The Sessions I Can’t Walk Past
at UAC 2026

9:00 AM: Frank Clifford, “The MC-IC Axis, the Zenith and the Nadir”

This is the kind of foundational session that I think gets overlooked because it sounds basic. It’s not. If you use Equal or Whole Sign houses, the MC-IC axis floats... it doesn’t begin the angular houses the way it does in quadrant systems. That means there are two further reference points, the zenith and nadir, that most introductory texts either gloss over or ignore entirely. Clifford is one of the most respected educators in the field and he’s specifically promising to show how to use and interpret those degrees in practice. Starting the conference here felt right.

Alternative pick: Bruce Scofield, “Theories of Astrology”

11:00 AM: Laurence Hillman, “Astrology and AI: Embracing Uranus Without Losing Your Soul”

Given that I just wrote an entire article about astrology and AI... this one seems non-negotiable. I reached out to Hillman ahead of the conference and he clarified something important: this isn’t a talk about practical AI tools and it isn’t a philosophical pros-and-cons analysis. He’s approaching AI phenomenologically… as a new hugely Aquarian phenomenon that is here to stay and that is changing all of us. The question he’s asking is how do you stay human in that? How do you not lose your soul [or become a killer cyborg!]? How does activating your Uranus help you respond to a new era? He also made a point that I’ve been ruminating on: we each respond to AI according to our own astrology. One size for all is an illusion. That reframes the whole conversation in a way I hadn’t previously considered.

Alternative pick: Lynn Bell, “The Times of Our Life: Breaking Through”

1:00 PM: Julie Starr, “When a Benefic Isn’t So Great”

Jupiter and Venus are just “good” and that’s that, right? If you’ve studied astrology more in depth you know it’s… more complicated than that. Starr is breaking down specific techniques for identifying when benefics aren’t actually beneficial in a client’s chart... the kind of delineation nuance that separates “I read your Sun sign” from actual practice. Chart examples included. This is the stuff that doesn’t fit on an Instagram infographic.

2:30 PM: Alan Annand, “Mutual Reception: The Power of Sign Exchange”

43% of horoscopes feature mutual reception using traditional rulerships, and yet it remains one of the least understood patterns in astrology. William Lilly stressed its importance. Modern astrologers have taken little note. There are 66 combinations under three main classes, each with a broad prognosis. Annand is working with example charts of astrologers like Sydney Omarr, Olivia Barclay, and Dane Rudhyar. I am particularly interested in this as a springboard to gaining greater understanding of my personal placements of Mars and Venus being in mutual reception.

Alternative pick: Gary P. Caton, “The Twelve Mercury Elemental Year Returns”

4:30 PM: Gary Christen, “A Survey of Symmetrical Astrology”

Uranian/Symmetrical astrology is a system I know almost nothing about, and that’s exactly why I’m going. The session covers everything from the history and use of tools like 360 and 90 degree dials, Polar Azimuthal Projection, and Graphic Ephemerides to the philosophical basis underlying the whole system. Christen calls it “the wave of the future” and says it’s suitable for all astrologers. One of my goals for UAC is to leave with at least one completely new framework rattling around in my brain. This might be it.

9:00 AM: Israel Ajose, “The Pre-Natal Lunation”

One of the five traditional “places of life” in natal delineation... the lunation cycle tied to your birth that highlights major life themes not easily visible at first glance. It also supports predictive time lord techniques, which is directly relevant to the exam I’m taking on the last day. Exam prep meets genuine curiosity.

Alternative pick: Demetra George, “How Hellenistic Astrology Came to America”... and yes, it hurts to miss that one.

11:00 AM: Meira Epstein, “Predicting with Solar Arc Direction”

Solar Arc is a predictive technique I’ve yet to utilize. Epstein calls it “the technique with the most precision” and notes it’s the preferred method in Uranian astrology (which ties nicely into Christen’s session from Friday). She’s comparing it directly with Secondary Progressions and Transits and demonstrating an integrated approach to predictive work in general. Efficient education from someone whose reputation precedes her [to say the least].

