by Tami Brunk, Shamanic Astrologer and President of SAMS
It’s the second night of the first-ever Shamanic Astrology Mystery School Conference. Twenty four are gathered,warming ourselves around the fire as the dazzling Milky Way brightens overhead against a velvet-black sky. Venus is poised at Galactic Center on her descent into a perfect cleft between two great hills in the west. Daniel traces constellations with his laser pointer and tells us the bigger story of the human relationship to the celestial sphere through the ages.
We’ve come to celebrate and articulate the Renaissance of the Divine Feminine, and to restore the magical link between Earth and Sky. We’ve come to deepen our understanding of the Shamanic Astrology paradigm, and to soak up new transmissions from Daniel and Cayelin. We have come to share the ways we are evolving the paradigm through our practices and research, and to expand our concept of the Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine.
We know we are gathering in a time outside of time, while Mercury journeys retrograde, at the center of the fourth exact Pluto Uranus Square, and during the activation of a rare Scorpio Hybrid Solar Eclipse. Venus and the Crescent Moon will meet as we are closing. We know that this is a time for ceremony, and there is no better place to be than at a Shamanic Astrology Conference in such times of magic, and potentiality.
A day earlier I’d arrived, flustered after a long seven-hour drive from Albuquerque, two hours of sleep the previous night and a multitude of unfinished tasks rumbling through my brain. Yet as soon as I stepped out of my car at host Linda Ellinor’s home, I was stunned by the views of encircling mountains joined to an expansive robin’s-egg-blue sky. The weight dropped from my shoulders and I was reminded of the first reason I love Shamanic Astrology—we always meet on sacred ground.
Erik Roth had arrived at the same time and we were greeted by Rocky, Linda’s partner, who showed us around the property and up to the fire pit where Daniel would be offering night sky presentations. Rocky had already prepared firewood for the occasion. He was caretaker of this land who would also be helping Linda tend to a multitude of unseen details during the conference. I was reminded of the second reason I love Shamanic Astrology—it attracts extraordinary people of great heart living magical and earth-centered lives.
Hours later, participants began to arrive. This was a colorful, vibrant group of women with a few courageous men, seeking a glimpse behind the veil shrouding the cosmic mysteries. We shared a festive meal prepared by Dinah. That evening and in the days to follow, we gathered in the small building off the side of the house in the “Daniel Giamario library.” We were surrounded by the books that had inspired Daniel in his early years studying Transcendental Meditation, Astrology, and the history of human culture and consciousness.
The first day of the conference Daniel and Cayelin shared a compressed yet experiential “Shamanic Astrology 101” overview with Daniel providing a night sky presentation after dinner. The next two days were a blur of diverse yet complementary presentations. We learned of the ancient European Carnival culture and its embrace of the “grotto-esque feminine.” We tracked the pattern of the Vesta Synodic cycle and its place alongside other essential Goddess asteroids in the storyline of the Natal Chart. We opened our hearts to the Divine Mother, and the ignition of our creative, divine soul.
One highlight of the conference was the unveiling of the new Shamanic Astrology Mystery School Card Deck by artist Roy Purcell, with views of his original paintings for the deck, as well as a stunning collection of original works exploring the diverse archetypes of the Divine Feminine. Another highlight was Daniel and Cayelin’s presentation on the new SAMS certification program including online courses and advanced teaching and mentorship degrees.
The final two days of the post-conference, Daniel and Cayelin delved deeply into the mysteries of the Moon, exploring a variety of cultural approaches to understanding its phases, the Major and Minor Lunar Standstill windows, and an integral approach in applying progressions, the nodes, and Metonic Moon cycles.
When we met in the circle for the last time Tuesday evening we were satiated. Our heads and hearts were filled with new insights, better questions, and gratitude for the journey. This conference marked a poignant moment for SAMS, as Daniel transitions to life primarily overseas with Cayelin stepping into a role of greater leadership in the U.S. Rocky reminded us, “don’t take Daniel for granted.”
As I drove north to Albuquerque Wednesday evening, Venus and the crescent Moon twinkled alongside me as though to sustain my feeling of gratitude and magic as long as possible. I realized the third reason I love Shamanic Astrology and it is this: it reminds me that life is to be lived as a grand and beautiful ceremony, orchestrated within the temple of Earth and Sky.
Tami can be reached via e-mail at tamibrunk@yahoo.com or at 505.948.7621
Thank you for all the great work you are doing and I hope I can attend the next conference!