The Signs, Planets and Angles (Talks 1-9)
Interpretation Tools and Techniques (jump to these talks)
Vocation, Career, Direction (jump to these talks)
Forecasting Methods and Skills (jump to these talks)
Being an Astrologer (jump to these talks)
Palmistry/Modern Hand Analysis (jump to this talk)
NEW talks, Humour Talks/Roasts and Miscellaneous (jump to these talks)

The Signs, Planets and Angles

1. New Ways of Relating: Understanding the In-Depth Dynamics of Sign Combinations for Natal, Synastry and Forecasting Work • One of the most important steps in chart interpretation is understanding the dynamics between the zodiac signs. Grasping the essence of the signs and their points of similarity and difference are the keys to successful natal, forecasting and synastry work. Some connections are easy to spot, such as the freedom-focused, future-orientated duo of Sagittarius and Aquarius, or the home, hearth, gardens and cuisine combo of Cancer and Taurus. But what of Leo and Capricorn? Cancer and Libra? Aries and Virgo? In truth, every pairing has themes in common, as well as components that don’t easily fall into place, but pinpointing the ‘heart’ of its connection – the essence of its relationship – often requires further detective work. With many chart examples, we’ll spend the day learning to suss out and articulate the dynamics between the signs – how they can really work with each other – so bring along your own charts and stories, too. (Level: Beginner/Year 1 upwards.)

2. The Polarity Picture Show • Frank will take you on a quick, visual tour of the six pairs of opposite signs, and consider what they share, how they differ, and what they can teach each other. Bring your charts and we’ll look at your angles and the oppositions between planets. (Level: Beginner/Year 1 upwards.)

3. Making the Most of Awkward Planet Pairings • Based on the recent series of articles in The Mountain Astrologer magazine, Frank will examine a number of so-called ‘difficult’ planetary combinations that many of us student and working astrologers dread. Considering their meanings and principles, he will draw on the charts and stories of clients and notable people to see how these have been used productively and successfully. Combinations include Moon–Uranus, Mercury–Saturn, Venus–Saturn, Mars–Neptune and Saturn–Neptune. Frank will also look at the much-maligned hard aspects and reveal how fruitful they can be. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

4. Jupiter: It’s Too Much – But Is It Enough? • Jupiter reveals how and where we’re blessed – so much so that we can inspire others with its message. But can Jupiter be too much of a good thing? Frank will look at the charts of people with a prominent Jupiter to gauge its wide range of expression in temperament and manifestation. From the evangelist and guru to the con artist, from the philanthropist to the diva, we’ll examine the various exemplary and sinister sides to the Greater Benefic. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

5. Jupiter, Saturn & the Outer Planets in Modern Life: Lawmakers, Lawbreakers, Rib-ticklers & Evangelists • Frank will look at how Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets play specific roles in modern life in the areas of religion and faith, humour and comedy, entertainment, politics and crime. Expect lots of interesting charts and fun anecdotes, and some new perspectives and insights into these planets. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

6. Spotlight on Success: Making the Most of Your Midheaven • In this talk, Frank will explore the many facets of the Midheaven (MC). This much-neglected angle has much to say about our reputation and public image, and, as part of an axis, our parental messages and family inheritance. Astrologically, our MC complex reveals our personal definition of success and our deep-seated drives to make a societal/professional contribution. We can gain recognition when we ‘follow our bliss’ and adopt the roles described by it. In this talk, Frank will offer new insights from his years of research into the MC–IC axis. (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

7. The Ascendant and Midheaven in Combination • The Ascendant speaks of our open agenda and how we interact, while the Midheaven has links to self-actualization and taking a place in our community. Together, they reveal how we engage in life and the social roles we adopt. But those with Scorpio rising, for instance, will take different routes depending on whether Leo, Virgo or Libra is on the MC. Join Frank as he explores many of the 38 possible ASC-MC combinations. (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

