Astrology Foundation
                  incorporated
 
A Society of Friends Setting Standards in NZ Astrology
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Conference Speakers
  
April Elliott Kent is a professional astrologer living in San Diego, California. She is the author of Astrological Transits (Fair Winds Press, 2015), The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology (Alpha/Penguin 2011), and Star Guide to Weddings (Llewellyn 2008). Her astrological writing has also appeared in The Mountain Astrologer and Dell Horoscope magazines and in Llewellyn’s Sun Sign, Moon Sign, and Sabbats annuals. A popular lecturer, April has served on the faculty of UAC 2012 and 2018, ISAR 2016, and as a featured presenter at the 2016 State of the Art Conference. She is a member of ISAR and AFAN and President of the San Diego Astrological Society, one of the largest and oldest independent astrological organizations in the United States.

Astrologers are tempted to parse the sky, and people, into techniques and measurements; but people aren’t made that way. We are both complex and of a piece, each of us “one thing” made of planets and stars, mothers and fathers, and lovers reaching back to antiquity. After nearly three decades practicing astrology, basic tools speak to me best. Take the Moon: nothing is more fundamental than astrology that is easily viewed from your back stoop each evening. I like to think that’s how astrology started – with sky lovers watching the Moon dancing with the Sun, the wayward planets drifting across the stars, observing rhythms and cycles that are so like our own - So I offer two lectures on the Moon.

Curious Case of the Void-of-Course Moon: Dead Zones, or Moments of Truth?
This lecture grew out of my disagreement with modern astrological wisdom about the void-of-course Moon, which is meant to indicate astrological “dead zones” - unhappy times to start new projects, meet new people, or make important decisions.  But I kept running across puzzling examples in which it just didn't seem to work the way it was supposed to. What began as a study in prediction eventually became, for me, a new way to think of the VOC Moon.

How I Met My Mother: The Natal Lunar Phase and Relationships
Relationship astrology is preoccupied with the passionate eroticism of Venus and Mars. But when the hormonal tidal wave recedes, the Sun and Moon are the relationship that’s left on the shore. Your first relationships -particularly with your parents - are symbolized by the relationship between the Sun and Moon at your birth. Your natal lunar phase suggests how you are wired for the give and take of human relationship, and your relationship expectations and needs. In a compatibility tour of the four lunar quadrants, we examine the eight major lunar phases: what do what they offer, what do they need, and what can they can learn in relationships?

www.bigskyastrology.com.  ​​
  
Charles Jameson is an astrology blogger, researcher and educator. He began his astrological journey in 1993, learning from Kay Raymer. This culminated in his gaining the F.A.A. Practitioner Diploma about four years later. He has presented at the Victorian Astrologers Association (VAA) on several occasions. Presentation topics included the astrological life and times of cult leaders Jim Jones and Marshall Applewhite; Elizabethan astrologer Simon Forman, and Jupiter-Saturn conjunction cycles. Charles is a graduate of John Frawley’s Horary Apprenticeship, and Robert Zoller’s Foundation of Medieval Astrology. He was a co-convenor of the two instances of the Regulus traditional astrology conference in 2009 and 2011. Charles is the Australian ‘satellite,’ or advocate, for the Organisation for Professional Astrology (OPA).

The Astrology of Cult Leaders
Do cult leaders hook into the promise of the Unity of Being – The One Thing, to then narrow their follower’s perspective to a doctrinaire vision?  Why do seemingly rational people become involved in cults, and what makes cult leaders so appealing to their followers?  And what do we mean by the term ‘cult’ anyway?
This presentation looks at why people get involved in cults led by charismatic and often dangerous individuals.  People who willingly obeying their leader’s command, no matter what.  Even unto death. Do cult leaders have certain astrological characteristics that account for their uncanny ability to bend others to their will?  In this presentation, Charles introduces a mystery New Zealand cult leader, and summarises his research surrounding ten infamous cult leaders.  He looks at their astrological similarities and differences, dipping into example charts to illustrate key points.

  
  
Christina Richter is a full time practicing astrological consultant, educator and author specializing in Medical Astrology. Her extensive background as a registered nurse, and passion for alternative healing, gives her a unique approach. Christina began her astrological journey in 1990 and holds qualifications from Astro Varsity in Sydney, plus Diplomas in Herbalism, Advanced Medical Astrology, Ayurvedic Consultation, Colour Therapy, and a Master Certificate in Astrological Counselling. Her book Learn to Self-Heal merges Medical Astrology and Ayurveda into simple practices that connect body, mind and spirit. She is currently writing the follow-up.

