David D Kesten was born on January 8, 1947 to Joseph Kesten and Ruth Silvergleid Kesten in Brooklyn, New York. He passed away quietly on Monday, June 8, 2020 in his home in Berkeley, California, after a long illness.

David is survived by his sister, Deborah Kesten (Larry Sherwitz) of Roby, Texas, as well as cousins Ann Lyons of New York; Martin Margot, Florida; Paul Silvergleid (Lucy) of Glastonbury, Connecticut; Steven Baum of Pembroke Pines, Florida; Carole Baum (Ben Pitch) of Lake Worth, Florida; Nina Freeman of Sunrise, Florida; Jeffrey Lukowsky of Lincoln, Massachusetts; Lyssa Flayman (Eric Flayman) of Cooper City, Florida; Rebecca Flayman of Pembroke Pines, Florida; Skyler Gold of Sunrise, Florida; Joel Gershon of Washington DC; and Leah Gershon Lang (Nathan) of Mount Washington, California.

Upon graduation from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1972, David was drafted by the U.S. Army into Vietnam War in 1973. He refused to take a life and worked as a cook in Saigon during his service. David was a member of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America.

A lifelong student of spirituality, religious studies and astrology, David was well known among professional astrologers, his students and clients throughout the years for his depth of knowledge and contributions to the field. His articles were published in the Mountain Astrologer magazine, David’s presence and contributions left lasting impressions on both of San Francisco’s astrology organizations: The National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR) SF Bay Area Chapter and the San Francisco Astrological Society (SFAS).

In 1973, and again in 1990, David became a fellow of The Theosophical Society (Adyar, Madras, India). Around 1981, David was an active member of the Berkeley Alice A. Bailey. The Bailey Esoteric Astrology teachings complemented his knowledge of western astrology and Indian (Vedic) astrology. David hosted the group’s weekly meetings for several years at his Berkeley home and frequently led the monthly full moon meditations, all with his warmth and good humor.

David was ordained as a Cherag of the Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society. David was fully certified as a minister on the 27th day of May, 2001.

David also attended many lectures at the Vedanta Society of Berkeley, and had a great interest in the non-dual teaching of Advaita Vedanta.

Along with his broad interests in many forms of spirituality, David remained proud of his Jewish heritage and continued to attend Torah, Talmud and Biblical Hebrew study groups with the Lehrhaus Judaica in Berkeley (now HaMaqom).

David will forever be remembered. Your thoughts and memories of David that you wish to share are welcomed. In lieu of flowers, you may wish to donate to the Jewish National Foundation.

Dear Ones,

Sorry to hear of David's passing from our perspective, but glad that he has been liberated from a dis-eased physical vehicle.  I've known David since the mid-80s when Carolyn and I moved from Austin, TX to the S.F. Bay Area for me to earn my masters degree at JFKU in Orinda.  Shortly after arriving there, we met Helen Burmester, author of The Seven Rays Made Visual.  

When I found Helen's book in a local metaphysical bookstore, I noticed that she lived in nearby Oakland.  I called her up, we visited for a while about our interest in DK/AAB, HPB, etc.  She then invited Carolyn and me over for a visit and tea and cookies.  Helen was like an old German grandmother with twinkling, wise, and loving eyes.  She later introduced us to David, who did our charts, and we all became close esoteric friends.  The four of us attended a weekly Bailey study group in the area.

When it came time for the annual spring conference at Meditation Mount [here in Ojai] we drove Helen and David to the conference.  At the Mount, we met Sir John Sinclair, author of The Alice Bailey Inheritance, and he invited us to an esoteric conference on the Queen Mary in Long Beach the following month (May 1987).  There  we reconnected with Michael Robbins, whom we had met at the Arcane School conference in NY in 1982. 

But, upon leaving the Mount, Helen invited us to go visit her sister Marie and her brother-in-law, Manly P. Hall, the renowned metaphysical lecturer and author who founded The Philosophical Research Society (PRS) in Los Angeles.  We all had a delightful visit that afternoon and night, and the next morning met Manly for a tour of PRS.  While there, he went into his vault, and brought out an obscure Arabian (?) astrological book from the 15th C. (?), and showed it to David who had inquired about it the night before.  David was so excited to hold and carefully browse through the rare and valuable text.

Then in September 1987, the Trio--Michael, Dot, and Mary Ann, came and stayed with us, and presented a Seven Rays seminar.  At night, Michael and I (and a few others, including David, lagging slightly behind our vigorous pace) walked through our neighborhood, and literally spoke the USR into being.  We had the first USR board meeting in NJ later that year, and our first conference the next spring (1988).

So, David was around, and played an active role throughout that period of our lives and the beginning of the USR.  He was a great brother, a serious student of the Wisdom, and an excellent esoteric astrologer.  Although we haven't spoken in decades, David is just one of those people who will always be with you.  He will be missed!

I've attached a few images from that period (from my esoteric memoir).  I changed the names in my memoir: A/Andrew = Michael R; Gretchen = Glenda C; J/Justin = Robert B; A/Angela = Carolyn B.

Blessings,

Robert

I was extremely saddened to learn of the recent passing of prominent Bay Area astrologer David Kesten. A mutual friend informed me that David died on June 8 from a heart problem. He had been declining since January.

He had such severe health challenges for the past dozen years or so. The last time I saw him was at a SFAS meeting late last year – and he looked better than he had for a long time. It’s a real shock to learn that he’s gone. 

For decades, David Kesten was a premier astrologer in our area. Originally from New York, he arrived in California after serving in Viet Nam. Eventually he settled in Berkeley where he lived for the rest of his life. 

For 25 years starting in the 70’s, David ran a Saturday morning astrology group at the Theosophical Society on Nob. In addition to astrology, David had a deep knowledge of history and politics and was not afraid to mix them! He was a walking ephemeris. Mention any date in the last several decades, and he’d be able to tell you pretty much the exact placements of the outer 5 planets. He was remarkable in this skill! 

In 1992, when I decided to sponsor a monthly astrology study group, he was one of the first people I contacted. I found his name in the “local contacts” section of Mark Lerner's magazine Welcome to the Planet Earth. David lived in Berkeley; I was in San Francisco. I reached out to him, and he came to the very first astrology meeting I ever held!! He continued to support SFAS for the rest of his life: the last time I saw him was at a meeting late last year. It was David who introduced the 3 ohms to open and close our meetings, a tradition we carry on to this very day. He was truly integral to SFAS.

In addition to a wicked intelligence and a strong moral bearing, David had a kind heart (“I’m developing my Pisces Midheaven,” he used to say), a sense of humor and sparkling blue eyes. I know for a fact that he helped people in a way that was not made public. The breadth of his knowledge was matched only by the depth of his heart. He was a teacher and mentor to many, and I deeply appreciate his contribution to our field and particularly to Bay Area astrology. I will always remember him.

May he shine in the stars always!

Linea