Hi and welcome to the Stella Starwoman February AstroUpdate!
Despite my best efforts, I still can‟t get my email inbox to under 150 emails – does anyone else have that problem? And with Mars now retrograde until mid April, life can seem like two steps forward and one step backwards! You can read all about the challenges of Mars retrograde in this issue along with some info on Neptune‟s 14 year journey through Pisces beginning on 4th February. And a reminder that it‟s still not too late to register for my 2012 courses which begin in earnest on the 13th February.
New Year Courses – Last Chance to Book!
With only ONE WEEK to go before the start of my 2012 Astrology & Tarot Courses you need to ACT NOW if you want to sign up!
TAP INTO TAROT – Sixteen Week Intensive – Elwood, Melbourne
Beginner Course covering tarot symbolism, Major and Minor Arcana, court cards and lots of practical tarot reading. Course Dates: Tuesday 14th February - Tuesday 5th June 2012
Time: Tuesday evenings 6.00 – 7.30 pm (16 weeks)
Cost: $650 (single payment – save $50) or two instalments of $350
ASTROLOGY FOR BEGINNNERS – Fifteen Week Intensive - Elwood, Melbourne
Designed for those with little or no knowledge of astrology. Covers zodiac houses, planets and signs. Course Dates: Monday 13th February – Monday 4th June 2012
Time: Monday evenings 6.00 – 8.00 pm (15 weeks)
Cost: $750 (single payment – save $100) or two instalments of $425
PRACTICAL NATAL CHART READING - Eight Week Course - Elwood, Melbourne
Designed for those with a basic grasp of houses, planets and signs who want to improve and extend their chart reading skills. Includes aspects and house rulerships. Student charts will be used as examples in class.
Course Dates: Tuesday 14th February – Tuesday 3rd April 2012
Time: Tuesday evenings 7.30 – 9.00 pm (8 weeks)
Cost: $350
MASTERING PREDICTIVE ASTROLOGY – Fifteen Week Course - Elwood, Melbourne
Designed for those with a good knowledge of natal astrology who want to master the art of predictive astrology. Covers transits, progressions and solar returns including the progressed lunation cycle, mid life transits and the 29-year Saturn cycle. Course Dates: Monday 13th February – Monday 4th June 2012
Time: Monday evenings 8.00 – 9.30 pm (15 weeks)
Cost: $650 (single payment – save $50) or two instalments of $350 ========================================================
VENUE All courses and workshops are held at Elwood Neighbourhood Learning Centre,
87 Tennyson Street, Elwood in Melbourne.
TO MAKE A BOOKING contact Stella Woods on (03) 9534 5021 or stella@stellastarwoman.com or visit www.stellastarwoman.com for detailed course content, booking forms, photos and student testimonials. You will need to BOOK & PAY in advance by cash, cheque, money order, EFTPOS, credit card or bank transfer (Commonwealth Savings Bank: a/c Name „Stella Starwoman‟
BSB Code 063 131 a/c Number 1009 0630)
Mars Retrograde- Willpower, Lust, Rage & Passion
Mars is the „he-man‟ of the planetary pantheon. The red-blooded warrior. The blokey-bloke. However Mars has two sides – the civilised and the primitive. The Roman god Mars represents the civilised side of Mars – the desire to be powerful and the ability to take risks and set and achieve goals. By contrast, the Greek god Ares (cf Aries) represents the more primitive side of Mars - a fierce warrior driven by passion, rage and lust and the primary force behind accidents, arguments, injury and violence. This primitive side of Mars comes to the fore during the Mars retrograde period, which occurs for 2-3 months approximately every two years.
Mars in the birth chart is CEO to the Sun, externalising the ego‟s desire for accomplishment and helping us express our individuality. Mars themes include: will, desire, libido, courage, passion, energy, spirit and anger. When the Sun and Mars work well together, we are able to achieve our goals in a constructive fashion. Not so when Mars moves to oppose the Sun during the Mars retrograde cycle.....the wilful CEO goes his own way instead of following orders from the Board! Many of us suppress our true needs or nature in an effort to please others and keep the peace. The symbolic purpose of the Mars retrograde cycle is to force us to align our actions and goals (Mars) with our true nature (the Sun).
