I was fortunate and grateful to be allocated a study stipend this past year by AFAN. It was a bit of a puzzle to find online courses that would prove most practical in my work with queer refugees. I settled on courses that offered more in-depth teachings about predictive astrology techniques. Those are most asked about in my practice, where people ask for advice around the timing of legal matters and medical procedures.
The first course was the Zodiacal Releasing Time-Lord Technique Class by Chris Brennan. This was a very elaborate, comprehensive, and very well resourced course. The extensive treatment of historical Hellenistic texts grounded the course in Hellenistic cosmology and abstract conceptualisation. For me its practical application and the in-depth explanation of the techniques to many example charts was key. That really helped me to solidify my skills and technique and improve my accuracy when advising clients. There is something very empowering about providing people with actual dates, that they can look up for themselves on astro.com.
The second course was held by Kira Sutherland via the Astrology University and called Astrological Keys to Health and Wellbeing. This course was very practical and easy to follow. It was a mixture of modern Western astrological concepts (the 12 letter alphabet method), some elements from classical medical astrology (temperaments) and for each sign practical lists of dietary prescriptions and restrictions, herbal supplements and homeopathic medicine. There were additional PDF’s provided with expansive lists of correspondences for each sign. Information on modern predictive techniques like transits, secondary progressions and solar arcs and the role of the planets were laid out in a very comprehensive way. The bonus lessons where the techniques were applied to some chart examples, were very informative.
The highly practical lists proved to be most beneficial in my practice. I have translated a few and adjusted them to food and herbal supplements that are available in the Netherlands. A problem that I have encountered is the price of such supplements, as most of my clients are marginalized people that don’t have the financial resources to afford most of the suggestions. I am still working on adapting the material offered by the course to the multicultural background of my clients and expanding its cultural competency.
