Dennis Elwell (astrologer)

Elwell said that the correspondence was examined by journalists, after which a number of newspapers carried the story of the "warning ignored". This was followed by an appearance on the BBC's Kilroy TV show, and further press attention later the same year. Elwell's correspondence with P&O was also reported in the Channel 4 documentary series Witness in June 2000, in a programme examining the rise in the influence of astrology.

In 1987, Elwell's predictions on a heightened risk to shipping formed part of a publicity campaign for the book. He said that his publisher requested the forecasts to draw attention to astrology.

Elwell said, in his own account, that in 1987 he forewarned two shipping companies of trouble, one of these being the British ferry company P&O Ferries. Less than two weeks after P&O replied to Elwell, to reassure him that their procedures were designed "to deal with the unexpected from whatever quarter", their ship, the Herald of Free Enterprise, capsized at the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge with the loss of 188 lives.

Elwell's articles and lectures led to wider recognition. He was a guest lecturer at the 1981, 1984 and 1987 astrology World Congresses in Switzerland, the 1983 and 1984 international congresses in Berkeley, California, and the 1986 Berlin International Congress. His lectures have been translated into German and Dutch.

He gave the Charles Carter Memorial Lecture for the Astrological Association of Great Britain in 1974 and 1992, and in 2007 was awarded the Charles Harvey Award for Exceptional Service to Astrology by the Astrological Association of Great Britain.

Elwell was a professional journalist for most of his life. At the same time, he explored astrological theory, following diversified interests in science and the works of occultists such as Rudolf Steiner and George Gurdjieff. He began lecturing to astrologers in 1963 and gained a reputation for being an original thinker and stimulating speaker.

Dennis Elwell (16 February 1930 – 13 November 2014) was a British astrologer, journalist, author and lecturer. He is the author of the book Cosmic Loom, and has contributed articles to the publications The Future of Astrology, the Astrological Association Journal, American Astrology, Prediction and Mountain Astrologer.

He was born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire in 1930. As a teenager, Elwell taught himself the basics of astrology. At the age of 19, he had an article on reincarnation published in the magazine Prediction. In 1953, he began writing regularly for American Astrology, a popular magazine that acted as a platform for contemporary astrologers. His association with the magazine continued for twenty years.