Happy New Year to all AstroUpdate subscribers! Here’s wishing you joy, adventure, love, learning and positive experiences for 2017 and hope you’re enjoying a holiday or well-earned break. I’ve been in Pisa, Italy since early January at a trade fair promoting an Italian Moon Calendar I’ve been working on for the past couple of years, so am just getting back into ‘normal’ work now. The days are short, cold and grey in Yorkshire with only 8 hours of daylight - how I miss the Melbourne sunshine! Here’s a picture of our moon calendar (available in Italian at www.ritmidiluna.com) plus a photo of me on the beautiful, Ponte Vecchio in Florence in the freezing cold January sunshine (1° C!)
And a special thanks to all of you who took advantage of the Stella Starwoman Christmas offers – we sent magic books and card decks all over the world – to Greece, Malta, the USA, France, Italy, Canada and of course Australia and New Zealand.
2017 Predictions
As usual at this time of year, I’ll be discussing the general astrological trends in the months ahead.
Innovation, Flexibility & Change
The overall vibe for 2017 is change - new ideas, innovative solutions and flexibility. As was the case in 2016, none of the planets governing collective trends (Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Chiron, Saturn and Jupiter) are in fixed zodiac signs meaning just about everything is up for grabs. And like last year, there is an ongoing desire for revolution with Uranus and Saturn in the dynamic fire signs of Aries and Sagittarius.
2016 was certainly a year of revolution and surprise with the Brexit victory; Donald Trump’s election; Pauline Hanson’s return to the Senate and the resignation of both the New Zealand and Italian Prime Ministers. But 2016 was also a ‘nine’ year in numerology, meaning the end of an old cycle. Conversely, 2017 is a ‘one’ year marking the beginning of a new cycle. (2+0+1+7 =10 reduces to 1+0 = 1). We can expect even more revolution and change this year, building on the ashes of the events of 2016.
Clearly major changes lie ahead for the USA and Britain at both local and international level, while alongside America’s Donald Trump and Britain’s Theresa May, there will be new leaders in New Zealand, Italy, France and possibly Germany. With Trump in charge, the balance of power between Russia, China and the US looks set to shift in ways we probably can’t even imagine!
Seeking the Gold Within
On the 28th January at the Aquarius new moon, the Chinese will celebrate their New Year – the year of the Red Fire Rooster, considered to be a time for quick thinking and practical solutions. 2017 also marks the final stint of Saturn’s three year journey through fire sign Sagittarius, encouraging us to live and breathe our personal truth, ethics and principles. Over the past two years, Saturn in Sagittarius has clashed with Neptune in Pisces, eroding old beliefs and ways of life while smoothing the path to a more authentic way of being. Many people found 2016 a challenging year with separations, endings and disappointments. One astrologer described the Saturn-Neptune square as a four stage process – firstly confusion and disorientation, then renunciation, then withdrawal and finally dissolution and release. If you look at your own life and the lives of those around you, you’ll see many things have been washed away over the past couple of years. For some, possessions, titles, money and status have become less important, while others have realised the true value of friendship, integrity, love and compassion
Creating a New Future
Putting all this together, we can see that world consciousness is shifting into a new dimension and the old rules no longer apply. As many struggle to move from disbelief over the political events of 2016 to a growing acceptance that change is inevitable, we can choose to prepare for the next stage and create a fresh space full of new possibilities, or we can bury our heads in the sand and hope everything will return to ‘normal’.
For those feeling apprehensive about the future, on either a personal or global level, consider that, astrologically, we are living through a period that closely parallels the events of the late 1960s, a time of massive social change, explosive creativity and innovation that paved the way for the great environmental, feminist and social justice movements of the 1970s. But life moves in spirals, not circles, and this time round we have the exponential power of the internet and social media to share our knowledge, power, ideas and creativity. Together we can create miracles and 2017 is a pivotal year in this ongoing journey. What part are you going to play?.
Sun in Aquarius
From the 20th January to the 18th February the Sun travels through fixed air sign Aquarius, noted for his 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 and relate to individuals rather than groups.
