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SOTA-2011 Report
by Laetitia Kanafani
The SOTA conference in Niagara Falls, NY in october 2011 was my first astrology conference experience. It turned out to be an "intimate" rendez-vous for astrologers, astrology students, as well as people who are interested in the subject but do not know much about it (yet!). The small size of the conference still allowed for a variety of speakers, and different levels of lectures.
Those who
attended the 2011 edition of SOTA had the chance to participate in
beginners level lectures, as well as more advanced ones, and these ranged
from specialized topics in astrology to a more broad range of related
topics, such as healing, counseling, archetypes, palmistry, etc. In a way,
the most difficult task at a conference is choosing which lectures to
attend, and which to skip, and my personal choices were somewhat guided by
the curiosity to discover new or "unusual" topics, while at the same time
still managing to learn more at my intermediate level of astrology. It was
very interesting to hear certain speakers who have original approaches and
different teaching styles, such as Samuel Reynolds, from New York, or
Ellen Bourn, from Buffalo.
If most of the speakers at SOTA came from neighboring Canada, and the US (mostly New York and New York State) some of them travelled the distance for the opportunity of meeting up in such a special place. For example, this year, Peter Burns, from Australia, lectured about his speciality, astro-palmistry, and about traditional techniques in transit interpretation (a very informative and well structured lecture), while our own Baris Ilhan spoke about "Astro's Bad Boys, houses 6, 8, and 12", and also gave a one-day pre-conference workshop about navigating Neptune. Both events enjoyed an excellent reception among the audience. On a personal level, it was a great experience to present myself to others as Baris's student, as she has really forged a well deserved reputation among her peers, as well as making a great impression on those who listened to her for the first time during this conference.
SOTA was an opportunity not only to learn, but also to mingle with astrologers, speakers and attendees alike, since there are not many lectures happening at once, or big crowds attending them. Everybody can talk to everybody!
Last but not least, it was also an unmissable chance to experience the beauty and power of the wonderful Niagara Falls which left me with great memories and impressions.
