Since the publication of this small manual of practical Astrology, two editions of which have been exhausted, the attention given to the subject has so far extended as to create an increased demand for a concise work of this nature, designed for the initial use of students and offered at a price that is within the means of all. It is believed that the revision and enlargement of the present work will render it even more popular than hitherto with beginners.
Dr Walter Gorn Old (1864-1929) was an eminent English Theosophist, and a notable 19th century mystic and astrologer, better known as Sepharial. He initially studied medicine and followed this up with studies in psychology, oriental languages, astrology and numeurology. In 1886 he started to write an astrology problem page in the Society Times, where he answered the public's questions, and in 1887 at the age of just 23 was admitted to the "inner sanctum" of the Theosophical Society. He was editor of Old Moore's Almanac, which is still published in the 21st century. He was one of the founder members of the Theosophical movement in England. He became a very influential author in the fields of the occult, astrology and numeurology. He can be credited as the first astrologer to use Earth's "dark moon" Lilith in his calculations. His works include: Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolised (with Charubel aka John Thomas) (1898), New Manual of Astrology (1898), The Book of the Simple Way (1904) and The Kabala of Numbers (1913).