About Us
Flare Publications
Flare Publications was formed in 1996 to publish astrology and palmistry books, as well as bring these subjects to businesses and media events. Its authors and staff are professional consultants and teachers, most of whom are available for corporate events and parties. Please contact us by post, telephone or email: Flare Publications, c/o BCM Planets, London WC1N 3XX. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8402 7772. Email: Click here to email.
Frank Clifford
Astrologer • Palmist • Lecturer • Consultant • Author • Columnist • Publisher • Editor
An independent, creative force in the astrological community for almost a quarter of a century, Frank has built an eclectic career in astrology, palmistry and publishing:
• as the writer of a dozen books including a modern classic on hand analysis • as a columnist and biographer • as a sun sign astrologer for numerous magazines • as a consultant for clients and businesses • as a publisher of two dozen books • as a reseacher and compiler of birth data (including a compendium for Solar Fire) • as a media astrologer/palmist profiled and interviewed on radio, tv and in print • as an international lecturer and the Principal of the London School of Astrology where, for the past eight years, he has been instrumental in bringing a younger generation to astrology.
In September 2012, at the annual Astrological Association Conference, Frank won the Charles Harvey Award for Exceptional Service to Astrology.
An astrologer and palmist since age 16, Frank began his data collecting work with Lois Rodden, contributing to and editing her Profiles of Women (1995) book and magazine Data News. His Clifford Data Compendium first appeared as part of the Solar Fire package in 1997 and was updated in 2000 and again in 2012. Frank's first book, British Entertainers: the Astrological Profiles was published that same year. A paperback version of the most recent edition (2003), with hundreds of chart wheels (Placidus), quotes from celebrities and the astrological signs of entertainers, is available from various bookshops or online from Amazon and www.flareuk.com
In 1996 he founded Flare Publications, and since then Frank has edited and published over a dozen astrology books, including Astrology in the Year Zero by Garry Phillipson, The Contemporary Astrologer's Handbook by Sue Tompkins (2007), and a revised edition of The Twelve Houses by Howard Sasportas (2007), with tribute essays to Sasportas by Liz Greene, Darby Costello, Melanie Reinhart, Laura Boomer-Trent and Erin Sullivan. Recent titles include Using Astrology to Create a Vocational Profile by Faye Cossar and From Symbol to Substance: Training the Astrological Intuition by Richard Swatton.
In 2009, Frank compiled The Astrologer's Book of Charts (available in hardback and paperback formats), and wrote Solar Arc Directions in 2011, Getting to the Heart of Your Chart: Playing Astrological Detective and Humour in the Horoscope: The Astrology of Comedy in 2012. Two booklets on Venus and Mars are also due for reprint and will be in a single volume, The Astrology of Love, Sex and Seduction. Frank is also working on finishing The Midheaven: Spotlight on Success.
Frank has combined his work as a consultant astrologer with that of Sun sign columnist for magazines such as Marie Claire (UK), Quick and Simple (US), Reveal (UK), and Candis (UK). He has also been profiled in various broadsheets and tabloids, and is a regular on TV and radio. His media work has ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous: from being interviewed for documentaries on the BBC comedy Little Britain, the BBC Radio series The Inconstant Moon and the Danny Boyle feature film Sunshine, working with Oxford University Press and Universal Studios, to being asked by the tabloid The Sun to locate a then-missing Saddam Hussein!
Frank is also a well-known palmist (The Guardian newspaper dubbed him the 'palm reader to the stars'), and his book Palmistry 4 Today (Rider/Random House, 2002) is considered the modern textbook on the subject, and has been published in five languages (including Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Serbian). A fully revised and expanded edition was published in the USA in 2010. Frank's other book on palmistry, Palm Reading (Hamlyn, 2003) is a unique guide with profiles on love, work and personality for each palm marking and hand shape. It was published in Chinese and Russian. In 2007, cards of these profiles were published. The book has been updated and will be republished as The Frank Guide to Palm Reading. Every year Frank organises the Hand Analysis Conference in London, which brings together some of the top palmists in the country.
