Am5: Celestial Symposium
Panels
Iatromathematics & Astral Magic: Similitude & Difference
A panel discussion on the methodological similarities between medical astrology and astral magic, historically.
What are the confluences, convergences, and separations?
Panel Organiser: Mary Gaterud
Mary Gaterud is a consulting astrologer, artist, and DJ homesteading in the wilderness of Northern California. She holds a BA from New College of USF in Psychology and French Literature and received an MA in Counseling from Seattle University. Mary's astrological studies include achievement of the Horary Practitioner’s Certificate with the STA. She is a regular contributor to The Evolving Astrologer and has served on the Executive Board of the Kepler Astrologers Toastmasters Club. She works as the Creative Content / Operations Coordinator for Kepler College, as well as a Teaching Assistant for Horary, Mundane, and Medical Astrology courses.
Fellow Panellists: Lee Lehman, William Morris, Kira Sutherland, Marcos Patchett, and JD Kelley
Dr. J. Lee Lehman has a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. She has written eleven books, on horary, electional, mundane, medical, and solar returns. She taught every year during Kepler College's academic period, where she was Academic Dean. She teaches at Kepler College, Astrologia Campus Virtual (Spain), and New Moon School (China). Her private practice spans the globe, where she is primarily known for horary, medical, electional, and mundane.
Lee was the recipient of the 1995 Marc Edmund Jones Award, the 2008 Regulus Award for Education and the 2023 Charles Harvey Award.
hacutonics.com | kootenaysoundhealing.ca/william-morris-phd
William Morris, DAOM, PhD brings a transdisciplinary approach spanning magic, medicine, and music. He has practiced astrology professionally since 1977 in multiple systems including Hellenistic, Medieval, Jyotish, and Vibrational traditions. Formally initiated into Egyptian Mystery Schools, Golden Dawn, and Eastern spiritual traditions, he studies Dasha Mahavidya under Maa Gyaan Suveera. He holds a doctorate in Chinese medicine (1988) and a PhD in transformative inquiry from CIIS, with recognized expertise in pulse diagnosis and herbal medicine. Since 1980 he has combined Daoist herbal practices with astrology, and since 1991 has used Lilly horary techniques learned from Olivia Barclay, work he continues with Lee Lehman. Author of Cycles in Medical Astrology, Li Shi-zhen Pulse Studies, and the forthcoming Sky and Meridian, he serves on the board of Kepler College.
Kira Sutherland is a highly experienced, award-winning naturopath, nutritionist, herbalist and medical astrologer living in Sydney, Australia. She divides her time between clinical practice and writing/lecturing on these subjects and is known and loved for her vibrant, straightforward teaching style. She has lectured worldwide and uses her 25 years of clinical experience and vast knowledge of healing, combined with her passion for medical astrology, into a wonderful mix of mind-body medicine. She can be found at www.astrologyofhealth.com or on socials @astrologyofhealth.
Marcos Patchett has practised as a medical herbalist for twenty years, initially specialising in complementary care for people living with HIV, and practicing from Neal’s Yard Remedies’ Therapy Rooms in London. He worked as a dispenser in Middlesex University’s training clinic for their Western Herbal Medicine BSc in 2009-2010, and later as a clinical supervisor for the Western Herbal medicine BSc and MSc courses at Middlesex from 2013-18, and for Westminster University in 2021-22, and for Heartwood online in 2020-23. Marcos is a student of Renaissance and classical astrology, an affiliate tutor for Kepler College in the U.S.A., the UK Qualified Horary Practitioner (QHP) school, and a faculty member of the Academy of Astrology UK. His first book, The Secret Life of Chocolate (thesecretlifeofchocolate.com), was released in 2020, and the smaller “paperback edit”, Pharmakakawa, was released in November 2024. He launched Plantarium, a school of medical astrology for herbalists, therapists and medical practitioners, in September 2024 (plantarium.uk/).
John-David (JD) Kelley is the chairman of the Scottish Astrological Association, having served since 2020; the founding president of the International Association of Astral Magic (IAAM), and the organiser of Astro Magia.
JD is a professional natal and electional astrologer, as well as a practicing astral magician and talisman crafter. His astrological leanings are both traditional and modern alongside a deep interest in astrological and astral magic. JD is influenced by historical approaches to magic, the mixing of magical traditions throughout the world, by an animist view of the Cosmos, by art and art-making, and by visionary and ecstatic practices. You can find him at Cunning as Folk where he teaches and practices his range of esoteric and interpretive arts, or you can follow his dance on instagram @cunningasfolk.
