WANDA SELLAR (former President of the Astrological Lodge and current Programme Co ordinator) shares her memories of Carole… 

I first met Carole more than 20 years ago when I was teaching counselling skills at Hendon College in London. She soon discovered my interest in astrology and also learnt of my connection to the Astrological Lodge. Before long – around 1995 – she became a frequent visitor and about a year later joined the committee. Astrology absolutely fascinated Carole and so did astrologers. She very much enjoyed meeting astrologers representing different branches and hardly ever failed to attend a lecture at the Lodge on a Monday evening, at least in the early days. By the end of her sojourn on this earth her knowledge was extensive.
However, Carole felt more at home on the administrative side, and her value to the committee was considerable.
At one time, around 2001/2, she and current treasurer Gill Dorren were in charge of the programme, a task that lasted some years. She took on this role again together with myself over the last eighteen months.
Carole was a true Sagittarian child, in that she always seemed to have a cheerful smile on her face, despite suffering with weak lungs. This can be seen in her chart with the Sun-Saturn opposition across the Sagittarius-Gemini axis – the latter rules the lungs. With Saturn ruling the Ascendant it brings the constitution into a weakened position with its challenging aspect to the life-giving Sun.
In her early years she trained to be a ballet dancer. If my memory serves me correctly, she had connections with the Royal Ballet. But again ill-health prevented the flowering of her dance ambitions.
Carole was above all a fighter, and as long as I knew her she fought to stay healthy and she certainly knew a great deal about health matters. There was the odd time she helped me with some articles in my editorship of the Astrology & Medicine Newsletter. She always looked forward to attending Healing Day at the Astrological Lodge (organised by Jadranka Ćoić).
In her early adult career she was very much into the administrative and business side of life, the years before I really knew her. We met at a time when her mind was turning to more spiritual matters. Indeed, we attended a course on Past Life Regression together at Regent College.
In 1999, Vedic astrologer Komilla Sutton organised a trip to India where we attended classes on this system of astrology, or Jyotish as it is usually referred to. Our base was in Delhi and we travelled far and wide; and perhaps the highlight of our trip, as it is indeed for many, was the Taj Mahal in Agra built by the emperor Shah Jahan in memory of a favourite wife.
The only talk I remember Carole giving was one on Emily Pankhurst – leader of the suffragette movement. Maybe Carole had been a suffragette in a past life – she certainly was a fighter.
She is surely missed.

CAT COX, President of the Faculty of Astrological Studies, also remembers Carole West…
I was sad to hear of the death of Carole West, who was such a steadfast member of the astrological community for several decades. Carole was always present on the occasions when I was at Monday evenings at 50 Gloucester Place, and indeed she was a familiar and welcoming presence for as long as I can
remember attending the Lodge. I had more contact with her during the times that she brought her brilliant organisational skills to co-ordinating the programme. I was very pleased to receive her invitations to come and speak and enjoyed chatting with her on arrival in the hall or sharing her interest and curiosity about myriad astrological ideas over a cup of tea.
Her interest in and commitment to astrology shone brightly.