Astrology Conference Reviews: Cape Town

“Astrology Restored: Bridging Epochs and Traditions” was the name of the conference held in Cape Town South Africa from 6-11th November 2015. Set in Shamballah Tea House, a beautiful farm across from the Cape Point Nature Reserve, the conference was 100% adventure. Astrology Restored was organised by Ana Carrapichano and Richard Fidler with advice and assistance from Michelle Gould and Nancy Massing, Rod Suskin and many other brilliant Cape Town astrologers. The perfect team to bring a dream to life. The story behind the conference is an interesting one. The intention to organise a conference was solemnly set during the exact hour of the lunar phase on 4 April 2015. It is fascinating to watch how a dream unfolds and then manifests into something that so richly enhances the lives of others. This was an astrology conference that would take us to the top of Table Mountain, sailing in the ocean, drumming around a bonfire, eating some truly spectacular food at a variety of locations and gazing at an unpolluted sky. Oh, and several close encounters with some local wildlife. Astrology Restored was a conference so packed with memories that I didn’t want to spoil them by using words. But three years later and with plans for 2020 in the making, it’s time to share this magical conference with people who may be on the fence as to whether or not to make the journey to Cape Town.

The Cast

Cobras, baboons, penguins and ostriches were just a few species of local wildlife (it’s a good thing I didn’t know about baboon spiders!). Almost exclusively outside, not only was Astrology Restored an adventure, it was a completely unique conference featuring several local South African astrologers such as Rod Suskin and Nicola Smuts as well as few familiar Western names such as Rob Hand, Kenneth Miller, Michelle Gould, Nick Dagan Best, Samuel Reynolds, Komilla Sutton and a few others. Michelle, Naomi Bennett, Ehsan Khazeni and Richard Alwin Fidler (one of the coordinators) were friends I had met in India earlier in the year. The film version of the conference speakers can be found here and the full program here. The program promised a rich mix of history and traditions. Medieval and Jyotish techniques as well as more modern astrological approaches were on  offer. If numbers mattered, this might be labelled a “small, intimate “conference. If numbers don’t matter then it was a conference that could only be described as “life changing”. It certainly had a deep and profound impact on me. For this reason, Astrology Restored in Cape Town gets my award for “Most Adventurous” astrology conference.

Astrology Restored: Cape Town

Cape Town takes a bit of effort to get to. And of course, I didn’t make things easy for myself. In October ’15, I had flown into New York for the SOTA Conference, then after visiting with my folks, flew west for an event with Astrology University then to California to visit a friend. From California, I flew back to London and changed planes to Istanbul. I had an unexpected, overnight layover in Istanbul. I didn’t know whether to be happy for an unscheduled day in Istanbul or gutted to lose a day in Cape Town. The time difference between California and Cape Town was 9 hours. I was well disoriented when I arrived in South Africa. I am a little embarrassed to admit that, as someone who once taught Geography, I was completely unprepared for the adventure that was Astrology Restored. Accustomed to staying in hotels in the middle of big cities or resorts for astrology conferences, I was totally blown away by the rugged scenery of Cape Town. As my now good friend (and IVC speaker) Nancy Massing explained when she collected me from the airport and drove to the venue, Cape Town has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. Between these two bodies of water, up in the mountains, was where Shamballah Tea House was located.

Natural Beauty

It was the most beautiful place of natural beauty I had ever seen. I saw no shopping malls, fast food outlets or car dealerships (although they do exist in abundance in the “town” of Cape Town). But we did stop to buy some absolutely beautiful South African wine to share once we arrived. Let me say this: I may be no wine connoisseur but I never had a bad glass of wine in Cape Town! Ehsan and I would be staying in a house with a jaw-dropping view of the ocean. We were told we might see whales and other sea creatures from our front window. We were warned about how to deal with baboons.

