16 AUGUST 2025
THE GREEK ISLAND SUMMER SCHOOL
MERCURY DIRECT IN LEO
This is a copy of a free mailing that went out earlier today. If you’d like to receive these posts straight to inbox just add yourself to the mailing list on the homepage of this website or send me your name and email address so that I can you at this end.
In this feature you’ll find –
- A brief preview of next week’s blog
- Summer School courses in September, one with me and one with Sally Kirkman
- FAQs for Summer School
- Your checklist for what to do/expect now that Mercury has turned direct
So the 23rd season of the Greek Island Summer School culminates with two courses in September, the first with me and the second with Sally Kirkman. After a roasting hot summer the temperatures are starting to return to normal and so are the flight prices.
Hurray. All very much in keeping with Mercury switching from retrograde to direct last Monday at 4 degrees of Leo, and now starting to pick up speed. Which means that we do the same. More on that subject in the blog this week, along with that intriguing New Moon at 0 Virgo which signals a double whammy of fresh starts in so many ways.
If you haven’t seen a copy of the weekly blog for a while and would like to receive a complimentary copy with a view to subscribing just let me know, and I will add you to Monday’s mailing.
You can reply to this newsletter or WhatsApp me 00306976296085.
SKYSCANNER
The quickest and easiest way to check the airport of your choice is on Skyscanner – you simply enter your departure airport, destination Preveza (PVK) and the dates –
Example return flights for 7 nights (plus baggage) on offer –
- 3 September – 175.00 from Stansted 9.00 departure, 226.00 from Gatwick 13.15 departure
- 10 September – 153.00 from Stansted 9.00 departure, 228.00 from Gatwick 13.15 departure
Travelling to Lefkada is so easy, average flight time less than 3 hours and only a 45 minute transfer time. Preveza is on the mainland but joined to the island of Lefkada by a causeway so there are no ferries involved.
SUNRISE IN NIDRI – by MARTIN EACOTT
PACKAGE DEALS
If you do flight only there are lots of places to choose from for your accommodation, I can help you choose, and I’m also looking now for some additional rooms to book in advance. When I do that I usually get a better price.
You can also find package deals with Olympic Holidays, TUI, Jet 2 and more. Here are some examples from Jet2 –
https://www.jet2holidays.com/destinations/greece/lefkas/nidri#
The Greek experience is ideal for singles, so don’t hesitate to come alone, most people do, and in fact I actively discourage bringing friends or family. Historically this nearly always proves difficult and tiring to manage and evening group meals are for participating students only.
There are changes going on with my website so at the moment you won’t find the summer school courses up there for this year, but here are the course descriptions and a link to Sally’s website for her astrology week.
Any questions? You can reply to this newsletter or WhatsApp me 00306976296085
WEDNESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER
TAROT & ASTROLOGY – with Joanna
8 of 10 Places Available
Suitable for all tarot levels, beginner’s astrology
Tarot is fun, intriguing, easy to learn and compulsive! This course is suitable for all levels, whether the cards are completely new to you or whether you already have some familiarity with the practice of tarot.
The course is based on my book and tarot deck, The Astrology Tarot, and the split in terms of studying the two subjects is about 75% tarot and 25% astrology. It’s beyond the scope of the course to work with actual horoscopes, apart from looking at your own, but I’ll teach you some tricks of the trade that will show you how just a little astrology can enrich your readings.
That applies especially to arriving at accurate timings. If the first question is, what’s going to happen, then the second question is always WHEN is it going to happen? That’s hard to answer sometimes just from the tarot, so some astrology adds another extremely powerful string to your predictive bow.
With the tarot I’m largely self taught. When I arrived in Greece in 1995 I did three flat out summers of doing readings every evening on the seafront. It never felt like “work”, I met some amazing people and learned things that I’ve never read in any book.
So this tarot week is all about sharing that experience with you, with the focus on how the tarot really works, so it’s very “hands on”. You’ll learn why “one size fits all” interpretations never work, it’s not you being dumb lol. Every reading is different, so you’ll learn how to arrive at MEANING, specifically rather than being stuck with generalities. Come along and learn tarot in practice, not theory.
