Chinese New Year - The Water Dragon

The Chinese Year of the Water Dragon begins on the 23rd January at the Aquarian new moon.  What does this mean for you? (January 2011)

2012 Predictions - Practical Solutions for Challenging Times

Financial upheaval, mass spiritual awakening, sustainable fashion and the rise of China.  Here are my predictions for 2012 and the decade ahead. (December 2011)

Chinese New Year - The Metal Rabbit

The Chinese Year of the Metal Rabbit begins on the 3rd February at the Aquarian new moon.  What does this mean for you? (February 2011)

Sun-Mars Conjunction - Fire & Brimstone

NASA has announced that its surviving Mars rover will be unable to receive commands from Earth for much of the week, as the red planet is about to pass behind the Sun. From an astrological point of view, Mars is the god of war meaning sparks could fly and unexpressed anger and frustration rise to the surface... (January 2011)

Neptune & The Rise of the Sacred Feminine

With idealistic Neptune about to enter spiritual water sign Pisces in April 2011, it seems appropriate that the 2010 Commonwealth Games were hosted by post-colonial India, a country that boasts some of the most sophisticated esoteric, artistic, healing and spiritual traditions in the world. (November 2011)

2011 - The Real Beginning of the 21st Century?

With riots against autocratic government in Egypt, floods in Queensland, snow storms in Europe and the rise of social networking, why 2011 marks the real beginning of the 21st Century. (January 2011)

Gillard vs Abbott

The ongoing battle between Mars (Abbott) & Venus (Gillard). (September 2010)

Australian Federal Election Predictions

With Mercury retrograde and an exact Mars Venus conjunction on Election Day, could Australia be heading for a hung parliament? (August 2010)

Oil Spills & T-Squares

The Deepwater Horizon Disaster & The Saturn-Uranus-Pluto T-Square (August 2010)

The Mayan Calendar

Is Central America's famed calendar really a gateway to other dimensions? (July 2010)

How Julia Eclipsed Kevin

Could Gillard's rise to PM represent a new dawn for Australian women? (July 2010)

Ritual for the Festival of Imbolc

Celebrate the return of the light and enjoy the comfort of a safe, warm, loving home. (July 2010)

Uranus into Aries

One of the major astrological events of 2010 is the movement of mighty Uranus from Pisces to Aries marking the beginning of a whole new 84 year cycle of change and growth. (July 2010)

Winter Solstice Ritual

Beat the winter blues with this warming winter solstice ritual (June 2010)

War & Peace

Uranus into warrior sign Aries is accompanied by a the scarcely noticed shift of Chiron into compassionate Pisces  (May 2010)

The Dendera Zodiac

 Egypt’s Answer to the Mayan Calendar. (April 2010)

Jupiter in Pisces

Why ‘Avatar’ is Breaking Box Office Records. (March 2010)

2010 - The Year Ahead

The importance of independent thought coupled with united action.

http://www.stellastarwoman.com/files/2010-TheYearAhead.pdf

Year of the Metal Tiger

The Year of the Metal Tiger begins at the Aquarian New Moon on the 14th February (January 2010)

http://www.stellastarwoman.com/files/YearoftheTiger.pdf

 

Generation 'Y' Take the Reins

If you’re one of those complaining about Gen Y and their lack of respect, better get used to their New World Order. (November 2009)

http://www.stellastarwoman.com/files/GenerationYTaketheReins.pdf

Saturn Into Libra

Why are more Australians getting married?  And why has work-life balance become the new mantra? (October 2009)

http://www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SaturninLibra.pdf

 

Seducing a Virgo

Fallen in love with a Virgin?   Juicy sensuality awaits if you know the right approach...  (September 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaVirgo.pdf

 

Juno - Nagging Wife or Divine Consort?

Meet Juno - Goddess of Marriage and all that marriage entails ... (September 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/Juno.pdf

 

Pluto in Capricorn - Mounting Casualties

The British Establishment crumbles - dodgy expenses claims (August 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/PlutoinCapricornCasualties.pdf

 

Seducing a Leo

Learn how to make your Lion lie down and purr....... (August 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaLeo.pdf

 

Seducing a Cancer

Entice your crab out of his or her shell... (July 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaCancer.pdf

Midwinter Solstice & Ritual

Celebrate the darkest night of the year with this beautiful winter solstice ritual. (June 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/MidwinterSolstice&Ritual.pdf