Alternative pick: Austin Coppock, “Four Elements, Four Epochs”

1:00 PM: Katia Perez Fuentes, “Advanced Astrology for Frequent Travelers”

A survey of relocation techniques exploring what it means to be transient in a rapidly shifting global landscape, building on the foundational work of Jim Lewis’ A*C*G and Cyclo*Carto*Graphy with contemporary advancements. This one connects directly to a project I’m building: a computational city ranker that combines astrocartography with real-world location data.

2:30 PM: Julija Simas, “Astro-Mapping: Geodetic, A*C*G, Local Space and Sacred Maps”

This one breaks down the differences between three distinct mapping systems: Geodetic maps (fixed zodiac system projected onto the world map), A*C*G maps (natal charts projected onto the world map... a more recent development), and Local Space maps (planetary lines cast onto the horizon from a central point). How to use them together, how to use them for different purposes. Research fuel.

4:30 PM: Moses Siregar, “Locational Astrology’s Missing Link: How to Understand Relocated Charts with Accuracy and Precision”

Yes, that’s three locational astrology sessions in one day. I’m building something in this area and I need the technical depth. Siregar’s approach is grounded in studying over 20,000 relocated charts where his clients had already lived. His Triangulated Houses method uses Equal, Porphyry, and Whole Sign simultaneously, transforming the houses into a three-dimensional space rather than a flat one. That’s exactly the kind of multi-perspective, data-backed methodology I’m drawn to and goddamn is Siregar’s data pool impressive!

Alternative picks: Deborah Houlding, “Celestial Influences: United Principles of Motion & Light” · Patrick Watson, “Twilight Sects”

9:00 AM: Kathy Allan, “Invisible Points of Power: Finding and Using Antiscia and Arabic Parts”

Deep traditional technique territory. The seven traditional Arabic Parts define alternative placements of the seven traditional planets. Antiscia are shadow placements. When either of these form conjunctions and oppositions to physical planets, they illuminate significant hidden connections you wouldn’t otherwise see.

Alternative picks: Nick Dagan Best, “Planetary Synodic Cycles Combinations: Merging Forces” · Demetra George

11:00 AM: Ronnie Gale Dreyer, “Timing is Everything: Astro*Carto*Graphy in Action”

Locational astrology session number four! Dreyer worked with Jim Lewis himself; tough to top that! Cyclo*Carto*Graphy adds timing techniques to A*C*G maps... the “where and when” together.

Alternative pick: Frank Clifford, “Forecasting Strategies”

1:00 PM: Amy Angelo, “Mercury as a Functional Malefic”

This pairs nicely with Starr’s benefic talk from Friday. Mercury’s role in Hellenistic astrology as an ambivalent figure capable of doing good, causing harm, or embodying both simultaneously.

2:30 PM: Amélie Gebhard, “Hilma af Klint: A Cosmic Cartography”

This is my wildcard. Hilma af Klint was a Swedish artist who was creating abstract art before Kandinsky, before Mondrian, before anyone in the Western canon was given credit for it. She worked from spiritual revelation and her paintings are staggering. Gebhard is weaving natal chart, transits, progressions, and generational signatures to trace how af Klint translated revelation into a visionary visual language... bridging the material and the invisible. Also promises practical tools for chart analysis, intuitive synthesis, and understanding vocation. I also happen to love Northern European painters; I’m in.

Alternative picks: Nadia Anderson, “Drawing Down the Moon: Eclipse Prediction & Astrology’s Lost Histories” · Baris Ilhan, “Mercury, Mars & Venus: The Inner Planets as Agents for Self-Actualization”

4:30 PM: Bear Ryver, “Another Method for Years from Seuthes, the School of Hermeias”

Vettius Valens handed down several powerful timing techniques in the Anthologies. Profections get attention because they’re easy and purely symbolic. Zodiacal Releasing gets attention because it’s grounded in astronomy (but clunky to mentally calculate beyond the level of months). And then there’s Seuthes’ method for years. Easy to calculate, rarely talked about. Ryver promises you’ll walk away with “a new tool for harvesting interpretive juice down to the wee hours.” That’s the kind of session I want at UAC... the thing I didn’t know existed before I read the schedule.

