Pseudonym of Richard James Morrison (1795-1874), one of the pioneer British astrologers of the nineteenth century. He was born in London, England, on June 15, 1795. He joined the navy when only eleven and eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant by the time of his retirement in 1817. He developed an interest in astrology in the 1820s and became a friend of Robert Cross Smith ("Raphael") who published Raphael's Astronomical Ephemeris. Morrison modeled his own successful Zadkiel's Almanac, begun in 1836, on Smith's work. Morrison calculated horoscopes for the Prince Consort and the Princess Royal that were gratefully accepted, but Queen Victoria later expressed concern about predictions for the Prince Consort, possibly because they were so accurate as to cause some disquiet.
Morrison's name made reference to one of the angels in the Jewish rabbinical legend of the celestial hierarchies. He was the ruler of Jupiter. Through him pass grace, goodness, mercy, piety, and munificence, and he bestows clemency, benevolence, and justice on all.
Sources:
Lewis, James R. Astrology Encyclopedia. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1994.
Morrison, R. J. An Introduction to Astrology by William Lilly. 1835. Reprint, Hollywood, Calif.: Newcastle, 1972.
