Dean’s Update, January 2026

One of the good fortunes I have as Dean of the FCEA is that I co-teach 306: The Master Practicum with Steven Forrest. Of course, Steven does most of the talking. Everyone has been waiting to hear guidance from him in this final class before FCEA certification! I simply give the class some structure and oversee that everything flows smoothly. Steven and I alternate asking questions about the current chart the class is studying, one from a group of fictitious clients’ charts. Basically, I stay mostly a “fly on the wall,” (my own progressed Sun is in the 12th!) though at times I share my two-cents. I find it richly rewarding, just listening to the students’ insights, yet alone Steven’s input. 

This week, we looked at a chart heavy in Capricorn energy, several Capricorn planets in the 1st and 12th, along with a Capricorn ascendant (Of course, it is critical to consider the whole chart and here there is a Sagittarius 12th house Sun and Cancer Moon, 7th, just to add a little more detail). As I am sure you can imagine, it was hard not to reflect upon our current moment in time: three planets and the Sun in Capricorn, all within orb of an opposition with Jupiter retrograde in Cancer and with Mercury out of bounds. That’s a lot of emphasis upon Capricorn discipline and strategy toward that “great work”! But perhaps it involves also a bit of wrestling with control and letting go. What truly heals us in Cancer fashion? 

This fictitious gentleman has one of his co-rulers of his Aquarius 1st House north node, Uranus, in the 12th house, while Saturn “rises” in the first, both planets in Capricorn. Of course, I can’t dwell on every detail of this made-up client’s chart. But the need for this individual to develop his own inner life, spiritual path and creative imagination seems a necessity in bringing about his authentic “great work.” Just ask Uranus. 

Steering us back to the present moment (as I write), how can we all make the best use of Jupiter in Cancer in terms of climbing the mountain and manifesting our own Capricorn masterpiece? Sure, developing our abilities to nurture others, like big, mama Moon or like Cancerian healers, takes Capricorn endurance and a willingness to do the hard work. Where do we benefit from getting our “ducks all in a row” or building the framework to attain our goals? But every opposition is about integration. Something in us yearns to soften, to recognize and comfort the other, and to heal ourselves. Chiron and Eris in Aries square both Jupiter in Cancer and our current Capricorn stellium. Part of our healing is in tension with our “right to take up space,” as Steven would say. To be the pioneering warrior healers we are. 

So, as our FCEA classes begin this week, perhaps we all can ponder Aries, Cancer and Capricorn as signs in our own charts. Work hard and be the best student you can be. Apply the responsibility and long hours a Capricorn “mountain” requires, but see where your own heart craves nurturing care and the courage to be yourself. Perhaps like our fictitious client from the FCEA 306 curriculum with our Capricorn “great work,” we seek the authenticity of Uranus and Aquarius and the fiery initiative of Chiron in Aries. As the weeks go by in 2026, I wish success in your studies as students or in your learning as members on our FCEA calls and through our archives. But I also bless you with bold, new goals and dreams, self-direction and healing of your own.

Catie Cadge, PhD
January 2026