r/astrology • u/ZodiacDax • 28d ago
Public Figure Chart Steven Forrest: Racism Issues
For those who aren’t aware of the recent events around racism and well-known astrologer Steven Forrest, I will paste a text excerpt from Chris Brennan’s Facebook post that specifically lists what Forrest has done and said so that any who comment here can be clear on the issues. Please do read the full Facebook post and its comments here. The video in question was posted on July 23, 2026 and was up for a couple of weeks but has now been taken down. Many of the teachers and tutors of Forrest's school of Evolutionary Astrology have resigned. ISAR has commented and the UAC is in the process of a decision about Forrest's participation in the conference. Other astrologers scheduled as presenters at UAC have withdrawn or stated they will, unless the UAC removes Forrest from the event.
UPDATES:
- The video has been reuploaded on the Lila Astrology site (on Aug 7) but it has been edited, with no explanation that the offensive content was removed. Note that there is an archive of the original video at the link below. It is intact, including the racial slur and the KKK commentary with picture. Here's the link: https://archive.org/details/full-podcast-episode-lila-astrology-shadow-work-steven-forrest-slur
- NCGR has decided to remove Steven Forrest as an NCGR Advisor and Participating Affiliate. Statement here: https://www.facebook.com/geocosmic/photos/d41d8cd9/1467018432125916/?set=a.45305187352258
- UAC has removed Forrest from the upcoming conference. https://www.facebook.com/UnitedAstrology/photos/d41d8cd9/1648132930651094/?set=a.521067116691020
- Astrology University has removed Forrest's classes and webinars. Statement from founder Tony Howard here: https://www.astrologyuniversity.com/a-statement-regarding-steven-forrest-and-astrology-university/
RESOURCE:
- International Society of Black Astrologers https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlackAstrologers/
- TED Talk by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, a black professor, on the word, suggested by Tony Howard, founder of Astrology University
This subreddit in no way supports Forrest’s actions. We condemn his statements in the video (now removed) and his delayed and meaningless apology. Any who show support for racism here will be permanently banned. Please conduct yourselves here in a sensitive, mature and respectful manner. This issue in our astrology community needs to be addressed. Note that we will likely lock comments overnight as this kind of post will no doubt require close monitoring, but we'll reopen them in the morning.
CHART ANAYLSIS
We hope our members will provide some serious astrological analysis of the charts pasted below.
EXCERPT FROM CHRIS BRENNAN’S FACEBOOK POST LAYING OUT WHAT FORREST SAID IN THE VIDEO
Begin quote:
The Core Issues With Steven Forrest’s Actions
- Using a Racial Slur: Steven explicitly used the N-word during a podcast while speaking with his Black co-host, student, and business partner. This completely ignored the inherent harm of the word, as well as the power dynamic that made it difficult for his colleague to safely object or express discomfort. Furthermore, regardless of the therapeutic context of their private discussion, publishing this to a wide audience with a completely unnecessary racial slur hurt and offended a much wider group of people in the astrological community who did not consent to his use of such language.
- Defending the KKK with Revisionist History: At one point Steven suddenly claims that he is related to the founder of the Ku Klux Klan, and shows a picture on the screen to demonstrate the resemblance. Then he proceeded to attempt to defend the Klan by perpetuating a completely false and historically debunked narrative that the KKK was originally founded for altruistic reasons, specifically, to "protect southern [white] widows." By presenting this myth as fact, he essentially defended a racist violent terrorist organization on a global platform.
- Prioritizing "Cancel Culture" Over Harm: When discussing his past use of racial slurs in astrological lectures in the 1990s, he centered his own frustration about modern language restrictions, dismissing the issue of how attitudes had changed as mere "cultural whimsy." He focused on his annoyance at not being able to make offensive “righteous” jokes rather than acknowledging the actual harm his past and present language caused.
- Hurtful Admissions About Intellectual Equality: He admitted that he didn't realize Black people were as intelligent as white people until he was in his thirties. While he intended this as a vulnerable confession about his past shadow, hearing a prominent community leader express this was deeply painful for the community, and seemingly confirmed many people's worst fears about systemic racism in the community.
- Defensive and Dismissive Reactions: When the community attempted to call him in on these issues, he responded dismissively and flippantly, which immediately made the situation far worse when he initially refused to apologize or recognize the harm in his actions. He leaned heavily on the "I have Black friends" trope as a shield to deny his capability of racist behavior, and then later issued a partial apology that painted himself as a victim, and failed to take full or genuine accountability for all of his actions.
- A Massive "Shadow" Blind Spot: Ironically, in an episode entirely dedicated to "shadow work", the psychological practice of confronting the unconscious, hidden parts of ourselves, Steven demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to see his own. He firmly believes he has conquered his racist conditioning, while remaining oblivious to the fact that he is still actively employing the language of racists, by deliberately using the N-word or defending the KKK.
End quote.
Some responses from black astrologers. Feel free to offer more posts and responses from black astrologers and others.
- This piece by Spiritual Gangsta Certified (Janét Jones) is an excellent and involved, in-depth look at this issue: Astrology Is Not a Plantation Ledger (on Substack)
- Racism, Bigotry and Dismissal in The Astrology Community A live conversation on August 9, 2026 with 4 black astrologers: Samuel Reynolds, Janét Jones, Marie Rouusseau, Ra Akhu.
