QUIGLEY, JOAN 1927-

Whit e house astrologer

Stranger Than Fiction

In Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science-fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land the president of the world secretly receives advice from an astrologer. In 1988 it was learned that the wife of the president of the United States had, for some years, been consulting an astrologer concerning her husband's schedule. Nancy Reagan's unnamed "friend" was soon revealed to be San Francisco astrologer Joan Quigley. Astonishment and outrage that the leader of the free world was guided in his actions by a woman who saw destiny in the stars provided the Reagan administration with one of its greatest embarrassments.

How to Become a White House Astrologer

Quigley, who was educated at prestigious Vassar College, had been interested in astrology since she was a teenager. After college she began studying with an astrologer and writing about the subject for the magazine Seventeen. Born into a prominent San Francisco family, she returned to the city and lived a dual existence as an astrologer and socialite. A regular guest on radio and television programs, she first met Nancy Reagan in 1973 on The Merv Griffin Show. Both Reagans possessed an interest in astrology, as Ronald Reagan revealed in his 1965 autobiography Where's the Rest of Me?, but Nancy Reagan did not begin consulting Quigley until 1981, when Quigley told her that she had accurately predicted that someone would attempt to assassinate the president. Fearing for her husband's safety, Mrs. Reagan began consulting Quigley regularly about the president's schedule.

All Is Revealed

The American public did not know that the White House had its own astrologer until 1988, when former White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan, who had been ousted from his position in 1986, revealed in his memoir, For the Record, that the first lady regularly received advice from an astrologer, whom she called her "Friend," and that on the basis of this advice she manipulated the president's itinerary. Time magazine quickly uncovered Quigley's identity, and she stepped into the limelight. Both she and the Reagan administration stressed that she did not offer advice about policy, only about scheduling, but the damage was done, and Mrs. Reagan took Quigley off the payroll.

Contradictions

Furthermore, after Nancy Reagan's memoir My Turn (1989), in which the former first lady downplayed Quigley's influence, Quigley responded in her memoir, "What Does Joan Say?" My Seven Years as White House Astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan (1990), by quoting Regan's review of Mrs. Reagan's book, where he said that whoever "controls the President's schedule controls the workings of the presidency," thus highlighting her influence in major policy decisions. Her prescience was not complete, however: when the story broke she mentioned that because Ronald Reagan was born with Mercury in Capricorn, his memory was excellent, failing to predict his battle with Alzheimer's disease in the mid 1990s.

Sources:

Joan Quigley, "What Docs Joan Say?" My Seven Years as White House Astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan (New York: Birch Lane Press-Carol Publishing, 1990);

Donald T. Regan, For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington (San Diego, New York & London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988);

Barrett Seaman, "Good Heavens!," Time, 131 (16 May 1988): 24-25;

Laurence Zuckerman, Wayne Svoboda, and Dennis Wyss, "The First Lady's Astrologer," Time, 131 (16 May 1988): 41.

Quigley, Joan (1927-)

San Francisco astrologer who claims that her astrological advice had "absolute control" over the movements, and influenced the decisions, of former United States president Ronald Reagan. She was born April 10, 1927. Her secret role as an astrological influence at the White House was referred to by Donald Regan, former chief of staff to Ronald Reagan, who was quite critical of Nancy Reagan's influence on decisions made by the president. Regan's remarks caused a major controversy that eventually led to the complete revelation of the name and role of Nancy Reagan's astrologer.

In her book, What Does Joan Say? My Seven Years as White House Astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan (1990), Quigley made far-reaching claims. She advised Nancy Reagan from 1981 through 1989 and is sure that her astrological advice decided the timing of key political events, including speeches, televised campaign debates, the signing of arms control treaties, and even the dates for Ronald Reagan's cancer surgery and the announcement that he would run for a second term. Quigley claims that Air Force One would only take off if she reported a favorable alignment of the planets and that she sometimes also gave the president and his wife political advice.

Quigley states, "I was responsible for timing all press conferences, most speeches, the State of the Union addresses, the take-offs and landing of Air Force One…. I picked the time of Ronald Reagan's debate with Carter and the two debates with Walter Mondale, all extended trips abroad, as well as the shorter trips and one-day excursions, the announcement that Reagan would run for a second term, and briefings for all the summits except Moscow." Quigley also claims credit for influencing the president's favorable view of the Soviet leader Gorbachev, whose astrological chart indicated a genuine reformer.

The title of Quigley's book derives from the period in late 1986 when the Iran-Contra scandal broke. She claims that the president asked "What does Joan say?" and that her advice was to stay in the White House and say nothing, because his stars were bad and she feared another assassination attempt.

Although the revelations of astrological influence on a modern leader's actions and decisions may seem bizarre to Western people, it is my no means unusual in Eastern countries. Astrology plays a significant part in the life of people in India, and marriages, dates of important meetings, dedication of temples, and other decisions normally involve the services of an astrologer for millions of Indians in all walks of life, including politics.

Sources:

Quigley, Joan. What Does Joan Say? My Seven Years as White House Astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan. New York: Birch Lane Press, 1990.

Reagan, Nancy. My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan. New York: Random House, 1989.

Regan, Donald. For the Record. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988.