Day: March 4, 2019

Your Horoscopes for the Week of March 4th

Your Horoscopes for the Week of March 4th

Claire Petulengro, Astrologer

From The Astrology Room

 

ARIES (March 21st-April 20th)

This week, mix a little foolishness with your serious plans. It is wonderful to be silly at the right moment and I see from your stars that you have been caught in somewhat of a rut in the last two weeks. Decisions you make regrading your career, open up a whole new world of travel possibilities for you. Ring now to hear who you need to spend much more time with.

 

TAURUS (April 21st-May 21st)

The stars align, to help you find good reason behind a close ones recent actions. Just remember Taurus, that it is often only by going up the wrong path, that we are able to see what not to do. Try to trust in yourself and your instincts more this week as Neptune gives you the ability to see through any lie that comes your way. Ring now to hear how coincidences this weekend can lead to love.

 

GEMINI (May 22nd-June 21st)

It’s so lovely to see you slow down and to take life at an easier pace. I know you were stressed for personal reasons, but it was actually only finally by placing your attention on other essential areas, that others were forced to sit up and take notice. A new face in your career links to a more independent path you’ll be taking. Ring now to make peace with that past event.

 

CANCER (June 22nd-July 23rd)

Try not to second guess the next move of those around you, but instead try to put more time and energy into what YOU need to get done this week. The Sun hands you the gift of the gab, so use it to talk those who would not budge on issues, to see your point of view and reason. Words you exchange now can turn a no into a yes. Ring now to make life the best it can be.

 

LEO (July 24th-August 23rd)

Don’t go through life Leo, but grow through it. You’ll soon see, as this week progresses, that you hold the power to make the impossible possible. Someone you were thinking of contacting to solve one issue, could create you several new problems in the process. Think before you dial or text, especially on Friday and Sunday. Ring now to hear how Venus hands you the power to seduce.

 

VIRGO (August 24th-September 23rd)

What do you want from the situation unfolding in your life Virgo? I don’t think you really know, as your stars tell me that you have done a very good job of sticking your head in the sand in recent days. Places you visit over the course of the next few days help fuel the need in you to move on from the past. Closure can finally be yours. Ring to hear why I know you can do this successfully.

 

LIBRA (September 24th-October 23rd)

What you thought to be promises from close ones could have turned out to be merely a suggestion when it comes to time for action. If you want to get something done this week, then make the decision that you can and will do it alone, if others cannot be there for you. The courage you show will draw the right people towards you and push the wrong ones away. Ring now for support.

 

SCORPIO (October 24th-November 22nd)

News of a split may upset you, but try to remember that it is hard to know what is really going on behind closed doors and all that is occurring could (according to Jupiter) turn out to be for the best. Fun times link to you thinking outside the box and agreeing to do things which are different from the norm. Ring now to hear how new lines of education come with the astrological new year.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 23rd-December 21st)

Why are you saying there is nothing wrong, when it is clear to see that you are not happy with your current ‘set up.’ I know you have been finding it hard to accept that something did not work out, but I see from your stars that this will actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Ring now to hear why this is such a lucky week to take chances and to go for the impossible with ease.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22nd-January 20th)

I know you are tired of a certain situation and are wondering when things are going to change. You have to be the reason they change, my friend. You need to know, that you are the one who got yourself out of what was not making you truly happy. Joint ventures are well starred and agreements entered into now are the lasting kind. Ring now for a glimpse of your destiny.

 

AQUARIUS (January 21st-February 19th)

Family come to the fore and an issue which has been swept under the carpet for far too long now, finally comes out to air. Try to look at the bigger picture and remember it is what happens from here on in that really matters. All that has occurred cannot be changed, but can be learnt from. Remember that. Ring now to hear why this is such a great week for new introductions.

 

PISCES (February 20th-March 20th)

E mails and internet based contacts are under lucky influences. You start to see with ease what needs to be done to to put the fun and excitement back into your life. People you tell your secrets to, are sure to repeat them, so think before you speak, especially as they are not all yours to tell. Ring now to hear why it’s worth taking five minutes out for older family members this weekend.

 

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Your Weekly Karmic Forecast for March 3 – 9

Weekly Forecast: March 3 – 9, 2019

Kelly M. Beard
a message from Kelly M. Beard

The video version of this forecast, as read by Kelly, is available here.

The Karmic Tools Weekly Forecast covers the current planetary transits which affect people in different ways and to various degrees of intensity. Take notice when it is a Personal planet (Sun / Moon / Mercury / Venus / Mars) interacting with a Social (Jupiter/Saturn) or Collective planet (Uranus / Neptune/Pluto). And pay extremely close attention when it is a Social planet interacting with a Collective planet because that means something *big* is brewing that will move large groups of people along their evolutionary paths. Tuning in to the energy and rhythm of the planets can serve as a useful *guide* as you move along your Individual Path. It also helps to understand your place within the context of the larger Social & Collective Story. Below, you will find out how these energies tend to manifest, as well as guidance and direction.

*NOTE*  There are some days when there are NO CONTACTS (besides the Moon), please note that there are no missing entries, we just list the actual Activations of each week + the day they happen.

Weekly Forecast: March 3 – 9, 2019

3/5 ~ Mercury Retrograde in PISCES:
This is just a reminder that we get 3-4 chances a year to do a conscious data-dump and give the Mental Body some much-needed rest & restoration. Yes, it can be frustrating to try to move ‘n shake in the world, technology tends to go wonky, cars breakdown, communication & travel can go haywire. But it can also be magical, enlightening & restorative. This is when delays are Divine and you can carve out a little extra time and space to do your own processing of what’s going on in your individual life. Check in with your own ideas, thoughts, concepts, do some research, finish projects & develop your ideas. New connections may be made, but more often old connections circle back to complete something. It is the Sacred Pause before you decide or choose something really important this Spring. Take advantage of this one to clarify where you are and where you are heading and keep in mind the power of the Imagination. If you imagine doom & gloom, it is more likely to manifest. If you imagine breakthroughs with relationships & resources then you will create more of that. This time in Pisces is going to have its own additional caveats. Your intuition & imagination will be involved, for better or worse, so try to connect fluid language with vivid imagery. Keep in mind nothing is linear or logical about Mercury in Pisces, this is all Spirit or other-worldly. So any spiritual healing work is tremendously supported by this retrograde. It is a test to fortify your intuition, and you have to work your intuition like a muscle so that you can learn to rely on it. Check in with your own beliefs, dreams & fears. And make time to be in Nature, under the Sky, that always gives the Monkey Mind a break, but especially during Pisces time, each year, we are supposed to be dreaming up the action plan that we will execute throughout Aries/Taurus time. And don’t forget the best thing about this Retrograde is that it is totally easier to commune with your Angels, Ancestors & Animal Spirit Guides and they are even more available when in PISCES, like now. If you are at some kind of crossroads, my Astro/Tarot Reading is excellent for getting to the heart of one issue or simply checking in with your own cycles and getting support for wherever you are at this time. Many of you already know that I’ve been completing my Earth Medicine certification with Pixie Lighthorse, and I’m finally done with school and will be shifting my focus back to my own Circles, new offerings & new website. But I am able to take more appointments in March.

3/6 ~ PISCES New Moon:
This is an annual crossroads we come to every year around this time. It is the completion of 12-new moons since the last Pisces New Moon (3.17.2018). How’s it going a year later? No one is exempt. We all have a House in our charts ruled by Pisces. It is here that you should seed your intentions and precious vision for the next year (minimum), with consideration of where you’d like to be at the 6-month MidPoint, the Pisces Full Moon 9.14.2019, when these very seeds will show their true promise. Consider that this crossroads is simultaneously an ending and the womb holding what will be birthed next. Virgo/Pisces realms teach us about being a Spirit in Human form. How’s that going for you at this time? Can you see any patterns in your health or consciousness, your physicality or spirituality and how all these dynamics are part of who & what you are?

The Sag Last Qtr Moon (2/26) revealed more unavoidable Truth, which clarified what was truly done so that by the Pisces New Moon (3/6) could be seeded anew. This is the lunation when last year’s progress comingles with the coming year’s potential. Think of March as the ‘cauldron’ in which you are stirring in the ingredients that you want to grow and evolve for you in the new year. It is a time to process what you do know, and allow what you do not yet fully grasp, to unfold naturally. It is time to honor your intuitive capacity for navigating new realms and knowing what is practical & possible for you personally. The more connected to your internal guidance system, the stronger your position will be as the new year kicks off.

