Hi and welcome to the Stella Starwoman March AstroUpdate delivered to you on the eve of the Pisces New Moon, the gateway to Autumn.
Pisces is the sign of imagination and possibility. If you‟d like to give your personal goals and dreams a kick start, why not sign up for my next Magic & Manifestation Course, starting Tuesday 29th March in Elwood?
March Magic & Manifestation Course
My next eight week Magic & Manifestation Course is starting up on Tuesday 29th March from 7.30 – 9.30 pm in Elwood, Melbourne BUT BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR....
Previous students have stunned me as well as surprising themselves by:
- Finding and marrying the man of her dreams – well done Rose!
- Getting engaged to the woman of his dreams – best wishes to you Gene!
- Scoring a place on the Australian Opals Basketball Team – amazing achievement Hanna!
- Getting the top price in her street when selling her house – nice one Catherine!
- Publishing three paid articles on the ABC‟s website – congratulations Andrea!
- Being offered a brand new car – great manifesting Jen!
- Setting up a healing sanctuary – follow your dreams Petrina!
- Buying out her competitor‟s business to become the largest service provider in her industry – go Heather! And then there was Sara who couldn‟t make the last class as she was invited to do vocals and song writing for a producer resulting in one of her songs being signed to a record label!
If you want to share in the magic click here Magic & Manifestation Course
OR call Stella on 03 9534 5021 or email stella@stellastarwoman.com to book your place.
Cost is $395 for 8 x 2 hour sessions on Tuesday evenings (includes all workbooks and materials) Venue: Elwood Learning Centre, 87 Tennyson Street, Elwood
Autumn Equinox
March 21st, the autumn equinox, is a key date in the astrological calendar as the sun moves from Pisces to Aries and day and night are of equal length. Many ancient civilisations considered the equinox and solstice points the most important days of the calendar, marking the turning points of the year. For the next six months, nights are longer than days, which means it is time to start withdrawing energy from the outer world and prepare for the cooler months ahead. Stock up your kitchen shelves and freezer and get your house and garden in order. The autumn equinox is a good time to get rid of any unwanted possessions – old clothes, furniture, books, files, CDs, 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, let it go and make space for something new.
Are you Really a Sagittarian,,or Could you Be a Scorpio?
I‟ve recently been swamped by panic-stricken emails and phone calls from people asking me if it‟s true what the papers and online articles are saying....i.e. that the birth sign they‟ve known and loved for years and read about in the horoscope columns is not really theirs. That in fact they are not a truth-seeking, freedom-loving Sagittarian after all – they are really a passionate and emotionally-intense Scorpio! Worse still... there lurks a mysterious „13th sign‟, Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, which has thrown everything out of kilter.
Zodiac stereotypes, like cultural and racial stereotypes, are very hard to shift even though I do my best in these columns. Many people do not realise that horoscope columns and „star signs‟ are a relatively modern invention. So before we even broach the problem of „which sign are you?‟ let‟s hear from James Silver of the London Independent newspaper:
“The first article on astrology in the popular press appeared on 24 August 1930, in the Sunday Express. The editor had invited the astrologer R H Naylor to cast the horoscope of the newly born Princess Margaret Rose. (One of his predictions was that "events of tremendous importance to the Royal Family and the nation will come about near her seventh year". The abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, resulted in her father's accession to the throne a few months before her seventh birthday.)
This initial article garnered a strong response from the public and Naylor was commissioned to write a series of articles on predictions for the coming months. He was soon offered a weekly column, "What the Stars Foretell', which became one of the paper's most popular features. All the other mass-circulation papers followed suit and, in 1941, Mass Observation discovered that "nearly two-thirds of the adult population glance at or read some astrological feature more or less regularly": figures which hold true today.”
So it was Naylor who invented the horoscope column. He had to find a way of writing so that each reader could feel involved, and chose to divide his predictions into 12 paragraphs, one for each person born when the sun was passing through a particular zodiac sign. This is not a technique used by professional astrologers, but it remains popular because everyone knows their own birthday and can identify with being a particular star sign such as Aries or Pisces, rather like being proud of being Greek or Chinese.
Recent newspaper articles claiming that your star sign is „wrong‟ relates to the fact that there are two different zodiacs – one based on the actual position of identified constellations such as Aries and Pisces (the sidereal zodiac) and one based on the position of the sun at the northern hemisphere spring equinox as marking the start of the zodiac (the tropical zodiac). We could say that the sidereal zodiac is based on stars and the tropical zodiac on seasons.
If you think about it, dividing the sky and the year into 12 constellations or 12 months is a completely arbitrary thing, rather like determining country borders. Throughout history, different cultures have used different stars in different constellations and we only have to look at Australian Aboriginal culture to see that our indigenous people have an entirely different interpretation of the sky based on their own seasons, myths and legends. Western astrologers use the constellations identified by the Greeks and Romans, mapped around 2000 years ago.
The recent media frenzy is related the fact that as the Earth spins on its axis, it wobbles like a top, causing the spring equinox (starting point of the zodiac) to move gradually backwards against the background of fixed stars (a phenomenon known as the precession of the equinoxes) at a rate of about 30 degrees (one zodiacal sign length) every 2,160 years. Thus the two zodiacs are aligned only once every 26,000 years and were aligned about 2,000 years ago when the zodiac we use today was originally established. So if we look at the area of the sky identified as „Aries‟ 2000 years ago, we will not see the constellation of Aries anymore, instead we will see Pisces as the stars have shifted backwards by approximately 1o every 72 years.
To clear up any further confusion, the constellation Ophiuchus has always existed and has sometimes been included as a 13th sign. Research shows that at one time there were as many as 18 signs in use, and at another as few as 6, with variations in between. We have ended up with the current 12 signs corresponding with the 12 month year established during the Roman era whereas pagan and farming cultures worked with a 13 month year, corresponding to the lunar cycle.