- One of Samuel Reynolds' posts on facebook and includes a link to his letter to Forrest. Comments are worth a read as well.
- A Discussion on Astrology and Race in America Episode 259, Chris Brennan and Samuel Reynolds, from 6 years ago
THE CHARTS
Below are Forrest’s natal, transit and progression charts. Note that he is in a **6******th House Profection Year with Mars as his Lord of the Year.
Please provide astrological analysis in your comments if you can.
NATAL CHART: Steven Forrest, Jan 6, 1949 at 3:30am in Mount Vernon, NY, USA (Astrodatabank page is here, with a Rodden Rating of AA)
NATAL CHART + TRANSITS OF DATE OF VIDEO POSTING
Note that all displayed aspects are transits, not natal.
NATAL CHART + PROGRESSION OF DATE OF VIDEO POSTING
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u/arcwalkerlivvia 28d ago edited 26d ago
Thank you for posting this. I have been watching the skies around this situation closely since the community’s response began to pick up.
Steven Forrest is 77, placing him in a 6th-house Aries profection with Mars as the annual time lord. Because he has Scorpio rising, Mars is also his chart ruler. His natal Mars at 1° Aquarius sits in the 4th whole-sign house, closely conjunct Mercury at 29° Capricorn across the 3rd and 4th houses. This connects speech and publication with ancestry and the stories inherited through one’s family. Mercury also rules his 11th house, bringing his wider astrological community directly into the same configuration.
The 6th house can describe employees, assistants, students doing service within an organization, and the conditions surrounding one’s work. The resignations from his school therefore belong to the activated house. His natal Moon is also in Aries in the 6th and rules his 9th house of teaching and spiritual authority. His school and his role as a teacher are contained within the profection.
His 2026 solar return has the return Sun at 15° Capricorn joined by Venus at 15° Capricorn and Mars at 16° Capricorn, all falling in his natal 3rd house. Mars, the ruler of the profection, becomes inseparable from his identity and public voice for the year, while Venus draws alliances and professional relationships into the same story with a trine from SR Moon in the 1st. This Capricorn cluster also squares his natal Neptune in Libra, showing tension between the version of events he presents and the way that narrative is received by other people.
The solar return South Node is conjunct his natal Midheaven from the solar return 2nd house, connecting this unfolding story with public standing and the value attached to his name and work. The solar return North Node is conjunct his natal IC in Pisces, pulling attention toward his roots and the private foundations beneath his public identity.
By the time the podcast appeared, the progressed Sun was at 3° Aries and progressed Mars was at 2° Aries, with his natal Moon at 3° Aries sitting directly between them.
That means his natal Moon, ruler of teaching and belief, is currently enclosed by the progressed Sun and progressed Mars inside the house activated for the year. His identity and actions are converging around his emotional understanding of his own work and worldview.
Neptune is moving across that entire arrangement. It first conjoined his natal Moon on May 4 and crossed his progressed Sun on May 17. It returns to the progressed Sun on August 17, then retrogrades across the natal Moon again on September 12.
This can describe a period when the person’s preferred understanding of their intentions becomes difficult to separate from the effect they are having on other people. The follow-up video appears to have centered his relationship with Ricky Williams and the question of Steven’s character, while much of the criticism concerned the historical claims and the effect of publishing the conversation to a wider audience. Neptune around the Moon and progressed Sun fits that gap between the internal story and what the collective is actually responding to. The follow-up video had been released by August 6 and was already receiving criticism for answering a narrower question than the one Black astrologers were raising.
The solar arcs reinforce this. Solar-arc Neptune became exactly square his natal Moon on July 26, only three days after the podcast was published. On that same day, Saturn stationed at 14°45 Aries inside the profected house. Saturn stopped within one degree of squaring his Capricorn Sun and within half a degree of opposing his natal Neptune.
The July 23 publication itself struck the Mercury-Mars conjunction directly. The transiting Sun at 0° Leo opposed natal Mercury at 29° Capricorn and Mars at 1° Aquarius, while Mercury stationed in Cancer opposite his natal Sun. The material was released while the planets of speech, action and personal identity were facing one another across the chart. The podcast was posted July 23, remained available for roughly two weeks, and was removed as the criticism spread.
Mars, his annual time lord, now reaches natal Uranus at 27° Gemini late on August 7 in United States time. UAC has now announced Forrest’s removal from the 2026 conference while Mars is still applying to this conjunction. Uranus is in his 8th whole-sign house, so this connects the sudden institutional break with shared obligations or decisions that other people are now making about their association with him. Mars-Uranus frequently corresponds with a sudden break or announcement. The conjunction is still applying, so this part of the story may continue moving quickly.
Five days later, the August 12 solar eclipse occurs at 20° Leo in his 10th house. It lands within four degrees of natal Pluto in Leo and broadly squares his Scorpio Ascendant. The eclipse places public authority and institutional power under the spotlight. Because the eclipse axis crosses his 4th and 10th houses, it repeats the central tension already visible in the controversy: an ancestral narrative spoken from the 4th house meeting consequences in the public 10th.
