Letters From Cyril

[Jim Eshelman]

Here follow letters from Cyril Fagan to Ferdinand Malenke III from Fagan's early years in Tuscon. Norman Bones edited them and printed them in his journal, The Siderealist. We have StarAgeWiz to thank for the copy from which I type this (my own copies of the magazine being somewhere in these storage boxes).

Ferde Malenke was my friend and a mentor for many years following my first article in Spica. He wrote VOLUMINOUS letters - many pages, front and back, tightly spaced meticulous typed pages. He was born February 17, 1927, 8:25 PM EST, Pottstown, PA, where he continued to live as a tenured music professor at a private school. He was quite brilliant! (I also exchanged letters with his daughter, Kathleen, for a couple of years. I just now saw that his son, Ferde IV, died a few years ago.)

Norman Bones wrote as introduction to these letters:

The following group of letters were written between September 1965 and May 1969. None of the letters appear in their entirety, certain portions have been deleted at the doner's request. In the editing process, only minor changes were made in grammatical construction and spelling. It is hoped that the final result will provide a glimpse into the life and personality of a great man. Our special thanks to Mr. Malenke for allowing access to this collection of fascinating letters from Cyril Fagan.

[Jim Eshelman]

Needless to say, I only got your remarkable letter last night, and it will take me some time to digest its remarkable contents. Thanks a thousand for writing to me so frankly; here again I wish all the other readers of my column would follow your lead; but I have no means of knowing how many read it; and how many are interested in my remarks on the sexual proclivities. If I thought they were welcome perhaps I would be more outspoken.

You appear to understand Sidereal astrology extraordinary well; perhaps better than any I know in the new world, except Garth Allen. And even here you seem to excel in the interpretation side. Yes, I agree your chart makes excellent testimony for Octotopos and the Gauquelin angles; but can we convince the astrological world to that effect?

To state that one is 6 ft. 2 ins., if correct, is simply a statement of fact. It is a truth. There is no suggestion of egotism about it. But if one gets an emotional "kick" from the fact then egotism is involved. Again the statement "...I am very gifted, extremely facile technically, and I have never met anyone that can sight-read [music] as well as I..." if true, is merely a sane, balanced statement of fact. There is nothing egotistical about it whatsoever. But if you got a psychological kick arising from these facts then again egotism is involved. A man who does not recognize his own capabilities is immature, puerile! There is nothing whatsoever in being ashamed to state a fact about oneself; provided one does not give it a psychological twist in one's favor.

Astrologically, the most pressing problem that confronts us is to determine in all sexual contacts, normal and deviate, who is the "aggressor" and who is the "aggrieved." This is not so easy to answer as it seems. Does Venus take the negative or the positive role? I know the case of a man who has the Sun in conjunction with Venus in Scorpio. He could only get sexual satisfaction when flogging a naked girl whose Mars [the man's] was in almost precise conjunction with her Moon. I know another case of a young miss who tied up and stripped a little boy and flogged him unmercifully. In this case also her Mars in Aries was in conjunction with his natal Moon in the same constellation. But it does not always work out that way. A father who had his Mars in opposition to his son's Sun and Venus used to invent occasions to flog his son. To resolve such problems, it is necessary to computer all three quotidians for the date and time of the event for both parties and compare them. It is problems like this that I would appreciate your help in solving. Should we succeed in doing so, it will help to clear up many other problems.

The ancient astrologers never spoke of homosexuality as being a deviation. Instead they stated that Saturn was adverse to beauty and to women; should Venus be in conjunction, or configured with, Saturn i inclined to sodomy especially should these planets bear testimony to the ruler of the 1st House. They agreed that as Libra was the exaltation of Saturn and was 'ruled' by Venus, it was, in particular, the 'house' of the sodomist! The mere fact that these two bodies should be in the foreground at birth presages the potential sodomist. It is not necessary to microscope the native's childhood to determine the cause; such as the dislike for women arises from the fact that the native was severely beaten on the naked posterior by his mother or nurse, when he was still a babe in arms. No mother or nurse will admit to this. So there may be something in the masochistic theory as to the origin of homosexuality; for, as you know, Saturn is th significator of fear and hence of hate. What we fear, we hate. "...the fear and love of God..." is a contradiction in terms. There is something to be said for the theory that the line of demarcation between negative homosexuality and masochism is very thin. The ancients, of course, knew nothing of Uranus - the deviate per se.

