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About Astro Mundi

An Introduction to Lois Rodden - compiled by Mari Garcia and Joy Usher
Brief Summary :
Lois Rodden was a professional astrologer, writer, researcher and data collector. She was also a role model for integrity and adherence to strict astrological standards. She was awarded the 1992 Regulus Award for Enhancing Astrology's Image and the 2002 UAC Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Major Contribution :
Lois Rodden's pioneering work involved raising awareness that the sourcing of data is a fundamental factor in the credibility of astrology. She believed in the responsibility of the astrologer to choose accurate data over the unverified type and constantly lobbied publishers, editors and fellow astrologers to accept her concerns. Her life's work is enshrined in AstroDataBank, a collection of birth data she collected, verified and coded over a span of forty years. Lois was instrumental in introducing a rating system for birth data to classify data reliability. Data which is rated AA, A and B are fairly stable and sourced from verifiable documents and sources. The C and D category of data are those which may be conflicting or which are based on non-verifiable information.

Short Biography :
Lois was born and raised in a small prairie town in Saskatchewan, Canada. She had two older brothers and her father was a local land-owner and businessman. After the death of her father, Lois and her mother moved to California where her mother married for the second time. This started an eight year nomadic sojourn back and forth across the USA and Canada.

In 1949, Lois married George Rodden, and they had six children. They lived in San Francisco for ten years before settling in Los Angeles. It was in 1961 that Lois discovered the world of astrology.

The year 1968 was seminal for Lois: she separated from her husband, wrote a book on chart comparison and sold her first astrology article in February. In September of that year, she was invited to become a charter member of Professional Astrologers Inc., gave a series of astrology lectures in San Jose and began to teach at the Hollywood Astrological Society. She was convinced that her career as an astrologer began at that time.

In 1973 she moved to Hollywood and built up a clientele, many from the entertainment industry. She published a number of books and wrote a list of transit definitions for one of the first computer companies to sell monthly forecasts. Rodden's interest was always data collection and research. Her extensive collection became available on computer in the late 1980s but her meeting with Mark McDonough in 1996 saw the birth of AstroDatabank, with McDonough designing and creating the AstroDatabank program to store and retrieve the Rodden data, which had by then reached around 30,000 separate items of information.[1]

Lois Rodden suffered from cancer and passed away in 2003.

Quote :
All experience stems from thought. Thought is the basis of the universe, the origin of creation, and the doorway of expression. It is not only the instigator of motive but the release mechanism of action.[2]

Of Data News she said, ...it was always a cottage industry. It was my voice, my way to reach people with corrections and updated data, and the best way to trade data with my colleagues and fellow data-freaks. (Data News, August 2001)[3].


Most Significant Contribution :
Rodden was editor/publisher of the long-running journal, Data News, and also published five books of astrological data, the Astro-Data series, and three textbooks, The Mercury Method of Chart Comparison, Modern Transits, and Money, How to Find it With Astrology.

Interesting Fact :
In 1940, Lois's father was found dead with two skull fractures. The cause of death was never established and the case was never closed.

Recommended Further Reading :
Lois Rodden
Wikipedia entry on Lois Rodden
Astrodatabank biography and chart
Astrodatabank's explanation of the Rodden Rating system
Mark McDonough's notice of her death
Lois Rodden's entry on Solstice Point


Notes and References :
  1 ] Information source from www.astro.com/astro-databank/Rodden,_Lois_M.. [accessed 1/06/2012] (Back to text)
 
  2 ] As quoted in Child Astrology: A Guide to Nurturing Your Child's Natural Gifts, by M. J. Abadie. (Back to text)
 
  3 ] As quoted in "Lois Rodden" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_Rodden [accessed 26/06/2012] (Back to text)
 


© Mari Garcia, Joy Usher, April, 2013.

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