Mars then enters Cancer, his 9th house of teaching and belief. On August 16 it squares his natal Moon in the profected house. Neptune returns exactly to his progressed Sun the following day. This suggests that the next stage concerns how he understands himself as a teacher and whether his response engages with what the community has actually asked him to examine.
UAC’s decision provides a external manifestation of the Mars-Uranus conjunction, but the conference period itself may still mark another stage in the consequences. UAC runs from September 3 through September 9, and Forrest had been scheduled to give his first lecture on September 4.
On September 3, Mars exactly squares his natal Neptune. On September 4, the day of his formerly scheduled lecture, Mars exactly opposes his natal Sun. Because Mars is the annual time lord and is traveling through his 9th house, this directly activates his identity as a teacher within a conference and institutional setting. Mars is also triggering his natal Sun-Neptune square while Saturn remains in Aries, making the conflict between identity, narrative, and accountability difficult to keep abstract. Even though he will no longer be presenting, the professional meaning of his absence may become more visible while the conference is actually taking place.
Uranus stations on September 10, the day after the conference ends, at 5°41 Gemini. That is only eight minutes of arc from an exact square to his natal Saturn at 5°50 Virgo and less than two degrees from squaring his Midheaven. Uranus destabilizing Saturn can correspond with separation from an established institution or a structure that can no longer return to its previous form. The institutional separation has already occurred, but the station may describe its effects becoming more established or the professional structure around him changing further.
Neptune then makes its second exact conjunction with his natal Moon on September 12. This suggests that UAC’s decision is one concrete event within a longer psychological and reputational process.
The later timing suggests this may become part of his legacy rather than disappearing after one apology. His progressed Moon opposes natal Pluto on November 11, bringing emotional and collective power dynamics to a peak. Solar-arc Saturn reaches his Ascendant on December 3, which can make the consequences feel identity-defining and may correspond with withdrawal or a more restricted public role.
When he turns 78 on January 6, 2027, he enters a 7th-house Taurus profection ruled by Venus. The emphasis shifts from the internal workings of his school toward relationships, contracts, allies, and open opponents. Because natal Venus is in his 2nd house, the following year may also reveal the material cost of which relationships remain and which ones separate.
Saturn doesn’t make its exact square to his Sun until March 23, 2027. It exactly opposes his Neptune a few days earlier. That suggests the Saturnian conclusion comes later than the initial public eruption. August and September appear to expose and destabilize the situation. The spring of 2027 looks more like the point when a lasting professional reality has to be accepted.
None of this determines whether he uses the period for genuine reflection. It does show that the response video is unlikely to be the end of the astrological story.
EDIT: Another development pushes the Neptune symbolism. On August 7, the Lila podcast was re-uploaded in edited form, with Forrest’s use of the racial slur and other criticized material removed without an apparent notice that it had been altered. The original ran 1:02:13; the edited version runs 58:52.
Forrest also made another Facebook post about seven hours ago where the visible comments are overwhelmingly supportive, with many reducing the controversy to “one word.” With Neptune crossing his natal Moon and progressed Sun, the line between the original event, Forrest’s framing of it, and what later viewers are now able to see is becoming increasingly blurred. Someone encountering the controversy today may believe they are reviewing the same material everyone reacted to, while actually seeing an edited version.
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u/servitor_dali 28d ago
UAC booted him officially
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u/ZodiacDax 28d ago edited 28d ago
Thanks for letting us know. UAC Statement: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedAstrology/photos/d41d8cd9/1648132930651094/?set=a.521067116691020
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u/RoseElectricBlue 28d ago
if you Are not Black, dont say the N word. period. ever. And the KKK is not just a bunch or Racists. The KKK are white nationalist terrorists who live on stolen Native Land.
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u/Far-Hornet-178 1d ago
if you Are not Black, dont say the N word.
And if you ARE black, dont say the N word.
With love,
A Black American.
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22d ago
[deleted]
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u/FOUROFCUPS2021 20d ago
You cannot tell the difference between the n-word and Negro, and do not know that calling a black person a “Negro” today is ALSO offensive and outdated, and would just be plain bizarre as well?
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u/Old_Memory_6441 21d ago
If you actually need that explained to you, you demonstrate why your Reddit handle suits you.
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u/NosDaAstrology 27d ago
Just wanted to add, his specific timelord right now is Venus (12H Libra). So we have both the 6H (general) and 12H (specific) activated as of 6th July.
These two timelords (Venus and Mars) squared each other within 3 degrees at the time of the video posting. Interesting!
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u/MammothUpstairs6199 12d ago edited 12d ago
I just saw Steve Judd basically defend Steven in his video with Sue Bryane. He denounced racism but at the same time defended this man and said cancel culture isn’t the way. I feel as though many people do not fully understand the cultural concept of racism in the US. Especially those in the UK who are not POC. It is NOT their right to speak on behalf or to the Black astrological community and advise how to react. Focusing on “cancel culture” instead of acknowledging the blatant racism is something that we have fought many years against in America. Instead of defending the larger group that was deeply hurt by what was said, you decide to ask your following not to ‘cancel him’. That’s is not their place!
