We come together to learn and share our passion in a sacred celestial art based upon the sky and the changing seasons. We are also a solstice community, a circle, a family. Before I dive into the main topic of my Dean’s update this month, I want to thank Teal Rowe, our dear tutor and friend, who is leaving our solstice circle, our FCEA community. Like we so often hear, running a school really does “take a village,” and I am so grateful for Teal’s love, hard work and commitment to help birth the FCEA. Teal has been a constant source of emotional support and guidance through recent years of developing the FCEA. We could not have done this work without her. She will be sorely missed. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors!
Returning to what I have called our solstice family, our circle, I wanted to share with you a few recent reflections I had after attending a popular in-person astrology conference, NORWAC (Northwest Astrological Conference) in Seattle, Washington, this past May. The NORWAC conference always stimulates my mind and curiosity. I must say my Gemini Moon thoroughly enjoys the diversity of approaches and techniques, a true smorgasbord of methodologies! Oh, my, there is always so much to digest and ponder. Astrology conferences offer us fresh perspectives and a wealth of astrological knowledge that can be so rewarding, not to mention the joy and love of the downtime when we come together during the after-hour parties and gatherings. Like our own solstice circle, the NORWAC tribe is a family and I am grateful for all the connections I have made over the years at the conference. We hope to meet some of you at the ISAR conference in Westminister, Colorado, this summer (August 25 through 29th, visit https://isar2022.org/ for more information). Steven will be a presenter. Let’s gather together those who can attend.
For me, one of the topics that seems to come up each year when attending NORWAC is how and in what ways I might use my new insights. I must admit my Capricorn Sun loves strategy and working through rules and the many technical details of how astrology can be approached. What can I say, I am the type of person who loves board games and mind puzzles. And I have a competitive side – I like to get things right! The ins and outs of practicing various forms of astrology, such as the rich world of traditional, Hellenistic and Jyotish (Indian astrology), not to mention more recent vibrational or Uranian astrology, pose such exciting challenges for my personal passion for figuring out “how things work.”
But one of the strong bonds of connection we share at the FCEA is our love for Steven’s particular methods of reading charts. Something about that basic common thread we all share strengthens us as a school and in our developing roles as counselors. I respect my colleagues at NORWAC and thrive when I open to the ideas and methods they share. But when I return to my daily work in the counseling office, I am a purist. I practice evolutionary astrology and the Steven Forrest method, because I know it works for my clients. My readings already cover enough material! Astrological “fusion” may have its place in our research and in our shared conference circle, but finding a method that works for you, and applying a focused approach to learning evolutionary astrology through that chosen method, builds a solid foundation as a counselor.
So, I’ll end with a little summary of my two-cents as the FCEA Dean. The best way forward to become the most skilled and gifted astrologer lies in finding a path, a particular method and sticking to it. Broadening our astrological wisdom is never to be frowned upon. Open doors when they appear; learn, explore, and appreciate the diversity of our astrological family! Yet, recognize, in actual practice, the value of a strong focus and a fine-tuned set of skills.
Happy solstice everyone! Much love to our solstice circle!
Catie Cadge, PhD
June 2022
I also frequently hear from students wanting a summer and holiday recess. Of course! Many take holidays and breaks on their own from classes when needed. But official holiday time is also doable and it makes sense. Since the FCEA opened in 2021, we recognized a break in December and January is a must! This year, final assignments and exams in most fall classes end by late November. Our last course to finish in 2022 will be FCEA 202, ending on December 1st. We will have a Solstice gathering and the last Member Q and A call of the year in early December, so we can wind down the school year by December 9th. The first week of January is Steven’s birthday, so we extended the holiday season through to January 11th. There will be plenty of time for a family vacation, even after New Year’s Day. At the end of 2023, we have built into the calendar a similar break to enjoy the yuletide season and New Year celebrations.
Summertime here in California always provides me a time to take stock of the bigger picture of what I am working and striving for; a good time to reassess where our school is headed and what structural changes we may need to make in the months ahead. The FCEA is growing. I am in the process of training three new tutors this summer. We look forward to welcoming a brand-new cohort of 100-level students in the fall. What needs to change to best accommodate our growing student body, diverse in levels of knowledge and practical skills? 
We come together to learn and share our passion in a sacred celestial art based upon the sky and the changing seasons. We are also a solstice community, a circle, a family. Before I dive into the main topic of my Dean’s update this month, I want to thank Teal Rowe, our dear tutor and friend, who is leaving our solstice circle, our FCEA community. Like we so often hear, running a school really does “take a village,” and I am so grateful for Teal’s love, hard work and commitment to help birth the FCEA. Teal has been a constant source of emotional support and guidance through recent years of developing the FCEA. We could not have done this work without her. She will be sorely missed. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors! 
April greetings, everyone! This month we move from fiery Aries into Taurus season. Here at the FCEA, our wonderful staff have been very busy, updating the school’s website with new features and helpful tools. We have taken our social media presence to a new level. Aries helps us put into action our strategies to build a bigger and better school. An exciting time for the FCEA!
For folks who have not yet joined a study group or for our loyal members, I’ll fill you in briefly about these practical – but fun! – educational group gatherings. Our study groups happen each Tuesday when classes are in session. We hold two study groups, one at 8:00 am and then another at 5:00 pm Pacific time. The 8:00 am time is designed to best reach our students based in Europe, 5:00 pm for our students in Asia. Each is led by two of our tutors or myself, with master wizard, Steven, joining us once a month. We use breakout rooms on the Zoom call to help students feel comfortable working in a small cohort of fellow astrologers enrolled in the same level of instruction. A “mystery chart” or two are shared.
In FCEA 203, we will continue to rely upon the birthchart as root prediction and set these commonly experienced life events, such as the Saturn Return, the Uranus Opposition, the Jupiter Return, to name just a few, into the biographical stories of specific individuals, individuals undoubtedly experiencing other important transits, progressions or solar arcs simultaneously in unique ways. And we will return again to Wilma’s chart, our fictional client, with whom we have been developing a counseling rapport. How will her fiery primal triad and her stellium in Gemini and her 10th house work with the rhythms of the lunar nodes and her Nodal Return?