The Gemini First Qtr Moon (3/14) may be a ride on the *Sit ‘n Spin* for some, while a gathering of relevant information for others. It’s best to carve out some time to organize your thoughts and ideas before the real action kicks in. We’ve learned a LOT in recent months! We are about to go through two back-to-back Libra Full Moons in one 30-day period, which facilitates what I call the Lunar Flip (but more on that next month). This first Libra Full Moon falls ON Equinox this year, is also a Super Moon, and it is the final Full Moon at Zero degrees (in a series of six). For now, we can really assess what is useful and relevant to moving forward. It’s good to reflect on all that we put in motion around Fall Equinox/Sept 2018, and release that which is not falling into a natural *rhythm* by now. We, hopefully, used the Virgo Super/Full Moon (2/19) as a purification prior to birthing something completely new. The Light shined in your Virgo department asking you to sort and sift through what’s right in front of you (where is the Light shining for you at this time?) It is also asking us to prioritize what is alive and worthy of further investment and what has actually run its course and has no life left in it, allowing you to release without attachment.

Since we also have Mercury extending its stay in Pisces, this New Moon is really the cauldron – what are you cooking up? What flavors & spices are you adding to create that unique mix that is YOU? These seeds may take a little longer to pop, but when they do, the fruits & flowers ought to be truly magical! So this New Moon, plant the seeds of your biggest vision and most cherished dream.

3/6 ~ Uranus Enters TAURUS (until 2026):
This is a once-in-84 year occurrence! And this is it – no more back-and-forth into Aries, it has moved on. Uranus is a collective planet and so affects many people and takes 7-8 years to accomplish its mission in each sign. It will awaken the Taurus department of life (House) and stimulate any of your planets in Taurus/Scorpio or Leo/Aquarius (by default). Also, I’d say here & now is a good time to reflect on whatever ‘liberating ordeal’ you just went through over the last 8-years as it stimulated your Aries department. Once it is truly into Taurus, you can start to reap the benefits and integrate the recent, radical shifts that you’re Identity & Purpose have been through and the focus, and thus the lessons & blessings, will now shift to the values & priorities that support that newly awakened Emergent Self and how that works on the ground, in the body, on the Earth.

In other words, for individuals, those who have had their shake-up/disruption for the last 7-8 years activate a new Identity & Purpose (usually by dismantling the old one), the values & priorities are naturally going to have to shift to support that and when you change, things & people have to change or go away for there to be a vibrational match again. The electrical circuits of the body are being rewired and anything we feel, Mother feels and vice versa. Let’s use this introduction to a new energy to practice having an awareness that something new is emerging from within, as well as around us, and filter things through the Body first (does this feel right to me?), then the Spirit (what does my SoulSelf/Higher Self say when I am able to rise above my situation and look at it from there?) and finally, through the Mind last (putting pieces together in logical way if possible) with a final rinse through the Heart Filter to ensure authenticity! Uranus demands authenticity in whatever sign it traverses.

My vision is that our technological breakthroughs will help, serve & support Mother Earth (All Life & the Body) rather than denigrate, violate & pillage her natural resources. Uranus awakens by shaking loose where we’ve grown rigid & crusty. It just spent 8-years awakening you to a new level of personal responsibility, in that, you cannot rely on outer structures to guide & protect you any longer. It’s time to be independent within the context of the collective. As it awakens in Taurus, there will be a radical shift in your value system to support the new independence. And freedom will be tied to your ability to shift your values accordingly. More soon …

3/6 ~ Sun (essential Self) ~conjunct~ Neptune (delusions & illusions):
This transit tends to make you very sensitive to others and the general vibe around you, so anytime you’re working with Neptune, check in with your boundaries and be as clear as possible. If you are one of those people who tends to put everyone else’s needs before your own, watch out, because this makes that urge even stronger. Be aware of two things: (1) most times people who focus so much on others, to the exclusion of their own needs, is because there is something about their own life they do not want to face; and (2) you could get lost in your so-called altruism to the point where you lose touch with reality. This energy is best used alone to meditate and contemplate your own world unless you can be completely detached in your charity work. I use this little motivation to decide – is your life so perfect and abundant that you can afford to spend so much time and energy on another’s life? If so, GREAT! Go for it! If not, however, then “charity begins at home” – work on YOU!

3/9 ~ Sun (source & essential Self) ~sextile~ Saturn (organization & structure):
This energy is good for getting serious and organized because the Sun also brings some much-needed clarity. With Saturn involved, practical actions based on responsible assessments will be rewarded, whereas, blowing things off or leaving loose ends will cost you (usually fairly immediately, the instant karma way). Even if this should happen to you, it is not personal, but Saturn’s way of showing you (immediately) where your current limitations are. That’s good information to have when making choices & decisions. This activation also gives you access to self-discipline and the ability to consider all your options before deciding on anything. This is a good time to focus on your professional goals if possible, and start making a solid, feasible plan for the future. If you need to, seek the advice of a trusted wise elder (anyone with more knowledge/experience than you ; -)) And if you can’t actually DO something in the direction of your goals today, take the time to meditate and connect to your plan energetically.

Copyright © 2000-2019 * Kelly M Beard * http://karmictools.wordpress.com * All Rights Reserved * Permission granted to copy & redistribute Kelly’s Forecasts & Updates on the condition that it’s distributed freely, content remains intact & includes contact/link back to post.

March 2019 – April 2026 Uranus in Taurus – Thinking Outside a Broken Box

March 2019 – April 2026 Uranus in Taurus – Thinking Outside a Broken Box

Sarah Varcas
a message from Sarah Varcas

Uranus enters Taurus on 6th March 2019 (UT). The planet of radical disruption, unpredictable events and liberating discontinuity in the zodiac sign known for its stubborn resistance to change promises to keep us all on our toes! Since May 2010 when Uranus first entered Aries, there’s been a certain amount of leeway available for the more impulsive among us. Aries is fast to act, quick to change, always ready to begin something new: if the first attempt didn’t work out let’s try this, then that. It doesn’t hang around for the long haul, trying to force blood from a stone. And it doesn’t hold our mistakes against us! Taurus, on the other hand, is intransigent, eager to stick on the same path no matter what. Uranus here is just as radical and disruptive as ever, but the consequences of impetuous decisions and ill-considered plans may stick around a whole lot longer.

While Uranus is in Taurus we must face both our resistance to change and the impact of reckless decisions made to side-step a difficult present. As such, Uranus’s journey through Taurus will teach us much about timing, discernment, patience and courage. It can help us address those intransigent things we never thought we’d change in a million years. But it will cut us loose from attachments (including treasured ones) too, if they help numb us to the evolutionary impulse of these troubled and transformational times. If we choose to stick with the familiar beyond its use-by date, life could get tricky for a while! Uranus wants us free – always – and favours the sudden wake-up call of swift and sometimes brutal change to make it so. If we resist this inexorable tide we cause ourselves more suffering. To the extent that we can have faith, let go and let those same tides wash us ashore on new terrain, we can awaken to – and even appreciate – the intrinsic wisdom at the heart of all life’s shocks and surprises.

In May 2018 I commented that Uranus’s journey through Taurus will signify ‘a period during which Mother Earth will push back like never before. We simply cannot afford to take her or her bounty for granted a moment longer. Every mouthful of food, each sip of water, every lungful of air is a blessing to be thankful for. By honouring an enduring commitment to caring for Our Mother and all her children of every form we dismantle, piece by piece, the patriarchal mind-set that equates aggression and domination with power, and love, compassion and generosity with weakness. The inevitable outcome of which has been the positioning of this planet as a resource to be exploited at every turn.’ Since then the North Node has entered the protective and maternal sign of Cancer), further emphasising the importance of perceiving all life as one in the deepest and most heartfelt way. With Uranus’s final arrival into Taurus where it now remains for seven years, the consequences of the choices we make in our relationship to mother nature and the material world will come ever thicker and faster.

But at a time when messages of doom and despair are rife, this is not one of them! Uranus can be our saviour, our liberator from past mistakes. It awakens a more radical knowing enabling us to recalibrate the future and create a sustainable world to replace a dysfunctional one. Taurus is the first earth sign in the zodiac. Here the initial creative spark penetrates matter and manifests its fruits on the material plane. In essence Taurus is us – you and me – as physical expressions of the divine spark which first exploded into life billions of years ago. As such, Uranus in Taurus will teach us just how radically we can transform who we are and what we do when we have a mind to.

