My Statement on Steven Forrest

Why I am Making This Statement

I studied with Steven Forrest, and I do not support his recent racist actions. His actions caused harm on multiple levels. My hope is that the wider conversation about antiracism can continue.

From 2011-2016, I studied with him, earning a level 2 certificate in the Steven Forrest Apprenticeship Program. He has endorsed both of my books. I have considered him a teacher and mentor. From him, I learned how to work with the Lunar Nodes and to view the chart from the perspective of evolving consciousness, based on an understanding of where we come from, including from our past lives.

So far, he has not come forward to acknowledge the harm he caused. Here is my statement about where I am with this. I will continue to review my actions as the situation unfolds.

What Happened

This is my own account of what happened, to the best of my knowledge. These are my own statements, opinions, and reflections. I do not speak for any person or organization other than myself and my business, Astrology Heals.

Recently, in a podcast episode available to the public, Steven Forrest used language and represented his own relationship to racism in a way that caused harm to the Black community. It is never okay for a white person to use the "N" word, but it was also much more than "just" a racial slur, including repeating harmful mythologies and referencing his own family history connected to a well-known hate group. Following that incident, there was an upswell of pushback from concerned astrologers that quickly evolved into requests for him to be deplatformed from the upcoming national astrology conference. After investigating the complaints, the conference removed him as a speaker.

Making things worse, he issued an apology that failed to understand or take responsibility for his actions and the harm they caused. Several of his students, followers, and fellow astrologers, including myself, requested that he take a step back, listen, and make an effort to understand the harm he caused. Many of his followers came to Steven's defense and, in my opinion, failed to listen and educate themselves about the how and why of the harm that was caused.

My Position

I have watched the original video, and I find it nauseating. It is harmful on multiple levels. One of the worst ways it is harmful is the seeming complete lack of awareness that he is discussing a very sensitive and trauma-laden topic without sensitivity to how others might hear it. He discusses the issue in the context of "Shadow Work," which he does not define and, in my opinion, does not handle in a sensitive or responsible way.

Furthermore, his defensive reaction and non-apology (to paraphrase, it felt not like "I'm sorry my actions caused harm, I will try to learn and do better" but "I'm sorry you are upset, but please understand why I am not a bad person") made everything worse. Then, many white people came to his defense. I commented on his apology post, explaining why I thought his apology was problematic, and asking him to understand the harm he caused and listen more. I did not and do not defend him or his actions.

I have attempted to be mindful of both the bigger picture of harm and the opportunities that have opened up for honesty and healing in the wider community. I do this not so we can feel okay again, but so we can make further progress on unpacking internalized racism within ourselves, and make the world safer, more respectful, and more welcoming for Black people and all people.

My Reflection

As for all of us who are doing this work, this is a moment for self-reflection. I can see the ways and places in the past that I did not confront troublesome behavior. There were times during my time studying with him when I noticed language that made me uncomfortable about his attitude toward women and people of color. My experience of these attitudes is that they were covert and not blatant, and also so prevalent that I didn't think it was my responsibility to address it. My approach was to complete the training because I wanted the credentials, then gently step away from the environment around him instead of confronting him.

And furthermore, I didn't fully step away. I've used my credentials with him in my bio for years. He has endorsed both of my books with a supportive quote. I have defined myself as an evolutionary astrologer. I co-hosted a small conference that centered him and his work. This is my responsibility to look at and to begin the process of disentangling from.

My Astrological Views

I can never fully separate Steven Forrest and his work from what I do. I learned a lot of good things from him. I believe and hope that I have filtered my knowledge of astrology through my own discerning lens. I have taken the evolutionary approach, which simply views astrology as an invitation to grow toward a bigger purpose, and applied it in a way that I consider to be transformational. By using the wisdom in the chart, we can see where the medicine lies and how to apply it in our own personal growth process, as we move toward greater self-love and love for the universe around us.

The hundreds of clients I have worked with are all my teachers. Every single time a person has said to me, "I'm glad you see that in my chart, but what do I do about it?" I have thought deeply about how the chart can unlock insights for us, not to replace our own wisdom, but to add to it. To help us access it.

From that perspective, I will continue doing this work, but I will be looking deeply at how to be more inclusive and respectful in my own practice. For me, this work is and always has been a deep personal commitment. It's very internal. So please understand that if my exterior changes slowly over time rather than quickly in response to the uproar of the moment, that is because I am doing the deep work.

I Want to Hear from You

None of us is alone in this journey. We work to heal trauma and oppression together. I want to hear your comments, and I commit to responding to thoughtful questions on my YouTube channel, my podcast, and blog. Hateful, disrespectful, or spammy comments will be deleted, blocked, etc. If you are a paid subscriber here, you are welcome to comment on this post. If you are not, you are welcome to email your public comments and questions to me at info@astrologyheals.com, and I will address them in a public venue. Just use the subject line Public Comment, and let me know whether it's okay to use your name or not.

Thank you for reading this, and for caring.