Crossroads of Consciousness
A five part course with an optional sixth class
Beginning in Early November–either the first or second week

Unfortunately, I have had to place a restriction on this class. This class is only open to those who have Solar Fire, Io, or the equivalent professional software that calculates returns and charts transits. Astro.com does not calculate the charts that we will be using in this course.
This course has not been taught for three years and there is likely to be a large gap before it is offered again.
Crossroads of Consciousness will examine the major developmental cycles all humans face at the same times in life. Nearly everyone these days has heard of the infamous Saturn Return we experience around the age of 30—I’ve even seen greeting cards that say, “Sorry about your Saturn return.” But few take into consideration that the Saturn return is itself the culmination of a number of cyclical crises that have come before it, all having to do with the process of individuation–making our lives our own. The Saturn Return is only one—and not necessarily the most powerful or influential—of a number of psycho-spiritual crises we must weather in order to attain our spiritual maturity. We talk a lot about the growth of consciousness, but what does that actually mean?

In real terms, it means we take the blinders off regarding our past conditioning and our emotional/spiritual inheritance and learn to act independently, from the truth of the individual Soul. We learn to see ourselves, others, and the world at large in a new light, in order to engage in that world with wise compassion. We begin to understand that we are not individual egos afloat in a sea of indifference. To be aware means that we acknowledge the fact that we are all connected, and that even the smallest gesture we make as individuals affects the whole. If we are conscious, we live our lives and our purpose according to our own path. We don’t allow our life circumstances to stop our growth; instead we use our challenges to create a deeper understanding.

The greater astrological cycles help us discover our personal path to conscious awareness by taking away our false beliefs, defenses and fears. We may initially have to live with confusion and existential paralysis, but eventually it becomes clear that these cycles allow life to bring us what we need in order to become the best of what we are. In medieval days and beyond, those who took the spiritual path were defined as ‘awake’ while the un-awakened were dreamers, living by life’s illusions (no, this concept did not originate in The Matrix). Our developing consciousness is the result of our drive to be more awake.
This class will put astrological development into perspective, providing the meaningful links between the individual planetary cycles.
The course will cover a number of important cycles, including the major Progressed Moon/transiting Saturn cycles, which teach us how to manifest our creative power and push us towards our sexual maturity and our spiritual adulthood. It will go on to explore the meaning of the Nodal cycles, the Jupiter cycles, the ‘chasm of maturity’ we all must leap between the third Jupiter return at 36 and the fourth at 48. We will examine what is asked of us at the Chiron return, and will explore the challenges of manifesting our purpose that arise with a series of aspects in our 50’s and beyond.

In a departure from my usual courses, students will be able to use their own charts as well as the ones I provide. We will learn how to cast and read Return Charts to help us focus on what is/will be important in each longer cycle.

The five part course is $275 and is payable via Paypal. Only payment guarantees your place in class. I will begin scheduling immediately. The course will begin around the second week of November. Like all my classes, this one will be conducted one on one over the phone or Skype; there will be one hour and fifteen minute long class per week and you will receive an mp3 recording of the lesson afterward.
The class will take place in five consecutive weeks, aside from changes due to Thanksgiving week. Unfortunately, I have to keep my policy of skipped classes in place. Classes cannot be rescheduled. If you miss or have to cancel any class, you will receive another student’s recording and extra time the following week for any questions. For this course, the chart work may not be relevant in the recording (as we are using our own charts) but the basic concepts of each lesson will be.

There are very few places open for this course due to the fact that I personally invited my advanced students to join.  If you would like to join us, I expect you to be well versed in reading basic charts.  This is very much an intermediate to advanced course. It will help if you also have knowledge about progressions.
Otherwise, there is no prerequisite for this course. You are encouraged to use your own charts or the charts of those you know well.
This course will help you to see others within the context of their own spiritual development. It will be an interesting journey through psyche and soul. Please email me at alcuin9@gmail.com (with the heading CROSSROADS) if you want to come along.

The Course: Crossroads of Consciousness

Lesson One: The Bumpy Road to Spiritual Adulthood–The Progressed Moon, Saturn Cycle
Early Challenges: The Hungry Moon
Stages of the Progressed Moon cycle
What does Saturn want? A brief review of Saturn through the signs and houses. An examination of Saturn in personal charts.
From Childhood to Adulthood: Saturn, Gender Development and The Progressed Moon/Transiting Saturn Cycle
Saturn Hunting the Moon

The Threshold of Awareness and the Crises of Spiritual Adulthood: The Progressed Lunar Return, The Saturn Return, The Progressed Semi-sextile of the Sun
Charting the Saturn Return

Lesson Two: The Jupiter Cycle—The Test of Meaning
Crises of Faith—the Quarter, Full and Return positions of the Jupiter cycle.
Charting Jupiter Returns: Age 12, 24, 36, 48, 60

Lesson Three: The Druids Knew It –The Nodes In Action
A Dangerous Age: The Three Major Nodal Returns– Age 19, Age 37, Age 56
Flops, Wobbles, Crosses and Conjunctions—The Power of the Nodes in Transit
Charting Nodal Returns

Lesson Four: The Rocky Road to Spiritual Adulthood
Sorting Out the Adults from the Kids: When Outer Planets Attack
Higher and Lower Octaves: The Challenge of Uranus/Uranus, Neptune/Neptune, Pluto/Pluto
The Solar Semi-square

Lesson Five: Manifesting Our Potential, or, Watch Out for that Last Chasm, It’s a Doozy
Can’t We All Just Get Along?: Chiron, Saturn and the Outer Planets
The Chiron Quarters and Return—Limitations, Loopholes and Legacy
The Second Progressed Lunar Return—Reality Strikes, Again
The Third Nodal Return—Inspiration or Insanity?
The Second Saturn Return—Earth Angels
The Progressed Solar Sextile: Only Connect
Optional Sixth Class $45: A Brief Guide to Solar and Inner Planet Returns