Number 36                                                      christiner@netspace.net.au

 March see the first of the two eclipse seasons for 2007 with the Full Moon on March 4 a lunar eclipse and the New Moon on March 19 a solar eclipse. Eclipses always put the spotlight on specific areas of our lives and challenge us to sort out anything we have been avoiding. Mercury moves direct in between the two eclipses on March 8, inviting us to do some deep soul searching and start setting some new intentions.

 Besides the Eclipses, March features the Autumn Equinox and the fourth Venus/Moon conjunction suggesting that major themes for this month are review, letting go, giving thanks, opening our hearts and inviting in compassion and forgiveness.

 Astrology classes will now begin on Thursday April 19 and Friday April 20. These classes can be undertaken for personal interest or as the basis for gaining professional qualifications. Classes are scheduled for Thursday nights and Friday mornings and can also be taken via CORRESPONDANCE. Concession and instalment payments are available.  Details can be found at the end of the newsletter.

 Blessings

 Christine

 Christine Rothwell

É 03 9584 6532

Email: christiner@netspace.net.au

 Contents

1. March Overview
2. March Eclipses
3. The Autumn Equinox
4. Courses and Workshop Information

      Autumn Equinox Celebration: Monday March 19

       Astrology Classes begin [also available via correspondence.]

·        7:15pm Thursday April 19

·        10am Friday April 20

5. Consultations and Gift Certificates

 1.    March Overview

 

 REFLECTION is still a major part of the March energy but we will be challenged to make some decisions and move in new directions as the potent eclipse energies put the spotlight on specific areas of our life.

 The first ten days of March could be quite eventful as we have a lunar eclipse, Mercury stationery and Uranus conjunct the Sun. This combination can be very emotional, erratic and impulsive – SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL and try to remain centred in the midst of the chaos. Remember, everyone is pre-occupied and probably somewhat frustrated that things are not moving fast enough so

·        back off

·        maintain a sense of humour

·        don’t take things [especially delays] personally

·        and CHILL!!!!!

 Mercury turns direct on March 8 and leaves the retrograde loop on March 28, suggesting that new attitudes have crystallized and can be acted upon. The new Mercury cycle began on February 23, inviting us to leave behind mental attitudes that we have outgrown and embrace the new insights that this process has seeded.

 [All the Mercury retrograde dates for 2007 are now listed on my website. Go to www.christinerothwell.com/page5.htm]

 Jupiter trines Saturn on March 17, creating a harmonious aspect between the principles of growth and expansion [Jupiter] and the reality principle [Saturn] for the first of three such meetings.  The next two trines will be in May 2007 and February 2008. This is an auspicious transit that suggests the possibilities for breakthroughs and opportunities for growth on both internal and external levels. Saturn is associated with our fears and insecurities so this transit encourages us to face our fears and moves beyond them to a place that is more spacious and optimistic.  Externally it is an opportunity to expand the structures that we have created so they do not feel like they are limiting or constraining us.

 Between March 19 and 21 there are three very powerful astrological events that suggest the potential for energetic shifts. We have

1. Solar Eclipse in Pisces
2. Autumn Equinox [Southern hemisphere]
3. Fourth conjunction of Venus and the Moon since Venus became the Evening Star.

 A discussion of the eclipses and the Autumn Equinox is found in the next two sections of this newsletter.

March 21 marks the fourth Venus conjunction of the Moon since Venus reappeared as the Evening Star in December. Currently she can be observed for about an hour after sun down, above the western horizon.

In Sumerian myth these conjunctions were said to be portals that opened to allow the Goddess Inanna to reclaim the seven symbols of Her power that She relinquished when She made Her descent during Her time as Morning Star. These symbols correlate with the seven chakras and Her descent and ascent is a metaphor for a process of initiation.

