NORWAC 2021
Fall of 2020 provided me a wonderful opportunity: a client gifted me a large tip that I was able to apply towards two important things. The first was securing attendance at the Northwest Astrological Conference - my first real attempt at connecting with others in the field - taking place May 27th-31st of 2021. (The second, we will talk about another day.)
Now, I was able to attend this conference primarily because it was being held online in the wake of COVID precautions and protocols. I was able to take in the opening keynote in the back yard. Cozy as can be on the swinging bench with incense wafting as I enjoyed tea and snacks and sunshine. Quite a difference from most intensives or conventions I’ve traveled to in the past!
The Conference
The whole weekend felt like a blur. I’d planned ahead and converted times for every lecture and figured out when would be best to get away from the screen and grab lunch and dinner. I’d also, for the most part, picked out which lectures I wanted to catch live, as some time slots had 6 things happening at once. Most times had at least two that I had a hard time choosing from - so many diverse offerings!
But I wasn’t totally ready for the amount of information I was about to take in. I should have realized, of course, that these lectures (for the most part) were just that: lectures. Far less experiential than I am used to - and far more notes! Pages and pages in my journal are filled with technical notes as well as quick connections made in the moment. For example, in a talk about heliacal rising/setting planets by Gray Crawford (which is 100% new to me), I was able to apply the technique to my own chart right away as I was listening to the lecture. Not to imply any mastery, of course. That will take some time.
I wasn’t ready for the amount of information I was about to take in.
With the online format, attendees have 2 weeks to take in any playbacks they wish – and I have caught most of the ones that called to me. A total of 17 as of writing this. All in all, an impressive investment. I hope to attend next year, which is happening in person, and meet some of these folks face to face.
Not Everything is Perfect
Unfortunately, the panel discussions, which I was most looking forward to, were underwhelming. In retrospect, I wonder if they might have seriously benefited from a longer time slot – one hour to introduce 4-5 speakers, and a topic, and actually explore that topic in any depth is a tight squeeze.
Saturday's Race and Astrology panel was still excellent – some great insights! Sunday's panel was on ethics, featuring four members of the newly formed International Association of Ethics in Astrology. And it was... disappointing, honestly. I think it would have been better as a presentation, as I felt the presenters were more concerned with getting through their material than having a discussion with themselves or with the attendees. In this format, it felt oddly self serving and, truthfully, a bit tone deaf.
Highlights
A quick rundown of my favorite lectures:
Both Lamps in the Dark and Re-Evisioning Juno with Diana Rose Harper. Admittedly, I am a big fan of Diana's work, and biased as a Sun in the 12th person, but both of these were wonderful and full of insights and revelations.
Who are you in Astrological Community? with Bear Ryver and Kirah Tabourn. I'll admit, I didn't know what to expect exactly with this one, but I enjoyed the discussion of where to find community in the chart. And it gave me some great food for thought about community vs field vs industry.
Oracular Light with Gray Crawford. This is the heliacal rising/setting talk mentioned earlier. I really loved Gray's approach, and the use of custom made art for this presentation. I'm going to need to keep exploring this technique, but I've already had some great insights.
And tonight? I'll be taking in at least one more lecture.