8. Exploring the Windows on Our World: The Four Angles • The four horoscope angles act like a highly personal compass: they reveal our orientation in life and show how we interact with the world around us. The angles are two-way windows on our world, representing our personal, relationship, family and social lenses. The Ascendant–Descendant challenge is the see-saw balancing act of ‘I’ and ‘you’, while the MC–IC axis resembles a tree, where the challenge is to soar upwards and blossom into our own person – without putting our past and roots in the shade. This seminar will examine all four angles (and aspects to them) and examples/life stories will help us develop a deeper understanding of our own particular orientation to our environment. Bring your charts along and feel welcome to share your stories. (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

9. Behind the Steering Wheel: Your Chart Ruler • Your Ascendant is a vehicle that showcases a general attitude or outlook – one that you adopt to negotiate and interact with the world around you. It’s your open agenda and personality (i.e. your personal reality). But each Ascendant has a ruler with twelve possible sign placements (and aspects to that ruler). The Chart Ruler reveals the motivation or hidden directive behind the Ascendant – it is you as the driver of the vehicle and the route you wish to take. Join Frank to explore examples of the Chart Ruler from his files and from the group.

Interpretation Tools and Techniques

10. Speaking Your Chart: The Essence of a Planetary Placement (aka Having Fun with Astrological Correspondences) • When clients, friends and public figures ‘speak their charts’, we astrologers collect gems that inform our practice and help us expand and fine-tune our astrological vocabulary. In this talk, Frank will present a series of birth charts, entertaining real life observations and quotations that get to the very heart of astrological concepts. Along the way, you’ll learn some concepts that will make you think differently about the signs and planets in your own horoscope. (Level: Beginners/Year 1 upwards.)

11. Spontaneous Chart Interpretations • Join Frank for a session of impromptu horoscope analysis and synthesis, where he will pinpoint a chart’s major scripts, themes and dynamics. Let Frank guide you through his 7-step method of chart analysis and then watch him interpret your chart and those of other attendees (he’ll analyse as many as possible in the time given). (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

12. Sequential Conjunctions • When interpreting conjunctions, a useful tool to play with is the sequence of the planets involved. The planetary combination is always the key factor, but the *order* in which the two planets appear in the zodiac says much about how this pattern arises and unfolds in both the life and character. Bring your charts! (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

13. How to Interpret Your T-square • A T-square is an energizing configuration of dynamic potential that demands action and resolution. It is usually the source of much energy and transformation, and its edginess demands action and resolution from its owner. As it links to numerous planets and houses, it will usually dominate a horoscope and manifest in its owner’s major life stories and key character traits. In this talk, we’ll learn how to pull apart the legs of a T-square, spot common links, interpret the all-important apex, and get to the heart of its meaning. Bring along your examples. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

14. In the Midst of Every Difficulty Lies Opportunity: Making the Most of the Hard Aspects in Your Horoscope • When two parts of the chart are in aspect to each another, a dialogue is formed. The nature of that interaction – the flow of energy – is revealed by the specific planets and aspect involved. In spite of what some books will tell you, the so-called ‘hard’ aspects bring the greatest rewards and describe our greatest successes – IF we recognise the invitation and accept the challenge. In this new seminar, join Frank to explore the nature of the ‘hard’ aspects (from the opposition to the square to the sesquiquadrate) and see how these can be best used in your life, work and relationship patterns. Bring your charts!

15. The Heart of Your Chart: 7 Steps to Horoscope Synthesis • This new talk is designed to help astrologers of all levels develop a method of spotting the signatures, key aspects and essential components of *any* birth chart – all without getting lost in too much detail. Frank will show how to make lightning-fast connections and pinpoint a horoscope’s major scripts, themes, and dynamics. These steps include identifying: motivation and style, the chart’s main archetypes, its key themes and obsessions, and the life’s main work. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

16. Everything You Wanted to Know About Locational Astrology … But Were in the Wrong Place to Find Out • Our clients know that we as astrologers can offer insights into ‘how’, ‘why’ and ‘when’, but most don’t realise we have tools that reveal the ‘where’: where the best areas in the world are for particular endeavours. In this talk, Frank will show how to use astrocartography and locational astrology (including astro feng shui for our home) effectively in our astrological work and consultancy. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

17. The Floating MC–IC Axis • Modern astrologers tend to favour quadrant house systems, where each of the four angles begins one of the four angular houses. But the two oldest systems of house division (Equal and Whole Sign) calculate charts with an MC–IC axis that ‘floats’ – most commonly across the 8th–2nd, 9th–3rd, 10th–4th or 11th–5th houses. Can we use this information to aid interpretation? And what are the astrological differences between the zenith and the MC, and the nadir and the IC?

