The Ides of March

The 15th of March (tomorrow) was once known as 'The Ides' in Roman times and came from the Latin word 'idus' meaning 'half division' which indicated that it was half way through the month. It was the festival day of the Roman God of War, Mars and a military parade was usually held in his honour.

Its more sinister connotations derive from the fact that Julius Caesar was assasinated on the 15 March in 44 BC, by a group of Roman senators who stabbed him 23 times. A seer had predicted his death as being on the 15th March, hence the term in Shakespeare's play, 'Beware the Ides of March'. Here's hoping that the 15th will be a peaceful day for all.

Heavenly March

This month is full of promise & excitment especially in astronomical terms.

Tomorrow (3rd) sees Mars at its closest approach to earth and as its face will be fully illuminated by the sun, it will be at its brightest. See it best in the eastern sky just as the sun sets.

The 20th March marks the occasion of the Spring Equinox and the first day of spring, after which the hours of day light exceed those of darkness for 6 months until the autumn equinox.

This is a month to celebrate the increasing light and to let our energies spiral outward into the world.

The Ides of March

Today is the 'Ides of March', the day upon which Julius Caesar was murdered in 44BC. Caesar was said to have visited fortune teller on his way to the theatre of Pompey and was told that harm would not come to him later than the Ides of March. Caesar laughed and said the Ides had already come, to which the seer replied that they may have come but they were not yet over. This was an occasion famously captured by Shakespeare in his play, where Caesar is told, 'Beware the Ides of March'.

In actual fact the Ides simply referred to a monthly date which was sacred to the Roman God of War, Mars upon which a military parade was held. The Ides fell on the 15th day of the months of March, May, July and October, whilst the remainder of the year's Ides fell on the 13th.

April's planetary aspects

Many people have commented on the rather disruptive forces that seem to be spinning through their lives at the present time. Illness, breakdowns in communication, chaos all seem to feature to varying degrees and the time surrounding the equinoxes are always periods of flux before the energies settle for the new season. Perhaps the following will help make sense of what is happening.

Venus is in its own sign of Taurus where it is joinedby Mercury, both of which form a fiery square to Mars and Pluto engineering yet more change in the areas of money, resouces and the environment.

On the 8th Saturn moved back into Virgo and forms an exact opposition on the 27th, a day which may turn out to be extremely disruptive or rather innovative. Other days which may have similar elements are: 19th and 25th.

The new moon in Aries on the 14th pushes forward vibrant spring energy and those who are involved in the healing and creative art professions are well favoured. The full moon on the 28th forms a 'T' square with Mars, indicating a very dynamic period.

Highlight of the month is the 'Lyrids' meteor shower which is best seen on the 21st and 22nd and is expected to produce around 20 meteors per hour, although best viewing is after midnight.

As April moves forward may its fiery aspects drive you ever forward into the spring.