In answer to your question: No: Taureans as such rarely, if ever, tell one to behave. In some matters, Taureans do claim up, believing that "the least said, the earliest mended." Being at heart cowards, and easily 'cowed' they abhor anything in the nature of a row or quarrel; sop they are usually very tactful in what they say, a picking their way nimbly through the words.

[Jim Eshelman]

I have been re-reading your three letters with genuine pleasure. It is a real treat for me to read a letter from an intelligent astrologer; the more so should he be a male; for I must confess that I cannot abide a female astrologer and rarely take them seriously as they seem to lack the detached scientific outlook that one sometimes finds in the male. But your letters belong to the super male category. You know your astrology, you know your music, and you know your psychology and probably a great deal more as well which puts you in a class all to yourself.

Although all the books refer to Venus as the goddess of love, I am far from convinced that she is the goddess of sex per se. To me, the significators of sex are the two luminaries; the Sun denoting the positive, active, and aggressive and creative drive, and the Moon the passive one; Venus and Mars being the chief promittors.

Should you scan through the horoscopes of those, of both sexes, who have uncontrollable sexual passions, you will find that the vast majority have the Sun configurated with Mars. Should Mars be configurated at the same time with Neptune, their passions become a surging torrent; impossible to restrain. According to the Brihat Jataka of Varaha Mirhira, "Mars and Jupiter... will be of strong sexual passion, will possess excellent qualities and will be a mathematician..." Again he says, "The Sun, Mars, and Jupiter... will be fond of sexual enjoyment, will be considerate, will be a commander of armies or a magistrate..." Nowhere does Varaha imply that Venus is the significator of sex; not even the Sun, but only Mars. Which is very interesting; seemingly differentiating between lust and love.

My deafness: When I was a kid of 7, I contracted scarlet fever, which left me almost totally deaf. My teachers and school mates thought I was only pretending to be def and in consequence I got a pretty rough time at their hands. I had many serious operations on the ears.

Have you yet computed the Kinetic Solar and Lunar Returns? (vide the new "Primer") Both the Brigadier and myself consider them to be the most significant of all sidereal charts; and the most important. Have you a copy of my "Symbolism of the Constellations"? Some of my greatest discoveries are contained in this work!

[Jim Eshelman]

I really owe you a debt of gratitude for your enlightening letters as they have helped to solve some knotty problems in erotic astrology. Your Mars is fairly free of immediate contacts at birth; the opposition to Saturn being rather platic and the squares of lesser importance. In my case, Mars is within a degree of the perfect opposition of the Moon. Moreover, assuming I was a normal 9 month child, Venus, about the date of conception, would be in conjunction with my natal Moon and in opposition to the natal Mars. So when Mars transits one of these bodies, it will simultaneously transit the others which made it difficult to tease-out which was the significator of the erotic impulses. Now your letters have gone a long way to solve this problem.

[JAE NOTE: Ferde had Sun square Mars 0°25'. I disagree entirely with Fagan that this is not an important aspect. However, this passage is a private example of a point he made in print several times, that he thought only the conjunction and opposition - and the square when it approximated the mundane square - were important.]

Should we succeed in solving the erotic symbolism of astrology, we will, by implication, solve all astrological symbolism. Unfortunately I had to curtail my articles on sex; there were those who took exception to them. In this respect, I fear America is far behind England and the continent.

[Jim Eshelman]

The fact that I have not written to you since your superb letter of December 17; has got me up the pole, and the wrong pole at that, for which I offer my most profuse and obsequious apologies. But the fact is I adore your letters. They shake me out of my dull routine. If I have not answered your last letter ere this, it is because I have let myself in for a mountain of trouble. As you probably know, I have recently written on the problem of rectification; and then my troubles started. Regardless of money, many have implored me to find their missing birth time, sending me a mass of details; and now I'm tearing my hair out by the roots, climbing the wall - while in the meantime my usual work is rusticating on the shelves besmeared with dust. Moral: If you are a conscientious worker, never promise to rectify another's chart.

Things here are as dull as dull can be. Often I wish myself back in North Africa, where I was Morocco bound. The people here are god-fearing, simple and church-going folk, despite their immense advance in science. Why are they so lop-sided? They are not real people. They seem to have walked out of the pages of Victorian fiction. They live in pure fantasy, perfumed with angelic powder. The people of Europe are erotically and religiously thousands of years in advance of them.

