AYA’s 2023 Year in Review

AYA’s 2023 Year in Review

As 2023 comes to an end, we’ve been reflecting on the exciting developments and accomplishments the Association for Young Astrologers has experienced this year. Join us in celebrating AYA’s 2023 highlights!

Board of Directors

This year, we’ve welcomed two new board members onto the team. Additionally, two existing board members embraced new positions. The lineup of our current board is as follows:

  • Janay Anthony, Chair
  • Anna DunLany, Treasurer
  • Dee, Secretary
  • Mo Olufemi, Education Coordinator
  • Melissa Marklin, Social Media Manager

AYA has intentions to continue expanding the board and present more opportunities for community involvement in 2024, so keep a look out for calls in the upcoming year.

Bylaws Update

Perhaps our biggest undertaking as an organization was updating our bylaws. We revised our bylaws to align them with our other governing documents, as well as to reflect current practices around remote work and the use of gender-neutral language. Throughout this process, AYA’s board recommitted to the organization’s original mission statement: to bridge the gap between generations in the field of astrology and promote astrological knowledge through an array of programming.

AYA at NORWAC

We were so excited to attend NORWAC this year! It was a joy to reconnect with the community, and see so many of you face-to-face. Did you have the chance to stop at our table and say hi? We also had the pleasure of bringing along our very first cohort of AYA fellows to participate in the conference virtually. In one of our first commitments to center education at AYA,  we developed an Astrology Conference Fellowship program that provided two full and three partial conference registration stipends to five outstanding AYA members.

A special shout out to our very own Mo Olufemi for giving an incredible NORWAC lecture on Using the Davison Chart for Intentional Relationships.

Seminar Under the Stars

We had a spectacular lineup of speakers join us for our Seminar Under the Stars series. Here’s a breakdown of the brilliant minds we had the privilege of learning from this year:

  • Samuel F. Reynolds, The Astrology of Policing
  • Mychal A. Bryan, Audience with the Author
  • Solar Simone, Bravery & Boundaries: How the Malefics Shape & Influence Us
  • Eric Lusby, History of the Lots

We want to highlight Mychal A. Bryan who was our first guest in what we hope to be a recurring series under the Seminar Under the Stars umbrella: Audience with the Author. Mychal joined us to discuss his recently published work, Mastering Traditional Astrology: A Depth of Beginning in the Celestial Art, and AYA gifted a signed copy of the book to three lucky AYA members.

Additionally, December will bring us a special edition of Seminar Under the Stars where the AYA board will discuss the major transits of 2024. Register here if you’d like to join the conversation!

What a Year!

Overall, we’re very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as an organization this year. All of the highlights above are only the beginning, and we have exciting projects in the woodwork coming up in 2024, so stay tuned!

May 2023 Horoscopes by Fionn Cleary

Here are your rising sign horoscopes for the month of May! 


This month there is a major emphasis on the fixed signs, particularly the Scorpio/Taurus axis. We have just blasted out of eclipse season. This month kicked off with the lunar eclipse in Scorpio on May 5th, bringing with it some major culminations and transformations. We get to enjoy some steady growth and lushness with Jupiter entering Taurus on May 16th, and then we plant new seeds in fertile fields with the Taurus new moon on May 19th. Although, a new Moon in the third decan of Taurus could indicate planning ahead for new beginnings with the knowledge that we may need a backup plan and a rainy day fund. 

Aries

Following the eclipse in your eighth house, there may have been a major process of disentangling from what binds you to others. As you release what you owe to others, Jupiter enters your second house to help turn what resources you already have into more. 

Taurus 

The month kicks off with a push to do some major work within your close relationships. As you take a breather after your final seventh house eclipse, Jupiter enters your first house to big you up like a hypeman and help you renew a fresh sense of hope and possibility. This begins a period of personal growth, learning and getting closer to your goals. 

Gemini

As the month begins, you may be prompted to do some problem-solving around your physical well-being and work-life balance. As Jupiter enters your 12th house, you may begin a process of deep introspection in which you unearth hidden talents and nuggets of wisdom. 

Cancer

The lunar eclipse may have facilitated a breakthrough in your creative passions and romantic life. As Jupiter rejoices in your eleventh house, it is well-equipped to facilitate growth, forging alliances, and the fruition of hopes and dreams. 

Leo 

The eclipse cycle brought about major changes in your home, family and living situation, and no it is coming to a close. Jupiter enters your house of career, allowing for a boost in profile, or you may earn a reputation for being your showy and sunny lil self! When Mars enters your first house later in the month, you may become particularly driven. 

Virgo 

The lunar eclipse marks a transition away from difficult experiences within your close circle and local community. As Jupiter enters your 9th, you can broaden your outlook and worldview. The myriad of possibilities the world has to offer opens up to you, offering new perspectives and plans for learning and growth. 

Libra

The eclipse may bring some major changes to how you earn your living and manage your resources. Jupiter in your eighth house can bring forth opportunities from the commitments you made during the first half of the year. Your committed relationships could enter a further level of intimacy or material involvement. 

Scorpio 

This eclipse hits you right in your first house! Eclipses in the first can feel akin to a snake shedding its skin – letting go of an old identity and beginning to live in a manner that’s authentic. Jupiter meets you in your 7th house, bringing you in contact with wise folks, teachers and generous partners. Jupiter may bring balance, agreement and good will to your committed relationships. 

Sagittarius 

The eclipse in your 12th house of isolation and hidden places brings a revelation in the dark – finding wisdom and deep resilience in difficult circumstances. Jupiter in Taurus brings support to your health and work and has the potential to offer supports and experts that can support your well-being. 