Venus in Pisces – Hopelessly Romantic
Venus rules love, beauty, creativity, money and pleasure and each month she cruises through a different sign of the zodiac. This month she visits Pisces, meaning life will be seen through glorious rose-coloured glasses, enhancing imagination, art, romance, fashion, music and all forms of beauty and creativity. Venus will be floating through Pisces from 3rd January to 4th February, so stock up the fridge with champagne, turn on the music and start dreaming now!
Aquarius New Moon - Year of the Red Fire Rooster
On the 28th January at the Aquarius new moon, the Chinese celebrate their New Year – the year of the Red Fire Rooster, considered to be a time for hard work, quick thinking and practical solutions. Rooster years tend to reward integrity and efficiency and are favourable for career and financial investments, providing there are no shady dealings. Chinese astrologers recommend alternative healing therapies to promote health and wellbeing, keep the body balanced and stress at bay. They also believe that the Year of the Rooster is a good time to get married or plan a pregnancy.
January & 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 – why not purchase a moon calendar, available at most esoteric book stores, then you’ll know exactly what time of day the moon changes from one zodiac sign to the next, meaning you can fine-tune your activities with confidence.
|
Date |
Moon Sign |
Element |
Moon Phase |
|
JANUARY |
|
|
|
|
1st-2nd |
Aquarius |
Air |
|
|
2nd- 5th |
Pisces |
Water |
|
|
5th-7th |
Aries |
Fire |
First Quarter |
|
7th-9th |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
9th-11th |
Gemini |
Air |
|
|
11th-13th |
Cancer |
Water |
Full Moon 12th |
|
13th-15th |
Leo |
Fire |
|
|
15th-17th |
Virgo |
Earth |
|
|
17th-20th |
Libra |
Air |
|
|
20th-22nd |
Scorpio |
Water |
Third Quarter |
|
22nd-25th |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
|
|
25th-27th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
|
|
27th-30th |
Aquarius |
Air |
New Moon 28th |
|
|
|
|
Chinese New Year |
|
30th-1st |
Pisces |
Water |
|
|
FEBRUARY |
|
|
|
|
1st |
Pisces |
Water |
|
|
1st- 3rd |
Aries |
Fire |
|
|
3rd-5th |
Taurus |
Earth |
First Quarter |
|
5th-7th |
Gemini |
Air |
|
|
7th-9th |
Cancer |
Water |
|
|
9th-11th |
Leo |
Fire |
Full Moon 11th |
|
|
|
|
Lunar Eclipse |
|
12th-14th |
Virgo |
Earth |
|
|
14th-16th |
Libra |
Air |
|
|
16th-19th |
Scorpio |
Water |
|
|
19th-21st |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
Third Quarter |
|
21st-24th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
|
|
24th-26th |
Aquarius |
Air |
|
|
26th-28th |
Pisces |
Water |
New Moon 27th Solar Eclipse |
|
28th-2nd |
Aries |
Fire |
|
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 stella@stellastarwoman.com
PS – Don’t forget to check out your 2017 Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com to see what’s coming up this year.
PPS – This month I’ll be updating my website to reflect changes in services as a result of my move to England to look after my parents. Readings will be available online (via Zoom, a platform similar to Skype) and I will be trialling some online tarot courses/workshops for small groups.
PPPS – Now I’m in UK, I’ll have the chance to visit the Wiltshire crop circles, close to Stonehenge – a most amazing phenomenon. In my view these crop circles provide some of the most compelling physical evidence for extra-terrestrial intelligence, so I’m planning to attend a major conference on crop circles in July this year and hear what the experts have to say. If you haven’t heard of crop circles and their astonishing sacred geometrical formations, check out this one which appeared overnight in the fields last August in Ansty. There are sure to be more sightings this Northern Hemisphere summer and of course I’ll be investigating any sightings in Australia. What have crop circles got to do with astrology and stars? Who knows…but anything like this is worth investigating, don’t you think!
Happy Stargazing and enjoy the beautiful Aussie summer!
Stella Woods
www.stellastarwoman.com