I have just returned from Sedona and the Blast, a 5 day ensemble of incredibly talented young astrologers. There were some more established names there too, and both they and the audience were truly impressed by the quality of the presentations. Many people said it was the best astrology conference they'd ever attended. The Pluto-in-Virgo generation (and many Pl-in-Libras too) raised the bar on astrology precision, technique and obsession far higher than the Pluto-in-Leos could ever have imagined, imho. Here's a rundown of most of the people who presented. Consider this a Who's Who of the new generation of astrologers in the USA. MP3s of talks will be available soon from the Blast website.

Maria Mateus gave a fantastic introduction to the use of profections. She has thought deeply about the philosophical and spiritual foundation of astrology and this shows in her work.

Michelle Gould talked about Babylonian Moon cycles and their emphasis on lunar latitude. Latitude is generally overlooked in modern western astrology and definitely warrants more attention.

Yours truly talked on 2 of my favorite Greek techniques, antiscia and duodecima. I use these techniques to predict the stock market - advance calls now for subscribing clients only but you can see the results at my QuickTrader blog. I also gave a longer workshop on understanding a chart and gaining insight into periods of time in life.

Nick Dagan Best gave a thoroughly entertaining presentation on Venus and Mars retrograde cycles with literally more than 100 examples from musicians. Nick also took top honors for encyclopedic knowledge of astrology and events.

Eric Francis has an inspired vision of Sun-sign scopes. For free monthlies check out his website.

Rebecca Crane talked about a spiritual astrology and use of this perspective in therapy and healing. Watch for more from Rebecca. 

Chad Harris spoke about evolution and consciousness - just consider Chad the next Rick Tarnas.

I missed Adam Gainsburg's talk on Chiron but judging from the caliber of all presentations, if you are at all curious about the often mentioned yet little understood planetoid between Saturn and Uranus then get the MP3 of this presentation.

Moses Siregar, organizer of the conference, talked on relocation astrology and has established himself as the resident expert in this area. I highly recommend Moses for all detailed relocation questions.

Sam Geppi, another Bay Area astrologer, talked about Moon yogas in Indian astrology. If you would like to learn more about Indian  astrology (which I encourage anyone interested in astrology to do) Sam's your guy. Here's an offer for a CD with tons of material for just $15.

Chris Brennan gave a flawless & textbook quality presentation of the foundations of Greek astrology and then proceeded to demonstrate his work with one of its newly recovered timing techniques. Chris is without question the 'go-to' person for Greek astrology and its history.

Maurice Fernandez was another one I missed (was preparing for talk #2) but check out his website for articles, a forum and more.

Eric Meyers returned to the essential foundation of astrology, the Sun and Moon. He has also written a whole book (his 2nd) on the subject. Anyone starting with the lights gets a big thumbs up from me, but if you want more info here's another book review.

Bill Street gave a fantastic presentation on the outer planets. Bill is Bay Area young astrologer so I've seen a few of his talks. He is always crystal clear on complex concepts and he illustrates his points with a wonderful variety of well chosen examples.

Kelly Lee Phipps may be the most enthusiastic astrologer of any generation. For an uplifting new voice, check out his website and book.

Sherene Schostak knows Saturn well enough to be funny about it, which is not the simplest thing to do. She produces an amazing online mag and here's her blog too.

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I am so into antiscia and duodecima because they help me be a more accurate astrologer. A recent client says: "I learned so much from his unique perspectives. [...] A reading with Jonathan is a very validating experience, and helps an individual understand themselves, their inclinations and experiences in a much deeper way." Read the full testimonial.

For accurate information about your own life, here's is a list of services.

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Wandering Stars - the planets