Jim Lewis (astrologer)

Jim Lewis (born James Lewis Slayden; June 5, 1941 – February 21, 1995) was an American astrologer, writer and entrepreneur. He is known for pioneering the technique of astrocartography, a form of locational astrology.

Jim Lewis
Born
James Lewis Slayden

(1941-06-05)June 5, 1941
DiedFebruary 21, 1995(1995-02-21) (aged 53)
OccupationAstrologer
Known forAstrocartography
AwardsMarc Edmund Jones Award (1978)
Regulus Award (1992)
Websitecontinuumacg.net

Early life

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James Lewis Slayden was born on June 5, 1941 in Yonkers, New York. He spent time living at a commune in Big Sur, California, where he hunted deer.[1]

Career

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Locational astrology is an old concept,[2] but Lewis expanded a little-known field, using detailed maps and modern software. In 1979, Lewis published the first edition of his annual Sourcebook of Mundane Maps.[3] Lewis submitted a patent application for his system in 1980, which was granted on December 8, 1981.[4]

Lewis lectured throughout the world and regularly conducted seminars in which he trained students in astrocartography techniques.[1] He later went on to administer a certification exam. Candidates who passed his stringent qualifications were given a certificate as a professional astrocartographers.[5]

Lewis's theories were subsequently developed by other astrologers, including Steve Cozzi and Martin Jay Davis.[6] For his original work in developing and promoting the technique of astrocartography, Lewis received the Marc Edmund Jones award in 1978[7] and the "Regulus Award for Discovery, Innovation, and Research" at the United Astrology Congress in Washington, DC, in 1992.[8]

Personal life and death

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Lewis was gay and lived in San Francisco for most of his life.[1] In the mid-1980s he was struck by a vehicle while crossing Military Road in Sydney, Australia, which is on his Mars Ascending line.[1] Lewis died of a brain tumor in San Francisco on February 21, 1995, at age 53.[1]

Legacy

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In his will, Lewis provided for the formation of the Astrocartography Trust.[5] In 1999, the Trust applied for a trademark for the mark "ASTRO*CARTO*GRAPHY", which was granted on October 3, 2000. The registration was cancelled by the USPTO on May 6, 2011.[9]

Selected publications

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  • Lewis, Jim; Guttman, Gail (1981). The Astro*Carto*Graphy Book of Maps: The Astrology of Relocation (1st ed.). Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 978-0875424347.
  • Lewis, Jim (2004) [1985]. "And the future will be nothing less than the flowering of our inwardness". In Mann, A. T. (ed.). The Future of Astrology (Revised ed.). Paraview Press. pp. 115–130. ISBN 978-1616406448.
  • Lewis, Jim; Irving, Kenneth (2012) [1997]. The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy (Revised ed.). Words and Things. ISBN 978-0984428007.
  • Lewis, Jim (2002). Sullivan, Erin (ed.). Peter Pan in Midlife and the Midlife of America: A Personal and Collective Memoir. Santa Fe/Silver City, NM: Southwest Contemporary Astrology.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Currey, Robert (May–June 1995). "Jim Lewis 1941 - 1995 (Obituary)". The Astrological Journal. London: Astrological Association of Great Britain. ISSN 0144-6754 – via Astrocartography.uk.
  2. ^ Davis, Martin (2008). From Here to There: An Astrologer’s Guide to Astromapping. England: Wessex Astrologer. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-902405-27-8.
  3. ^ Baigent, Michael; Campion, Nicholas; Harvey, Charles (1984). Mundane Astrology. The Aquarian Press. ISBN 0-85030-302-8. ...the advent of the computer and the ingenuity of Jim Lewis's AstroCartography has now made it a relatively simple matter to plot out on a map of the world exactly where each planet is on an angle for any moment.
  4. ^ US 4304554 
  5. ^ a b Thompson, Angel (n.d.). "A Message from Angel Thompson". Continuum. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Ruth, Damian; Ibell, Graham (February 11–12, 2010). A Sense of Place: a contribution from astro-cartography (PDF). Organisation, Identity and Locality (OIL) Conference 1. Aotearoa/New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2018. Astro-Cartography is a relatively technical branch of astrology that is described in detail by Lewis & Irving (1997), Cozzi (1988) and Davis (1999).
  7. ^ "Marc Edmund Jones". Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. List of Winners
  8. ^ "United Astrology Conference Marion D. March Regulus Award Categories and Nominees". Archived from the original on January 12, 2011.
  9. ^ "US Serial No: 75667982 USPTO Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)". May 6, 2011.

Further reading

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  • Cozzi, Steve (1997) [1988]. Planets In Locality: Exploring Local Space Astrology. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 978-0875420981.
  • Davis, Martin (1999). Astrolocality Astrology: A guide to what it is and how to use it. Bournemouth, England: The Wessex Astrologer. ISBN 978-1902405056.
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