2019 NCGR Conference
The Association for Young Astrologers will be hosting a series of gatherings in the evenings at the 2019 NCGR conference. We will meet in the AYA Lounge on the Ground Floor of the Hotel.
Our theme will be planetary magick, ritual, and myth. After a day of learning, we will gather to enter into a ritual space, release stress, integrate, and deepen our connection with the sacred.
Our choice of planets reflects the scheme of Planetary nights proposed by the medieval astrologer Guido Bonatti. During each night of the week, a different planet presides as opposed to the planet the day is named after. We are grateful to Benjamin Dykes for his translation as well as Austin Coppock for his work drawing out this doctrine and revealing it in the fabric of modern life.
We will serve herbal tea that aligns with the planet of the night’s energy. Essential oil aromatherapy that honors each planet will be thick in the air. We will ponder myth, consider brief excerpts from ancient astrological treatises, and learn about sacred sites in Greece that honor the planetary deity. We are open to collaborating in real time with any other astrologers who wish to co-create sacred space with us that honors the planet of the night. Text AYA’s President Danny Larkin on 917-504-4069, e-mail him at danielblarkin@gmail.com or drop by the recording desk during the conference where he will he working.
Here is the schedule. The start time varies depending on the evening’s conference events. The meeting place will be the AYA Lounge on the Ground Floor.
This paged will be updated frequently as events evolve.
1. Friday, August 30th – 8:30pm – Mars Planetary Magick
Aromatherapy: Ginger Essential Oil
Tea: Ginger Tea
Co-Lead by Danny Larkin and Maria Wander
2. Saturday, August 31st – 7pm – Mercury Planetary Magick
Aromatherapy: Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
Tea: Licorice
3. Sunday, September 1st – 11pm – Jupiter Planetary Magick – Banquet Afterparty – Find Danny on the dance floor – we will begin the session after the last song. Come dance with us first!
Aromatherapy: Peppermint Essential Oil
Tea: Peppermint
4. Monday, September 2nd – 7pm – Venus Planetary Magick
Aromatherapy: Rose Essential Oil
Tea: Rose
Dinner and Drinks with Sam Reynolds: The USA’s Pluto Return
Dinner and Drinks is back in July welcoming Sam Reynolds as our guest of honor! Join us on the evening of Thursday, July 25th.
Sam will be speaking about the upcoming Pluto Return of the United States. It will be exact in 2022. As Pluto slowly approaches this point at 27° Capricorn over the next few years, this return is coming into the orb of effect.
It’s hard to discuss – but the truth is that slavery, racism, economic disparities, and police brutality harken back to the founding of the United States of America. How we grapple with this difficult legacy keeps breaking through in today’s headlines as inequality festers. Local police routinely direct excessive force at black and brown bodies. The USA has the highest incarceration rate in the world. For instance, men who don’t happen to be white are disproportionately locked behind bars while white criminals remain free.
There are no easy answers here…. how plutonian.
Sam will also unpack a problematic insight from Liz Greene’s book on Pluto. The black man has often been cast as an archetypal symbol of Pluto in western culture. Many individuals internalize the black man into their psyche and dreams as a Plutonian symbol. Does this conflation do justice to either black men or to Pluto?
Join AYA for a perspective on the Pluto return that doesn’t shy away from openly acknowledging the wounds of race, slavery, economic disparities, and our relationship to safety & security with policing. Our vision is to create a safe space and container for a dialogue about the pressing issues of our time, and how to understand America’s Plutonian legacy.
Find out more about Sam Reynolds – http://unlockastrology.com/
https://zoom.us/j/509348405
Dinner & Drinks: The Astrology of RuPaul
Dinner and Drinks is back in June welcoming Shawn Nygaard as our guest of honor! Join us on the evening of Thursday, June 27th.
Shawn is passionate about exploring RuPaul’s natal chart. As we mark the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, it’s a fascinating look at a queer person who blazed their own path. RuPaul has a natal Saturn in Capricorn and uniquely embodies the Senex and Puer dichotomy. It’s a whole different way to rock Saturn.
Join AYA for a light-hearted (and serious) conversation about RuPaul, Drag, queerness, and the role of creativity in breathing life into planetary energies.
Find out more about Shawn – https://www.imagineastrology.com/about-shawn
Access the meeting on June 27th at this link https://zoom.us/j/961299102