Jodie Forrest's Astrological Mentoring Program
Note: Steven and I are still happily married, but our programs are separate-but-equal personal fiefdoms. (Can you tell we both have planets in Capricorn? :-) My Astrological Mentoring Program is separate from Steven Forrest’s Astrological Apprenticeship Program, and is meant to work in mutual support with his program, as well as to be a stand-alone program in and of itself. You may of course attend classes in either or both programs, according to your schedule and your interest in the topics presented.

An effective evolutionary astrologer is something like a spiritually-oriented life coach, a perceptive counselor, and an engaging, memorable teacher all rolled up into one flexible and adaptable package. While this mentoring program certainly covers evolutionary astrology theory, its intent is very much geared toward the nuts and bolts of astrological practice and presentation: how to do evolutionary astrology readings, how to work one-on-one with your clients as you interpret their charts for them. That sort of practical, hands-on material is perhaps best learned from coaching and mentoring by someone who’s been working with clients for a long time, rather than learning only from books.

Evolutionary astrology means treating your clients’ charts as their souls’ lesson plans, not as air-headed descriptions of their “personalities.” There’s nothing fatalistic about evolutionary astrology. (For a definition, please see www.sevenpawspress.com/evolutionary.html) It doesn’t mean making predictions or telling fortunes. It means helping your clients figure out what they’re learning in their journeys through this life, and how they (not you) might go about learning those lessons. For an evolutionary astrologer, practicing effectively means learning how to establish rapport, how to listen to clients and dialog with them—how to relate to your clients, not just to their charts. It means acquiring a wide variety of interpretive tools, so that you can choose lots of different ways to present frequently complex astrological material to different sorts of clients. That’s what this program is for. I want to help give you more tools.

“Prerequisites”?: If you feel comfortable that:
* a birthchart refers to a set of questions that life is asking of that person—his or her soul’s lesson plan—not his or her predetermined responses to those questions;
* a birthchart represents a huge range of responses that a person could potentially make to those questions;
* a birthchart “prescribes, doesn’t describe;”
* a birthchart represents the general outlines of a particular soul’s evolutionary journey, but doesn’t predict how he or she will go about taking that journey;
* there are no “good” or “bad” astrological configurations, no good or bad charts;
* individual growth is always possible;
* it’s not possible to determine someone’s level of consciousness from his or her birthchart alone, any more than it’s possible to predict how he or she will respond to his or her chart,
then you’ll feel right at home!
Some knowledge of Steven Forrest’s and my work, and/or that of Jeffrey Wolf Green and the astrologers who’ve worked with him (Mark Jones' Pluto School; Evolutionary Astrology.net ), would be very helpful but not required. If a particular program is basic or for beginners, or if it’s intended for people with a specific level of knowledge, its description at www.sevenpawspress.com/workshop.html will say so.

Astrological Mentoring Program Intensives are now meeting 4 times annually:
* in Lakeside, CA, near San Diego in southern CA, coordinated by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.blueskyranch.org/JodieForrest.htm
* in Oakland, CA, in the Bay Area in northern CA, coordinated by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.creativejuicesarts.com/Jodie.htm
* For specific dates, topics and how to contact the coordinators to register, please visit our Events page.
* Depending on the topic, classes are either 2 days long, Saturday and Sunday, for 8 hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or 4 days long (which include a weekend), for 8 hours a day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
* Class size will probably stay small at first, to better facilitate individual attention, coaching and feedback.
* Format is a combination of lecture and application, theory and practice. Once we’ve gone over theory, we will practice with students’ charts, drawing the names of people who’d like to participate from a “sorting hat”—that way, no one who’s shy will be put on the spot. (The sorting hat hasn’t produced Harry Potter yet, sorry, even though we’re definitely more Griffyndor than Slytherin. :-) There will be some experiential techniques and some group work, but the primary focus is on theory and application.
* Fees are currently $275.00 for 2 day programs, or $400.00 for 4 day programs, which include snacks and lunch on site. Fees may be subject to change. Some reduced fees, and/or a work/study arrangement, may be available for younger astrologers who haven’t yet reached their first Saturn return (generally about age 29) and are in need.

In addition to Mentoring Program intensive classes:
* I am available to work with students one-on-one, either by appointment on the phone, or by a pre-arranged, in-person intensive, usually in Borrego Springs, CA. For details, please email me, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or click here for more information about tutoring. Both programs work well together.

Certification:
* There are no tests and no grades.
* Students who’ve completed 96 hours of study with me, either in classes, one-on-one with me, or a combination of the two, will receive a “Level One” certificate in Jodie Forrest’s Astrological Mentoring Program.
* Students who’ve completed 192 hours of study with me either in class, one on one, or both, can receive a “Level Two” certificate in my program.
(Please note that you need 96 or 192 hours of study with Steven to get the relevant certificate in Steven’s program. Hours with him don’t count toward my certificates, and hours with him don’t count toward mine. Separate-but-equal personal fiefdoms, again.)
* Level One or Two students who wish to be listed on the Forrests’ website directory of “Astrologers Trained by Steven and/or Jodie Forrest” may send us their directory listing to be posted; please see this webpage for the listing format: www.sevenpawspress.com/directory.html and then email me your post: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
* Students listed in the Directory may post ads for classes they are teaching in addition to their directory listing; please email me the details.

Confidentiality applies to both Steven’s and Jodie’s programs:
If you’ve attended a mentoring program that I teach, you may buy recordings of any mentoring program that I’ve taught, These recordings are closed to people who have not attended one of my mentoring programs, because we work with class members’ charts on an ongoing basis, and we need to respect one another’s confidentiality.

If you’ve attended an apprenticeship program that Steven teaches, you may buy recordings of any apprenticeship program that he’s taught, but please do not share them with anyone outside the group. These recordings are closed to people who have not attended one of his apprenticeship programs, because they work with class members’ charts on an ongoing basis, and need to respect one another’s confidentiality.

Yahoo groups for both Forrests’ students: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JFmentoringintensive
The confidentiality rules are different here. The tapes do not flow back and forth between Steven’s and Jodie’s programs, but any student who’s attended either one of Jodie’s mentoring intensives or one of Steven Forrest’s apprenticeship programs (APs) may sign up for either of our yahoo groups. Membership is restricted to the Forrests' students. Our students visit these groups to discuss what they’re learning and to discuss charts with one another. Yahoo group membership is restricted to people who’ve attended programs with either Jodie or Steven. Ask your program’s coordinator for details; coordinators are listed on our Events page. I’ll be dropping by my own group as often as I can.

Jodie Forrest