Noel Tyl, one of the greatest humanist astrologers of the 20th century, passed away on his 83rd birthday on December 31, 2019. Not only was it his solar return but also his Jupiter return; a beautiful and fitting cosmic finale for ‘El Maestro’.

A Harvard university graduate in psychology, Noel authored twenty-three distinctive astrology books, becoming Llewellyn’s most published author. His personal favorite was ‘Astrology of the Famed’ wherein he rectified the charts of such giants as Leonardo da Vinci, St. Francis of Assisi and Beethoven. A technically brilliant astrologer, his Capricorn Mercury, Sun and Jupiter gifted him with the ability to create solid structures and to persevere ever onward to reach his goals. His pioneering work on solar arcs influenced an entire generation of astrologers. Apart from being a highly successful professional consulting astrologer, Noel was also a gifted horary and mundane astrologer. He was the recipient of the coveted Regulus Award for Professional Image in Astrology in 1998.

An internationally acclaimed opera singer (winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 1964), Noel was passionate about music, using it as a metaphor in later life to describe the language of astrology. Wagner suited his larger-than-life presence and his favorite role was Wotan, god of light, air and wind, from The Ring of the Nibelung. When his bass-baritone voice rang out, audiences listened. With a zero degree Cancer Ascendant ruled by a third house Leo Moon, one felt his emotive power at all times. He was a profoundly deep thinker, and often cited his Mercury-Pluto opposition as enabling him to have a far-reaching perspective on life.

I met Noel when he was already in his seventies, mellowed by age and wise from experience, and feel privileged to have had him as a mentor and teacher over a period of years while completing my Master’s Degree Certification Program under his guidance. His standards for his students were high. Nothing less than excellence was acceptable to him; he taught me discipline in chart preparation and the importance of brevity, and through these instilled confidence in my art. After the submission of every lesson (by snail mail), he would call me up on a Saturday morning with words of encouragement and correction, as well as humanistic insights into my client work.

Of paramount importance to him was his injunction that all his students be able to communicate effectively: “You’ve got to be able to talk to people!!” he’d bellow at our seminars. Being able to communicate the language of astrology to our clients in a clear and precise manner, he believed, was a testimony to our understanding of the complexity of the art of astrology.

Above all, Noel taught his students that compassion, love, and humility to a greater Source are essential tools for the consulting astrologer. 

May your light shine onwards, Noel, and may you inspire the next generation of astrologers to push beyond their boundaries while retaining their humanity. I’ll let you have the final word:

…let us never overlook that there is something else at work in astrology that is beyond astrology and beyond astrologers. While our next grand frontier may be a syntaxial marriage between astrology and genetic engineering, bringing us closer to that further light, we must at present appreciate and respect our extraordinary position as astrologers: we are mediums of time, and every time we work with a horoscope we engineer that time to create meaning… and we come ever closer to the miracle.

—Noel Tyl, ‘Astrology Looks at History’

To hear more about Noel’s great contribution to astrology listen to Chris Brennan interviewing Kathy Rose and Basil Fearrington on The Astrology Podcast.

This photo of Noel Tyl is copyright to Kathy Rose and Patti Singleton Williams