Four Year Program FAQ

The following FAQ has been prepared to help address common questions that arise for students throughout their time in the four year program.

Pass/Fail – Clarification on Grading
What does pass/fail mean? (Hint – it means pass/try again)

We do not use a traditional letter-grade system. Instead, we have a “pass/try again” approach. If your assignment or exam needs a revision, we’ll let you know and give you guidelines for reworking it. You’ll then resubmit. We don’t have a limit on the number of times you can resubmit a homework or course exam. 

Our Learning Management System (LMS) is designed for traditional grading, so when you turn in homework through your course portal, you’ll see a grade. If you have passed the assignment, you’ll see 100%. This means “pass.” If we ask you to rework your assignment, the “grade” will show 0% in the portal and “incomplete” until your revision is accepted. 

Where can I find the schedule?
You can find the current schedule on the curriculum page

Where can I ask questions?
You can ask questions in the discussion area for a course, in the live Q&A sessions, and by email to: [email protected]

Where is the discussion area?
Discussion Areas are at the very top of each course inside the course portal. There is usually a discussion topic listed there to start the conversation going. But you can use this area to ask questions as you are moving through the material as well. 

If you’re working through the material at your own pace or can’t attend the live Q&As, use the Discussion Area to ask questions.

How do the live Q&A sessions work?
Each course has 4 live Q&A sessions. See the schedule inside each course or on the curriculum page of the site. 

You have access to the recordings of past q&a sessions through the following term. Each year we remove the previous year’s Q&A recordings in August for privacy reasons. If you’d like to review them later, make sure to download them as you go. We are not able to provide you with the recorded Q&A sessions past the date we take them off the site. Thank you for your understanding.

You are welcome to attend the live Q&A sessions even if you are behind in your studies.

For technical support or issues using the student portal, email [email protected].

What kind of questions can I ask?
You can ask questions or make comments about anything that you need clarification about regarding the readings or the video lessons. We generally discourage questions that are more like chart reading related to your own chart. But you will be using your chart at different times in the program. We’ll let you know at the time if your question is more appropriate for a personal consult with an astrologer.

Past students have reported that if other students constantly talk about their own charts in the live Q&A sessions, the energy in the room goes down. Consider asking the same question using another chart instead. It can be helpful to get “outside your own chart” for perspective as you’re learning astrology. 

That said, it’s useful to use your own chart as you’re studying. One approach that works in the Q&A sessions is to ask questions that are more about clarification. As an example: “I’m kind of confused about the fifth house because of this line I read in the reading, and my Venus is in the fifth house, and here’s what I think this might mean; does it seem like I’m on track?” That could be a useful question for anyone listening. We’ll just let you know if your question is out of the scope of what we’re able to provide over email or in the live Q&A sessions. 

In the end, there’s a fine balance here in terms of keeping the Q&A sessions interesting for everyone, and we all do our best. Don’t stress over this too much. 

Additional considerations about personal chart questions:
Personal chart questions are sensitive. The student Q&A space is often not the best container for these questions.

To respect you and hold proper space for your process, a therapeutic container is better than a student forum where you’ll receive limited guidance at best. Whether it’s your own chart or that of another person’s, we would never want to distill an important chart feature down to a short description or a quick answer, and to fully explore those dynamics could take a whole hour of the session, which isn’t practical or fair to the other students. 

What house system do you use?
Among our instructors, several house systems are used, including: Koch, Placidus, Whole Sign, Porphyry, Campanus, and Topocentric. We allow students to choose their own house system for homework and exams.

Each of our instructors use different house systems, and we don’t ask them to change their preferred house system for our courses. They will teach based on their professional preference, and so, you will encounter different house systems throughout the coursework.

Please note that the house system used doesn’t change the meaning of the houses. Even though using a different house system could change the house of one of your planets – it doesn’t change the meaning of the houses themselves. Your focus in year one should be on learning the meanings of the houses.