The Opening Ceremony

Jet lag meant I was up way earlier than everyone else. So I had no problem getting myself ready for the 5:35 am opening ceremony. The  Navagraha puja, performed by a Hindu priest, commenced at a time carefully elected by Richard Fidler. The chart featured the Sun and ascendant close to the fixed star Acrux. Acrux is the principal star of the Southern Cross Constellation which can only be viewed in the southern hemisphere. Vivian Robson, author of The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (1923) indicated that it gives “religious beneficence, ceremonial justice, magic and mystery”, and that it is frequently prominent in the horoscopes of astrologers and occultists (source: Deborah Houlding’s Skyscript). I can think of no better way to describe the magic of Astrology Restored. And isn’t it wonderfully “coincidental” that Acrux was conjunct the Moon of the principal star of the conference, Rob Hand? Check out what Rob had to say about Astrology Restored.

Shamballah Tea House

Shamballah is owned and loved by Ana Carrapichano  and maintained by her and her wonderful team. To accommodate the speakers and guests for lectures, tents were set up . There was even a “nap” tent for jet lagged speakers (I’m happy to say I wasn’t the only one who took advantage of this!). Far away from sources of light pollution, this was one astrology conference where star gazing was a main feature. The varied program was on two or three tracks with ample opportunity to hear Rob Hand. The onsite catering was provided by a local supplier. The food was vegetarian with plenty of variety and absolutely, deliciously out of this world. Nothing like mass produced food in hotels (which I dislike).  I couldn’t believe what was coming out of a small catering truck, including utterly charming cakes and drinks. The evening program was lively and yet deeply profound: there were drumming opportunities, there was singing around the campfire and beautiful performances by local artists.

The Great Outdoors

Being outdoors for nearly a full week gave us all the chance to be who we really were. Many of us became such good friends that we adopted each other as celestial siblings. In the three years since our adoption at Shamballah, we siblings have crossed paths again on various continents and we always talk about the magic of Astrology Restored. I’ll also remember my time in Cape Town for the wonderful opportunity to begin to study Vedic astrology with Ehsan and Richard. I consider it most fortuitous that I read one of Dennis Harness’ books during this time and have been fortunate enough to spend time with him in the US and India (and I’ll also be speaking at his conference in Sedona in late 2018).

Baboons!

Baboons roam wild in the countryside of Cape Town. We developed quite a morbid curiosity about them after being advised to keep the windows of the house closed when we were not there.  These clever animals could work their way into a house given the smallest opportunity. I was told they were not afraid of women and would calmly ransack the fridge whilst the lady of the house shouts and screams. Baboons roamed very near to Shamballah and could be seen in the distance watching us and probably hoping someone would leave food out. As protected animals, their movements were tracked by baboon monitors (Cape Town also has whale and shark monitors).

More Baboons!

I didn’t know very much about baboons except I wasn’t too keen on seeing one up close. The babies were cute but the adults I had seen from a car had very big teeth that they weren’t adverse to showing off. I didn’t like the idea that they could distinguish a female human from a male either. That’s just being way too clever for an animal. One of the most memorable moments of the conference was the “baboon incident”. Someone had left a window open “just a crack” to keep fresh ocean air circulating. Whilst we were at the conference, apparently a few baboons got the munchies for pizza and raided one of the guest houses.  One marauder left a little “gift” too. A few weeks after the conference I was lecturing at Shamballah for the Cape Astrology Association. All of a sudden, Richard and Ana jumped up and ran out of the room. “What did I say?” I had wondered at the time. I carried on speaking and eventually, they both returned, out of breath. “What was that all about?” I asked them afterwards. Apparently, baboons came very close to Shamballah and one even entered the building. Richard jumped up to close the adjacent door and Ana had run outside to fetch her dog. Now that’s what I call a bit of monkey business.

