APRIL STARGAZER by Stella Woods


lots of passion, courageous risk-taking and people standing up for themselves, asking for pay rises, demanding better treatment at home or work, or more time off. It seems much more acceptable in our culture to feel low or depressed than to feel angry, but let’s face it – Mars is all about getting mad and spitting the dummy! Many astrology columns have been


Easter and the paschal moon


DID YOU KNOW that Easter Sunday always falls on the Sunday after the first full moon of the northern hemisphere spring equinox? This full moon is known as the paschal moon (7th April this year in Libra) and also marks Pesach, the Jewish Passover. Yes, Easter does have an astronomical basis! Because Jesus was crucified on a Friday and resurrected the following Sunday during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Passover, Christians take the paschal moon combined with the equinox to fix the date of Easter, which varies from year to year. Good Friday this year falls on 6th April and Easter Sunday on 8th. The Sabian symbol for the April full


moon shows two men being arrested, referring to the idea that, though we all enjoy freewill, we need to face the consequences of our actions and decisions. The March new moon in the lead-up to this full moon was conjunct retrograde Mercury and Uranus in independent and impulsive fire sign Aries. Whatever we began at the March new moon (23rd March) will reach fruition at the Easter weekend, meaning we’ll either be reaping the harvest or facing the music!


HOW MUCH MORE RETROGRADE CAN YOU HANDLE? The big question this month is: “What was Mars retrograde like for you?” or more accurately, “What is Mars retrograde still like for you?”, as that fiery beast continues to travel backwards through the night sky and will do so until mid-April. Mars with its reddish tinge has been clearly visible rising in the eastern sky just after sunset over the past month and I’ve enjoyed watching it from my balcony by night, while listening with sympathy to how it’s been affecting my clients’ lives by day. Break-ups, resignations, confrontations, outbursts of anger, arguments, fevers, burns, scalds, car accidents, passive aggression – you name it – but also


referring to the marvellous grand trine of mid March when Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Pluto formed a triangle in the sky in earth signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Now normally this would be a very positive line-up, but it seems that, as Mars was part of the picture, this grand trine simply exacerbated whatever was going on in people’s lives for good or for bad. The whole purpose of the bi-annual


Mars retrograde transit is to force us to align our actions with our true desires – if you’re already doing this, you’ll barely have noticed anything happening over the past couple of months. But if you’ve been consistently overriding gut feelings, messages from the heart and intuitive hunches with your rational mind, you’ve probably experienced the more negative side of the transit. This final part of the Mars retro cycle offers clarity and understanding. As the old ways become redundant or obsolete, there is time to pause and consider what needs to be done to maintain integrity. Once Mars turns direct (14th April) it is time to deal with the fallout from the past couple


of months. We instinctively know if a relationship, situation, circumstance or condition is unsustainable and are likely to make radical changes. There is usually a total re-evaluation of the course of action needed to reclaim personal power. On a more positive note, projects that have stalled will begin to run smoothly again.


BUT ENOUGH OF MARS – WHAT ABOUT VENUS? Jupiter and Venus have been cruising through sensual earth sign Taurus, putting on a dazzling evening display since early March and, as Venus is the ruler of Taurus, this combined energy of the two luckiest planets has provided an interesting counter-balance to the Mars retrograde transit in Virgo. Venus/ Jupiter in Taurus is a rather self-indulgent combination – so many people have found themselves longing for more holidays, more rest, more money and more pleasure generally. Nothing wrong with that – most of us work far too hard these days. However on 4th April Venus will move into air sign Gemini and while I could have saved this next bit for the May column, I believe that forewarned is forearmed. On 16th May Venus will also turn retrograde and as this transit comes hot on the heels of Mars retrograde, it is likely that the two cosmic events will somehow be linked. Venus is the goddess of love and


when she starts travelling backwards (this happens ever 18 months) any relationship


grievances tend to come to the surface as we contemplate our own needs for creativity, love and nourishment. This means if you’ve been fighting with your partner or even thinking of leaving your relationship, you’d better get things sorted out this month, otherwise problems will rear their head again in a spectacular way in May and June. Venus will retrograde from 23 Gemini back to 7 Gemini affecting those with personal planets in this section of the zodiac, as well as Geminis born between 28th May and 14th June, and to a lesser extent Sagittarians born between 29th November and 15th December. Look out for more on Venus retrograde in next month’s Stargazer.


THE ROUND TOWERS OF IRELAND In past Stargazer columns we’ve looked at Aboriginal astronomy and sacred sites in Central America, Egypt and the British Isles and seen how our ancestors built their sacred temples and stone circles in alignment with constellations and the seasonal cycles. This month I’d like to share with you some interesting information on the round towers of Ireland that has come to my notice courtesy of the Earth Zodiac Research group and Ed Durand. Ireland is home to approximately


70 mysterious round towers, ranging in height from 17-40 metres tall, with windows aligned to the four cardinal points and entrances set at a distance from ground level, similar to pyramids. The towers are either built in a rectangular form like obelisks capped by a pyramid (masculine shape) or in a cylindrical form capped by a cone (female shape). It is believed that these Irish round towers were constructed by Celtic Christian monks towards the end of the great period of monastic expansion, between the fifth and the seventh centuries, and at the time of construction they were the only stone structures in the monastery. The towers are built from sandstone, limestone and mica schist – all paramagnetic stones, meaning they resonate positively in an electro-magnetic field and help energise the surrounding environment.


MAP OF THE STARS US Professor Philip Callahan, stationed in Ireland as a GI during the Second World War, discovered that the towers formed a map of the constellations at the Irish winter solstice in the same way that the Egyptian pyramids at Giza mirror the stars in Orion’s belt.


ADULT STEM CELLS are the BEST-KEPT SECRET in today’s wellness.


But the secret is out with StemEnhance®


A concentrated natural aqua botanical extract that supports


the release of adult stem cells!


Executive Coaching, Self Mastery &


Strategic Visioning


NSW Richard Rowland 0417 062 804 VIC Gosia Kaczocha 0422 426 996 WA Susan Rennie


QLD Marita Mason 07 4128 8234 97532i028 0414 900 326 www.acping.net 30 april 2012


Leslie Caplan


Author of this issue’s article, ‘Finding your courage through creative expression’, is inspired to share her expressions with the world in hopes of inviting deep and courageous living.


She invites you to visit her website www.courageousheartinmotion.com


Tracey Lee Hogan Naturopath, Nutritionist, Herbalist, Homoeopath.


Tracey has 20 years’ experience in the


complementary medicine industry, and may assist you with realistic protocols to help you on the path of health.


Clinic address: Lifestyle Building, Suite 36a, 117 Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale


Upcoming workshops 6–8pm $49: Headaches – 3rd April


Anxiety and stress management – 17th April Increasing energy – 8th May.


For appointments and workshop bookings phone: 0413 514 824


89617i020


97533i028


97457i028


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32