If you’re still deciding which house system to use, we recommend picking one and using it for one full year of homework. Then try another system the next year. For many of us, it takes looking at several charts with one house system before we find if it’s “working” for us.

What is your teaching philosophy and approach?
One of our main goals is to teach you how to think critically and analytically so that ultimately you can find your own voice. Our approach is to expose you to multiple ideas, ways of astrological thinking, and techniques, so that you can experience them and discover what works best for you. 

Another main goal is to help you feel confident interpreting charts by the end of our program. We do this through positive support and feedback, guidance, and many opportunities to apply what you’re learning as you go. 

We encourage questions. Use this time with us, especially in the live Q & A sessions, and in the discussion areas to ask your burning questions as you go and you’ll have fewer “blank spots” in your astrological education than you would if you were solely doing self study. 

We aim to teach you how to speak the language of astrology in a way that is empowering and possibility-oriented, while avoiding definitively descriptive or deterministic language. In our program you’ll learn to identify potentials, whether those are natural gifts, talents, gifts yet to be mined, challenges, or pitfalls. 

As part of our core philosophy, we don’t want to deny or repress or ignore the shadow experience in life. But there’s a way to use language to describe shadow potentials while also leaving a client with a sense of personal choice and even empowerment. Over the course of the program, we’ll teach you how to do this. 

You’ll learn in several ways – through reading, listening, analyzing, and practicing, to name a few. In addition to practicing chart analysis as if you’re speaking to another astrologer or instructor, you’ll have opportunities to write in your homework as if you’re speaking to a client, and later in the program, you’ll also have assignments in which you’ll record an audio or video of yourself as if you’re speaking to a client. 

What do you look for in homework?
In your homework, we’re looking for a clear demonstration that you have done the reading and that you’ve watched the videos. Many of you will have studied astrology before coming to us, and you’ll have a wealth of information at hand. In your homework, we’d like to see evidence that you’re integrating the material we’re teaching you. 

Pro Tip for Homework: Quote something from the reading, quote something from the video, or reference to something one of the teachers said and then elaborate, expand or comment on it. 

What if I already have some astrology training? Can I use those techniques in my homework?

Many of you will have studied at least some astrology before joining our program. In some courses, especially in year one, we may ask you to refrain from referring to more advanced techniques that you already know, but that haven’t been taught in the year one material. For instance, we deliberately delay teaching aspects until you’re feeling relatively confident interpreting a planet in a sign and house. We’ll let you know in your homework feedback if we’d like you to make that kind of adjustment. The point isn’t to discount what you’ve learned elsewhere, instead it’s to help you make the most out of those courses that serve as “building blocks” to more complicated technique later in the program.

Many of our courses function as building blocks for subsequent courses. If you apply yourself in each course, in the order we teach it, you’ll be set up for success in some of the more complicated classes, and you’ll have a more positive experience. 

Here’s an example: Let’s say you already understand aspects when you start our program. In one of the year-one courses, you may be asked to describe a planet in a sign or a house. If you start by talking about aspects, you may be using your technique to deflect from what’s being asked; you might skip over deeply describing that planet in a sign. And yet, these initial descriptions form a solid basis of understanding the energies that then flow into the aspects. If you can help a client recognize these energies through skillful languaging, you’ll be set up to provide useful support. 

Challenge yourself in year one to go deep with the basics. This feature of our program stands out from some others that layer on a bit too much information in year one in a way that leaves students feeling understandably overwhelmed. Make the most of this opportunity as it will set you up to be a great astrologer.

Where do I find the charts of well known figures?
In the program you’ll be encouraged to create a collection of your favorite charts to work with. Use the online resource Astro Databank at https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Main_Page. This is a searchable database of charts.  Look for the people you are interested in (celebrities, politicians, etc.). If you don’t see their name in the list of results that comes up, the community probably doesn’t have a good birth time for them yet. 

Once you find someone you’re looking for, pull up that chart and you’ll see a chart rating. There’s a rating system for charts that’s basically describing how accurate the birth time is. The higher the rating the more likely that it’s accurate, which means that somebody has seen a birth certificate. Further down on the page you’ll find notes that let you know the source of the birth data. 

