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On Steven Forrest, White Privilege, and Personal Accountability

For anyone in my audience who doesn’t already know, Steven Forrest is a very prominent white male astrologer, one who has written many books, spoken at many conferences, contributed to the astrological community for decades, and I myself have recommended his work over the years. 


The episode was removed before I was able to listen to it personally, so I am reiterating what took place based on what I read from multiple people. Last week on a podcast about shadow work, Steven used the full n-word during a conversation with Black male astrologer and former NFL player, Ricky Williams. To my understanding, Steven also misrepresented the history of the KKK, and also admitted to seeing Black people as less intelligent until he was in his thirties. I also understand that according to Steven and Ricky’s response video, the nature of their conversation was very candid and vulnerable.  While Ricky was not and is not upset, many listeners immediately called Steven out for racist behavior. When Steven took to social media to address the issue, he doubled down on his actions and basically said, “I’m not racist because I didn’t mean it in a racist way and also my Black friend wasn’t upset by it.”


If you want more details about what happened, I encourage you to dig into it for yourself, and take in all the different ways different people are responding. What’s happening here is important. 



As a white female astrologer, and as someone who is actively building and providing community within the witchy/astrological space, I think it’s important to let my own audience know my thoughts and process. 


When I first heard about it, I turned toward the Black community—the people who have been and continue to be the most impacted by the use of the n-word and the horrors of racist organizations like the KKK—and specifically read comments and posts shared by Black voices. And I can tell you, you don’t have to look very hard to find waves of the harm that was caused, and WHY it was harmful. Secondly, I examined those defending Steven, and the vast majority are white people, saying that they know Steven Forrest/his work and that he isn’t a racist. And finally, I looked at what Steven himself said in response to the backlash. 


Steven said he was appalled at the upset his words created, and apologized for his lack of judgment, ending his response with, “Cancel me if you want, but don’t call me racist. That’s simply not true.” 


If you actually read and listen to the comments, especially from Black people and Black astrologers, just about every one is calling attention to the fact that this is racist behavior; it may be unconscious, it may be unintentional, but it is an internalized behavior that contributes to normalizing and perpetuating systemic and individual racism. You don’t have to see yourself as a racist or call yourself a racist to engage in racist behavior. That’s the thing about systemic racism–it’s inevitable that we participate in it, and it’s why it’s so important we deconstruct and dismantle it. But the comments are also pointing out that the now much larger issue in this entire ordeal isn’t even just the racist behavior, it’s now Steven’s doubling-down on self-defense and his total lack of accountability. It’s giving Kevin Spacey... (And I mean, Jesus Christ how fucking ironic is that? A lack of accountability on a podcast episode talking about shadow work.)


All of this is to say, from the moment I looked into it, and the more I continue to listen to the many voices, especially Black voices, that speak up about this whole thing, I just think it’s a really disappointingly and unfortunately unsurprising response from a prominent white Boomer figure. Disappointing and unfortunate because I hold Steven to the highest standard here for his decades-long contribution to the astrological community, the principles he has claimed during that time, and especially due to his work with Pluto and the shadow. 


This right here is literally a perfect example in real time of someone rejecting their own shadow and projecting their own shit onto others. And it’s also a really important ongoing example of how crucial it is we don’t simply award our trust and faith to anyone simply because of an illustrious career. 


A successful career and valuable contributions to a field of study don’t and shouldn’t provide you with lifetime immunity from personal growth. How you continue to live in accordance to the principles you preach in that career is how your character is and should be measured. 


Following an episode on SHADOW WORK of all things, this was an opportunity for Steven—who is an evolutionary astrologer btw—to do some inner reflection and external repair. And instead Steven has chosen to defend himself rather than to open up, listen, learn, and then repair from a place of accountable truth. (This is such a strong example of free will. Do you see how the Universe can present us with the opportunity for growth, and we don’t have to take it? That’s what we are seeing here with Steven Forrest. Someone we believe to be a kindhearted person, who is choosing to close their mind to maintain a level of comfort with themselves. I point this out because it can and DOES happen to all of us when we avoid the sting of self-awareness…which is an entire philosophy behind why shadow work is necessary!!)