Well, I must get on with my darned rectification. More the next time.

[Jim Eshelman]

As you can see from the above address, we have moved into our new home, which I purchased. Except for office furniture and beds, it is as yet devoid of even a chair to sit on. No sooner did we enter into possession than my son and his family arrived from Montreal. They took us for 10 days holiday, first to San Diego and then to Los Angeles, where we had a wonderful time.

Re "Horoscope Blanks" why not use a large rubber stamp made to your own design? I have used one for years.

I was never very much impressed with Duncan McNaughton (Maurice Wemyss). He wrote a book entitled "A Scheme of Egyptian Chronology." It was a very learned book and I was quite excited about it and its companion "A Scheme of Babylonian Chronology." I found the former so interesting that I commenced Egyptology for myself; only to discover that McNaughton was talking sheer nonsense. He did not know one Egyptian hieroglyphic from another. He was no better informed re cuneiform. Yet many have been taken in by these books. I think it was Gauquelin who submitted his "Degree Influences" to a severe statistical test; and found they were worthless.

Many who consult me get uneasy after a while. Some actually scream in terror.

I have modified my opinion about Sun-Mars contacts. They denote intense drive in everything and not necessarily sex. Sex-love is still under Venus with the Moon playing second fiddle.

I fear I have a very bad reputation for puns. Most deaf folk spill these in lieu of conversation, especially in public. When quaffing my daily allowance in the local, which was packed to capacity, one cowboy, trying to be funny before the others, smacked me on the back saying, "Young man, how long have you been in Tucson?" -- "Seven inches!" For ten seconds you could hear a pin drop. Then there was an uproar. Exit Fagan!

[Jim Eshelman]

Thanks ever so much for yours of the 6th inst. and thru. Let me warn you, unfortunately, that this is going to be a very brief letter. Why? Because of an advertisement with appeared in a recent issue of the magazine; Personal Service column. Hundreds - I dare not count them - of applications for the calculation of tropical-cum-sidereal horoscopes lie stacked on my desk, which have been passed on to me to deal with, as there is nobody else to do the job; and despite the fact that I have an Olivetti calculating machine and am getting special printed worksheets to accelerate the job, it still takes me over an hour to deal with each application as the public wants it done. However when I have this lot finished, I may have time to rest o my oars. But I understand the office have still a lot of applications that they have not yet fired along.

I'm inclined to attribute Mozart's arrogance to the Sun in Capricorn rather than the Moon in Scorpio. Of all solar constellations, Capricorn can be the coldest, harshest, and most unfeeling, who at heart are cruel, cold, and vindictive. Capricorn parents and school teachers love to discipline their charges the hard way, i.e. with the birth rod; and they love to humiliate them before others. Franz Schubert, who for a time, was a school teacher, is said to have flogged the naked posteriors of the boys on the slightest pretext!

Have you ever noticed the hand-shake of a Sun-in-Capricorn? It is usually cold, clammy, and completely without warmth. In love-making, Capricorn loves to hurt or be hurt, c.f. James Dean, February 8, 1931. Last week I was chatting with a noble woman, a regular church goer and church worker; a Puritan. Knowing she had the Sun in Capricorn, I asked her how would she deal with delinquent children. Without hesitation she replied, "...I would beat their tails off...!" Sagittarians beat children and slaves out of a sense of religious duty; but Capricorns do it for "kicks." Unlike the opposite sign, Cancer, many do not know what pity is.

[Jim Eshelman]

Ebertin is talking through his shorts. Mars and Neptune with Sun often make gigantic men; especially if Jupiter is also present. But nearly everybody much concerned, above everything else, with sex usually have the Moon and Venus configurated. "The will to live" is a meaningless phrase. Will is only desire.

[JAE NOTE: Much to decode here. Fagan is apparently talking about Ferde's Sun-Mars-Neptune T-square and his 6'2" height. Ferde probably had written him about Ebertin's reference to Su-Ma-Ne combinations as meaning weak, frail bodies and no sex activity.]

Have you not noticed that anybody who has his Moon, Mercury, Sun, or Mars configurated with your Saturn tends to make you look ridiculous, small, ignorant, and a bad, misguided boy that needs correction? One is no hero or Adonis to the one who has his luminaries on your Saturn. While Jupiter represents your saintly virtues (although the Sun and Leo are the symbols of religion), your angelic wings and so forth, Saturn denotes your "vices," "your" original sins, your ignorances and your stupidities.