Capricorn 

Momentum is building within your social scenes after some major changes in your house of wider communities. Jupiter enters your fifth house, offering you some opportunities to flourish creatively and build up routines to sustain your creative force. It also brings opportunities for making romance a more lush and expansive area of your life. 

Aquarius 

The Scorpio eclipse may have brought major developments and momentous occasions in your career or public life. This may have been taxing for you and those close to you, so it’s good news that Jupiter enters your fourth house to bring some balance and expansion within the home. 

Pisces 

This eclipse may have brought a deep questioning around where you want to go in life and where in the world you like to place yourself. With Jupiter in your third house, you may be researching and planning for the foundations you want to set for the next phase of your life. This is a great time to question what you want your day-to-day life to look like. 

Plugs:

To stay up to date with my work and offerings you can follow me on Instagram (fionncleary) and on Twitter (@fionn_cleary). 

I am available for readings and you can learn more about my offerings on my booking page:

https://fionnclearyastrologybookings.as.me/schedule.php

You can also find everything I do in my linktree: 

https://linktr.ee/FionnCleary

AYA Bylaws Update

On March 1st 2023, the AYA Board of Directors voted to approve a revision to our bylaws.

The update is mostly much-needed housekeeping; we are now more clearly aligned with our other governing documents such as our Articles of Incorporation and the state statutes, and we’ve updated and clarified the language to reflect today’s practices around gender and remote work.

Most excitingly though, we’ve created new opportunities for the Board and those who care about AYA to more actively participate in governance and organizing.

Bylaw Update Highlights:

  • Instead of President and Vice-President, we’ve returned to the original Incorporation language of Chair and Vice-Chair.
  • We’ve adjusted the committee process so the Board can create committees as-needed, including committees that can include more non-Directors, such as a Board nomination committee and advisory committees.

The Board has already voted to create an Advisory Committee, hoping to bring in more community members of diverse generations and astrological traditions to advise on and support initiatives of the Board, as Demetra George supported and believed in AYA’s mission when first founded.

AYA’s principal mission continues to be to provide outreach and support to young people discovering astrology, and secondly, in support of that, to promote a deeper understanding and knowledge of astrology through lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, study groups, research and information distribution, and any and all other appropriate means.

Through the bylaw process, we’ve reaffirmed AYA’s identity as a small Board-governed 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization created for educational and charitable purposes, accountable to the public good and supported by our members, a legion of small donors who believe in AYA’s mission and benefit from our programs and community.

AYA’s current programming remains in line with our mission: monthly Seminar Under the Stars, monthly newsletter with opportunities for emerging astrologers, our Discord server, and forthcoming fellowship program.

If you’d like to register your interest in being on the Board or Advisory Committee prior to our official call, please contact youngastrologers@gmail.com

Astrology Conference Fellowship

To honor our mission of uplifting new and upcoming voices in astrology and providing opportunities to those who may not have them otherwise, the Association for Young Astrologers has created the Astrology Conference Fellowship.

AYA’s Astrology Conference Fellowship is a needs-based scholarship program for students of astrology looking to expand their skills and knowledge through attendance at conferences. Folks at any and all levels of astrology are welcome to apply.

To launch our fellowship program, AYA will be awarding 2 full and 3 partial scholarships for attendance to virtual NORWAC 2023!

  • Full Scholarship: worth $375 each, equates to the price of full conference registration, excluding pre/post-conference workshops
  • Partial Scholarship: worth $188 each, equates to half the price of full conference registration, excluding pre/post-conference workshops

Applicants are required to:

  • Have an active AYA membership
  • Demonstrate financial need
  • Be age 18+
  • Submit application form by April 30, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST.

Awardees of the fellowship will be required to:

  • Agree to be featured in AYA’s newsletter and blog
  • Attend a virtual social gathering for fellowship awardees on the evening of Saturday, May 27, 2023 (exact time TBD)

If you can commit to all the requirements, AYA invites you to apply for the Astrology Conference Fellowship! The deadline to submit this form is April 30, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/JUZXPHr4C913VRBMA

Open Call for AYA Secretary

With AYA’s recent adjustments to board roles, we are eager to announce an open call for our Secretary position. 

Filling this position is a high priority of the AYA board, so please submit your application by April 27, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST. If  we are still in need of a Secretary at that time, the call will remain open until the position is filled.

Our Secretary is responsible for…

  • Recording minutes for all board meetings
  • Maintaining organized records in Google Drive
  • Utilizing Asana to assign tasks designated during board meetings
  • Working with Communications Manager to check and maintain social media 
  • Collaborating with other board members on committee projects that pique your interest

Position Requirements

  • 2 year commitment to the position
  • Ability to attend biweekly board meetings Monday evenings at 7PM EST.

Preferred Secretary Qualities

  • Organizational Skills
  • Strong Communication Skills
  • Familiarity with Google Suite
  • Collaborative
  • Curiosity and Eagerness to Learn
  • Virgo energy highly welcome!

If you’re interested in applying to the Secretary position, send your resume and a cover letter to youngastrologers@gmail.com with the subject line “2023 Secretary Application.” Applications received by April 27,2023 at 11:59 PM EST will be prioritized over those received after this date. Though the call will remain open until the position is filled.

Don’t think the Secretary position is right for you, but still want to be more involved with AYA? You’re in luck! AYA is looking to continue expanding our board, and will be announcing open calls for other board positions in the near future. Stay tuned!