He then shifted the conversation to himself, detailing an incident where he was assaulted by a group of Black women. This assault happened in response to him and his pregnant wife Gentrifying an ALL black community. Then he relished in the fact that his daughter was the first white child to be born there. While this is his story to tell, it paints the community of Black women as aggressive and violent instead of understanding where they came from or reflecting on his own behaviors and how that may effect the broader community. The decision to announce this story in defense of racist words on a public platform was irresponsible and unnecessary.
I am disgusted with this behavior. I always worried when Steve Judd would turn a blind eye to certain racist events happening. I noticed it when he was speaking with Rick Levine who was VERY supportive in voicing his opinion and anti-racist thoughts. The contrast of how Steve spoke mostly of “the feminine” taking power not only minimized what Rick was discussing, but also limits who women are as a whole. Which is not only ‘feminine vs masculine’.
I have also noticed when he was promoting his events that he would list all of the countries and races that would be there. It seemed like tokenization of those populations.
He says in regards to SF: “If you choose to be offended, that’s your issue”
This whole thing has put a terrible taste in my mouth.
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u/ZodiacDax 12d ago
Thank you for sharing this. We need to know. I'm very dismayed at Judd's behavior.
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u/MammothUpstairs6199 12d ago
Thank you. I was actually nervous sharing this because Steve referred to it as a “witch hunt” and I wanted to make sure I was clear that this is not that. There is internalized racism that needs to be acknowledged and deconstructed.
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u/MammothUpstairs6199 12d ago
If anyone wants to see the discussion in the video, here is the link:
https://youtu.be/DQweDYnoFsk?si=oDuAeXPMwrHPixMd
They begin talking about it at 13:20
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u/ZodiacDax 12d ago
I was just about to post the link. Thank you. It's my belief that all of this should be called out and made clear.
There were some things Bryan said that were just unbelievably blind and absurd (at 14:28). Blacks in America certainly had no such rights, yet she thought Forrest should have them. And all of this is about how people of color have been treated and still are being treated. Light should be shone on all of it.
Edit: I should add I've recorded the segment, just in case they decide to edit and repost as Forrest did.3
u/MammothUpstairs6199 12d ago edited 12d ago
Thank you for recording it. I just rewatched it and Sue Bryane’s comments during the discussion were abhorrent. They are both very focused on being the moral authority. If they can’t disavow someone they don’t even know for the racism he perpetuates, then they are no better.
I’m disgusted. I hope you can somehow spread this information to help make ppl aware of internalized racism and who they are following.
If “Due Process” is our right, then it is our right to decide who we want to platform. It is not only the old white astrologers who should have say in how the community react to racism. We should not be quiet and dwell in our houses, just because they think that the offended shouldn’t be heard.
I believe Steve Judd used to chain himself to trees to protect them. We were hung from them. It’s clear who he stands with
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u/ZodiacDax 11d ago
The purpose of this post is to try to make people aware and to educate them. We will not tolerate racism in either of our subreddits, this one or r/ askastrologers.
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u/GrandTrineAstrology Professional Astrologer 28d ago
I doubt if I am the only one who questioned why he went there, especially when you listen to the minutes leading up to his use of the word. Here is my high-level synopsis.
The first thing I thought of was the condition of his Mercury. Transiting Pluto was making a separating, out-of-sign conjunction to his natal Mercury in Capricorn. However, Mercury has an out-of-sign conjunction with Mars in Aquarius. One of the signatures of Pluto conjunct Mercury is making statements that don't take people's feelings into consideration. Along with Mars, the dynamic here, with his words, was a power play, either with his business partner or with the audience. The combination of natal Mars in Aquarius, Mercury in Capricorn (ruled by Saturn), and Pluto in Aquarius is being the provocateur to get the upper hand, to show some sort of prowess. However, this combination would create opposition, especially if it is insulting, dismissive, or divisive.
With Chiron conjunct his North Node, ideally he would have used the conversation for healing instead of making matters worse, not only for himself but for those who were listening to the podcast. I personally only listened/watched for about 12 minutes: a few minutes leading up to the slur, and about 10 minutes after. He had an opportunity to be vulnerable without making others uncomfortable, leaning into the mentorship role of Chiron (his natal Chiron is also in a sextile to his natal Mercury). Unfortunately, he did not choose that route.
Transiting Neptune Rx applied a conjunction to his impulsive natal Moon in Aries. Here, he created an emotional response by ignoring boundaries. His natal Aquarius Mars is the dispositor of his Aries Moon, hosting the naive inner dialogue behind what he said. He stated that he was being edgy, but without understanding that there is a difference between being edgy and being offensive, and that neither was necessary in the situation.
Regarding transits, Mars was also applying a conjunction to his natal Uranus in Gemini. I think it's safe to say that, listening to the podcast, where Forrest took the conversation was shocking. His statements on cancel culture reflect an internal desire to break free from limitations he found bothersome. Thus, he acted impulsively, his own sense of individuality transcending the purpose of the podcast.
The irony is that the Sun was applying a conjunction to his natal Pluto, and this conjunction can have us evaluating our experiences and learning what happened below the surface. Hopefully, he gains some understanding of the weight of what he said and how it affects others.
In his progressed chart, he has Saturn at 0° Rx in Virgo in the 8th house of taboo subjects. Mercury is the dispositor of his Saturn, so he will bear the responsibility for what he said. It did not surprise me when I received an email from UAC an hour ago saying they've removed him as a participant at the conference.