Seducing a Gemini

Fallen in love with a twin?  Try wooing them with a silver tongue... (June 2009)

 www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaGemini.pdf

Venus Mars - Cosmic Love Dance

Relationships have been a major focus for all of us over the past few months - find out why! (June 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/VenusMarsCosmicLoveDance.pdf

The Great Mother Goddess Ceres 

Meet Ceres the Corn Goddess who presides over the cycles of fertility, birth, harvest, decay, death and rebirth. (May 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/CeresGreatMotherGoddess.pdf

 

Seducing a Taurean

How do you attract a bull? Matadors do it with red capes and sharp objects. Not recommended... (May 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaTaurus.pdf

Gardening by the Moon

Learn how to plant with the cycles of the moon to produce beautiful fresh fruit and vegies. (May 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/GardeningbytheMoon.pdf

Samhain - Southern Hemisphere Hallowe'en

Find out why we should be celebrating Hallowe'en on May Eve! (April 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SamhainFireFestival.pdf

Seducing an Aries

Get ready for a roller coaster ride with this fast-paced, adventurous fire sign!... (April 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducinganAries.pdf

Bushfires & The Chiron Eclipse

Could astrology have predicted the devastating bushfires in Australia? (March 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/Bushfires.pdf

Venus Retrograde - Rise of the Dark Goddess 

Every eighteen months the dark goddess rises from the underworld covered in blood... (March 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/VenusRetrograde2009.pdf

Seducing a Pisces

Can you catch one of these slippery fish or will they get you first? (March 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaPisces.pdf

Seducing an Aquarian

Don't waste your time - these uber-smart air signs will see right through your game.. (February 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducinganAquarian.pdf

Chinese New Year 2009

Welcome to the Year of the Brown Earth Ox (January 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/YearoftheOx.pdf

Seducing a Capricorn

Cool, calm and collected - but do they ever take off their clothes? (January 2009)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaCapricorn.pdf

 

Seducing a Sagittarian

Are you dealing with the human or the horse? (December 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaSagittarian.pdf

 

Jupiter into Aquarius

2009 offers us a new blueprint for a new future fuelled by a major shift in public consciousness.  (December 2008) 

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/JupiterintoAquarius.pdf

Saturn-Uranus Opposition - Old School or New Rule?

Hippies, flower power, drugs and social upheaval - are we going back to the 1960s? (November 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SaturnUranusOpposition.pdf

Lunar Planning

Get your life in synch by following the monthly cycles of the moon (November 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/LunarPlanning.pdf

Seducing a Scorpio

Take a tip or two from James Bond (November 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaScorpio.pdf

McCain or Obama - Old School or New Rule?

The biggest political prize in the world is up for grabs - who will emerge victorious? (October 2008) 

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/McCainorObama.pdf

Aboriginal Astronomy - Victoria's Own Stonehenge?

The Wurdi Youang stone arrangement near the You Yangs in the Geelong-Bacchus Marsh region was built by the Wathaurung people, thousands of years ago. (September 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/AboriginalAstronomyWurdiYouang.pdf

 

Seducing a Libra

Librans are the masters of relationship - learn how to outsmart them at their own game (October 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaLibra.pdf

 

Seducing a Virgo

Well the good news is that most Virgos are not virgins...but what are they? (September 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/SeducingaVirgo.pdf

 

Magic & Manifestation

Where exactly is my beautiful new car..home..partner.....flat stomach??  Plus feedback from Stella's Magic & Manifestation Workshop (August 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/Magic&Manifestation.pdf

 

August Eclipses & The Beijing Olympics

Could the total eclipse of the Sun on China's Mars Pluto conjunction mark a turning point in the country's fortunes? (August 2008)

 www.stellastarwoman.com/files/August2008Eclipses.pdf

 

Lunar Hair Care - Wax When the Moon is Waning!

You might laugh, but unwanted hair is a fact of life for many people. Tap into the wisdom of moon cycles and keep your inner werewolf at bay... (July 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/LunarHairCare.pdf

 

Sun on the Southern Cross

Did the Three Kings follow the star Sirius and were they real kings or were they actually stars? (June 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/Sun on the Southern Cross.pdf

Feeling Uncomfortably Passive?  Turn Off the Air Conditioner!

Saturn's transit through earth sign Virgo is forcing us to make hard decisions in the areas of environment, nutrition and health. (May 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/Feeling Uncomfortably Passive.pdf

Meet Pallas Athene - The Original Boardroom Goddess!