Burt surely you are sufficiently intelligent to stay clear of all such divines. Years of study of Buddistic philosophy have completely weaned me from Churchianity and its Merry-go-rounds. Once you perceive the Truth, as Gautama perceived it, then automatically all the stupidities of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and so forth drop away, never to be revived. My first great insight into the teachings of the Buddha occurred in 1929, and its effect was radical. Have you ever read the talks of J. Krishnamurti? If not, may I suggest that you read all that he has written since 1926!!! Although he has talked to many, many millions and is the most handsome man in the world, I would not be at all surprised if you never heard of him. Both the Churches and the Press have suppressed all news about him since 1926! Almost every year, here in Ojai, California before thousands of people, Krishnamurti speaks, but not a word of what he says is reported to the press. Why? Because the Truth is always too disturbing and uncomfortable! The public craves for comfort; not truth!

[Jim Eshelman]

I had fully intended to write to you in time for the Xmas season but could not make it. Alleged to be "...the chief bottle-washer of the sidereal..." my mailbox is never empty, as you can well imagine.

I am enclosing a couple of charts that may really intrigue you, and (I hope) set you doing a little figuring.

D: November 8, 1949, 8:00 AM PST, San Diego, CA
L: September 12, 1947, 0:43 AM MST, Tucson, AZ
[JAE NOTE: The published charts had at least one significant error. I trust everyone reading this can calculate the charts themselves.]

At a local bar here, a group of boys were wont to assemble weekly. Being under age, they were only served with soft drinks. Exceptionally effeminate, they were transvestites. Every time they appeared at the bar, they would produce expensive ladies' articles of clothing and underwear. It was suspected that such articles, including bras and wigs, were not procured legitimately, The boys dressed well and were quite attractive. They also danced well, and were all gay.

On August 16 they were joined by "James," a man of 26. James offered to give them a lift home in his car, which they accepted. In the car was two "Ds" and one "L." According to report, when the care was passing through the desert, the two "Ds" ordered "James" out of his own car, forced him to remove his pants and underwear, made him kneel down and then unmercifully lashed him with a bull whip which tinged the cods and left him very badly bruised. "L" was a most excited witness to all this; and being a masochist wished that he was the victim! Having finally robbed "James" of his money, they took his car and drove to Nogales, the Mexican border town, where they were arrested and brought to Tucson.

The "D" who did all the whipping got a long term of imprisonment. The other "D," being a minor, has been sent to a place of detention until he is of age. But "L" was not apprehended although he was a witness for the State.

[JAE NOTE: Calculate away Only one "D" chart was given, not two. On a brief look, I notice that "D" had Pluto transit natal MC, Mars almost conjunct his Sun (perhaps partile by the time of the events) - but surely there is much more. The desert location isn't specified, but it was likely near Tucson. -- L had the same Pluto conjunct his Sun, an intriguing Jupiter conjunct his Saturn, and especially transiting Mars exactly square his natal Moon-Pluto conjunction. There is plenty of other stuff here that would be interesting if on SLR angles. I note the interesting luminary-Pluto aspects in both charts.]

[Jim Eshelman]

I feel thoroughly ashamed of myself for not replying before this to yours of February 2 and your very nice birthday card. Normally I don't tarry like this. Usually I answer my correspondence with dispatch. But your letters cannot be answered in that way. They need study the turning up of previous correspondence to pin-point charts alluded to, and so forth. As I am usually very occupied when your most welcome letters arrive, I'm obliged to put them "...on the long finger..." to answer when I have more leisure time.

At the moment, I'm more occupied than ever - and me at 72! - Llewellyn Publications have offered to publish my Constellations and Primer in hard-cover editions. Instead of re-writing Constellations, I am now thick in the process of writing an entirely new book. It will contain the cream of all my discoveries in antiquity, and will be a sort of Bible of the Sidereal zodiac. The first eight chapters are already in the printer's hands. The other book will be an entire revision of the Primer containing all the latest Tables and techniques.

Here is a little bit of very confidential (for the timing being) information:

Sirhan Bishara Sirhan
1944 March 18, 2 A.M.
Jerusalem, Palestine

[JAE NOTE: Observe that this letter was the same month Robert Kennedy was shot. The above is the data we have now long had on record for Sirhan.]