The lessons of Taurus – how to create security and stability, how to meet physical needs and create lasting structures that enable growth and development – have been the core challenges of humanity for millennia. At times we’ve learnt those lessons better than others! The rise and fall of civilisations throughout human history attest to the many efforts to defy the forces of change that keep our ever-expanding universe in motion. People come and go as do ideas, communities, lifestyles, priorities, war, peace, religions and political movements. Nothing remains forever and in its deepest wisdom Taurus knows this, honouring the passage of time and change whilst nurturing those things which sustain us through unavoidable turmoil.

At a fear-based level Taurus fights change, resisting its unstoppable march and hunkering down to assert its right to stick with the familiar however damaging it may prove to be. Uranus’s journey through Taurus will brook no such resistance and those who tense up in the face of the new will be challenged to deeply let go and let god – whatever that means to them. And of course, at one level or other that’s all of us! Few live free of any fear, and we may be painfully aware that unassailable forces can overtake and rearrange a life in the blink of an eye. But Uranus demands our trust that upcoming changes will liberate in the long run, even if they seem only to threaten the security we’ve worked so hard to establish.

Uranus in Taurus doesn’t just think outside the box, it smashes it to smithereens from the inside knowing it’s already beyond repair. It reminds us we are responsible for our life in its entirety, hard though this is to swallow. It challenges dualistic notions of external causes creating internal strife, reminding us that we are so much greater than we believe ourselves to be; so powerful we can transmute anything – every thought, emotion and experience – when we commit deeply to the rigorous path of awakening. That said, we must find our own truth now, not cling to the truths of others around which folk gather for comfort and identity. We must forge our own path no matter how far it takes us from those with whom we’ve previously aligned.

This Uranus promises to destroy even the most stubborn attachments if they prevent us from embracing the truth of who we are. As such the next seven years will provide a precious and, at times, breathtaking opportunity to reimagine our future, seeding it in the present with renewed commitment to radically changing our priorities as necessary. Nothing’s off the table now: anything is possible. Anything. So be mindful of what you create and use Uranus as your guide into a fresh, new world.

In his book ‘The Black Butterfly: An Invitation to Radical Aliveness’, Richard Moss states that ‘The very forces that crush people can become profound radiance in an individual who no longer is resisting or attempting to modify life’. This teaching is central to our experience of Uranus in Taurus, whose energy may well manifest as apparently destructive forces which, when embraced, provide unlimited energy for the living of a radically reshaped life. Certainly this Uranus will at times express itself in difficult to handle ways, both individually and globally. Disruption of food chains and supplies may occur; our bovine sisters and brothers may resist their on-going exploitation, manifesting conditions that prevent or significantly interrupt its continuation; financial systems and institutions will struggle, as will crypto-currencies lauded as the new way to do business. Business itself will be forced by environmental, economic and other global factors to reshape its appearance, recalibrate its activity and reflect evermore deeply on its local and global impact. We don’t need an astrologer to tell us all this, right? Just look around and you can see it for yourself. But rest assured, whatever the economic forecast, the political climate, the widely held view, Uranus in Taurus will surprise us with exactly how things play out, where weak links occur and who comes out on top, only to be knocked off their perch once more for the whole cycle of rapid change to begin again. But perhaps most importantly of all, it will also surprise us with the solutions that arise and the potential of humankind of do what must be done to create a new world from the ashes of the old.

So where do we find stability and safety in times such as these? Preferably within, in the peace of a knowing heart, the insight of a sharp mind that refuses to swallow the received wisdom of the day, even that which comes from a more ‘enlightened’ source. As Uranus enters Taurus it aspects Mercury retrograde in the final degree of Pisces and Chiron in the first degree of Aries. A new moon conjunct Neptune in Pisces follows a few hours later. Here we see the demise of ‘received spiritual truths’ and the rectification that comes from reclaiming our own innate wisdom. It is time to trust our own deeper knowing, not look to others to tell us what to do or how our particular brand of awakening should look. If you turn to the planets for wisdom as I do, remember always: they are inside you, not external forces imposing their own particular obstacle or blessing. Every transit, moon cycle and eclipse is an external reflection of the forces of change and growth within each and every one of us. And don’t believe a word any astrologer says if it doesn’t resonate with your deepest and wisest self. Run everything you encounter through an open heart and a discerning mind – the best teachers of all.

And finally, a few questions worth contemplating as Uranus enters Taurus:

What triggers your impulsive side? How do you differentiate impulsive reactivity from the motivation born of authentic alignment with life’s creative flow?

What behaviours do you repeatedly indulge regardless of how poorly they’ve served you before?! What keeps you stuck in these old habits that die hard? Are you ready now to let them go once and for all?

How can you best support yourself and others through times of sudden and disruptive change?

How do you preserve what matters most and allow the rest to fall away when it must? How do you know what matters most in the first place?!

Does outer change always require an inner shift and vice versa?

How strongly are you identified with the material realm and what do you do when it falls away?

Are you seeking Truth with a capital ‘T’ or only the ‘truths’ that suit your personal agenda?  

Are you prepared to make the sacrifices that Truth may demand? If not, what happens when you have to make them anyway?!

Uranus in Taurus….it’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure! No one will come out the other end untouched by its unassailable power to effect fundamental change at a personal and global level. The role we play in that change – through our words, thoughts and actions – is, as ever, up to us.

May we all choose well.

Sarah Varcas

© Sarah Varcas 2018 All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to freely share this article in its entirety on the condition that full credit is given to the author, it is distributed freely and the URL www.astro-awakenings.co.uk is included.

March 2019 Energy Update

Read the transcript of this video here

In many ways, the energy of March 2019 is like the sunrise for the year of 2019 in that it’s going to bring a lot of light, a lot of illumination and some heat.

For most people, MOMENTUM is going to take the form of positive, forward momentum around things that you are currently building and wanting to create in your life.

CLARITY is coming big time in March. So you will be able to see why things have been happening for you, and how and what you’re going to do next.

When we have MOMENTUM, when we have CLARITY, we often have RELEASE. One of the things about release is it’s really just CHANGE. Release means change, evolution, growth and it will be moving through for us this month.

Big love everyone,

Lee x

Monthly Astro-Forecasts March 2019

Monthly Astro-Forecasts March 2019

Sarah-Jane Grace
a message from Sarah-Jane Grace
Message for March 2019

February was certainly a month of shifting landscapes, both within us and around us. It was a month of challenge for a great many of us: a month of confusion, grief, pain and heartache. The ‘collision of moments’ written about in February continues, as we shift from where we were to where we’re heading but remaining straddled betwixt the two. It’s as though we are in-between two chapters of our lives, but the in-between space contains more oomph and emotion than we ever considered possible. Despite the confusion, the light finds a way through and it’s time to set the pain free that’s been lodged deep within our hearts and souls. It’s a potent and intense process, but intuitively we know it’s the only way now.

Many of us have felt lost and alone, as though our in-built compass has gone haywire. Knowing which way is north is often difficult, but when our inner compass is spinning, it’s easy to become adrift and disoriented. Yet, is this a ‘bad’ thing, or is it simply an inevitable part of our evolution? Sometimes we have to reach a critical mass before we can erupt, release and make peace with the bigger picture of our lives. Of course, even though we may intuitively sense the inevitability of this process, it doesn’t make it any easier to experience.

Chaos continues to gleefully run amok within the depths of our souls, and whilst we have moments of pain and confusion, we also touch on joy as well. It’s easy to overlook these fleeting glimpses of joy, but it’s important to acknowledge them in order to give them compassion and the room to flourish and thrive. This isn’t to say that focusing on the joy will eradicate the pain, but it changes the impact of our experiences and helps us shift perspective.

March is a time for coming together, for reaching out to others and to step beyond the boundaries of the walls of our lives in order to breathe more deeply once again. It’s time to reverse the trend of increasing isolation and begin the process of unification. As the treadmills we have created for ourselves start to shatter and fall away, we begin to explore what lies beneath. We realise that routines have, over time, become distractions, and slowly they have grown into our comfort blankets of security. Yet, we know that there’s more to life than keeping on keeping on, and so we long for the freedom we know is our birth right. Of course, life often prevents us from claiming such freedom, but when we intuitively sense its presence in our lives, it’s hard not to want to explore ways of making it happen.

