Sylvia DeLong

1
Hi all,
I am interested in the life of Sylvia DeLong, author of The Art of Horary Astrology in Practice. I tried to find her on the internet but no hits, except for her books. I know she lived in Florida and she did have her own tv show.
I emailed the AFA, they published her book, but they could not help me out.
I would love to know her astrological background, where did she learn astrology and especially horary astrology?
I hope someone can help me :)
Thank you all in advance!
regards,
Tienka
www.astrologiepraktijk.nl

2
I wish I could help, Tienka, but unfortunately I know nothing about Sylvia Delong that isn't immediately apparent from her three known published books on astrology that I'm aware of, the others being:

Mystical and Mundane Interpretations (1979);
Charting Presidential Elections (1982).

She is not listed in 'Astrological Pioneers of America', which took the brief of only including astrologers born in 1923 or earlier, a criterion that presumably excluded Ms. DeLong. Depending on her age at the time her books appeared, she could very possibly still be alive today and for many years yet to come. I hope someone who knows her personally will eventually find this strand in a random search engine search and answer you, or refer your query to her directly.

At some point I'll check my shelves for those two titles above and look for clues. Trying to find modern softcover books in this room is a bit like looking for needles in a haystack, unfortunately, as there are so many shelves, but I know I have them. However, I suspect that the AFA would have been able to help you if she had left any!

Meanwhile, I suggest you try contacting Janice Brown, if you have not already done so, to see if she knows anything about Ms. Delong's life beyond what she mentions on this page:
http://www.janicebrown-astrology.com/janicebrownbio.htm

PS: I don't know if this merely duplicates what is already mentioned in her book on horary, as my copy of that is lurking somewhere else I haven't got to yet in the ongoing optical speed-scan procedure, but I found 'Charting Presidential Elections', which does describe her life a little, in the blurb at the back, thus:
Sylvia De Long, for many years a full-time astrological consultant, well-known lecturer and teacher of astrology, resides in the tiny community of Cassadaga, Florida. From this quiet little town she counsels her clients throughout the country and abroad, and travels extensively to present workshops and astrological retreats.

She has enjoyed considerable newspaper, radio and TV publicity with her forecasts on the Apollo 11 Moonshot, the troubled Skylab mission, and other space shots. Fifty-two American and Canadian papers carried her own story forecasting the success of Apollo 11.

Starcast, her own TV show, was presented daily on several channels for over two and a half years. She has been a staff writer for one of the leading Florida magazines and columnist for a major cosmetic firm, and in earlier years counseled through her columns in metaphysical publications.

She was ordained a minister of the Universal Church of the Master in 1967....

She is a Professional Member of the AFA, certified by the Astrologers' Guild of America, Founder and President Emeritus of the Astrological Research Guild, and a Past President of the Lake Wales Business and Professional Women's Club.
The part I missed out just listed her books, as I have already done.

It sounds as though she created her own astrological organisation in the 'Astrological Research Guild', but I have never heard of it in any other context and presume it remained small.

The Astrologers' Guild of America seems to have been a fairly large organisation in its time, however, but I gather that its activities were effectively suspended quite some years ago now. I presume that she took professional competency examinations of some kind at the Guild, based on the above description.

Perhaps you already have this book, but if not, I hope that was a useful start!

By the way, she seems likely to have learned astrology within her family initially, having been born into a family that had an enthusiasm for it, perhaps without attaining her level of notability. She states in the Introduction to 'Charting Presidential Elections' that the book is going to present the method...
employed by my family and myself... [which] has proven reliable for us since the memorable 1948 Truman-Dewey race
.

PPS: I just found 'The Art of Horary Astrology in Practice' in my shelves and notice that the blurb about the author there is in fact lengthier and more detailed than the equivalent in 'Charting Presidential Elections'. So I'm sorry for telling you things you already knew! She clearly had some other books published too that I have never seen before, which were out of print already by the time these books were printed and have remained so ever since, and which do not feature in library records either.

3
Hi Philip,
Thank you so much for your efforts :) I will send an email to Janice. I also contacted the community of Cassadaga because the last hit on the internet I got, searching her name, was a service held by her as a Minister.
I haven't heard from them, but perhaps someone will find this thread and come up with some information, you never know.
I will keep you posted.
By the way, how many books on astrology do you owe? Must be an amazing quantity, I guess :)

Tienka
www.astrologiepraktijk.nl

4
Hi Tienka,

You're welcome, and I wish you success with your follow-up enquiries.