So to answer the original question – you‟re still the same zodiac sign you were last year, but there‟s far more to your astrological birth chart than that! Hopefully you‟ll be inspired to do some further reading on this interesting subject via the wealth of information on the internet.
The Times They Are A-Changin’
“The Times They Are A-Changin‟” so fast, many of you reading this column will never have heard this song, written by protest singer Bob Dylan back in 1963, but the sentiment remains the same almost half a century later. People who don‟t normally take much notice of astrology have been saying to me recently: “Is there something going on in the cosmos Stella? I‟ve been feeling as though my whole life‟s on the brink of change... as though everything‟s up for grabs.” Or as Dylan put it:
Your old road is rapidly aging. Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'.
You may remember my predictions for 2011 included: “With Uranus in impulsive Aries, the drive for renewal and change will be intense, abrupt and even violent. Those who have the most to gain from revolution will find this liberating, but others will find the upheaval both challenging and upsetting with individual rights and freedom from centralised government being core themes. Any government that acts in an autocratic or unfair manner will be faced by massive grass roots protest fuelled by the power of the internet and social networking.” I didn‟t realise things were going to move quite so quickly, but with revolts against government in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen in January, Libya in February and more popular uprisings in other oppressed nations, this prediction has exploded into reality.
Another prediction that has come true is the one about weather: “Given the unpredictability of Uranus and the fiery nature of Aries, we should prepare for an increase in heat waves, droughts, floods, earthquakes, cyclones and other „Acts of God‟.” Now you may say that there are floods and earthquakes and cyclones every year and that‟s true, but no one can deny that the past couple of months have been more unsettling than usual, with Cyclone Yasi in Queensland, the Christchurch earthquake, dramatic flooding throughout East Coast Australia and Brazil and massive snowstorms in The States. As one reader wrote: „The world has gone mad!‟ The key to surviving when „the times they are a-changin‟‟ is to remain grounded and centred. In the eye of the hurricane so to speak. If you missed last month‟s article on 2011 predictions, you can read it here. 2011 Predictions
Wheel of the Zodiac Astrology Workshop
We all know there‟s more to astrology than star signs so if you‟ve always dreamed of deepening your knowledge, this morning workshop is specially designed for those with little or no knowledge of Astrology who‟d like to learn more about this fascinating subject. You might know you‟re a Gemini or Cancer, but do you know your moon sign? And what about your Ascendant or Rising Sign? And more importantly, do you know what it all means and how to use this knowledge to maximize your potential and live in harmony with your environment?
Whether you're a pragmatic earth sign, a passionate fire sign, an emotional water sign or a mentally driven air sign, I promise you'll leave with a greater understanding of what makes you tick (and your partner... and your mother... or your boss!)
Date: Sunday 20th March 2011
Time: 9.30 - 1.30 pm
Cost: $125 includes morning tea, Personal Birth Chart Report and 2011 Moon Calendar
Venue: Elwood Leaning Centre, 87 Tennyson St, Elwood
Bookings: Call Stella on (03) 9534 5021 or stella@stellastarwoman.com
Key Astrological Events - March
March opens with five planets in water sign Pisces joined by the new moon on the 5th. Pisces brings feelings and emotions to the surface making the first part of March a wonderful time for spiritual reflection and contemplation. Uranus heads into fire sign Aries on the 12th and as the month progresses the dominant energy gradually shifts from Pisces to Aries. With Mars, ruler of Aries, moving at high speed and in mutual reception with Jupiter, the warrior and hero in each of us is called to action. Any activity that requires courage, physical fitness, stamina and endurance is favoured in the second half of the month and with Mars in compassionate and peace-loving Pisces, we can cooperate and work alongside others. If you‟ve been meaning to get out in the fresh air, organise a working bee, overhaul the compost heap or head to the bush for a camping trip, now is an excellent time and you‟re bound to have fun doing it. The worst thing you can do is sit on the couch and watch TV!
The Virgo Full Moon falls on the 20th, the day before the Autumn Equinox. This Full Moon is particularly close to earth, making it a „supermoon‟ meaning emotions will be turbo-charged and potentially turbulent. With the Sun conjunct Uranus at the Aries Ingress on the following day, we can expect the unexpected. Uranus has been called the great awakener. As he joins the Sun, symbol of light and consciousness at the first degree of the zodiac, there is a powerful inner urge for reform, both personally and politically.
Featured Sign-Pisces
From the 19th February to the 21st March, the sun travels through mutable water sign Pisces, noted for her dreaminess, escapist nature and love of fantasy. 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.
March 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 |
Capricorn |
Earth |
|
|
1st-4th |
Aquarius |
Air |
|
|
4th-6th |
Pisces |
Water |
New Moon (5th) |
|
6th-9th |
Aries |
Fire |
|
|
9th-11th |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
11th-14th |
Gemini |
Air |
First Quarter |
|
14th-16th |
Cancer |
Water |
|
|
16th-18th |
Leo |
Fire |
|
|
18th-20th |
Virgo |
Earth |
Full Moon (20th) |
|
20th-22nd |
Libra |
Air |
Autumn Equinox (21st) |
|
22nd-24th |
Scorpio |
Water |
|
|
24th-26th |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
|
|
26th-28th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
Third Quarter |
|
28th-31st |
Aquarius |
Air |
|
|
31st |
Pisces |
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 stellaw@ozemail.com.au
PS – Don‟t forget to check out your March Monthly Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com to see what‟s coming up for you this month.
Happy Stargazing
Stella Woods www.stellastarwoman.com