Dean’s Update, November 2025

In the U.S. where I live, we celebrate Thanksgiving every November. There are certain traditions most families follow: a visit with friends and loved ones, Macy’s Parade on T.V., and a big, hearty dinner of turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce. In California, it is a wonderful time of year when the vine maples turn gold and there is less fog along the coast so the stars come out at night. But probably my most favorite part of this holiday season is when we share our gratitude for all who touch our lives and make the daily journey meaningful by filling our days with love, care and joy. First and foremost, I am thankful for you, dear reader, our students, members and community, for your constant generous support and love you share with me throughout the year. 

I want to add a personal note to this Dean’s Update. Many years ago (a complete Saturn cycle), transiting Pluto formed a conjunction with my natal Ceres. I know that many FCEA students are probably not familiar with Ceres, a minor planet, in the birthchart. We have an advanced 400 class, FCEA 405, which covers the planet, often called an “asteroid” in astrological studies. One of several interpretations of Ceres is how we express grief and use grief as a tool for evolutionary growth. In my birthchart, Ceres is in Sagittarius in my 9th house. When moving Pluto crossed over my natal Ceres, I lost my son, Aidan, at a very difficult time in my life. In the years after, I turned to higher education and travel via sacred pilgrimage to help process my loss and turned to college teaching as a means to nurture others. Ceres has been a great help, I feel, in letting me heal and find meaning in the passing away of my little boy. 

Recently, Mercury retrograde and Mars, both in Sagittarius, came together in the sky conjunct that same natal 9th house Ceres of mine. It happened to coincide with my son’s birthday, which would have been his 29th year. As you can imagine, there has been some reassessment in my heart and mind about what exactly has meaning for me in the arena of the 9th house. Where do I need courage and bold new discovery? I certainly know I wish to write and travel more, but I also want to feel I am doing the best I can as a tutor and teacher. Being able to do so has required delegating many a task at the FCEA to our phenomenal staff. I am trying hard to be “Catie” following the possibilities in my natal chart. But the only way I can make this happen and honor the spirit of my Aidan (his name means “little fire”) is to claim the 9th house road my heart wants to follow. 

So I’d like to build upon this tradition of thanksgiving by mentioning how grateful I am for the incredible staff I work with every day at the FCEA, the family who allow me to step away from the constant administrative tasks of the school. Penelope Love, communications coordinator and registrar, and Paula Wansley, business manager and registrar, play critical roles in the daily operations of our school. We simply could not function without them! Their titles reflect just a small percentage of the many gifts of service they bring to the FCEA. I know if I have a problem to solve, and I need a reliable answer, Paula and Penelope are always at my side. I can’t imagine running the school without them. This Thanksgiving, I am so grateful to have the two of them ready to assist as senior staff. 

I am filled with gratitude for the many hours of service and devotion to the FCEA I see in our tutors and teachers. Their patience and commitment to being the best at what they do gives me peace of mind that we are able to offer a top-quality educational program. I wish to give a shout out to Carlos Velazquez as well, for his tech wizardry in keeping the school afloat. Everyone seems to love the new face of Moodle in our classes. And this year, I am also thankful to Andrea Ash and Ruby Glasspool for joining our FCEA team as instructional assistants. In just a few months, they have already accomplished such useful tasks and fine-tuned our scheduling and calendar, making the school more efficient and organized. What a gift their Virgo skills have been to our Piscean school! 

And finally, I am SO thankful for Steven’s loving commitment to the FCEA that he demonstrates everyday. I feel so fortunate to work with the master and to help promote and share his methods and approach used in our sacred craft. Let’s hope the school continues to spread our shared love for evolutionary astrology across the globe!

In the spirit of gratitude, I want to share with you our good news: we are sending out a new survey to advanced students to help better run our FCEA course calls. Please look for our upcoming email announcement. Once again, we hope to hear from you if you have had the opportunity to take our 100-, 200-, or 300-level classes. We are working to make our orientation calls, midcourse Q and As, Z classes and our 300 Zoom meetups work better for all. Mars is still moving through Sagittarius as I write this newsletter article. Please consider taking action and participating in this new survey! We know you have wisdom to share with us.

Life seems to offer us so many miracles, so many ways, to better understand ourselves through our birthcharts. Thank you for listening to my personal story about Aidan, Ceres and transiting Pluto. And thank you for being my true 9th house “family.” I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and upcoming solstice. Much love to you all!

Catie Cadge, PhD
November 2025