You’ll learn –
- The card meanings in depth – traditional keywords but also the meanings I’ve discovered from my own readings over the last 30 years
- How to look at an “overview” of someone’s life, the general picture for the next six months
- How to move on to specific questions – such as love, money, work, moving or any particular issue that needs an answer (prediction, including planets and lunations) or guidance (the psychological factors in play)
- How to choose spreads
- How to conduct a reading
Oh and we also have a lot of fun! In the week we have four study days, we finish at 3pm so that you have plenty of time for the beach before meeting for dinner in the evenings, which is optional but you never have to be alone unless you wish to be. You also have two full free days.
All students receive their horoscope hand drawn by me, to keep and to work on during the week. Please send me your data when booking a place so that I can prepare your horoscope in advance – your date and place of birth, and time of birth as accurately as possible.
WEDNESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER
DISCOVERING ASTROLOGY – with Sally Kirkman
4 of 10 Places Available
https://joannawatters.com/course/discovering-astrology-course/
This course will appeal to you if you consider yourself a beginner or a refresher. You may have just some sketchy ideas about Sun signs or you may have already started studying horoscopes, but no prior knowledge or expertise is required.
This week will take you through the building blocks of horoscopy, from the symbolism of the signs, planets and houses, through to aspects – the relationship of one planet to another, showing us how a chart “hangs together”.
You’ll also take your first steps in predictive astrology – how do you use an Ephemeris (the tables of planetary movements)? How can you use these tables to see what has already happened in your life, and what is happening next?
The course will include working on your own horoscope so please send your data when booking a place – your date and place of birth, and time of birth as accurately as possible
THE GREEK ISLAND SUMMER SCHOOL FAQs
Where is The Greek Island Summer School held?
The Summer School is based in Nidri, a small resort on the Ionian island of Lefkada, on the west coast of Greece. I’ve lived here for nearly 30 years now and all the classes are run from my own home, in a covered area in the garden.
NIDRI IS ONE LONG HIGH STREET RUNNING PARALLEL WITH THE SEAFRONT – IMPOSSIBLE TO GET LOST!
How long are the courses and when do they take place?
All courses are Wednesday arrivals and comprise of four study days, spread across a week. You have two full free days (Saturday and Tuesday) for holiday time, to relax on the beach, or explore the island, book a reading etc.
There are two courses to choose from every June and then another two in September. There are no courses in July and August simply because it’s far too hot and too expensive because of high season prices.
All courses comprise 15 hours of study time:
Wednesday
Flights arrive in Preveza throughout the day so you’ll be here anywhere between early afternoon and early evening. As there are no ferry links the coach or taxi transfer from the airport to Nidri is just 45 minutes. I meet and greet everyone and organize a group meal for the evening.
The study hours are designed to finish at 3.00pm each day so that you have plenty of time to sunbathe, swim, siesta before meeting up again for the evening meals.
There is a taxi pickup service organized by me for half an hour before class starts. The first day of the course starts at 11am to allow for body clock time (we’re 2 hours ahead of the UK) so taxi pick up at 10.30am, the other three days are taxi pickup at 9.30am.
The cost of the taxi service to and from my house on the four study days is included in your course fee.
Thursday
Study hours 11.00 – 1.00
Lunch 1.00 – 2.00
Study hours 2.00 – 3.00
Friday, Sunday and Monday
Study hours 10.00 – 12.30
Lunch 12.30 – 1.30
Study hours 1.30 – 3.00
Saturday
Free Day for relaxation or exploration – boat trips, car hire – or book a private reading.
Tuesday
Free day and last night group meal.
Wednesday
Return flights home.
How long does it take to get to Lefkada and what is the destination airport/transfer time?
Flights in are on Wednesdays, return flights the following Wednesday, as midweek flights are considerably cheaper than the weekends. The airport Preveza (PVK) is on the mainland but the transfer time is only 45 minutes as the island of Lefkada is joined to the mainland by a short causeway, so there are no ferries involved.
There are direct flights from Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester. Average flight time is 2 hours 45 mins.
Preveza is a very small airport. You literally walk across the tarmac from the plane straight into baggage collection and then out into the arrivals area for your taxi pickup. There are no long corridors, stairs or escalators to navigate.
All taxis are pre-booked by me and the cost is 70 Euros each way – per taxi, not per person. You’ll usually share your taxi with at least one other person, often more, depending on how many people come in on the same flight.
What are the flight/accommodation options and costs?
As I’ve lived here for 30 years and have been running the Summer School since 2002 I’m familiar with most of the hotels and other popular accommodation. Over the years many students have tended to book flight only and left it to me to book the rooms.
