Summer 2023 Speaking Engagements

The season has already been off to a rich start full of travels, beginning with a research trip to Prague and the Rhine Valley, a constellation of inspiring astrological stars at NORWAC in Seattle, the enchanting Jung by the Sea conference in Cornwall, England, and attendance at the world’s largest psychedelic conference, with a total of 12,000 participants, at Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver, Colorado.

Polhawn Fort, Cornwall

Recordings of the presentations I gave at NORWAC and Jung by the Sea are available for those who were unable to attend these events in person. At NORWAC, I gave two talks: “Permutations of Venus” and “Psychedelics and Astrology: A Symbiotic Relationship.” The latter talk offers a glimpse into some of the material I’ve been working with during this last year of research, for those who might be curious what I’ve been up to! At Jung by the Sea, I presented once again on “The Synchronicity of the Two Red Books: Jung, Tolkien, and the Imaginal Realm,” although there were some new elements of the talk particularly related to the exquisite setting on the cliffs of the Cornish coast, and I feel this was my best presentation of the work thus far. It was an extraordinary honor to present this material not only to this insightful Jungian audience, but especially to my fellow presenters, several of whom were major inspirations during my research into the two Red Books: Liz Greene, Tom Cheetham, and—the editor of Jung’s Red Book himself—Sonu Shamdasani.

As the summer progresses, I’ll be focusing almost entirely on writing—albeit with the delightful exception of three new talks I’ll be presenting to the astrological community. On Sunday, July 2, I’m returning to Adam Elenbaas’s Nightlight Astrology speaker series to present on “Jupiter-Uranus: The Creative Genius” in anticipation of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction that is just beginning and will enliven our collective zeitgeist for the next 14 months.

A few weeks later on Saturday, July 22, I’ll be offering a presentation for NCGR San Francisco titled “The Compassionate Astrologer,” exploring practical guidance on how to create an ethical and therapeutic container in which the astrology client is empathically mirrored, while also being empowered to fall in love with their own birth chart. Although this presentation description refers to working with clients, the material is applicable for anyone who practices astrology, whether the seasoned professional or the novice astrology student.

Finally, on Saturday, August 5, I’ll be giving a class at Nadiya Shah’s Synchronicity University on “Creating a Thriving Transit Practice.” In the class, I’ll be giving step-by-step instructions on how to calculate your own transits using just your birth chart and an ephemeris. This is an extremely empowering and liberating skill to have for all astrology enthusiasts and will allow you to deepen your practice and enhance your relationship to the starry sky above you and its archetypal dynamics within you. This is one of the more practical classes I have offered, and I’m excited to enter into the technical details with a new group of astrology students. If you sign up before June 30, you can choose your own tuition rate for the entire summer series that Synchronicity University is offering—a rare opportunity to learn from five different female teachers over the course of a month.

Whether you decide to attend one talk or all of them, or go back to catch the recordings of those already past, I would be so delighted to know this material is reaching those who need to hear it at this time. May your summer months be resplendent with new adventures, wild awakenings, and timely insights!

Your Astrological Initiation

With Richard Tarnas & Becca Tarnas

Practical Guidance for Using Astrology to Best Serve Yourself, Others, and the World

“It is in the realm of the soul that we find the heavens that govern the skies.”
–  Rumi

“Astrology represents the sum of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity.”
– C. G. Jung

The Astrology Hub has created a beautiful opportunity for me and my father, Richard Tarnas, to offer a workshop together focusing on the skills it takes to be an excellent astrologer. “Your Astrological Initiation” offers insight on how to be an astrological ambassador to your community, whether you are a student new to astrology or a seasoned professional astrologer.

Purchase a Recording of the Workshop!

In the workshop, we will be speaking about the relationship between astrology and psychology, techniques for how to deepen your practice, how to frame an astrology reading or research project, the ethics of a compassionate consultation, the best ways to respond to skepticism, and a celebration of the profound astrological mystery into which the astrologer is initiated.

The 4-hour workshop takes place on Wednesday, September 21 at 2:00–6:00 pm Pacific time, with a follow-up 2-hour live Q&A on Tuesday, September 27 at 2:00 pm Pacific time. Both events will be recorded and participants will have lifetime access to the recordings, plus there will be an opportunity to submit questions before the Q&A.

We’ve never before offered a workshop together of this kind and I think it will be a rich opportunity for everyone who participates!

To read a full description of the workshop, and view all the bonus offerings, please visit: astrologyhub.com/yourinitiation.

The Jupiter & Neptune Jubilee

A Premium Panel Event & Guided Community Experience So You Can Manifest Your Dream with the Auspicious Pisces Conjunction 

To celebrate the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces that is rapidly approaching exact alignment, I will be participating in a beautiful 120-minute live panel hosted by the Astrology Hub this Thursday, April 7 at 4:00 pm Pacific time.