As the darkness within begins to disperse, we are undergoing profound shifts in consciousness. It’s time to embrace our strengths, to spend time resting in the present moment, and to finally allow ourselves the freedom to live the lives we were born to live. Once again, now is the time to accept the amazing, confounding and bewildering beauty of life…

For now, I wish you all kinds of wonderful.

With love,

Sarah-Jane

Aries

♈

Re-shaping and re-defining your sense of self looks set to continue throughout March as you start to dig a little deeper in order to understand the things that nourish you and the things that don’t. This includes the many different aspects of your life, including the paths you walk and the people around you. It’s easy to get into a routine when it comes to bending yourself out of shape to accommodate the needs and wishes of others, and whilst there is inevitably always some flexing and bending in interacting with others, you have become a champion contortionist! Whilst this makes for a more peaceful existence, there’s a sense that your somewhat fiery and feisty inner sprite is less than contented with the current state of play, creating a deep level of restlessness and inner fidgeting.

It has been hard to put your finger on exactly what’s been going on, as although you can sense the restlessness, you’ve had less success locating its source. However, over the days and weeks ahead, you’re beginning to realise that you spend a great deal of your time doing things that you feel you ought to do or should do, rather than the things you truly want to do. Of course, it’s rare to have the freedom to fly completely free without the inevitability of at least some ought’s and should’s, but you seem to have almost closed the door on your feisty inner sprite as it’s been easier to contain and ignore it, than try to manage it alongside your contortionist tendencies. It’s time now to open up the door once again, to give your inner sprite a hug and to take a big deep breath of freedom…

Taurus

♉

You would be forgiven for feeling as though your life has been on fast forward lately as there has barely been time to take a breath, let alone take stock of where you are, where you’ve been and where you’re heading! There has been so much to do, so many people to see and so many places to be, that you have started spinning as a result. Whilst you thrive under pressure and love to be at the heart of the buzz and mêlée of life, there is a sense that you have started wilting slightly under the intensity of it all. Although you are usually robust and extremely determined, even you have buckled at the busy nature of being you. Yet, why? Why is your life so busy and intense? Why don’t you have time to pause, breathe and reflect? Yes, you may be in demand and genuinely have lots to do (be and see), but there is also a sense that the busy-ness is a distraction as it keeps your time fully occupied, preventing you from using that expansive mind of yours more.

March looks set to begin a new chapter of discovery when you start to look beneath the distraction in order to re-connect to what lies within. There is a sense of trepidation about this as you wonder that if you’ve been avoiding looking at something, then there is obviously good reason. However, try not to pre-shape what may, or may not, be underneath the distractions. Instead, open up your heart and soul towards living your life in more enriching and fulfilling ways, allowing for the possibility that some of the distraction is likely to fall away as you begin to focus on your true priorities…

Gemini

♊

March looks set to highlight the theme of breathing space as you begin to find ways of simplifying and enriching your life. It’s important to accept that breathing space isn’t only about doing less, it’s actually about thinking less. As a world-class over-thinker it’s easy for you to over-ponder life events and to get lodged in procrastination as you have an in-built need to find the answers to the many unanswered questions in your life. Although you intuitively know that many of these questions don’t have answers, you keep pushing, like a moth to a light. It’s as though you simply cannot accept the idea that you can’t know what you think you need to know. At the same time, you feel a sense of indignation that it’s not possible to find answers, as surely everything has an answer somewhere, in some time or place.

Disappointingly for you, regardless of your indignation, if the answers don’t want finding, then they can’t be found! This doesn’t mean ‘giving up’, it means accepting that, in this moment, you don’t know the answer. This isn’t to say you need to spend your whole life chasing answers, although, in many ways, life is one long question chase as that’s how we grow and evolve! However, trying not to complicate this further with philosophical ponderings, there is a sense that you need to pause for a while in order to find new foci away from ‘moth mode’, where you try continually to push to know all you feel you need to know. Let go for a while, stop trying to get ‘it’ right all the time and relax. Sometimes, the answers appear when you stop looking, so maybe it’s time to test the theory…

Cancer

♋

Life is a collection of moments that collide together in order to form the bigger picture of your life. These moments are experiences and happenings, often well-defined, but frequently they merge into one another making it hard to know where one ends, and another begins. Many of these moments are seemingly random and incongruent, often incomprehensible and nebulous, but together they come together to form the story of your life. You’ve had times when it feels as though lots of moments are crashing in at the same time, making it hard to breathe and stay afloat. Yet, there are other times when you happily dive beneath the waves, opening up your heart and soul towards the unknowable nature of being human. Whilst you accept all of this metaphor and intangibility, there is a part of you that snaps back to ‘well, back in the real world…’.

You often try to see the story of your life in black and white as you can find it hard to see the more nebulous shades of grey, and kaleidoscope of colours, creating a more romantic, metaphor driven image of moments drifting along with the tides, coming together to form your life. Yet, intuitively you know it helps to step back a little from the cold light of day as it brings you some much needed perspective. You are a vibrant and passionate soul, but you’ve often pushed this away in order to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into the business of keeping on keeping on. It’s time now for you to let your intuitive gifts merge back into your life again and to realise that life is unknowable, but wonderful, enriching and energising at the same time. Stop pigeon-holing black and white, and see the colours dance once again…

Leo

♌

March looks set to be a month of release, renewal and revitalisation for you as you continue to consciously step into the present moment, gently allowing yourself to let go of being shaped and defined by both the past and the future, and instead rooting yourself more firmly into the here and now. Although you are usually very aware of the present moment, over recent months you have drifted away from this as your focus has been on keeping on keeping on and trying to do everything for everyone else. This has diverted your attention away from the here and now, and whilst this has been necessary, it has left you feeling rather discombobulated as a result. It’s time now to feel your feet once again, and to re-connect to the passion and fire within as your creativity begins to awaken and stir.

You’ve spent a long time trying to get yourself from where you are to where you want to be, but this has left you feeling a deep sense of lack as your focus has been on the gap rather than feeling a sense of achievement for the things you have accomplished. It’s easy to walk along a pathway of self-judgement, of not feeling like you’re doing, being or achieving enough, but it’s important to change this now to something more self-compassionate and self-enriching. Don’t put yourself under so much pressure! Relax a little, take some deep breaths and know that whilst you may not be exactly where you’d like to be, there is still much to be thankful for. Try to rest in the present moment, feel it’s enveloping you like a warm hug. You’re ready now to accept that the present is the only truly defining moment you can have…

Virgo

♍

The theme of change looks set to take centre stage throughout March as you begin to dive deeply within in order to ascertain what you wholeheartedly want from life. Intuitively you already know that life is about being yourself and living the best life possible, yet it’s often hard to connect to this because of so many things to do, people to see and places to go. However, this partly seems driven by an ingrained belief that you need to be busy all of the time. Standing still or pausing suggests immobility and inertia, and whilst there is clearly logic to this, it overlooks the need for pause in order for the mind and spirit to flourish and thrive. Movement is good, but it’s not always necessary, and it’s time to accept this now in order to rest more consciously in the present moment.

You are a wise and intuitive soul, and as you approach a potent time of breakthrough, it’s time to re-shape and re-define your true goals and priorities in life. This is a time of change and shift for you, but it’s not necessarily a time for lots of movement and action. Change happens on many different levels and whilst you’re keen to grab life with both hands and get the ball rolling when it comes to embracing your goals and dreams, it’s often those times of quiet reflection and stillness where the true wisdom resides. Whilst you are used to constant movement and shift, try to rest more now and know that even in stillness there is always constant shift going on. This is more of a silent revolution than a ‘flags waving, trumpet playing’ celebration, but enjoy the gentleness of this as it affords you plenty of space to breathe…

Libra

♎

March looks set to be a month for regaining some centre ground when it comes to your hopes, dreams, thoughts and beliefs. You have spent a great deal of time trying to do your best for everyone, trying to maintain those gently balanced apples in the apple cart of your life as you’ve bent and flexed yourself in all directions and at all angles. In short, you’ve tried to be the best ‘you’ that you can be. As a result, you’ve skewed away from your usually well-balanced centre ground, often oscillating back and forth, unable to find stability. Yet, it’s time for you to ask yourself why you try so hard to be everything to everyone? What drives your quest to keep those apples polished and in perfect alignment? Whilst there’s much to be said for presenting the best possible you in the best possible way, this can also be a sign of a resistance towards looking at something in yourself (or in your life) more closely.

