Steven Forrest (born January 6, 1949) is an American

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

, writer, and lecturer. He is the author of nearly a dozen astrological books and one of the founders of the school of Evolutionary Astrology, described by Forrest as "a form of

psychological astrology Psychological astrology, or astropsychology, is the result of the cross-fertilisation of the fields of astrology with depth psychology, humanistic psychology and transpersonal psychology. There are several methods of analyzing the horoscope in the ...

which is integrated with

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

. Where a twentieth century psychological astrologer might focus on the dynamics of

childhood A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

, the evolutionary astrologer focuses on the ''childhood of the

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

''— prior lifetimes, and the issues left unresolved from them." Since 1998 Forrest has taught students via

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

programs in

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

and

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, Italy, Switzerland and Australia. He has also taught at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, The New York Open Center, and the Marion Foundation as well as addressed the Fellows at

Andrew Weil Andrew Thomas Weil (, born June 8, 1942) is an American celebrity doctor who advocates for alternative medicine including the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Early life and education Early years Andrew Thomas Weil was born in Philadelphia on June 8, ...

's Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the

University of Arizona Medical Center Banner - University Medical Center Tucson (BUMCT), formerly University Medical Center and the University of Arizona Medical Center, is a private, non-profit, 649-bed acute-care teaching hospital located on the campus of the University of Arizona in ...

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Biography

Forrest was born on January 6, 1949, in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...

. He graduated with a B.A. in Religion from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

in 1971. Forrest began practicing astrology professionally in 1976 and in 1981 was asked by

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...

to write his first book, ''The Inner Sky.'' Published the following year, it was greeted with positive reviews from ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' and ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine which called it a "truly outstanding" book that is "intelligent, well-written and actually fun." Astrologer April Kent said of Forrest's ''The Inner Sky,'' "If I could have one astrology book with me on a deserted island, this would be it." It was also praised by the musician

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

, who said that Forrest "manages to disarm the skeptic, as well as debunk the charlatanism that surrounds popular astrology, with language that is as intelligent and cogent as it is poetic." Forrest has served on the Ethics Committee for the International Society for Astrological Research, as well as the Chair of the Kepler College Advisory Council. In 1985 he won the Professional Astrologers Incorporated Award for "Outstanding Contribution to the Art and Science of Astrology," and in 1992, 1995, and 2008 was nominated for a United Astrology Congress Regulus Award. In the mid-1980s Steven wrote the monthly horoscopes for ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' magazine. Astrologer

Rob Brezsny Rob Brezsny is an American astrologer, author, and musician. His weekly horoscope column "Free Will Astrology" – formerly "Real Astrology" – has been published since 1980, and by 2010 was syndicated in around 120 periodicals. Caree ...

calls Steven Forrest "the most brilliant astrologer alive," and

Jungian Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...

analyst Robert A. Johnson proclaimed that Forrest's reading of his astrological birth chart was "one of the greatest events of my life. . . you have restored the divine art to its noble status."

Evolutionary astrology

Forrest practices what he calls Evolutionary Astrology, a term that he used in his 1984 book, ''The Inner Sky''. Raymond Merriman originally coined the term in his 1977 limited edition book ''Evolutionary Astrology'', and the term was also popularized by Jeffrey Wolf Green in his 1985 book, ''Pluto: The Evolutionary Journey of the Soul'' (Forrest and Green together were nicknamed "The Pluto Brothers"). While the techniques of these three astrologers are distinctly unique, they all assume that the present birth chart derives from conditions experienced in prior lifetimes. Other astrological writers in the same period, such as

Stephen Arroyo Stephen Arroyo (born October 6, 1946) is an American best-selling author and astrologer. Early life Arroyo was born in Kansas City, Missouri on October 6 (a Sunday) at 5.35 pm in 1946. Previous occupations include teacher, editor, counselor and ...

