Dear Friend and Reader:
Welcome to Planet Waves FM’s coverage of the 2012 United Astrology Conference in New Orleans, which is was held May 24 through 30. What follows is a series of interviews with conference attenders and presenters. By the time we’re done there will be about 25 of these interviews posted here as well as on a parallel site at Planet Waves FM. In effect what we’ve created is a parallel conference that is available to everyone.
If you want to read a bit about the conference rather than listen, visit our special website devoted to UAC. That page includes my suggestions for how to do an astrology conference better — which was a topic of many conversations during the past week.
Audio production on these recordings is by Sarah Bissonnette-Adler, the theme music is by Yasa and website management by Anatoly. Note, we are starting to archive the recordings on or page at YouSendIt. They are in a second format at Planet Waves FM.
Planet Waves is a subscriber supported service. We are funded by our readers, not by advertisers, so all of the content you’re about to hear is free from commercial interruption.
We are offering this coverage of UAC 2012 to all site visitors as well as our subscribers. Reading our subscription service is an enriching experience that provides horoscopes and articles about astrology, personal growth and world events that will deepen your perspective on life. We offer not just astrology but a refreshing alternative to mainstream media, always informed by the astrological perspective. Find out more about subscribing here<.
We trust you’ll enjoy our coverage of the people of the 2012 United Astrology Conference. Note — there is more to come, as we finish editing my class and that of Donna Woodwell, and add several Free Speech classes. Note — if you taught a Free Speech class and can provide us a recording, we will host it here where many people can see it.
lovingly,
Kingston, NY 12401
PS, if we did not get to you at UAC or you didn’t get to us — contact me about being a guest on Planet Waves FM in the future. And I am truly happy to make guest appearances on other podcasts. –efc
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Welcome from United Astrology Conference – Introduction from Eric Francis
Interview with Ravi Shanker Joshula, Vedic astrologer. Ravi is an actual Vedic astrologer from India who trained for many years and who has been practicing for 20 years. He describes a non-Westernized version of Vedic astrology: in other words, the real thing.
Ravi’s lecture —
More interviews are below the jump!
Interview with James Rogers, a psychiatrist who became an astrologer. James was working as one of the medicine-prescribing doctors who felt the calling to go deeper. This is the story of how he did that.
Click here to visit James Rogers website.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Interview with Genevieve Hathaway. She is Planet Waves writer who now lives in Egypt; that’s the topic of much of our conversation.
UAC Media Panel. This was an actual conference event, a panel on media and public relations in which I was a participant. I explain more in the introduction. This one is a long recording.
Interview with Kelly Lee Phipps. Kelly’s forthcoming book is called The Dao of Astrology. He has a truly interesting take on how to work with planets, signs and aspects. Highly recommended.
Click here to visit Kelly Lee Phipps webite.
Interview with Eric Meyers – The Astrology of Awakening. Eric is an author and counseling-trained astrologer who has a truly humane view on the subject of working with people through their transformations.
Click here to visit Eric Meyers website.
Interview with Moses Siregar – Astrology for the Soul. Moses is the founder of the Blast Astrology Conference as well as an astrologer and novelist.
Click here to visit Moses Siregar’s website.
Check out his book here.
Interview with Frances Clynes – Internet and astrology. Frances is doing her doctoral work on how astrologers use the Internet, and their philosophy toward cyber space. What she’s finding is that despite their metaphysical training, astrologers don’t see the ‘net that differently than most other people.
Interview with Ema Kurent – Eclipses. Ema is from Slovenia and has done years of research into the eclipses that occur the closest to birth. A vital topic in astrology that I have not taken up on Planet Waves yet, this conversation is a great introduction.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Interview with Melanie Reinhart. Author of Chiron and the Healing Journey and To the Edge and Beyond, Melanie is one of my favorite astrologers of all time and we have dependably free-flowing, interesting conversations. This is the latest of those, which covers many topics though ending up on Orcus, a planet in the vicinity of Pluto. She’s a Gemini and I love speaking with her — we go on for 90 minutes, just like at the last UAC. Check soon for access to that conversation too.
Click here to visit Melanie Reinhart’s website.
Interview with Dale O’Brien. One of the original Chiron pioneers, this conversation with Dale is focuses on three relatively new outer planet placements — Chiron and Neptune in Pisces, and Pluto in Capricorn.
Click here to visit Dale O’Brien’s website.
Donna Woodwell’s free speech lecture:
Celestial Firedancing: Astral Theurgy and You
Wanted: Enlightenment Seekers! Ancient astral cults and alchemists imagined the Sun’s seasonal zodiacal passage as the celestial template for incarnation and enlightenment. As such, astrology held keys to unlocking the secrets of self-transformation. Learn how you can use these ancient practices – planetary invocations, sacred talismans, sympathetic magic and more– to manifest the full potential of your own chart and bring a little stellar magic down to earth.