The bright, shiny apples can sometimes be a façade, covering over the truth of what lies beneath. It’s something you have gained expertise in over the years, not as a deliberate way to hide or deny things, but a way of coping with the frequently confusing and bewildering world in which you live. Presenting the façade enabled you to roll up your sleeves and get on with the business of living even during those times when you felt broken, lost and alone. You are probably the strongest and most resilient person you know, but you are the last person to recognise this! It’s time to honour your strengths now and to realise that it really is okay to let the façade fall away as you truly are amazing just the way you are…

Scorpio

♏

Seeking out inner peace and developing wholehearted acceptance of your true nature may sound like an idyllic focus for March, but it certainly seems to be high up your agenda now as you’ve had enough of trying to be the person you’ve felt you’ve ought to be. You’ve spent much, if not all, of your life, trying so hard to keep everyone happy, to walk the paths that other’s have wanted you to walk and to be the version of you that seems the most socially acceptable, but the cost has been a deep sense of discord within your heart and soul, where you’ve felt almost torn in two trying to be someone you’re not. Whilst you’ve managed to keep a lid on this discord for a long time, it’s found ways of seeping out and you simply can’t ignore it anymore.

Of course, you’ve only been ignoring it because you’ve been so focused on trying to maintain the person you felt you ought to be and you couldn’t entertain the idea of lettings others down. Perhaps the biggest person you haven’t wanted to let down though is yourself. This may sound odd, but you’ve tried so hard to be the best version of you possible and you don’t want to feel like you’ve given up. Yet, you’re not giving up, you’re turning to face the truth of your being and finally allowing your true essence to step out from the shadows. This has been a long time coming and although adjusting to this may take some time, you intuitively know that you’re ready now to honour yourself more and to place your own needs much higher up your agenda. This is your moment to write a new chapter in your life, so pick up a pen and set yourself free…

Sagittarius

♐

Your soul has always radiated and shone brightly. During those times when you’ve felt lost and alone in the darkness of challenging times, when you’ve taken a deep breath and looked within, your inner light has illuminated the path ahead. You’re a wise, vibrant and compassionate soul, but you often fail to see just how much you illuminate the world! You have an amazing gift of presence and although you often try to blend in, your sparkle twinkles for all to see. It’s unquestionably complicated being you, as you intuitively know you have a gift, but struggle to love it or own it. This is a complex issue as it’s not just about being bashful about being gifted, it’s actually more about a resistance to having a label and a fear of being tethered to something (even a gift/talent). You are a free spirit at heart and long to roam without hindrance through life.

As a result, anything that could restrict you in any way can present you with a challenge as you would rather remain free than risk restraint. Now, there’s nothing to say that embracing your gifts will restrain you but if there is a whiff of possibility that being your true self might pigeon-hole you somehow then you’d rather err on the side of caution. Of course, this isn’t to say that you haven’t embraced your gifts, because you have. However, you haven’t, as yet, wholeheartedly grabbed hold of them, punched the air and whooped for joy. In essence it seems to be time for you to stop holding yourself back based on educated guesses as to what may, or may not, happen, and instead start to live your life wholeheartedly and with the courage you were born with…

Capricorn

♑

Life has been feeling rather heavy and awkward recently, like trying to wear a soggy and ill-fitting jumper. You’ve had times when you’ve felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, and you’ve also had times when you’ve lost the peg completely and wondered how on earth you fit into the world. You have always been one for existential pondering, but this seems to have reached new heights (and depths) lately as you’ve felt a keen urge to make sense of your life and to find reason as to why things are the way they are. Life is rarely straightforward, and you accept this, but you do like to have at least a general sense of direction, reason and purpose. Without this, you can find it hard to focus on anything other than the business of keeping on keeping on. Whilst there’s nowt wrong with this, it denies you the magic, sparkle, creativity and passion that usually wafts through your soul.

You may be skilled at getting things done and ticking off that ever-growing ‘to do list’ of yours, but the lack of magic can feel rather lacklustre and dull, and this, in turn, can leave you feeling lost and bewildered with this thing called life. It’s important for you to have the room to stretch, wiggle, wriggle and dance if you so choose as your passion needs breathing space, not containment. You are a vibrant and compassionate soul, and whilst you would do anything for anyone, it’s time to see the extent of the disconnection that doing this without much thought for your own needs has created within your heart and soul. In short, it’s time now for you to think about living more wholeheartedly in ways that enrich and nourish you…

Aquarius

♒

As you continue to let go of the distraction in your life, you’re beginning to realise just how much ‘stuff’ you’ve accumulated over the years: physically, emotionally and spiritually. Of course, this in an inevitable part of being alive, but there’s also a sense that you have become something of a ‘magpie’ collector, picking up shiny things, not because you need them, but because you might someday. Whilst being prepared is a good thing, when you start collecting things to do, people to see, stuff to achieve, ideas to explore, places to go etc, over time this can become more of a burden than a blessing as it weighs you down. You have always been a lover of learning, and thrive when exploring the unknown and new, but you have reached a turning point in your life where ‘less is more’.

You are already well aware of the concept of decluttering, but it’s time to apply this to your heart, soul and head in order to live your life in a freer and more enriching way. It’s time now to have a spring clean of somewhat epic proportion in order to travel more lightly through life. It’s not always easy to let go of ‘stuff’ as it can become comfortable and familiar, immersing you in ‘busy-ness’ rather than in the quiet solitude of reflection. However, it’s only when you step back from this ‘stuff’ a little that you start to realise just how much of your life is taken up with re-shaping and re-defining your list of ‘stuff’ rather than getting on with the business of living. You seem ready to let go of a great deal of burden in your life in order to live more freely, so take a deep breath and set yourself free…

Pisces

♓

As you continue to embrace a new way of living and being there is a sense that you are beginning to feel the stirrings of balance rising up from deep within. This balance seems to be stemming from your willingness to look at your life with honesty and acceptance, not in a resigned way, but in an empowered way of seeing life as it is, rather than as you would want it to be. Rose-tinted glasses have their uses, but you have realised just how much they can colour out the truth when life gets too much. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or discombobulated, it’s easy not to notice that you’re even wearing rose-tinted spectacles, so your willingness to remove them to see life exactly as it is, is likely to prove hard-going at times, but ultimately it will set you free and enable you to live more in accordance with your phenomenal intuition.

It’s time to stop pushing yourself so hard, trying to do everything for everyone and trying to get from where you are to where you feel you need to be. Even when you pause, your boundaries will continue to expand and evolve, but it’s important to focus more on where you are now in order to ground yourself more wholeheartedly in the present moment as this will help you to focus more on living the best life possible, rather than on trying to live the life you feel you ought to be living. Let go of the immense pressure you place on your own shoulders and offer yourself some of your own compassion and love; be gentle with yourself. You are a vibrant and loving soul, so give your true essence the room to flow freely and without hindrance. It’s time to let that inner twinkle shine once again…

You are encouraged to share articles as long as copyright and contact information are always included.  Thank you for your courtesy. Sarah-Jane Grace www.sarahjanegrace.com – Copyright © 2006-2019 Sarah-Jane Grace. All Rights Reserved

MARCH IS A MONTH OF LIBERATION

MARCH IS A MONTH OF LIBERATION

  • OLIVIA PEPPER

It is the end of the winter and as above, so below. As the northern hemisphere thaws, the motion of the cosmos also becomes more fluid, nebulous, and dramatically transitional.

The month kicks off big, with Venus in Capricorn squaring Uranus in Aries at the anaretic degree of each sign. This tense and potentially disruptive square affects intimate partnerships, financial agreements and anywhere we are cultivating abundance—but the disruption is necessary and provides us with a more clear-eyed path as we forge ahead.

Immediately after making this aspect, Venus transits into Aquarius and becomes the dazzling hyper-queer sexy android version of herself, moving collective ideals of love and sex toward excitingly futuristic and potent horizons. Queers to the front! When Venus moves through Aquarius, it is always a thrilling opportunity to reevaluate your sexuality and all of your means of attraction to be certain they are authentic to your truest self. In other words, Venus in Aquarius is an invitation to bring your eccentricity to the forefront—to come out of the closet, as it were. Even if you don’t identify as queer, Venus in Aquarius is liberating and unusual.

