We are all Living Astrology
I am still reveling in the magic that was the first ever Living Astrologies Conference in Santa Fe. When I first heard there was going to be an experiential astrology conference that included my body and spirit in the learning process, I knew I had to be there. I’ve been to a couple different astrology conferences where I felt socially and intellectually overstimulated and my body was craving to be more involved.
The intentionality of the whole event was so refreshing: starting the first day orienting to the place we were in by meeting the river and trees and then orienting to the time we were in by listening to an elder in the Santa Fe astrology community share how he had pushed for an experiential astrology event at a conference in 1983 that was so successful he hoped to turn that momentum into a full experiential conference but his dream didn’t come to fruition. Until now. 42 years and half a Uranus cycle later. It was the first of many “WOW” moments to come.
Then the conference officially began once we greeted the directions and the lights on the co-created hearth altar were lit.
Hearth Altar photo by Kauakea Winston
Instead of days full of lectures and Powerpoints, I participated in 4 daylong workshops in small groups with a facilitator:
I travelled the 12 houses through an initiatory descent and return from the underworld and gained new felt experience of each house
I let myself grieve and be held by Ceres while staying open to gratitude
I found myself deep inside the un/comfortable social experiment that is the 3rd house and unpacking what it means to be “familiar” to one another
I played with colors and had a “felt” experience of Neptune in Aries by creating an intuitive woolen artscape
This all felt amazing to me as a spiritual person who has a deep history and love of astrology but I wasn’t feeling identified with the conference as a professional astrologer at first. Sometime during the second night as I was watching the astro playback theater group embody people’s experiences, I re-membered:
I AM an experiential astrologer.
All the times I have led clients on guided meditation, talked about energetic practices and hygiene, used astrology dice to communicate with the planets, oh and the new moon astro rituals! Yes, I have been doing this all along! I just didn’t have the words for it yet.
New Moon Astro Rituals are back!
Inspired by this recent revelation, I am so excited to facilitate these classes again! I led the first new moon astro ritual on the Libra new moon in 2022 and it feels fitting to return to them again this Libra new moon. Why the new moon? It’s a time when both luminaries (Sun and Moon) are in the same sign so it’s easier to attune to that sign on an emotional and intellectual level. Plus, new moons are a spiritually potent time for setting intentions.
What: First half is an astrology discussion about the sign and second half is a ritual designed to help you embody and understand the sign on a deeper level. Open to all levels of astrology and ritual experience.
When: October 21st 7pm-8:30pm PST
Where: On Zoom (looking for in person options for the future)
Cost: $33, sliding scale available
While I very much know I am at the beginning of a new chapter in my relationship to astrology, I am excited to continue my practice and look for more ways to incorporate experiential techniques into my work with clients. I am still offering vocational, natal, transit, and solar return readings with a new offering for business owners in the works. And a reminder that I also do divination as an optional add on to any reading!
As always, thanks for being here!
-Anders
Me dressed as Mercury and Jupiter in Gemini at the dance party where we were invited to dress as part of our chart. Photo by Steven Sprung.
