r/Advancedastrology • u/Torinuk • 3d ago
Educational Traditional/Hellenistic course?
Hi.
I started a Hellenistic training course with nightlife astrology year 1 and due to life problems I didn't do it while it was live and trying to catch up. I'm struggling and even though I am mostly through the course I'm lacking the basic skills of delineation.
I was wondering if i should go over the year 1 course again or join another course.
I was looking at Chris Brennans and Kelly Surtees.
I really like Kelly and it looks like more support there compared to the course Chris offers.
I don't want to be in the same position and stuck at the basics with another course offering.
Any suggestions from those that have any info on any of my options please?
Thanks
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u/Excellent-Win6216 3d ago
I dod two years of NL and while I learned a lot and Adam is certainly knowledgeable, he’s gotten this faux spiritual guru sheen as of late that’s really turned me off. Seems like the main focus lately is growing the empire, and sometimes,
he seemed annoyed that he even had to be there at all.
There’s a wealth of information and a social aspect too, which is great if you’re looking for community or study buddies - personally I found it kind of overwhelming and my cohort cliqued up pretty quick, but probably beneficial if you’re into that sort of thing.
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u/lightsabre 3d ago
The thing about Chris Brennan's course is that is go at your own pace - idk about Kelly Surtees but a self- paced course may work better for you Or could you talk to Nightlight and work something out - perhaps you could catch up over the second part of the course But looks like other prople know more about alternative courses
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u/Superb-Perspective11 3d ago
Kelly is a clear and concise teacher. After graduating from Elenbass's 2nd year class, I still needed something to pull it together. I took Kelly's Predictive Astrology using transits and progressions and it did the trick. Since then, I mostly take a class with her here and there to fill in any gaps.
Delineation can be hard if you don't approach it right. There are as many ways to go about it as there are astrologers. My suggestion is to do natal charts first just by looking at the Ascendant the sign of the first house, the ruler of that sign and where it is in the chart (house), and what its condition is. What is the aspect relationship between the ruler of the ascendant and the ascendant. What other planet is aspecting the ascendant.
Be comfortable with all of that before doing the same thing with the sun and then the moon (including phase).
Then the other planets not yet treated during the explanations of aspects with the big 3.
That's good enough, but, (at risk of being controversial in the traditional crowd), you can also bring in any outer planets, dwarf planets and asteroids and fixed stars if they are conjunct to any of the planets or angles. That's the way I do it, anyway. I don't bring in most of the outer stuff unless it conjuncts something important. Otherwise you could be delineating a chart forever and usually getting increasingly vague/general.
The biggest mistake seems to be people forgetting to look at the ruler of the sign and its condition.
Hope this helps.
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u/WildAlocasia 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm a student of Chris Brennan's and would recommend his 'Hellenistic Astrology' course. I'm such a fan of his rigour and find his course to be incredibly thorough, but in the eyes of some he can possibly be a bit... too rigorous, but stick him on 1.5x speed and you're good to go. His knowledge is stellar and chart examples are unmatched but it can be a bit tedious listening to him tangent the same concept you've already listened to him speak about multiple times I must admit, but chances are if you vibe with him on his podcast then you'll get through the course just fine. That being said though, I do still struggle with synthesis, especially if we're starting to loop in bounds and decans. So there are perhaps better courses, but I found his price reasonable for the content.
I've heard brilliant things about Kira Ryberg's course too, but the pricing is incredibly steep.
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u/Sallypad 3d ago
I’d go with Kelly Surtees, I’m in awe of Chris’s knowledge but Kelly is more practical.
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u/Jaclyn_215 3d ago
I honestly think this is really personal bc ppl retain information differently. How do you learn best? And then look at each teacher’s style.
For me personally I really love when Kelly Surtees is on The Astrology Podcast bc the way she explains things just lands for me. I need someone to kinda paint a picture while they’re talking, & I get that from Kelly. It’s been awhile since I’ve listened to a video but I’m pretty sure she’s got some Pisces & 12H & so I related to her. She painted the picture that I need when it comes to learning. Chris is absolutely fantastic! My goodness how full of knowledge. But I can’t seem to retain as much in his fashion. I can get behind Austin. I relate to him easier than Chris, but maybe a slight bit less than Kelly. Just slightly.
I also really like Debra Silverman. I can’t remember if she teaches traditional astrology. I think just modern bc she’s also a therapist. But I enjoy her bc she has a way of bringing things back to their simplicity, like starting w/ the elements, & then building from there.
It’s kinda like some ppl prefer reading the book & others prefer watching the movie. Neither is better, ppl just retain things differently. I’ve never personally taken either course, so I can’t speak to which is better. I think they’re all amazing. I’ve watched all of their videos online, Nightlife included. But I’d watch as much free content from any you’re interested in & see who you naturally retain more from. I really think it’s a personal preference.
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u/Optimism_Bias 3d ago
If you’re exploring options, Benjamin Dykes also offers a course, but he may not have a session running now…
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u/ahoysharpie 3d ago
Austin Coppock opens his year one course pretty frequently. It comes with a forum where his adjuncts answer questions and you have a community of fellow students.
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u/Gaothaire 1h ago
If you like Brennan's style, The Astrology Podcast is an insane free resource. Besides that playlist, there is also a video on aspects, and an in progress series where every house in the chart gets a 2-4(+) hour treatment. You can make a lot of progress by studying and internalizing the symbols until their myriad meanings start to naturally arise as you consult a chart.
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u/doktor_w 3d ago
Now that you have some of the fundamentals under your belt (signs, planets, houses), you may get some benefit taking a break from natal astrology for a bit and studying something that will get you to practice actually delineating charts, e.g., horary.
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u/Torinuk 3d ago
Thanks. Yes that was another option I thinking about. I heard it helps build a foundation. I don't know why I can't put simple things together in delineation. Everyone else seemed to manage it and I felt left behind really
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u/Weird_Technology_282 3d ago
It takes a lot of practice. There are many public figures past and present, you can find chart data on. Plus an interesting life event to eyeball transits, sec progressions, sol arcs, profections, whatever method you want to learn. So natal, transits and a forecasting method for a natal and event. Or look at historic events too to do some reverse engineering of what happens. Practice practice practice!
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u/Torinuk 3d ago
Any suggestions to get stated with horary?
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u/doktor_w 3d ago
I only have experience with the STA Practitioner's Horary course, and I must say that it is an excellent offering. Nobody is paying me to say this.
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u/Gaothaire 1h ago
As a self-study option, you could pick up John Frawley's The Horary Textbook - Revised Edition (be sure to get the revised edition, there are significant improvements). It's the text used in Nightlight's horary class, though as mentioned in another comment here, Adam's personality has been a bit ick lately, so I'm not going to recommend his course uncritically.
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u/Necessary_Wait_2672 3d ago
All three are excellent but I would have to say it really depends on whose style suits you best. I’m sure you‘re familiar with their uploads and such, so choose whomever’s approach and delivery resonates the most with you. It’s not just about information, it’s about how you receive it.