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This autumn is a particularly promising season for lovers of traditional astrology who can get to London. First we have the specially extended History seminar at the Astrological Lodge of London, running on the weekend of 25th/26th October. The Lodge History Seminar is something of an iconic event and this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. They have a great line up of speakers and topics, but beyond that, Lodge events are always a bit special because it is such a great institution for traditional astrology, and its meetings are a great way to keep in touch with old friends.
In addition to that, the Warburg Institute is also holding a three-day conference for scholars, students and practitioners of Medieval/Renaissance techniques. Entitled 'From Masha'allah to Kepler: The Theory and Practice of Astrology in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance', this event is bringing together a collection of scholars and specialists - some with a purely academic interest; some with long experience of working as a practising astrologer. This is a 3-day conference, but it is possible to attend for just one day, and the rate is extremely reasonable: £20 per day, or £10 for students.
The Warburg conference follows on from the workshop-style gathering of academics and astrologers that occurred about a year and a half ago. I was fortunate to be an invited speaker at that event, where I presented my research into Ptolemy's table of terms. Because it was such a positive and productive event, I want to pass on my own experience of what took place at the workshop, and the subsequent benefits that it generated. The weekend event on Hellenistic astrology brought together a mix of astrologers with a particular interest in that period (inc. Rob Hand, Dorian Greenbaum and Joseph Crane), and renowned academic experts (inc., among others, Micah Ross, Stephan Heilen, Giuseppe Bezza and Wolfgang Hubner). We all presented outlines on our areas of research, and benefitted enormously from the exchange of ideas and knowledgeable discussion which followed each presentation. There was also a larger circle of invited experts, all of whom were illustrious in their own right, and generous with their contributions and ideas.
To begin with, there did seem to be a few barriers up between the 'academics' and the 'astrologers', as we safely gathered in our little groups of friends and acquaintances; but over the course of the two days the passionate discussions broke down all of our social defences - so we mixed and mingled, educated each other on the things we did and (just as importantly) *didn't* know; and ultimately all came away with broader visions, having had our ingrained outlooks blown apart. I now totally respect the academic experts who are working in this field, and I appreciate their work the more because of their acknowledged neutrality. When it comes to a scholarly knowledge of our own history, the last thing we need is an expert with a product or personal philosophy to sell. And what is especially fortunate for astrology is that the increased respect was apparently mutual. Not only did the academic experts keep in touch to follow through with their offers of sending on helpful information and important references; but we also have this wonderful testimony by Daryn Lehoux, published within the pages of The Classical Review (vol.58, no.1, p.289). Here he is speaking in regard to the unnecessary put-downs of astrology in Roger Beck's Brief History of Ancient Astrology:
Unfortunately, the condescension to his sources renders B.'s book utterly inappropriate for the very audience for which it was written. Indeed, in his condescension, B. unwittingly alienates half his potential readership: modern readers with an interest in astrology itself. Scholars tend to ignore it, but there is a very lively community of interest in astrology, and many of these people are interested in its history. One of the best conferences I have had the pleasure of attending recently was a workshop organised by Charles Burnett and Dorian Greenbaum at the Warburg Institute. Half of the presenters were historians of astrology of the academic stripe, the other half practising astrologers who worked on the history of their own discipline. The astrologers were not only very knowledgeable about their history, but they also had incredible command of many of the very fine details of astrological practice that the academics tended to miss. Like B., I may not believe what they believe, but that is no reason not to speak to them. Indeed, as became apparent at the Warburg, some of them have plenty to teach us.
The quote gives a sense of the openness that was felt at the end of the workshop by everyone. When astrologers talk idealistically about breaking down academic resistance and being treated with greater respect within the wider community, let me tell you that within the area of historical research at least, this is already happening. (This is surely a result of improving the academic standards of astrologers, for which we have to thank collectives such as Kepler and Bath Spa, and individuals such as Dorian Greenbaum, who have set new standards and opened doors in established and respected universities.)
To bring you up to date with my experience at the workshop; after having such a positive experience with the presentations, we all then integrated the feedback into our areas of research to produce a published paper. The full set of papers has finally been published in a special double-issue edition of Culture and Cosmos - purchase information and a full list of abstracts is available on this link:
www.cultureandcosmos.com
This upcoming event on 13th-15th November is a conference rather than a workshop, but it has the same great blend of experts from academic as well as practical fields. This year the speakers include: Monica Azzolini, Giuseppe Bezza, Jean-Patrice Boudet, Bernadette Brady, François Charette, Geoffrey Cornelius, Benno van Dalen, Meira Epstein, Miquel Forcada, Dorian Greenbaum, Robert Hand, Stephan Heilen, Jan Hogendijk, Deborah Houlding, David Juste, Lauren Kassell, Gabriel Mancuso, Günther Oestmann, Darrel Rutkin, Julio Samsó, Shlomo Sela, Graeme Tobyn and Stephen Vanden Broecke. This is an incredible round-up of scholars who will be helping to define what is presently known and understood of Medieval astrology both in theory and practice. Considering the accessibility and affordability of this event, my advice to all lovers of traditional astrology has to be, "get there if you can!".
Title image detail is from an engraving by Albrecht Dürer, from the title page of the Masha'allah ibn Athari's Astronomy Treatise De Scientia Motus Orbis (Latin version with engraving, 1504). The compass is a reference to God as the architect of creation. From Wikimedia Commons
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