Hi and welcome to the Stella Starwoman April AstroUpdate delivered to you on the day of the Aries New Moon.
The Autumn Magic & Manifestation Course started last week with 16 fantastic people all keen to manifest their dreams – who knows what they’ll achieve – we’ll keep you posted!
This month we feature two new Sunday Tarot Workshops - Secrets of the Major Arcana and Speed Dating with the Court Cards but by far the most exciting news is the entry of super planet Neptune into water sign Pisces. The Olympic Games takes place every 4 years – Neptune (symbol of collective trends and fashion) changes zodiac sign every 14 years, so the last time was in 1998 which seems an aeon ago. Read on to find out what this all means for you.
Neptune In Her Element
The great day is upon us. On the 4th April, Neptune, planet of collective trends and fashion moves into dreamy and idealistic Pisces for the first time in more than a century (her last visit was from 1847-1861). Neptune is the ruler of Pisces, meaning she’s at home and in her element in this watery realm. We can see how fashions have changed as Neptune transited the zodiac over the past 100 years. Virginity and hygiene were worshipped when Neptune moved through Virgo and business, real estate and big shoulder pads became sexy when Neptune headed into Capricorn.
What’s Hot & What’s Not
Neptune in Leo (1914-1929) Glamour, style, individuality, movies
Neptune in Virgo (1928-1943) Virginity, hard work, duty, sacrifice, service, hygiene
Neptune in Libra (1942-1956) Marriage, diplomacy, keep it nice, aesthetics, romance
Neptune in Scorpio (1955-1970) Passion, exploring the dark side, intensity, sex
Neptune in Sagittarius (1970-1984) Freedom, adventure, knowledge, breaking rules
Neptune in Capricorn (1984-1998) Business, wealth, achievement, hard work, status
Neptune in Aquarius (1998-2011) Technology, androgyny, community, progress
What Can We Expect with Neptune in Pisces?
Astrologer Steven Forrest believes we’ll be ‘turning up the dial’ on all things Piscean over the next 14 years and ‘raising escapism to an art form’. Virtual reality is already upon us as we spend increasing amounts of time in front of our interactive computer screens. When we can’t cope with failed relationships, war in the Middle East, global warming and climate change, we can always retreat to the safe world of digital music and video. If we don’t like the way we look or feel, we can create a beautiful and powerful avatar and live an airbrushed fantasy life with fantasy friends, fantasy lovers and dream possessions.
We can maintain secret online identities and trash the creative output and ideas of others in complete anonymity. (Just take a look at the vicious and incendiary comments posted under any YouTube video or on the ABC and major newspaper websites.) We are limited only by our imagination and the technology and drugs at our disposal. If this all sounds ominous to those who prefer flesh and blood relationships and accountability, it is; but what is really scary is that activities connected with Neptune in Pisces will now receive unquestioning mass approval and therefore funding. Anyone who protests or tries to turn the tide will be up against the dictates of fashion and popular culture.
As insurance premiums and lawsuits continue to rise and we pass increasingly rigid legislation on public liability, health and safety (ostensibly to protect us, but in practice preventing us from: disciplining our children; holding carnivals and sporting events; taking bottles of water into large venues; riding horses; taking food home in a doggy bag; watching children play; taking photos without permission and buying supermarket food only hours past its use- by date), we seem to be ignoring the insidious side effects of the nanny state. The real world is now considered to be too dangerous, particularly for children and we’ve retreated to the safety and security of the virtual world. A school in Manchester, England has recently banned the use of soccer balls in the playground to avoid the possibility of injury. No more scraped knees for the David Beckham wannabes – they’re safe and secure indoors chatting with their online buddies.
I’ll leave you with one final thought. If Pisces is the uber-sign of the decade, the qualities espoused by its polar opposite Virgo could fall from grace and be considered irrelevant or unimportant (environment, duty, service, modesty, healthy eating, morality, attention to detail, physical health, hard work, precision and order). The lesson would seem to be to stay grounded while letting the imagination soar. It will be interesting to see how these themes play out over the coming decade. Read on for a few ideas.
Neptune in Pisces (2011-2025)
Positive
- The quest for redemption, salvation and paradise
- Escapism through film, fashion, beauty, glamour, music and the arts
- Increased funding for the arts, film and fashion industry
- Withdrawal from society to meditate, contemplate, muse and reflect
- A quest for and fascination with story, enchantment, myth and paradise lost
- Divine love, unconditional love and unrequited love
- Desire to help those less fortunate
- Desire to connect with divine, spiritual and supernatural forces
- Compassion, kindness, selflessness, love, sharing and humility
- Yearning for a more natural, peaceful and contemplative existence
- Worship of and reinstatement of the sacred feminine
- Increased interest in yoga, meditation and other spiritual paths
- Less focus on the material and more on the emotional and spiritual
Negative
- Increase in floods, rising sea levels and unstable rainfall patterns
- Illusion, delusion, fantasy, confusion and lack of groundedness
- A rise in obesity and eating disorders due to lack of connection with the physical body and natural world
- Desire to renounce one’s own individual nature or desire to merge with the collective or divine nature
- Escapism through mind altering substances, drugs and alcohol
- Escapism into the world of 3D virtual reality
- Increase in cyber bullying, fraud and identity theft
- Lack of boundaries in online forums coupled with ability to post anonymous feedback leading to gossip,
- bitchiness and lack of respect for others and their creative output
- Increase in mental illness, anxiety and panic attacks and dissociative disorder
- Desire to rescue, save or suffer (the martyr, victim, saviour complex)
- Lack of personal and financial boundaries
- A rise in the number of cults and gurus promising salvation in exchange for your money
Secrets of the Major Arcana
Tarot Workshop Sunday 17th April
Meet the Fool, the Empress, the Magician & all the other exciting characters of the Tarot Major Arcana.