In 2004, Frank took over the running of The London School of Astrology (www.londonschoolofastrology.co.uk) from Sue Tompkins, and runs certificate and diploma classes, seminars and residential courses in astrology and palmistry. The LSA prides itself on inviting an eclectic range of some of the most accomplished astrologers from around the world to give seminars and classes. Frank has also set up an annual Astrology Student Conference (ASC, 2008-) and an occasional Astrology and Music Conference (2009-). Frank lectures all over the UK and was a regular guest tutor on the psychology course at the London Metropolitan University.
Frank is an Aries Sun, with Gemini Rising and the Moon in Virgo.
Frank Clifford: A Work Chronology
1996
edits Lois Rodden's Profiles of Women book; founds Flare Publications; begins writing the astrology column for Candis magazine (March 1997 issue to 2009)
1997
begins Data Plus UK magazine with Sally Davis; publishes British Entertainers: the Astrological Profiles; writes The Clifford Data Compendium for Solar Fire; writes columns and phone lines for Marie Claire; starts writing articles for Astrolore, AA Journal, Transit and Lois Rodden's Data News; appears on various TV shows for live phone-ins; interviewed by The Daily Mirror
1998
continues writing astrology columns and phonelines
1999
publishes The Essentials of Hand Analysis booklet; publishes Shorthand of the Soul by David Hayward
2000
publishes The Sun Sign Reader by Joan Revill, The Draconic Chart by Rev. Pamela Crane, Astrology in the Year Zero by Garry Phillipson; plus two astrology booklets Mars and Venus; revises The Clifford Data Compendium
2001
signs a book deal with Rider (Random House) and begins writing Palmistry 4 Today; begins lecturing in astrology
2002
Palmistry 4 Today is published by Rider; lectures at the LSE, Olympia and astrology groups; profiled in The Guardian; interviewed on various BBC radio stations; works with Universal Studios
2003
foreign versions of Palmistry 4 Today are published in Dutch and Spanish; signs a book deal with Hamlyn; lectures at the Inner Potential Centre and begins co-running the Bromley Astrological Association (until 2007); interviewed on various radio shows and by The Sun newspaper wanting to know the whereabouts of then-missing Saddam Hussein!
2004
takes over The London School of Astrology and lectures at various astrology groups, Sussex Downs College and the AA Conference; teaches his first annual palmistry course; starts writing for Reveal magazine, plus various online sites including Astrodatabank; Italian version of Palmistry 4 Today published; Hamlyn publishes Palm Reading; interviewed for the Serbian astrology magazine Astrologos; appears twice on Sky One's Russell Grant Show; begins working with singer-songwriter Sarah Jane Morris on media projects and promotional work
2005
continues as astrologer to Reveal magazine (until 2007); writes for the US magazine Quick & Simple (until December 2006); begins to work with the SSPP/Life Patterns Society (until 2007); begins a regular teaching slot on the Psychology Course for London Metropolitan University; profiled in The Daily Mirror; contributes a foreword to one of his favourite books, Lunar Shadows II by Dietrech Pessin (republished in 2010 as Lunar Shadows III)
2006
edits and publishes The Contemporary Astrologer's Handbook by Sue Tompkins, and Jupiter and Mercury: An A to Z by Paul Wright; lectures at the AA Conference; begins the first annual Hand Analysis Conference; asked to appear on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here UK show; writes for Vision magazine; is interviewed for a TV documentary on the comedy show Little Britain; fundraises with Make Some Noise for Great Ormond Street Hospital; profiled in The Daily Express
2007
publishes The Twelve Houses by Howard Sasportas; Palm Reading cards are published; lectures at the AA Conference; organizes the Life Patterns Society Conference and edits and writes their newsletter; interviewed by the Oxford University Press as a subject for their DVD EFL courses; interviewed for the TV documentary on Danny Boyle's feature film Sunshine
2008
writes two articles for The Mountain Astrologer (including a large article on President Obama), a new column for The Astrological Journal, Soul and Spirit magazine and the Forturi website; writes course material for the Mayo School; is interviewed for and featured in The High-Heeled Guide to Enlightenment by Alice Grist (pub. date Autumn 2009); interviewed on Norwegian radio; lectures at UAC and AA Conference; co-founds The Astrology Student Conference; launches a Facebook site for the LSA
