Jim Lewis (born James Lewis Slayden; June 5, 1941 – February 21, 1995) was an American astrologer, writer and entrepreneur. He is known for pioneering the technique of astrocartography, a form of locational astrology.

Early life

James Lewis Slayton was born on June 5, 1941 in Yonkers, New York. He spent time living at a commune in Big Sur, California, where he hunted deer.^[1]

Career

Locational astrology is an old concept,^[2] but Lewis expanded a little-known field, using detailed maps and modern software. In 1979, Lewis published the first edition of his annual Sourcebook of Mundane Maps.^[3] Lewis submitted a patent application for his system in 1980, which was granted on December 8, 1981.^[4]

Lewis lectured throughout the world and regularly conducted seminars in which he trained students in astrocartography techniques.^[1] He later went on to administer a certification exam. Candidates who passed his stringent qualifications were given a certificate as a professional astrocartographers.^[5]

Lewis's theories were subsequently developed by other astrologers, including Steve Cozzi and Martin Jay Davis.^[6] For his original work in developing and promoting the technique of astrocartography, Lewis received the Marc Edmund Jones award in 1978^[7] and the "Regulus Award for Discovery, Innovation, and Research" at the United Astrology Congress in Washington, DC, in 1992.^[8]

Personal life and death

Lewis was gay and lived in San Francisco for most of his life.^[1] In the mid-1980s he was struck by a vehicle while crossing Military Road in Sydney, Australia, which is on his Mars Ascending line.^[1] Lewis died of a brain tumor in San Francisco on February 21, 1995, at age 53.^[1]

Legacy

In his will, Lewis provided for the formation of the Astrocartography Trust.^[5] In 1999, the Trust applied for a trademark for the mark "ASTRO*CARTO*GRAPHY", which was granted on October 3, 2000. The registration was cancelled by the USPTO on May 6, 2011.^[9]

Selected publications

• Lewis, Jim; Guttman, Gail (1981). The Astro*Carto*Graphy Book of Maps: The Astrology of Relocation (1st ed.). Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 978-0875424347.
• Lewis, Jim (2004) [1985]. "And the future will be nothing less than the flowering of our inwardness". In Mann, A. T. (ed.). The Future of Astrology (Revised ed.). Paraview Press. pp. 115–130. ISBN 978-1616406448.
• Lewis, Jim; Irving, Kenneth (2012) [1997]. The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy (Revised ed.). Words and Things. ISBN 978-0984428007.
• Lewis, Jim (2002). Sullivan, Erin (ed.). Peter Pan in Midlife and the Midlife of America: A Personal and Collective Memoir. Santa Fe/Silver City, NM: Southwest Contemporary Astrology.

References

Further reading

• Cozzi, Steve (1997) [1988]. Planets In Locality: Exploring Local Space Astrology. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 978-0875420981.
• Davis, Martin (1999). Astrolocality Astrology: A guide to what it is and how to use it. Bournemouth, England: The Wessex Astrologer. ISBN 978-1902405056.

External links

• Continuum: The Jim Lewis Slayden Foundation