How much time does each course take?
There are at least four lessons in each course, and each week’s lesson should take you between 6 and 10 hours to complete if you also watch the Q&A sessions. If you read slowly, or like to read things more than once, that can push the time a bit higher.

In many courses we assign optional reading, which could increase the total time to 15 hours a week. We recommend the additional reading only if you have the time. 

What are the deadlines if I want to keep up with my cohort?
If you want to keep up with your cohort, aim to have your homework complete before the Wednesday that follows the live Q&A each week.

Plan to finish your exam by the day before the next course begins. 

I’m falling behind. What should I do?
If you’re falling behind in your work, first, don’t panic! Our program is designed with flexibility to accommodate many individual circumstances.

First, we strongly recommend that you work at your own pace. You don’t have to keep up with the live cohort of students if you’re not able to. We know it’s motivating to keep up with the other students, but life happens. You’re investing a lot in this program, so you should make the most of it, and aim for quality and retention of the material instead of speed.

Know that you’ll have lifetime access to these materials, so relax, and allow yourself to work at the pace that is best for you and your circumstances. 

If you are trying to keep up with the group, and that’s important to you, since you have lifetime access to the material, you could choose to focus on the mandatory reading, videos and homework only, and save the optional reading and Q&As for later. 

In many of the books, we don’t assign the entire book, so even though it’s tempting, if your goal is to cut down on the time, stick to the assigned pages. 

Next you could consider skipping the Q&A videos and planning to watch them later. Just remember to download them, because we do delete the Q&A videos from the previous year every August for privacy reasons as the next group of students come in. 

Ask your own questions through the discussion area. This suggestion alone can help get you back on track since the Q&A sessions are each between 90 minutes and 2 hours. 

We have at least a one-week break between each course, a longer break in the winter, and a longer break in the summer. You can use the breaks for catch up. 

Reach out if you’re feeling frustrated or need support if you’re feeling overwhelmed. We’re here to help!

I’m trying to catch up to a live cohort. What should I do?

If you’re trying to get through some of the courses a little faster to catch up to a live cohort, stick to only the assigned reading, skip the supplemental reading for now, and skip the Q&A sessions. You can come back to all of this material later on when you have more time.

Can I work at my own pace?
Our program is open-ended.  Not everybody has six to ten hours a week to work through this course material. And if you’re really intending to do all of the material in the program, including the supplemental reading, you might need 15 hours a week, in some cases, maybe even 20 if you’re a slow reader or if the reading that week is challenging. Deadlines are up to you according to your needs. Aim for quality and retention over speed.

If the course is updated later, will I have access to the updates?

We periodically update the course material. Course material is sometimes updated to reflect the current course goals and student needs, and to enrich the learning experience for you and other students.

In some cases we remove outdated material and replace it with new material. When we do so, you will always have access to the updated material. Once we edit and remove outdated material, you will no longer have access to it (unless you have downloaded it beforehand).

We are unable to provide access to any course materials that are removed, but you will always have access to the most current official version of the course you are registered for. 

One teacher contradicted another. Who should I believe?
Each of our instructors has many years of experience, but each will have focused on specific techniques and has unique training. So each teacher may have a varied point of view relative to the others.

We deliberately expose you to different points of view to replicate a similar experience you’d find in higher education, with access to different professors, with different skillsets and points of view. This is in service to helping you learn to not only think critically, but to think for yourself. When two instructors disagree, you’re meant to wrestle with those differences and decide what you think. In some cases, you might want to explore the topic further on your own before deciding. Sometimes we learn just as much from those instructors we disagree with or have an aversion to as the ones we love and whose material most resonates. 

If you find yourself getting irritated by a particular instructor, that may be a signal that you need to pay attention to what’s bothering you because you have something important to learn from it. This may be an important point of disagreement that teaches you something about your own values.

