Science!
My "Astronomology Part 1" class at LVX Lodge went pretty well last night. Attendance was light, but those who showed up were enthusiastic and bubbling over with good questions. More important, they were extremely eager to wander around in circles holding red and blue balls while I aimed a flashlight here and there, pointing out various alignments and motions of astronomical or astrological significance.
The tough part of this class for me is the on-the-fly choreography. The greatest challenge last night was a three-pass outer planet return, which required my inner and outer planet walkers to start in just the right place and walk at just the right speeds, thus making retrograde motion appear at exactly the right point to line up with a reference "star" (once again ably portrayed by the lovely and talented Dylanus, the Pickle Star) three times in quick succession during the prograde-retrograde-prograde sequence. In previous years I've had to fudge this one heavily; last night it came out perfectly on the second try, and again when an encore was demanded.
Between that and Kaaba last weekend, I'm on a real teaching high right now. There are few things in the world more wonderful than the "Aha!" expression of someone suddenly understanding a new idea. I've seen that expression on a lot of faces over the past half week.
The tough part of this class for me is the on-the-fly choreography. The greatest challenge last night was a three-pass outer planet return, which required my inner and outer planet walkers to start in just the right place and walk at just the right speeds, thus making retrograde motion appear at exactly the right point to line up with a reference "star" (once again ably portrayed by the lovely and talented Dylanus, the Pickle Star) three times in quick succession during the prograde-retrograde-prograde sequence. In previous years I've had to fudge this one heavily; last night it came out perfectly on the second try, and again when an encore was demanded.
Between that and Kaaba last weekend, I'm on a real teaching high right now. There are few things in the world more wonderful than the "Aha!" expression of someone suddenly understanding a new idea. I've seen that expression on a lot of faces over the past half week.