Our man, Charlie, who runs a store for antiques and books on sidereal astrology, got the information from Sirhan's brother, Said. Like you, he is an avid Siderealist. He tells me that the Hippies have declared that the Sidereal zodiac is "groovy."

[Jim Eshelman]

What a revolution it is to discover that Mars is not only the planet of sex but that it is also a negative "female" planet, and in all exchanges the one that gets slapped! All this is not only thoroughly at variance with popular astrology, but flatly contradicts mythology as well. That is why it is so very dangerous trying to determine the effects of any planet by an appeal to mythology.

Since I wrote to you last, I am more convinced that Mars and not Venus is the promittor of sex. A friend of mine, highly competent in computing genitures and who is a siderealist, confirms that the most highly sexed men and women have the Sun strongly configurated at birth with Mars.

The "Navamsas" as given in Hindu text-books and the like, are not correct, seeing they are computed from Aries 0° (erstwhile tropical). They should be computed from Taurus 0°. In the December issue, the true Noviens (Latin for "Navamsas") is discussed at great length. Many musicians have the Sun in the Novien of Pisces as in your case. By adding precisely 120° (a trine aspect) to all "Navamsas" you will derive their true Novienic longitudes.

I would like to continue, but other urgent work calls. But will you continue with this kind of astrology? It is so vital for our understanding. I would like you to look into Moon-Venus, and Mercury-Mars interchanges, especially the former. This may not be so easy in your case as they are in mutual opposition in your geniture, so you may not be able to segregate their influences. Find out if such interchanges are sexual or a-sexual; if sexual, who makes the initial passes. I find that aspects between the Moon and Venus are common among artists, musicians, companions.

Again, thanks a thousand. Give my love to your wife and to the bairns.

[Jim Eshelman]

The Noviens are becoming quite exciting and are giving explanations never before revealed. I have listed several dozen cases of interchanges of novienic Suns and Mars and in ALL cases Mars was the first to make the pass!!! This bit of evidence was very convincing. There was nothing in the birth charts to show any such connections. Hitherto, these charts were always mysteries to me.

The December and succeeding issues for a while will be devoted to the Noviens.

[Jim Eshelman]

You little realize what your letters mean to me, not only for their character portrayals, which are always excellent, but more particularly for their frankness in discussing intimate details. Such details are all important to the astrological researcher.

The completed manuscript of ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS with umpteen diagrams, charts, and horoscopes was mailed yesterday (May 20) to:

Carl Weschcke
President Llewellyn Publications

Will you spread the good news please? If anyone wants to reserve a copy, tell them to write direct to Carl Weschcke. The more letters he gets, the quicker he will expedite publication. With two Excursuses, the book runs into 21 chapters.

As hinted, I'm doing a lot of research on the vexed question of Horary vs. Intrinsic methods of interpretation, hopelessly mixed up and confused in the medieval period.

According to the intrinsic method, the natal malefics, when activated buy transits of the luminaries and the planets, symbolize that the native will suffer hurt, pain or distress; whereas, when the benefics are so transited, the native stands to gain. This is also applied to interaspects. Of course, this is not the whole story but it is the very reverse of the horary method.

When the natal (or progressed) Sun and Moon are transited by the malefics, the native becomes so inflamed and outraged that he is apt to hurt another.

Another all-important point in the intrinsic way of life: It is Venus who chases and even rapes Mars and not the other way about. In natal themes it would now seem that in respect to Love, Venus is always the aggressor.

As regard the Noviens, they are nothing else but a vernier-aspectarian bringing to light important aspects that would never otherwise be suspected.

In ancient times, the noviens of the Moon (action) were considered of prime importance. That is why our ancestors put the Moon on the Novienic ascendant. The "houses" are based on the equal house division and are intended to throw into relief the novienic aspects. They have no connection with the mundane sphere. You could, of course, put any planet on the Ascendant including the novien of the radical ascendant or M.C.

Probably starting with the September 1969 issue, I intend to abandon the 12-fold method of erecting a chart, substituting the Octotopos for it instead. It will be a novelty to most of the readers.

I should mention that all of the charts in ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS were drawn by Garth Allen.

All the best for the moment and thanks again.

Cyril

[Jim Eshelman]

Cyril Fagan died January 5, 1970.