Mercury is spending more time in Pisces than it usually spends in any sign, and the fleet-footed messenger is considered debilitated in the sign of the Fishes. All the Piscean 12th-house dissolution energy confuses and confounds Mercury, who splutters and sinks into the murky poetic depths. Mercury’s retrograde motion surely adds to the blurriness of this transit and dominates much of March’s mood. The retrograde officially kicks off on March 5th, but we are already in the shadow period. Keep in mind, Mercury stays in Pisces all month long, so all mercurial affairs (communications, technology, commerce, among many others) are seen through the underwater lens of Pisces.

March 6 brings a new moon in dreamy, ethereal Pisces and Uranusstationing firmly into Taurus, reinvoking issues that were shaken up by its initial movement into Taurus last May. This is a major transit that will have global effects, especially on issues ruled by Taurus. Over the next seven years, we should expect colossal shifts in beauty standards, materialism, environmental consciousness, and global finance. The powerful new moon lends us the ability to center our thoughts on futurist ideals and be a part of innovation that will lead the way to a better world.

March 14 is arguably the height of Mercury retrograde’s shenanigans when the sun catches up to Mercury and Mercury is cazimi, or conjunct the sun. The Pisces energy will be very pronounced on this day; best to dedicate your energies to creative, dreamy pursuits rather than anything concrete or technical.

March 20 finds the sun entering Aries and spring officially begins in the northern hemisphere. A ripe and lush full moon in Libra follows, shining a healing and harmonious light on ideals we are committed to. There is an invitation to recognize the beauty in our bonds, in our agreements. Intentions set at this time are likely to flourish, but because Mercury is retrograde in watery Pisces, avoid making specific demands of the universe or being narrow-minded in manifestation work. Focus on the greater good rather than a particular expectation or outcome.

March 26 Venus enters Pisces, where she is exalted. Our sympathies are heightened, compassion becomes more possible. With this dreamy transit, the world thrums with more romance, sentiment, and nostalgia. On the same day, Mercury goes direct, alleviating some of the fog.

Finally, right at curtain call, on the last day of the month, Mars makes an ingress into Gemini, diversifying our ambitions and opening us up to new possibilities and diverse outcomes for our best-laid plans. We now have an opportunity to infuse our actions with shimmering intellect and to engage in playful contemplation of many angles. With Mercury in Pisces and Mars in Gemini creating a bit of creative tension, we may as well embrace the possibilities and try something new.

 

Published on Astrology.com

Your Daily Cosmic Calendar for Monday, March 4

COSMIC CALENDAR

  • MARCH 4, 2019

Long-time readers of this calendar know that every so often, the universe ceases its nearly daily bombardment of Earth with a large number of challenging skycycles. This is one of those days to take advantage of a lull in solar systemic activity influencing our home planet. Yes, the sun forming a parallel with Neptune (7:53 a.m.) has a potential shadow side of confusion and chaos that may be hard to avoid, but its brighter component can offer sensitive souls visions of the great beyond and increased psychic sensitivity. Lucid dreamers, poets, musicians, and artists feel a deep kinship with the ancient deity that rules the seas teaming with life and the astral currents of swirling emotions.

Helping you stay above the proverbial waters is a supportive, 60-degree liaison between the moon in Aquarius and Jupiter in fiery Sagittarius at 8:31 a.m. Tune into the subtle chords of the power of positive thinking to make headway with important plans as Mercury in Pisces approaches its station and turn into reverse motion tomorrow.

[Note to readers: All times are calculated as Pacific Standard Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]

Copyright 2018 Mark Lerner & Great Bear Enterprises, Ltd. 

Astrology.com

The Witches Current Moon Phase for Monday, March 4

The Witches Current Moon Phase for Monday, March 4

 

Current Moon Phase: Waning Crescent

Moon Currently in the Sign of Aquarius

Moon in Aquarius
Your relationship with your emotions might be more complicated, because Moon in Aquarius has a strong need for emotional freedom. However, when you are in a group of people, it is easier for you to understand your feelings and free yourself from negative emotions such as fear, anger and jealousy.

Organs influenced by AquariusAquarius Moon Sign:

Organs: Calf, ankle, shin, Achilles, forearm muscles, thyroid hormones.
These organs are now more sensitive so provide them with extra care.

Surgical operations:

Surgical operations are recommended during the Waning Moon.
However, avoid surgeries of organs under the influence of the Moon Sign.

The Witches Magick for Monday, March 4: Mirror, Mirror, Make My Wish Come True Spell

Mirror, Mirror, Make My Wish Come True Spell

Take a small mirror and lay it down, so it reflects up at you. Then take a bowl of water (preferably a glass or silver bowl, but any bowl will do.

HINT: If using a ceramic bowl, plain is best.

You should use a bowl with pictures on it only if you have to (unless they are hieroglyphs). Only use plastic bowls if you absolutely have to. Put the bowl of water in the center of the mirror, and surround the mirror with candles (this spell should be done in a dark room, or at night).

The spell works best if the candles are vanilla or lavender. There should be four candles, one at each corner of the mirror (or, if using a round mirror, one at each of these points:

Northeast, Northwest, South east, Southwest).

In between the candles, on the North, East, South, and West sides of the mirror, put incense burners (the spell can work without the incense, but it works better with it). Put a small piece of silver (it can be a coin, a piece of a fork, anything) in the bowl. Look down at the mirror, and chant this:

Mirror, Mirror, on the floor,
reflect for me forever more,
give me now the thing I crave,
I’ll give it back when I’m in my grave,
A pool of water, A touch of ice,
a teardrop from the moon, all this I have and all I want, Is this.

Then you say what you want.

Potion of the Day for March 4: Water of Life Potion

Water of Life Potion

Fill a bottle or something similar with cold water. Then add:

Dill for wisdom; Anise for good dreams; Chervil for friendship; Caraway against infidelity; Sage against plague; Rosemary for improved memory; some roses that help against everything; Parsley for love; Wormwood against sea-sickness and Angelica against magic.

Let this steep for a while and drink. It tastes like life itself! A little sweet and a little bitter.

Incense of the Day for March 4: Crystal Purification Incense

Crystal Purification Incense

2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Copal
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Rosemary
1 pinch finely powdered Salt
1 sm. purified Quartz Crystal point

To use, pour a bit of the incense (leaving the crystal in the jar) onto charcoal. Smolder, and pass the crystals to be purified through the smoke, visualizing the smoke wafting away the stone’s impurities. This incense can be used in conjunction with other recommended purifying rituals, or in place of them. To cleanse the crystal, leave it in sunlight for a few days, place it in running water overnight, or bury it in the Earth for a week.

Herb of the Day for March 4th: Burdock

Herb of the Day for March 4th

Burdock

Latin Name:

Arctium lappa

Common Name:

Burdock, Gobo

Cultivation:

Burdock is a commonly found herb. It is often seen along waterways, an usually in partial or shaded areas. Burdock grows best in alkaline soil, but this is not imperative for cultivation. Easily grown from seed, burdock is a biennial plant, that is direct sown in the garden, early in springtime. Stratification helps germination, but be aware that burdock has an incredibly high germination rate, so unless you have precious few seeds, stratification is not necessary.

For the least amount of problems, it is best to grow burdock in an area where it can self seed freely. This will ensure endless crops of seeds and roots for years to come. Since it grows so well in a shady area, if you have a large tree on the side of your landscape, oftentimes this is the perfect spot to plant your burdock crop.

Harvesting:

Burdock has long been considered a vegetable in Asian cooking. Known as Gobo, you may have seen the root in your local grocers and not even known that it was what we Americans consider a common weed.

Burdock is a biennial, meaning that it grows for two years. The first year plants, offer the roots. The seeds are harvested in the fall of the second year. They are contained in the familiar burrs that we all recognize, and our pets have unfortunately brought home, tangled in their fur.

The burdock root,harvested in the first year. This is best done after a bit of moisture has been applied to the soil, as burdock has a very deep, large taproot. This taproot needs to be dug out with a spade or garden fork. Do not attempt to pull the root, it is impossible to do.