It’s perfectly healthy to question or disagree with a teaching or a teacher. We don’t expect every student to perfectly resonate with every teacher or teaching we offer. But along the way, you’ll discover what YOU believe, and how YOU want to practice astrology. Reach out through [email protected] if you have a challenge with an instructor you’d like to talk out. We’re here to support you. 

What if an instructor’s views clash with mine?

First, speakers’ views do not always reflect the views of Astrology University. We do our best to facilitate an environment of respect for various viewpoints. This means that at times a speaker’s views will be different than yours. Our live Q&A sessions are a great place to share your thoughts and talk out your views with the instructors and the other students to get clarity about your own views.

One of my instructors said something offensive.
We strive to create a safe space but also one in which we have a respect for multiple points of view. If an instructor says that you find offensive or hurtful in some way, please reach out to us for help. 

On that note, you’ll be reading some books that were written many years ago, with outdated cultural perspectives and biases. Some authors might be short sighted about issues such as race, class, gender, sexuality, etc. As a student, you may find it constructive to bring up some of these points for discussion in the Q&A sessions with the other students.

You are the new crop of astrologers, so some of you will feel the call to correct some of these biases in your own work, and again, we’re here to support you in finding YOUR unique voice. 

I’m afraid to speak up in the Q&As because I don’t want to look “stupid”.
Although it’s normal to be worried about how you’re going to come across to the other students in the Q&A session, these sessions are FOR YOU to get your questions answered. If you’re worried, do your best to set your fears aside. OR make the most of the discussion area instead, which can feel less intimidating. 

The Q&A sessions are designed to help you when you’re stuck, when you read something you don’t understand, and to bring that up in the moment you’re having that experience. One pitfall students can get in is they avoid bringing areas of confusion up because they don’t want to look like they don’t understand something in front of the other students. I encourage you to do all you can to release those thoughts. To get the most out of this program, if you don’t understand something now, and you don’t get it addressed, that’s going to be lodged in your brain. And then it’s going to come up later, maybe even when you’re sitting with a client.

So use this time in the program to ask your questions. Don’t be afraid to ask any question because I guarantee you someone else in the audience has that same question. 

Privacy Issues
To view the course material, you have to have a password-protected login. You have to be registered in a course to be a student. So everything that is inside the course portal, all of the Q&A videos, and all of the discussions in the discussion area, are only visible by other registered students and not to the public. That said, it’s best to think about this space as “somewhat public” in the sense that there are up to 70 other people that you don’t know who also have access to that space. So take that into account when you’re sharing anything personal. The most private space is the [email protected] email, so use that email for anything especially sensitive or personal. 

We take privacy very seriously. We will never sell the Q&A videos separately outside the program or post them to Youtube. 

Getting Readings
If you are having some burning questions about your own chart, which is very likely to happen, we encourage you to get a consultation with a professional astrologer. We encourage all of you to get readings throughout the program in general – at least one reading per year, if not more. Choose teachers that you resonate with within the program but also from outside. 

A personal chart reading will help you learn even more, not only about your own chart, but also about how to provide a consult. Pay attention not only to what they’re sharing with you, but how they’re sharing it. You’ll learn so much through this process. 

What if I have already purchased webinars included in the “Bonus Material” for a course?

Some courses contain “bonus” material in the form of a webinar or audio recording from our archives. We include this material to supplement the material taught in the course and offer it at no additional charge. 

If you have purchased any of the bonus material previously we aren’t able to offer a refund due to the royalty agreements with the speakers. 

DANE RUDHYAR

“To live one’s life in terms of the revelatory message symbolically implied in one’s birth chart is to live a life in terms of the sacred character of existence.

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Contact Info
Phone

+1 (720) 663-1790‬

Email
Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top
Sign up for the latest astrology news

GET OUR FREE GUIDE: 5 KEYS to ACTIVATE JUPITER-URANUS POTENTIAL

You're all signed up!

Please check your inbox for our confirmation email.

Here’s your free Jupiter-Uranus guide: