Top 10 facts you didn’t know about March

1. March was the first month of the year in the ancient Roman calendar. January and February were thought too bleak to have names at all.

2. March is National Bed Month and Veggie Month in the UK.

3. It is also the month of The Great Daffodil Appeal, raising money for Marie Curie nurses.

4. March was named Martius by the Romans after Mars, their God of War, as March was the start of the military campaigning season.

5. March 1 is not only St David’s Day but is also the Independence Day of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

6. According to an old Devon superstition, it was unlucky to plant seeds on the first three days of March which were known as “blind days”.

7. The saying “mad as a March hare” refers to the behaviour of hares in their March mating season.

8. The town of March in Cambridgeshire took its name from the marshes surrounding it before the fens were drained from the 17th century onwards.

9. March is the only month with three consecutive consonants in its name in English.

10. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold.” (Charles Dickens, Great Expectations).
 

Source

Express, Home of the Daily and Sunday Express

Pagan Calendar for March

1: Matronalia, the Festival of Women
6: Birthday of “official witch of Salem” Laurie Cabot in 1933
17: St. Patrick’s Day
17: Celtic Tree Month of Ash ends
18: Celtic Tree Month of Alder begins
20: Ostara
20: Mabon (Southern Hemisphere)
23: Full moon — Storm Moon at 8:01 am
26: Birthday of author and folklorist Joseph Campbell
28: Death of author Scott Cunningham in 1993

 

Source

Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com

Welcome to the Month of March

March rolls in like the proverbial lion, and if we’re really lucky, it might go out like a lamb. It’s the time of the Storm Moon, the month when Spring finally arrives, around the time of the Equinox, and we see new life begin to spring forth. As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, heavy rains and gray skies abound — the earth is being showered with the life-giving water it needs to have a fertile and healthy growing season. This is also a time of equal parts light and darkness, and so a time of balance.

Correspondences:
Colors: Green, yellow, light purple
Gemstones: Bloodstone, aquamarine
Trees: Dogwood, honeysuckle
Gods: Isis, the Morrighan, Artemis, Cybele
Herbs: High John, pennyroyal, wood betony, apple blossom
Element: Water

Use this month for magical workings related to rebirth and regrowth. New life is blooming during this phase of the moon, as is prosperity and fertility.

The month’s moon names: Seed Moon, Lenten Moon, Crow Moon, Storm Moon

 

Source

Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com

The Sky This Week: Mar 1 – Mar 6

 

Tuesday, March 1
The Last Quarter Moon officially arrives at 7:11 p.m. EST, but you won’t be able to see it until several hours after that. Our nearest celestial neighbor will rise in the east around midnight and reach its highest point in the southern sky around sunrise. The Moon will be in front of the stars of the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent-bearer. In the early morning hours, Luna will lie some 12° northeast of Antares, Scorpius’ brightest star.
Wednesday, March 2
Tonight will be a great time to become familiar with Lepus the Hare, one of the sky’s lesser-known constellations. Approximately a dozen medium-bright stars form Lepus, which sits directly below (that is, south of) Orion the Hunter. Lepus is a mid-size constellation. Out of the 88 star patterns that cover the sky, Lepus ranks 51st in size. It covers 290 square degrees, or about 0.7 percent of the sky. Lepus has two named stars, magnitude 2.6 Arneb (Alpha Leporis) and magnitude 2.9 Nihal (Beta Leporis). The best date to see the constellation (when it lies opposite the Sun in the sky as seen from Earth) is December 14, but because it sits so close to Orion, it’s easy to see throughout the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. Just don’t look for it around June 15 because that’s when the Sun is in Lepus’ part of the sky.
Thursday, March 3
Can you still spot Venus before the morning sky brightens too much? Although it rises an hour before the Sun, it doesn’t gain altitude quickly. Even 30 minutes later, it appears only 5° high in the east-southeast. Still, it shines at magnitude –3.9 and shows up in bright twilight, so chances are good that you can see it this week. This task will be much more difficult as March comes to a close.
Friday, March 4
Around 8 P.M. local time, the brightest star in the night sky — Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris) — lies due south. With a magnitude of –1.46, Sirius triples the apparent light output of Orion’s brightest star, blue-white Rigel (Beta Orionis). The common name Sirius comes from the Greek term for “sparkling” or “scorching.” Richard Hinckley Allen, writing in Star Names and Their Meanings (G. E. Stechert, 1899) attributes this star’s name to the Greek poet Hesiod, who lived in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.
Saturday, March 5
Because the Moon is out of the evening sky now, this is a great time to search for asteroid 5 Astraea. Your best guide star to this main-belt asteroid is 8 Leonis, a magnitude 5.7 star located 9° northwest of Regulus (Alpha Leonis). Fortunately, this part of the spring sky is a long way from the Milky Way, so Astraea, at magnitude 9.3, glows brighter than most of the stars around it.
Sunday, March 6
Comet Ikeya-Murakami (P/2010 V1) swings past the Sun every 5.4 years, and from a dark site you can spot it tonight through a 4-inch or larger telescope within the boundaries of Leo. Just search the area 1° north of the magnitude 4.5 star Kappa Leonis. Look for a modest, non-stellar glow between 8th and 9th magnitude.