Key Dates and Symbolism of the 2012 Mars Retrograde Cycle
In early to mid January, the Sun and Mars were in harmonious aspect and projects and relationships flowed along smoothly and almost effortlessly. The calm before the storm...
On the 24th January, Mars turned retrograde at 23o Virgo and began his backward journey through Virgo. Imagine a juggernaut going into reverse. This most challenging part of the cycle will last until 4th March when Mars at 13o Virgo moves to oppose the Sun at 13o Pisces. Those with birthdays between the 1st and 11th September or with planets at 8-18° Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini will be most affected.
Common Manifestations – 24th January – 4th March
During this five-week period, any underlying grievances will become apparent, particularly if you‟ve been ignoring gut feelings and intuition. If you have a copy of your birth chart, look up the houses containing Virgo and Pisces to see which areas of your life will be affected. Both of these signs are connected with healing and service – Virgo deals mostly with the body, while Pisces deals with the soul.
Here are some things to watch out for.
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External drive and energy changes direction
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Daily progress is suddenly filled with effort
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Bad luck or fate appears to intervene
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You may feel ill, exhausted, depressed or weak
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Suppressed feelings of hostility come to the surface
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Feeling psychologically depleted or completely liberated
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Loss of interest or focus on what might have been an important project or relationship only weeks earlier
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Irrational action and enforced introspection
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Relationship conflicts
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A battle between conscious will and unconscious intent.
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Festering energy explodes creating rage, passion, heat, libido and ambition.
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If the Sun-Mars opposition hits a planet or angle in your birth chart the effects are even more powerful.
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War is declared on oppressive situations.
- Problems can no longer be ignored.
Common Manifestations – 4th March – 14th April
The second half of the retrograde cycle goes from early March to mid April, once Mars has opposed the Sun. Mars eventually stations (stops moving backwards) at 3o Virgo and the juggernaut starts moving forward again on the 14th April. Situations may deteriorate further and tempers continue to flare, but this five-week part of the cycle offers clarity and understanding. It may be soon to take action, but as the old ways become redundant or obsolete, there is time to pause and consider what needs to be done to maintain integrity.
Once Mars turns direct (14th April) it is time to deal with the fallout from the past couple of months. We instinctively know if a relationship, situation, circumstance or condition is unsustainable and are likely to make radical changes. There is usually a total re-evaluation of the course of action needed to reclaim personal power. Matters should return to normal by mid June, but life will never be the same...
Neptune Into Pisces – In Search of Paradise Lost
On the 4th February idealistic Neptune resumes her 14 year journey through spiritual water sign Pisces. Neptune is considered by astrologers to be the ruler of Pisces, meaning she is „at home‟ in that zodiac sign and can perform to her full potential.
Neptune's transit of a sign gives us some indication of what ideas and values will be fashionable during that 14 year period. Here‟s a very brief summary of the past 100 years.
Neptune in Leo (1914-1929) Glamour, style, individuality, movies
Neptune in Virgo (1928-1943) Virginity, hard work, duty, sacrifice, hygiene Neptune in Libra (1942-1956) Marriage, diplomacy, keep it nice, aesthetics, romance Neptune in Scorpio (1955-1970) Passion, exploring the dark side, intensity, sex Neptune in Sagittarius (1970-1984) Freedom, adventure, knowledge, breaking rules Neptune in Capricorn (1984-1998) Business, wealth, achievement, hard work, status Neptune in Aquarius (1998-2011) Technology, androgyny, community, progress
Just as Neptune‟s transit of Capricorn made business and real estate sexy, and Neptune‟s transit of Aquarius (1998- 2011) made technology fashionable, we can expect that Neptune‟s transit through Pisces will bring Piscean themes into the mainstream.
