Jim Lewis (born James Lewis Slayden; June 5, 1941 – February 21, 1995) was an American astrologer, writer and entrepreneur. He is known for pioneering the technique of Astro*Carto*Graphy, aka astrocartography, which was based on ancient forms of locational astrology.
Early life
James Lewis Slayden was born on June 5, 1941, in Yonkers, New York. He spent time living at a commune in Big Sur, California, where he hunted deer.
Career
Locational astrology is an ancient concept dating to late antiquity and Lewis helped expand this little-known field using detailed hand-drawn maps with transparent overlays showing angularity lines accompanied by "cookbook" style interpretations. He sent out hand-drawn mail-order maps to astrology clients beginning in 1976, branding his techniques Astro*Carto*Graphy.™
These Astro*Carto*Graphy techniques were based on previous work by locational astrologers from ancient times to the19th and early 20th Centuries. This includes well-known works at the time from British astrologer Sepharial and Canadian astrologer Edward Johndro. Techniques similar to Lewis' theories were also developed by other contemporary astrologers. These maps began as simple diagrams of eclipse paths but soon evolved into more sophisticated tools thanks to pioneers like Charles Jayne, Donald Bradley, Steve Cozzi and Martin Jay Davis. By the time Gary Duncan published the first computer-generated Astro Locality Map in 1966, the foundation was well in place for the innovations that followed.
alt=Jim Lewis Astro*Carto*Graphy hand drawn maps image submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office in 1981|thumb|Jim Lewis' Astro*Carto*Graphy hand drawn maps image submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office in 1980In 1979, Lewis published the first edition of his annual Sourcebook of Mundane Maps.
Lewis eventually sought the technical expertise of Michael Erlewine, creator of the Local Space technique software, and this collaboration resulted in the first Astro*Carto*Graphy software in the late 1970s.
Lewis service marked the term Astro*Carto*Graphy and submitted a patent application for his hand-drawn technique that "utilizes a transparent overlay that is superimposed on a map" in 1980, which was granted on December 8, 1981. His obituary states that Lewis was well known to be "strongly litigious" about his brand. The patent expired on February 26, 2000 and trademark on the term Astro*Carto*Graphy expired in 2011.
Lewis lectured throughout the world and regularly conducted seminars in which he trained students in Astro*Carto*Graphy techniques.
Personal life and death
Lewis was gay and lived in San Francisco for most of his life. According to the Trust's website as of December 2025, they continue to charge astrologers $150 to take a test by mail and become 'Astro*Carto*Graphy Continuum Certified,' based on the expired trademark. They also offer transcripts of Jim Lewis lectures for a fee.
His book The Astro*Carto*Graphy Book of Maps: The Astrology of Relocation was co-authored by Gail Guttman and published in 1981 by Llewellyn. Another book The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy (though Lewis was never a trained or licensed psychologist) was published posthumously by his friend Kenneth Irving in 1997 in the UK. The book was later revised and re-published with updated information in 2012 and 2024 by Words and Things.