These range from 50 – 80 Euros a night depending on the time of year and the location/quality, but availability has become a problem. In recent years many of the rooms I used to use have been taken over by tour operators while others don’t let me know if I can have an allocation until much nearer the beginning of the new season, ie April/May.
However if you look on places like booking.com you’ll find that there’s a wide choice of self catering studios or rooms in small family run hotels. But don’t fall for the “only one room left” trick! It’s rare for anything to be booked up far in advance.
It’s also crucial not to book any rooms independently before consulting with me. If you find something dirt cheap there will be a definite reason why! I will need to vouch for the quality and the location. Websites don’t hesitate to tell lies – in the past we’ve had howlers like rooms turning out to be in an entirely different village or being next to noisy hotels.
How much are the courses?
There is no increase in the course fees this year. All courses are £375. This includes all course materials and the taxi service to and from my house on the four study days.
How many places are available and how do I book?
There are 10 places available on each week. The important thing for now is to put your name down on the list if you want a place on any particular week. You can either pencil in or you can guarantee your place by paying a deposit of £100.00.
This is non returnable but transferable to a different course in the same season. If you’re attending Elisabeth or Sally’s week the deposit is payable straight to them and they will supply you with UK bank details. The balance is payable 6 weeks prior to the start date of your course and is then non refundable.
What happens in the evenings?
All study days finish at 3pm so that you have plenty of beach or siesta time, and there is then a group meal organised for every evening. These are optional for everyone, including the tutors, but the norm is for everyone to meet up so you never have to be alone unless you wish to be.
Evening meals come to around 20 – 25 Euros a head, including drinks, depending on your menu choices.
On the four study days you can bring your own lunch with you or we can order in from a local taverna, which comes to around 7 – 10 Euros a head depending on your choice.
Quickest and easiest way to contact me for quick questions is Whatsapp which is always open on my desktop as well as my phone – 00306976296085
MERCURY HAS TURNED DIRECT
What to Expect – out of our control
- Other people’s thoughts and opinions come to light, which may or may not be supportive of you or your way of doing things. It’s very hard not to care what others think – but it’s liberating
- Decisions that seem to be dropped on us, tipping points and turnarounds, usually for the better. Even if it doesn’t seem that way it becomes clearer at a later date that we were being steered onto the right path
- Events that started around three to four weeks ago reveal their full significance or consequences. Matters that have been stuck now start to pick up speed OR are no longer important
- Breaking news, expected or unexpected, that affects us or someone close to us
- Information comes to light, the truth outs, secrets are revealed or feelings are declared – we have the chance to see things as they really are
- Your own or other people’s changes of heart/mind either way – ie from no to yes or vice versa
- Light bulb flashes of the “I get it now” type insights
- People get back to you or you get back to them – deals get done, papers get signed and dates go in the diary
- The right person appears to deal with the frustrating problem beyond our own expertise
- The reappearance of someone or something that was first important three to four weeks ago
- Finding what you’ve been looking for – whether it’s lost objects, spiritual needs or the right partner
What to Do – within our control
- Have you been over thinking it? Resolve to stop talking about something and just DO IT!
- Seek advice and support for anything upsetting – it’s the first step out of the sea of feelings and into being proactive
- Are you doom scrolling? How much does this affect your mood, especially in terms of feeling anxious, helpless or hopeless?
- How much time do you (honestly) waste on your phone? How could those hours be put to better use, such as more quality time for personal relationships or creative time for your ideas?
- Pay close attention to a new face, it’s time to engage fully with who or what enters your life or springs back to life, especially with who or what is motivational for you
- Say yes to a date, or do the asking yourself – this person could be a whole new journey of discovery
- Initiate conversations in your personal or working life – you’ll be amazed at what they reveal and where they lead
- Where do you need to think differently? Turn negatives into positives, say yes to yourself, take head out of sand, muster your courage and determination, or simply ask for help – there’s at least one thing that, with some renewed energy and a fresh approach, can now come good
- Stop people pleasing, pretending or avoiding. This includes letting go of resentments or anything you’ve been stewing over – be true to you and discover the liberation of forgiving or accepting
- Tackle the things you’ve been putting off and make those decisions, especially when changing anything that’s suited others but which isn’t that great for you
- Make job applications or chase up one already made – insist on an interview, it could be the best thing you ever did
- It’s a good time to upgrade your phone, tablet or desktop, and get your head around using new technology of any kind that could be useful to you
- Start arranging things to look forward to, long term but also in the immediate future – schedule in at least one thing that you absolutely love doing, alone or with company 🙂