- The quest for redemption, salvation and paradise
- Escapism through drugs, alcohol and altered states of consciousness
- Escapism through film, fashion, beauty, glamour, music and the arts
- Withdrawal from society to meditate, contemplate, muse and reflect
- Divine love, unconditional love and unrequited love
- Desire to connect with divine, spiritual and supernatural forces
- Desire to rescue, save or suffer (the martyr, victim, saviour complex)
- Compassion, kindness, selflessness, sharing and humility
- Yearning for a more natural, peaceful and contemplative existence
- Desire to renounce one‟s own individual nature or desire to merge with the collective or divine nature
Pisces is a quintessentially female energy and after 28 years of Neptune travelling through the serious and rather detached Saturn-ruled signs (Capricorn and Aquarius) I believe we will see a massive increase in feminine consciousness over the coming decade. This is clearly good news for artists, musicians and those working in spiritual and humanitarian fields. Movies such as „Avatar‟ and „Twilight‟ have opened the doors of perception and are paving the way forward. Sound healing, colour healing, dreamwork, meditation, yoga, spirituality, altered states of consciousness and the sacred feminine will all become more and more important.
The table below shows the difference between masculine and feminine consciousness. In a balanced world, both are equally important, but we tend to favour one way of being over another.
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FEMININE CONSCIOUSNESS |
MASCULINE CONSCIOUSNESS |
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Eternity |
History |
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Cycles of Time |
Linear Time |
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Ritual |
Law |
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Magic |
Logic |
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Altered States of Consciousness |
Waking Reality |
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Art |
Science |
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Music |
Language |
Featured Sign - Aquarius
From the 21st January to the 19th February the Sun travels through fixed air sign Aquarius, noted for its egalitarian nature, progressive ideas and humanitarian bent. Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac with keywords “I am different” and “I am detached”. Aquarians are both radical and immovable at the same time. They will often espouse a social or religious movement such as feminism, Buddhism or environmentalism and then remain committed to it for the rest of their lives. Those born under the sign of the Water Bearer often look to the future and have fine minds and a higher vision for society. Many Aquarians excel in the areas of science, technology and politics. At best they use their cool headed idealism to serve humanity. Negatively, Aquarians can be detached and aloof with a rebellious or fanatical streak. In medical astrology, Aquarius rules the calves, ankles and general circulation. When Aquarians are out of balance they can suffer from varicose veins, sprained ankles, irregularities of the heart action and fluid build-up. The Aquarian colours are turquoise, aqua and silver. Aquarius‟s greatest lesson is to learn to care for individuals rather than groups.
2012 Diaries – Reduced Prices
Order On Line from the Stella Starwoman Store
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February Moon Calendar
Launch projects at the New Moon, bring them to completion in the period from just before the Full Moon to the Third Quarter phase and wind them down and reflect on developments in the week before the next New Moon. The period between the New Moon and the Full Moon is the waxing moon (moon getting bigger and fuller). The period between the Full Moon and the New Moon is the waning moon (moon getting smaller and thinner).
You can use this moon table to select the most favourable days to slow or increase hair regrowth. Full instructions can be found in my Lunar Hair Care guidelines at www.stellastarwoman.com/files/LunarHairCare.pdf but to get you started I've marked the best dates for waxing/shaving to slow regrowth in yellow and the best dates to cut hair for thicker, lusher growth in green. If you‟re serious about Lunar Hair Care - order your own Moon Calendar from the Stella Starwoman Store then you'll know exactly what time of day the moon changes from one zodiac sign to the next.
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Date |
Sign |
Element |
Moon Phase |
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1st-2nd |
Taurus |
Earth |
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2nd-4th |
Gemini |
Air |
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4th-7th |
Cancer |
Water |
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7th-9th |
Leo |
Fire |
Full Moon 8th |
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9th-11th |
Virgo |
Earth |
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11th-13th |
Libra |
Air |
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13th-15th |
Scorpio |
Water |
Third Quarter |
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15th-17th |
Sagittarius | Fire | |
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17th-19th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
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19th-22nd |
Aquarius |
Air |
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22nd-24th |
Pisces |
Water |
New Moon 22nd |
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24th-27th |
Aries |
Fire |
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27th-29th |
Taurus |
Earth |
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29th |
Gemini |
Air |
Thanks for being part of AstroUpdate. If there‟s something you‟d like to see featured, or have something you think would interest others, please contact me at stellaw@ozemail.com.au
PS – Don‟t forget to check out your February Monthly Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com to see what‟s coming up for you this month.
Happy Stargazing
Stella Woods www.stellastarwoman.com