Maker of the Bear: Astrology School for Good Heretics

Dearest Starpals,

Last year, many of you supported There Will Be Signs, an Advent Astrology Devotional. It was a little idea to which my friend Sarah Knoll gave a big yes! We're doing it again this year--more on that soon!

A few months ago I shared with Sarah a longing to host a group of you to explore these connections between astrology and Christian faith with us. We agreed that we wanted to make sure post-Christians, non-churchgoers, ministers and churchgoing Christians knew we imagine a place for them in this conversation.

Look, in many church spheres, astrology is heresy, or at least taboo. We know this. Exploring the dialogue between both frameworks is a wilderness in which I think Sarah and I found each other, learning astrology privately but yearning to commune with other people drawing similar connections. Fortunately, Sarah and I realized we are well-positioned to teach publicly on both astrology and faith, and help perhaps break down the dusty wall between the two.

I'm honestly so relieved to have found a friend and partner in this odd Venn Diagram where I spend much of my time. If you find yourself in this same wilderness, perhaps we can create a little home here together. When we published There Will Be Signs, we heard from so many of you that this is what your soul is craving. We heard from so many of you that you are closeted Christian astrologers. We heard from so many of you that approaching your faith, or lapsed faith, through the lens of the stars was profound and healing.

So now, we invite you to do these things live, with us, with others like you, people willing to step into the theological wilderness, and the long, storied history of people of faith who have also engaged astrology.

Our school is named Maker of the Bear, a reference to the Book of Job, in which God is called “Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.” The Bible is dripping with astrological references, as astrology was a common practice in the Mediterranean basin at the time the first Jesus movements were forming. Why did it become heresy? Who made that decision? We'll explore precisely those questions in one of our class sessions.

We also plan to discuss elements of pastoral care (Sarah is a certified chaplain and a CPE educator, which she's super humble about but is a role that requires a seriously compassionate, talented, strong and devoted person), liturgical or holiday connections (I will now humbly submit that I have won an award for liturgical art) and also offer an opportunity for YOU to engage astrology and Christian faith and present to the class, if you'd love to do that. (We would love for you to do that.)

We are running two sales before the course is offered at full price. If you claim an early spot, you may register for $150. After those spots are filled, the course will be available for $175, and closer to the when we go live, spots will be $200.

If you'd like to be considered for a scholarship or sliding scale, I'll add you to my list. Please just submit a request using my email or contact form.

Of course, I'm here to answer any other questions you might have. Scheduling information and all that is on the registration page, so please check it out for more details.

Gratitude and love beyond measure to you, Starpals.