18. Fine-tuning the Birth Time • Often we’re given a birth time that is estimated (‘lunchtime’) or rounded up to the hour. Some of us are lucky to have a birth record that gives a birth time to the minute. But even then, birth records can be in error or originate from a guesstimate after the birth has taken place. In this new talk, Frank will look at how to use Solar Arc directions and other methods to fine-tune a known birth time. Included in the session will be some guidance on how to rectify the horoscope if the time of birth is unknown or estimated. If you want to test your birth time or work with a chart that reacts better to forecasting methods, come along and learn ways to explore this fascinating area.

Vocation, Career, Direction

19. Labours of Love: The Calling of the Sun • When we express our Sun complex (its position and aspects), we have the opportunity to manifest our individual life path and potential. In the horoscope, the Sun is linked to the concept of vocation – a personal calling, rather than simply a job or career. To experience our Sun sign is to engage in activities that allow our heart to sing, yet if we don’t attempt to actively live out its meaning, we risk languishing in the negative traits of its opposite sign. In this talk, Frank will explore many facets of the Sun in the horoscope. (Level: Beginners upwards.)

20. Aspects of Identity: The Sun and Your Individual Journey • Some are born to be catalysts for change, to fight for others, to tell their story, or to maintain the Status Quo. In the birth chart, the Sun’s contacts (aspects) with other planets reveal what’s at your core, your centre, your ‘heart’. Join Frank to discover the paths you were born to take. (Level: Beginners upwards.)

21. Following Your Bliss: The Astrology of Work, Vocation and Life Purpose • Your birth chart reveals vocational options and helps to clarify career choices. On a deeper level, it reveals where your heart lies and what you were born to do. Focusing on three specific areas of the horoscope, Frank will show how the birth chart can help: pinpoint your calling, identify your daily work needs and ideal environment, and focus on developing a reputation that reflects who you truly are. This seminar will help those wishing to offer vocational astrology in their practice, as well as beginners keen to understand the fundamental areas of their chart and how these relate to career, work choices and calling. Frank will use examples from (willing!) members of the group, so feel welcome to bring your charts along. (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

22. Courage + Talent + Energy = Success • How can success be seen in the horoscope? Firstly, we all have personal definitions of success – they’re not always about money, status or recognition. And amid this unstable professional and financial climate, many of us are opting out of ‘safe’ career paths to pursue a more authentic life. So it’s essential as astrologers to know where personal fulfilment can be seen in our own birth charts and also to know how to articulate this to our clients. This seminar is suitable for students/astrologers of all levels, and Frank will examine a variety of horoscopes (including those of willing audience members) to see where our strengths and talents lie. And together, in this uplifting end to the conference, we’ll consider the best paths (and timings) towards ‘following our bliss’, manifesting our potential and achieving success. (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

23. Exploring Your Draconic Chart • Your Draconic chart, based on a zodiac that has its beginning at your North Node, is a tool that provides deep insight into your life meaning and purpose. It also offers a way of seeing the remarkable synastry between you and those with whom you’re compelled to have profound relationships. Join Frank Clifford, the publisher of Pamela Crane’s landmark book The Draconic Chart (2000, 2013), to learn how to read step-by-step this most revealing of horoscopes. This session will also help you recognise the all-important, sensitive degrees of your birth chart.

