Speaker Biographies

Abstract Title: James Hillman's Views on Astrology

Biography:
Marielle Churaqui completed her MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology (University of Wales, Lampeter) in 2008. The title of her dissertation was: An Examination on James Hillman's Views on Astrology. She holds the diploma from the Faculty of Astrological Studies and has been practicing astrology for over 30 years.

Name: Anna Estaroth

Abstract Title: Scotland's Clava Cairns and the Midsummer Full Moon

Biography:
Anna Estaroth has been a professional astrology consultant since 1971. She is a Fellow of the Association of Professional Astrologers International, a board member of the Astrological Association of Scotland and teaches astrology online. She has a degree in Psychology, an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology and is currently undertaking a PhD in Skyscape Archaeology of Neolithic Orkney and Shetland at the University of the highlands and Islands. Her professional work in mental health started in a psychiatric hospital in Liverpool, culminating in the trauma team specialist unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Name: Jessica Heim

Abstract Title: Satellite Constellations and the Night Sky

Biography:
Jessica Heim received her MA with Distinction from UWTSD in 2020 and was a recipient of the Sophia Centre's Alumni Dissertation Prize. In her dissertation research, she studied community experiences with dark sky initiatives and 'dark sky friendly' LED streetlights. Jessica's research interests involve exploring human relationships with both sky and land, with a particular focus on dark skies, as well as ethics and policy issues associated with space exploration and development. She has participated in many workshops focused on finding solutions to issues posed by satellite constellations and is a member of the American Astronomical Society's Light Pollution, Radio Interference and Space Debris (LPRISD) committee.

Name: Anya Marco

Abstract Title: Does the great stone circle at Avebury incorporate astronomical alignments?

Biography:
Anya Marco-Harris holds an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology from the University of Wales TSD. She is fascinated by stone circles built during the British Neolithic and her dissertation focused on the link between Britain's largest stone circle, Avebury, and the sky. She is an actor and UKs leading coffee expert!

Name: Chris Mitchell

Abstract Title: Signs from Heaven or a Dark Art? How the Church embraced Arabic astrology and introduced it into the Christian West

Biography:
Chris Mitchell has a PhD from the University of Leicester on the topic of medieval astrology, is a tutor on the MA Cultural Astronomy and Astrology course at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and holds a diploma in Medieval Astrology from Astrologos. He has been actively involved in promoting and teaching astrology for 20 years, is on the board of the Astrological Association, and has given talks to groups and conferences in Europe and the US.

Name: Nicole Montag-Keller

Abstract Title: Concrete for Eternity - The Goetheanum building and its refer to anthroposophic cosmology

Biography:
Nicole Montag-Keller, a German and Swiss citizen living in Switzerland, received her BSc (hons) degree in Psychology from the Open University and her MA in CAA from the UWTSD. At present she tutors Business Management subjects at a Swiss University of Applied Sciences and has worked as a Financial Controller in international Corporations before she decided to pursue academic studies for gaining an in depth understanding on how the context of culture and time attributed and still attributes meaning to sky and earthly objects.

Name: Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić

Abstract Title: The cosmology of an Orthodox icon

Biography:
Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić completed an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales. As a part of her MA at the University of Wales Dragana conducted research on cosmological elements in celestial-religious paintings in medieval Serbian churches, and their link with the Byzantine science and art. At the moment she is a DPhil student at the History department of the Oxford University, investigating the symbology of medieval frescoes depicting the Sun and the Moon.

Name: Octavia Sheepshanks

Abstract Title: An Exploration of the 'Overview Effect' as Enchantment

Biography:
After her studies in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge were interrupted by illness, Octavia became a student of the Sophia Centre in 2017. She graduated with an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology in 2021, receiving a distinction for her dissertation on the 'Overview Effect' and enchantment. She now plans to research whether sustainability in space exploration can be encouraged through fostering a sense of place and community. After studying practical astrology in harmony with her academic studies over the past four years, she recently launched her own astrological practice online. She lives in London.