Moon-Venus conjunctions are powerful times for ritual and inner work. The evening of March 21 would be an appropriate time to focus on fourth chakra issues such as

·        Compassion

·        Love – and its power to heal on all levels

·        Forgiveness

·        Listening to your heart

With the New Moon /Solar Eclipse on the 19^th taking place in Pisces the theme of personal and universal compassion becomes a dominant theme for the month of May.

Caroline Myss [in Anatomy of the Spirit] says the sacred truth of the fourth chakra is ‘Love is Divine Power’. At this gateway we have the opportunity to open our hearts more fully to life.

This would be a perfect time to

·        Spend some time listening to your heart

·        Practice forgiveness [of ourselves and others] using whatever tools or techniques work for you. Colin Tipping’s book, Radical Forgiveness, could be a valuable resource for those of you who are not sure how to go about this process. EFT and Heart Awareness techniques would also be very powerful.

2.    March Eclipses

March heralds the first of the two eclipse seasons for 2007 and sees the first solar eclipses moving in Pisces as the eclipses travel through the Pisces / Virgo polarity for the next couple of years. Eclipses are especially powerful new moons and full moons that usually occur twice each year. The last eclipse season was 6 months ago – in September 2006.  This solar eclipse path falls across Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern India and parts of China. These areas are particularly prone to disruption. The local times [Australian Eastern Standard Time] for the eclipses are

·        Total Lunar Eclipse on Sunday March 4 at 10:21am at 13 Virgo

·        Partial Solar Eclipse on Monday March 19 at 1:32pm at 28 Pisces

 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. 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.

 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 10:21am 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 lunar eclipse contains a lot of very impulsive and erratic vibrations with Uranus conjunct the Sun [and opposite the Moon], Mercury retrograde and Jupiter squaring the Sun and Moon. Try to use the energy productively to make necessary changes but beware of over reacting and becoming contrary. Uranus is speaking of the need for change, but there are ways of implementing change that stimulate and delight rather than confront and shock.

 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 Virgoan and Piscean energy and the areas of life [house position and planets] that contains them then we may find very little is stirred up.

 This solar eclipse will be the first in the sign of Pisces for about 17 years and will activate the Piscean archetype and themes collectively and personally.  This eclipse also invites us all to reflect on how we deal with this energy.

 The chart for this solar eclipse in Pisces is very potent and plutonic – emphasizing the need to release, let go and face our fears and shadows – whatever we have buried in the plutonian realm of our personal unconscious. Pluto squares the Sun and Moon so the danger here is

• Getting involved in power struggles
• Giving in to fear and depression
• Becoming destructively critical and judgemental
• Letting our shadow take control
• Or giving your power away and feeling like a victim.

 On the positive side this is a time to reflect on how we can be more compassionate. Pisces marks the end of the zodiac and challenges us to move beyond our physical reality and ego and form a relationship with the transcendent realm of the collective unconscious that communicates with us via symbols, dreams, imagination and intuition.   An eclipse in Pisces is inviting us all to pay attention to our inner worlds and create sacred spaces and containers to explore the imagery and symbolism that is the language of this realm. It also invites us to find ways to experience healthy ecstatic states found through the positive Piscean avenues of music, dance, and artistic expression of all kinds, meditation and spiritual practice.

 Pisces is the mystic of the zodiac and can experience extraordinary visions but needs the balance of the Virgoan polarity to ground and manifest these visions and ensure that they are real – not just flights of fantasy. At this time we may all have our head in the clouds a little and need to be careful that our intuition is just that – and not wishful thinking.

 Pisces is also incredibly idealistic and can be somewhat naïve. Pisces tends to be one of the rescuers of the zodiac and sacrifice themselves for others. They can end up very co-dependent and feeling like a victim if they do not have a strong sense of self. The spiritual paradox is that we must have a self to transcend; otherwise we end up lost, often giving our power away to teachers and gurus who may or may not be ethical.

 An eclipse in Pisces puts the spotlight on all things Piscean – both positive and negative – and invites us to become aware of and take responsibility for:

·        Our dreams and fantasies

·        Our idealism and compassion

·        Our urge to transcend our ego and experience oneness and unity

·        Our spirituality and spiritual practices

·        Our creativity

·        Our illusions and delusions

·        Our addictions

·        Our co-dependency.

