Number 47                                                  christiner@netspace.net.au

 The FAA Astrology Conference over the Australia Day week-end was a great success. There were lots of wonderful lectures and the organizers did a great job of welcoming everyone and making sure everyone’s needs were catered for.  We now have two years to wait for next national conference which will be held in Brisbane over the Australia Day week-end during January 2010.

 Not much is moving fast at the moment as Mars is stationary and Mercury has just turned retrograde.  Adding to this inertia is a potent solar eclipse in the sign of Aquarius on February 7. The time before an eclipse is always a time of low energy, so give yourself time to rest and don’t push too hard.

 2008 Astrology classes begin next week.  First year classes will be held on Monday nights while second year classes will be held on Thursday nights. Correspondence classes are available for first year classes.

 The next Heart Awareness workshop is scheduled for Sunday April 13. Please email or ring for more information.

 Blessings

Christine

 Christine Rothwell

' 03 9584 6532

Email: christiner@netspace.net.au

Website: www.christinerothwell.com

 Contents

1. February Overview
2. February eclipses
3. Courses and Workshop Information

      Astrology Classes for 2008

      Heart Awareness Workshop, Sunday February 17

      Consultations and Gift Certificates

 1.    February Overview

Remember, the retrograde period has given us all the opportunity to become conscious of habitual actions, reactions and responses. The next couple of months are the time to make the changes that we have become aware that we need to make, especially in the house where Mars has been retrograding in our personal birth-chart. Mars remains in the ‘retrograde loop’ until April 5, so many of us will be going back over familiar territory and seeing how we can do things differently for some time yet.

Mercury moved retrograde on January 29 and will turn direct on February 19. [See the January Newsletter for more information] Mercury retrograde offers us the chance to become aware of habitual beliefs and thought patterns and make the adjustments necessary to align our thinking with the person we are now. This is a great time to meditate, reflect, research, seek answers, sort out your paperwork, return calls and generally attend to all the things you have been too busy to do earlier.

This s also a time when normal communications can go haywire and things often don’t run to plan.  Remember to be patient, maintain your sense of humour, CHECK ALL PLANS, BACK UP YOUR DATA AND DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY IF THINGS GO WRONG!

he most intense part of this process will be between February 2 and February 12 when Mercury is lost in the blaze of the Sun. In ancient times this was said to be when Mercury assumes his alter ego as Psychopomp and Guide to the Underworld. In this role Mercury is associated with the Egyptian scribe Thoth, who has access to the Halls of Record. Esoteric writers suggest that the retrograde phase of Mercury creates an opening that allows access to the wisdom of our soul.

Concerns may arise over the first few weeks and the answers and insight can appear when the new Mercury cycle begins on February 7, the day of the Solar Eclipse.  Sit with your insights until February 19 when Mercury goes direct. The next few weeks are the time to express your insights and put new plans into action.

Moon-Venus conjunctions are powerful times for ritual and inner work and February 4 marks the sixth Venus conjunction with the Moon since Venus reappeared as the Morning Star in August. These Moon / Venus conjunctions occur in the Dark of the Moon and are potent times for letting go and facing our fears. The Sacred Feminine is in Her power as the Wise Woman and Crone and invites us to call on Her loving detachment and power to see the big picture to know what needs to be released.

Sumerian myth referred to these conjunctions as portals or doorways that the Goddess Innana descended through as she journeyed into to the Underworld to visit her sister. At each of the 7 doorways she was made to relinquish a symbol of her power. These symbols correlate with the seven chakras and her descent and ascent is a metaphor for a process of initiation.

This is a powerful time to focus on sixth chakra issues and concerns. Caroline Myss [in Anatomy of the Spirit] says 6^th chakra lessons relate to the mind, intuition, insight and wisdom. The sacred truth of the sixth chakra is Seek Only the Truth.  At this gateway the Goddess invites us to become more detached and separate truth from illusion. This is the time to step back from our ego and see the larger picture that operates in our lives. It is time to listen to the voice of our Higher Self and tap into its wisdom.

Solar Eclipse on February 7 at 17ï Aquarius 44`

• 2:45 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time

 

Solar Eclipses are potent new moons that can only occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth align within 10 degrees of the transiting nodes of the moon. This alignment occurs twice each year and there is usually a lunar eclipse the full moon before and/or after a solar eclipse. The last eclipse season was 6 months ago – in September 2007.