The Magic of Astro-Medicine and the Special Case of Autism
The reality of whole body/mind as a healing circuit is a feature of the continuity of energy between cosmos and human. The ‘Making of the One Thing’ shows itself in many ways: as the transpersonal planets shift through the zodiac, mankind and disease evolve together. As new ailments arise, insights to old therapies are resurrected and new treatments are being invented.  Autism exploded onto the world stage in 1985 bringing a fresh challenge to the health system and mankind. Discovered in 1943, it is now as popular as measles.  According to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention in 2016, 1 in 59 children have this disorder. They are the new kids on the block, they are our future. As astrologers and healers, let us learn how to identify autism and offer alternatives to support our clients. We will explore the mutable dynamics that case studies show, the timing, and what it tells us.  


   
  
Christine Broadbent has been a consulting astrologer and writer for 30 years. She lectures internationally and has been consulting and teaching in New Zealand since 1996 when she convened PanPacific Planet Camp at Lake Taupo. This event had so much magic, it inspired her to leave her home country of Australia, now moving between the two countries. She has long been the astrological writer for the bimonthly Australian WellBeing magazine. With an honours degree in Sociology, Christine recently returned to academia to explore astrology as a socially situated knowledge system, doing postgrad research at Massey University for two years.  Recently she presented her research on Celestial Magic at the Sophia Centre Conference in Bath, UK. An expanded version was published in 2017: Culture and Cosmos, Vol 19. Christine takes full blame for proposing “let’s celebrate New Moon conjunct Jupiter with a conference in Aotearoa.”

The Pattern that Connects: Exploring the Mystery in Astrology’s History
Patterns, rhythms, returns and connections are intrinsic to the language of astrology. Seeking the links between our human voyage and the cosmic patterns of each moment, astrology is both an art and a science.  Its complex history encompasses astronomical breakthroughs, ancient omens and many predictive techniques.  Astronomy and astrology held a shared knowledge system for centuries.  Another shared knowledge space is alchemy, as demonstrated by the Emerald Tablet and its well-known line: As Above, so below…for the making of the One Thing.  We will explore this short series of verses as links between astrology, consciousness and self-actualization.  We will also trace the significance of Hermetic principles for astrological technique, historically significant and strong again now.
Bring along a copy of your Whole Sign house system chart to get the best out of this lecture.
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Colleen Coffey DMASNZ, PMAFA, Dip Astro (FAA) is a counselling Astrologer, Teacher, Lecturer, and writer. Her career spans four decades and many national and international locations. She joined the ASNZ shortly after its incorporation in the early 70s, and was President on three occasions; she has also served on the ASNZ exam board and was a marker for the FAA Exam Board.   During her current tenure as President she has initiated a scholarship enabling New Zealand students to sit the Australian exam system in order to gain qualifications; she has also based her classes on the FAA syllabus focusing on an advanced level. No stranger to conference organization Colleen has been actively involved with the organization of The Making of The One Thing conference.​​

The Stars Above - The Gods Within: Stories the Fixed Stars tell from within the Natal Chart
 We know the Fixed Stars are the foundation and backdrop of our Astrology, they define the constellations, while their ancient mythology is woven into the very core of our craft.  But we don’t go there, in fact until very recently as a collective, we have ignored them.
This lecture revisits the Stars, it takes the biggest, the brightest and the most troublesome Stars, revisits their traditional mythology then directs it through the lens of modern psychological astrology—the result is quirky, with remarkable insight as to how we use the Gods within us.  This is not a technical lecture, but a good introduction to the Fixed Stars, an opportune place to reconnect with them and above all, a timely reminder that the Fixed Stars were in fact the beginning of The Making of The One Thing.

Fern Mercier is a practising Astrologer and Tarot Reader, teacher, presenter and writer in Auckland, Aotearoa.  She has been learning the astrological craft since the mid- 1970s and teaching since the late 1980s. She has presented many lectures and workshops internationally and throughout New Zealand since the 1990s. She was involved in a research project on the Asteroids in the charts of academic women that was received enthusiastically at Auckland University as well as within the Trade Union Movement. She always brings a strong feminist influence to her astrological work. 
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Astrologer as Magician: The Business of Being an Astrologer  
Together we tour the roles the Astrologer plays.  An enquiry into that unique time and place of any astrological reading. We explore the space where the chart, the reader and questioner meet, in a distinctive flow of time, place and ambience.
This is an exploration of what happens in the special energy field of a reading, where the astrologer, the client and the horoscope become a kind of holy trinity. Within that crucible created, I believe, is where the intellect and the magic modes interface, fusing into a “sacred space." This then allows “The Making of One Thing."
  
