Blowing It Up

It has long been noted that astrology lacks true integration. It isn't that people are working against each other, it's just that the northern hemisphere seems to keep to itself and the southern hemisphere seems to keep to itself too. And certainly there has been very little interface between East and West. Distance can be a problem. And the older astrologers' lack of engagement with social media means the gap between older and younger astrologers is widening with every technological advance.

But the Institute of Vedic Culture (IVC) astrology conference, organised by the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology (KIA) and founded by Gopal Bhattacharjee, has been working towards bridging those gaps and in the past few years has been offering simply magical opportunities for astrologers to learn more about the very different approaches of Western (tropical zodiac) and Vedic (sidereal zodiac) astrology. As a research astrologer, I passionately believe we need to stand shoulder to shoulder to endure the slings and arrows of outrageous scepticism and to be in a position to offer a tactical offence (and if you don't believe the sceptics are ganging up on astrologers, then you need to read Robert Currey's brilliant account on the "guerrilla skeptics"). We can't do that if we don't understand each other or if we pretend our factions are more important than the bigger picture. So I am way more than a little excited to be a part of KIA's endeavour to bring together astrologers from 6 continents (we are searching for astrologers from Antarctica, lol), over 20 countries, together at a conference to be held 31st January - 4th February 2017 in beautiful, historical yet modern Kolkata India. So far we have over 70 international speakers plus many speakers from India, making it one of the biggest and certainly the most diverse astrology conference ever held.

As my friend and IVC speaker Sam Sadasiva Geppi says: "We are going to blow it up this year!!"

Oh yes we are. Yes WE are.

Personally, I am terrifically moved by the spirit of this conference.  I am moved by Gopal's vision and I will always be inspired by Richard Alwin Filder who was one of the first international speakers back in 2014. He had NO idea of what to expect but he must have liked it because he returned the next year in 2015 with a few more of us (Naomi Bennett, Michelle Gould, Sanjay Pandya, Agent 63 Ehsan Khazeni, myself and a few others). We all became very close friends and met in South Africa for the Astrology Restored Conference in Cape Town later that year where quite a few of us formed a veritable tribe of antipodean astrologers and then descended on KIA in early 2016 where we were joined by even more international astrologers such as Agent Dakini Laura Boomer Trent, who wanted to discover what they were missing out on.

So when Gopal made me Secretary General of KIA after the conference in 2016, I didn't reveal that I had a very secret weapon: I was Secret Agent 144 for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, the largest social media group of astrologers on the internet. A brain child of Julija Simas (Agent 12), the CIA has over 1.4 million members on its Facebook page but the two groups, with integration being a bit iffy in the astrology world, had yet to meet.

I had met Julija earlier at ISAR 2014 and we got on like a proverbial house on fire. After the conference in India 2016, I went to Melbourne to hang out with other CIA secret agents, most notably Olga Morales. Here we are looking all secretive-like:

From l-r: Olga, me and Julija in Melbourne Australia

It was during this time that I began to hatch my secret plan to get more antipodean friends to the KIA conference (having also experienced the thriving astrological community in Cape Town): Julija and Olga were thrilled with the idea of coming to India. A CIA briefing was in the making.

But I still didn't reveal all of my plans.

At ISAR 2016, after a few miserable months in London (I had been travelling around the world for 5 months and found being back at home very difficult to get used to), I met up again with Julija and Ana Carrapichano (who organised the Astrology Restored Conference in South Africa along with Richard Fidler). 

l-r Agents Ana, 144 and 12

It was the perfect opportunity for us to put our heads together and with South American Agent 55 Vanessa Guazzelli Paim on board, we very nicely had 6 continents covered:

Agent 12: South America?
Agent 55: check
Agent 12: North America?
Agent 144: check
Agent 12: Europe?
Agent 144: check (in true Gemini rising style, Agent 144 keeps her two big feet in two separate continents)
Agent 12: South Africa? 
Agent Ana: check

Agent 12: Persia?

Agent 63: check

Agent 12: I got Australia covered

Agent 144: And Super Secret Honorary Agent Gopal has India covered (we're working on China and the Far East)

Agent 144 getting her brief from Agents 55 and 12

Agent 12: 144, we got a plan of action. You do the infiltrating. You got the connections.
Agent 144: Boss, I haven't even had me cup of tea yet

"I can't cope without me tea" --Agent 144

But there were thrills and attempts at papping us before we could hatch our plan fully! And quickly Agent 144 realised there were more important things in life than tea (a miracle in itself!).

Agent 144: OK, I got it. It's on like Donkey Kong. We assemble the finest astrologers for IVC. We get KIA and CIA to work together on IVC before I go MIA at the Kepler Conference!

Agent 12: You got it 144! You got any other conferences you're going to?
Agent 144: Why yes indeed: there's Portugal in February 17
Agent 12: Anything else?
Agent 144: NORWAC
Agent 12: Anything else?
Agent 144: Well there's my tour of the US West Coast where I'll be visiting various branches of NCGR and the San Francisco Astrology Society. . .
Agent 12: Anything else?
Agent 144: Um, I'm at the Scottish Astrology Association in the autumn
Agent 12: Anything else?
Agent 144: Sheesh boss, ya trying to kill me?
Agent 12: It's a tough life as an agent. Where's your next article?
Agent 144: (stunned into silence)
Agent 12: Right, you know what to do

So at the Kepler Conference, the finest research astrologers had gathered and what a terrific opportunity to do some recruiting. Ditto for Portugal.