All eclipses can herald a crisis but they also provide the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start again. Eclipses tend to be neutral energetically but they function to bring to the surface whatever has been buried, hidden and repressed. If we are working constructively with the energy of Aquarius and the areas of life [house position and planets] that are found in this sign then we may find very little is stirred up. Eclipse points become more personal when they fall on planets or angles in the birth chart. Then they can herald potent endings and beginnings in the affairs of the planet they trigger.

Remember, eclipses are potent times to:

• Face our fears and shadows
• Confront the past and what we have buried
• Let go of whatever is holding us back
• Set a new intention and be willing to move forwards

The eclipse in Aquarius puts the spotlight on the Aquarian part of all of us as well as all things ruled by this idealistic and intellectual sign. Aquarius is the rebel of the zodiac and is associated with the archetypes of the reformer, bohemian, humanitarian while the shadow archetypes are the fanatic, the deviant and the anarchist. The Aquarian challenge is to maintain a vision of social justice but still respecting the needs of others and the value of existing structures.

This eclipse is conjunct the planets Neptune, Mercury and Chiron suggesting that this is both a powerful time for dreaming a new humanitarian vision and healing old divisive wounds. This is a perfect time to be saying sorry to the original inhabitants of this beautiful country.

This Aquarian eclipse challenges us all to reflect on our

• Friendships
• Group involvements
• Humanitarian ideals and visions
• Our need to express our individuality
• Our need for freedom and detachment
• Our need to rebel and reform

Personally it is a potent time to review our ideals and dreams around all of the above [Neptune] and to heal old wounds, especially fears of rejection [Chiron].

If your birthday is five days either side of the solar eclipse it could mark the end of a period of difficulty. It will be very empowering to set new intentions for your life and create a small ritual to honour this event.

Eclipses are said to be very potent times to meditate as they mark the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.

2.    Lunar Eclipse on February 21 at 1ï Virgo 52

·        2:32pm Australian Eastern Standard Daylight time

Lunar eclipses are especially powerful full moons that tend to reveal what and where we are out of balance in our lives. They give us the opportunity to align our belief systems with our inner truth. Lunar eclipses are visible in any area of the world where it is dark, so this lunar eclipse will not be visible on the east coast of  Australia as the eclipse energy peaks at 2:32pm AEDT.   If you know that the full moon tends to get you going, be gentle with yourself and don’t make decisions that come from an emotional and or judgemental space. [Judgement of yourself or others]

This eclipse contains an opposition between Saturn and Neptune, creating tension between the urge to dream, surrender and merge with something larger [Neptune] and the need to be practical, grounded and take responsibility.

The Saturn/ Neptune cycle is all about giving form and structure to our dreams and ideals. Saturn tests our dreams, so beware and be willing to get real. Whatever is pure fantasy and delusion needs to be discarded but whatever contains real substance may  need to be grounded in some way to allow its manifestation. Ask yourself honestly what you really want and what you can do to make it happen. Saturn demands ACTION and willingness to put  energy behind your dreams.

Courses, Workshops and Classes

 Contact Christine on 9584 6532 or christiner@netspace.net.au for a brochure.

 

2008 Astrology Classes

 begin February 4

 

Correspondence classes available for first year

Christine offers an in-depth psychological and mythological approach to astrology. This course is suitable for those individuals who are wishing to learn more about themselves, as well as those interested in becoming a professional astrologer. Classes can be taken on a term by term basis and CD’s are available for any classes you can’t get to.First year covers all the basics that you need to begin to understand a birth chart. Second year goes deeper and looks at predictive techniques, relationship astrology and much more.

 Please ring or email for a brochure

christiner@netspace.net.au

 

Heart Awareness

  Sunday April13

This workshop will introduce you to simple yet powerful meditative techniques that will allow you to access the intuitive wisdom and healing power of your heart.

Heart Awareness gives you the tools to use throughout the day to manage stress and feel more peaceful and heart centred. The optional second day on March 16 will introduce you to a process to work through old negative patterns and problems, see them in a new light and discover creative solutions.

Ring or email for a brochure