In Vision & Upon the earth—Experiences of Calanais
Having travelled across the world to attend Astro Magia’s first in-person event, a selection of participants reunite to reflect upon their adventures in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. Sharing experiences, both physical and visionary, of the pilgrimage to the ancient stones of Calanais, in order to witness the ‘Lunistice’ of the Midsummer Full Moon.
The Stones of Calanais were built by seafaring Neolithic settlers around 5,000 years ago, predating Stonehenge. They were a continuous and active part of ritual life and celestial observation for over 2500 years, and carry a unique and profound relationship to lunar cycles, in particular to the lunistice, or major lunar standstill, that takes place with the Mid-Summer Full Moons roughly every 19 years.
Panel Organiser: Rory Keys
Rory Keys is a professional Astrologer, based in London. His research revolves around the revival of Traditional Astrological techniques, specifically innovations emerging from Hellenistic Egypt. When consulting with clients, Rory’s specialty is in helping them mitigate difficult natal placements with novel remedial techniques, helping them alter the trajectory of Fate.
Fellow Panellists: Lou Hart, Aria Harness, Jill Barnicoat, Emma June
Lou Hart is a genderqueer artist, musician, witch, priestx and writer. Initiated in the UK, they have taught magical ritual to many individuals & groups. They are particularly interested in the spirits of place, folklore and mythology and they render portraits of the Folk in their art.
Aria Harness is a second-generation Vedic Astrologer and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. Her approach in astrology focuses on the Nakshatra(lunar)-based system of Vedic Astrology, asteroid mythologies, and Astro*Carto*Graphy. She honors both the guidance of the stars and the wisdom within each person.
Jill Barnicoat was an educator for forty-five plus years in the place of many classrooms, primarily with disenchanted adolescence, the last twelve in Les Nicolles Prison, Guernsey. She is apprenticed to shaman ArwynDreamWalker, a nagual, (Dineh), AZ. ‘Who am I’ - is a mystery.
Emma June is a student of the cycles and weaver of communal spells. Shoulders down, bare foot, head in the soil astrology. Right now, she is the dark velvet wet of an emerging wing.
Jupiter, The Moon, & the Revolutionary Power of Joy
Marcello Ficino wrote, “When you fear Saturn, use Jupiter.”
We are living in Saturnian times—marked by authoritarianism, repression, and rising xenophobia. This discussion explores how cultivating joy, both individually and collectively, can counteract the forces of control. Drawing on the symbols of Jupiter and the Moon, along with humor, mythology, and magical practice, we will consider ways to access and embody joy in daily life. In doing so, we place “Jupiter opposite Saturn” as a guiding image for balance and resistance—supporting personal well-being and collective renewal in challenging times.
Panel Organiser: Jonah Emerson-Bell
Jonah Emerson-Bell is a Tarot Reader, Astrologer, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a background in Hypnosis and Integration Coaching. He holds a Master's in Mental Health Counseling from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His work uses the archetypal language of symbol to help make the unconscious conscious and incorporates myth, magick, and creativity as ways to support clients in creating meaningful change. Jonah has appeared on various podcasts, taught classes, and given talks on astrology, mythology, and psychology. He produces a weekly Astrology forecast called This Week in Space!!! that can be found on YouTube and Instagram.
Fellow Panellists: Blair Bogin, Sarah Janes, Genie Raftopoulos, and Gray Crawford
Blair Bogin is an astrologer, artist and hermetic mystery clown. Outside of formal consultations, she experiments with astrology through comedy theater and video art. She is the Director of Planets, Planets, Planets, an alt-comedy astrology theater troupe in LA and teaches astrology to fellow artists and healers.
Sarah Janes is an author, researcher, curator, retreat/workshop facilitator and public speaker, specialising in the ancient history and culture of dreaming and has been an enthusiastic lucid dreamer since childhood. Sarah is passionate about the potential of dreaming for physical, emotional, creative and spiritual upliftment, not just for individuals, but for culture and society.
Genie Raftopoulos is a talismanic jeweler, multidisciplinary artist, and founder of Tides of Tethys. Her work bridges ancient metalsmithing traditions with astrological and magical practices, creating handcrafted talismans guided by celestial timing and inspired by esoteric wisdom.
