Olivia Barclay
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Olivia Barclay (born December 12, 1919 in Essex – died April 1, 2001 in Kent) was an English astrologer whose enthusiasm for the revival of Classical Astrology in the late Twentieth Century, in particular the work of William Lilly, had considerable influence on her generation. In the last part of her life she lived in the village of Great Mongeham, in Kent, England.
In 1980, Barclay obtained an original copy of Lilly's magnum opus, Christian Astrology. Initially she distributed this in the form of photocopies, but in 1985 a facsimile edition was produced by Regulus Publishing. The dissemination of Christian Astrology led to a late twentieth-century renaissance of traditional astrology, stimulating the unearthing of techniques that had been lost in various cultural transitions since the Enlightenment, and wider researches into the astrological traditions of the Babylonians, Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, Arabs, and Western medieval and Renaissance practitioners.
In addition to working as a professional astrologer, Barclay taught horary astrology, and many of her students have made an impact on contemporary astrological thinking. She sought to question the predominance of 'psychological astrology' and tried to bring astrology back to its traditional roots. In her personal life, she was known for her passionate love of animals, and was always willing to use astrology to find lost pets.
Barclay founded a correspondence course, which lead to the qualification 'QHP', standing for 'Qualified Horary Practitioner'. This consisted of twelve lessons, the last lesson requiring students to make a successful prediction, using horary astrology.
She wrote the book Horary Astrology Rediscovered, first published in 1990. It is a detailed description of the theory, practice and history of horary astrology, and it includes material from her correspondence course.
Barclay's advocacy of Lilly has also brought about an elevation of horary astrology (which is the main focus of Christian Astrology) from obscure occultism to mainstream astrological practice.
Sources
James Holden, A History of Horoscopic Astrology, American Federation of Astrologers, Tempe, AZ, 1996. ISBN 0-86690-463-8
http://www.AstrologyNotes.org/Olivia_Barclay
The Traditional Revival in Modern Astrology: A Preliminary History - Nicholas Campion
Article from Astrology Quarterly, Volume 74, No. 1, Winter 2003
http://www.astrolodge.co.uk/astro/quarterly/traditionalrevival.html
References
Oliva Barclay, Horary Astrology Rediscovered, Whitford Press, 1997. ISBN 0-914918-99-0