Franchelle Ofsoské-Wyber is a professional astrologer and award-winning vibrational medicine specialist. At age 16, she began her formal study and life-long love of astrology, esoteric astrology, vibrational medicine, the occult, alchemy and magic in its various forms. She is author of The Celestial Compendium, which weaves together these ancient arts in a practical way making them accessible to both novice and seasoned astrologer.

The Celestial Compendium - Alchemy, Astrology and Magic
The theme for the conference is a key statement from the Emerald Tablet which in its totality is the quintessential statement on alchemy and the alchemical process.
This presentation takes us deep into the heart of the great mystery, exploring and revealing the hidden links between the three hermetic sciences astrology, alchemy and magic and how working with them mediates the above and the below. In this fully experiential presentation each person will learn how to work in a simple, dynamic and powerful astrological, alchemical and magical way with the stars and planets to transform their life through working with the ‘One Thing’.
The presentation also reveals how to work alchemically with the astrological chart, stars and planets to bring about self-healing, through creating a personal alchemical story. We will work practically with The Celestial Compendium, an astrological and alchemical ritual divinatory tool, that is pure ‘Starcraft’ and a dynamic 21st century recontextualization of the arcane teachings of the alchemists of old.
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Glorija Lawrence dip. Cosmobiology (Hons) is a professional astrologer with over 30 years’ experience, who runs a busy practise in Melbourne, Australia. Glorija studied with Doris Greaves, gaining an Honours diploma in Cosmobiology. Glorija has travelled extensively, lecturing in Australia, New Zealand, Finland, India and America.  She has written many articles published in Australia and internationally. ​​

Natural Disasters Within the Life Force:  The 2011 Christchurch Earthquake
We live within the reality of a life force, an evolving universe. Our current temporal existence is reliant on the sustainability of our generation to unite as one and to deepen and expand our global dialogue.
Astrology has many layers to the horoscope such as the individual, the family, the group and then the soul group.  All are intertwined in the way that our daily lives are determined.Fate, destiny and free will are also tied up in a neat little bundle. So what are the moral and ethical cornerstones surrounding our predictions of impending gloom and doom?In this lecture, Glorija shares with us her ground-breaking research on the soul group experience of her family caught up in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and how astrology can help us find a deeper understanding of the spiritual underpinnings of our indelible dependency on each other.  

  
Graham Ibell studied at the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London, graduating with the Diploma in 2000. He has practiced and taught astrology in the UK and New Zealand for over 20 years, with clients and students throughout the world. He has tutored for the Mayo school since 2010. Graham’s work is supported by four years’ training in Process Oriented Psychology, long-standing interest in Anthroposophy, extensive study and use of the I Ching, and training with the International School of Storytelling. His other passions are music, poetry, nature and sour-dough bread. 

Locating the Story in the Chart: Finding Meaningful Narrative from a Horoscope
Horoscope-reading is storytelling: through interpreting symbols infused with biography, we evoke the hero a client is capable of being, who/what they might meet on their journey, how to best equip themselves for challenges, and more. We help them examine stories they have told themselves that trap them in patterns or self-limiting attitudes, or which prevent them from unfolding larger, more meaningful stories. Working from the stance that astrology is a craft woven of Saturn (technique) and Jupiter (intuition) you can enter the narrative of your client’s chart, always mindful of your storyteller role and the client-astrologer gestalt. With these new approaches you will be better able to ground your reading in the things that really matter, bridge the client-astrologer divide, and enable your client to navigate their own stories with more freedom.

Cook’s Landfall: A New Map for New Zealand
Various charts are in use for New Zealand, with the 1907 Dominion and the 1840 Treaty charts most common. Convinced of its historic and symbolic relevance, I’ve been researching the chart of Cook’s first New Zealand footfall. It’s incisively descriptive of the politics, culture, and national identity, as well as immensely sensitive to a range of historic events. I will discuss this chart’s historic background, pertinence, and demonstrate its sensitivity to transits. Adopting the stance that charts show the medicine as well as the sickness, I will explore how this one could be used to evolve New Zealand’s cultural story, in so doing show how we might spiritualise our approach to mundane astrology.

