James Burgess is the founder and leader of Sabian Mysteries, a modern training platform for students of the seminal Sabian Symbols work of influential astrologers Marc Edmund Jones and Dane Rudhyar. Currently his work is expressed mostly within his Sabian Alchemy trainings, including teaching videos of contemporary astrological transits. Since 1990, he has led workshops, trainings, and retreats internationally, especially in the Baltic states where he served as the representative of the Sufi Order of the West. He has introduced to various countries such techniques as astrodrama, planetary walks, pathworkings, and Sabian Symbols, using his own innovative teaching methods—which include the Elven Star, a profound study of septiles, and the 7 Words System, a practical cosmology based on Sufism’s 7 Planes of Consciousness. He has self-published Sabian Alchemy, a handbook for students of Sabian Symbols, and Path to Happiness, a Sufi-based approach to life management. He is the founder of the Sacred 7 Academy, an online school teaching astrology, tarot, Sabian Symbols, and Holy Trinity wisdom that launched in September 2024.His nuanced approach to astrology reflects his long-term involvement with the Sufi teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, which emphasizes a spiritual approach to esoteric studies and the importance of balancing intellect, intuition, and common sense in any legitimate use of astrology. He lives in Ireland. Find him at jamesburgess.com and on YouTube @JamesBurgess.Julia Sophia is an astrologer, tarot card reader, spiritual teacher, writer, and artist. She holds a BA in liberal arts from Maastricht University and an MSc from the University of Oxford in medical anthropology, recently graduating with first class honors. A long-term student of esoteric studies, Julia’s humanistic academic training informs her combined intellectual and intuitive approach to astrology and spirituality.Julia is currently training at the London Faculty of Astrological Studies, whose alumni have become the world’s leading astrologers (Liz Greene, Melanie Reinhart, and Howard Sasportas). She is the author of Quiet Portal to the Odd, Curious, and Poetic, a Substack on astrology, myth, and contemporary spiritual culture. She has served as director and teacher of astrology and tarot at Sacred 7 Academy, and she reads tarot professionally at cultural, corporate, and private events across the UK. She lives in Oxford among spires, hushed libraries, cloistered quads, and the city’s honey-colored stone.Find her at julia-sophia.com, on Substack at quietportal.substack.com, and on Instagram @itsjuliasophia.
