11 MAY 2025
This newsletter went out to my mailing list today and is devoted entirely to the Summer School. The weekly blog for all your Astro info and the astrology for the week ahead will go out tomorrow as usual, no increase in subscription fees, £57.00 ($75.00) for annual, £5.95 ($7.90) for monthly.
The quickest and easiest way to subscribe is to email me joannaw@otenet.gr – I’ll send you payment options direct and add you to the mailing.
Tomorrow starts with the Full Moon in Scorpio, with Uranus getting in on the act! I’ll also be writing about the Jupiter – Chiron finale.
WELCOME TO LEFKADA
In the winter months here in Greece, when everything is closed including the airport, Summer School always seems like a distant dream. But every year it sneaks up on me, and the June courses are now only a few weeks away. The weather suddenly changes, sometimes dramatically which is the case this year. Spring lasted about a week! We went from the wood burner to fans in a very short space of time, the airport opened at the end of March, brightly coloured flowers are everywhere and the new season is well and truly underway.
If you’ve never been to the Ionian islands you might like to know that they’re very different from places further south, like Crete. They’re much greener, because we usually get a lot of rain in the winters. Right now we could do with some more, with summer starting so early, but even after the heatwave of last July the island never ran dry.
You might also like to know that safety is a huge plus point here. We pride ourselves on no crime, most people don’t bother to lock their homes or cars, in the same way that nobody would think twice about walking home late at night.
I say this from definite experience, I’m now only 4 days away from celebrating 30 years since I put all my belongings in a friend’s loft and came to Nidri, not for the first time, but to see if I could live here. The one way ticket was the right choice, I never went back.
Lefkada is idyllic, especially out of high season. It’s quiet, and easy to get around. Nidri is just one long high street running parallel with the beach and the seafront where we meet in the evenings. It’s still cheap to eat out, as you’ll see below in the Frequently Asked Questions section.
If you’re interested in joining any of the courses please do read through the FAQs in their entirety, they should answer all the usual questions, but if there’s anything else at all that you’d like to know then just drop me a line.
An aerial shot of Vliho landlocked bay, the resort of Nidri is on the left hand side at the entrance to the channel, looking out to sea towards the many local islands, including Skorpios formerly owned by Onassis
YOUR CHOICE OF COURSES 2025
Firstly here are the courses running this season, with the number of places available on each weeK.
WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE
SYNASTRY & THE ASTROLOGY OF RELATIONSHIPS – with Joanna
LEVEL – Refreshers/Intermediate
https://joannawatters.com/course/astrology-relationships-course/
5 OF 10 PLACES AVAILABLE
On this course we will aim to address the following issues and questions –
- What kind of partner does anyone attract and why?
- What is synastry? What does the comparison of two horoscopes reveal in relation to why you can live easily with one person but not another?
- How can astrology tell you when an attraction is mutual and beneficial, and whether or not two people are compatible?
- How to compare the all important Moon signs in terms of emotional natures and needs
- What is a “cosmic marriage” and how do you know if you’re with a true soul mate?
- What are the recognized indications for longevity in marriage?
- How to use astrology to answer all types of relationship questions, including how to handle conflict with partner, family, boss, friends etc
- How to use the timing measures of transits, progressions and New/Full Moons to predict dates for meetings, marriages, trouble spots and significant milestones within a relationship
Please send your data when booking a place – your date and place of birth, and time of birth as accurately as possible. You’ll have the chance to work on your own horoscope and one other, such as a partner or relative.
WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE
MOONOLOGY – with Elisabeth Brooke
https://joannawatters.com/course/greek-island-moonology-course/
4 OF 10 PLACES AVAILABLE
Suitable for all levels
ELISABETH WRITES –
In this course I will be teaching how to use the energy of the Moon, the Moon in the sky and the Moon in our own charts, to improve the quality of life here on planet Earth. The Moon helps with timing issues, for understanding cycles and rhythms. We can use lunar knowledge for our health and to help us understand our path in life, as seen through the North and South Nodes. We will look at the rebellious woman, Black Moon Lilith who is wild and wicked, and shows us where we want to rebel and stand up for ourselves.
To summarise, topics covered will include:
- Selene Goddess of the Moon, the Natal Moon, the Moon in signs and houses, lessons and challenges to be mastered.
- Eclipses and their cycles, how they affect your chart.
- The North and South Nodes and our destiny, our past and this lifetime’s challenges.
- Dark Moon Lilith, the rebellious one.
- The Progressed Moon as a trigger point in your horoscope.
Please send your data when booking a place – your date and place of birth, and time of birth as accurately as possible.
SEPTEMBER COURSES
WEDNESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER
TAROT & ASTROLOGY – with Joanna
https://joannawatters.com/course/tarot-and-astrology-course/
8 of 10 Places Available
Suitable for all tarot levels, beginner’s astrology
This 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, especially with regard to arriving at accurate timings. Astrology adds another extremely powerful string to your predictive bow.
This course is suitable for all tarot levels, whether the cards are completely new to you or whether you already have some familiarity with the practice of tarot. We’ll be covering card meanings as we go along, especially in terms of how to interpret your cards within the context and framework of the questions being asked.
You’ll learn a variety of effective spreads, from an “overview” of someone’s life to easy spreads for specific questions, such as relationships, work or personal issues of all kinds. “One size fits all” interpretations never work, every reading is different, so it’s all about knowing how to arrive at MEANING, as opposed to information or spiritual generalities, which might be interesting at an academic level but not what most clients want to hear. This is tarot in practice, not theory.
Includes learning how to use the tarot with astrology for your own questions so please send me your data when booking a place – 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.
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.
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 in 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.
Alternatively, probably the best option these days, you can book a package, flight and room combined. Jet2 holidays, Olympic Holidays and Thomas Cook are a few good names to start a search with.
You can also find prices for flights and/or packages on Skyscanner – destination airport Preveza (PVK)
Prices are extremely variable and change all the time, but course weeks are out of school holiday time so they should average between £200 and £300 return, sometimes less if you’re a last minuter and there is late availability.
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.