Feminism has been around for a very long time - learn a thing or two from this feisty warrior goddess.  (April 2008)

http://www.stellastarwoman.com/files/PallasAthene.pdf

Easter, Eostre or Ishtar?

Learn about the real origins of this ancient festival. (March 2008)

http://www.stellastarwoman.com/files/OriginsofEaster.pdf

Pluto in Capricorn 

Find out what this long term transit could mean for Australia's economy and your hip pocket.  (February 2008)

www.stellastarwoman.com/files/PlutoinCapricorn.pdf

MARS RETROGRADE

The Slow Burn

Author: Stella Woods
(Posted November 2007)

For the past few months, we have been examining the dark side of Venus the Seductress. This month the focus is on Mars the Warrior.

Like Venus, Mars is a dual god with two sides - civilised and primitive. The Roman god Mars represents the civilised side of Mars – the desire to be powerful and the ability to take risks and set and achieve goals. By contrast, the Greek god Ares (cf Aries) represents the more primitive side of Mars - a fierce warrior driven by passion, rage and lust and the primary force behind accidents, arguments, injury and violence. This primitive side of Mars comes to the fore during the Mars retrograde period, which occurs for 2-3 months approximately every two years.

Mars in the birth chart is CEO to the Sun, externalising the ego’s desire for accomplishment and helping us express our individuality. Mars themes include: will, desire, libido, courage, passion, energy, spirit and anger. When the Sun and Mars work well together, we are able to achieve our goals in a constructive fashion. Not so when Mars moves to oppose the Sun during the Mars retrograde cycle…..the wilful CEO goes his own way instead of following orders from the Board! The symbolic purpose of the Mars retrograde cycle is to force us to align our actions and goals (Mars) with our true nature (the Sun).

 

Key Dates and Symbolism of the 2007 Mars Retrograde Cycle

At the beginning of November, the Sun and Mars are in harmonious aspect and projects flow along smoothly.

On the 15th November, Mars turns retrograde at 12º Cancer and begins his backward journey through Cancer and Gemini. Imagine a juggernaut going into reverse. This most challenging part of the cycle goes from mid November to Christmas Day when Mars at 2º Cancer moves to oppose the Sun at 2º Capricorn.

Those with birthdays between the 24th June and the 6th July or with planets in early to mid Cancer, Capricorn, Aries and Libra will be most affected.

Common Manifestations - 15th November -25th December

The second half of the retrograde cycle goes from Christmas Day to the end of January. Mars stations (stops moving) at 24º Gemini and the juggernaut starts moving forward again on the 30th January. During this five-week period, any underlying grievances will become apparent. If you have a copy of your birth chart, look up the houses containing Cancer and Capricorn to see which areas of your life will be affected. Work-home balance could be a key issue..

External drive and energy changes direction

Daily progress is suddenly filled with effort

Bad luck or fate appears to intervene

Feeling ill, exhausted, depressed or weak

Loss of interest or focus on what might have been an important project or relationship only weeks earlier

Suppressed feelings of hostility come to the surface

Feeling psychologically depleted or completely liberated

Irrational action and enforced introspection

Relationship conflicts

A battle between conscious will and unconsious intent.

Festering energy explodes creating rage, passion, heat, libido and ambition.

If the Sun Mars opposition hits a planet or angle the effects are even more powerful.

War is declared on oppressive situations.

Problems can no longer be ignored.

Common Manifestations – 25th December – 30th January

Once Mars has turned direct (30th January) it is time to deal with the fallout from the past couple of months. We instinctively know if a 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. Matters should return to normal by the beginning of April, but life will not be the same…and as the peak of the Mars retrograde cycle is on Christmas Day, expect any lurking family conflict to take centre stage

If you'd like to find out more about what Mars retrograde means for you, contact Stella on (03) 9534 5021 or stellaw@ozemail.com.au to book your personal reading.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

The Brown Earth Rat

Author - Stella Woods (posted January 2008)

The Chinese Year of the Earth Rat begins on the 7th February with the new moon in Aquarius. Those born in 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984 and 1996 are all Rats! Highly regarded for their courage and enterprise, rats are self-sufficient with a highly developed sense of observation. Intelligent, charismatic and quick-witted, they are generally well-liked. But watch out for their more secretive, selfish and more calculating side.

