Welcome to the Stella Starwoman April AstroUpdate! I’m sorry this newsletter is a little late, but hopefully you’ve been enjoying yourselves over the Easter break, eating chocolate and basking in this glorious autumn sunshine!
Ann Wright from the Tarot Guild of Australia asked me to let you know about an upcoming conference organised by the Tarot Guild. Now these international conferences don’t happen every year, (from memory the last two were 2005 and 1995) so take this as an amazing opportunity to learn from some of the world’s leading tarot experts and authors. Click on the link for more information. INTERNATIONAL TAROT CONFERENCE or check out the flyer below.
Wake Me Up When September Ends Stella On Long Service Leave - April to September 2013
This will be my last AstroUpdate for a while as I’m heading off on long service leave in just a few days’ time. Some of you have contacted me asking about the shaving and waxing dates in months to come, so I’ve included a BUMPER LUNAR HAIR CARE MOON TABLE taking you right through to the end of September when I’ll be back in business with readings, courses, workshops, shopping cart orders, monthly stars, birth chart reports etc. Make sure you print off the moon table and keep it handy. And if you have a gift voucher that you’d like to use, don’t worry about the voucher expiring, just contact me in October to book in.
I’d like to thank all those of you who’ve written to me wishing me well and telling me how much you enjoy these monthly AstroUpdates – your kind words and generous cards and gifts are much appreciated and make all the hard work worthwhile. So before I head off, let’s take a look at what’s happening in the cosmos this month and believe me there’s plenty!
Rev Up Your Engines
The astrological climate has been very dour of late with much talk of the Pluto-Uranus square series and the mutual reception between Pluto in sober Capricorn and Saturn in serious Scorpio. Well, get ready for a change of pace this month as action-packed Aries takes centre stage blasting these more conservative planetary energies onto the sidelines – at least temporarily. Even confirmed couch potatoes will be shaking their booty as relationship planets Venus and Mars get together on the 7th April in passionate and dynamic fire sign Aries, followed by the biennial Sun-Mars conjunction on the 18th, also in Aries. And with volatile and unpredictable Uranus in the mix, seriously anything could happen this month.
Love, Love, Love – The Venus-Mars Conjunction
Things really started to hot up on the relationship front in the lead up to the Libra full moon in late March with the fiery Sun lining up with Venus, Mars and Uranus in Aries opposing the moon in Libra. Full moons illuminate hidden emotions and always relate to the need to balance opposing forces. The Aries-Libra polarity deals with the issue of maintaining a sense of self without being selfish (Aries) vs. the joys of being in relationship without sacrificing the self (Libra). Uranus aligned with the Sun at this full moon, challenging the status quo and producing all sorts of unexpected developments and switches in allegiance in relationships, both business and personal.
Then on the 29th March, only two days after the full moon , Venus, ruler of Libra and the planet of love, beauty and relationships, met up with the Sun at the halfway point in her journey from morning star (the light and bright side of relating) to evening star (the darker, more passionate side of love).
Now fast forward to early April and Venus, the most feminine of energies finds herself poised exactly halfway between the Sun and Mars, two uber-masculine planets. You don’t have to be an astrologer to imagine the outcome. Venus finally mates with Mars on the 7th April at 19-20º Aries in a rare planetary line-up with Venus and Mars conjunct the Sun. The Sabian Symbol for this zodiac degree is appropriately: ‘Transmutation of life (the Sun) into love (Venus-Mars)’. Early April is therefore a wonderful time to make a long term commitment in marriage or business with these masculine and feminine forces united in perfect harmony. It’s also a great time to change the way you relate to others, focussing on a healthy balance between giving and receiving and acknowledging the importance of love and commitment.
Featured Sign-Aries
This year from the 20th March to the 20th April, the Sun travels through masculine fire sign Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, the seed, the new beginning, the hero. Its keywords are “I am” and “I initiate”. The symbol for Aries is the horned ram who rushes fearlessly into new situations, heedless of danger with no consideration for others. Arians are true individuals, keen to build their own personality and ego. The typical Arian is youthful, independent and adventurous, displaying strength, boldness, initiative and courage. Negatively they can be angry, headstrong, selfish, domineering and arrogant. Arians need to learn how to cooperate with others, complete projects they have started and conserve their energy. If you want to annoy an Aries, boss them around or tell them to calm down! Each zodiac sign rules a part of the body. For Aries this is the head. When Arians are out of balance they often suffer from headaches, migraines and injuries to the head. And the Aries colour is red. When we get angry we talk about ‘seeing red’.