Northern Hemisphere Agent 144 and Southern Hemisphere Agent 55 showing da love

But wait, there's more!

Cosmic Intelligence Agency is delighted to report that at the NORWAC Conference in Seattle, Agent 12 (Julija) and Agent 144 (Me) will be re-united and both of us will be happy to answer any questions our North American friends might have about the conference in India. We'll have leaflets and, of course, our big mouths to help you decide if being a part of the biggest astrology conference on the planet is something you might like to invest in. After NORWAC, I'll be on a tour of the West Coast meeting various NCGR chapters and the San Francisco Astrology Society and again, will be very happy to share the vision of truly uniting astrologers together. We ask our astrologer friends, in particular those who are speaking at IVC, to engage with our various social media campaigns on Facebook and other platforms.

And with two of the biggest online astrology organisations (CIA, Southern Hemisphere and Western Astrology and KIA, Northern Hemisphere and Vedic) working together, you won't want to miss this opportunity: it's cutting edge stuff and what dreams are made of! 

So readers might be wondering how long Agent 144 has been deep, deep, deep undercover...

Agent 144 in saree, Kolkata India, 2015

Agent 144 with Agent 63, Cape Town 2015

Agents Dakini, Ana and 144 in sarees, Kolkata India 2016

Top secret CIA board meeting, ISAR 2016

Dr Dennis Harness with Agents 63 and 144 before the good doctor knew he would be headline speaker at IVC

Me and IVC Speaker Lynn Bell in Portugal

Hakan Kirkoglu Agent 40 at ISAR: totally oblivious!

Armand Diaz (Agent 17) with Agent 144 at ISAR: oblivious. Note 144's halo

Dr Glenn Perry, oblivious at The Kepler Conference (and promoting my book!!) and just look at 144's halo!

Kepler panel: Four confirmed speakers (and me)! Note the fertility of Dennis Harness' imagination and our star Will Morris!

Dr Will Morris and Kenneth Miller, speakers at IVC 2018, totally oblivious at The Kepler Conference!
 (square halos for 144 and Kenneth!)

Agent 144 photobombing the ISAR board looking like disaster girl but actually going for the "uh-huh, I'll be seeing you at IVC" look. Seven of them have confirmed as speakers at IVC ;)

So there, it's all out!

In all seriousness, it has been remarkable how so many unique and diverse astrologers are so thrilled to put energy in the IVC conference. If you'd like to be a part of this but aren't too sure what things will be like, you can read my account here. We now have the tour packages ready!

And if you do have to miss the spectacular event, the Nakshatra Barta, KIA's publication, will be available for purchase. Packed full of our researchers' finest articles, it will be distributed to 20,000 readers around the world. Never heard of Nakshatra Barta? We'll be putting that right. It's time for astrologers to find out what it's like to be treated like rock stars--and it could only happen in India. At least for now.

We're hoping to change that at IVC.

So put it in your calendar: IVC 31 January- 4 February 2018, Kolkata India!

About the Astrologer

Alex Trenoweth was voted Best International Astrologer, 2015 for her dynamic presentation on her innovative and original research into Astrology and Education. Her book, "Growing Pains" is an exciting development in astrology as it combines classroom teaching experience, sound investigation and the potential to have a positive impact on struggling adolescents, parents, teachers and those who have been labelled "at risk". She writes the weekly and monthly horoscopes and other articles for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, one of the largest astrological social media groups on the web and was also a speaker for the AstroSummit, a guest lecturer for the London School of Astrology and has spoken at several UK local astrology groups. Upcoming international events include Breaking Down the Borders, the Kepler Conference, Congresso Internacional de Astrologia (Portugal), Kepler College, the Mercury Internet School of Psychological Astrology, NORWAC and the San Francisco Astrology Society.  Alex is also Vice Principal and Secretary General of International Affairs for the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology and will will be taking up her residential post in India 2017. For queries, consultations or syndications, please contact Alex via www.alextrenoweth.com or leave a message in the comment section.

"Growing Pains" can be purchased in paperback or kindle format on Amazon or can be signed and posted directly to you by Alex.

About the New Book

There are two wolves fighting inside of me, the old story goes, one wolf is good and the other is evil. “But Grandfather,” asked the child, “Which one wins?” The Grandfather answered, “The wolf I feed.”

We might like to think that being good is a natural instinct. In fact, doing the right thing takes a conscious decision. Every day, we are met with temptation to get ahead at the expense of someone else, to get away with something we know is wrong or to cut corners if we think no one is watching.

Following on from her powerful book on astrology and Education, “Growing Pains”, Alex Trenoweth explores the benefits of using “the bad guy” of the solar system: Saturn. Often avoided and seldom understood, if we understand our own Saturn then we can help others to understand theirs. Using case studies of  highly successful people contrasted with convicted serial killers, Trenoweth deftly demonstrates the dire consequences of feeding the wrong wolf.

Knee Deep in the Hoopla

OK, the tag for my blog is "Because I sometimes forget where on earth I'm supposed to be. . ." but lately, I've just been getting on with life and work in London.

But that doesn't mean I'm not busy!

Whew. . .what a few weeks.

I'm happy to say all the speakers have been now been selected for the Institute of Vedic Culture's (Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology) conference. You can view the speakers' list here. There's still a lot of work to be done with sorting out topics and descriptions and papers, finalising touring packages and all the other things associated with being on the organizing committee of such a large organisation. But it really has been a great privilege to work with a man who shares my vision in truly uniting the two zodiacs under one roof. Gopal Bhattacharjee and I joke that we must really be long lost twins--we seem to anticipate what the other is about to do and we even seem to share the same sense of humour. But I think we are both very happy so many astrologers from across the globe (from TWENTY countries) also share in our vision of setting aside our factions and taking on the skeptics, critics and the indifferents of astrology.