Forecasting Methods and Skills

24. The Rhythms of Your Life: Honing Your Forecasting Skills • As consultant astrologers, rather than using forecasting tools to make firm predictions, we do our best work when we articulate the processes that can take place under various transits, progressions or directions. In doing so, students and clients recognize the ‘season’ they’re in and become aware of personal celestial cycles. This talk will offer a number of tools (including ‘Define and Connect’) to simplify the process of interpreting upcoming trends, and Frank will address factors to take into consideration while forecasting (from ‘potential’ written in the natal chart … to a client’s context … to discovering who the planet in question actually is in our life). (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

25. Solar Arc Directions: Tracking Your Life Story • Would you like to master a simple forecasting (and rectification) tool that’ll amaze your clients and students with its accuracy and simplicity? In this workshop, Frank will share some tips for making the most of Solar Arc Directions and identifying landmark periods in your lives. He will also introduce his original work on ‘Shadow Transits’, which links seemingly unrelated life events. Learn how Solar Arcs can be a vital, invaluable part of your astrology toolkit, and how it can enhance your work as an astrologer. Feel welcome to share your charts and life stories. Some will be used during this interactive day. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

26. Solar Arc Directions: An Interactive Session • Using some charts from the audience, Frank will demonstrate how Solar Arcs are among the most powerful and reliable of astrological measurements. He’ll show how to pinpoint landmark periods in your life, then he’ll work with some horoscopes from the audience to spot, define and articulate a range of Directions that will (hopefully!) amaze everyone with their simplicity and accuracy. If you want to enhance your forecasting skills, this is the talk to come to! (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

27. Never Launch Anything at a New Moon! New Ways to Explore the Lunar Cycle • As astrologers, we are familiar with the four main Moon phases that complete the monthly lunar cycle, but these also play out as ‘Moon families’ at nine-month intervals. Known as the Lunar Gestation Cycle (and pioneered by Dietrech Pessin), this is a simple and effective timing tool for planning our lives. Join Frank as he shares insights into a method that can be used to manage work projects, observe relationship patterns and identify major storylines as they unfold. (Attendees will receive a handout to help plan their own agenda.) (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

28. Making the Most of Solar Returns • Solar Returns are back and making a revival! Which Returns are the most important? How do they show the bigger pattern of your life? When do they actually begin? How can you link events today to past Returns? In this session, join Frank to discover how best to read these ‘year ahead’ charts. He will share some tips for getting the most reliable information from this ancient technique.

29. Forecasting: Planet by Planet • Whether you use transits, progressions, directions or other methods, Frank will offer ways to make the most of each planet’s role in forecasting. There will be chart examples from his client files and people in the public eye to demonstrate how best to interpret, articulate and work with upcoming trends. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

30. Astrological Timing in Relationships • Discover the astrological forecasting significators that occur when major relationships begin and end. Frank will show how the planet involved describes the type of relationship and 'lessons' involved.

Being an Astrologer

31. Preparing for Consultation • This talk will offer practical and useful advice on preparing for consultations that combine natal and forecasting work. You'll be led through the preparatory stages, given advice on pinpointing key natal and forecasting themes, and shown how to put it all together before the client arrives. Along the way, Frank will share various tips and techniques (from testing the birth time at the start of the reading to ‘listening out’ for what the client really needs) drawn from his 25 years' experience working in dialogue with clients. (Level: Year 3 upwards.)

32. The Consultation Chart: A Tool for Working Astrologers • Set up for the exact moment a consultation begins, the Consultation Chart reveals the *real* reasons behind a client’s visit and contains information about their past and present circumstances, as well as future possibilities. Starting a consultation with it can help to break the ice and gain a client’s trust. Join Frank to learn how to use and decode a remarkable tool that reminds us that every moment is fascinating and full of meaning. (Level: Year 3 upwards.)