 

Source:
Astronomy Magazine

 

Sun & Moon Data for Tuesday, March 1st

Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 152.63° SSE
Sun Altitude: 42.05°
Sun Distance: 92.122 million mi
Next Equinox: Mar 19, 2016 11:30 PM (Vernal)
Sunrise Today: 6:20 AM↑ 99° East
Sunset Today: 5:45 PM↑ 262° West
Length of Day: 11 hours, 24 minutes

 

Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 248.14° WSW
Moon Altitude: 0.65°
Moon Distance: 247451 mi
Next New Moon: Mar 8, 20167:54 PM
Next Full Moon: Mar 23, 20167:00 AM
Next Moonset: Today10:49 AM
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 52.8%

 

Source
timeanddate.com

 

I don’t know if you noticed or not but we have been having temporary periods of being off the net today. I called the ISP and lo’ and behold, a technician showed up. He is now standing here giving me nasty looks. Really upsets me because he was suppose to be here this morning. He can wait a bit, he’s getting paid for it. Hopefully, he will get the problem fixed and we will be back and running normally tomorrow. Till then, my sweets….

Love & Hugs,

Lady A

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2016 February 29

Julius Caesar and Leap Days
Image Credit: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., Wikimedia

 

Explanation: Today, February 29th, is a leap day – a relatively rare occurrence. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar, featured here in a self-decreed minted coin, created a calendar system that added one leap day every four years. Acting on advice byAlexandrian astronomer Sosigenes, Caesar did this to make up for the fact that the Earth’s year is slightly more than 365 days. In modern terms, the time it takes for the Earth to circle the Sun is slightly more than the time it takes for the Earth to rotate 365 times (with respect to the Sun — actually we now know this takes about 365.24219 rotations). So, if calendar years contained 365 days they would drift from the actual year by about 1 day every 4 years. Eventually July (named posthumously for Julius Caesar himself) would occur during the northern hemisphere winter! By adopting a leap year with an extra day every four years, the calendar year would drift much less. This Julian Calendar system was used until the year 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII provided further fine-tuning when he added that leap days should not occur in years ending in “00”, unless divisible by 400. This Gregorian Calendar system is the one in common use today.

 

 

 

 

PLANET TRACKER

Sun in Pisces

Now Until Mar 19, 2016

 

Two Fishes Bound by a Silver Cord

The symbol of Pisces is not one fish, but two. One fish is swimming up to heaven, and the other down to Earth. This represents Pisces’ place between the worlds, its greatest strength and its greatest challenge.

Pisces is a bridge between heaven and Earth, a reminder that the spiritual and material worlds are fully connected. The upward swimming fish is trying to leave behind the limitations of the physical plane. Feeling the gap between these worlds can be painful, and so escape becomes necessary.

We are all both physical and spiritual, regardless of our signs. Pisces is here to remind us that heaven and Earth are connected. It is time to experience the divine on this planet.