Joining me on the panel will be astrologers Linda Byrd and Divine Harmony, and Amanda ‘Pua’ Walsh, the founder of the Astrology Hub, will be hosting the event! The panel is meant to give participants a broader understanding of the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces, letting you know what this alignment means for you and how you can participate in its energies. Participants will also be submitting questions for a Q&A portion of the panel which will happen after the presentations.

Register for the Event!

In the spirit of Jupiter-Neptune, this is a “give as you wish” event that you can attend for free, or give to support the speakers and the organization if you are able.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow to celebrate this grandiose and idealistic alignment of Jupiter and Neptune!

Archetypes, Synchronicity, and Magic

On Tuesday, March 8 at 11:00–12:30 pm Pacific time, 7:00–8:30 pm UK time, I will be offering an online presentation titled “Archetypes, Synchronicity, and Magic” for the Centre for Myth, Cosmology, and the Sacred.

Register for the Event!

Lecture Description
In recent years, astrology and magic have caught the collective imagination and are enjoying an unexpected renaissance through new social platforms. Astrology and magic have ancient roots and have persisted across the centuries through multiple evolving world views before being disavowed by the modern, scientific mind. As these disciplines re-emerge, what does it mean to practice astrological magic in the contemporary world? To do so requires reconciling different cosmologies and paradigms, synthesizing ancient and medieval spiritual and religious perspectives with modern philosophy and psychology in order to bring forward language and concepts that can speak to our place in an evolving cosmos. In light of such a synthesis, this presentation will explore archetypal theory and the concept of synchronicity—a term coined by the depth psychologist C. G. Jung—to illuminate a contemporary understanding of astrological correlations and magical praxis.  

For those who cannot attend live, there will be a recording available after the session has taken place. Simply book a ticket via the button above, and the recording link will be sent with the joining instructions. 

Women’s Spiritual Leadership for the 21st Century

Please join me for the Women’s Spiritual Leadership for the 21st Century conference!

March 4–6, 2022
9:00 am–1:00 pm Pacific time

I will be speaking on a panel with other women leaders on Saturday, March 5 at 11:00 am, and again on Sunday, March 6 at 12:00 pm with a forecast on the current astrological transits.

This is a free event, and everyone is welcome. Men are encouraged to attend!  
(Traducción al español ofrecida)

Register for the Conference! 

Conference Description
Women spiritual leaders are emerging more prominently than ever before across the major religions and spiritual traditions of the world. This auspicious trend is gradually eroding long-standing oppression of women’s spiritual leadership, and simultaneously uplifting the feminine aspects of the Divine in diverse religious and spiritual traditions.

The purpose of this conference is to strengthen the role of women in spiritual leadership, and to build bridges of mutual support, collaboration, inspiration, and mentoring among women spiritual leaders and seekers across the major religions. The conference features celebrated and emerging women spiritual leaders from diverse world religions, all of whom have confronted and overcome formidable patriarchal barriers within their respective traditions.

www.DawnofInterSpirituality.org

Archetypal Astrology: A Glimpse of 2022

To welcome in the New Year, I will be offering a presentation for the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy, the same organization involved in publishing the book Psychedelics and Psychotherapy: The Healing Potential of Expanded States, to which I contributed a chapter last year.

The presentation is titled Archetypal Astrology: A Glimpse of 2022, and will provide an overview of the planetary transits for the coming year. I would be delighted to see many of you there!

Register for the Event!

Archetypal astrology is the practice of studying correlations between the movements of the planets and the unfolding of human events on Earth, a celestial synchronization that intimates the deeply ensouled nature of the cosmos. This keynote presentation will explore the foundational principles of archetypal astrology, before taking a look ahead at the transits for 2022 to get a picture of what archetypal potentials may transpire. Such knowledge can help one navigate the collective zeitgeist with grace, integrating the challenges that may arise, the opportunities that may unfold, and the areas for growth that may be awakened.

This spectacular image of the Orion Nebula star-formation region was obtained from multiple exposures using the HAWK-I infrared camera on ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. This is the deepest view ever of this region and reveals more very faint planetary-mass objects than expected.

December Astrology Forecast 2021

A Venus Retrograde-y Christmas

A dream came true for me when I was invited to be a guest co-host on The Astrology Podcast for the December 2021 forecast with legendary astrologers Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock!

The astrology of December features Venus stationing retrograde in Capricorn conjunct Pluto, a Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius, and the third and final exact Saturn-Uranus square alignment (although Saturn and Uranus come within 1° square to each other in October 2022 and the transit stays in orb through 2023).

