The Sun enters Pisces on February 19th with the full Moon in Leo. The full Moon is when the Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision and consecration.

February 29th is Leap Day. That is the day when our calendar corrects itself for the next four years. Don't you feel less stressed already knowing that that responsibility is taken care of for you?

March 3rd is our monthly IEM Get Together and Metaphysical Support Group party! Our Aquarius party attracted a wonderfully diverse crowd! We shared stories about work, home, love and life in general and how to bring our spirituality and uniqueness into everything we do. And no, we didn't chant, meditate or dance naked in the moonlight in the back yard. Let's at least wait until it gets warmer, ok? Please join us in Pisces! For details, please check the IEM Get Together section below.

We have a new Moon in Pisces on March 6th. The New Moon is when the Moon and Sun are conjunct in the sky. The moon is dark and gradually increases to a crescent. This is the time to begin a ritual involving a new project, to ask for new vision or inspiration.

March 7th is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. This holiday is most often associated with New Orleans but is still celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Belgium, Trinidad and Tobago as Carnivale. This is the traditional party that takes place prior to Ash Wednesday when "sins" are renounced during the pre-Easter (Lent or Lenten) season. Kind of an "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow ye shall be virtuous".

For more information, click here to visit the official Mardi Gras website at: //mardigras.neworleans.com
Click here to learn more about Mardi Gras history at www.miniature.net/smallstuff/mardigras1.htm

In Christian churches, March 8th is Ash Wednesday, the first of the forty days of Lent. Lent is a time of sacrifice and some act of self-denial is performed in order to remind the participant of Jesus' sacrifice.

Forty is a traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible:

• Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28)
• The scouts were in the Promised land for forty days (Numbers 13:25)
• Elijah traveled forty days to reach the cave where he had his vision (1 Kings 19:8)
• Nineveh was given forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4)
• And, Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness praying and fasting (Matthew 4:2)

In the Ash Wednesday ceremony, a priest marks penitents by rubbing palm ashes on their foreheads with this spoken reminder, "Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return."

Click here to read more about Lent at www.spirituality.org/issue08/8page07.html

March 17th is Saint Patrick's Day. It is not about beer. Well okay, it's not just about beer. Kristen E. White's "Guide to the Saints" says, "This most popular Irish saint was born in Scotland, of British origin... At sixteen, Patrick was captured by pirates and became a slave in Ireland. He worked as a shepherd. After six years, he was told in a dream that he should be ready for a courageous effort that would take him back to his homeland. He ran away from his owner and traveled 200 miles to the coast. His initial request for free passage on a ship was turned down, but he prayed, and the sailors called him back. After a long journey, Patrick, then twenty-two or twenty-three, returned to his family."

Patrick returned to Ireland and spent the next 29 years travelling as a missionary. There are many legends of his work but little reliable accounting. He evidently preached and taught and opened monasteries, schools and churches. Legend has him describing the trinity to his followers by referring to the clover or shamrock. This was a sacred plant to the Celts so using it as his analogy helped to create a bridge from the ancient to the new religion and contributed to his many "conversions." This is the origin of the shamrock emblem we still associate with him. The leprechaun, also associated with St. Patrick's Day, is an obvious reference to the elementals of Pagan Ireland.

This is the definitive modern work on symbolism. You'll find it useful whether you are interested in dream interpretation, Tarot, Astrology and the I Ching or simply want a better understanding of art and culture. The book itself is attractive and of good quality. The pictures are evocative although primitive in style. The text is excellent.

Here is what author David Fontana has to say about Pisces: "Water is deep, mysterious, capable of stillness and calm: in modern psychology it symbolizes the power of the unconscious. Just as Aries is fire in its primitive form, so Pisces is water in its most fluid form. The Piscean character is emotional, sensitive, vague and unworldly, given to the mysterious world of dreaming and attracted to the unknown. At the same time, like water, the Piscean character is highly adaptable, able to accommodate itself to demanding situations. Water also suggests the flow toward other people and this too is an aspect of Pisces - a gentle, compassionate nature which can show itself as vulnerability."

"Pisces is a time of year when the rains of late Winter and early Spring prepare the earth for a burst of activity in Spring (Aries)."

"At its simplest level, the sigil represents the fishes. In a more esoteric interpretation, one arc represents the finite consciousness of mankind, the other the consciousness of the universe. The line bisecting the arcs is the earth, the point at which the spiritual and material spheres of life meet." -- Inga Duncan Thornell

This month, in honor of Pisces, I had planned to start with Water but I think we need an introduction first. So I'll start next month with Fire for Aries, then Earth for Taurus, Air for Gemini and we'll finally get back to Water for the Cancer issue.

The elements are part of the ancient legacy of Magic and Astrology. Elements, in theory, are the metaphoric building blocks of all matter. The four elements as they are used in Astrology are Fire, Earth, Air and Water. We speak of someone being all fired up, earthy, an airhead or wishy-washy without even being aware that we are referring to astrological symbols. This symbolic language is still able to communicate meaning across cultural boundaries.