Both seeds and roots can be dried for storage. Wash the roots very well to remove all loose dirt or sand before drying. The roots also need to be chopped or sliced before drying, as they become rock hard once dried.

Seeds should be removed from their prickly outer coating and then dried before storage. Look them over well for hidden insects. Do not use second year burrs, as they will probably contains some insects.

Fresh burdock leaves (either first or second year) can be lightly steamed and then applied as a poultice, to draw out infection and speed healing.

Storing:

To store burdock, the fresh root is simply refrigerated or pickled for a nourishing food. The roots can be peeled and roasted with all fall vegetables, and the pickled gobo is delicious as a condiment. I like to combine gobo with my potatoes and then mash everything together. The roots add an earthy taste, that is pleasant.

Burdock is also made into tinctures, infusions, salves and balms, and infused oils. Wildly useful, this herb is easy to grow and store.

All About Burdock:

Burdock is one of those herbs that people are surprised has so much to offer. Known as a common weed here in America, in Asian cooking, burdock (Gobo root) is commonplace. Burdock is known as a medicinal food; meaning it nourishes the body and offers deep nutritive health to the body, notably the liver and urinary tract and skin.

I use burdock for skin issues, both from within and applied directly to the surface of the skin.

Burdock is a safe herb to ingest with some knowledge. As a root vegetable, it is a wonderful addition to the diet for all ages. As a poultice, it is also safe for anyone who is old enough to understand what is being done to them, and can indicate if the application becomes too hot or uncomfortable. As a tincture or decoction, it is noted by Herbalist Richo Cech, that burdock works a little more strongly, and should be combined with a diuretic herb such as dandelion to move the toxins to the urine and not out through the skin. Burdock seed tincture should not be used by the home herbalist, due to its strong efficiency.

Deity of the Day for Monday, March 4: Rhiannon, Welsh Goddess

Rhiannon

Welsh Goddess

Rhiannon is an old Welsh Goddess of the earth and fertility, of horses and birds, who has links to the Underworld and who is much featured in the Mabinogion. She finds antecedents in the British Goddess Rigatona (“Great Queen”) and the continental Celtic horse-goddess Epona, who is also linked with dogs and birds like Rhiannon.

In the later Christianized version of the tale, Rhiannon’s first husband was Pwyll, (“Never was there a man who made feebler use of his wits”, in Rhiannon’s own words) who had once done a stint as King of the Underworld.

Their son Pryderi vanished the night of his birth while the new mother and the women sent to guard them slept. In fear of the consequences for slacking off on their duty, the serving-women smeared Rhiannon with the blood of a puppy and accused Her of murdering Her own son. Their word won over Rhiannon’s own, and as punishment, She was made to sit outside the castle on a horse-block, and offer each visitor a ride on Her back for seven years. Pryderi was eventually restored to Her by his foster-father Teyrnon, who recognized the boy’s resemblance to Pwyll.

She later took Manawydan (the Welsh equivalant to Manannán, the Irish Sea God) as husband after Pwyll died.

Rhiannon is said to possess marvelous birds that can wake the dead, or lull the living to sleep. In the Mabinogion She is intelligent and wise, and doesn’t hesitate to speak Her mind.

Rhiannon is deeply associated with horses: Pwyll first sees Her riding a marvelous white horse that no one can catch; The vanished child was found by Teyrnon in place of a new-born foal; and Her punishment is to act as a horse.

This card in a reading indicates a time of trial or injustice, that, with patience and faith, will come right in the end. Misunderstandings and mis-communications may be in the air, but understanding the deep roots of the situation will help.

Alternate spellings: Riannon
Pronunciation: hree AN non

From: Thalia Took

Rhiannon

A Cymric and Brythonic Goddess, also known as Rigantona: Great QueenRhiannon (Rigantona) is a Cymric and Brythonic goddess known from the Mabinogi of Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed where she is Pwyll’s wife, who is mistakenly punished for infanticide and the Mabinogi of Manawyddan fab Llŷr. She is associated with horses and has otherworldly birds in her posession. She may represent the psychopomp aspect of the goddess Epona.

Rhiannon is also associated with otherworldly brids, the adar Rhiannon (birds of Rhiannon) which are explicitly named in the Mabinogion of Branwen ferch Llŷr. Mortally wounded after the battle in Ireland, Brân tells his companions to cut off his head and take it with them on their return journey …you will be on the road a long time. In Harlech you will be seven years in feasting, the birds of Rhiannon singing to you. The head will be as good company to you as it was at its best when it was ever on me. And you will be at Gwales in Penfro for eighty years. Until you open the door facing Aber Henfelen on the side facing Cornwall, you will be able to abide there, along with the head with you uncorrupted. But when you open that door, you will not be able to remain there…. They reach Harlech and as soon as they began their feast …there came three birds, which began to sing a kind of song to them; and when they heard that song, every other [tune] seemed unlovely beside it…. The brids of Rhiannon are next mentioned in the Mabinogion of Culhwch ac Olwen where Culhwch is set forty impossible tasks by Ysbaddaden Pencawr in the wooing of his daughter Olwen. The thirteenth task is the gaining of Rhiannon’s birds that they may sing at the wedding feast. These birds have a woderous song and are …to wake the dead, and send the living to sleep…. There may also be a hint of Rhiannon’s magical birds in the Mabinogion of Iarlles y Ffynawn. The Arthurian champion Cynon relates one of his adventures to Oweni and Cei: He comes to amagical glade where a spring emerges. Water from the spring must be poured on the slab and there will be a mighty peal of thunder and hailstones will fall from the sky. Then the weather becomes fair, but the tree is denuded of its leaves. At this point a flock of birds fly in and they will alight within the bare branches of the tree and sing. Their melody will be the sweetest sound ever heard by any mortal ear. Some time within the course of the song the black knight — guardian of the fountain — will appear to challenge the usurper. For the shower of hailstones will have stripped the black knight’s lands bare, denuding it of all life. Only by defeating the challenger can the balance be restored. Cynon is defeated by the knight but Owein then re-traces Cynon’s tracks and experiences the same things but he defeats the black knight. From their description it seems highly likely that the birds described here are the adar Rhiannon (the birds of Rhiannon).

Riannon’s association with horses is also unquestionable. We are told of the way Rhiannon rides past the gorsedd of Arberth on a great steed that no-one can catch. After the loss of her son, Rhiannon’s punishment is to be effectively turned into a horse. She has to stand by a horse-block and offer to carry any traveler upon her back and into Pwyll’s llys. Here she is beng symbolically transformed into that which she symbolizes. The link between Rhiannon and horses is further exemplified by her son Pwyll and the fact that he was born on the same night as a foal and that he and the foal grew up together and effectively ‘became one’. Symbolically therefore the ‘horse’ Rhiannon gives birth to a foal ‘Pryderi’. All of this leads to the inescapable conclusion that Rhiannon is strongly hippomorphic in aspect and probably represents at the very least an aspect (and may well represent a continuation of) the mythos of that great pan-Celtic hippomorphic goddess, Epona. A further indication of the link between Rhiannon and Epona may be the episode of the killing of a puppy to frame Rhiannon for her son’s disappearance for a dog is often seen as Epona’s companion.

Rhiannon’s name is derived from the Brythonic Rīgantona (Great Queen). Continuation of the name would indicate the existence of a Brythnoic goddes known as *Rīgantona, though no trace of her (save for the name of Rhiannon) has been left to us. Whether this *Rīgantona was an independent deity or represented an aspect of Epona (who is occasionally referred to in the plural and may be a triple-goddess) may not be known for certain though the surviving tales of Rhiannon would suggest the later interpretation. Thus there may once have been an insular Brythonic deity known as *Rīgantona Epona. If this is the case, and the Epona aspect of the goddess is fairly clear, what does the Rīgantona aspect represent. In the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is plainly ‘otherworldly’ in nature though this aspect of her nature is not explicitly drawn out. However, from how she and Pwyll met is is fairly obvious that Rhiannon does not originate in the World of Men. Moreover, she appears immediately after the episode of Pwyll and Arawn and originally Rhiannon may well have originated in one of the ‘Happy Otherworlds’ that are beloved of the Celtic storytellers. Epona herself was probably a psychopomp and the association of Rhiannon with horses and with her magical birds (both of which could transport/accompany the deay on their journey to the next world) would indicate that Rhiannon may once have performed a similar function. In the Mabinogi of Branwen ferch Llŷr Rhiannon’s birds are described as singing ‘across the waters’ which is the only direct evidence we have for Rhiannon’s otherworldly home; the ‘Happy Isles of the Blessed’. Thus Rhiannon may originally have been the ‘Great Queen’ of such a realm; a realm to which her steeds transported the spirits of the dead who were entertained on the way by the singing of the ‘Great Queen’s’ magical birds. The association between horses and birds also seems to be a recurring theme in Celtic mythos and the image above comes from a coin of the Unelli tribe of modern-day Normandy.