2008 will be the year when Rats really shine, either personally or professionally and can overcome any recent setbacks or obstacles. The Rat is the first of the twelve animal signs of the Chinese zodiac and has the reputation of abundance of opportunity. We are therefore at the start of a new twelve year cycle and 2008 is also a ‘one’ year in numerology – a year of new beginnings. For more information on the Year of the Rat, visit: http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Rat.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASTROLOGERS AT THE WHEEL

Who's Your Designated Driver?

From "The Daily Telegraph" (posted November 2007)

Doctors, accountants and insurance inspectors are paying top prices for their car insurance because they are among the UK's most accident-prone drivers. By contrast, actors, wine merchants and antique dealers are some of the safest drivers in the country, according to research into the factors that influence insurance premiums by Moneysupermarket.com the price comparison company.

Doctors and surgeons are more than seven times more likely than astrologers - the safest profession on the road - to cause an accident in their car, and are paying on average 9 per cent more for their premiums as a consequence.

Statistics from insurers show that as many as 13 per cent of doctors have been in an accident in the past five years which was their fault, compared with just 1.75 per cent of astrologers.

Lifeguards are also included in the list of professionals involved in saving our lives who are statistically most likely to cause a crash.  Gravediggers on the other hand are among the UK's safest drivers.

The survey reveals a similar story in the animal-oriented world with taxidermists having fewer than half the number of crashes that vets have.

 

 

GOODBYE JOHN?

Australian Federal Election

Author:  Stella Woods (posted November 2007)

The recent shift of practical Saturn from fire sign Leo to earth sign Virgo and the movement of transformational Pluto from fire sign Sagittarius to earth sign Capricorn in early 2008, signals a change in the collective mood from fire to earth. Fire favours optimism and growth. Earth is more pragmatic and realistic. Global warming and greenhouse emissions are no longer fringe issues. Our farmers are struggling. Our land is dying. With Australia’s moon in earthy Taurus, national identity is strongly connected to land, cattle and wealth. Taurus is a very stubborn sign, but the drought is our wake up call.

 

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd was born on the 21st September 1957 in Eumundi, Queensland with four planets (Sun, Mars, Mercury and Pluto) in hard-working earth sign Virgo. In mythology, Virgo is the goddess of the harvest. I believe Kevin Rudd is currently more in tune with the collective psyche than John Howard and therefore stands a much better chance of winning the election.

But the very nature of politics is changing. Pluto in Capricorn (2008-2024) will challenge and radically alter traditional power structures (banks, governments, corporations, institutions) just as Pluto in Sagittarius (1995-2007) has completely changed the way we learn, think and communicate. Whether we vote Labor or Liberal, our government will be truly accountable to the electorate, perhaps for the first time in history.

THE MARS VENUS FORMULA

Creating Successful Relationships

Author: Stella Woods  (posted November 2007)

Over the years, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to observe what makes a successful relationship. I tell my clients if they spent even a fraction of the time they spend on their studies, CVs and career planning on thinking about what they want in a long-term relationship, they would save themselves years of frustration.   But no, we are all programmed by TV, magazines and movies, not to mention fairy stories to believe that one day the man/woman of our dreams will spot us in a crowd and years later we will still be living happily every after. This probably happens to about 2% of us. For the other 98%, here’s my six-point success formula.  Have fun with it and see how your relationship stacks up!
 
1)   SIZZLING SEX – lots of physical chemistry

Well this one’s pretty obvious; otherwise you probably wouldn’t get together in the first place!  However, some people even miss out on this, settling for a partner because they think no one else would choose them! 

 
2)    ANIMATED CONVERSATION – you like hanging out together.

Again, you’d think this would be obvious.   However, if ‘sizzling sex’ is present, the lovers often don’t worry whether they have anything to say to each other afterwards or whether they even like each other!  Think about how much time you actually spend in each other’s arms… there has to be something keeping you turned on for the other 23.5 hours of the day.

 
3)   UNSPOKEN UNDERSTANDING – picking up non-verbal signals and acting on them.

This one’s a bit more difficult to categorise, but everyone knows when it’s not there.  Sometime it’s called emotional intelligence. Your partner just doesn’t get you or you don’t get them. We learn body language in our families and if you’re with someone who learned a different language, you need an interpreter or perhaps another partner.

 
4)   YOU LIKE THEIR FRIENDS & FAMILY

Friends and family have usually been around a lot longer than you have and will still be there when you’ve moved on.  If you can all get on and enjoy each other’s company most of the time, things will be much easier.  Most people unconsciously replicate the family situation they grew up in.  If you can’t stand your partner’s family, trouble lies ahead.  And while we don’t choose our families, we do choose our friends.  Look to your partner’s friends to tell you what your partner values.

