Conference Theme

The Stars Down to Earth

The Sophia Centre is approaching its Silver Jubilee, the 25th year of its teaching on the history, culture and philosophy of the way that human beings engage with the sky, stars and planets.

This academic conference examines the ways in which we bring the stars down to Earth in the material and Earthly environment. It will focus on the technical applications and procedures of astrology and how these may be theorised and placed into philosophical contexts, or how they express philosophical assumptions. How were the stars and planets applied to the interpretation of terrestrial and human affairs? Theories of astrology may include correspondences, correlations, influences, divination or celestial signs. Our question is what did astrologers do, how did they do it, and why did they do it?

We take our definition of astrology from Patrick Curry: ‘Astrology is the practice of relating the heavenly bodies to lives and events on earth, and the tradition that has thus been generated’.*

We invite proposals to address the conference theme in any time period or culture, whether ancient, medieval or present day. Proposals may deal with astrology in China, east Asia, India, the Middle east and Mediterranean, Europe or the Americas. Topics may include astrology and politics, medicine and healing, astrology and the individual, magical procedures or horary astrology.

Applications to speak should include a 200-word abstract with three references, and a biography of 100-200 words.

All speakers will be in person. The conference will be held in the University’s beautiful Lampeter campus, founded in 1822.

Attendance by delegates will be hybrid – in person and online.

Speakers will be invited to submit papers to a special edition of Culture and Cosmos.

*Patrick Curry, ‘Astrology’, in Kelly Boyd (ed.) The Encyclopaedia of Historians and Historical Writing, 2 Vols. London: Fitzroy Dearborn 1999, Vol. 1, pp 55-7 (p. 55).