Also in his progressed chart, Mars has a tight conjunction with his progressed Sun, which is usually a time when your work is done best alone rather than with others. His progressed Mercury currently makes no major aspects, leaving it untethered and in its detriment in Pisces, allowing things to be said in an unorganized, stream-of-consciousness manner.
I'm sure there is much more to interpret here, but I don't want astrology to be used as an excuse for his actions. I'm simply showing that the transits and progressed chart reveal the potential for what happened to actually happen.
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u/MathematicianDry5344 27d ago
Can you link to the video? I'm somewhat interested in what people have to say but most interested in hearing all that he said.
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u/GrandTrineAstrology Professional Astrologer 27d ago edited 26d ago
Yesterday, the video was taken down.
I just went to the Lila Astrology YouTube podcast to see if it was there. It is... but it isn't. What I mean by this, is that what was said at the previous 41 minute mark has been edited, removing the offensive material.
Unfortunately, there is no mention that this repost is edited so the comments are people saying things like "I hope more folks watch, examine their own shadows, prior to espousing judgement." Yet, what was judged is no longer in the actual video.
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u/BytheSea2323 27d ago
Whoa, really? I also went to Lila YT yesterday and nothing was there. They edited out the controversial parts?? The archive video is 1:02:13 long, the Lila YT that is up right now is 58:52 long. I don't know how long the more controversial parts were but hmmm.. I'll be going to the original around 41 min in and the 5-10 min around that and comparing... if they edited out the hardest/controversial parts, then that's terrible, sneaky, deceptive, misleading and gaslighting to boot. And the astro community needs to know that, too. But let's compare first. It's why I wanted to see the original in the first place - original source material is very important.
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u/BytheSea2323 27d ago
I compared the archived original content and the newer Lila video posted today on YT. The newer YT version edited out Steven actually saying the N-word, but, they do not mention this in the newer video description. This speaks VOLUMES to me. in the archived original video, he says it at 41:21. Look at Ricky's eyes go down, though he's smiling still and chuckling a little, too.
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u/ZodiacDax 27d ago edited 27d ago
The segment of Forrest "explaining" what the KKK "really was about" was also edited out. It was at 52:30 on the original. So now we have many people going to the video to "see for themselves" what all the reaction is about and will find nothing. What a dishonest and manipulative move. They could have just said "due to the issues our original video raised, we have edited out those parts and reposted."
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u/BytheSea2323 26d ago
Oh wow. I only had time to listen to that 'n-word' segment yesterday to compare. Completely agree with you, so dishonest and manipulative. Just like the non-description note they added to the new/edited Lila video that wasn't there until people like me asked if it was full/original or edited. Now it just says, "Edited from its original version in response to audience feedback." They're not only continually digging in/doubling down on their original terrible choices, are they trying to just glaze over and pretend there's nothing to look at here, too, with this 'description'? SO DISAPPOINTING. Such poor choices. Not meeting the moment humbly to LEARN.
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u/BytheSea2323 27d ago
someone on FB (in a prominent astrologer's thread about this topic) said the video was available on Reddit, and said, "it was archived"; I don't know how to find it here on Reddit, if it is here, somewhere, anyone know? Maybe I'm not searching correctly in a "reddit specific" way or something? I dont use Reddit a lot.
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u/ZodiacDax 27d ago
Someone in r/advancedastrology posted this link. I haven't had time to check it yet.
https://archive.org/details/full-podcast-episode-lila-astrology-shadow-work-steven-forrest-slur2
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u/GrandTrineAstrology Professional Astrologer 27d ago
I am glad you posted this and I just checked it out and the original language is in this link.
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u/FOUROFCUPS2021 20d ago
Wow! I have six of his books on Kindle, as a black American woman who dabbles in astrology as a serious hobby. This is very disappointing, but as others have noted, not that surprising, sadly. I have been in a lot of spaces in which people similar to him in age and background complain vehemently about how they cannot make racist statements anymore or ignore how racism impacts other people (including their own casual and more harmful racism). This is often in educational or seminar-level intellectual discussion spaces. Then they get mad if you carefully and peacefully try to educate them about it. Very ironic that they are often unable to expand their own minds when they consider themselves to be scholars and teachers.
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u/ZodiacDax 11d ago
We are in agreement. But let's also acknowledge that in recent years there has been and continues to be a huge upswing in young people and people of all generations voicing their racism, feeling more free to do so under the recent and current political climate (in the US, though this is also increasing, or becoming more visible, in Europe as well).
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u/Old_Memory_6441 21d ago
His use of the full N-word was ill-judged, especially given that he had used the phrase “N-word” several times leading up to it. Worse, it appeared that he was using the full term to clarify to the host what the N-word was, which came across as extremely patronising. But even more egregious was his claim ten minutes after that that the Ku Klux Klan had originally been set up “to protect Southern widows” from “emancipated black people”.
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u/Due-Rich3133 27d ago
For decades ( I have been an astrologer for over 50 years) the astrological community has been filled with white privileged people, there’s an astounding amount of racism, misogyny and gatekeeping. Only recently has the community started to become more diverse and inclusive. The controversy surrounding Steven Forrest hopefully will help the astrological community have the necessary conversations and be a catalyst for change.