 
5)  SHARED POLITICAL, SPIRITUAL, MORAL & ETHICAL VALUES

We might like to think we’re tolerant, and that’s easy enough with a neighbour or work colleague.  When you are arguing with the one you love over private school vs. public school; vegetarian vs. meat pies and six packs; Labour vs. Liberal; Christian vs. atheist; greenie vs. petrol head and non smoker vs. 20 a day, you’ll understand what I mean.  Pick a partner with similar values and save yourself a lot of angst.

 
6)   SHARED LONG TERM GOALS

Lack of shared long-term goals is the biggest relationship killer I see.  It’s not sex and money that splits couples up the most, it’s arguments over whether to live in the city or country; whether to spend money or save it, whether to live a bohemian lifestyle and go travelling or climb the corporate ladder.  Many couples split when one person wants children and the other doesn’t.  It’s really worth laying your dreams and goals on the table before you make a long-term commitment. 

So how does your relationship stack up?

If you'd like to sort out your relationship or find out more about your relationship style, contact Stella on (03) 9534 5021 or stellaw@ozemail.com.au to book a personal reading.

 

VENUS RETROGRADE

Beware the Green-Eyed Monster

On the 28^th July 2007, relationship planet Venus turned retrograde and will travel backwards for  six weeks, turning direct again on 9th September. This phenomenon only occurs every 18 months but its effects can be extremely disruptive!

Venus is a dual goddess with a light and a dark face. She embodies the paradox of the sacred and the profane; the divine and the temporal; life and death and love and war. As ruler of Libra and the Morning Star, Venus represents the refined, ideal, heavenly and socially acceptable idea of love and what we consider to be aesthetically pleasing or culturally desirable. As ruler of Taurus and the Evening Star, Venus represents the sexual, sensual, physical and selfish or instinctual side of love and desire.

Venus Retrograde Mythology

The Aztecs appear to have known a great deal about Venus retrograde and attached great significance to her cycle. When Venus was the Evening Star and stationery retrograde, she came to earth in the form of a man. The man met Xochiquetzal, the beautiful goddess of passionate sexual love and prostitution who seduced him, making him break his vows of purity. From their union, a sky monster was born. In his shame at allowing his base instincts to take control, Venus descended to the underworld and was challenged to play a ritual ball game, peylota, also known as “the game of life.” He lost the game and was sacrificed by the Sun. As Venus died he became invisible, resting in the arms of the Sun for eight days but was eventually reborn as the Morning Star, in female form. The Aztecs set armies marching as Venus rose from the underworld, accompanied by human blood sacrifice and fertility rites. This was Venus, goddess of war, covered with the blood and bones of the dead after her 40-day retrograde journey.

What does Venus Retrograde mean for me?

Symbolically, the Venus retrograde period makes us re-evaluate our deepest values. As Venus moves towards conjunction with the Sun (28^th July - 18^th August in this cycle), we are challenged to let go of old ideas of purity and ‘right behaviour’. Seduced by our desires, we often feel ashamed and try to hide our actions and thoughts, creating ‘sky monsters’ in our minds. Going within (to the underworld or unconscious) a battle takes place between our values (Venus) and our essential self (the Sun). We play the game of life. When our essential self defeats our values, we are forced to surrender and release them. We can then be reborn with new values and a more honest heart.

Venus retrograde is no picnic, particularly for those in unhappy relationships or living lives devoid of pleasure. Imagine a torch shining into your heart – you can no longer keep up appearances. When analysing a Venus retrograde transit, look back eight years to see when Venus was retrograde in the same area of your chart (early Virgo – mid Leo). This area will be vulnerable again.

Here are some possible manifestations 

• War on the senses, on attitudes to love and on old, dead values.

• Hatred, infidelity and jealousy - the dark side of passionate and romantic love.

• A cold hard look at relationships of all kinds, often leading to break ups but also to reconciliation.

• An examination of what is needed to maintain personal integrity.

• A time of failure, resignation or accident.

• Conscious or unconscious retreat.

• Instinctive understanding of events and interactions.

• Dealing with opposites (cf Hanged Man in tarot).
• Hidden needs emerge, creating emotional turmoil.
• Contemplation of one’s own creative needs and needs for love and nourishment.

 

Author: Stella Woods  (posted September 2007)