And in the flurry of everything, Robert Currey honours me with a place on his hard-nosed academic research site! To be on the same webpage as Michel Gauquelin and Suibert Ertel  is beyond mind blowing.

And speaking of mind blowing, I just have to boast that Dr Glenn Perry bought a copy of "Growing Pains"!  here's the proof:

And just because I'm grounded for the moment in London, doesn't mean I'm not getting out and about. . .I have a lot of webinars coming up.

9th April 10am BST: "How to Get Children to Reach For the Stars" for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency. If you didn't already know it, I write the yearly, monthly and weekly horoscopes for the CIA and it is just such a thrill to write for a magazine people actually read! More articles coming out for the CIA soon.

15th April 9pm-10:30pm BST: "Astrology and Education" for Kepler College. One of the great things about attending the ISAR conference back in October was the great connection I made with the prestigious Kepler College! Astrology research at its finest! I did my first webinar on International Astrology Day last weekend and I'm offering this free one for beginners.

29th April 5pm-8pm BST: "Growing Pains" for Kepler College. This webinar is based on my research on astrology and education. $49 for three hours.

7th May: Mercury Internet School of Psychological Astrology. Further details coming very soon. I'm chuffed to bits to be working with John Green, Clare Martin, Lynn Bell, Darby Costello and Faye Blake-Cossar!

And that leads us nicely on to. . .MY TOUR OF THE WEST COAST, USA!!

So I'm starting off with NORWAC 25-29th May near Seattle where I'll be re-united with lots of astro buddies including Rob Hand and Mark Jones. Then I'll be doing a webinar as part of a series on relationships with the delightful Dorothy Oja, Samuel Reynolds, Margaret Gray and Armand Diaz on 5th June.Then I'm so excited to be speaking at NCGR San Diego on 17 June, NCGR Las Vegas 25 June and San Francisco Astrological Society on the 29th June.

Hopefully "The Wolf You Feed" will be ready to be officially announced by the time I get home from the tour so I can start planning the book launch (I do have a few secrets I'm keeping to myself).

But the fun goes on into September with an appearance at the Woking Astrology Group followed by a jaunt up north to the Scottish Astrological Association. The autumn and winter of 2017/18 will be completely occupied by preparations for the KIA conference. I'll be at UAC (Chicago) spring 2018 to mooch about and crash Ray Merriman's party again. BUT I just got an invitation to speak in Italy in the summer of 2018!

FRENZY!! But in the best possible way.

After all that planning, sometimes a girl just needs to chill out with a good friend after a long day of teaching eager minds. What a great evening I had with my astro sister Laura Boomer-Trent. Spaghetti and conversation. Sigh.

Laura and I: post spaghetti dinner

About the Astrologer

Alex Trenoweth was voted Best International Astrologer, 2015 for her dynamic presentation on her innovative and original research into Astrology and Education. Her book, "Growing Pains" is an exciting development in astrology as it combines classroom teaching experience, sound investigation and the potential to have a positive impact on struggling adolescents, parents, teachers and those who have been labelled "at risk". She writes the weekly and monthly horoscopes and other articles for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, one of the largest astrological social media groups on the web and was also a speaker for the AstroSummit, a guest lecturer for the London School of Astrology and has spoken at several UK local astrology groups. Upcoming international events include Breaking Down the Borders, the Kepler Conference, Congresso Internacional de Astrologia (Portugal), Kepler College, the Mercury Internet School of Psychological Astrology, NORWAC and the San Francisco Astrology Society.  Alex is also Vice Principal and Secretary General of International Affairs for the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology and will will be taking up her residential post in India 2017. For queries, consultations or syndications, please contact Alex via www.alextrenoweth.com or leave a message in the comment section.

"Growing Pains" can be purchased in paperback or kindle format on Amazon or can be signed and posted directly to you by Alex.

About the New Book

There are two wolves fighting inside of me, the old story goes, one wolf is good and the other is evil. “But Grandfather,” asked the child, “Which one wins?” The Grandfather answered, “The wolf I feed.”

We might like to think that being good is a natural instinct. In fact, doing the right thing takes a conscious decision. Every day, we are met with temptation to get ahead at the expense of someone else, to get away with something we know is wrong or to cut corners if we think no one is watching.

Following on from her powerful book on astrology and Education, “Growing Pains”, Alex Trenoweth explores the benefits of using “the bad guy” of the solar system: Saturn. Often avoided and seldom understood, if we understand our own Saturn then we can help others to understand theirs. Using case studies of  highly successful people contrasted with convicted serial killers, Trenoweth deftly demonstrates the dire consequences of feeding the wrong wolf.

Portugal!! Parte três

We had another fabulous dinner in Maia on the waterfront. Again, just really nice to be with other astrologers.

I arrived at the auditorium raring to watch other speakers. First up was my buddy Glenn Perry who was so calm, so informative and just so experienced that I really learned an awful lot from him on presentation skills. I loved the content of his lecture too on “Present Centered, Purpose Focused Prediction” and a lot of the psychology I studied at university began to return. Luiza Azancat (an amazing polyglot) spoke on “The Astrology of Twin Siblings” which demonstrated how one twin acts out one half of the chart and the other twin acts out the other. Absolutely fascinating research. Next was my good friend Christian Konig who did an incredible presentation on the different types of stars (“Between Heaven and Earth—Helical Rising and Setting Stars”) that was visually appealing thanks to his wicked skills on powerpoint (yeah guess who’s getting a phone call when it’s time to prepare the next lecture?). Like Glenn, Christian was incredibly calm even though I knew he was very nervous.