Click here to visit Donna Woodwell’s website.
http://planetwaves.fm/podcast/120526_Donna Woodwell lecture.mp3
Anthropologist Kaushinik Rajan interviews Eric Francis. Rajan is an anthropologist who has spent many years researching the ideas of biologists. He is now turning his attention to astrologers, and in this segment he interviews me about my ideas on astrology and its significance.
Interview with Heather Horton. This is an interesting conversation on the role of counseling in astrology. Heather is studying to be a counselor and is working to apply some of the principles of psychology to her practice. We talk about how she can do that.
http://planetwaves.fm/podcast/120526-heather horton-counseling.mp3
Interview with Andrea Gehrz. She is an American Sign Language translator who took up ancient Greek and Latin, becoming a translator of astrological texts. She’s a remarkably young translator with a passion for astrology — and sign language.
Click here to visit Andrea Gehrz’s website.
Interview with Samuel Bowling – Clairvoyant and Shamanic Healer. This conversation is about what it’s like to be a clairvoyant medium and receive messages from the dead.
Click here to visit Samuel Bowling’s website.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Interview with Nomi Gallo and Simon Chokoisky – Ayruvedic Institute. This is a truly meaningful discussion about what it means to prepare for a career in astrology, as well as how to consider Eastern concepts in the context of how we use them here in the West.
Click here to visit the Ayruvedic Institute’s website.
UAC Press Conference. This was a press conference with very little press and an age imbalance within the 10 or so astrologers who were on the panel — only one that I could discern has Pluto in Virgo (late 1950s through early 1970s); the rest have Pluto in Leo (dominating the leadership of this conference). That said, they present some interesting views; it’s too bad I was one of the few reporters in the room.
Interview with Alice Kashuba. You may have heard of the Sabian symbols. Alice was involved in the channeling and development of the Fairchild symbols, a newer set of degree-by-degree symbols. Learn how she and a clairvoyant did the project, and something about the history of degree symbolism in astrology — which is an older tradition than you might imagine.
Click here to visit Alice Kashuba’s website.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Morning update.
Interview with Jim Shawvan. Jim is a predictive astrologer who specializes in current events, horary astrology and locational astrology. Politically he is an anarchist, meaning that he disavows the thinking of the left and the right, preferring instead to be fiercely independent. In this interview we talk about his predictions for the 2012 presidential election, the history of the 2000 election and the Sept. 11 false flag incident.
Click here to visit Jim Shawvan’s website.
Interview with David Tresemer. David is a psychologist-astrologer who has written a book about the Venus transit of the Sun. In Tuesday’s daily astrology post, I summarize some of his ideas, though I think that this interview is perhaps the most significant of the lot. He understands something about creative visualization and the learning process, both of which are involved with the transit of Venus.
Click here to visit David Tresemer’s website.
Dael Among the Mayans. Dael has lived with the Mayans in Guatemala for 25 years (so far). In this interview he offers his thoughts about the supreme power of the Mayans as maHere is the file unprocessed; I will replace it when Sarah does the final edit with the theme music.
Interview with Rebecca Gordon. Rebecca is a consulting astrologer in New York City who has a rare gift of being able to hear the astrological chart in music. She is translating her charts into music, working with a composer. This is a truly interesting interview with a sensitive, devoted astrologer.
Click here to visit Rebecca Gordon’s website.
Interview with Kelly Hunter. There are several different points called Lilith in the chart — which is a point of fascination for many women and men who love them. Kelly Hunter is one of the clearest voices on this subject. This interview covers the Lilith archetype as well as the osculating apogee (Black Moon Lilit\h), the asteroid Lilith, a hypothetical moon (Dark Moon Lilith) and a fixed star. This is a very cool interview — and the last of our UAC projects.
Click here to visit Kelly Hunter’s website.
Signing off from UAC 2012.
Eric, Mountain Astrologer edition Aug/Sept has a damn nice shout out to you in the publisher’s section. Right when you flip the opening page. AND the link to these conversations. Very cool, Homey!
Love, love, love these interviews. I’m starting to see how Planet Waves is a community for storytelling, language, astrology and investigative journalism.
😉
I finally got around to listening to the Rebecca Gordon interview; thanks so much for posting that. I’m an architect who hears music when viewing architectural representation (drawings and models), and I often see structures and buildings when viewing sheet music or hearing an actual piece of music. I have a musical background, and at some level, I suppose music and architecture are all the same to me. It’s really interesting to hear about Rebecca’s ability with charts and exciting to hear that she is working with a composer to produce the actual music. Thanks again! Great to find this on your site.