Concerning astrology books, quality is more important than quantity as I think any astrologer would agree. For me personally, however, my historical research interest in the subject impels me to take things a bit further than some, so I do have quite a large number, though I'd rather not be more specific than that online for a variety of reasons!

There have been so many books on astrology published through the centuries, and many of those are so scarce, while the oldest ones are additionally extremely expensive, that I think there are limits to what anyone can achieve from the ground up on a low or moderate income, trying to build a collection from second-hand sales one piece at a time. But it is rewarding seeing the picture of the subject and its history gradually take clearer and sharper form over time, having started with a fairly sketchy and blurred outline.

I think language can also be a limiting factor for many when it comes to understanding the history of astrology in its entirety. The focus in my collection is primarily on works published in English and French because those are my strongest languages. But I have done my best to collect as many Latin, ancient Greek and Arabic sources as possible (critical editions with or without translations, and in some cases original Renaissance Latin editions of books that have yet to be presented in a modern edition or translation) as well, since these works are important. Although I don't read ancient Greek or any Arabic at all, perhaps there will come a time in later life when I'm able to learn them properly; but if not, at least the important editions will be there for someone who can after my time, perhaps in a library. When it comes to other languages like German, Italian and Spanish I have been far more selective, in accordance with my limited knowledge of each, focusing on important history-related works in these languages above all, though I do have a fair smattering of the 20th century classics in German. I'm sorry to say I don't think I have any books in Dutch yet, however, and that I couldn't read them if I did.

Best wishes,

Philip

5
I thought I'd go through some of my old CAO TIMES, Vol. 5-7 (1982-85) to see if there was any mention of Sylvia DeLong or her work there. Unfortunately not, but I did come across a biography of Barbara H. Watters in Vol. 6, No.2., 21 January 1985 that could be equally interesting. I can reproduce the article on request.
Neither Barbara nor James were ever joiners, interested in getting involved with social groups or causes. It took me 11 years to persuade Barbara to join the Guild and AFA. - Al H. Morrison
When I began teaching in 1962, she gave me this chart of herself, with permission to use it as an example chart for my students.

Barbara Hunt Watters, 17 October 1907, 88W 40N, Asc 20LE25 MC 12TA, Moon 1PI16


After the biography Morrison added this:
VIOLETS
In her later years Barbara Watters planted a garden of exotic flowers. One problem was weed. Ailanthus tree seedlings and violets kept crowding her blue lilies and other rare herbs. So I spent a long August afternoon a few years a go removing these weeds from her garden. The violets I kept in a shopping bag and brought them to Manhattan. Violets were they are wanted are no longer weeds, by definition. Sophie Brown and I planted them one morning from 2 to 3 AM - Believe it, there are a few small spots in Manhattan where the concrete does not quite cover the dirt.

Now, if anybody wants a clone of Miss Barbara's violets, send me $10 for the Express Mail postage, and I will go reach through the fences and dig you out some of them and mail them to you, from the time in April they put up leaves again, until about 1 June, when it will be too hot for such transplant shipments.

These are small plants, with smallish leaves and flowers, not much scent. They bloom in the spring and once in a while again in September, when they make a second crop of seed pods anyway. Once you put them in to your garden, you will not get all their descendants out again. I can't ship these plants outside the continental U.S. Do let me her from you! - Al H. Morrison, Box 75 Old Chelsea Station, New York NY 10113 (1985)
I hope I am excused for going off topic. :wink:
http://www.astronor.com

6
I was discussing Sylvia DeLong's method for predicting Presidential elections recently on a forum. Her book ''Charting Presidential Elections'' (1982) still generates interest today.

I wondered if anyone ever found out what happened to her? Did she retire from astrology? Is she still alive?

Thanks

Mark
As thou conversest with the heavens, so instruct and inform thy minde according to the image of Divinity William Lilly

7
I was chatting to the Florida based astrologer Kathy Silvestri Minton. She states she knew of Sylvia DeLong through a mutual friend. She apparently passed away sometime before 2004.

So sadly she was already gone long before this thread was created in 2010.

Fortunately, she left behind the astrological community a rich legacy in the astrological books she wrote.

Mark
As thou conversest with the heavens, so instruct and inform thy minde according to the image of Divinity William Lilly

8
I have a book by Sylvia De Long, and it is called

"Guideposts to Mystical and Mundane Interpretations" 1979 AFA

It is a great book. The title was a bit obscure at first for me, but it covers various topics such as Karmic Astrology, Geodetic Astrology, Travel Astrology, Vocational Astrology, Horary and Electional Astrology.

There are about 50+ charts, and her writing style is crystal clear, and very informative.

This is one of my favourite astrology books in my astrology bookshelf.