2009
publishes The Astrologer's Book of Charts; begins writing for the ISAR Journal; revises and publishes Palmistry 4 Today, organizes the first Astrology and Music Conference with Wendy Stacey of the Mayo School of Astrology; lectures in Amsterdam for Faye Cossar's school and at Hakan Kirkoglu's school in Turkey with Melanie Reinhart; lectures at various other conferences and returns to Sue Dibnah's school in Hull; begins a post-Diploma study group
2010
begins a regular column for The Mountain Astrologer (Horoscope Detective); lectures in Turkey and celebrates the Uranus ingress into Aries with a hot air balloon ride!; publishes two booklets: Astro Mind Maps (Kim Farley) and 101 Questions for the Student Astrologer (Jane Struthers); co-publishes Flare ebooks with a leading publisher and Flare books are published in various languages; lectures at various conferences and groups including ones in the Midlands, Devon, Edinburgh and Glasgow; lectures at the College of Psychic Studies with Robin Lown and gives a double-session talk at the Astrological Lodge; writes an article on the history of data collection for the NCGR Journal; creates The Astrologers' Booklist with Alice Ekrek and project manages an article on Derek Bird both for The Astrological Journal; records a podcast on The Astrology of Humour for The Astrology Show
2011
publishes a small volume Solar Arc Directions in spring and writes a textbook for students and astrologers Getting to the Heart of Your Chart in the autumn/winter; is invited to give consultations at the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath and lectures at Ston Easton Park Hotel; organizes the 6th Annual Palmistry Conference and 4th Astrology Student Conference; returns to lecture in Edinburgh and Glasgow and, with Wendy Stacey, is the guest speaker at the Bolton Conference; to promote two new books, he lectures across the UK; attends Deborah Houlding's Horary Course in Scotland; continues to write for The Mountain Astrologer (including a feature article on Republican presidential candidates), The ISAR Journal and The Astrological Journal, and contributes a piece on Shadow Transits for www.noeltyl.com; starts a new Palmistry beginners' course at the LSA in the autumn; continues to see clients and teach at the LSA
2012
begins the year teaching Solar Arc, the Midheaven, and chart synthesis at the FAA Conference in Melbourne; his piece on the history of data collecting (already published in The Astrological Journal, The ISAR Journal and The NCGR Journal) is posted on Deborah Houlding's Skyscript website; his textbook Getting to the Heart of Your Chart is published in April and follows his first webinar on the same subject (with the Mayo School of Astrology); April also sees the publication of From Symbol to Substance by Richard Swatton and a first book from Faye Cossar, Using Astrology to Create a Vocational Profile, and a collection of essays on astrology by 14 'new generation' authors (Astrology: The New Generation), which is launched at UAC in May, where Frank talks on Pluto: A History and Biography of America; in August, Frank lectured again in Istanbul; in September, Frank opened the Astrological Association Conference with a plenary on Speaking Your Chart. That night he is given The Charles Harvey Award for Exceptional Service to Astrology. He also gives a webinar on Solar Arcs for the Mayo School, and an online class to a palmistry group in Amsterdam. In December Frank lectures in China and gives various newspaper and TV interviews.
2013
in February, Frank launches a blog in Chinese on Weibo, and the long-awaited revision of The Draconic Chart by Pamela Crane is published; in June two more volumes are due from Frank: The Frank Guide to Palmistry (a revised version of Palm Reading) and Humour in the Horoscope: The Astrology of Comedy; talks and seminars in Australia, Amsterdam, Oslo, China and Bali are scheduled for 2013, and Frank will travel to Philadelphia to lecture at the NCGR Conference in August. Frank will give a seminar for the CPA on 12 May 2013, and will be the first Guest Editor of The Mountain Astrologer for their June/July issue.