Palmistry/Modern Hand Analysis

33. Palmistry: Your Life in Your Hands (aka 5 Easy Steps to Reading Your Hands) • The palm lines of the hand are like a road map – clear signs of the life path we’ve built for ourselves. Our hands reveal our personality, relationship needs, talents and potential, and they provide an aerial ‘advance’ view of our road ahead. But palm lines can change slightly over time, responding to the decisions we’ve made and reflecting the path we’ve chosen to travel. So rather than showing an unalterable destiny, our ever-developing hands are proof that we can change our lives and take an alternative route if necessary. Learn to interpret your palms quickly and accurately to identify character, talents and motivation. The five instant steps to becoming a Palm Detective are: fingerprint patterns, the Head Line, finger length, finger positioning, and busy/empty palms. (Level: Beginners upwards.)

New Talks, Humour Talks/Roasts and Miscellaneous

34. Never Date A Fellow Astrologer … and Other Celestial Caveats • Join Frank Clifford for a fun journey around the zodiac and get the inside track on the bizarre world of astrologers and their astrologies. (Level: Beginners/Year 1 upwards.)

35. Fame and Celebrity: The Addictive Commodities of Our Times • We live in a society defined, driven, saturated and obsessed by celebrity – a culture that sees fame as the highest embodiment of success and a population that covets it as the ultimate symbol of achievement. In this talk, Frank will discuss the psychology and pathology of stardom, and the all-consuming cult of celebrity today. He will pay particular attention to Jupiter and Neptune in both natal and mundane astrology, and consider the horoscopes of enigmatic stars of yesteryear, modern-day celebrities and social media websites. (Level: Year 1 upwards.)

36. What’s Love Got to Do with It? Kink and Fetish in the Horoscope • Mars and Venus make interesting bedfellows and, as astrologers, we can speculate on their manifestations in the private lives of our clients. In truth, we know very little of what others do ‘behind closed doors’ – and it’s infuriating! But in this talk, Frank will look at the roles that Mars, Venus – and the Moon – play in our sex lives and will share some interesting client (and newsworthy) stories of sexual predilections, kinks and old-fashioned romance. Viewer discretion is advised: This talk may not appeal to the easily shocked but should entertain the easily titillated! (Level: Beginners/Year 1 upwards.)

37. The Power Degrees of the Zodiac • The first (0°) and final (29°) degrees that bookend each of the signs carry specific and potent messages, whether in the natal horoscope or directed/progressed chart. In this talk (which became an award-winning article), Frank will present a range of horoscopes, supported by quotes and clips, to demonstrate the spectrum of meanings across these highly charged degrees. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

38. Humour in the Horoscope • Which areas of the chart reveal our sense of humour? Do certain planets link with particular types of comedy and comedian? Are there specific factors that stand out in the horoscopes of famous comedians and those friends who make us laugh? So, for this talk, why not have a hearty chuckle with Frank looking for signs of comedic talent in the horoscope. Guaranteed to be done in the best possible taste … (Level: Beginners/Year 1 upwards.)

39. A History of the Twentieth Century – with the Boring Bits Left Out • In this homage to the last century, Frank will present a colourful, panoramic view of its most intriguing events, people, achievements and discoveries. From the unusual and extraordinary to the dubious and offbeat, discover how these are all reflected in the astrology of the times. (Level: Year 2 upwards.)

40. Astrological Inspirations • Courageous people inspire us. Uplifting stories of overcoming obstacles or winning against the odds help us understand that almost anything is possible. Astrologically, these people are often making the most of some very challenging aspects and placements in their horoscopes. Frank will reveal these placements to show how their stories, strengths and talents offer us all an incentive to pursue the potential written in our own charts.

41. The Astrology of Lotteries, Gambling and Winning • Frank will look at the natal and forecasting patterns for those who have won life-changing amounts of money. He will also share his experiences on slot machines at casinos in London and Las Vegas (gambling using electional astrology), and share his insights into which areas of the chart use when gambling ... and when.

42. The Astrology of Crime • Are there astrological signatures that show up in the charts of those who kill? Is there such a thing as a criminal's horoscope? If birth charts don't differentiate between the law-abiding citizen and the criminal, can they show the motivation behind the crime and the particular style of the act? Frank looks at a range of well known horoscopes and investigates the various players culprits in the field of crime, with a particular focus on the serial killer.