Stories of world leaders consulting astrologers often grow in the retelling. One example has two identifiable participants who put their accounts on record. Nancy Reagan consulted astrologer Joan Quigley, and former White House chief of staff Donald Regan described disagreements over how that advice affected the president’s calendar.
What the Reagan accounts say
In his 1989 review of Nancy Reagan’s memoir, Donald Regan describes an effort to account for astrology when scheduling. He also quotes Nancy Reagan’s own account, in which she says that Quigley’s advice had no role in policy or politics. Their accounts allow for a discussion of scheduling and leave room for disagreement about its significance.
Scheduling advice and decisions in office
Choosing a preferred time for an appearance is a different claim from choosing what to say in a speech. An account that a date changed can be compared with calendars or correspondence. A claim that an astrologer determined government policy needs evidence about a specific decision and who made it.
Three questions for a story about a leader and a psychic
- Who told the story, and were they in a position to know what happened?
- What did the advisor actually recommend, and how specific was it?
- What records show whether anyone acted on the advice?
These questions give readers room to take astrology seriously as a historical practice while holding each story to the evidence it offers. Explore another kind of prediction in our guide to zodiac signs, forecasts and compatibility.
Compare the three perspectives
Nancy Reagan was describing why she consulted an astrologer and how she understood that advice. Donald Regan wrote from the perspective of a chief of staff responsible for coordinating the president’s work. Ronald Reagan also addressed the subject publicly in May 1988. Reading the sources together helps you hear which question each person was answering. Read Reagan’s exchange with reporters.
Try following one calendar claim
If a story says a public event moved, start by naming the event and finding its actual date. The Reagan Library’s daily diary records presidential activities. To investigate why a time changed, look for an earlier schedule, a dated note from someone involved or contemporaneous reporting that identifies its source. A memoir can raise a question for the archive. A diary entry can fix the time of the event.
An astrologer might call choosing a favorable time electional astrology. A personally meaningful date can be a way to reflect on hopes for a new undertaking. In a public office, logistics and accountability also matter. That tension is what makes the scheduling story worth reading.