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Newsletter No. 3 March / April 2008

Spring Equinox: Aries & The Passion of Spring

Contents:

1. The Significance of the Spring Equinox, Easter & Oestre
2. The Aries Cycle:  The Alchemical Passion of Spring - Your Call To Adventure!
3. Persian New Year: The Festival of Norooz
4. The Alchemical Journey Spring Programme of Events & Workshops
5. A Celebration of Aries through Song, Story, Poetry & Stars: Sat 29th Mar, Bath
6. Astrodrama: Awakening the Gods Within

1. The Significance of the Spring Equinox, Easter & Oestre

Today, 20th March 2008, is the day of the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox, one of two days in the calendar when day and night are of exactly equal length. In the great drama of the annual cycle, the light of the Sun has overcome the darkness of night, as daylight lengthens, and night diminishes. In Egyptian mythology this is the moment in the year when Horus overcomes Set. It represents the renewal of life. In Christian mythology it is the time when Jesus, the Son (Sun) of God is resurrected. This is the celebration we know, of course, as Easter.

In nature, this is a time of fertility and new growth, with new life breaking out everywhere! Buds break on the branches of trees, daffodils burst into flower and light up the garden! The soil is fertile and ready for new seeds to be sown. In our own Celtic tradition, the Goddess of Fertility is celebrated at the Spring Equinox. She is the Madien of Spring and goes by the name of Eostre or Oestre. the root of the word oestrus, the time in the cycle of female reproduction when oestrogen, the hormone that stimulates ovulation is produced.

The name "Easter" derives from the Saxon word "Eostre" and the origins are the Easter are most certainly pagan in origin, as are the traditions of the easter egg, the easter bunny, and the hot cross bun. This year Easter falls extremely early and people often wonder why this should be. Well, it's fairly straightforward, if surprising to many. The date of Easter is tied to the date of the first (paschal) full moon after the Spring Equinox. The first Sunday after this full moon becomes Easter Sunday. This way of calculating the Easter date was established at the Council of Nicea in 325AD. The Christian festival was simply overlaid onto the existing pagan festival of the resurrection of the Sun and the renewal of life. This year (2008), the full moon actually occurs on 21st March, the day after the equinox, and so Easter Sunday is set for the day after that, 22nd March.

The "Easter Hare", as it was known, was originally an otherworldly "rabbit-spirit" who oversaw the fertility in nature. Rabbits and hares are capable of producing multiple births and were seen as a potent symbol of fertility. The Egg is an obvious symbol of new life and have been used in spring festivals for millennia. The hot cross bun is often linked to the full moon and also to the "sacred ox" (saxon word, bo-un), sacrificed at the Celtic feast of Eostre. Supposedly, ox horns were carved into ritually prepared bread. The tradition of carving a cross onto bread would also have represented the cardinal cross that mark the four turning points of the ritual year - the equinoxes and solstices. This translated naturally into the Christian cross. The marking of the ritual bread in either tradition would have been a highly sacred act. Now, of course, you can buy four of them off the shelf at Tesco's for 59p!

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2. The Aries Cycle: The Alchemical Passion of Spring - Your Call to Adventure

The moment of the Spring Equinox occurs on Thurs. 20th March at 5.48 GMT. This is also the moment when the Sun enters the sign of Aries in the tropical zodiac*. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. It is the sign that begins the alchemical journey around the year and initiates the the astrological adventure. Aries is a sign of passion, of courage, of enthusiastic action. It is a fire sign, red, potent, single-minded and liable to bursts of anger and aggression, like its ruling planet Mars. We can liken the Arien impulse to that of the life force that bursts through in the first bud of Spring, the quest for the expression of life overriding all else in one singly-focussed breakthrough. Arien energy is that of the new-born child, arriving head first into the world with a scream! The passion of Aries breaks through the membrane, it cracks open the protective shell that encased it and exposes the innocence and vulnerability of new life.

YOUR CALL TO ADVENTURE: Aries is a call to adventure! It hastens us to act, and to trust whatever passionate impulse is stirred within us and to act upon it. The Arien phase of the alchemical journey challenges you to risk what is known for the life-generating experience of what is not. As we embark on the alchemical journey, our enquiry focusses around these themes: So these are some questions you might want to reflect on yourself over the next month:

• What are you passionate about?
• What's getting your blood pressure up right now?
• What lights you up at the moment?
• What's stirring in your soul?
• What do you know you want to do, even if you can't justify it yet?
• What is calling you to adventure?
• Can you muster up the courage to follow it?
• And what are you willing to risk to answer that call?