Steven may not hate Black people, Steven may have very close friends who are Black, but that doesn’t make him immune to internalized racism from centuries of systemic oppression that is wired into the very society we all live and breathe. And if he, and anyone, is really committed to NOT being racist, it starts with turning toward the discomfort of internalized racism, white privilege, and white fragility. It starts with listening to Black voices and prioritizing listening to Black voices. It starts with learning the real history of our country to understand the current lived history of our country. 


“Cancel me if you want, but don’t call me racist.” 


I think cancel culture is an interesting topic of conversation here. To me, there is a difference between holding people accountable for their actions and expecting them to live by the standards they themselves say to uphold, versus bandwagoning a viral social media cause without having any critical thinking or real present participation on your part. 


Cancel culture is in the same category as social media trends, where masses of people blindly flood someone’s comment sections and DMs with hate. Sometimes cancel culture gets it right, but sometimes cancel culture gets it wrong. This, of course, can have very real, very horrifying consequences that can follow a person for the rest of their life or even lead to their death. And this makes sense, because mob mentality is also very real part of human nature that has led to brutality, murder, and genocide. 


Accountability culture, though, is the wave of generations who are no longer making exceptions for someone’s harmful behavior simply because they are famous, prominent, or in a position of power. And the interesting thing is that many of the people who are loudly or quietly against accountability culture—mistaking it and labeling it cancel culture—are among the same people who are calling for systemic change. Who hate our country’s current (dumpster fire of an) administration. Who claim ‘diversity!’ and ‘inclusivity!’ 


We aren’t being inclusive and we aren’t promoting diversity when we’re ignoring and talking over Black voices. 


This is why it’s important to continue observing how this and other issues of its kind are addressed by leaders in every industry. The United Astrology Conference (UAC) did make the decision to remove Steven from their 2026 speaker platform, but their response has also not been without its flaws. Their statement seemed more from a place of professional liability rather than a place of ethics and moral code. The astrological industry is seen largely as a progressive community, but it is not free from systemic racism. And the leaders of our industry should exemplify accountability, humility, and growth. Discussions and statements from other industry leaders like Chris Brennan, Celeste Brooks with Colin Bedell, Chani Nicholas, the International Society for Astrology Research (ISAR), and more have been (Also, how fitting that here, mid-Leo season, we find ourselves discussing what makes a strong leader.)


As a white woman I have hidden behind my privilege, I’ve defended it, I’ve stayed quiet when I shouldn’t have. I come from a much younger, supposed-to-be more progressive generation than Steven Forrest, but I’ve been blind to my own internalized racism. The thing is, everything in the system is set up to get you to ignore it, to get you to defend it, to get you to stay quiet when you shouldn’t. And it’s still our job, as white people, my job as a white woman, to turn toward the discomfort, to open up our mind, to turn our listening ears on, the listen to Black voices, and to prioritize listening to Black voices, so that we can actually do the work to deconstruct and dismantle our racist behaviors and racist thinking. Especially the shadow work, the work with the subconscious. That’s where our internalized fears and rationale live. It takes real, purposeful, intentional turning toward discomfort, turning on awareness, and turning on listening, learning, and allowing for internalizing. 


I’ve got a lot of work I’m doing, as we should be doing—especially white women—and it’s work that will last over the entire course of my lifetime. And in the wake of Steven Forrest’s actions, I would like to take the opportunity to own up to my own harmful behaviors as a white woman and as a white astrologer and witch. Where I didn’t speak up or speak out, where I’ve allowed or remained ignorant to harm, where I’ve benefitted and denied it or defended it. I’m genuinely sorry for any harm I’ve perpetuated myself or as part of the system, especially where I could have been actively repairing and healing. I haven’t used the n-word and I haven’t tried to downplay or defend the origins of the KKK, but I know I’ve benefitted from my white privilege and I know harm has both directly and indirectly stemmed from that. I continue to listen, to learn, and now, to speak up and out. To uplift, to hold space for, and support Black voices and communities of color. 



If you are a white person who appreciates this take, I ask that you use your time you’d spend commenting here on instead following and supporting some incredible Black spiritual/witchy/astrology creators:




And please tag more Black creators in the comments. Our algorithms are so easily whitewashed on every social media platform! 


Buy from Black businesses, support accounts of Black teachers and historians, read the recommended books, do the inner uncomfortable work, and learn from mistakes like we’re seeing from Steven Forrest. Listen, learn, and then actually DO the work of repair.



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