Two years ago, Steven and I worked together to plan two types of scholarships offered by the FCEA. Both provide a tuition waiver to cover the costs of the chosen students during the entire length of their educational studies under the scholarship, provided they remain in good academic standing and stay actively involved in the FCEA Program. One is a needs-based award, the other a scholarship to increase diversity at the FCEA. Let me share with you our two current descriptions:

The FCEA Needs Based Scholarship

The FCEA recognizes that in order to create the best in an astrological education, a student body must be inclusive of those with limited resources or financial support. This full scholarship will be awarded to the person whom our scholarship committee deems to be the most promising aspiring student who is in need of financial assistance in covering tuition at the FCEA.

And

The FCEA Diversity Scholarship

The FCEA is committed to promoting diversity in our student body in terms of race, ethnicity, age, gender, gender preference, sexual orientation and the inclusion of other underrepresented groups in education and in the professional field of astrology. The scholarship committee seeks to award candidates with a full scholarship who contribute to a diverse student body and who help build a more inclusive learning experience at the FCEA.

On our FCEA website, you can find posted instructions to apply for a scholarship under the Learn tab at the top of the main page.  Be careful: The window for application submissions is only from June 15th through July 15th. Make sure to cover each of the three bullet points listed in order to help you write the strongest personal statement. We carefully read through each and every submission. We know getting an award might make the difference in whether a student can join us or whether they can continue at the FCEA, so we take this job seriously! 

Here’s what I would suggest if you are applying: give some careful thought about what information you choose to share with us about you. In what ways can you demonstrate to us your particular needs or how might you best expand upon why you make a good candidate to help us diversify our growing student body? Sometimes, a student crafts a beautiful and detailed personal essay as their submission, but fails to explain which scholarship they are applying for and, most importantly, why? I felt in awe of the many talented astrology students who applied last year and the vast experiences so many of you shared in your personal statements and letters. Well done! But in the end, we chose applicants who clearly described how well they matched the criteria asked in each award and who took the time to edit and compose a solid and convincing application essay.

I am hopeful that this year we will read and review outstanding scholarship applications. Believe me, the selection process is never easy. But I know in my heart we try our very best. For those preparing your applications, I wish you wisdom and grace as you write. Don’t hold back. Listen to your inner voice and tell us who you are!

Solstice blessings to all!

Catie Cadge, PhD
June 2024

Everyday, I manage a large group of talented and wise tutors (over a dozen now!). I am always amazed in what I see as their compassionate, loving gifts as counselors. I am talking about the kind of counselor needed to be a great teacher. Our current Taurus planetary placements trigger soul growth by bringing such Venusian potentials in a person to light, helping others to center themselves, find serenity, and ease into a comfort zone that is truly constructive in guiding another with love. It is these qualities I am most moved by as I watch and learn from our tutors. Taurus energy manifests through the healing, grounded counselor. This is a side of the sign I feel is often overlooked. 

And how appropriate it is to discuss the need for a calming, soothing Taurus energy when I transition into what I wish to announce and celebrate in this month’s update. I want to introduce our brand-new tutors, Jackie Johansen, Sophie Salaniat and Lidia Ranieri. We are thrilled to have these three outstanding tutors join our FCEA team. Recent graduates of the FCEA program, they clearly demonstrate to us their mastery of the nuts and bolts of evolutionary astrology. We had an outstanding group of graduates, overall, and we want to recognize the many gifts and sharp minds and loving, caring hearts of this class of top evolutionary astrologers. Jackie, Sophie and Lidia bring to the FCEA the astrological skill set our students need. But, perhaps most important, they embody that Taurus sense of calm and ease, establishing a rapport of comfort and support so helpful when acting as an FCEA tutor. We feel blessed to have them on board! 

Let me briefly introduce them to you.

