know that , although many attempts have been made , Astrology has never been success - i ts fully refuted or disproved , and to day ancient teachings are being rediscovered through i ts remarkable symbology and illumin ative symbols . THE LIFE AND WOR K O F ALAN LEO C H A P T E R I PARENTAGE AND E AR LY LI FE IT is perhaps a curious circumstance that a man s o interested in science and occultism as should have had a father a soldier , and w as yet such the case with Alan Leo , for his w as father in the army , serving his country in o n . India , for several years active service H e went through the Indian Mutiny and was S O rather severely wounded in the leg , that it f his became sti f, which led to discharge and t o return England . By birth Alan Leo ’ s father was a Scotsman hi and s regiment was the Scottish Highlanders . After his discharge he returned to E ngland and helped at the Dispensary of one o f the o f large London hospitals . Being a religious 13 14 LI FE AN D WO RK OF ALAN LEO o f turn mind , he used to attend a Methodist fa r Chapel not from the hospital , and he met there a woman w ho was o f the sect called the Plymouth Brethren . A friendship sprang up between the two and after he had promised to of j oin the ranks the Plymouth B rethren , fo r marriage took place . They lived together b ut o n some years , coul d not agree religious s o w as a matters , the union not ltogether happy . Alan was born nearly seven years after his ’ t o parent s marriage , and according his ' As mother s account w as small for his age . o ne their income was a very limited , h is mother had not much time to nurse him ; and , s o s he told me , he would play by himself in his o r hi s e cot high chair for hours , rar ly cried , and was most patient and quiet .