, A. T. Mann and Martin Schulman, also explored similar concepts without employing the specific term Evolutionary Astrology. According to Forrest, Evolutionary Astrology is "the fusion of humanistic psychology on one hand with ancient

on the other hand. We assume, as we look at a chart in the evolutionary context, that the person has this

birth chart A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an ast ...

for a reason ... and that built into your chart is a description of what we might think of as an evolutionary predicament or a

karmic Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

predicament — a set of illusions that you have, a set of issues you may have, things you need to work on, things that can trip you up ... and then most importantly, the birth chart will describe 'the medicine' ... a kind of experiential recipe that you can follow in order to optimally empower yourself, heal the wounded places in your

psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή). Psyche may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

, and get on with your journey." Forrest calls Evolutionary Astrology "utterly practical, utterly testable," and "the ''most'' verifiable form of astrology that I have ever encountered." In a 2009 interview with astrologer and

All Music Guide AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

founder Michael Erlewine, Forrest stated that "When astrologers hear that Evolutionary Astrology is about

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrectio ...

, they often react as if it must all be woo-woo. Actually it is a very hard-hitting form of

: intense, but compassionate. And imminently verifiable in the present-tense of people’s lives."

Actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

Robert Downey Jr. has praised Forrest's work with Evolutionary Astrology, saying “I marvel at the accuracy of Steven’s readings. He insists that nothing is so grave as to be beyond repair, and correspondingly that there is no rainbow that won’t be evaporated by poor judgment in the now. I can’t recommend him highly enough.”

Position on fate

Forrest takes a radical position on the nature of fate and

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...

within the field of astrology. Forrest states that "I unabashedly preach the primacy of free will in shaping our experience. In some more 'deterministic' astrological circles, this is blasphemy. I am personally confident that we humans are capable of changing ourselves, capable of evolution. None of us is limited to a 'nature' that is cast in stone by the positions of the planets. As we change ourselves, we make different choices and thus create different futures." Commenting on his strong emphasis on choice and free will, ''

O, The Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

'' declared that "Forrest's approach . . . stops the blame game in its tracks. . . we're warriors fulfilling our turbulent evolutionary paths."Glock, Allison. "Resentment Rising." ''O, The Oprah Magazine''. March 2002. p. 206.

Bibliography

Books

*''The Inner Sky: How to Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life''. 2nd. ed. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 1984/2007 *''The Changing Sky: Creating Your Future with Transits, Progressions and Evolutionary Astrology''. 2nd. ed. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 1986/2008 *''The Night Speaks: A Meditation on the Astrological World View''. San Diego: ACS Publications. 1993 *''The Book of Pluto: Finding Wisdom in Darkness with Astrology''. 2nd ed. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 1995/2013 *''Stalking Anubis''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2002 *''Yesterday's Sky: Astrology and Reincarnation''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2008/2012 *''The Book of the Moon: Discovering Astrology's Lost Dimension''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2010 *''The Book of Neptune''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2016 *''The Book of Fire: The Life-Givers''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2018 *''The Book of Earth: Making it Real''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2019 *''The Book of Air: The Art of Paying Attention''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2020 *''The Book of Water: Healing, Regeneration and Recovery''. Borrego Springs: Seven Paws Press. 2020

Articles

*"The Bright (and Cloudy) Dawn of a New Age." ''The Sun''. May 1980 *"Fate and Freedom: A Middle Path." ''The Mountain Astrologer''. February 1997 *"Electional Astrology: The Fine Art of Seizing the Moment." ''The Mountain Astrologer''. March 2001 *"Astrology and Reincarnation." ''The Mountain Astrologer''. August 2005 *"The New Solar System." ''The Mountain Astrologer''. August 2007 *"The Out of Bounds Moon." ''The Mountain Astrologer''. June 2010

As co-author or contributor

* * * * * *

References

External links

*
Forrest Center for Evolutionary AstrologyInterview with Steven Forrest and Marc JonesLecture: The Future of AstrologyAn Astrological Renaissance?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest, Steven (astrologer) 1949 births Living people 20th-century astrologers 21st-century astrologers American astrologers Writers from Mount Vernon, New York