The Canadian Astrology Conference

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The Canadian Astrology Conference is an all Canadian speaker astrology conference is in its second year.

Hosted jointly by the Calgary Astrology Association and the Edmonton Astrology Association it moves up and down Alberta. There was some talk of it going East to Ontario or West to Vancouver at some point.

The conference is like your Mars’ return and only comes around every two years.

In 2015 it was held in Edmonton and will be again in 2019. Then I understand it will be back to Calgary for 2021.

All speakers have to be Canadian or new Canadians who have made Canada their home, like me. Yes, I have a Canadian passport.

Venue

Held at the Executive Royal Hotel in Calgary near the airport to help attendees and speakers with their travel. The shuttle bus picks up and drops off.

Christine at the check-in desk was perky at midnight when I arrived. She even organized a complimentary cup of 2% milk for me so I could make tea in my room just like at home.

I take my own Twining’s Earl Grey tea bags and run the boiling water through the coffee machine. The only thing I always need is the 2% milk. The milk went in the room fridge for my late night and early morning tea.

I had a room with one queen size bed. The sheets were clean and crisp. The towels white and fresh. There was a super large desk and electrical outlets for my computer, phone and ephemeris etc.

I always offer On-the-Spot astrology readings (by donation as you see fit) at conferences where I am a speaker and I did so this time. My room was generous enough for clients to sit comfortably on a chair in a conversation style.

I do not like it if my room is so small that my clients have to sit on the bed. I only work with female clients in this way all of my male clients are accommodated in the public meeting rooms.

There was no room safe for valuables (computer) which was surprising. However I did appreciate the laminate floor instead of carpet. The illusion is of cleanliness all the way.

I tip my chambermaid every morning so we know where we are.

Alison and Kelly

The barman/server Ken was excellent and his sense of humour had the ladies laughing all night. He handled multiple changes of orders for dinner with ease and aplomb and brought several wine samples for our dearest lady to try before she chose her favourite.

The house white was a Chardonnay so I was good with that.

The Organisers

Organized by Donna and Peggy with help from Geni and no doubt many faceless others (and husbands in the wings) whom I never met.

Donna and Peggy

Apparently, these two women have been astrology friends for years and the ease with which they worked together as a team showed. They are caring people whom I am now pleased to call my friends.

Alison and Peggy

The event had a pre-conference morning with Kelly and then officially kicked off at 1 pm with the opening ceremony and then it was straight into the lectures.

I was delighted to be the initial speaker with my presentation on Superior Planet Synodic Cycles and I’d like to think that set the tone for all the quality talks to come.

My engaged audience. Thank you!

I want to give a special shout-out to my good friend Toby and my “longtime-no-see” old friends Franco, Kelly and Hillory. They all gave excellent talks.

I was happy to meet JoAnn and chat before dinner. There were good wines in the bar and the pre-dinner drinkies were a roaring success of conviviality and sparkling conversation.

The Saturday night buffet banquet was substantial as only you can get in Alberta. The haunch of Albert AAA beef was roasted and seasoned to perfection.

Fresh local vegetables (raw and cooked) and enough variety for the vegetarians amongst us. There was an enormous font of gravy with which to anoint your meal. Yum.

There was a dessert trolley with Nanaimo bars and other Canadian favourites. Double yum.

Alison, Toby and Caz.

Entertainment

Madame Popo had much to say and drew many laughs with her outrageous political commentary poking fun at leaders both local and abroad. Go for Justin.

I enjoyed her risqué assessment of the speakers and their quirks that she had picked up earlier.

Her lavish costume was breathtaking and clearly this is Vivienne Westwood’s inspiration and muse for her exotic creations. Madame P. had the personality and presence to pull it all off.

Delightful as she was Madam Popo had a valuable message.

That the gift you have of astrology, and its understanding, needs to be cherished and shared with your clients. This is your gift, use it well.

I loved this part. Her words were on my mind as I travelled back home to Vancouver.

Madame Popo

This conference had wonderful after dinner entertainment. You should go to this event simply for the pleasure of experiencing spectacular Madame Popo.

Why You Should Attend

If you are Canadian you should support local astrology. There is a certain pride in the excellent quality of the people you will meet both those who run the show and those who attended.

This is what I would call a boutique astrology conference. Quality speakers, topics and fare but not so well known.

“a boutique astrology Conference”

If you are an American you should go because you love astrology and you need to experience Canadian hospitality at its best. Live dangerously and travel north of the border. You will love it.

Alison and Franco

If you live anywhere else (not North America) you should go because you can learn from a rich resource that is the basis of modern Canadian Astrology.

The Take Home

These are the things I have taken home from this weekend.

* Gratitude for having being invited to share my insights and experience with this audience.
* Inspiration to try new things in astrology.
* New friends to keep in touch with and join up with when they come to visit my city.
* The knowledge that there is always something to learn in astrology and it is not always a technical detail.
* That in my audience, if the light goes on in only one person’s eyes, I have done my job.
* Thankful for those who enjoyed my talk and their private comments to me afterwards. Thank you. Hugs.

Banquet

Why I’ll Be Back

I wasn’t always a Canadian. In fact I lived in Africa for most of my life. But Canada is an inclusive country that embraces cultural diversity.

This is good.

There are many options for astrology conferences but to make the most of them you need to know how to have fun at an astrology conference so you get the best from your first, or fiftieth, experience.

If you decide to go to the next Canadian Astrology Conference In Edmonton learn what to pack for an astrology conference to make your event going that much sweeter.

See you at the next one.

Alison