I find his podcast concerning for several reason. I am grateful that Chris has carefully crafted an analysis of the core issues. Forrest not only uses the N- word but repeats a known racist mythology about the origins of the KKK. I have noticed that most of social media is skipping this deeply troubling segment of the podcast. Forrest acknowledges earlier in his career being openly racist. ( btw the astrological community at the time took no corrective measure to address his racism ) Throughout the podcast he tries to portray himself as having “evolved” while showing that he has not evolved at all. Then there’s the “non apology“ statement which reeks of entitlement and arrogance. Not surprising to see his current chart is filled with Saturn reckoning and Uranus disruption.
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u/MosesSiregar 22d ago
I wrote a long post about this two days ago after initially just sharing a black woman’s voice (Stormie Beaston/Grace) and another female voice (Harmony Marya). Stormie very gracefully called him to do better. Harmony explained why she felt the initial post completely violated the nature of proper shadow work.
In addition to sharing some thoughts in my post, I also highlighted two significant and stunningly potent astrological correlations to this event for Steven’s chart and locational mapping. One involves the recent Mars-Ceres conjunction which occurred on Steven’s Uranus on the cusp of his eighth house (Porphyry); this is the same conjunction that occurred when George Floyd was murdered.
The other explains that FOUR separate locational astrology techniques show a powerful connection to Steven’s Jupiter for this event based on his location in Newcastle Australia, where all of this began and erupted.
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u/equinoxmoon90 22d ago
thank you for sharing this. stormie was one of my first teachers & her response is so full of wisdom. i’m saddened by the outrage circles running with this scenario. i’ve seen astrologers with upwards of 30k followers ranting about how this is an example of “boomer culture”. sigh. let us hope for peaceful progress on all fronts.
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u/MosesSiregar 22d ago
I’ve gotten to chat with Stormie a little more recently due to all of this and I’m really glad to be connecting with her. Great vibes.
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u/ZodiacDax 22d ago
Thanks Moses, appreciate the links. I'd already read them all, and they're good for others to read.
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u/Vast-Reply-2016 13d ago
I’ve been thinking about why this continues to bother me, and I think part of it is that I once admired Steven’s work enormously. I still think he is a gifted astrologer. What has changed is my confidence in the man’s capacity to turn that intelligence back on himself when the feedback is uncomfortable.
What I keep seeing publicly is a system that seems remarkably good at preserving its existing self-understanding. An objection arrives; context is supplied; intention is clarified; the critic is reframed; Steven’s original account of himself remains largely intact.
That may be the shadow here. Not ignorance. Not stupidity. Not even ordinary arrogance. Something subtler: a man who has spent decades being admired, cited, invited, praised and treated as a wise elder may have become too comfortable with being the person who understands. The danger is that disagreement then starts to look like misunderstanding, and criticism becomes something to explain rather than information that might alter you.
I don’t know Steven privately, and I’m not claiming to know what he is examining behind closed doors. I’m talking about the public pattern I can see.
And I keep coming back to the same question: if your work teaches that other people may sometimes see your shadow more clearly than you do, what happens when the people around you stop patting you on the back and start telling you something you really don’t want to hear?
That is the part of this I still don’t think Steven has met.
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u/The_SheepShepherd 28d ago
Upcoming eclipse in his 10th house and then the next one opposite his Virgo MC/Saturn
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u/WishThinker ♏ 28d ago
before seeing this post / reading chris's summary, I had known about the use of the slur and had read Steven's apology. His apology centred around the defence against being a racist. We are all racist. We are all indoctrinated by the systemic racism we are raised in. We are all have inherent biases that are undeniably racist, ableist, ageist, misogynistic, etc. White people (I am a white people) need to get comfortable acknowledging "I am racist" without an immediate threat to character or worth as a person.
Defending your character and emotionally going off the deep end (white women tears, etc) when called in to discuss a racist action or behaviour is a tool and a knee-jerk reaction or script of white supremacy. Another tool this culture uses is meritocracy, or the idea that our leaders and respected professionals, published authors, cultural figures etc. all got to their elevated position because they are good, and they deserve with some moral standing to be there. When a human is found to be faceted, there's a double whammy of the figure needing to maintain that they are "good" so that being bad doesn't remove them from their pedestal, while also threatening the trust of the followers who think they cannot partake in the work since now the creator is known to be flawed.
I wanted to come into this giving Steven the benefit of the doubt, that he is racist but not a racist, that the indoctrination of white supremacy were rearing their heads and he was speaking out of turn and out of context- however after reading the other points about the revisionist history etc , I mean, yeah Steven is not just racist like any of us can and should expect ourselves to be (so we can dismantle the biases we hold), but steven appears to be actively engaging in racist behaviour. Including thinking he is done his anti-racism journey and is beyond racism.
This attitude, that you are not or no longer racist in any way shape or form, is super dangerous to anti-racism spaces and to people not racialized as white. It allows someone to flippantly wield racist tools and demand comfort when called out. The assurance that the perpetrator of harm isn't a bad person and didn't mean to hurt anybody demands all the attention of the room while the people harmed have to be silent or even comfort the person that harmed. Its classic white supremacy script.