After all that sitting and listening, I had worked up a bit of an appetite so we found a local restaurant and indulged ourselves in some Portuguese cuisine. Fab company with Rod, Christian, Carla and Monica and a few others. Oh I had codfish which is the local speciality. Yummy.

I watched Glenn again for his workshop and again was just blown away by his calmness, experience and professionalism. His topic was “Venus-Pluto Dynamics: Transforming Fears of Intimacy”. I just loved the way he took a few case studies and made quite complex points very simple. Then I went to watch Roy who did a good job of making key mundane points easy for beginners (I’m not a beginner but it was still good to learn from an experienced speaker). Roy certainly taught me about how to plug my own material in the future (one can’t be shy about it!).

The talks at this conference went on quite late—almost as late as in India (and you KNOW how much I love India). But what made it all so enjoyable was that there was so much to do outside of the auditorium and if anything was needed, one could just wander out to get it. So the last workshop I went to was Margaret Gray’s astro-drama which was a lot of fun and I think we made a pretty good tag team. By the end of this, both of us were knackered.

Sunday morning and it was time to catch Mark Jones in action. “The Destiny Line: the Nodal Axis of the Moon as the Key to Personal Evolution” was the title of his workshop. Now Mark is a very popular speaker so I really wanted to see what I could learn from him. And I think the key to his success is that he makes one point and keeps reinforcing it. He also has an incredible, measured voice (he’s also a hypnotherapist) that was very pleasant to listen to.

After lunch with the astrologers, it was time to watch Margaret in action again. Her topic was “Understanding and Transforming Compulsive and Addictive Relationship patterns with the help of Psychological Astrology” which she delivered in heels! What I found quite striking was the crossover between her talk and Glenn’s. They didn’t work together on their lectures but they made a lot of the same points. Fascinating.

My attention span was dwindling so a few of us gathered to chew the fat. And I learned something else about myself:

I’ve said before I don’t attend conferences with the expectations of making money. I go to conferences for the connections with other astrologers, to learn about what’s going on outside of merry England (LOTS!!) and to pick up opportunities for collaboration. If I do make money, it’s almost exclusively in book sales, private consultations and future engagements outside of the big conferences. There’s a part of me that really dislikes discussing finances and a different part of me who is very reluctant to focus on astrology full time in the hopes of being able to leave teaching (for goodness sake, I just got the teaching/practising astrology balance just right!). I know I would miss teaching if I ever did discover the key to making tons of money in astrology so there’s a real reluctance to talk turkey about money. Having said that, it is nice to have a bit of jingle in the pocket (mainly through book sales) at the end of the conference (even if there were a few misunderstandings around EU taxes).

With the old finances in order, it was time to enjoy the last lecture. “Turning Lead into Gold: Planets in Detriment and Fall” was delivered by Lynn Bell. I’ve seen Lynn lecture a lot and she is one of my astro heroes for her really well considered examples, her knowledge of mythology and her consistent elegance. And she didn’t disappoint.

It really was a great conference and as it was the first one for the Portuguese astrologers, I thought it was absolutely bloody marvellous. The generosity of the hosts, the central location of the event and just the experience of being able to enjoy the setting was nothing short of glorious. Oh and guess who is going to have a few articles translated into Portuguese?

My last dinner in Portugal was spent with the Brits. Lynn (like me, she’s an honourary Brit) gave me some great advice and Carole Taylor (I’ve seen Carole lecture a lot too so I had to make the decision to see speakers I hadn’t seen before) gave me some encouragement about the lecture circuit. It is a great feeling to know that I am now experienced enough as a speaker that I can step back and get a better feel for what I enjoy in a conference, how I can be a better speaker and just to enjoy observing the masters. What a terrible teacher I’d be if I thought there was no room for improvement!

My sincere thanks to Isabel Guimardes and team for a wonderful conference.

For part 1, click here
For part 2, click here

About the Astrologer

Alex Trenoweth was voted Best International Astrologer, 2015 for her dynamic presentation on her innovative and original research into Astrology and Education. Her book, "Growing Pains" is an exciting development in astrology as it combines classroom teaching experience, sound investigation and the potential to have a positive impact on struggling adolescents, parents, teachers and those who have been labelled "at risk". She writes the weekly and monthly horoscopes and other articles for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, one of the largest astrological social media groups on the web and was also a speaker for the AstroSummit, a guest lecturer for the London School of Astrology and has spoken at several UK local astrology groups. Upcoming international events include Breaking Down the Borders, the Kepler Conference, Congresso Internacional de Astrologia (Portugal), Kepler College, the Mercury Internet School of Psychological Astrology, NORWAC and the San Francisco Astrology Society.  Alex is also Vice Principal and Secretary General of International Affairs for the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology and will will be taking up her residential post in India 2017. For queries, consultations or syndications, please contact Alex via www.alextrenoweth.com or leave a message in the comment section.

"Growing Pains" can be purchased in paperback or kindle format on Amazon or can be signed and posted directly to you by Alex.

About the New Book

There are two wolves fighting inside of me, the old story goes, one wolf is good and the other is evil. “But Grandfather,” asked the child, “Which one wins?” The Grandfather answered, “The wolf I feed.”

