For Participants in Previous Apprenticeship Programs
Over the years, about two thousand people have attended Steven’s Astrological Apprenticeship programs. Each program ran four or five days. Those who attended three such programs were awarded a Level One certificate. Those who attended six such sessions achieved a Level Two certificate. Many continued to attend beyond six programs, extending their astrological educations and also enjoying being part of an extraordinary spiritual community.
Holders of either kind of certificate were able, if they chose, to be listed in a Directory on Steven’s popular website. Many built professional practices.
Still, unlike the FCEA, there was no testing or evaluation of the students. In all honesty, the certificates merely “certified” the presence of a warm body in a chair. The level of education actually attained was governed purely by the motivational level of the students themselves. Many were highly motivated. Some were there for other reasons.
Additionally, Steven conducted several small masters’ classes in his home. There, many of his Level Two students actually demonstrated their ability to present astrological interpretations. They achieved a Master’s certificate.
For Steven, the transition from his Apprenticeship Programs to the FCEA presents some awkward situations.
“On one hand, we want to credit the hard work done by his apprentices. On the other hand, we do not want to compromise the integrity and future reputation of the FCEA by automatically “grandparenting” anyone with a Level One certificate into some kind of accreditation by the FCEA. “
Here is the solution.
The Apprentice has earliest foundational stages of the FCEA program involve a series of automated multiple choice tests. Former AP students can take those exams, pass them, and place out of basic training. For an advanced student, these exams will be annoying and will doubtless feel kind of “bureaucratic.” They will not take long to do, and the student’s knowledge will then be established and proven. Any former AP student who fails these tests will understandably feel disgruntled. Hopefully that feeling will be balanced with the realization that in doing this kind of astrology, people place their souls in our hands. To learn that there are dangerous gaps in your knowledge before you take on that kind of karma is blessing in the long run.
The Craftsperson has gone even further, mastering two more core astrological skills: astrological “prediction” and synastry, which is the astrology of human relationships. These are the topics covered in the FCEA 200 and 300 series. They build on the foundation of the 100-series – the language of the birthchart, in other words – and they constantly refer back to it. One who has graduated as an FCEA Craftsperson is ready to be a member of the ancient guild. He or she has all of the essential competencies of a working counseling astrologer. Add some practice and some experience, and nothing more would really be absolutely necessary in order for that person to be of real service to the community. But of course there is always more to learn…
A Master has internalized the astrological fundamentals and has now, with the support of the FCEA community, begun to polish them, mature them, and deepen them. Some more advanced or specialized topics are presented, so our technical training does not come to an end. Steven will teach advanced interpretive programs, which are only available to students who have reached this Masters level of competency. Perhaps more importantly, masters will teach each other. Some words you may have seen elsewhere in our website bear repetition here:
Astrological mastery, as defined by the Forrest Center for Evolutionary Astrology, means getting to a level of competence, confidence, and experience in which you can sit down with a stranger and the stranger’s chart and speak meaningfully and helpfully to that person for an hour or two, even if that stranger has chosen to share nothing personal with you until you have actually earned that kind of trust from him or her.