Hi and welcome to the Stella Starwoman June AstroUpdate delivered to you at the Gemini New Moon. With the cooler weather here to stay, it‟s time to start winding down as we move towards the shortest day of the year on the 22nd June. Take it easy and stay warm and well fed! Stella xxx
Winter Solstice
Our cosy heaters and open fires help make the colder months warm and comfortable. Many of us look forward to rest, hibernation and the slower pace of winter days. Not so our ancestors, who prepared for the coming of winter long in advance, anticipating the challenges of finding food and keeping warm. The midwinter solstice was a vital turning point in the seasonal calendar, marking the longest night of the year. From midwinter to the summer solstice six months later, the nights would grow shorter and the days longer. Many of the customs associated with the winter solstice (and with other midwinter festivals such as St Lucy‟s Day, Saturnalia, Hanukkah, New Year and Twelfth Night) originate from stories of a fierce battle between the dark and the light, where the light finally conquers the darkness. Other traditions record this as the time that a saviour or sun-child is born to a virgin mother.
Many people suffer from depression and a lack of energy during the winter months. They complain about the cold or wet weather and long for the warmth of spring. Winter is a natural part of the seasonal cycle, and just as nature slows down in winter, we need to slow down too. In practice this means conserving energy, eating warm, nourishing foods, spending more time in bed, taking hot baths and allowing our bodies to rest and recuperate. In Chinese Medicine, the meridians associated with winter are the kidney (yin) and the bladder (yang). The kidneys are responsible for filtering waste from the blood and sending the waste product to the bladder for elimination. In winter it is vitally important to keep the kidney area warm to avoid stiffness, coldness and aching joints. Make sure your midriff and lower back are always well covered.
In Australia, our winter solstice is marked by the passage of the sun into Cancer on the 22nd June. Observe the point at which the sun rises from the 22nd-24th June and you will see it is in exactly the same place over these three days. Solstice means “sun standing still”. The winter solstice is the perfect time for a ritual to cleanse and release old energy and honour winter, the season of death and decay. You can hold a ritual for yourself or join together with friends and family.
A Warming Winter Solstice Ritual
What you will need
- Bowl of water
- Large Candle
- Small Candle or Tea Light for each person Glitter & Essential Oils
- Wine / Juice
- Winter greenery
Decorate a room with winter greenery. Place a large bowl of water and a beautiful lighted candle in the centre of the room. Have some golden glitter and scented oil nearby. Sit in a circle with a smaller candle or tea light in front of each person. Go round the circle one by one, talking about the things you wish to release at this dark time of the year and once you have finished, blow out your candle. When everyone has had their turn, blow out the central candle and sit in the darkness reflecting on what you are all leaving behind. After a long silence, relight the central candle, which represents the sun, and sprinkle golden glitter on the water. Then ask each person to light their candle from the central candle and place it by the water so you can see the glitter sparkling. Pass around a glass of wine and offer a toast to the sun, the bringer of new light. Then go round the circle again, each of you talking about a dream for the future or a new attitude you wish to embrace. Finally sprinkle scented oil on the water and choose someone to anoint each person with sunshine by dipping their hand into the sparkling, scented water and sprinkling it over each person‟s hair. Hold hands and offer thanks.
Featured Sign-Gemini
From the 21st May to the 22nd June the Sun travels through mutable air sign Gemini. Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac with keywords “I think” and “I communicate”. Gemini‟s symbol is the twins, one mortal, one immortal, the dark side and the light side. Geminis are extremely curious and like to accumulate information and process data. They think at lightning speed, are versatile and adaptable and love gadgets, mobile phones, books and surfing the net. Easily bored, Geminis need lots of intellectual stimulation and often have a youthful appearance. Negatively, the Gemini individual can be fickle and nervous with scattered energy and a tendency to gossip or make cutting remarks. Some are over reliant on logic and dismiss emotions as irrational or unimportant. When Geminis are out of balance they suffer from nervous tension or problems in the lungs, arms, shoulders and hands. Gemini‟s greatest challenge is to learn constancy and mental discipline and to accept the importance of emotions and feelings in both themselves and others.
Gemini Mythology
Most Gemini myths focus on the theme of twins. One classic myth is the story of Castor and Pollux, born from eggs laid by Leda the swan who was impregnated by the lusty Zeus, king of the gods. Castor was the mortal twin and Pollux the immortal twin. Castor and Pollux quarrelled with another set of twins and Castor was killed in the fight. Pollux grieved so desperately for his dead brother that Zeus allowed them to change places every so often between Olympus and Hades (heaven and hell). Each time they changed places, they were able to meet together and talk about their experiences. Geminis often have a significant other (a spouse, business partner or best friend) without whom they feel incomplete. This is their mythical „twin‟.
Stonehenge – A Sacred Solstice Temple
In his book „New View Over Atlantis‟ John Michell provides convincing evidence to support the theory that many thousands of years ago there was a worldwide, highly sophisticated civilisation that Plato referred to as „Atlantis‟. Michell believes that the ancient stone monuments and earthworks found about the globe are not randomly strewn, but were a system of psychic centres connected worldwide by a network of „ley lines‟ and that these ancient sites were places of ritual and high magic. One such monument is Stonehenge in Britain, built around 5000 years ago, firstly of timber and then of stone. According to Michell, “The stones used in its construction were cut and polished with a concern for accuracy normally associated with jewellers or opticians rather than stonemasons.” In ancient cosmology, the earth‟s polar axis was regarded as a microcosm of the ever-constant pole of the universe. The architects and builders of Stonehenge used units of measurements that were exact subdivisions of the earth‟s circumference, its polar axis and polar radius, showing they were well versed in the principles of sacred geometry and metrology.