April New Moon, Full Moon & Scorpio Lunar Eclipse
The April new moon falls on the 10th in fire sign Aries with both Sun and Moon in Aries closely conjunct Mars and Venus. Again the theme of relationships is paramount with the delicate balance of yin and yang, but this time the subtext is ‘survival of the fittest’. New moons are always times of new beginnings and this moon cycle asks you to step up and fight to become the best you can be.
The Sun moves into earth sign Taurus on the 20th bringing a more relaxed and sensual mood to the final week of April but on the 25th there is a lunar eclipse at the Scorpio full moon. You may remember last November’s Scorpio eclipse (the one that passed over Far North Queensland on 14/11/12), well now we have the second eclipse in this Taurus-Scorpio polarity at 5-6º Scorpio. The theme for this full moon is the importance of following your vision or dream in order to create a more abundant life, especially on the feeling plane. This concept ties in nicely with the Sun-Mars desire to initiate action and the April new moon theme of stepping up to be the best you can be. The typical Scorpio is driven by an inner yearning for an ever more intense and all-absorbing union with a person, community or the divine, a yearning which underlies all their actions. This full moon eclipse will not only suddenly reveal and strip bear our unconscious dreams and visions, but will offer us concrete ways of bringing them to fruition.
SunYoga Holiday Retreat Eco Beach Wilderness Resort in Broome, WA (Sunday 23 rd -Sunday 30 th June 2013)
Treat yourself to a blissful yoga holiday at this luxury, multi-award winning, wilderness resort on the shores of the Indian Ocean, North Western Australia with Claire Heywood of SunYoga. From $2125 plus return flight to Broome – BOOK NOW!
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An ‘A’ Type Sun-Mars Conjunction
Every two years, the Sun, symbol of light and life, meets up with Mars the god of war to propel us into a new cycle of action and adventure. In 2013 this astronomical event takes place on the 18 th April and is a particularly special and super-charged conjunction as the Sun and Mars join forces in fire sign Aries for the first time since April 1981. Mars is the natural ruler of Aries and the Sun is exalted in Aries, meaning both planets are particularly at home in this zodiac sign and can access and display their full and glorious potential. Think of the Sun as Chairman of the Board and Mars as the CEO. When they work together, they form a dynamic duo and extraordinary achievements are possible.
Some positive themes for Sun-Mars include self-assertion; desire to take action; physical and sexual vitality; initiative and innovation; creative potential; love of risk, challenge and competition; supreme confidence and bravery; leadership and individuality. Negative themes include extreme anger and aggression; anti-authoritarian attitude; needing to prove oneself; explosiveness and volatility; refusal to compromise; inner tension; compulsive behaviour and self-hatred leading to depression. If we add the Aries energy into the mix, you can multiply all of the above by ten.
The conjunction occurs at 28-29º Aries with the Sabian Symbol, ‘Music of the Spheres’ – the need to listen to the inner voice and be attuned to cosmic order. We are all a small part of a much greater plan but our individual choices are nevertheless important. With this in mind I suggest you mark the 18 th April in your diary as the beginning of a two year cycle where your actions will make a real difference, providing you listen to and follow your inner voice. On a global level we will see both positive and negative examples of people and governments taking action in accordance with the Sun-Mars energy. Will there be senseless wars and violence or positive solutions and initiative?
What the Sun-Mars Conjunction Means For You
The Sun-Mars conjunction will play out in a different way for each person based on where it falls in your birth chart. Using the solar house system you can look up your star sign in the table below and see which area of your life will be most affected. So for example Leos can expect exciting new beginnings in travel and study, while for Librans the focus is on relationships.
If you have a more detailed knowledge of astrological houses, you can also check the exact house position of 28-29º Aries in your birth chart and expect an exciting new beginning and surge of energy in this part of life as well. For example if the Sun-Mars conjunction falls in your tenth house (career), you might decide to start up a new business and if it’s in your sixth house (health), you might start training for a triathlon.
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 - 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 meaning you can fine-tune your activities with confidence.
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 April Monthly Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com to see what’s coming up for you this month. The next batch of monthly stars will be posted in October.
Happy Stargazing Stella Woods