Jackie Johansen, an FCEA master-certified evolutionary astrologer, holds a Master’s Degree in Jungian Depth Psychology. She has been a mental health professional for over ten years. I have had the pleasure to work with Jackie throughout her studies and recently as she transitioned into tutorial instruction. Jackie brings such a loving, caring heart-centered approach to her work with students. Always gentle, always positive and encouraging, Jackie embodies the soul of a true teacher. We are so pleased to have Jackie expand her skills in mentoring by serving as an FCEA tutor. 

Sophie Salaniat is equally wise and talented and we are blessed to have her join our FCEA team. Sophie has had a passion for astrology for thirty years, bringing a practical skill set so important as a tutor. She, too, is an FCEA master-certified evolutionary astrologer, grounded in Steve Forrest’s methods. I have read Sophie’s nurturing and supportive feedback, always revealing a love and commitment to our FCEA students. We feel so fortunate to have her gifts of wisdom and her nurturing support in the difficult work of training choice-centered and caring evolutionary astrologers.

Finally, I welcome Lidia Ranieri as she joins us as a tutor in our FCEA team. Lidia has a wealth of professional experience as a counselor and coach, having earned a Master’s Degree in Coaching Psychology. Lidia is an FCEA master-certified evolutionary astrologer talented at integrating the details of chart analysis, while also bringing to her work the heart of a loving counselor. A former AP student of Steven Forrest, she is thoroughly grounded in his methodology. I have been most fortunate to follow Lidia’s work as a student and tutor and I am very excited to have her wisdom and skills in the FCEA classroom.

I am so grateful to be able to manage such a gifted group of tutors in the FCEA! Please look for their involvement in our classes in the months ahead and join me in congratulating them in choosing to take on such important work.

Catie Cadge, PhD
May 2024

Remember, Jupiter and Uranus can be about “ah-ha” moments too. How might we claim opportunities to grow and learn through the 12th house realm of mystical compassion? How might our Taurus values need to shift when doing the difficult work of practicing our sacred skills and, yes, at times, listening to some tough feedback and correction? It is all part of one long journey, one long Capricorn climb, toward being a topnotch evolutionary astrologer I know all of you can be!

Catie Cadge, PhD
April 2024

It has been such a blessing to get to know each one of these amazing human beings over the past three years. I want to thank all of them for their commitment and hard work. Taking the initial plunge into our FCEA curriculum, these graduates are our very first cohort of students. They constantly demonstrated patience and love during the maiden voyage of the FCEA. And they kept us afloat and on our toes as we tried to give them the very best education we could. We are forever grateful for their help in making our school what it is today. I always feel students are the best “teachers,” and this group certainly fits the bill!

To acknowledge the many talents and accomplishments of our graduates, we are sending them diplomas signed in person by Steven and myself. We are also most excited to announce that we are in the process of creating a directory listing each master-certified FCEA graduate by name, contact information and personal statement describing their work and passion for evolutionary astrology. The directory will be linked to Steven’s main website, undoubtedly serving as a gateway for our grads to meet potential clientele and expand their professional connections. We are certain the directory will be a critical stepping stone to building a successful practice in evolutionary astrology. May Vesta, the asteroid of sacred lineage, help them carry the torch!

But first, a graduation ceremony is in order and what better day than March 6th to celebrate our initial cohort’s graduation? For those curious about chart details, we recognize February 14th, at 1:00 pm Pacific time, as the official time of graduation for the “class of 2024.” But given the special significance of March 6th for the FCEA and for Steven and myself, we are holding a celebration on Zoom at 10 am Pacific time that day. The event is open to the public —please access the FCEA Birthday & Graduation Party Zoom link on the FCEA School Calendar. Please mark your calendars and join us as we honor each graduate and hear briefly about their journeys in their own words. Steven and I will also speak briefly about the FCEA birthday and the charts of these truly special occasions. What an exciting day! I know for certain my Mom will be there. She was a mystic that always told me to “follow my heart.” I offer her words for each and every one of our graduates. May your heart hold the torch and may you follow it always. Many blessings!

