Tragically and unexpectedly we have lost a cherished and much-loved member of our astrological community. We share our communal grief for Roderick, but also are grateful for all he shared and contributed. In the weeks following the loss, Roderick was honoured for being an inspiring, devoted and talented astrological practitioner, teacher, lecturer and writer. In conversation with his friends and reading the tributes on social media, numerous qualities were cited, but I noticed a trinity of attributes were often reiterated: generosity, brilliance and humour.

Roderick was kind and warm-hearted, freely willing to share his knowledge and research, not only in his public presentations, but privately with colleagues and students who were working on developing their own projects. While working on his book he was happy to share what he had been writing, always available for a discussion or to share his ideas in an extended email. After he recently reviewed my book Vocation I wrote to him about how generous and heartfelt I thought his appraisal had been. He left us a legacy of how we might aim to be more generous to our fellow astrologers.

Brilliant; some have said articulate, eloquent, lucid and referred to the beauty of his writing. Others have remarked on hearing him speak as ‘spellbinding’, or being ‘gobsmacked’. One simple image of his horoscope, Mercury on the 9th side of the MC, speaks to me of his talents here. He was a scholar of what was outside the norm and beyond the horizon. He had suggested his three passions were asteroids, fixed stars and harmonics, and it was within these domains that he would inspire us with the unusual and the exceptional. And always highly researched! In the latter years he had concentrated on his unique work with the fixed stars which culminated in his book The Magic of the Stars, released by Amazon in the first week of 2017. His manuscript was a pinnacle of his life-long research into the fixed stars and their potent influence on the natal horoscope and their place in our astrological culture. He joked about how his research and presentation on the 19th harmonic did not draw the crowds. But this was not the case with the asteroids or the fixed stars. Roderick had an immense vault of knowledge historically, philosophically and metaphysically which he wove into his talks and articles. We met over our shared love of mythology, another area where he had immense understanding.

Much of Roderick’s humour was self-deprecating and we would laugh, as we felt the same way. His humour also profiled our humanness, and I also think it naturally flowed on from his doing what he loved – sharing his ideas and his knowledge. All these characteristics shone through his soulful nature.

Roderick’s mother introduced him to astrology when he was thirteen and he remembers casting his first horoscope in October 1974. Two years later he was adding asteroids to the charts he cast. He felt his self study allowed him to be independent in his views and ideas, and explore beyond traditional constructs and rigid beliefs. It was in 2003, at the Marriage of Minds conference in Hepburn Springs, Victoria when Roderick entered the spotlight and the wider astrological community. From then on he was a regular presenter at our FAA conferences and to the local branches across Australia. He is also the author of Iris, the Rainbow Messenger Report which includes an in-depth analysis of many of the major asteroids as well as others like Flora, Hecate and Apollo. Roderick’s website YinYangAstrologer abounds with his wonderful articles.

In 2003, when the editor of AstroLog asked me to become a regular contributor for the annual, she asked if I knew Roderick. I said I had heard of him, but not met him. It was then that Barbara McGregor spoke so highly and respectfully of him that I knew he must be special. In 2004 we worked on a 12-page lift out called The AstroCards, an astrological oracle. It was published in the 2005 edition and Roderick designed and drew the cards. I was so impressed, as I cannot even doodle, let alone draw. And so another talent was revealed – an artist and a designer. Roderick wrote for the Wellspring Astrology Guide and AstroLog from 1997 until it ceased in 2008. From my email conversations with Roderick I know he had a deep respect for both the symbolic and the spiritual life and his trips to India to renew his spiritual faith were highly important. Roderick was also a philosopher and mystic and his vocation wove all these threads together. His work was progressive and ground-breaking and while many were intrigued, many more were strongly influenced by what he shared so freely and profoundly.

Roderick is survived by his sister Helen. He will be privately cremated and close friends will scatter his ashes in his favourite place in Canberra. Some ashes will also be taken to Pondicherry India, a spiritual haven for Roderick. So many of the astrological community have said the stars are brighter in heaven now. Goodbye to a dear soul we have been privileged to know. Safe travels Roderick.

Brian Clark