Jupiter also departs from Aquarius and moves into Pisces late in the month, while Neptune stations direct, there is a Full Moon in Gemini, and Mars ingresses into Sagittarius on the same day Mercury ingresses into Capricorn. At the beginning of the episode we review some stories that happened in the news which correlated with the astrology of November, and then dive into the astrology of December.

For those who haven’t yet seen my last appearance on The Astrology Podcast, I discussed the archetype of the planet Venus with Chris Brennan, which was such a pleasure and an honor to do!

Encountering the Archetypes in Astrology

This upcoming Saturday, October 30 I will be offering a presentation for Acyuta-bhava Das’s Nightlight Astrology School entitled “Encountering the Archetypes in Astrology“! The talk introduces the concept of archetypes from a philosophical, psychological, and spiritual perspective, demonstrating how a perception of archetypal principles can be applied to one’s astrological practice. The presentation will be hosted online, at 9:00–11:30 am Pacific time, 12:00–2:30 pm Eastern. Please visit the Events page of the Nightlight Astrology School for details on how to register for the event!

About the Workshop

What is an archetype, and how does it relate to astrology? This presentation will introduce the theory of archetypes from a philosophical and psychological perspective, exploring a lineage that extends from Plato in ancient Greece through C.G. Jung in 20th century Switzerland, to the contemporary disciplines of transpersonal psychology, participatory spirituality, and archetypal astrology. Learning to perceive the archetypal principles in the particulars of everyday life can deepen any astrological practice, and be applied methodologically to any branch of astrology.

Register for the Workshop!

Astro Magia

A Symposium of Art, Academy, Philosophy, & Practice

September 17 – 19, 2021

It is my joy and honor to be offering a keynote presentation at the conference Astro Magia: A Symposium of Art, Academy, Philosophy, & Practice. This online symposium draws together an inspiring pantheon of voices on the subject of astrological magic, exploring the praxis of participatory engagement with a living, symbolic sky.

My keynote will take place on Saturday, September 18 at 4:00–5:30 pm Pacific time. The presentation is titled “The Sacral Hour: Archetypes, Synchronicity, and Magic,” and offers a contemporary philosophical and psychological perspective on astrological magic.

The Sacral Hour: Archetypes, Synchronicity, and Magic

Synchronicity is the meaningful coincidence of an inner experience with an outer event, in which there is no direct causal connection and yet there is a core archetypal symbolism informing the interconnected events. Astrology is the ancient practice of reading the archetypal story playing out across the heavens night after night. While by definition synchronicities are rare events, astrology can be understood as a continuously ongoing, collectively verifiable synchronicity: the meaningful coincidence of the positions of the planets relative to the archetypal unfolding of human events on Earth.

In the modern world view, synchronicities are seen as mere anomalies, chance events despite their extreme improbability. But synchronicity points towards a deeper meaning, one inherently familiar to ancient, medieval, and traditional paradigms: the cosmos is saturated with purpose, meaning, consciousness, and intelligence, an archetypally patterned web eternally woven by the co-arising divine soul of the world. To align ourselves with these archetypal threads is to participate in a magic that is thrumming every moment from the hidden heart of the cosmos.

While astrological magic has ancient roots, practicing it in the contemporary world requires a synthesis and integration with modern philosophy, psychology, religion, and spirituality in order to bring forward language and concepts that can speak to our place in an evolving cosmos. Archetypal theory, synchronicity, and participatory spirituality are all foundational concepts that can support the praxis of astrological magic in a paradigm reawakening to cosmic enchantment.

Learn More & Register for the Symposium!

Jung’s Relationship to Astrology

This Saturday, May 29 at noon Pacific time I will be offering a presentation for the Jung Archademy on “Jung’s Relationship to Astrology.”

Register for the Event!

In recent years, new scholarship has been emerging demonstrating the essential role the discipline of astrology played in the development and practice of C. G. Jung’s analytical psychology. In 1911, Jung wrote a letter to Freud in which he said that his nights were occupied with the study of astrology, to which Freud responded that Jung would be “accused of mysticism.” Jung kept his practice of astrology relatively concealed, but based upon evidence in his own writings, as well as statements he made late in his life, Jung was drawing on astrological wisdom regularly for both personal use and with his patients.

Drawing on the research of Liz Greene, Keiron Le Grice, and Safron Rossi, this presentation will demonstrate the role astrology played in Jung’s analytic practice, as well as the significant ways in which he drew on astrological symbolism in the transformative process of creating The Red Book. By understanding how astrology influenced the development of Jungian psychology—and how depth psychology has subsequently shaped modern astrology—we can see how the astrological discipline can complement, enhance, and deepen the psychotherapy practiced today.