YOUR SEED OF INTENTION: As we have already seen, this is the most fertile season of the year, the soil is rich and alive with the impulse to grow, traditionally a time where we turn the soil and sow the seed. So another important part of our enquiry this month is to do with what we are sowing in our own lives. The seed of intention planting consciously and deliberately will bear fruit later in the year. So this is a good time to ask yourself:

• What is my intention for the coming year?
• What seed am I willing to sow?

You might want to actually plant a seed in the ground this month, in a ritual way, as a symbol of your intention. As you plant it, focus on what you want to manifest this year and commit to it.

WHO AM I?: Aries is also about identity. You know how Ariens love to talk in the first person - starting sentences with "I am.." Well, that's the Aries impulse for us to experience ourselves first-hand, to experience "who I am". Think about it. How do you see yourself? How do you imagine other people see you? What image do you seek to portray?

An exercise I encourage participants to do on the first leg of The Alchemical Journey is to ask three people in their lives what they think of them. You might want to try it:

Choose three people in your life and ask them the following questions:

1. What’s your overall impression of me?
2. What do you think are my strengths?
3. What do you think are my weaknesses?
4. What image do you think I'm trying to portray?
5. Who do you think I am, really?
6. If you had one piece of advice for me, what would it be?

When you get the feedback, just say "thank you". Don't try and justify yourself or defend yourself or argue. Just notice your response. Remember, what this person is saying is not true - it's simply their perception of you. It can be useful feedback, but what can be even more useful is your ability to really hear it. This is a powerful exercise and it can open things up. It makes you vulnerable, but in allowing yourself to be vulnerable, you can enjoy a significant breakthrough in self-understanding. If you decide to go ahead with this and you would like some coaching around it, then please let me know!

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3. Persian New Year: The Festival of Norooz

In alignment with the rebirth and renewal of the cycle of life in nature, so begins the Persian calendar. Iranians, both in Iran and in the diaspora are celebrating their New Year today, 20th March 2008, and at the very moment marked by the Spring Equinox (5.48 GMT this morning). No Rooz, literally "new year" has been celebrated at the Vernal or Spring Equinox for millennia throughout ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and Persia (modern Iran). Norooz, as a distinctly Persian / Iranian celebration, has been celebrated for at least 3000 years and is rooted in the Zoroastrian tradition. It was conceived as a celebration of the return of the Lord of Wisdom and the holy fire, as the light of the Sun overcomes the darkness of night. It symbolises both the endings and beginnings simulataneuosly. In preparation for the new year, Iranians traditionally clean their homes, makes new clothes, bake pastries and germinate seeds as a sign of renewal. It is, above all, a celebration of life.

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4. The Alchemical Journey Spring Programme of Events & Workshops

The Alchemical Journey 2008-9 programme is now just days away. We begin on Fri 28th March with the first weekend event in Bath. We still have a few places avaialable the the year if you want to take up your Aries courage and jump aboard! We also have a number of other events lined up for the Spring, which are open to all. The first of these is on the evening of Saturday 29th March, an open event in Bath, as part of our first weekend, to celebrate Aries and the Passion of Spring. Full details of all events below:

Bath - Fri. 28th – Sun 30th March:  First Weekend of 2008-9 Programme: Aries: "Igniting The Creative Spark"
Open to Alchemical Journey 2008-9 participants.
Minerva Centre, 8 Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NP (Fri. 6pm – Sun. 4pm)

Bath - Sat. 29th March:  A Celebration of Aries & the Passion of Spring
An Evening of Song, Story, Poetry & Stars!
With Kevan Manwaring, Vicki Burke, Helen Moore, Diana Johnstone & John Wadsworth Penthouse Apartment, Waterfront House, Lower Bristol Rd, Bath BA2 3DQ
7.30pm Start. Open to All - Tickets: £6 on the door. Click here for more details.

