A bit of Astrological History

People who hire ghost writers usually have a story to tell, but don’t have the skills to write it. They usually have abundant financial assets, since ghost-writing isn’t cheap, and only beginners would accept a project on spec.

Trish and I have both worked as ghostwriters from time to time and also have watched in fascination as the ‘authors’ have appeared on television talking about their writing careers. The reason they appear on TV is that they are already well known, if not famous, before ‘writing’ their books.

However, in rare cases the ghostwriter is more well known than the supposed author. That was the case with Evangeline Smith Adams, an astrologer from the early twentieth century. In her later years, she began writing books such as Astrology: Your Place in the Sun (1927), Astrology: Your Place Among the Stars (1930), and her autobiography, The Bowl of Heaven (1926). Interestingly, her ghost writer was not only well known, but infamous. He was Aleister Crowley, renowned member of the Golden Dawn, and an explorer of the dark side.

Thanks to Crowley, Adams became famous in her own right and has been called “America’s first astrological superstar.” A resident of New York, she ran a thriving astrological consulting business and hired a team of assistants and stenographers to prepare material for her clients. However, it wasn’t only her books and skills as an astrologer that vaulted Adams to notoriety.

Astrology was illegal in New York and she was arrested three times, in 1911, 1914 and 1923, for fortunetelling. All the cases brought against her were unsuccessful, and the May 1914 trial brought particular notability.

In that instance, Adams went to court to prove that astrology was a science. She asked to be allowed to cast a horoscope for someone chosen at random, working only with the person’s date, time, and place of birth. The judge rose to the challenge and gave her the birth data of an unnamed individual. Adams cast the horoscope and began to talk about the person’s life.

The judge was astounded. “What you say about this person is exactly right,” he told her. “I know because he is my son.” The judge then went on to make the practice of astrology legal in the state of New York.

The story of Evangeline Smith Adams appears briefly in Star Power for Teens, a book co-authored by Rob MacGregor and daughter Megan MacGregor. It’s a story that teens no doubt will not hear in their science classes.