Catie Cadge, PhD
March 2024

Another positive project we are implementing is making course reading lists and requirements available to students in advance through an expansion of our Student Resources tab on our website. Right now, you can use the Student Resources page to access links and information about student calls and join the 103 waiting list for those who have completed 101 and 102. We are compiling information from each course, so that you will be able to look ahead and plan the time needed for your studies before the class opens. Of course, all of our courses clearly state course completion criteria in the course, as well, at the top of the Moodle course and, if an exam is part of the requirements, at the end of the Moodle course. Please read the course material closely. But this new forthcoming feature on our website will also help you look ahead and consider the work in store for your next FCEA course. We hope to have these new additional resources up for you soon.

The last exciting piece of news I’d like to share is our plans for the expansion of course electives, now in the developmental phase. Early in the first few years of the FCEA’s planning stages, Steven and I worked on preliminary course structures for a number of FCEA electives. Topics include electional astrology, chart rectification, the asteroids, and astromapping. I know many of our advanced students have been waiting patiently for these electives to open. However, we had to fully develop the certificate program first. Over the last few years, fine-tuning each course for the FCEA program was accompanied with the many tasks of running a growing school and what seemed to be endless administrative tasks. It was necessary for us to put these elective courses on the sidelines. In the months ahead, I finally see some windows of time opening, making it possible for Steven and I to finish writing these more focused, advanced courses. Fingers crossed we are able to do so! As with everything at the FCEA, one step at a time.

Catie Cadge, PhD
January 2024

On Circle, we can engage in lively chat in discussions, explore charts together, and review questions from our classes, all in a process of building a strong community of sharing and learning together. And, once in a while, Steven will join in the Circle conversation. Circle will also be the place where advanced students will find that online library of chart readings once a month, as I mentioned above. Eventually there will be other resources there as the school expands. I’m excited to see Circle in action!

Moving Beyond Study Group Calls

I have other great news to announce: we are growing leaps and bounds! We anticipate a large cohort of new students entering FCEA 103 after completion of the self-guided 101 and 102 courses. We’re proud and excited to have such a large group of future FCEA Apprentices. I will be training new tutors in the spring to help cover our needs as we grow. Please welcome our new students on our course calls and Q&A time with Steven. On a more ambivalent note, in order to accommodate so many new souls into the FCEA, we simply need to move beyond the format of the Zoom study group calls. I know that some of you really love the study group calls, but we just can’t support the expanding enrollment within the space restrictions of the study groups. For those who are sad to see these calls go, I ask you to keep perspective – remember that only about ten percent of our students actually attended these calls in 2023. We want the FCEA to be more supportive of all our students in the learning process and we think that Circle will fill the void in a way that works better for the majority of you. 

To assist in this transition, we have several methods of instruction we hope will fill the gap of the missing study group calls. Here’s the most important one – in addition to the new library of readings by Steven and the space with shared conversation on Circle, we are moving ahead with developing further the 101Z and 201Z courses. You might recall we piloted these classes in early 2023. We will be rolling them out as an official part of our course and package offerings via our website after the New Year. I am so pleased to be replacing the study group calls, in response to so many of you who have asked us to improve the outdated structure. The Z classes are designed to include review of 100- and 200- curriculum AND chart analysis, so that all the fun activities of the study group calls will be available, but now with much more tutor involvement and attention. 

No longer will we see 100-level students on the same Zoom study group call with the more advanced folks at the 200-level. 101Z and 201Z class size will be limited to a maximum of eight students with an emphasis placed upon tutor support in an intimate, small Zoom classroom. We will require tuition for the Z classes to allow us to provide a better classroom experience and more focused tutor attention. For those who love our community on Zoom, just think about how much 101Z and 201Z can open the door to a loving, nurturing learning environment with a small group of fellow students at your level of understanding! Please look for these courses in our online schedule in the months ahead.