Alternative picks: Bruce Scofield, “Research on the Synodic Cycle of Venus” · Madalyn Hills-Dineen, “Creating Successful Electional Charts”

9:00 AM: Kelly Surtees, “Work With Fortune and Spirit: Explore Hidden Potential and Core Purpose in a Birth Chart”

The Lots of Fortune and Spirit are foundational in Hellenistic astrology. Surtees is covering how they change the quality and function of a house or planet, how Fortune adds special potential to specific houses, and how Spirit can describe a deeper purpose in the chart. She’s also getting into the Place of Acquisition and of Fame. Surtees is one of the clearest communicators in the field and this is the kind of session where I expect to walk out with immediately applicable knowledge.

Alternative picks: Martin Sebastian Moritz, “The Mysterious 8th House: Opening Pandora’s Box” · Douglas Noblehorse, “The Flight of the Chariot: Focusing on Valens’ Four Sun-Moon Lots” · Elena Lumen, “Predictive Methods of Arabic Astrologers: Secrets Revealed”

11:00 AM: Antje Sommer, “The Power & Limitations of AstroCartoGraphy”

Locational astrology session number five. Yes, five. Sommer is teaching the fundamentals while also highlighting some myths of AstroCartoGraphy. “You will walk away with all the tools you need to dive into the subject.” What sold me is the explicit focus on limitations. When you’re building computational tools in this space as I am, knowing where the technique breaks is as important as knowing where it works.

1:00 PM: Drew Levanti, “Turn by Turn: Eventful Mixtures in Annual Profections”

Planetary aspects have delivery dates... specific years in life when the aspect’s promise ceases to be latent and manifests in full force. Every aspect is a two-way street with two distinct modes of manifestation. Profections are already central to my study; this is the advanced layer that reveals when the chart’s promises actually show up.

2:30 PM: Mark Urban-Lurain, “The History of Skepticism and Astrology”

This might surprise people. I chose a session about skepticism at an astrology conference. Urban-Lurain is examining the historical and philosophical origins of skepticism and offering a framework for understanding modern skepticism as it pertains to astrology, including the controversies with organized skeptics over the Gauquelin Mars Effect and other astrological research. If I’m going to make the case for astrology as a serious discipline, I feel compelled to understand the strongest arguments against it; I’m really excited about this one.

Alternative pick: Lynn Bell, “Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know”

4:30 PM: Rick Levine, “The Planetary Odd Couple of Mercury and Pluto”

Levine is one of the panelists I listened to at Lily Dale this past week. I can tell you from firsthand experience that the man can hold a room but, if you consume any amount of astrology-focused media you probably already knew that. Mercury is often dismissed as a planetary lightweight, but Hermes served as a psychopomp... a guide of souls journeying into the Underworld. Levine is exploring Mercury’s complex archetype, its psychedelic functions, and its role in individual shadow work. Recovering our “Persephone-like abducted thoughts” through talk therapy. Groovy.

Alternative picks: Mark Jones, “The Perfect Circle: The Nature of Aspects” · Dorian Greenbaum, “Planetary Lots: Their History and Use”

9:00 AM: Nadiya Shah, “Chiron in Taurus 2026-2033”

Chiron entering Taurus is a major transit for the next several years. Shah is exploring key myths surrounding Chiron and what they tell us about collective implications, including Chiron’s role in the Great Sextile (the most important major configuration of the decade) and the Chiron-Pluto square, which suggests that embracing Chiron’s wisdom might first require an awareness of how deep those collective wounds go. Big-picture astrology. I want to start the final day with a wide lens.

11:00 AM: Austin Coppock, “The Descent: Exploring Fallen Planets”

I guess the event organizers really wanted to end the seminar blocks with a bang. This is my near game-time decision and, even then, I had to narrow these two choices down from a pool of 8 seminars during this time slot that I had ample interest in. From what I have read, Coppock is one of the most interesting thinkers in contemporary astrology and his pitch is a detailed survey of the qualities, pitfalls, mitigations, remedies, and hidden potentials of fallen planets, drawing on both Vedic and Western traditions to paint a fuller picture. “Moving beyond ‘Exaltation good, Fall bad.’” The alternative is Cindy McKean’s “Demystifying the Astronomy of Astromapping,” which covers local space, the celestial sphere, and the astronomical characteristics of planets... that would round out my locational stack nicely. But Coppock wins, I think. Probably… We’ll see how I feel that morning.