Another astrologer whose name appears in the rolls of the Fortean Society—thought the connection appears incidental. He was a major 20th century astrologer but only a minor Fortean.
Marc Edmund Jones was a major force in the reformation of astrology in the 1930s, moving it away from prediction and toward an analysis of character (even if he did make predictions). He merged astrology with occult philosophies, particularly Theosophy, and one of his central breakthroughs came via a clairvoyant. In 1925, Elsie Wheeler revealed to him the Sabian symbols, which became the foundation of his astrological and occult philosophies. As best I can tell, the Sabian symbols are a set of attributes connected to each degree in the Zodiac table.
There is a lot written on Jones: here, here, and here, for example. In many ways, I think of him as the astrological equivalent of A. Merritt: a giant in his chosen (and fringe) field who inevitably became part of the Fortean Society, although his interest in the Society was nil, or marginal, at best.
He reached out the Fortean Society in 1944, after DaCosta Williams had written an essay on the relationship between the common cold and astrology for Thayer. It was the same time that Carl Payne Tobey became connected to the Society, and it seems reasonable to conclude that Williams mentioned something to the staff of American Astrologer, with which both Tobey and Jones were associated. Thayer mentioned Jones in the same column in which he introduced Tobey, but he seemed less impressed with Jones:
“What JONES, the other new member, sells (at fancy prices) is books and papers in exegesis of the “Sabian Assembly”. A Sabian, as nearly as Your Secretary can make out from the material at hand, is an astrologer who has read James Joyce. The “Assembly” originated in 1922 and has been continuously active since October 17, 1923. Three thousand studies of ‘pioneer work in an attempt to identify an organic integrity throughout all experience’ are available from $1.35 to $58.75 each . . . ‘Sabian research seeks to free philosophy from needlessly abstract metaphysics, to divorce religion from its notions of a remote or a postponed reality, and to lift science above any obligation to tradition or prejudice.’ If that program appeals to you, address Mr. Jones at 468 Riverside Drive, New York City.” [The Fortean Society Magazine 9, Spring 1944, page 3.]
Jones’s name never again appeared in The Fortean Society Magazine or Doubt, striking given how common his surname is. And as far as I can determine, he didn’t mention Fort himself—at least I can find no mention of him in Occult Philosophy the 1948 summa of his ideas.
Marc Edmund Jones was a major force in the reformation of astrology in the 1930s, moving it away from prediction and toward an analysis of character (even if he did make predictions). He merged astrology with occult philosophies, particularly Theosophy, and one of his central breakthroughs came via a clairvoyant. In 1925, Elsie Wheeler revealed to him the Sabian symbols, which became the foundation of his astrological and occult philosophies. As best I can tell, the Sabian symbols are a set of attributes connected to each degree in the Zodiac table.
There is a lot written on Jones: here, here, and here, for example. In many ways, I think of him as the astrological equivalent of A. Merritt: a giant in his chosen (and fringe) field who inevitably became part of the Fortean Society, although his interest in the Society was nil, or marginal, at best.
He reached out the Fortean Society in 1944, after DaCosta Williams had written an essay on the relationship between the common cold and astrology for Thayer. It was the same time that Carl Payne Tobey became connected to the Society, and it seems reasonable to conclude that Williams mentioned something to the staff of American Astrologer, with which both Tobey and Jones were associated. Thayer mentioned Jones in the same column in which he introduced Tobey, but he seemed less impressed with Jones:
“What JONES, the other new member, sells (at fancy prices) is books and papers in exegesis of the “Sabian Assembly”. A Sabian, as nearly as Your Secretary can make out from the material at hand, is an astrologer who has read James Joyce. The “Assembly” originated in 1922 and has been continuously active since October 17, 1923. Three thousand studies of ‘pioneer work in an attempt to identify an organic integrity throughout all experience’ are available from $1.35 to $58.75 each . . . ‘Sabian research seeks to free philosophy from needlessly abstract metaphysics, to divorce religion from its notions of a remote or a postponed reality, and to lift science above any obligation to tradition or prejudice.’ If that program appeals to you, address Mr. Jones at 468 Riverside Drive, New York City.” [The Fortean Society Magazine 9, Spring 1944, page 3.]
Jones’s name never again appeared in The Fortean Society Magazine or Doubt, striking given how common his surname is. And as far as I can determine, he didn’t mention Fort himself—at least I can find no mention of him in Occult Philosophy the 1948 summa of his ideas.
