WATCH
March 2000
and early April
It's time to shake a leg and drink in the splendor of the deep dark sky. Try to find yourselves a good sky map so you can identify the various constellations mentioned...And many of you will have to get out of light-polluted city areas in order to truly SEE and appreciate the magnificence of our heavenly dome..
General highlights:
Best times for star-gazing are the couple weeks surrounding New (dark) Moon (Mar 6th).
At Full Moon (Mar 19th), the sky is too full of moonlight to see the stars clearly ~ take advantage of this time to Moon Gaze...This is the last moment to catch a glimpse of Jupiter and Saturn. And Mars is coming to join them. On certain days Moon has a date as well. Keep an eagle-eye out to the southwest, after sunset and up to 8 or 9 pm. They'll be setting earlier and earlier as the weeks go by, with decreasing visibility. From mid-March onwards they'll be hardly observable, depending on your latitude & visibility...
Venus as Morning Star is barely observable (very low on the horizon, and just before sunrise) until the end of the month when she passes behind the Sun.A noteworthy phenomena are the Virginides group of shooting stars. It's phase is one of the longest of the year---from roughly January 25th to April 15th . It seems to be a very ancient cloud of comet dust. Their frequency is only 3 - 10 an hour at best, but they can be bright. Found in the region between Virgo, Leo and the Big Dipper. Maximum intensity is near the end of March---catch 'em in the first half of the night, before the quarter moon comes up.
And Spring equinox is here---the days are getting longer, and for some of you, Spring may already be in the air.
Continuing treats of current star-gazing =>Beautiful Taurus constellation with pale red Aldebaran, and directly northwest, the Pleiades aka the Seven Sisters, with the brightest of the cluster being Alcyone.
Southeast of Taurus is striking Orion, with blue-white supergiant Rigel, red supergiant Betelguse and pale yellow Bellatrix. And then there is Orion's distinctive 3-starred belt. The line of these 3 stars point directly to Sirius, further southeast.
Castor and Pollux of the Gemini constellation are northeast of Orion.
Further east still is the constellation of Leo, with mighty blue-white Regulus. Try to make out the Big Dipper, more or less near the Zenith (straight up).What is the shamanic knowledge concerning this seasons major stars?
According to Star Shaman & astronomer Page Bryant:The open star cluster of the Pleiades has been recognized and honored throughout history, in many cultures. It's main star Alcyone has a powerful influence on women, and serves to awaken the priestess archetype. It has become particularly active in recent times in the emerging feminine power through Europe, North America and the Pacific. Readiness & capability (and purity) are needed to respond to it positively, though, as its power is "mixed".
Aldebaran is said to stimulate intelligence and to contain a kind of "hall of records" for Earth.
Orion's Rigel embodies the force of pure masculine power, as well as progress & intelligence, and can bring breakthroughs in different fields of scientific development and thought. (sounds like it's related to Uranus!) If responded to negatively, Rigel will provoke aggression and the need for control.
Betelgeuse helps sustain the flow of life force in all Earth bodies, and stimulates evolution.
(If you're keen on this type of info, get Bryant's fascinating book "Starwalking: Shamanic Practices for Traveling into the Night Sky")
So, Gaze! and find a way to "get there"...
Best OBSERVATION dates:
3rd,4th: at dawn before sunrise, at the eastern horizon, you may catch the very thin crescent moon conjunct Venus, Morning Star this month. The moon will then disappear for a couple of days while she "conjuncts" the Sun (=new moon).
7th: new moon was the 5th, and if your conditions are right, you may be able to spot the very new delicate croissant, just after sunset, on the western horizon
9th,10th,11th: nice conjunction of Moon, Jupiter, Saturn in the evening just after sunset, in the west.Keep your eyes peeled
15th: Mercury & Venus are very close, but unfortunately too low on the horizon. Those in the southern hemisphere, on the other hand, should have very good visibility this month for Mercury and Venus.
19th-20th: (depending on where you are..):
People! This is the Equinox!! (What ever happened to Spring rites!? 'Spose they got absorbed into Easter chocolate and bunnies! oh well, let's go for it and maybe integrate more meaningful ceremony while we're at it! Stay mindful at this special moment when the forces of day & night are equal. And consider the signification of 40-day Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 8th)
22nd: Jupiter is equidistant between Mars & Saturn in the early evening after sunset.
25th: maximum intensity of the Virginides, rather in the first half of the night, before the moon comes up.
early APRIL highlights:
2nd: a very low-horizon Mercury & thin moon are in the dawn sky. Moon disappears for a couple of days. (new moon on April 4th)
5th: the growing light of that new moon may be admired in the west just after sunset.
6th: once again, Moon will come to meet the Gathering of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn---try after sunset in the west. Be aware that this type of conjunction doesn't come along every day! The Jupiter/Saturn cycle is every 20 years...
ASTRO DUST ~~~ high symbolic moments
times given in CST (= GMT -6):New moon: Mar 5th, 11:18 pm (16° Pisces)
Moon-Venus-Uranus conjunct 19° Aquarius: Mar 3rd
Moon-Jupiter-Saturn conjunct in Taurus: Mar 9th-10th
Venus enters Pisces: Mar 13th
1st quarter moon: Mar 13th
Mercury 3° Pisces direct: Mar 14th
Pluto 13° Sag retrograde: Mar 15th
Jupiter Square Neptune: Mar 16th (6°Taurus-Aquarius)
Full Moon: Mar 19th, 10:45pm (30° Virgo)
Sun enters Aries - Spring Equinox : Mar 20th, 1:36am
Mars enters Taurus: Mar 22nd
last quarter moon: Mar 27th
New moon: Apr 4th, 12:13 pm (16° Aries)
Moon-Mars-Jupiter conjunctin Taurus: Apr 5th-6th
Venus enters Aries: Apr 6th
So, what does Star-gazing mean to you?
For newcomers, the waiting and watching in the (often cold) night can be off-putting at first, but the rewards are priceless.
For others, it's a life-long love affair with the cosmic dome, a source of high inspiration. And some find the stars and night sky useful for shamanic activity and travelling.Open yourself to Sky Spirit and the Currents of the Cosmos---you will certainly discover other dimensions...
