STAR 2012

The South Texas Astrology Retreat is honored to have Demetra George as the guest speaker this year.  Our days will be filled with astrology and the scenic landscape of the Texas countryside.   The nights will be filled with stargazing and planet spying.  The weekend is filled with beauty, wildlife, food and drink.

Dates  Friday March 23 to Sunday March 25, 2012
Location  Margaret Austin Center, Chappell Hill, Texas
EXTENDED Early Registration  $300 registration until Feb 20,  2012 (includes workshop, lodging, and food! – all you need to do is get there)

Traditional Astrology and Modern Practice: Method and View

Almost twenty years have now passed since the first translations of the foundational Greek and Latin texts of our tradition became available to contemporary astrologers for study and research. When species are transplanted from their native host culture, their survival depends upon their ability to adapt the new environment. In a similar way, the challenge now facing our community is not only to understand the workings of the doctrines, methods and techniques of our tradition, but also to develop a view that makes the implications of these methods relevant and meaningful to the modern astrologer whose clients are looking for the healing of the psyche.

Friday evening

Basic Concepts Viewed through the Lens of the Modern Psyche

For beginners this opening lecture will be an introduction or review of the basic concepts of traditional astrology. For intermediate and advanced practitioners, the focus will be upon developing a point of view that facilitates the application of the traditional basic concepts in astrological counseling in ways that both preserves the integrity of the ancient methods and with sensitivity addresses the concerns and belief systems of our contemporary culture. Learn how to better integrate the clarity of traditional concepts with the mindset of the modern person.

Saturday

Houses: The Wheel of Life

In the trinity of signs, planets, and houses, the houses represent the range of environments in our earthy temporal world where the planets anchor the divine energies of the zodiacal signs. We will explore how to bring in a spiritual perspective of the activity of the planets while keeping to the concrete traditional meanings and interpretations for the houses. The method portion of this seminar will include:

• A deep and thorough discussion of the twelve houses as the archetypal template for all the topics of life experience.
• A comparison of the ancient and modern significations of the twelve houses.
• The underlying rationale for how certain topics are automatically connected for each of the rising sign types and how much is revealed about a person’s orientation to life before any planets are considered.
• The classification of houses in terms of relative strength and auspiciousness for conducting the business of life.
• Interpretation guidelines for planets both occupying one house and ruling another.
• How malefic and benefic planets express differently in each house.
• A discussion of when and how to use the various houses systems mentioned in the Hellenistic texts.
• Annual Profections, a simple but powerful ancient timing technique based upon the annual rotation of houses.

Sunday

Mars and Saturn: How to Tell When a Malefic Will Act Good or Bad

Mars and Saturn have traditionally been defined as malefics, the bringers of destruction and doom, but under certain conditions ancient astrologers taught that they could grant fortune, success, and leadership. This talk will first explore their mythic archetypal and psychological interpretation in the chart. Then it will present the traditional guidelines and reasoning for determining when they act as protectors and body guards in a particular chart and when they point to troubles and woe. When the guidelines bring you to the judgment that a malefic is problematical and distress is experienced in the life, how do we communicate this information to the client in a way that is useful and beneficial, while staying true to the conclusions of  our methods.

ABOUT DEMETRA GEORGE

Demetra George is a professional astrologer who received her Masters degree in Classics from the University of Oregon. She has been active in astrology since 1971, and in 2002 she received the renowned Regulus Award in Theory and Understanding. Specializing in archetypal mythology and ancient techniques, she is the author of Asteroid Goddesses, Astrology for Yourself, Mysteries of the Dark Moon, Finding Our Way through the Dark, and Astrology and the Authentic Self. Demetra lectures internationally and since 1992 has facilitated educational pilgrimages to the sacred sites of Greece, Egypt and India. She is currently translating a corpus of Hermetic medical astrological texts from ancient Greek.

Demetra is the director of Thema: Foundations in Astrology which offers mentoring and individually tailored personal instruction in all levels of astrological education: the fundamentals of interpretation, chart delineation, Hellenistic astrology, mythic asteroids, and ancient Greek for astrologers. She has taught the history of astrology at Kepler College and the University of Oregon, and lives in Eugene, Oregon.  For more information about Demetra visit her website at www.demetra-george.com.