If you’ve always dreamed of learning to read tarot for yourself or friends and family, this morning workshop is a great place to start. And it’s specially designed for those with little or no knowledge of Tarot who’d like to learn more about this fascinating subject.
The twenty two cards of the Tarot Major Arcana tell the story of the Fool’s Journey from innocence through childhood, adolescence, love, trial, tribulation, sacrifice and wisdom towards enlightenment and fulfilment. The Fool is Everyman or Everywoman. We can use the Major Arcana cards to learn more about the process of individuation or we can interpret the images individually as they relate to our lives at any given point.
This workshop is designed to be both practical and esoteric, both fun and educational. By the end of the morning you’ll have learned heaps about yourself and I guarantee you’ll be itching to get home and try out all the spreads you’ve learned.
Date: Sunday 17th May 2011 (9.30 am – 1.30 pm)
Cost: $155 includes morning tea, Tarot Workbook and Raider Waite tarot desk or $125 if you bring your own cards
Venue: Elwood Learning Centre, 87 Tennyson St, Elwood, Melbourne
Bookings: Call Stella on (03) 9534 5021 or stella@stellastarwoman.com
Speed Dating with the Court Cards
Tarot Workshop Sunday 1st May
Why does the Page of Swords never hand in his homework? What made Amanda fall in love with the King of Cups? And what do you think happened when the Knight of Wands went backpacking with the Knight of Pentacles?
Many tarot readers, even experienced professionals, struggle to understand the Court Cards and incorporate them in readings. In this workshop, Stella will introduce those Queens and Pages as the people you meet on an everyday basis - the girl at the office, the man in the bakery, your husband, wife, favourite grandson etc. Next time they pop up in a reading, you'll know exactly who you're dealing with.
And once you've learned how to spot and identify these characters, what could be more fun than to put them in some awkward or amusing situations and see what happens?
Date & Time: Sunday 1st May 2011 (9.30 am – 1.30 pm)
Cost: $125 includes morning tea and handouts
Venue: Elwood Learning Centre, 87 Tennyson St, Elwood, Melbourne
Bookings: Call Stella on (03) 9534 5021 or stella@stellastarwoman.com
Key Astrological Events – April
April promises to be a fine month for fire signs with five planets in Aries (Uranus, Jupiter, Sun, Mercury and Mars) plus Moon in Aries from the 2nd to the 5th and Venus in Aries from the 21st onwards. The April new moon falls on the 4th of the month and with energetic Mars, ruler of Aries exactly conjunct Uranus on that day, expect the unexpected and make sure you drive carefully! Aries is the sign of the warrior and pioneer so if even if you’re not a fire sign, you’ll probably feel ‘fired up’ this month and if you’ve been making compromises or avoiding confrontation, these fiery April energies will blow your cover. Communication planet Mercury turned retrograde on the 31st March and will travel backwards through Aries until the 23rd April giving you the perfect opportunity to catch up with outstanding paperwork and work out just what you need to do to maintain integrity. Competitive sport and outdoor adventure are favoured this month as is any physical work round the house and garden. Consider a bush camping trip to enjoy the beautiful full moon in Libra on the 18th in the lead up to Easter. The Sun moves into earth sign Taurus on the 20th bringing a more relaxed and sensual mood to the final week of April.
Featured Sign-Aries
From the 21st 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 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-2nd |
Pisces |
Water |
|
|
2nd-5th |
Aries |
Fire |
New Moon 4th |
|
5th-7th |
Taurus |
Earth |
|
|
7th-10th |
Gemini |
Air |
|
|
10th-12th |
Cancer |
Water |
First Quarter |
|
12th-14th |
Leo |
Fire |
|
|
14th-16th |
Virgo |
Earth |
|
|
16th-18th |
Libra |
Air |
Full Moon 18th |
|
18th-20th |
Scorpio |
Water |
|
|
20th-22nd |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
|
|
22nd-25th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
|
|
25th-27th |
Aquarius |
Air |
Third Quarter |
|
27th-30th |
Pisces |
Water |
|
| 30th |
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 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.
Happy Stargazing
Stella Woods