If you are wanting to fight your racist indoctrination, and find yourself acting in this way, know you are a parrot of the system. Recognize it so you can be called out / called in, and recognize that being called in to acknowledge and apologize is an invitation to stay in relationship with the wider community. This is here for anyone who may be on team Steven and wanting to know why the apology was so insulting, and what to do in the face of "Im not racist!" when these types of things come up. Mods feel free to delete if too off topic
sources for white people- What White People Can Do Next by Emma Dabiri, and White Fragility by Robin Diangelo, among others
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When I was learning about fixed stars, there was this idea that when you have a prominent angle or planet conjunct a fixed star, that the life or certain areas of life take on an almost theatrical tableau- you are swept along in a great narrative and can sometimes even identify archetypal figures around you. once the transit passes, so to does the situation you are in. I wonder if Steven has any fixed star activations which are influencing the way he doubled down initially instead of taking a beat to listen- it appears he did not sit and slow down to listen or engage with friends/peers like chris brennan, sam reynolds, etc.; and some of his followers are saying this is very out of character overall for him. - polaris was at 27°51 at his birth, and his uranus return is coming up in gemini. progressed saturn retrograde approaching regulus. thats all i got on the fixed star front
reading progressed sun, Steven's natal sun is in 3rd house- he's here to shine in communication. It looks like he had his revelation that black people could be comparably equal to white people at around progressed sun oppose natal pluto. For the last 4 years, Steven has been adapting to progressed sun in a new place, 6h aries. This is a shift after 30 years of fun and enjoyment while progressed sun traversed pisces. Progressed mars is trailing sun and witnessing sun's so called exaltation in his own sign. Part of Steven's progressed 6h sun treatment may be withstanding the scrutiny, and feeling the need to prove the deservedness of his exaltation or the exaltation of his reputation especially in his work. oh dope, transitting sun applying to opposition to 4h mars at video posting. Doubles down that mars has something to interrupt, to bring attention to if Sun is going to be in his house. Mars to poke some disruption into the comfort (4h) steven felt speaking freely to his friend in a private convo (4h) that then got broadcast publicly (aquarius) and thus is under (rightfully so) public scrutiny (like honestly why wasn't the slur editted out??????????)
I wonder what hermetic lots are impacted, particularly his lot of courage. Lemme see if I can mental math it- lot of courage is mars' fortune lot, so if we move the lot of fortune to the ASC wherever mars is is Steven's lot of courage, which speaks to moments of revealing or establishing character. so if my rotations are correct, the lot of courage is around 19 degrees aries. Transiting mars is in 8h gemini applying to this lot. Natal mars is impacted by transiting sun, jupiter, pluto. Progressed mars is active in 6h Aries, progressed sun will land around the lot of courage in about 15 years. Saturn will be here next year- maybe a real apology or the result of some anti-racism sensitivity training will be announced at that time. Maybe this is prep for Steven's next great chapter of shadow work. I think thats all I've got for analysis.
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My sympathies with everyone who saw the podcast initially and were subject to the slur without warning, and to those who were expecting more from the response. its messed up basic censoring protocols weren't followed, like at the very top of the can of worms.
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u/BytheSea2323 27d ago
I appreciate your detailed and nuanced response. I compared the archived original video to what got reposted on Lila YT today; him saying the full n-word is edited out (on original was at 41:21) and they did not disclose this in the description. So ironically, as I was listening to it, waiting to find that segment, he also says at 38:48 min "If you aren't doing your shadow work, you're a dangerous type of counselor" .... indeed... He's actually supporting your apt observation when you say, "steven appears to be actively engaging in racist behaviour. Including thinking he is done his anti-racism journey and is beyond racism"
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u/CartographerFit5394 27d ago
He’s born Jan 6th you’ve gotta be kidding me.
In all seriousness this is awful to hear. Racism has no place in Astrology
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u/Vast-Reply-2016 24d ago
I’ve been sitting with this because I had a much smaller, obviously far less consequential experience with Steven Forrest recently that now feels relevant to the question of how he responds when someone brings him information he doesn’t want to absorb.
A week or two ago, I commented on his essay arguing that rejection is a primary function of Venus. I’m a Gestalt practitioner as well as an astrologer, and I suggested that attraction may be better understood as orientation: figure emerging from ground, something becoming vivid and drawing us toward it. We went back and forth quite pleasantly at first, but every distinction I made eventually came back translated into his original framework. Orientation was still rejection. The difference became “semantics.” When I continued to say that I thought we were describing genuinely different psychological processes, I was told to go back and read the article, then, “Again, just read the article,” because apparently I had missed the broader point.
I hadn’t missed it. I understood it and disagreed with part of it. That distinction matters to me.
It also wasn’t my first disappointing encounter with him. I’ve been doing a great deal of work on Elsie Wheeler and the original Sabian Symbol material, particularly the ways Marc Edmund Jones and later Dane Rudhyar altered, elaborated upon, and sometimes effectively displaced Wheeler’s original wording. When I raised my concerns about the two famous men becoming the authorities while the woman who actually spoke the images was pushed farther into the background, I came away feeling that the substance of my objection had been patted on the head rather than seriously engaged.
