Perhaps you’ve heard about the secret Elvis, that there was a deeply spiritual side to this seemingly unlikely candidate for chelaship. At the DreamProductions.com website, [unfortunately, the site no longer exists] Larry Geller - Elvis' longtime friend and guide in the metaphysical world - provides an authentic view on Elvis.

In addition to offering audio cassettes of the "Secret Diary" Elvis authorized Larry to produce, the website includes an annotated list of Elvis' favorite books, including the large collection of metaphysical, theosophical and inspirational books he carried with him wherever he traveled. But even more fascinating is the astrological chart Rudhyar drew and worked from in writing the astrological report Elvis requested in 1965.

According to the website, "this is the only astrological chart Elvis ever requested . . . Elvis' horoscope, accompanied by a 23-page in-depth interpretation, includes charts of his mother and father, as well as Priscilla Presley, all of which Elvis requested."

Extraordinary measures seem to have been taken to determine Elvis' correct birthtime. "To properly chart Elvis' horoscope," the website explains, "Rudhyar required information about the time, place and date of Elvis birth, as well as other vital statistics in his life. One afternoon at Graceland, Elvis, his father Vernon Presley and Larry sat in the meditation garden. Responding to Rudhyar's list of questions, Elvis carefully directed his fathers memory to recall the details of the night Elvis was born, along with his stillborn brother Jesse Aaron.

"Over the following years, Elvis would periodically refer to Rudhyars astrological interpretation of his chart. Here are a few highlights from that provocative document:

"'The over-all planetary structure of your chart is quite complex. It belongs to . . . the Splash Type . . . This shows versatility and in some cases the ability literally to make a splash in the world . . .

'. . Jupiter is, however, aspecting most harmoniously the Sun in your Second House (which deals with money, possessions, gains, etc.) and Neptune in your Tenth House. As Neptune refers to music, motion pictures, collective human vibrations and mass enthusiasms, its position in the House representing your public, professional life is certainly most pertinent. This Jupiter . . . in your Twelfth House . . . suggest that you are open to inspiration and inner guidance, and a channel for the fulfillment of a social human need. I would hardly know how to define clearly what this need is, but it may some day extend beyond what you at present bring to people.'"

Two of Rudhyar’s books, New Mansions for New Men and Fire Out of Stone, are included in a long list of Elvis favorite books, which reads like the holdings of a theosophical library. Other titles include H. P. Blavatsky’s Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine. The Dream Productions website states, "Elvis was intrigued by Madame Blavatsky’s striking physical resemblance to his beloved mother Gladys." Remarkably, under the entry for David Anrias' Through the Eyes of the Masters, we find the annotation: "Elvis got the ideas for the high-collared jumpsuits he wore as show costumes from this provocative book, replete with pictures of spiritual masters."

Thanks goes to Larry Geller for providing a lesson in the need to look beyond appearances. Larry's out-of-print book, If I Can Dream, details the significant and beneficial impression Rudhyar's astrological report had on Elvis.