What is... Spica?

[Jim Eshelman]

Spica was the first ongoing journal devoted to Sidereal astrology research, education, and general exploration.It was edited and published by Sidereal pioneer (and significant historic figure in his own right) Brigadier R.C. Firebrace four times a year from October 1961 until his death in 1974. After his death, rights to the magazine passed to Joan Piszek and Karen Wilkerson, co-founders of the Registry of Sidereal Astrologers and, under their ownership, a few more issues emerged.

Spica was extraordinary! I only came to know it from 1970 (not quite the last third of its run), though I later had the chance to read the entire run of issues a couple of times. It is hard to convey the excitement of a new issue arriving in the mail from London during my high school years. They were always filled with something remarkable.

Much of the work of developing and unfolding Sidereal astrology occurred in its pages, just as it did in the "Solunars" series by Cyril Fagan and the writings of Garth Allen - all of these being long out of print.

Why do I mention this now? Through a couple of people's generosity and efforts, we have acquired clean, quality digital copies of nearly the entire Firebrace run of Spica. I want to be able to make these available to all of you. However, heirs of the last owners survive and I want to be respectful of their rights. We've begun having conversations that I hope will lead to their blessing to make all the issues fully available to you, but these conversations will take time.

Meanwhile, I will post some excerpts, examples, and observations from Spica here and there under the "fair use" doctrine of copyright law, where I think they may be immediately helpful or of interest. I believe this is entirely in the spirit of Brigadier Firebrace, who was a friend and mentor; you can read a collection of his letters to me here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3231

[Jim Eshelman]

In my book Pearls of Wisdom, when discussing the history of my own journal, Black Pearl, in the Preface, I wrote the following about Roy Firebrace and Spica. It may be informative on its own or, at least, a reflection of some of the influence he had on me.

“Seek the New in the Old ~ Seek the Old in the New”
As a motto for BLACK PEARL, I selected the phrase, “Seek the New in the Old ~ Seek the Old in the New.” A personal story lies behind this selection, the story of how I was inspired by one of the most interesting men I have ever known, Brigadier R.C. Firebrace, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

History remembers Roy Firebrace best for his prominent role in World War II. One of England’s highest-ranking soldiers, he headed the British military mission in Moscow and served as Churchill’s Russian translator at Yalta and Potsdam. However, I first encountered him due to the astrological quarterly Spica that he edited and published after his retirement from the military. As a teen, I was quite impressed by the dedication with which he turned this out almost single-handedly to a small but world-spanning audience – not for recognition or wealth, but out of dedication to truth. (This spark of admiration rekindled in me when I met Soror Meral, who was doing the same thing with IN THE CONTINUUM.)

In July 1972 [sic: it was 1971], when I was 16, my first professional writings were published: Two articles appeared simultaneously on opposite sides of the Atlantic. One was in American Astrology Magazine. The other was in Spica. Roy Firebrace took an interest in this teen who, despite needing a lot (a lot!) of maturing and polishing, had begun to find his voice. A warm, valued correspondence began, which lasted for several years until I left home for college and its consequent distractions. He died soon after, in November 1974.

Roy selected for Spica the motto, “Seek the New in the Old.” He said it was an old Chinese aphorism. It meant much to him in his exploration of new frontiers in the most ancient roots of a very ancient science.

When I began to plan BLACK PEARL in 1995-96 (after Phyllis told me she would be winding down ITC), I knew I wanted to use Spica’s motto and its complement as a central theme of the new journal. Part of my motivation was that Roy’s dedication in turning out Spica fueled my own ideals for BLACK PEARL 25 years later. More importantly, I could think of no phrases more representative of the spirit I wanted to convey with BLACK PEARL.

I wanted both to seek the new in the old, and to seek the old in the new... I sought to build on the past – neither to dismiss it, nor merely to echo it...

[SteveS]

Looking forward to your comments about some of Firebrace articles in Spica.