Eric,
I want to thank you for what you do!! I got the free month subscription to PW back in October or November and haven’t unsubscribed as planned because I am addicted!!! Due to all the neat stuff on PW and the 2012 RRR series, my affinity for astrology has grown exponentially. Loved listening to the UAC interviews, especially all the psychologists turned astrologers (my degree is in psychology). Hands down, my two favorite interviews were with David yesterday and the one where you were interviewed! What a fantastic story you had to tell!!! Keep up the awesome work, you will always have fans
Kat
I just listened to Dale O’Brien on Chiron. The mythic story of Pisces, Venus, Typhos, et al, resonates deeply with some of the prevailing dream and art imagery of my life. I have a whole new layer to mine now. Diving into the waters. Yes, the pivotal dream of my life!
I have Chiron conjunct Venus at 3 Aquarius, trailing right behind the QB 1 at 7. Things are making so much more sense to me now.
This is a real gift.
ooh — just listened to the Interview with Nomi Gallo and Simon Chokoisky while i was (finally) clearing out some stuff in a cluttered corner (yay virgo moon! listened to the interview with David Tresemer while doing the same/reorganizing my workspace).
very very cool interviews. i wish i could have been sitting there with them, but very grateful to get to hear the conversation this way. Gallo and Chokoisky are fascinating and articulate — even when discussing the meaning of the physiognomy of the simpsons. 🙂
wonerful interviews, eric you do bring the candle into the room, many many thanks
I have listened to only the Tresemer interview so far and I’m psyched to spend more time with the others, and at greater length. I’ve wondered a bit lately how I’m so into drawing lately … this is where I get to manifest my intentions with precision on the physical as Eros annimates my creation. Whoa. Good stuff, Eric and Co. I am edified, grateful and very moved by the planet waves community work. Hope the trip home is easy-breezy and fun.
mm.
Thanks TONS for all you do for the astrological community, and your coverage of UAC 2012 is splendid! I have had a great time listening to your interviews and even some of the lectures 🙂 You are so valued Eric!! Since I volunteered as the main off-site “postcard elf” for UAC Postcards with Donna, Robin, Wonder and David (and other cool helpers), I made sure news got out and you were most definitely included! 🙂
Jim Shawvan,
awsome, great stuff!!!
Loving these (sloowwwwwwly). So dynamic. And crackling. So much info!
Thanks!
Excellent interviews! Thanks for the name check. 🙂
I have an updated prediction about the Mercury station on Election Day 2012. More on that soon.
Wow! Just listened to the Dale O’Brien interview – blew my mind! My natal Chiron in Pisces leapt into the air at this one (or maybe into the water…). Typhon is pretty bloody terrifying – while the image of Venus and Eros choosing love in the face of violence and terror, and plunging into the waters is just so amazing. That’s an image to really treasure and cultivate. Also makes me think of my lovely, dear Libran friend, who just loves to party, and has faced a lot of difficulty these last two years by choosing love. Thank you so very much, Dale and Eric.
Hi Eric,
thank you for all those wonderful interviews loaded with information. It is fun to listen and gives a feeling of being there.
I underline all shebear13 says. Will there be more on Vedic Astrology?
After listening to you with Melanie Reinhart I looked up in Dane Rudhyar Sabian Symbols my degree for Orcus right away :-)…..thanks a lot for sharing!
and another:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=Q8H7G1G23Es
I’ve listened to about four or five interviews now and loved them. I now feel I know more about Vedic Astrology which I have an affinity for, learned about locational astrology and just finished soaking up the information on Orcus and Varuna in the Melanie Reinhart interview which I found fascinating. I loved being introduced to the compositions of Paul Winter in that interview as well, the first composer to use live recordings of animals in his works. To listen to his work coupled with visuals from photography or video is enthralling, for this nature lover.
Thanks so much Eric and the PW team.
Simply wonderful.
Here a link to one of Paul Winters’ pieces:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIiONohjfUo
Thanks Len! 🙂 Yeah, Eric and I had a lot of fun rifting on theories about the ancient dead civilizations and the value of the past.
Katie – Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it! And that’s great you’ve been able to hear West speak. He’s brilliant and his pocket guide to Ancient Egypt (not really a pocket guide, more a book that easy to carry with you) is still the best written for touring Egypt with a focus on the ancient stuff. Part of what makes dating hard in archaeology, in general, is so much of it is relative. We do have some specific dates, such as the firsts worker’s strike during Ramses III’s reign. We have those dates because of the ash layer that dates to the strike. The workers struck because of a grain shortage caused by a volcano in Iceland erupting and sending ash to Egypt. You can get a pretty accurate date potassium-argon dating the ash layer. So that’s one date we know. There are many others like that based on organic material or other world events. Other times dates are less specific because we don’t have proper organic material to date or the organic material cannot be accurately tied to what we’re looking at. As a result, the full timeline of Egyptian history is still a work in progress. And filled with missing chunks of time or competing theories (such as the Tutankhamun-Akhenaten relationship drama).
