I was speaking at this, my first post graduate conference, so I was nervous! However, many familiar faces, the easy-going friendliness and generally welcoming atmosphere dispelled that. There was plenty of time to socialise, talking to the participants was a joy and all had a story to tell.

It was a well-attended event with another contingent linking in from around the globe, via Webex, emphasising once again the Sophia Centre's accessibility and international nature.

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Dr Fabio Silva's Alumni Association talk

A JOURNEY THROUGH PRE-HISTORY

16 and 23 November 2016

Reviewed by Tore Lomsdalen, PhD Candidate, University of Malta

Following on her MA dissertation of 2016 which explored orbs, those mostly circular, luminous patches of light sometimes or perhaps frequently turning up in photographs and video, Mara is now embarking on further research. Her dissertation proposed the introduction of a twofold spiritual viewpoint to complement this enduring dichotomy of physical versus paranormal with the aim to open up other perspectives to orbs; notably adopting the possibility of participating consciousness as observed from the field of consciousness studies.

Featured Books

Simon Barraclough's latest volume deals with a welcome subject - the stars, planets and space. Barraclough, who happens to be Poet in Residence at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, part of University College London. In this volume, his website tells us, he acts as our 'guide to the Sun, fusing science and literature, and channelling Shakespeare, Byron, Nabokov and more'.

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As is now well known, the astrological traditions of India and the modern West share origins in the astrology of Mesopotamia. In the last twenty years a number of general books have been published on the subject, notably by Francesca Rochberg. However, back in the 1980s it was next to impossible for most people outside a few rarefied academic circles to find out anything about it, beyond the vaguest or out-of-date information.

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Alumni Events

Fundraiser:

Chris Mitchell will present our next Fund Raiser short course in March-April - three lectures on Medieval Astrology, Thursday 23 March (GMT), Thursday 30 March (BST) and Thursday 6 April (BST) 2017 from 18:30 - 20:30 GMT. The three-week short course is £25.00. Read on and Register >>

Register

Alumni, students and staff can register for these courses on the Alumni Association website. The Steering Committee pays tribute to these staff and graduates who enable the Alumni Association to raise fund for its projects. Remember, that you, too, can help build the Alumni Association funds when you register for a short course, by adding a few pounds as a donation to the Alumni fund. It all counts!
Read on and Register >>

Update your Details

If you cannot see your details on the MA dissertation page, please email d.gunzburg@uwtsd.ac.uk with the title of your MA dissertation and what year you graduated.

Looking forward to seeing you at an Alumni event soon!

The Sophia Centre Alumni Association's January 2017 'wine-and-cheese' lecture was given by alumna Liz Hathway. 'Saturn: an auto-ethnographic enquiry into contemporary astrological practice' was Liz's dissertation topic. Her ninety-minute lecture ranged over an intriguing breadth of subjects, beginning with her motives for undertaking it; her disappointment at being born under the sign of Capricorn led to an attempt to discover whether the negative-seeming qualities attributed to the sign echoed the same kind of judgments regarding Saturn (known to astrologers as Capricorn's ruling planet).

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Where are they now?

Cat Cox

Interview by Kathleen White

Cat Cox graduated from the Cultural Astronomy and Astrology MA programme in 2007.

Cat talked to Kate White about the impact of the MA on her life and work. Read on >>