  

Hamish Saunders is a master astrologer, co-founder of Astrology House in 1980 and the AFI in 1983. He served as AFI president from 1988 to 2005. Hamish is a graduate of Robert Zoller's Medieval Astrology Course and an honorary member of the Regulus Ebertin Study Group. He maintains a busy astrology consultation practice and is a co-developer of the Janus Astrology.

The Houses as a Ladder Between Above and Below
We will explore whole sign and quadrant house systems as a symbiotic pair used in traditional astrology. The astrological wisdom of the ancients asserted that by looking up at the sky we are initiated into the mysteries of existence, opened to both the macrocosmic laws of creation and the knowledge of Self within. From this perspective, the purpose of astrology is to reconnect us with our divine nature. Through the actions of the planets in the 12 houses, the natal chart reveals how the macrocosm is expressed through us. Traditionally, two systems of house division suffice: Whole Sign for determining which area of life is a planet’s stage of action. Quadrant Houses for determining planetary strengths. By combining these two, accurate prediction is greatly increased. In this talk I will show you how to use both house systems to best effect.
Bring your whole sign chart along to try out this system.
  
Harsha Rigney started her astrology studies in 1978.  What began as an interest grew into her career.  She has worked professionally in this field since 1985, teaching astrology since 1989 through TAFE in Australia and the Continuing Education programme in NZ.  She was the astrological writer for the Healthy Options and Rainbow News magazines for 16 years. Combining her astrological knowledge with her daughter’s artistic ability Harsha and Sufi have been producing their annual production of the Astrovision Moon Calendar. This is sold extensively throughout NZ and Australia. The 2019 edition is their 22nd year of production.  Harsha has furthered her writing, illustrating and publishing skills with the recent release of her own books.  

The Eclipses: Significant Steps of Endings and Beginnings
The Solar and Lunar Eclipses, both historical and current, mark the major changes and milestones that shape our journey in life. These are cycles that remind us of the indelible links between Above and Below. When the Eclipse Season is upon us, we have the opportunity to change the direction of our life. We can release ourselves from old habits and limitations, creating the space for new growth and opportunities.  Harsha will share her insights on the current Eclipse season, bringing attention to the areas of change that are the focus for us all, both individual and global.  She has developed a deep understanding of the Prenatal Eclipses and will illustrate the power and depth the Prenatal Solar Eclipse has on each of our lives.

  
  
Lisa Jones and Christine Murfitt are Mercurial Connections, an astrology education network that provides quality conferences and workshops throughout Australia and Europe. They support both local and international astrologers to present their work, as well as offering astrological workshops themselves. Both are astrological counsellors, educators and event managers. Christine and Lisa have studied astrology extensively with Steven Forrest, where they have gained qualifications as Forrest trained Astrologers. They have also studied with other teachers, including Brian Clark. Their natural therapies and counselling education form a basis to their client consultations and flavours their education style. Christine and Lisa both have a passion for health and wellbeing with the emphasis on a body, mind, spirit connection. Evolutionary Astrology reinforces their view of gaining self-awareness, to develop strengths and navigate challenges, in order to reach the potential indicated within the natal chart. 

Sun, Moon and Ascendant...Through the Evolutionary Lens
If it is not purely by chance that we have the chart we do, then what has occurred before our birth for the soul to ask for the chart we have? Evolutionary Astrology supports the understanding that the chart is symbolic of the fullest potential possible for the soul’s growth.  ‘As Above so Below’ suggests there is a two-way flow between cosmos and human. We will explore this reciprocal relationship. When working with The Sun, Moon and Ascendant from the Evolutionary perspective, we can gain a deep understanding into where we may have come from. This also provides a path to ask: How can we allow these three primary energies of our chart to weave a rich expression of our soul’s purpose and meaning in this lifetime?
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Lyndall McQuinn has brought together her passion for astrology, tarot, wicca, ritual, meditation, and personal development in a unique and grounded way. From her study of these fields, Lyndall has developed her own way of working with astrology; a technique she calls Shamanic Astrology. Lyndall has taught astrology in many situations over the course of thirty years from Lancaster County Prison USA in 1985, to workshops at Festivals 1986-1991, to her present-day courses.  She has been a guest speaker at the Sydney Festival of Dreams, presented at the VAA and AANSW monthly meetings and nationally at Sydney FAA Conference 2016 and internationally in Portugal 2017.  