Rhiannon’s name is directly cognate with the Irish goddess Mórrígan (which also menans ‘Great Queen’). In terms of attributes, however, Rhiannon is most closely similar to an aspect of the triple-goddes, Mórrígan known as Macha; a goddess of war, horses and kingship.

From: CeltNet

Rhiannon

Welsh Horse Goddess

The Welsh horse goddess of the Underworld, Rhiannon (pronounced ree-ah-nin) is also known as Rigatona or “Great Queen” in Welsh lore. An equine goddess-turned-magical queen, she is unique in the sense that she is exclusively a horse deity — while other goddesses of antiquity typically have other identities and functions.

Accordingly, horse themes are very strong in Irish and Welsh mythology. As such, Rhiannon’s Irish sister Macha, a trans-functional goddess spanning all possible functions of society as priestess, warrior, and nurturer, has also been represented as a horse.

Nevertheless, Rhiannon is one of a kind with the exception of one Gaulish equine goddess counterpart known as Epona — a diety who has no other function than being the patroness of horses.

Even more anomalous however, is her legendary fairy tale: one that is fraught with ambivalences. Appearing in the first “branch” (or chapter) of the Mabinogi as a mysterious lady riding a horse, Rhiannon is depicted as a graceful and wild goddess — untamable and free to the point that no one can ever catch her or overtake her gallop.

Alas, she is finally tamed in the sense that Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, convinces her to stop and speak with him. As if fated, the two marry and Rhiannon bears him a child — one who mysteriously disappears at birth. Because the attendant maids (who should have been keeping vigilance) shirk their duties by falling asleep, the baby is effectively spirited away by an unknown creature. Trying to absolve themselves of any blame, the maids then resolve to kill some puppies, smearing the blood and gore on Rhiannon, claiming that she had killed her own child.

In light of the goddess-queen’s presumed guilt, Pywll does not divorce her, since that had been an act reserved exclusively for barrenness. Instead, she is sentenced to sitting near a horse-block outside of the city gate and is correspondingly instructed to carry passersby inside the city walls, becoming a horse in all but physical appearance and wild freedom.

Incidentally, right after Rhiannon’s son disappears, a mare of a villager named Teyrnon Twrf Liant gives birth to rather attractive colt. At the moment of delivery, a great claw reaches through the window of the house as if to seize the newborn. In bewildered response, Teyrnon slices off the arm and rushes outside only to find a noble baby boy — Rhiannon’s child.

Raising the boy as his own for over four years, the man eventually hears about the unfortunate plight of the goddess-queen, sees the resemblance between the two, and brings the child to the castle. Happy and free from her position as a compulsory horse-substitute, Rhiannon embraces her long-lost son, naming him Pryderi. And then they all live happily ever after . . . until the story changes again.

In a twist of fate, in the third “branch” of the Mabinogi following her husband’s death, Rhiannon marries her son’s friend Manawydan. After a number of experiences and adventures, she and her son eventually disappear into the magic fortress of Llwyd, (son of Cil Coed) where she is made to pay a horse penance once again, wearing the collars of donkeys.

The beautiful Welsh underworld goddess traveled through earth on an impossibly speedy horse, accompanied always by magical birds that made the dead waken and the living fall into a blissful seven-year sleep. Originally named Rigatona (“Great Queen”), she shrank in later legend into Rhiannon, a fairylike figure who appeared to Prince Pwyll of Dyfed near the gate of the underworld. He pursued her on his fastest horses, but hers–cantering steadily and without tiring–exhausted any mount of Pwyll’s. Finally, the queen decided to stay with Pwyll; she bore him a son soon afterward.

What can one expect of a goddess of death? Her son disappeared, and the queen was found with blood on her mouth and cheeks. Accused of murder, she was sentenced to serve as Pwyll’s gatekeeper, bearing visitors to the door on her back; thus she was symbolically transformed into a horse. All ended happily when her son was found; Rhiannon had been falsely accused by maids who, terrified at finding the babe absent, had smeared puppy blood on the queen’s face.

Behind this legend is doubtless another, more primitive one in which the death queen actually was guilty of infanticide. This beautiful queen of the night would then, it seems, be identical to the Germanic Mora, the nightmare, the horse-shaped goddess of terror. But night brings good dreams as well as bad, so Rhiannon was said to be the beautiful goddess of joy and oblivion, a goddess of Elysium as well as the queen of hell.

The horse goddess. Rhiannon was the Welsh equivalent of the Epona (Gallic) and Macha (Irish). Rhiannon was also associated with a Romano-Celtic goddess Rigantona (“Great Goddess”).

Rhiannon was the daughter of Hereydd the Old. She married Pwyll, a chieftain of Dyfed.

Rhiannon was unfortunate figure in Welsh myth. Rhiannon had many suitors, among them were Pwyll, chieftain of Dyfed, and Gwawl, the son of Clud. Pwyll won her hand and married her. Gwawl and his father laid a curse upon Pwyll’s household. Rhiannon was barren for many years. Pwyll blamed his wife for their inability to have a child, mistreated Rhiannon.
Even though she managed to give birth to a son named Pryderi, she was accused of killing or devouring her infant.

Later, when Pwyll died, Rhiannon lived with her son, before she married Manawyddan, after the death of Manawyddan’s brother (Bran) from the war in Ireland. Upon her son arrival back, Rhiannon and Pryderi were beset by curse from Llywd, the son of Kil Coed, and friend of Gwawl, Rhiannon’s former suitor. Their subjects in Dyved had vanished. Llywd had transformed Rhiannon into an ass, while her son was transformed into a gate-hammer. They were released from the curses through Manawyddan’s cunning and resourcefulness.

See Manawyddan son of Llyr, in the Mabinogion.

From: Timeless Myths

Originally published on MysticWicks

 

Magickal Activity for March 4, The Feast of Rhiannon

Magickal Activity for March 4, The Feast of Rhiannon

App[e on a String (Love Spe[[)

Select a large red apple. Mark sections on the outside peel by scraping lines into the skin. Into each one of the sections, scrape the name or initials of the persons that you wish for lovers. Tie a string to the stem of the apple and hang it from any support. Next, twirl the apple around so that when you release it, it will spin in a clockwise direction. Hold a 3-inch needle in your hand and as the apple begins to twirl, close your eyes, and repeat the following chant:

Bountiful Queen, Goddess of love,
Shower your blessings from above.
As I work this apple spell,
Show me the one who will love me well.

As you finish the chant, push the needle all the way into the apple, steadying the fruit with your other hand. The name in the section were the pin has pierced will be your true lover.

On Monday, March 4th, We Celebrate The Feast of Rhiannon

Feast of Rhiannon

It is a popular custom for the Wiccans of Wales and Ireland to honor the Goddess Rhiannon this day. Known as “Rigantona,” meaning Great Queen, Rhiannon has been identified with the popular Gaulish mare Goddess Epopna.

Rhiannon’s divine status is indicated by her first encounter with Pwyll, the king of Dyfed. Riding slowly past him on a large white horse, he was entranced and pursued her. But even with the swiftest of mounts he could not overtake her. Finally, in desperation, he called out to her. Rhiannon stopped to converse with him, admitting she was seeking him out. Pwyll won Rhiannon’s love and when she arrived at his court to be married, she brought precious gifts for all the nobles. Thus her image of a generous, bountiful queen-Goddess.

Pagan Calendar of Events for March 4 thru 10

Pagan Calendar of Events for March 4 thru 10

MAR. 4: Celtic Feast of Rhiannon: Moon Goddess, Underworld Goddess

MAR. 5: Navigium Isidis – Egyptian festival honoring Goddess Isis as Lady of the Moon and Ruler of the Sea; celebrated with the launching of a boat of offerings.

MAR. 9: Mother Goddess Day – honoring all Mother Goddesses – the loving, nurturing Goddess.