Event Description
This event is unique in the USA. For the very first time, staff from the Sophia Centre at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK will be teaching an intensive, exploring the Babylonian and Egyptian contribution to Western Astrology .
Your teaching staff will be Nick Campion Ph.D. and Bernadette Brady M.A.
There are two approaches a delegate can take to this 3-day intensive:
●· You can simply come along with a desire to deepen your knowledge of the history, philosophy and practice of ancient astrology.
– or –
● You can apply to take the MA and, if successful, decide to take up an offer of a special scholarship of 20% off the first year’s fees, which is available to delegates only. For an international student paying full-time fees in the year 2010-11, the value of the scholarship would therefore be £2144, or approximately $3300. Please eMail Dr Nicholas Campion, n.campion@tsd.ac.uk, for details of the latest fee structure, including fees for EU students, including fees for students in the European Union.
Mansfield, MA, USA – Origins
University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK.
Conference Programme
May 13- 15, 2011
This programme, contents or timing of lectures may change a little without notice
Lecture periods will also contain time for allowing questions and discussion.
FRIDAY: The Babylonian Day
9.30 am – 10 am - Welcome by Dr. Nick Campion and discussion about the nature of the three days, the handouts, and an introduction to the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology.
10am – 11 am
Friday Morning Lecture 1 – Dr. Nick Campion: The Speaking Sky
Nick will explore the Babylonian view of the sky and the universe as expressed through the creation myth, the Enuma Elish, and the omen series, the Enuma Anu Enlil, and will explore the ways in which the concept of heavenly writing and the manipulation of destiny shaped Babylonian astrology.
11.00 – 11.30 morning coffee
11.30 am – 12.45pm
Friday late morning Lecture 2 – Bernadette Brady: The Babylonian sky gods and the Zodiac.
Bernadette will explore the planets, their names and symbolism as revealed within the corpus of translated works and the implications for contemporary astrology.
12.45 pm – 2pm - lunch
2 pm – 3.15 pm
Friday Afternoon Lecture 3 – Dr. Nick Campion: The Strange Birth of Natal Astrology
We have no evidence for the practice of natal astrology, or of a zodiac of twelve equal-sized signs, before the fifth century BCE. Nick will explore the documents of the time and ask what they tell us about the reasons for the development of natal astrology (why was the individual suddenly so important?) and about Babylonian contributions to Hellenistic horoscopy.
3.15 pm – 3.45 pm afternoon tea
3.45 pm – 4.45pm
Friday Afternoon Lecture 4 - Bernadette Brady: Mars and Venus – Nergal and Ishtar-Ereshkigal
This session will investigate the mythology of Venus and Mars, through their presiding deities Ishtar – and her sister Erishkegal – and Nergal, and the implications for the phasing of the planets Venus and Mars. What are the consequences if this mythology is projected into contemporary charts? And what are the implications for the astrological use of Venus, Mars and planetary phasing in general.
4.45 pm – 5.15 pm Questions and Discussion
Questions and general discussion on the subjects covered over the day.
SATURDAY: The Egyptian Day
9.30 am – 9.45 am Questions and Discussion
A chance to raise general issues.
9.45 am – 11 am
Saturday Morning Lecture 4 –Dr. Nick Campion: Egyptian Cosmology
We will explore the cosmology of the Old Kingdom, from the stone circle at Nabta Playa through theories of the creation of the world, the splitting of heaven and earth, reverence for the sun and the significance of the decans on the Old Kingdom coffin lids.
11.00 – 11.30 morning coffee
11.30 am – 12.45 pmSaturday Morning Lecture 5 – Bernadette Brady: The Stars and the Soul
Bernadette will examine star phases and the Egyptian star theology and concept of soul, the Egyptian ascension myth and the practice of opening of the mouth as a stellar ritual. What are the implications for modern astrology of the Egyptian star phases?
12.45 pm – 2pm - lunch
2.00 pm – 3.15 pm
Saturday Afternoon Lecture 6 – Dr. Nick Campion: Egyptian Astrology
Around 1500 BCE, at the beginning of the New Kingdom, the Egyptians began to represent the planets. In the seventh century the Assyrians invaded (with their astrologers) and by 500 BCE it seems that the Egyptians may have been borrowing techniques from Babylonian astrology. We will explore this mysterious period, which preceded the introduction of natal astrology, and touch on the initiatory concepts in the Corpus Hermeticum.
3.15 pm – 3.45 pm afternoon tea
3.45 pm – 4.45 pm
Saturday Afternoon Lecture 7 -Bernadette Brady - Seeing the sky through Egyptian and Mesopotamian eyes
We will look at Babylonian and Egyptian ideas of the heavens as alive or ensouled and ask whether the use of sky-maps for birth might have consequences for the practices and assumptions of modern astrology.
4.45 – 5.15 pm General discussion and questions
Saturday Evening Social: to be arranged.
SUNDAY: Babylon and Egypt
9.45 am – 11 am
Sunday Morning Lecture 8
Questions and discussion about the web resources that the University of Wales Trinity Saint David offers the MA students.
11.00 – 11.30 morning coffee
11.30 am – 12.45 pm
Sunday Late Morning Lecture 9 – Dr. Nick Campion: An Enduring Legacy
The Babylonian temples were still operating in the third century, half-a-millennium after the development of complex Hellenistic astrology, and shortly before Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. We will explore the evidence that a Babylonian astrology based on the visual sky was still being practised around the year 500, looking at the fascinating story of two rebellious Roman emperors. And are there echoes of Babylonian beliefs in modern astrological practice?
12.45 pm – 2pm - lunch
2pm – 3.15 pm
Sunday Afternoon Lecture 10 – Dr Dorian Greenbaum – Guest Lecturer
Dr Greenbaum will consider the angles, the ascendant and the decans and the Egyptian watchers of the horizon.
3.15 pm – 3.45 pm afternoon tea
3.45 pm – 4.45 pm Application session 3
Bernadette Brady with Dr. Nick Campion – final joint session where we will endeavour to pick up on topics raised but not yet discussed.
4.45 – 5.15 pm General discussion and questions
Question and general discussion on the subjects covered over the day as well as summary of the whole three days.