The width of the lintel stones at Stonehenge has been found to be one sacred rod (3.4758485 feet), a six millionth part of the earth‟s polar radius. The outer radius of the circle is exactly 15 rods and the length of the outer rim of each stone is the same as the circumference of a circle with the width of the stone as its diameter. Such precision means that the stone ring of lintels provided a permanent record of geodetic standards of measure. In fact all the principal dimensions of the Stonehenge circle represent simple fractions of the dimensions of the earth. These sacred metrics have been found not only in Stonehenge, but also in the Temple of Jerusalem, the Teotihuacan pyramids of Mexico and the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt, leading to the conclusion that a single code of philosophical, religious, mathematical and scientific knowledge once flourished universally. Our ancestors had accurate knowledge of the size, shape and weight of the earth and even the distances between planets – a mind boggling fact given that Western scientists only began to calculate these measurements in the 16th and 17th centuries!
Stonehenge seems to have been a place of sacred ritual and ceremony as well as serving as an astronomical observatory and calendar. The axis which divides Stonehenge, and is aligned with its entrance, is oriented towards the midsummer sunrise. Britain‟s leading archaeological pathologist, Jackie McKinley, has recently uncovered new evidence that suggests Stonehenge was also a place of pilgrimage and healing. By scientifically analysing the teeth of the human remains buried around Stonehenge, McKinley was able to establish exactly where people came from and found that a large proportion of them had travelled from as far away as the European Alps. She also discovered amazing examples of Neolithic neurosurgery and a catalogue of injury and illness that revealed an entirely new picture of life in ancient Britain.
Each year on the Midsummer Day, (21st June in the Northern Hemisphere) visitors from around the world - Druids, Pagans, Wiccans, families, tourists and travellers - gather at Stonehenge to mark the summer solstice. As dawn breaks, the crowd cheer as the rising sun aligns perfectly with the central altar stone, the slaughter stone and the heel stone. You can watch the celebrations for yourself in these short videos.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJLEfaGYtXQ www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSgNUd9i52M&feature=related
And as we celebrate the winter solstice in Australia this month, I‟ve also included a video of the famous 5000 year old Newgrange monument in Ireland, built to capture the rising sun at the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice. www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6XAFJ_FdOA&feature=fvwrel
June Eclipses
Gemini New Moon
The Sabian Symbol for this month‟s Gemini new moon on the 2nd relates to the need to liberate ourselves from past conditioning, prejudice and expectations. In a world of multi- culturalism and migration, this attitude is particularly important if we are to forge new ways of living together. There is a partial solar eclipse at the new moon, occurring as the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking out the light of the sun. The new moon is a good time to plant seeds for the future. Classic Gemini activities include internet surfing, texting, writing, researching, classifying facts and information, socialising, talking, thinking, working with figures, travelling and networking. The energy of a Solar Eclipse 'obscures' the present moment, allowing one to reflect on past events. Not to drag up old stuff, but to reassess where you have been and use this knowledge to re-adjust your future path.
Sagittarius Full Moon
The Sabian Symbol for this month‟s Sagittarius full moon on the 16th shows a young boy anticipating the pleasures and power of adulthood that he can only dream of at present. This full moon is ripe with potential. You might like to spend some time meditating on your future and what pleasures and power you would like to embrace.
There is a lunar eclipse at the full moon, occurring as the earth passes between the sun and the moon and the earth‟s shadow blocks out the light of the moon. Think of a full moon with a heavy cloud cover and you will get a sense of way it appears. The effects of a lunar eclipse can last for about six months, usually until the next lunar eclipse. Full moons and eclipses both have the power to shake things up and the effects of a lunar eclipse are similar to the energy of a full moon, except much more powerful. Eric Francis of Planet Waves says: “In understanding the symbolism of a lunar eclipse, think of it this way. Because the full moon disappears, it‟s like a new moon at the exact moment of the full moon. It‟s as though a month of experience is packed into two hours of real time. In computer terms, it‟s a full reboot of the system.”
August 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.
|
Date |
Sign |
Element |
Moon Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1st |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
1st-3rd |
Gemini |
Air |
New Moon 2nd (Solar Eclipse) |
|
3rd-6th |
Cancer |
Water |
|
|
6th-8th |
Leo |
Fire |
|
|
8th-10th |
Virgo |
Earth |
First Quarter |
|
10th-12th |
Libra |
Air |
|
|
12th-14th |
Scorpio |
Water |
|
|
14th-16th |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
Full Moon 16th (Lunar Eclipse) |
|
16th-18th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
|
|
18th-21st |
Aquarius |
Air |
|
|
21st-23rd |
Pisces |
Water |
|
|
23rd-26th |
Aries |
Fire |
Third Quarter |
|
26th-28th |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
28th-30th |
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
I‟m taking a break in July so the next AstroUpdate will be with you in early August.
PS – Don‟t forget to check out your June Monthly Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com to see what's coming up for you this month.
Happy Stargazing
Stella Woods www.stellastarwoman.com