Becoming a Tutor

Becoming a Tutor

While there is much teaching that is online and essentially automated in the FCEA, especially at the early stages of the program, we are committed to keeping the experience as warm and community-oriented as possible. Time constraints prevent Steven from having an ongoing  relationship with each one of the students individually. That is where tutors come into the picture. Essentially,they are the human interface between the student and the technology. 

The tutors’ work is varied. They are available to answer individual questions. They facilitate online discussion groups. They monitor the online forums. Invariably, tutors will do some hand holding and counseling too – astrological studies are intense at a personal level, and they can trigger powerful emotional reactions. A student may need to reach out to a tutor from time to time for counsel and encouragement. As an institution, the FCEA is committed to supporting close connections between students and their tutors. One expression of that commitment is that we prioritize “people skills” in our selection of tutors. 

As students advance, their FCEA education can no longer be sustained by answering computerized multiple choice questions. Sooner or later, every budding astrologer has to face the ancient task: turning the symbols into meaningful speech. That is always the heart of the matter. As students develop their voices, the hardest and most important part of the tutor’s job comes into focus – commenting, correctively and supportively, as the student begins to turn astrological language into human language.

There are many forms of astrology, but the Forrest Center for Evolutionary Astrology is unabashedly a “trade school.” That means that we are teaching one specific method of astrological interpretation. Anyone qualified to be an FCEA tutor is, by definition, already an astrologer. That usually suggests a high level of individuation in the work. No one is expected to be “a Steven Forrrest clone.” We respect that – but still, in the FCEA, it is Steven’s methods that we teach. That means, among other things, Placidus houses, the Mean lunar node, and so on. In order to avoid confusing the students, a tutor must agree to work within the framework of the system which Steven has developed, and not to introduce exotic elements, at least not until we reach the highest “counsel of wizards” levels of the program, down the road.

“No one is expected to be “a Steven Forrrest clone.” We respect that – but still, in the FCEA, it is Steven’s methods that we teach. That means, among other things, Placidus houses, the Mean lunar node, and so on. In order to avoid confusing the students, a tutor must agree to work within the framework of the system which Steven has developed, and not to introduce exotic elements, at least not until we reach the highest “counsel of wizards” levels of the program, down the road.“

The process for selecting tutors is a delicate one. Emphatically, these choices do not fall on Steven’s solitary shoulders. A selection committee will be established and its discussions will be private. Some details remain to be worked out, but essentially anyone immersed in Steven’s work can apply. Advanced students from his Apprenticeship Programs are in a good position to be chosen, but we will avoid favoritism and the “buddy system” as much as possible

 

Studying with Steven

Studying with Steven

Over the years, countless thousands of people have studied astrology with Steven Forrest. A couple thousand have done it in his flagship Apprenticeship Programs. Those intensives met regularly in California, Kansas, and North Carolina, plus Australia and Italy starting in 1998. He has also taught countless weekend workshops around the world. His annual programs in China, for example, which have run since 2011, have introduced many hundreds of Asian students to the methods of evolutionary astrology. Beyond those face-to-face meetings, there are serious students whom Steven has never met personally. They have been studying with him via his bestselling books or his many videos and recorded lectures. Some have attained high levels of mastery.

All of that teaching has been a good thing, but the problem Steven has always faced was “the little red schoolhouse” syndrome – beginners and advanced students all in the same room at the same time. How could he meet such a wide spectrum of needs? Another expression of the same underlying issue has simply been the inherent potential chaos of such a multifaceted system – astrology is complicated and students have often been confronted with the whole thing all at once. It’s simply too much for most people. It leads to confusion. Maybe, for example, Steven is teaching an advanced program on the solar arcs of the nodal axis. A new student signs up, unsure of exactly how many signs are in the Zodiac. Someone who should buy The Inner Sky goes to his online shop and settles on The Book of Neptune – it’s a fine book, but it is not a good starting place. That, or someone with an established professional practice signs up for a class in which Steven is patiently explaining that the Zodiac contains twelve signs