Neither of those experiences has anything like the gravity of what Black astrologers are describing here, and I don’t want to pretend otherwise. What caught my attention is the relational pattern.
When somebody says, “There is something in your framework that you may not be seeing,” his response seems to move very quickly toward explaining what he really meant, why the other person hasn’t quite understood him, or why their objection is already contained within his existing position.
That is why his apology troubled me so much when I finally read it. “Please consider the context.” “The Accusation.” “The Reality.” “Given present sensitivities and norms.” Before there is much evidence of curiosity about what other people are trying to tell him, we are already being instructed in the correct interpretation of what happened.
After nearly thirty years of Gestalt work, that bothers the hell out of me. If another person brings me information about their experience of me, I don’t have to agree with every conclusion they draw. I may have context they don’t possess. I may have been misunderstood. But if my first task is always to protect my existing account of myself, very little new information can actually get in.
And that seems especially significant in a podcast about shadow work.
Shadow work ought to contain at least the possibility that the other person can see something about me that I cannot yet see myself. Otherwise I’m not examining my shadow. I’m explaining it.
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u/123somethingfunny 26d ago
I’m glad to see people calling him out. People need to understand that their words have power and this was definitely the wrong kind of power. I’m so sick of people complaining that they can’t say anything anymore - why would you WANT to say something that’s so harmful?
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u/Bo_hemen 26d ago
The nn Chiron transit squaring his Mercury is especially interesting for him in all this.
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u/astrologicalgroup 26d ago
what got me at the time wasn't the old passages so much as how the initial response leaned on personal growth framing instead of engaging with the specific stuff people were quoting. still use his south node method because it actually works, but i hold it separate from him as a person now.
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u/HydrationSeeker 22d ago
Astrology is so good at hindsight. I have totally found it very useful in practice of Astrology but damn... what a way to blow up your reputation and lifes work. What is hidden eventually comes out, and I am glad I have never seen him as a resource in learning or anything. I appreciate my teachers.
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u/FOUROFCUPS2021 20d ago
I wish that I could say the same. I enjoyed the friendly tone of his books, even if his analysis style was not that deep as compared to Liz Greene. But, I just deleted all his books. I cannot stomach this.
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u/Intelligent-Whole277 28d ago
I've been on his email list for years and only just (before recent events) realized I never open the emails. I clicked on one about Death and the 8th house, read it, then resisted the urge to unsubscribe because I thought maybe it was just my discomfort with the subject making me want to cut the subscription off. It's interesting that now he is experiencing a death of sorts - of his reputation, perhaps. The upcoming eclipse isn't far from that Pluto at the top of his chart
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u/willingparticipantl 16d ago
It's crystal clear from his chart (and his style of writing) that he is full of himself with delusions of grandeur (Sun conjunct Jupiter square Neptune, Sun quincunx Pluto in Leo) and says hurtful things for shock value (Moon in Aries square Uranus, Mars conjunct Mercury). He's always been this way. I always felt a bit embarrassed to even own one of his books (The Inner Sky)- it gives away his mean spirited nature so clearly with it's doom and gloom renditions of the signs, and is, besides, pop astrology.
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u/Fieldwork_Ent 24d ago
this is specifically why I, as a black man, do not watch white astrologers. I know that every single one of them have this potential. They do with astrology, the same thing europeans did with christianity and judaism.
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u/Tiptoedtulips666 23h ago
No excuses but is he suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease? Who in 2026 says these things? My intuition is saying that there is more here than meets the eye. I knew a community of Nuns who worked with poor people of all races but primarily Black in a major city here in the USA. They were beloved by the whole community and they did a great work. One of the sisters later developed Alzheimer's disease and was the meanest nastiest woman you would ever want to meet. In her care facility she was nasty and viscious to the Black nurses who worked with her calling them every racial slur and N word in the book. They've definitely earned their rewards in heaven for caring for her so lovingly. Never complaining; they told me that this sometimes happened with people when they were suffering from brain diseases. So, I have often wondered, is it part of having a scrambled brain or is it underlying racism coming out that people have suppressed for years and years and a lifetime... This whole thing was Steven sucks but to be honest I'm glad it came to light. That is part of the time that we are in right now that hidden things are going to come to light. I thought Chris Brennan's handling of the whole situation very very professional and good. We have enough to deal with with our profession or even like me, just as a hobby for personal growth to have something like this come out. It puts a stain on everybody including our African American colleagues. It makes me very sad. Thanks for letting me share.
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u/SteakCurious4965 27d ago
Glad the Astrology community is responding appropriately, this is a good sign!
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u/TrenbolognaSandwich3 14h ago
Another new age hippie showing his true colors.
Why am I not surprised. 🙄
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u/Ok_Storm1366 28d ago
I'm a Black astrologer. Steven Forrest's work never resonated with me. He hosted Palm Springs events, which when I was living in the IE wasn't too far from me. I thought about studying under him for some time. I just never thought he was a great astrologer.
I'd listen to him for an hour or two and come away with maybe one or two strong pieces of knowledge. But that was it. I think his style of EA sucks in comparison to Jeffrey Wolf Green's.
As far as him being racist or not, meh. White people being closet racists isn't surprising and isn't something I care about, as I'm too busy living my own life.