Hi and welcome to the Stella Starwoman March AstroUpdate! Lots of interesting stuff this month, particularly the Venus Retrograde transit which pushes us all to assess key relationships, priorities and activities in our lives and ask: “Am I following my heart?” Read on and have a great month as we move into the cooler days of Autumn.
Sun in Pisces – Tap Into the Collective Unconscious
From the 18th February to the 20th March this year, the sun travels through mutable water sign Pisces, noted for her dreaminess, escapist nature and love of fantasy. Piscean sensitivity picks up all the subtle layers of meaning in life, enhancing the imagination, providing instinctive understanding and the ability to download ideas and images from the collective unconscious. Now is the perfect time to focus on your dreams and visions for the future and release the past.
Pisces is the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac with keywords, “I merge” and “I seek redemption”. With Pisces, the inner self is preparing for retreat from the world and as the ego dissolves, boundaries are weakened and impressionability and sensitivity increases. Pisceans are versatile and adaptable, gentle and compassionate. They are often psychic and highly attuned to the spiritual plane. Those born under the sign of the Fishes excel as counsellors, healers, actors, artists and musicians. Many are attracted to the fashion, beauty and movie industries whilst others work with those on the fringe of society – the elderly and sick, people with a disability or special needs and those in jail, detention or rehab centres. At best Pisceans serve humanity and practice unconditional love. Negatively, they can be victims and martyrs, known for self-sabotage or self-sacrifice. There is also a tendency to rescue or ‘save’ others. In medical astrology, Pisces rules the toes, feet and lymphatic system. There is sometimes a reflex effect on the abdominal region governed by opposite sign, Virgo. When Pisceans are out of balance they often suffer from foot trouble, intestinal diseases and fluid build-up. Addiction to drugs and alcohol is also common. The Pisces colours are sea green, purple and the various shades of blue. Pisces greatest lesson is to learn discrimination and to protect and ground themselves.
Venus Retrograde – Follow Your Heart
To thine own self be true and it must follow, as the night the day,
thou canst not then be false to any man (Shakespeare, Hamlet)
Venus is famous as the goddess of love and beauty, but she also rules money, aesthetics, fashion, pleasure and sheer self-indulgence. Venus has been travelling through feisty, warrior-like fire sign Aries since early February, meaning she is less gracious and more impatient and demanding than usual. Normally she spends just one month in each zodiac sign, but in 2017, she will be in Aries for a full four months, pacing backwards and forwards until she’s worked out exactly what she wants and what she values.
The most important part of this cycle stretches from 5th March to 16th April. Astrologers call this re-assessment period ‘Venus retrograde’ – a time when we too assess the value of the people and things in our lives and clear out the dead wood.
Now that might sound rather harsh, but Venus retrograde works in a subtle manner to show us what or whom we truly value. For example during the Venus retrograde period you may hear news of your ex and find out he’s still in love with you, or indeed about to have a baby with his new partner! Or you may stumble across an old entry in a diary that highlights the loyalty of a friend or reminds you how much you love dancing. Or perhaps you watch a film that exactly mirrors a situation you’re experiencing in real life or bump into a person you haven’t seen for years.
When Venus is retrograde, it’s impossible to hide or pretend and others will clearly sense your true motives and feelings. In turn you will become aware of any problems, differences or unresolved issues in your own life - Is that job, still a dream job or have you outgrown it? The upside of these epiphanies is that you often realise how much someone appreciates or cares for you, or become aware of passions and treasures long buried or forgotten.
The Venus retrograde period is one of discernment and evaluation as you assess key relationships, priorities and activities in your life and ask: “Am I following my heart?” “Do I still want this person/activity in my life?” The usual advice is not to act on this awareness until Venus starts moving forward again (after the 16th April).
The Venus retrograde period is not a good time for new investments or financial/business activities as the value of a share, product or commodity may be over-valued. On the other hand, it’s an excellent time for renegotiating a loan or contract, or buying real estate, antiques and other second hand goods where you know the true value of the item (even though the seller may not!)
