Whether you are a student of astrology, hobbyist or any kind of professional, I strongly recommend meeting up with fellow tribe members IN PERSON. That might be at a meetup, class, group setting, or one of my favorites, a conference.

Conferences happen every so many months in various spots around the world. At each, a number of name and other astrologers present work that is old or new, basic or complex, and so on. It is definitely a way to fill yourself up at a metaphorical buffet of astrology knowledge, and to see what you really know.

It’s also a fantastic way to connect with people who speak and adore what some call ‘astrologese’ – the language of astrology that most others are unfamiliar with. I find astrologer conferences to be a definite mix of professional gathering meets family reunion swirled with an overnight camp sensibility. So yes there are conversations late into the nights for some. And occasionally trips to late night eateries for fries, donuts, cheezy doodles or any such. Conferences really can rejuvenate one in a few different ways. With emails, tweets, Facebooking, etc. etc. allowing the connections to take further hold and ripple across our global community.

2019

The Kepler Conference (a new annual offering) convenes January 24-27, 2019 in Florida. This conference focuses on astrological research offering over a dozen presentations and speakers with some of the latest and greatest research projects & techniques out there. 

Great Lakes Astrology Conference (GLAC) – another newer annual offering – returns June 27-July 1, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research) goes back to Baltimore, Maryland – the site of its 2016 conference. This conference takes place August 29–September 3 aka Labor Day weekend.

Astrological Association (AA) may be the longest-running annual astrologers conference in the world! They’re back with their 51st edition, Transforming Lead into Gold: Working with the Challenges of the Times, near Cambridge, UK June 13-16, 2019.

State of the Art (SOTA) Astrology Conference returns with a handful of international speakers, emerging voices, plus a great embrace of esoteric practices. This annual event happens October 17–21, 2019 in Buffalo NY USA. It’s super close to Buffalo International Airport. RSVP on FB now.

2020

The Federation of Australian Astrologers (FAA) hosts a bi-annual conference in the even numbered years. Their returns kicks off the new decade’s first astro confab: FAA 2020 Astrology Conference: Astrological Crossroads and Conjunctions taking place January 16-20, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia.

Seemingly The Kepler Conference returns end of January 2020.

Following it is another bi-annual, Institute for Vedic Culture (IVC) and the Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology (KIA) host their 30th International Astrological Conference February 4-9, 2020 in Kolkata, India.

NORWAC will likely return in 2020 for its 36th year over Memorial Day weekend.

AA will likely return with its long-running annual (52nd!)….

ISAR is back after four years, likely to observe the U.S. presidential race and more. This time in Westminster, Colorado – a suburb between Denver and Boulder – September 6–15, 2020.

SOTA will also likely return with its long-running annual….

Keep up with any/all of these by subscribing to their respective e-newsletters, and following their social media otherwise.

To save money on attending these events, here’s what I’ve learned over the years:

• • Save up and purchase registration as soon as it goes on sale as that will be THE lowest price offered. Alternately, please consider volunteering at the event itself or for the hosting organization in general to earn a registration.

• • Consider sharing a hotel room (and its costs) with one or more. Fellow attendees generally hang out in the hotel lobby, its bar or the designated party suite. This makes sharing easier since hotel rooms aren’t hugely used beyond sleeping, showering and storing your stuff, since most of us are hanging out all day and night! Alternately, know that Association for Young Astrologers (AYA) frequently hosts a housing suite that a gaggle of astrologers share in a sort of camping out style bringing hotel costs down immensely. Over the years, these housing suites have fosters some rather strong bonds.

• • Make it more affordable by saving $20–50 weekly, preferably for one full year pre-event. This total amount will then cover most or even all expenses – registration, airfare, hotel, food and local transit – without breaking your bank. It can also prepare one to take advantage of airfare sales (aka better pricing) using cash vs. credit.

• • Apply for one of the annual scholarships from Association For Astrological Networking (AFAN) especially if you are a first time attendee and need some financial support. Of course, one must be an active AFAN member to apply for those. Independently run NORWAC offers special scholarships also; applications due to open during Sun in Aquarius.