Around Town

On some nights, speakers travelled as a group to sample local restaurants. This gave us a chance to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a drive along the rugged coastline. We also enjoyed a phenomenal pizza party at the home of Nancy, who lived in Kalk Bay with a view of the ocean. It’s hard to decide on a favourite moment but eating dinner with Rob Hand, Nick Dagan Best and Ehsan Knazeni in a beautiful at Cape To Cube definitely ranks near the top. Cape to Cuba is my favourite restaurant in the whole world and post conference, I spent many evenings there writing and reading Tarot cards. On another day, we travelled to the top of Table Mountain. In a cable car. Not a fan of heights, I nearly passed on the opportunity. Fortunately the legendary winds of Cape Town were quiet that day and “encouraged” by Nick Dagan Best, I went to the top and back down again and lived to tell the tale. It was an experience I’ll never forget (neither will Samuel because I nearly broke his hand when he offered to hold mine in the cable car). Scared of heights (and spiders) I may be but I’m definitely not afraid of the ocean. Another of our excursions was a sailing adventure. By this time, the conference had ended and I had waved good bye to my return flight to London. Richard had prescribed a little something to enhance the experience of the trip. It certainly did. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the three Librans from getting sick and abandoning ship at the nearest port.

Post Conference

Post conference, we shared a house maintained by Richard called “Culpeper’s” (now called “Jupiter Rising”). It had a huge garden and for dinner, Richard would simply head out and pick some vegetables and then cook us dinner. Seeing Richard in his element was amazing. He was like a South African Crocodile Dundee (without the crocodiles): he spoke so passionately about the garden and what a pleasure it was to eat such incredibly fresh food. His knowledge was truly impressive and I can honestly say I have never seen a happier man than Richard in his garden. In the evenings, we would cause all sorts of merry mischief. I remember an awful lot of laughing, an incident involving “someone” pretending to cut off “someone’s” arm (an optical illusion!) and generally being happy to be with such great company. Oh and it was the first time I saw a stick insect! Other excursions included lunch deep in South African wine country, breakfast at Kirstenbosch Gardens as well as a walk on Boomslang (a tree canopy walkway) and a visit to Cape Point where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean currents (allegedly) meet. With such adventures, I highly recommend Astrology Restored. Yes, it is a long journey to a remote place but it is an experience you’ll never forget! Surrounded by friendly people, brilliant astrology (and stargazing!), a rustic yet surprisingly glamorous setting, you’ll have wonderful tales to tell all your friends to make them deeply jealous! And as the conference isn’t until the end of 2020, you have plenty of time to make arrangements. Many, many thanks to Richard, Ana, Michelle and the good people of Cape Town for building the dream.

Astrology Conferences Around the World

Serious astrologers should endeavour to visit at least one astrology conference outside of their own country at least once in their lifetime. Different cultures and different approaches offer so much for your astrology toolkits. As I often say: “We speak the language of the stars but we have different accents.” Not convinced? Check out my article “10 Reasons Why You Should Get Yourself to an Astrology Conference“!Here’s a list of my favourite astrology conferences around the world with links to my reviews!Canada:Canadian Astrology Conference, held every other year in September (next conference in 2021)Northern Stars Astrology Conference, 25-27 September, Halifax Nova ScotiaUSA:United Astrology Conference, various locations in the US, every four years in MayNorthwest Astrology Conference, Seattle Washington, every year in JuneInternational Society for Astrological Research, various locations in the US, every other year in the autumn. Next one 10-14 September 2020 near Denver ColoradoState of the Art Astrology, Buffalo NY every year in October (sadly organiser Donna Van Toen has died and further plans are now unclear)Sedona Vedic Astrology Conference, held annually in Arizona every NovemberKepler Astrology Conference, now defunct but still worth a mention for the potential it had to bring brilliant research to astrologyIndia:Institute of Vedic Culture (IVC), Kolkata India, 4-9 February 2020 (postponed to a later date)Europe:Kepler Institute, Belgrade Serbia, every year in MarchAssociação Portuguesa de Astrologia, ASPAS, Lisbon Portugal, every other year, last one in March 2019Associazione Cultural Jayavidya, Perugia Italy, every year in JuneLatvian Astrology Conference, held annually in RigaSouth AfricaAstrology Restored, Cape Town, next one to be announced soonAustraliaThe Cosmic Intelligence Agency holds some truly amazing workshops and other events, many are online tooSouth AmericaCINASTRO, online conference from Brazil. Sign up for their newsletter for more informationMy lecture schedule is here