Venus of Willendorf
Paleolithic Era (circa 26000 BC)
Mars in Taurus – The Warrior Bull
Action planet Mars leaves ruling sign Aries on the 10th March and heads into earth sign Taurus. Mars is fast, Taurus is slow and steady; Mars is impatient, Taurus is determined; Mars is active; Taurus is passive; Mars is aggressive, Taurus is reliable. Meet the Warrior Bull! Pursue your goals with patience, dedication and persistence, focusing on long term achievement and you’ll be amazed what you can achieve over the next six weeks, especially if you have personal planets in Taurus.
Full Moon in Virgo – Finding Common Ground
Tensions run high at the Virgo full moon on the 13th with a stressful pattern involving Saturn (restriction), Chiron (pain) and Mercury (communication). Patience and healing words will go a long way to resolving differences on both a global and personal level. We are challenged us to honour and respect each other regardless of race, religion, tribe or belief system. Avoid criticism, open your heart and search for common ground – it’s the only workable way forward.
Autumn Equinox – Seasonal Change
On March 20th, the sun moves into Aries marking the beginning of the solar year. In all parts of the world there are exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. In Australia we call this the autumn equinox (equi = equal and nox = night). Many ancient civilisations considered the equinox and solstice points the most important days of the calendar, marking the turning points of the seasons. For the next six months, nights will be longer than days, meaning it’s time to start withdrawing energy from the outer world and prepare for the cooler months ahead. Stock up your freezer and kitchen cupboards and get your house and garden in order. The autumn equinox is a great time to get rid of any unwanted possessions – old clothes, furniture, books, toys, files, kitchen equipment, you know the sort of thing. Remember the golden rule of decluttering. ‘Is it useful? Is it beautiful? Is it sentimental?’ If it’s none of these, sell it, throw it out or give it away and make space for something new!
Aries New Moon – A Fresh Start
The 29.5 day moon cycle begins today with the new moon in fire sign Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and new moons are all about new beginnings, so it’s definitely time to make a fresh start. The energy is independent, instinctual, and pioneering, so ask yourself: ‘Where do I need to take action to revolutionise, renew or rectify my life?” In February we had both lunar and solar eclipses which brought change for everyone. The energy of these eclipses will carry through until August, so now is a great time to reflect on any important shifts and changes of the past two months before deciding how to move forward.
March & April 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 |
|
MARCH |
|
|
|
|
1st-2nd |
Aries |
Fire |
|
|
2nd- 4th |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
4th-6th |
Gemini |
Air |
First Quarter |
|
6th-9th |
Cancer |
Water |
|
|
9th-11th |
Leo |
Fire |
|
|
11th-13th |
Virgo |
Earth |
Full Moon 13th |
|
13th-16th |
Libra |
Air |
|
|
16th-18th |
Scorpio |
Water |
|
|
18th-21st |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
|
|
21st-23rd |
Capricorn |
Earth |
Third Quarter |
|
22rd-25th |
Aquarius |
Air |
|
|
25th-28th |
Pisces |
Water |
|
|
28th-30th |
Aries |
Fire |
New Moon 28th |
|
30th-1st |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
APRIL |
|
|
|
|
1st |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
2nd- 3rd |
Gemini |
Air |
|
|
3rd-5th |
Cancer |
Water |
First Quarter |
|
5th-7th |
Leo |
Fire |
|
|
7th-9th |
Virgo |
Earth |
|
|
9th-12th |
Libra |
Air |
Full Moon 11th |
|
12th-14th |
Scorpio |
Water |
|
|
14th-17th |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
Easter Sunday 16th |
|
17th-19th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
Third Quarter |
|
19th-22nd |
Aquarius |
Air |
|
|
22nd-24th |
Pisces |
Water |
|
|
24th-26th |
Aries |
Fire |
|
|
26th-28th |
Taurus |
Earth |
New Moon 26th |
|
28th-30th |
Gemini |
Air |
|
|
30th-2nd |
Cancer |
Water |
|
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 March Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com
Happy Stargazing
Stella Woods
www.stellastarwoman.com