Past Lectures

THE plATONIC ROOTS OF WESTERN ASTROLOGY

Like all wisdom traditions throughout the world, Western Astrology has a lineage – a time-tested source for its insight and transformational power.

This lecture seeks to restore this lineage by uncovering its roots within the mysticism and worldview of one of Philosophy’s greatest minds: Plato. Far from being a fringe study without any practical or intellectual merit, Western Astrology is actually applied Platonism, utilizing the Platonic academy’s most treasured insights to help us live our lives. Because of this, Astrology can stand on its own two feet as a philosophical discipline and worldview without depending on religion or the natural sciences.

You will leave this lecture with a solid grasp of Astrology’s origins, its essence as practical philosophy, and the acumen to defend it from detractors. Most importantly, you will transmit to your clients and students not just the techniques and insight of astrological analysis, but also the rich spiritual history that Western Astrology claims as its birthright.

Lords of the four winds: trigon lords and their application in a natal chart

At the advent of horoscopic astrology, Hellenistic astrologers utilized the trigon lords as guardians of the four winds - planets of authority equal to sign rulers whose placement determined the eminence of an individual and the support that they would receive throughout their life. Over time, however, they were relegated to a subsidiary role and ultimately an afterthought, and the special techniques associated with them for interpretation and prediction disappeared. In this talk, Matthew attempts to restore their practical use from classical times. Using historical information, textual analysis, and concrete examples, Matthew will demonstrate the plethora of ways trigon lords can be used to read natal charts as well as their potential for real prediction.

Reviving the God of death: how the ancient vision of saturn informs contemporary practice

For the first 2000 years that astrology was practiced,  astrologers understood Saturn to be a lord of death, deep transformation, and ultimately a doorkeeper to profound states of enlightenment. In the past one hundred years, however, these original associations of Saturn have been assigned to outer planets, and Saturn himself has been relegated to topics like structure, discipline, and the status quo. In this talk, Matthew works to restore the classical model of this planet. Using historical analysis, hermetic philosophy, and practical examples, he demonstrates the value of working with Saturn as he was originally perceived, and shows how you can use this understanding in your own astrological practice.