Bristol - Sat. 19th Apr:  Month 2 Taurus Workshop: "The Alchemy of Abundance"
Open to Alchemical Journey 2008-9 participants only (Bristol group)
The Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, St. Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA (9.30am – 6pm)

Bristol - Sat. 19th Apr: A Celebration of Taurus & The Alchemy of Spring's Abundance
An Open Evening of Alchemical Performances as part of St. Pauls Open Space Festival
John Wadsworth plus special guests.  7.30pm - 9.30. Food available & Bar from 9.30.
The Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, St. Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA (donations - Pierian Centre)

Brighton - Sat. 26th Apr:  Month 2 Taurus Workshop: "The Alchemy of Abundance"
Open to Alchemical Journey 2008-9 participants only (Brighton group)
365 Ditchling Rd, Brighton BN1 6JU (9.30am – 6pm)

Bristol - Sat. 17th May:  Month 3 Gemini Workshop: "Communicating with Integrity"
Open to Alchemical Journey 2008-9 participants (Bristol group)
The Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, St. Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA (9.30am – 6pm)

Bristol - Sat. 24th May:  Month 3 Gemini Workshop: "Communicating with Integrity"
Open to Alchemical Journey 2008-9 participants (Brighton group)
365 Ditchling Rd, Brighton BN1 6JU (9.30am – 6pm)

Brighton - Sun. 25th May: The Alchemy of Communication
One-Day Workshop With John Wadsworth & Amanda Stafford
Venue to be confirmed (9.30am – 6pm)

Bath – Sun 1st June:  Spring Into Summer!  Open Day:  Aries-Taurus-Gemini Cycle
An Experiential Journey of Self-Enquiry through the First Three Phases of the Year
Minerva Centre, 8 Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NP (9.30am – 6.00pm)
Price:  £60

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To reserve a place at any of these events, please call John on 07869 133759 / 0117 3706213

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5. A Celebration of Aries & the Passion of Spring

Sat. 29th March at 7.30pm in Bath

An Evening of Music, Poetry, Story & Stars

with performers:  Kevan Manwaring, Vicki Burke, Helen Moore, Diana Johnstone & John Wadsworth

Venue:  Penthouse Apartment, Waterfront House, Lower Bristol Rd, Bath BA2 3DQ

Tickets: £6.00 on the door - but please book your place in advance (free entry to Alchemical Journey 2008-9 participants)

Come and join us for a unique evening of creative inspiration in an extraordinary venue.  We will be in a penthouse apartment over-looking the Bath skyline and enjoying an quite magnificent outlook on the night sky, courtesy of a pyramidal glass roof!  Poetry, music and story to propel our hearts and minds into the creative passion of Spring and its astrological herald Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. If we have a clear night, John will also take us on a mythical journey around the stars, planets and constellations of the visible sky.

Kevan Manwaring (3rd Bard of Bath) is a poet, storyteller, teacher and author (The Bardic Handbook). He teaches creative writing for the Open University and performance skills around Britain and abroad. He lives in Bath, running the Bath Storytelling Circle:  www.tallyessin.com

Vicki Burke is a singer-songwriter, harpist and saxphonist, performing under the name Sutura.  "Beautiful, breathtaking music that will send shivers down your spine and goosbumps to your toes...passionate, original tunes with depth, bags of melody and catchy choruses.”  www.sutura.co.uk

Helen Moore (8th Bard of Bath) is an eco-poet/writer based in North Somerset.  She regularly performs her poetry at environmental conferences around the UK, and has published a book on climate change.  Her website is: www.natures-words.co.uk

Diana Johnstone is a guitarist and singer-songwriter with "a voice of startling clarity and a heck of a back story" (Venue Magazine, Bristol). Diana, ex-wife of Elton John frontman Davey Johnstone, writes and sings from the heart.  Her website is: www.dianajohnstone.com

John Wadsworth is a professional astrologer, life coach, educator and performance artist. He is the founder of The Alchemical Journey and is a pioneer of astrological theatre.  In his performances, he incorporates movement, gesture, word and music to communicate the journey around the astrological wheel of life.  His website is: www.thealchemicaljourney.com 

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6. Astrodrama: Awakening the Gods Within

The Alchemical Journey is presenting a unique 6-Day astrodrama workshop in the summer for Friedel Roggenbuck. If you have ever encountered family constellations work or psychodrama (from where astrodrama originates), then you will recognise the healing power of this type of experiential learning.  Friedel's application of astrodrama and sacred theatre genuinely re-awakens an experience of being in the presence of the "gods", aka the archetypal or mythological powers that express themselves in our lives. It is an extraordinary experience of re-connecting to the sacred, of self-realisation, healing, joy, blessing - hard to describe in words - beautifully and sensitively guided by a formidable facilitator. 

For details, visit: www.astrodrama.co.uk

*the tropical zodiac which western astrologers use is tied to the equinoxes and solstices, rather than the actual constellations in the heavens.

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