We might like to think that being good is a natural instinct. In fact, doing the right thing takes a conscious decision. Every day, we are met with temptation to get ahead at the expense of someone else, to get away with something we know is wrong or to cut corners if we think no one is watching.

Following on from her powerful book on astrology and Education, “Growing Pains”, Alex Trenoweth explores the benefits of using “the bad guy” of the solar system: Saturn. Often avoided and seldom understood, if we understand our own Saturn then we can help others to understand theirs. Using case studies of  highly successful people contrasted with convicted serial killers, Trenoweth deftly demonstrates the dire consequences of feeding the wrong wolf.

Portugal! Parte dois

Morning came too quickly and it was time to get my Moon in Leo out of the cupboard with my gold and black jacket and leopard print brogues (oh yes). I also had to give myself a serious lecture about positive thinking and to stop worrying about not measuring up to other people. I have my own research, my own style (I finally convinced myself) and my own path in astrology (which I found when I stepped away from the well trodden path of astrologers before me).

On the bus to the venue, I read my lecture for the final time. And found a mistake (thankfully before I started to lecture) and was able to fix it before everything kicked off. I also made an unprecedented decision: I was going to sit down for this lecture. No pacing around like a nervous kid who doesn’t have the experience in lecturing. I was going to be cool. I was going to be calm. I was going to speak slowly. I was also going to say a few sentences in Portuguese.  And I certainly wasn’t going to freak out because I was the first lecturer in the main auditorium. I took a quick look at how my powerpoint looked on the big screen: gorgeous!

And then it was time to speak.

So I opened my big mouth, spoke in Portuguese and started the English part of my lecture when I realised there were people calling out to me.

“Alex, we can’t hear you!”

I looked out in the audience and saw Lynn Bell calling out: “Turn your microphone on!”

Now here’s when I realised that I don’t have just one inner voice. I have two. And here’s what they sounded like:

Voice one: Why didn’t you check the bloody mic before?

Voice two: That’s what sound engineers are for. Just switch the thing on.

Lynn Bell: Turn the mic on. Press the button!

At this point I’m sure I looked totally gormless.

Voice one (as I stare at the mic): Where’s the fucking button?

Voice Two: Try the other fucking mic!

Me (reaching for the other mic): What? This?

Lynn Bell: No. Just press the button.

Voice One: OH MY GOD WHERE IS THE FUCKING BUTTON??

Voice two: Alex, just calm down and look for the fucking thing. You got this.

Struggling not to burst into giggles, I found the button and pressed it.

Me (VOICE MAGNIFIED): IS THAT BETTER? OOPS!! (another struggle not to giggle)

Voice one (face palm): Oh my God, can’t take you anywhere.
Voice two: Well you found the button...
Voice one: For god’s sake. About fucking time.

Voice two: Now take a nice deep breath.

I started speaking in Portuguese and I got a round of applause from the Portuguese audience. I got laughter from my eclipse joke and I found out later that my references to being an English teacher went down a treat.

So what did I learn about myself as speaker from this experience.?

Check the fucking mic beforehand and tell voice one to take a bloody hike. Knuckle bump to voice two.

And what a difference to be sitting down to lecture! I felt calm, grounded and I had prepared so well nothing went wrong. Despite the hiccup at the start, I did manage to shut out voice one and just focus on voice two. Sure there were times when I wanted to jump up and start waving my arms around and making crazy lecture faces like a lunatic but I held myself back.

Voice two said: You got this.

Voice one: The audience is awful damn quiet. Are you sure they didn’t fall asleep?

Voice two: These are adults, not children. They can sit still for an hour.

Of course I was relieved to be finished (I tried not to show that too much). I left the auditorium and went to get some fresh air and bumped into Christian Konig and Rod Chang who told me I did brilliantly (thanks chaps). But the biggest surprise was that Margaret told me I sounded “elegant”. Trust me when I say I’ve never been called “elegant” about anything in my life. And I was extra pleased because I was reading my own writing. I also got a few compliments about my voice—and that has never happened before. So it was all a very good exercise in extending myself and learning about how I function as a speaker.

I wasn’t really up to doing too much listening after my lecture. I had coffee with Roy, Wendy and Carolyn (always great to hang out with the Brits) and just chill for a bit before my workshop. I wasn’t really worried about the workshop at all as it’s essentially material from my book. I didn’t even flinch when I learned two minutes before I started that my audience didn’t need for me to be translated. It immediately doubled my lecture material (because I wouldn’t have to stop after every paragraph to be translated) but that wasn’t a problem at all. And Glenn as my victim was brilliant and I got some feedback on how I can make some of the graphs I use more readable to non teachers (I still need to do a little work  on not assuming my audience knows more about my subject material than me). But I was pretty spent and left after my workshop to get some rest before dinner.

For part 1, click here
For part 3, click here 

About the Astrologer

Alex Trenoweth was voted Best International Astrologer, 2015 for her dynamic presentation on her innovative and original research into Astrology and Education. Her book, "Growing Pains" is an exciting development in astrology as it combines classroom teaching experience, sound investigation and the potential to have a positive impact on struggling adolescents, parents, teachers and those who have been labelled "at risk". She writes the weekly and monthly horoscopes and other articles for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, one of the largest astrological social media groups on the web and was also a speaker for the AstroSummit, a guest lecturer for the London School of Astrology and has spoken at several UK local astrology groups. Upcoming international events include Breaking Down the Borders, the Kepler Conference, Congresso Internacional de Astrologia (Portugal), Kepler College, the Mercury Internet School of Psychological Astrology, NORWAC and the San Francisco Astrology Society.  Alex is also Vice Principal and Secretary General of International Affairs for the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology and will will be taking up her residential post in India 2017. For queries, consultations or syndications, please contact Alex via www.alextrenoweth.com or leave a message in the comment section.