“There are many things we can say about the Forrest Center for Evolutionary Astrology, but probably the most fundamental one would be that it provides the missing catalyst to Steven’s existing work: structure. “

Clearly, Steven’s next step had to be bringing some order to the confusion. There are many things we can say about the Forrest Center for Evolutionary Astrology, but probably the most fundamental one would be that it provides the missing catalyst to Steven’s existing work: structure. A student in the FCEA will be guided efficiently, caringly, and often personally, along a step-by-step path leading to astrological mastery. No one will have to go back and pick up any missing pieces. Nothing of importance will be left out. A graduate of the FCEA program will stand on the solid, confident ground of knowing Steven’s full system of interpretation.

Steven himself plans to continue teaching personally, both in live classes and in online formats. Most of his live teaching will be advanced work, available to students who have made progress in the FCEA curriculum. His “little red schoolhouse” material has all been recorded in various media, including the hundreds of videos he has made especially for the FCEA. From now on, he anticipates teaching serious students at a Master’s level in what amounts to “university” format.

The Path to Mastery

The Path To Mastery

There’s an old Haiku – “Master has gone to the mountain, cloud-hidden, whereabouts unknown.” The astrological mountain is like that. No one can see the peak. Maybe it doesn’t even exist. Who can “master” astrology? Who, in other words, can “master” life? 
Mastery, as we use the term in the FCEA, is a relative term. But we do use it, and so it behooves us to define it as rigorously as we can. So here we go:

“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.”

It would be naíve and disingenuous to announce that anyone can reach that level of proficiency. Getting there requires hard work, something on par with going to medical school or becoming an effective mental health professional. And, just as not everyone is wired to be a successful athlete or musician, not everyone is wired emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually to become a master astrologer. 

Still, if you are a caring person, blessed with intelligence and self-discipline, there is an excellent chance that the FCEA program  can take you from zero to this kind of proficiency. You don’t need superpowers to succeed. You just need that caring, intelligence and self-discipline. Bring that, and we will supply the superpowers – because evolutionary astrology is a superpower. 

Back to the mountain we need to climb. Some of you will be starting your ascent from the valley floor, knowing essentially nothing about astrology beyond your Sun Sign. No problem. Welcome to the FCEA. We will hold your hand and monitor your progress all along the way. But many of you are already halfway up the mountain. What about you? Do you need to start at the bottom like the rank beginners? Maybe you already know that there are twelve signs in the Zodiac. So prove it. There’s your answer. The earliest foundational stages of the FCEA program involve a series of automated multiple choice tests. Take those exams, pass them, and you have placed out of basic training. 

Never say that we are not into full disclosure: if you are indeed an advanced student of astrology, these exams will be annoying. On top of it, you will have to pay a small fee for the annoyance. Sorry – this just seems like the best solution we could find.

Going a little deeper, many times people “who have been practicing astrology for years” have come to Steven’s programs. He reports that these are often the most difficult students to teach. Their knowledge is valuable and hard-won, but their astrological mindset has often been shaped by more conventional approaches. “Transiting Saturn squared Venus when she got married, so of course the marriage was a mistake.” Breaking those kinds of habits can be difficult. People who have been immersed in other forms of astrology have much to learn, but also much to unlearn. Maybe that marriage failed because the woman in question failed to integrate more Saturnian maturity into her Venusian expectations of intimacy. Maybe an evolutionary astrologer could have helped her do that. 

That is what we mean by astrological mastery. 

If you have been studying, even practicing, other forms of astrology for decades, please consider starting right at the beginning. Because of the knowledge you already have earned, it will not take you long. To work in the context of evolutionary astrology, your vocabulary needs some rewiring.

As students become more advanced in the FCEA, we envision, above all, a commitment to ongoing education. Steven has much to teach, but we will also have much to teach each other. Some of you attaining FCEA mastery will choose to become teachers and tutors in the program, or outside the program. All of you are welcome to sit in a circle with your peers, exchanging notes, and enjoying the place you have earned in the counsel of wizards.