Wishing everyone a beautiful solstice and holiday blessings to all!

Catie Cadge, PhD
November 2023

As the year comes to a close, I have one sad announcement. After two years of work with us, Tutor Bryan Colter will be leaving us in order to pursue some of his own independent projects as an evolutionary astrologer. Bryan has played a critical role as tutor and mentor for our 300-level students, leading a much-loved Saturday Zoom class. Bryan has been so committed and supportive of our whole community, gracing us with his wisdom, kindness and love. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors! Thank you, Bryan, for all your hard work and talents. We will miss you so much.

We close down the FCEA doors for the holiday season from December 1st through January 10th. Last study group call is November 21st. Registration is still open during the holiday break and self-paced courses remain in full swing.

Before I end, let me share with you our excitement over our upcoming Holiday Celebration on November 30th at 5:00 pm Pacific time. Steven will address the upcoming Jupiter and Uranus conjunction in Taurus next spring. Such a rich topic! How do we have faith and hope in 2024 and yet contemplate the Uranian surprises undoubtedly in the works for all of us? We will open the conversation up for questions and sharing in a holiday spirit of love and community. Please join us! Happy Holidays to all!

Catie Cadge, PhD
November 2023

Please try to see the beauty of participating and working diligently to learn our sacred craft. Realize homework and written analysis in forums are invaluable as learning tools. I am confident you too will feel eventually like this 306 student does today!

In the 300-level classes, you enter the next stage in the FCEA “ladder” of learning. It is worth the wait. Once doing the difficult tasks of thinking, writing and applying your skills through forums and assignments, advanced students hone their skills through class presentations and Zoom dialog with a tutor in conjunction with written work. And we are improving these 300-level courses each time we offer them. We are fine-tuning our course scheduling in advance to better assist students to find times the Zoom sessions will work for them. In 2024, we anticipate offering meeting times and days in advance as best as possible to help smooth this transition from 200- to 300-level class participation. We listen to you and we are making strides to improve our classes each step of the way.

Catie Cadge, PhD
October 2023

Fern Vuchinich

Fern Vuchinich and I met through the Southern California apprenticeship program (AP) with Steven prior to the opening of the FCEA. I am so happy to have her working for us. Fern began walking the “astrological path” over 30 years ago after receiving her first professional astrology reading in college. Around this time she also met and started learning from her first mentor Asata Gabriel. Artist, astrologer and all-around wise woman, Gabriel taught Fern over the course of 25 years about astrology, intuition, technology, plant medicine and so much more. In 2006 Fern joined Steven Forrest’s Southern California AP, which she returned to several years in a row. She received Forrest certification as a Master Astrologer in 2018. Fern has been a practicing counseling astrologer and teacher since 2003. She has published widely, specializing in Ancestral Astrology work. Fern has also received advanced training and degrees in many modalities of healing including: acupressure, essential oils, energy healing, flower essences and bodywork (eastern and western). She has been a teacher for all ages and holds an M.A. from Sonoma State University and a teaching credential from San Francisco State University. As a Virgo Sun, Libra Rising with Venus in Cancer she enjoys gardening, making herbal remedies and nesting. She resides with her partner and dog family in the mountains of Northern New Mexico.

Harry Farmer

I learned about Harry Farmer’s skills from our tutor, Ryan Evans, who knew Harry from the Northern California AP with Steven. A lifetime resident of California, astrology entered Harry Farmer’s life in his mid-late 20’s, soon becoming a source of deep understanding of his life’s journey, as well as providing support and clarity during very challenging times.  And while for many years he had a quite active astrology practice, serving clients, writing columns and articles, and doing a daily radio cosmic weather forecast, other professional opportunities have needed to be addressed over the years, from working in a mental hospital for the criminally insane, to many successful years as a disc jockey/interview host, gardener and environmentalist, to currently serving on the Board of Directors of the local Water and Sewer Services District. He also shares daily walks in nature with his current special canine companion Chiron. His first love continues to be astrology, assisting others in having a greater awareness of themselves and their own unique life purpose, providing insight, encouragement, and healing energy, especially in redefining times of crisis as opportunity.  He also has very fond memories of many years attending Steven’s Apprentice Workshop in Calistoga, California, sharing joyful and enriching times with fellow astrology students while learning from Steven. Harry is an 11th house Leo, a Capricorn Moon and has strong Virgo placements. A hardworking and passionate teacher, I look forward to working with him.

