Hi All,
Someone has pushed the button on my roller-coaster and I have been swamped. Client work, a birthday, and all sorts of interesting but time-consuming distractions. To make up for it, here’s a double issue of SOTAnews. So make yourself a cup of tea and get comfy. We’ve got a lot of news and a lot of announcements…
First of all, as you know, the early bird registration rate will EXPIRE on March 20th at 10 pm Eastern. And March 20th is also the last day that cheques or email transfers will be accepted at the early bird rate. Note that the last mail registration I got from the US (from the Boston area) took in excess of a week to get here. Also note that we have no mail delivery here on Saturday. And act accordingly. A word to the wise should be sufficient. If it isn’t, your registration will be held for additional funds.
For those of you in Canada who have been paying by cheque or email transfer, the 20th marks another unfortunate deadline. As you know, our exchange rate absolutely sucks at the moment. I have been offering a 20% exchange rate to those paying by cheque or email transfer, but that exchange rate keeps getting higher and higher. So regretfully, as of March 21st, the exchange rate for those of you paying in Canadian funds will be 25%, I would love to be able to waive it, but I will be paying in US dollars and this is not a charity. My apologies — and please, blame Harper. We will keep a close eye on the exchange rate and should things improve, we will act accordingly. The 25% is the best we can do at the moment — and is still less than what the banks are charging.
Secondly, this is our first call for vendors and readers. A number of vendors from last year have said they will be back, and one has already paid. However, we would love to get a couple of additional vendors, and we would also like to hear from anyone interested in being a reader in the trade room. Our fees are reasonable; however space is at a premium. So if you have product to sell or if you want to read, NOW is the time to contact me to reserve your space. And if you have friends with crafts, T-shirts, candles, or the like who might like to be a part of our trade room, please have them contact me.
Third, I have already gotten a couple of queries about staff positions. At the moment, it looks like we will have enough tapers and monitors. However, we MAY be looking for a reg assistant. This would probably involve about 3 hours of desk duty per day, probably from 2:30 – 5:30. So yes, you would miss afternoon lectures. However, you would get the morning lectures, the opening, and sweet messages for no charge. The right person, assuming we go this route, would be friendly, efficient, reliable, prompt, and would have good boundaries. You might be handling money, so ability to make change is also pretty crucial. Registration experience and/or familiarity with SOTA would be a plus. If this appeals to you, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with Myra. As I’ve said, this is still under discussion, so it’s not a done deal, but we’d like to see if we’ve got a likely candidate just in case.
Fourth, the person who won the GLAC registration at SOTA last year is unable to attend. Pam would hate to see it go to waste. So would I, because GLAC is a neat little conference with some very good speakers. Think Nick Dagan Best, Richard Smoot, Monica Dimino, Joyce Levine, and yours truly among others. Dates are April 9-13; location is Ann Arbor, Michigan which is in itself a neat place. If you happen to be free that weekend and would like this registration, contact me and I’ll put you in touch with Pam. And then I’ll see you there. This one is strictly first-come, first-served — and before claiming it, please make sure you can go!
And speaking of GLAC, as yet there has been no decision about a special SOTA 2015 rate for GLAC attendees except that any discount will be off the March 21 rate. There will, however, be a draw for a SOTA conference registration. Another good reason to go if you’re not as yet registered.
OK, so what about SOTA offerings:
Well, for starters, Patricia Bell has cancelled due to a schedule conflict. I am currently working on finding 2 replacement speakers (yeah, it will take two to replace Patricia). Details will be available in the next newsletter or as soon as I have them, whichever comes first. I should have speaker confirmations in the next couple of days, but topics may take longer.
However, on a more positive note, Adam Gainsburg is back. If you’re not familiar with Adam’s work, he is one of a new breed of astrologers whose work highlights the astrology of the living sky. His approach is both spiritual and astronomical. His visuals are amazing and pretty much guaranteed to evoke insights. Here’s his topic for this year:
Sky Phases: The Original Planetary Cycles
The Sky Phases of the planets represent the very origin of the astrological tradition. The living sky was in fact the very first astrological “chart.” Through 3D software and explanatory graphics, this lecture will introduce the missing celestial ingredients from every round chart wheel and provide essential meanings for each. The combination of sound astrological technique, these ‘lost’ sky factors, and the central role planetary phases occupy in all of astrology will deepen and broaden your astrology.
Don’t think this will be boring. It won’t be. Nor is it for traditionalists only. This is a lecture everyone can benefit from.
No word yet as to whether or not Adam will also be in the trade room with his incredible software, but if he is, do yourself another favor and get a demo. It’s a pretty remarkable program. And Adam is a pretty remarkable lecturer.
And on the new speaker front, Shirley Soffer will be joining us. Now don’t get me wrong — Shirley is definitely NOT a new speaker except in the sense of being new to SOTA. And in fact she was at SOTA some years ago but as part of a panel — which was a far cry from doing justice to her knowledge. In fact, Shirley has been a regular at numerous NCGR conferences over the years, as well as being a very active teacher on the New York scene. She is also the education director for NCGR-PAA, which might give you some idea as to the depth and breadth of her knowledge. Here’s her topic:
A Language in Common: Astrology & Jungian Psychology
For those of us whose work in astrology focuses more on psychological themes rather than on a purely predictive type of practice, our perspective can often be seen to resonate with some key concepts in the teachings of Carl G. Jung, such as archetypes, the use of myths, synchronicity, psychological types, and shadow.
This is a very solid presentation that has been presented to the Jung Society in New York as well as to astrologer. And whether you’re a traditional astrologer or a modern one, if you’re dealing with people, this is material that’s well worth exploring. Shirley’s presentations are organized, clear, and fluff-free. You won’t be wasting your time on this one for sure.
OK, and on that note, I’m running late and getting later. As usual, please feel free to share this newsletter with friends, and don’t forget that deadline. Look for more news next week.
Best,
Donna