Signs are Seasons

Pisces, the last sign of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, is also the last sign of the zodiac. It is the time when the past is summed up to make way for the new year ahead. Pisces is the end of a cycle when we have the benefit of experience and, perhaps, even wisdom to guide our actions.

Yet, the end of winter can be a difficult time for those fatigued by the long struggle against the cold and dark. The fearful can remain stuck in despair. The hopeful, however, know that spring is just around the corner. This is a time to plant the seeds of imagination that will manifest and grow to fruition in the months ahead.

An Ocean of Feelings

Pisces is a water sign, as are Cancer and Scorpio. In the world of water, instincts and emotions are stronger than reason and planning. This is not to say that Pisces can’t be practical. Many of them are. Nor is this a time when we’re all going to drown in the waters of our own emotions. Water reminds us that we are all connected. That�s why Pisces is psychic.

Compassion also comes from this sense of contact with everything. It’s hard not to care about someone else’s pain when you feel it as your own. For balance, find a quiet place to get away from it all so that you can feel your feelings, rather than everyone elses.

Pisces Dreams

Pisces has a reputation as a dreamer, even an escape artist of sorts. Some are considered spacey, with their heads in the clouds. In fact, most Pisces can be very skillful at dealing with the demands of the real world. The key is that they need to find life inspiring. Pisces flourishes with hope and vision. Without it, life can feel overwhelming.

Sources of inspiration are, fortunately, endless. Music, art, dance, movies and theater are all domains in which Pisces can flourish. The creative gifts of this sign even do well in business and technical fields. Pisces are often found in the ranks of healers, where their intuitive senses and compassionate hearts help relieve the suffering of others.

Among the ranks of the famous born with the Sun in Pisces are artists Michelangelo and Pierre Auguste Renoir, and musicians George Harrison, James Taylor, Lou Reed, Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, Nat King Cole and Nina Simone. Liz Taylor, Glenn Close, Sharon Stone, Drew Barrymore, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Thora Birch are Pisces actresses.

Pisces actors include Ron Howard and Rob Reiner, who have morphed into directors, Michael Caine, Bruce Willis and Billy Crystal. Politics attracts Pisces like Joe Lieberman, Ralph Nader and Ted Kennedy. Alan Greenspan is a Pisces (who likes to work in his bathtub), as are tycoons Steve Jobs and David Geffen and athletes Shaquille O’Neal and Kirby Puckett.

Other Pisces range from geniuses Albert Einstein and Bobby Fischer to George Washington to writer John Irving and the indescribable Tammy Faye Bakker.

 

Tarot.com is a Daily Insight Group Site

The Wisdom of Buddha

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

Your Daily Influences
February 29, 2016 

 

Five of Swords Reversed
Victories may be empty. False pride must be avoided. Sorrow is possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingwaz
Ingwaz signifies completion, success and fertility. Your present ambitions are about to be met. You are fecund in both mind and body.

 

 

 

The Ankh
The aspect is well out of balance. Those involved here with you may already be seeking assistance through a mediator or legal venue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Daily Influences represent events and challenges the current day will present for you. They may represent opportunities you should be ready to seize. Or they may forewarn you of problems you may be able to avoid or lessen. Generally it is best to use them as tips to help you manage your day and nothing more.

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
There is a good vibration surrounding this aspect. It feels better than it has in quite some time. Maintain your faith in your diety of choice and this good vibration will remain. Waiver from your faith and this good vibration will dissapate.

General Description:
This Estruscan talisman – a tusk carved in basalt, and elaborately mounted in gold filigree work – was worn as a protector from danger and evil influences. The charm was supposed to attract good fortune and success. The Tusk represented one of the horns of the Crescent Moon, which was a symbol of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who, in the course of time, became the most universal nad powerful of all the goddesses. The Estrucans, Greeks and romans had great faith in the reputed virtues of amulets, a belief which was greatly influenced by the Egyptians.

Your Animal Spirit for Today
February 29, 2016 

Opossum

You’ve heard the expression “playing possum”? It means to play dead and is derived from Opossum’s ability to act in whatever way the situation demands. If it’s practical to play dead, so be it; if it’s to Opossum’s advantage to be aggressive, watch out! Take your cue from this master actor today—and play the role that will serve you best.