Vernon Robinson

Vernon Robinson and I have crossed paths over the years first through Steven’s AP, then at numerous conferences. I am excited to have Vernon sharing his many skills with our students. He has been studying astrology for over 30 years and involved in Evolutionary Astrology for the past 20 years.  Vernon has been counseling clients for 15 years. He has a Masters Certification in Evolutionary Astrology from Steven Forrest. He attended the last public class taught by Jeffrey Wolf Green in Boulder, Colorado in April, 2004.  Vernon has presented at Rocky Mountain Astrology (ROMA), Denver Astrology Group, Northwest Astrology Conference (NORWAC) and the San Francisco Astrology Society (SFAS). He is currently working on research for a book about the astrology chart of the First African Slave Ship coming to Hampton, Virginia in 1619. Vernon is an 8th house Capricorn Sun with a Pisces Moon in the 11th and Taurus ascendant. Surely, he will take FCEA students to a deeper level in their studies with his hard work and caring soul.

Lisa Jones

Lisa Jones is last to be introduced, but certainly not least! Lisa and I met “down under” in the Australian AP in 2016 and I immediately sensed Lisa’s passion for evolutionary astrology and Steven’s methods. She shared with me that “she is really thrilled to be part of FCEA world; it is a real honor and is super exciting to be supporting and sharing astrology wisdom with everyone.”

Lisa met Steven over 15 years ago as a modern astrologer. She was fortunate enough to facilitate 20 apprenticeship programs (AP) both in Australia and Europe. Completing master level certification with Steven as well as various studies, including Astrosynthesis certification, a diploma in counseling and group work, and her other love, working with Australian bush flower essences with advanced certification, Lisa creatively nurtures these skills in conjunction with evolutionary astrology. Lisa is presently completing her OPA certification and she is the OPA Australian Satellite. With the Sun in Sagittarius and Moon in Capricorn, both in the 11th house, Lisa feels it was mapped out to be working with groups of people, doing something different! 

Very family orientated, with five children and six grandchildren (some of her greatest teachers!) and with a deep appreciation for music, the water and nature, Lisa’s other love of travel has her creating wonderful astrology retreats in various destinations. When at home, her practice is on the east coast of Australia. 

Please join us in welcoming Fern, Harry,Vernon and Lisa when you meet them on our Zoom calls or in the classroom online. We are so lucky to have them share with us their astrological wisdom and many talents at the FCEA. 

Catie Cadge, PhD
September 2023

In late July, our Scholarship Selection Committee convened to discuss the many student applications we received for our two scholarship opportunities: the FCEA Diversity and Financial Need Scholarships. It was a very difficult selection process, because we had so many thoughtful essays and very strong interest. Steven and I wished we could help all our applicants, but of course our school has very limited resources to do so. We successfully chose four recipients (two in each category). We are excited for our scholarship funding to begin in September. We encourage students to seek out our next opportunity for scholarships June 15th through July 15th, 2024.

I share one last Jupiter-inspired hope and dream. Steven’s Omega Program in Rhinebeck, New York, came off with flying colors in early August. If the angels allow, from what he shares with me, he will return to Omega next summer. With Jupiter faith, let’s open our hearts to in-person possibilities with Steven in the future. Perhaps an FCEA event? We shall see.

Catie Cadge, PhD
August 2023