Gray Crawford is a professional natal, horary, and electional astrologer. Gray brings a relational approach to astrology using techniques drawn from ancient and modern sources, synthesizing influences from Hellenistic, magical, mythic-archetypal, and psychological astrology. Gray has taught at UAC, NORWAC, and ISAR astrology conferences, various astrology associations around the USA, and is a member of the faculty at Kepler College. Gray’s astrological writing has been published on Astrology.com, in WellBeing Astrology, and by Ignota Press. Gray can be contacted on his site graycrawford.net where he also writes astrology articles and offers astrological education.
Many/One;One/Many
It would not be too great of an exaggeration to say that Greek philosophy, and the dramatic cultural and intellectual revolutions it would give rise to, was born from the challenge to understand the relationship between the One and the Many. Parmenides, Heraclitus and Plato overtly wrestle with this problem, Empedocles is just as troubled by it, even if it hides a bit more beneath the surface. The Orphic Mystery tradition, which underlies all these philosophical “takes,” proposed its own unique solution to the problem through stories, songs, and rituals – rites which themselves related to the older wisdom traditions of Babylonian and Egyptian temples that had grappled with the same fundamental dialectic. Through these many ancient Mediterranean influences, this problem - the question of how unity and plurality relate and whether one or the other is more fundamental - finds itself at the very heart of the development of astrology and astrological magic as we know it.
Panel Organiser: JD Kelley
John-David (JD) Kelley is the chairman of the Scottish Astrological Association, having served since 2020; the founding president of the International Association of Astral Magic (IAAM), and the organiser of Astro Magia.
JD is a professional natal and electional astrologer, as well as a practicing astral magician and talisman crafter. His astrological leanings are both traditional and modern alongside a deep interest in astrological and astral magic. JD is influenced by historical approaches to magic, the mixing of magical traditions throughout the world, by an animist view of the Cosmos, by art and art-making, and by visionary and ecstatic practices. You can find him at Cunning as Folk where he teaches and practices his range of esoteric and interpretive arts, or you can follow his dance on instagram @cunningasfolk.
Fellow Panellists: Michael Ofek, Kadmus, and Kristin Mathis
Michael Ofek is a professional astrologer, philosopher, astral magician, and shamanic practitioner from Israel. He has been practicing astrology and magic for more than two decades, avidly researching all branches of the ancient tradition, with an emphasis on Hellenistic astrology and its connection with Greco-Egyptian cosmology, philosophy, theurgy, and magic. His passion lies in unveiling and reconstructing the roots of the tradition, and the practical refiguring of these ancient arts. Michael is also a student of the mysteries of Andean shamanism and of working and healing with entheogens.
In his work, Michael stresses the importance of direct experience of astrological processes, for which he has developed a unique system, drawing on and integrating magical, theurgical and shamanic practices. Michael is an international speaker, and gives workshops and lectures worldwide, including magical retreats. He is the co-founder of the Israeli professional astrology magazine “Urania”, which also produces yearly conferences and workshops.
Kadmus is a professor of philosophy, a writer, teacher, practicing occultists and dedicated pagan. He has taught classes for every year of both the Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival and the Astro Magia astrological magic conference. He has two new books out, “Learning from Legendary Practitioners: A Necromantic Journey into History, Myth, and the Practice of Magic” is published by Hadean Press and a book of short occult themed mystery stories “The Elucidations of Drake”, published under the pen name of Bill Koch, is out from Sul Books.
Kristin Mathis is a translator, poet, and scholar whose work focuses on the Orphic Hymns—ritual texts from the Greek Mystery traditions that flourished in Sicily and Southern Italy around 500 BCE. Her translations illuminate the sophisticated wordplay and esoteric knowledge embedded within these poems. She studied ancient Mediterranean esoteric religions and cultural anthropology at Brown, Princeton, and Columbia Universities, where her teachers included Elaine Pagels, Hans Dieter Betz, John Gager, and David Pingree. In 2022, she founded the Mysteria Mundi translation project, pursuing her passion for the Orphic Hymns while adapting to the challenges she faces living with Long Covid.
Kristin’s understanding of the cosmos as a living being was shaped by her childhood in 1970s Borneo, where she grew up alongside indigenous animist traditions. Now based in Brooklyn, NY, she's a single mom to one teenage son, two cats named Venus and Comet, and an ever-expanding collection of herbs, plants, and books.