Whenever looking at ancient Egyptian civilization, it’s always important to remember that they had a completely different world view and concept of life than we do. They thought of the world with a more dualistic mentality, and a mentality where competing ideas co-existed quite well together. Plus, they’re the only civilization whose creation story involves masturbation. They get big time brownie points for that one. 🙂
Amanda – we miss you here too! 🙂 Thanks for posting the link. I was wondering how much they messed up coverage of UAC.
O boy, I am loving the Genevieve Hathaway interview! Hath a way? Names do have meta-meaning. Dubai? Puh-leez! (Pardon me, that’s my Sadge ascendant speaking.) However, I would have appreciated even more of Genevieve’s METAPHYSICAL impressions of olde Egypt, simply because I do not think the TRUTH of the matter can be accessed by simple digging and shallow mechanical excavation. Egypt is too old. Archaeologists can only scratch the surface, and the rabbit hole goes so much deeper.
I heard a John Anthony West Open Center lecture many years ago, and he said that his water damage analysis of the Sphinx indicated at least a 12,000 to 14,000 year old history. I think he was CONSIDERABLY hedging his bets, lest he get too far out on a limb. I have read speculation that the Pyramids, for instance, may be a million years old. Dig that! What if they are time-less?
And to fly over the Sahara Desert and see dry riverbeds?!!
It is remarkable that people always seem to focus on the AGE of Egyptian architectural artefacts…but not so much the sheer volume and SIZE. Luxor, Abu Simbel, are so gargantuan as to be oppressive. I felt so. It was not just the heat. Certainly, those were days when Giants roamed the earth.
As for Greece, those monuments are so human-scaled they are accessible in a way the Egyptian remnants are not. For me. And never forget Asclepius and Epidaurus as theater and the Oracle of Delphi. Yes, I know about the geological vapors. Just looking up and seeing the majestic Parthenon from almost anywhere in the city totally qualifies as a transcendent experience. Then again, I was in Greece the summer that Cultural Minister Melina Mercouri was convinced they had discovered the Colossus of Rhodes [Remember the Titans] in the harbor there. It was the same summer that Greece made such a fuss about a return of the Elgin Marbles.
As per “reverence for the past”, y’all, both the Coliseum and the Pantheon in Rome, to name a few, were pillaged and plundered for latter-day building projects. And didn’t Napoleon’s soldiers shoot off the nose of the Sphinx?
I hope we never go to war with Iran for many reasons, one of which is that I want to see the wonders of Isfahan someday. Arabic architecture, like its calligraphy–which it incorporates into its structures–is simply amazing! How did they DO that?
These are so good. Thanks Eric and the interviewees.
and just for contrast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPq7vp-iHpw
that’s the link for the local new orleans FOX coverage of UAC. warning: it’s pretty shallow and amusingly awful — especially the focus on the wish-telling crystal skull.
(funny, i did not realize “crystal skull” was a zodiac sign. is that vedic or something?)
😛
in other words, thank goodness eric is doing his own coverage. now — how do we get him on the maddow show or jon stewart?
Genevieve and Eric: It was not only enjoyable to listen to the two of you speak of things i will probably never see, it was enlightening. The theme the two of you organically developed – respect for the past (or lack of it) – was an eye opener. The idea that ancient sites could be sullied not just physically (looting, littering, etc) but in a psychic form, wow, we do have a lot of responsibility living on Earth and should not take it for granted. Loved your comment about the “blankin” French even though i have never been there. Loved it all. The two of you together makes for brilliant listening. Thank you.
Genevieve: Thank you for being so kind. Thank you for being there to help hold down the PW fort. Yes, the Vedic approach is a valid and informative parallax, especially the more comprehensive integration of the lunar nodes.
Len – we miss you at UAC! 🙂
The interview with Ravi Shanker Joshula, the Vedic astrologer, is really interesting and he does an excellent job of making it approachable for those who study mostly western astrology. A great listen!
Thank you, Eric. Fascinating. In particular James Rogers’ approach to asteroids. The correlation of the Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Juno to corresponding elements especially.
By the way, is that new intro music?
What is audio you can surf while listening, I know that writing English with a translator, ok I turn my turn
Eric,
Thank you for bringing your readers coverage of the Astrology Conference!
Be sure to visit Audubon Park and the Audubon Zoo. I always especially enjoyed the Aviary and the kangaroos.