Turning the Astrological Wheel
My lecture combines Astrology, Wicca and Shamanism. It illustrates how the chart can be used from these three perspectives. My work is experiential; I always work from inside the wheel. My concept is wheels within wheels as the chart can be interpreted from differing vibrations; letting the energies speak to you. Firstly, we will look at the angles, and how they relate to your life from an astrological perspective. Then we view the angles as a ritual wheel. We will consider using the astrology wheel as a tool for sacred space, and as a means of gaining perspective on your personal chart interpretation. All these perspectives are created with the one tool: wheels within wheels.   
  
  
    

































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Murray Beauchamp began his journey into astrology in 1978. Over time he gained recognised qualifications with the American Federation of Astrologers, the Australian Academy of Astrology & Cosmobiology and the Steven Forrest Apprenticeship Program. He is the author of The Cryptic Cycle, a ground-breaking work on the Lunar Saros cycle, and is currently working on a second volume reflecting years of ongoing research. He has had articles on the Lunar Saros published in the journals of the Astrological Foundation Incorporated (NZ), the FAA, the Astrological Association (UK), and the American Federation of Astrologers. Workshops on the Lunar Saros have been presented in both New Zealand and Australia.

Soul and the Lunar Saros:  A Journey into the Cosmic Web of Soul Evolution                        
The astrologer’s credo ‘As above, so below’ provides a philosophy inviting deeper reflections. Astrological events before birth carry significant themes, which interconnect with life and consciousness, and each of us has a lunar eclipse before birth. Through this we each have a relationship with a particular Lunar Saros Series. Each Lunar Saros Series has a birth chart, which describes the characteristics of the entire series, of around 1300 years. Through this connection, we are asked to meet and experience something in a new and original way. Being lunar based, these Saros cycles are embedded within the Cosmic Feminine. There we find the mystery of the cosmic web of life and nature. Being open to change is the key to soul evolution, and this lecture will explore how the Lunar Saros carries an evolutionary message. Case studies will illustrate how these Saros cycles weave their energies into the Earth, and all who live here.

  
  
Rozlyn Noble specialises in the ancient technique of Horary. She utilises both traditional and modern astrology methods to bring rich perspective to the questions clients bring. She began her astrology studies 30 years ago with the Rosicrucian Fellowship, USA. Astrology has been a lifelong interest, culminating in 2016 with achieving the FAA Diploma, and the certificate in Horary from the STA. She is also co-director and owner of Noble Performance Solutions—a business /leadership consulting organisation. Roz applies Horary astrology with international executives during times of transition. Originally from New Zealand, Rozlyn has lived in Australia for nearly 20 years. She is a keen adventurer, participating in expeditions climbing, hiking, rafting and skiing around the globe. 

Horary Astrology: Location, Location, Location!
Horary astrology is a divination tool used for finding specific answers to specific questions set for the time the question is asked.  As such, it acknowledges the relationship between the Divine—the Above, and life here on Earth—the Below.  The connection between them can be seen as the ‘One Thing’ or Universal Life force, which connects us all and holds all possibilities. Reflecting our interconnected universe in a practical way, Horary astrology can provide clear, accurate answers to all kinds of genuinely asked questions, revealing symbolism that describes the wider context and significance.  We will explore the questions: When will I sell my house?  Will it yield a profit?  How well is this property built? Questions concerning real estate, whether it is your own property, investment or rental home are frequently asked.  In this lecture the traditional tools for reading and interpreting a Horary chart concerning real estate will be explored using modern chart examples.

  
  
Sagari (Janet Menefy): Astrology and I have been inseparable since 1981. I studied formally in New Zealand and then Australia, gaining the FAA Basic Certificate in 1993 and the FAA Practitioners Certificate in 1994. In 2006 I became a member of the Association of Professional Astrologers. (APA)  Along with astrology, eastern spirituality and meditation have been a big part of my life in the past 37 years.  

Circle Work
Circle on the Floor is a contemporary method of working with the traditional birth chart which, in my experience, is a very apt reflection of the famous quote which is the theme of this conference, "As it is Above, so it is below." Laying out any astrology chart on the floor in a size that can be stepped into adds a dimension of direct experience to traditional perception and understanding. This makes the energies easier to recognise, for those people both inside and outside of the circle. I will introduce the Circle on the Floor method and my current passion of reconnecting people with their annual Sun cycle. I will then work with anyone who would like to venture into the circle, to experience Circle Work for themselves; anyone who would like experience the return flow: "And as it is below, so it is Above."

  
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