CLASS SCHEDULE:
David and Fei Cochrane founded The Avalon School of Astrology. They are the owners of Cosmic Patterns Software, Inc., the company which develops the Kepler astrology software program. From the very beginning of sales of the Kepler program over 20 years ago customers have been requesting more and more educational materials. An extensive set of educational software features were added to Kepler, and customers responded with enthusiasm to these enhancements and asked for more.
David, the head programmer at Cosmic Patterns Software, also has a keen personal interest in education. In fact, David pioneered a private elementary school in the 1970's because he felt, and still feels, that education should be an exciting, challenging process where teachers love sharing their knowledge and develop a bond with their students. The school that David helped create over 20 years ago is still in operation today.
Many people share David's dream of creating schools that are academically rigorous as well as places where both students and faculty feel appreciated and respected. There is a strong demand for schools to be places where students want to learn, improve themselves, develop mastery and discipline, and develop the skills needed to better serve their communities, and where teachers love the subject matter and love their students.
Many of us have this dream, but few of us have the opportunity to manifest this dream. Fei and David found that they did have the opportunity and The Avalon School of Astrology is the result. David and Fei started the process, but the contributions of many dozens of other people is what is making The Avalon School of Astrology a success. We are blessed to have many creative, talented, and generous people working to make Avalon a very special school. Avalon really is a dream-come-true, and fortunately there are many people who share this dream and we are confident that Avalon will flourish and continue to succeed in making this dream a reality.
The Avalon School of Astrology was established as a Florida Corporation in the year 2002, and in the same year 501(c)(3) non-profit status was granted by the federal government. A license to operate as a post-secondary vocational school was granted by the Commission for Independent Education by the state of Florida on the 12th of February 2003. The school opens its doors and the first classes begin in August, 2003.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY, MISSION STATEMENT, AND GOALS:
It is the view of The Avalon School of Astrology that at this point in history astrology consists primarily of a massive amount of anecdotal evidence. Personal observations of hundreds of thousands of astrologers over thousands of years have built a huge theoretical edifice. Very little scientific validation of these theories exist, so therefore practitioners of astrology must be careful to not make categorical statements that do not have supporting research to validate these statements.
Despite the lack of scientific proof, astrology is an extraordinarily rich resource of ideas and theories which a great many people are able to use very effectively in counseling, for personal development, in financial analysis, and in other areas. For example, well-known financial analysts Arch Crawford and Bill Meridian, as well as many others, openly use astrology.
The Avalon School of Astrology inspires the student to think critically, even skeptically, and analyze the evidence for the many different approaches to astrological analysis. At the same time, the student is also given clear and practical methods to apply the theory and to operate successfully as a professional in the field of astrology.
The mission of The Avalon School of Astrology is to produce graduates who have an extensive knowledge of a great number of astrological traditions and schools of thought, and to successfully apply at least one system of astrology in analyzing and counseling clients, and in other fields that require astrological expertise, such as teaching, speaking, writing, entertainment (parties, cruises, etc.) and in information services such as web sites that feature astrological services and sales and support of astrological software.
The student who fulfills all requirements and graduates from The Avalon School of Astrology will master a vast vocabulary of technical astrological terms, and be able to effectively and competently employ this knowledge of astrology. The goal of The Avaon School of Astrology is to produce graduates who represent a new kind of astrology for the 21st century, an astrology that is ethical and based on academically rigorous study. The student receives practical and specific training that enables the graduating student to succeed in a career that utilizes the expertise gained at The Avalon School of Astrology.