"Growing Pains" can be purchased in paperback or kindle format on Amazon or can be signed and posted directly to you by Alex.

About the New Book

There are two wolves fighting inside of me, the old story goes, one wolf is good and the other is evil. “But Grandfather,” asked the child, “Which one wins?” The Grandfather answered, “The wolf I feed.”

We might like to think that being good is a natural instinct. In fact, doing the right thing takes a conscious decision. Every day, we are met with temptation to get ahead at the expense of someone else, to get away with something we know is wrong or to cut corners if we think no one is watching.

Following on from her powerful book on astrology and Education, “Growing Pains”, Alex Trenoweth explores the benefits of using “the bad guy” of the solar system: Saturn. Often avoided and seldom understood, if we understand our own Saturn then we can help others to understand theirs. Using case studies of  highly successful people contrasted with convicted serial killers, Trenoweth deftly demonstrates the dire consequences of feeding the wrong wolf.

Portugal! Parte um

After a white-knuckled take off in the middle of a hurricane, I arrived in beautiful Portugal just in time to take part in a tour of the cities of Porto and Maia. Although I had lost my stomach somewhere over Southeast England, seeing all my astrology friends made everything all right again. And what a beautiful place we were in: it almost made up for all those Hail Marys I had to recite on the plane.

We were taken to a port tasting event but I have to admit that of all the choices at a bar, port would defo be my very last choice. Red wine gives me a stinking headache and I just don’t like the flavour of port. But one has to be polite. So I accepted my glass with the assumption that I’d find the nearest plant pot after a toast to our hosts. I was very pleasantly surprised by the bouquet (don’t I sound like I know what I’m talking about?) and the flavour was rich and smooth and completely different to any port I had ever had before.  What on earth do they do to the port in England?

As I caught up with old friends and made new friends, I could almost forget I was the first main speaker the next morning. Of course, the port helped too. I had been thinking a lot about speaking at conferences and whether or not I actually like lecturing. The Kepler Conference really knocked my confidence (so many clever people and then there’s me. . .) that I was seriously considering whether or not I was “deep” enough to be a successful speaker. I see myself as a kind of lucky goofball who really doesn’t belong amongst all these amazing people.

And then I got chatting to Glenn Perry who had generously agreed to be my “victim” for my workshop on healing the inner teenager.

Glenn and I are on the same page when it comes to astrology and psychology. I don’t have the experience and qualifications he has but I can hold up my end of the conversation with him (most of the time). As I was talking to him, I realised that I must be at least a little interesting to keep his attention and for him to remember my name (I can also boast that he gave me a hug when he saw me!). Every now and again, a girl needs a little pick-me-up. I was feeling better. Of course, the port helped that too. It helped so much that I decided that I was really going to stop focusing on how nervous I was and whether or not anyone actually cared about what I had to say in my lecture. I was going to make an effort to watch and learn from the masters. I was going to study everyone’s style and I was going to compare my style to theirs.

Of course that raised a question in my head about what I thought my style was: I know that I speak way too quickly sometimes, I know I like to use my hands when I speak and I know I like to stand and be able to move around when I talk. I also know I don’t like it when people read their lecture to me.

And at these thoughts, my stomach returned to its normal position and then did a flip-flop.

For the first time ever, I was going to read my lecture. And the reason is this: “Herschel, Uranus and Mary Shelley’s Vision of Horror” is packed full of complicated English words and the Portuguese-speaking translators would need to be able to follow my script. I was going to have to remember to slow my speech down (I had already knocked myself out with the powerpoint). The other thing making me nervous was that I had given this old lecture a complete overhaul. When I re-read it, I realised I simply was not the same astrologer who had written this lecture almost 12 years ago. And this is a good thing because I’ve done a lot of studying since then. So, you see, Kepler had a pretty big effect on me and I wanted that effect to be apparent to my audience.

But back to the party (because that’s what it felt like!).

When we returned to the hotel, we were treated to an amazing dinner and my date for the night was the charming David Perloff. Sitting across from me was Mark Jones and his lovely wife Claire, next to me was Lynn Bell and also across from me was Margaret Gray. Is there anything better than a good chinwag with fellow astrologers? I am always so grateful for the support from other astrologers. After all, we were all in the same boat: tired from our journeys, nervous about our lectures and a little uncertain of how it was all going to work out (but mostly very optimistic). We were in it together.

For part 2, click here
For part 3, click here

About the Astrologer

Alex Trenoweth was voted Best International Astrologer, 2015 for her dynamic presentation on her innovative and original research into Astrology and Education. Her book, "Growing Pains" is an exciting development in astrology as it combines classroom teaching experience, sound investigation and the potential to have a positive impact on struggling adolescents, parents, teachers and those who have been labelled "at risk". She writes the weekly and monthly horoscopes and other articles for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, one of the largest astrological social media groups on the web and was also a speaker for the AstroSummit, a guest lecturer for the London School of Astrology and has spoken at several UK local astrology groups. Upcoming international events include Breaking Down the Borders, the Kepler Conference, Congresso Internacional de Astrologia (Portugal), Kepler College, the Mercury Internet School of Psychological Astrology, NORWAC and the San Francisco Astrology Society.  Alex is also Vice Principal and Secretary General of International Affairs for the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology and will will be taking up her residential post in India 2017. For queries, consultations or syndications, please contact Alex via www.alextrenoweth.com or leave a message in the comment section.

"Growing Pains" can be purchased in paperback or kindle format on Amazon or can be signed and posted directly to you by Alex.

About the New Book

There are two wolves fighting inside of me, the old story goes, one wolf is good and the other is evil. “But Grandfather,” asked the child, “Which one wins?” The Grandfather answered, “The wolf I feed.”

We might like to think that being good is a natural instinct. In fact, doing the right thing takes a conscious decision. Every day, we are met with temptation to get ahead at the expense of someone else, to get away with something we know is wrong or to cut corners if we think no one is watching.

Following on from her powerful book on astrology and Education, “Growing Pains”, Alex Trenoweth explores the benefits of using “the bad guy” of the solar system: Saturn. Often avoided and seldom understood, if we understand our own Saturn then we can help others to understand theirs. Using case studies of  highly successful people contrasted with convicted serial killers, Trenoweth deftly demonstrates the dire consequences of feeding the wrong wolf.

Kepler Conference 2017

With my ephemeris--autographed by an Astronaut!

It was a terrific honour and privilege to be invited to speak at the Kepler Conference which took place from 20th-22nd January near Cape Canaveral Florida. I had always felt my nerdy data was out of place at astrology conferences and in astrology articles but organiser Courtney Roberts took notice and I'm ever so grateful she was able to assemble a fine and diverse cast of researchers for this groundbreaking conference which is now featured in the editorial on the Astrology News Service. Most of us (I feel I should justify that with a more specific statistic but bear with me) came away with the clear idea that we had set a very high bar for future astrology conferences. A few of us also felt we had thrown down the gauntlet to the scientific community who continue to disregard astrology as medieval superstition.

And on that note, I have a little confession: I have never been so nervous speaking at a conference before. I just felt that the precedent we were setting was palpable nearly every second. I had four lectures to give and my knees were knocking all the way through every one of them. I often say I find speaking to adults (as opposed to children) unnerving because they're so quiet in the audience but this was something else entirely. I felt I had something important to contribute, I was excited to do so and when Bill Meridian tells you afterwards that he admires your work, you know you've made a good impression. Oh and Glenn Perry and Will Morris bought copies of my book (thanks chaps!).

I listened to nearly every lecture and was so proud to be a part of the team. The topics were hugely varied and packed full of yummy statistics and carefully researched evidence. I felt like I was learning more about how to extend and continue my own astrological research. In fact, I feel my research will never be the same again. I was inspired! As Bill said: "There were more solid research results per hour in this conference than in any conference I can recall." That's what I mean about setting a very high bar for future astrology conferences.

Robert Currey, me and Ken McRitchie waiting for the rocket launch

But of course, conferences aren't just about lectures (because if they were, my brain would have exploded at this one), they're about the people you meet up with and the things you get up to as well. On our first night, we were treated to the prospect of a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral. I was so excited, I was like a little kid! I found Robert Currey and Ken McRitchie on the beach and we all sort of jumped up and down with anticipation--until the mission was aborted for the night. Was I disappointed! Not to mention, I no longer had a distraction to keep me from concentrating on how nervous I was about my impending lectures. Fortunately for me, my buddy Ana Andrade from Peru arrived to keep me calm, cool and collected.

L-R Will Morris, me, Kenneth Miller and Scott Silverman

And my moment did come the next afternoon with my lecture entitled "The Gauquelin Effect: Reloaded" and the description reading: "The greatest astro-research program ever undertaken has to be that of the Gauquelins: could destiny be demonstrated? Could their statistics prove that planets in the diurnal circle at birth were connected with excellence in future life? Or, was it all just a glitch in the statistics as Wikipedia now tells us? Now the data is all online but there are not many astro-researchers checking over it. Does the Moon really affect the birth of poets, and Saturn the scientists? For the first time these results are ready and available for analysis by students of psychology. But will they take it seriously or will they just dismiss it as medieval superstition?" I was told the talk went well (I was too bloody nervous to notice anything about the reaction of the audience at the time) and this is a talk I definitely want to develop into something lengthier and grittier.

CIA agents Michele Finey, me and Cassandra Butler

As I mentioned, there were many, many fine talks. I won't even try to replicate (haha) the fine research of the other speakers. If you would like specifics, have a rummage through The Kepler Conference website for copyrighted (yeah, don't nick our research without our permission!) materials.

That rocket launch? It did happen eventually! I took a video of it but have yet to figure out how to get it from my device to you tube but it will happen. Suffice to say, it was spectacularly awesome. I was surprised it took nearly 90 seconds before we heard the characteristic "boom boom" of the sound barrier being broken but even more surprising was the number of shooting stars we saw!

Saturday was my big lecture. I was nearly in meltdown. I get weird when I'm nervous. I got so weird, I conjured up my own mystical moment. And here's how it went: I was walking to the lobby to get some breakfast when I saw this big, bright pink flower. Glorious it was. It was just the same colour as one of my favourite tops so I was admiring it. As I passed by it, the flower said: "You know, it hurts to blossom."

I kid you not.

So I stopped, backed up and said: "Huh?"

But of course, mystical moments aren't known for replicating on demand so I called my friend Scott over to take a photo of it as a memento. I'm still waiting for it, Scott ;). I'll bet it does hurt to blossom--and all we do is focus on the end result, not the process. And Miss Pink Flower, your message was not lost on me.