If your birthday is five days either side of the solar eclipse on March 19 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. These eclipses have a 19 year cycle and fall on the same degrees as the eclipses of March 1988.  Can you remember what was happening then? It may be time to revisit and release something that resonates with this time. Remember, you have 19 more years of growth and consciousness to help you with this task.

 For more information about eclipses go to the eclipse page on my web site www.christinerothwell.com/page6.htm

 3.    The Autumn Equinox

Wednesday March 21 marks the Aries Ingress, better known as the Autumn Equinox in the southern hemisphere.  At 11:09am Australian Eastern Daylight Time the Sun will move into the sign of Aries and be exactly overhead at the equator. This marks the time when day and night are of equal length but it is the turning point that marks the time when the darkness begins to prevail over the light. From this point forward the days will grow shorter as the Sun decreases in power and strength. It is time to turn towards the darkness of winter and focus inwards.

 Esoteric writers say this is a magical time when the magnetic field of the Earth is influenced by the Sun’s position directly overhead the equator. A doorway or portal opens to other realms due to a reduction in the Earth’s magnetic field. This is a powerful time for ritual and meditation that can offer us wisdom, inspiration and guidance. The equinox energy lasts for about 24 hours either side the exact moment.

  Celebrating the Autumn Equinox

The Autumn Equinox marks the second and final of the two harvest festivals in the Celtic Wheel of the Year.  In Ancient Greece this was the time of the Greater Mysteries that were celebrated at Eleusis. This is the time to acknowledge with gratitude all the goods things in your life that you may tend to take for granted and to over the last cycle.  You may choose to hold a thanksgiving dinner where everyone expresses their gratitude for life’s riches, or you may prefer a more private ritual such as the one below.

 When you are ready sit quietly, centre yourself and invoke your Highest Inspiration, then call for the assistance of your guides as you light your harvest candle. Gently come into your heart and allow yourself to remember all the good things in your life – the people, things, works, interests, pets, family, travel – anything and everything that gives you joy. Allow yourself to feel sincere gratitude as your mind floats over the richness and abundance that you often take for granted. Form the intention to be more mindful and appreciative on a daily basis, and then reflect on what you have achieved over the last year. Give thanks for these achievements then spend some time reflecting on what has not gone the way you had wished. What can you learn from these experiences to take into the new cycle at the coming Winter Solstice? Keep your candle to light whenever you need to remember to be more thankful. Blessed be!

 5. Courses, Workshops and Classes

Contact Christine on 9584 6532 or christiner@netspace.net.au for more information or to reserve your place.

 2007 Beginner’s Astrology Classes commence

·        7:15pmThursday April 19

·        10am Friday April 20

This in-depth introduction to astrology from a psychological and mythological perspective will run over three 10 week terms with the option to continue and under go professional training. This course is suitable for beginners wanting to know more about their personal chart as well as those wanting to deepen their knowledge and perhaps gain professional qualifications.

 Each 10 week term costs $300-00 but there is a 10% early bird discount each term. Payment can also be made in instalments and concession rates are available for those on low incomes.   For a brochure containing an enrolment form or more information about payment options ring, email or go to www.christinerothwell.com/page3.htm

 Autumn Equinox Ritual: Monday March 19

This evening celebrates the time when day and night are of equal length and prepares us to journey into the darkness of the Solstice void. The Equinox marks the end of the cycle of fertility and as the last of the two harvest festivals it is a natural time to give thanks for all the abundance in our lives.

 Heart Awareness: Saturday May 19

This workshop will introduce you to simple yet powerful meditative techniques and processes to allow you to access the intuitive wisdom and healing power of your heart. Heart Awareness is more than a meditative technique – it gives you the tools to use throughout the day to manage stress and access the intuitive knowing of your heart.

Blessings

Christine Rothwell