ZOLTAN S. MASON
(1906-2002)

Jan 18 1906
0:46:43AM CET - 1.00
Bytca, Slovakia
49"N14' 018"E36'

Zoltan Mason was born Zoltan Schnitzer on January 18, 1906, in Velka Bytca, Austro-Hungary. His father was from Germany and his mother from Austro-Hungary. He is the middle child of three children, with a brother who was about a year older and a sister about a year younger.

He received a rigorous education in childhood that included studies in the Classics and Latin. He went on to attend Charles University in Prague from 1924-1928 where he studied medicine with the intention of becoming a psychiatrist. Unfortunately, he had to quit his studies due to a severe thyroid problem.

In 1929, he started to work at the French Consulate in Galatz, Romania. He was also a great favorite of both French and German diplomats who were part of the International Commission of the Danube and with whom he socialized and played chess from 1932 until the outbreak of WWII. He spoke German, Hungarian, French, Romanian, and English fluently. During the war, he remained in Galatz. In 1945, he moved to Bucharest where he became self-employed as an astrologer and astrologer teacher.

In 1947, he left Bucharest for Monrovia, Liberia, where he lived for a year before moving to the United States in 1948. He settled in New York City where he added the name Mason to his birth name, and where, in 1950, he opened Mason's Bookshop at 789 Lexington Avenue, one flight up, between 61st and 62nd Streets.

Mason's Bookshop became well-known for its metaphysical books, new and rare. Mr. Mason traveled yearly to Europe where he bought books to bring back to the United States. In addition to selling books, Mr. Mason gave astrology consultations and taught astrology on Monday and Tuesday evenings and on Saturday mornings. He had many well-to-do and prominent clients and trained a number of students who went on to become successful astrologers.

He appeared on American radio and television, was invited by the Canadian government to appear on Canadian television, and was interviewed by the Italian press. His name has also been mentioned in a number of books on astrology.

Mr. Mason was a strong advocate of Morin de Villefranche's system of astrology. He edited a translation from the French, the 21st Book of Morin's Astrologia Gallica and published it under the title of Astrosynthesis.

Zoltan Mason closed his bookstore in 1986 but continued to interpret horoscopes well into his early nineties when he finally retired. On July 14, 2002, Zoltan Mason passed away.

On taking up astrology I was watching television one evening. David Susskind had a talk-show in which he crucified guests routinely. There were three women there with what I recognised to be old ways of presenting astrology. Even then it sounded arcane, the way they talked about astrology. And Susskind was just ripping them apart. Something like a bolt of lightning hit me - seriously! I remember calling my wife into the room. She came in, and I said, 'Look at this! What these people are saying is valid. It's got to be real. But they're saying it so poorly! And they're getting butchered.' We watched it a little bit, and I exploded. It wasn't just a comment - it deafened the room! I said, 'I'm going to learn how to do this - and earn a million bucks!'

We went to a very well-known bookstore just above Bloomingdale's in New York City run by a prominent Hungarian astrologer named Zoltan Mason. We started talking. I said all the arrogant things which novices still say about astrology. And Mr Mason said to me, 'Don't be afraid of what you don't know' - he sounded like Bela Lugosi, you know? He said to me, 'You must be a Capricorn'. I looked at my wife, and she said, 'You are!' And immediately my analytical mind says, 'How did he know'? It's obvious from the shape of my head, the way I was talking, I was dressed totally in black… not a hard guess! Then he looked at my wife, and said, 'You, madam; you must be a Pisces!' She said, 'I am!' I was stunned. I said, 'Mr. Mason, how do you know that?' He looked at me, and the classic, wonderful line which I'll never forget was: 'Capricorns always victimize Pisces!'

I bought several books, and taught myself - rather ravenously - in about a week, how to construct the horoscope. So I called Mr Mason and said, 'Would you please do my horoscope?' I'd got my birth data, and this was the big moment. Here I was, I'd just won the American Opera Auditions as the best young singer in America, and things were popping for me in my opera world. I went in to see him, and he did my horoscope and pointed out all the right things--it was a very nice reading, and I was thrilled with it.

I was standing at the door, ready to leave his office, and he said, 'There is another thing, Noel'. I said, 'What is that?' He said, 'You can be a great astrologer, and a great writer and teacher in astrology.' I said to him, 'Oh, come on Mr Mason, I'm an opera singer, you just want me to buy a lot of your books in the store!' - sort of a light-hearted, supercilious way of asserting myself. He said, 'No, no, Noel - I don't see this in you, but I see it in your horoscope.' There was a moment of silence. I never forgot this. And in my practice since, I have had three occasions when I have done the same thing for young people. In two of the cases, I know it changed their life. I took that responsibility, based on the experience I had with Mr. Mason.

When I first became interested in astrology, I used to go to Mason's Bookstore on Lexington Avenue in the 70's and browse around. Mr. Mason would approach me and ask me questions about myself and what I was looking for. I would ask him if I could take a book off the shelf and he would always be very kind and say "of course" (this wasn't "of course" - you definitely had to ask permission first). I remember how I would climb those stairs on Lexington Avenue knowing that I was entering an environment that was both new to me and extremely exciting. My experience with Zoltan Mason was a good one. He was always rather paternal and kind to me but would definitely want me to purchase the book he had written and wanted me to join his classes. Whatever the karma was, I wasn't destined to study with Zoltan Mason but rather, I was meant to chat with him at his bookstore and take in the esoteric ambiance.

The astrology community has lost a unique and wonderful astrologer who was a pioneer in that he ran one of the few real astrology/esoteric bookstores in New York. Zoltan Mason is one of those rare individuals that you felt honored to have met at some point in your life. Thank you Zoltan Mason for being one of the important guides on my path to astrology. We wish you well. Eileen McCabe, MSW.

I remember that you could pay for classes each time you went, which in 1970, was $5 a lesson. His wife always greeted you at the door. I believe that Zoltan had also learned physiognomy, because he had the uncanny ability to discuss particular astrological situations which corresponded with the charts of the students in the class even though he hadn't yet charted them. The lessons I remember the most was finding the final despositor, that is, the most important planet in the horoscope. That often gave you the key to the personality. He was a brilliant and kindly man and he had one of the best occult bookstores on the planet.

Memorials L-Z, Continued
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CREDITS: The photo and biographical summary came from Emili Hunter, who was Mr. Mason's primary caregiver in his final years.