A few hours later and I'm up to lecture. I could feel the blood pumping in my ears and I knew my hands were shaking as I held the mic. This was my research, my results and my evidence that I could back up "Growing Pains" with relevant statistics. I don't know why I was so nervous. I'm still shaking just thinking about it! It was hurting to blossom all right. And I'm still thinking of things I wish I had said or things I wished I hadn't said. But I knocked some socks off. And I'm rolling up my sleeves for more. 

Later that same evening, I also took part in a panel discussion about putting astrology to work: expanding astrology's professional applications and opportunities. Essentially, I talked about the problems I've had merging my two very different careers and I came away thinking that astrology on its own has no relevance. It serves an important part of the backdrop of many different professions but at the same time, astrologers have to have such a vast array of other skills (writing, lecturing, marketing and all the other skills that have to be brought into the arena) that it's pretty impossible to find astrologers who "just" do consultations. I was also pretty sure that astrology can be used in some way in every profession. The potential for more astrology nerdery has no limitations.

By Sunday morning, I was pretty chilled. I went for a walk on the beach. . .and wouldn't you know it, I had another mystical moment. Perhaps it was being so close to the Atlantic Ocean that caused the universe to crack open wide enough for me to hear what it had to say. Anyway, I was watching the sunrise when I noticed all these little holes in the sand. I wondered why they were there and then it occurred to me (because I occasionally watch David Attenborough) that there might be clams or something in those holes. All of a sudden, I really wanted to see a clam (having never seen one in the wild before). So I started poking around a bit with my fingers and got sand under my nails (which I hate) just before realising that maybe these holes might not be made by clams but maybe by crabs with great big pinchers that could snap my delicate digits to the bone. So I looked around and found an old cup and I started digging. And digging. Pretty soon I realised that whatever had made that hole was probably burrowing deeper just to get away from big scary me. It seemed a bit cruel to continue with my exploration so I just went back to watching the sunrise. I thought about what might have made those holes and I thought about how research is a bit like the experience I had just had: we get curious, we prod a bit then change our instruments and sometimes what we are pursuing seems deliberately elusive. Sooner or later we have to decide whether or not its worth it to continue our pursuit.

Yeah I get profound like that near oceans.

My final talk was on Kolisko's famous experiments and the secrets of the seven metals. When I get to India, I will be replicating these in a laboratory with my new found friend Rahul. So more research. It never ends. It was a great pleasure to meet fellow CIA Agent Michele Finey and her partner Neil Dennis. I thought we did a pretty good job team-working our way through Planetary Metals.

By Sunday evening, dark clouds started to gather and tornado warnings were issued.

I'm from Michigan and let's just say I'm traumatised by tornadoes. I don't want to see one and I defo don't want to be in one. But it was one spectacular storm and in between flashes of lightning, we could see the formation of funnel clouds that didn't quite pull it together enough to pose as a real threat. But my great goddess, it rained! I turned to Dennis Harness and said: "I've never said this before but I think this was one of the best astrology conferences I've ever been to!" And it was followed by such a great crack of thunder, I had to re-phrase and say: "I think we made history this weekend."

On Monday we got to visit Kennedy Space Center. I was like a little kid in heaven looking at all the launch sites and checking out all the space suits. I even got to meet John Blaha, a real astronaut. I was a bit tongue tied I was so in awe of him--imagine meeting a person who has been to outer space! But I got him to sign my ephemeris! (Such a nice guy!). I also went on a simulation of shuttle launch and I got to pretend I was commanding a shuttle. Every now and again I had to sit down because I was so overwhelmed by the vastness of space and by how much we don't know about it.

I do hope Kepler research continues to go from strength to strength. From the buzz created, I really do think we will have a mention in the Big Book of Astrological History.

About the Astrologer

Alex Trenoweth was voted Best International Astrologer, 2015 for her dynamic presentation on her innovative and original research into Astrology and Education. Her book, "Growing Pains" is an exciting development in astrology as it combines classroom teaching experience, sound investigation and the potential to have a positive impact on struggling adolescents, parents, teachers and those who have been labelled "at risk". She writes the weekly and monthly horoscopes and other articles for the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, one of the largest astrological social media groups on the web and was also a speaker for the AstroSummit, a guest lecturer for the London School of Astrology and has spoken at several UK local astrology groups. Upcoming international events include Breaking Down the Borders, the Kepler Conference, Congresso Internacional de Astrologia (Portugal) NORWAC and the San Francisco Astrology Society.  Alex is also Vice Principal and Secretary General of International Affairs for the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology and will will be taking up her residential post in India early 2017. For queries, consultations or syndications, please contact Alex via www.alextrenoweth.com or leave a message in the comment section.

"Growing Pains" can be purchased in paperback or kindle format on Amazon or can be signed and posted directly to you by Alex.

About the New Book

There are two wolves fighting inside of me, the old story goes, one wolf is good and the other is evil. “But Grandfather,” asked the child, “Which one wins?” The Grandfather answered, “The wolf I feed.”

We might like to think that being good is a natural instinct. In fact, doing the right thing takes a conscious decision. Every day, we are met with temptation to get ahead at the expense of someone else, to get away with something we know is wrong or to cut corners if we think no one is watching.

Following on from her powerful book on astrology and Education, “Growing Pains”, Alex Trenoweth explores the benefits of using “the bad guy” of the solar system: Saturn. Often avoided and seldom understood, if we understand our own Saturn then we can help others to understand theirs. Using case studies of  highly successful people contrasted with convicted serial killers, Trenoweth deftly demonstrates the dire consequences of feeding the wrong wolf.