The Chinese, Indians and Egyptians each had systems of elements that are similar while expressing their own cultures and language. The Chinese include metal as one of the elements. Some New Age teachings list a fifth element: Akasha or Ether. However Akasha is understood in the Indian and Tibetan religions to be the universal Spirit or energy from which the elements originate. It should not be considered one of the elements. The system of elements that became the occidental standard had its heyday in ancient Greece. It enjoyed resurgence in Renaissance Europe when Marsilio Ficino translated the "Corpus Hermeticum" for Pope Cosimo de Medici. Whole systems of medicine, alchemy and mechanics were built around these fundamental teachings

The doctrine of the four elements is still an important part of our cultural imagery today. In a scene from the recent film "The Tuskegee Airmen" the flight instructor asks two cadets to name an element. One of the cadets names Air and another names Fire. Interestingly, no one answered iron or argon or anything else on the periodic table of elements. The Airmen's motto becomes "We live in air, we die by fire." I see this as a significant demonstration of how deeply and unconsciously we carry this philosophy. Even though most of us haven't set out to learn it, this symbolic language resonates within us.

What are Elementals? Each element correlates to a particular type of elemental. These are entities that embody the energy of that element. Every culture has had traditional names for these energy-beings and here is a list you will probably be familiar with; Sparks and salamanders are of Fire, gnomes and elves are of Earth, fairies and sylphs are of Air and mermaids and naiads are of Water.

Our ancestors thought of material objects as sentient. I believe that this was because they comprehended the consciousness of the elemental(s) who comprised that object. Hold a material object and try to focus on its personality. Try to visualize what it would look like if it was a physical entity. Tell it what you intend to do with it and ask for its participation. Try to become more aware of the elementals surrounding you as a way of getting more in touch with Earth's consciousness. -- Inga Duncan Thornell

We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, can participate by letting us know what topics you would like us to cover. We would love to see reader ideas reflected throughout the newsletter. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in whether it be Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc. as long as it reflects Love. Send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, tell us your experiences with stones or ritual and ask us questions. We love answering questions!

Donald writes: Last night, after praying to God, Goddess and Nyssa, I then prayed to the elementals. Right before I was finished with my prayer to them, a small elf-like man appeared before me. He was wearing dark blue and green. I asked him questions about the next day. I first asked, "Will school be canceled tomorrow?" He told me that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snow. I then asked him, "Well, then will Brad and I get to go to gymnastics?" He told me yes. I asked for his name and he told me that it really wouldn't "translate". I said okay and that I hoped to hear from him again soon. He said that I would. The next day, I woke up for school to find out that it was put on a two-hour delay. I was disappointed and figured that I had just been talking to myself instead of with an astral entity. As I finished breakfast, the phone rang. It was one of Coty's friends. He said that school had been canceled! Of course, I wanted to be sure, so I turned on the TV. "...and the following schools will be closed for today: Bland, Wythe, Russel, Tazewell..." YIPPEE!!! TAZEWELL COUNTY SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED FOR THE DAY! My little astral buddy HAD actually talked to me! A few minutes later, I got a call. It was from Melanie, Brad's girlfriend and my aunt. She said that Brad told her to tell me that he couldn't go to gymnastics today. I was disappointed and once again began doubting the reality of my astral visitor. At around 2:00 PM, I received another call. Brad COULD go to gymnastics after all! So, was this elfin friend real or just some coincidence? Hmmm....hee hee!

We've always wondered what would happen if we got the friends we've made through Inga's Earth Magic (IEM) into a room together. Why? Because every one of us has a unique gift to offer to the world. And if we get enough of us in one place at the same time, something magical is bound to occur.

• When: The 1st Friday of every month. We start eating at 6 PM so please join us but feel free to drop in later, too!
• Where: Our place (click on LIBRARY in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and then MAP ROOM for directions)
• What to bring: Just your enthusiasm and love! There's a big pot of pasta on the stove and plenty of microbrews and red wine. If you have specific preferences, please bring whatever you'd like.
• How long: Until the witching hour, midnight, at which time Scott turns into a pumpkin. It's quite a sight! If you'd like, you can spend the night on one of the couches with the kitties and we'll rustle up some espresso in the morning.
• RSVP: Just let us know in advance via e-mail or phone if you are coming and if you are bringing guests so we don't run out of food or beer!

So here we are in Pisces and I find myself contemplating the issue of faith. This "faith" thing is a real challenge for me. I need it, I want it and it's a wonder to behold when I feel it but I really struggle to get a handle on it. Why is that?

With so much fire in my natal chart, my first reaction to every problem in life is to take action, to throw enough energy at the situation to cause or even force the desired outcome. But that's too easy and not what I'm here to learn. Rats! So, of course, problems keep popping up that can't be solved that way and I feel helpless, out of control and worried because I have to be patient, ask others for help and learn to harness all my fire energy in a different way. When I try to control an infinite number of external factors plus my own personal doubts, I feel I am dancing with insanity. So what's an anal retentive, Virgo control freak to do? That blind faith nonsense is for the tourists! I want to get my mind around this huge concept of synchronicity where events unfold according to an unseen harmonious pattern while somehow accommodating the seemingly infinitive iterations of free will.

Why? Well, with a Virgo sun, I'm a natural systems analyst so I want to discover the underlying mechanics. How else am I going to heal the wounds of the world and win the lottery? I deeply crave consistency, reason and harmony in a chaotic world. And even though I have experienced one perfect resolution after another over the years, I am still not convinced that I can relax and trust that things will turn out just fine because I'm externalizing my faith. As Yoda told Luke, Kai Opaka told Commander Cisco and White Elk tells me, look for answers within! And what do each of us do in response to such advice? We groan and yearn for another book, seminar or expert!

The bottom line to all of this is that I guess I skipped Trust and Faith 101 as a child because I find myself in a remedial class at age 41. The challenge now is to heal my fear, guilt and low self esteem and exercise my personal power by practicing alignment with Father-Mother-God and those around me. And day by day, I take little steps, gain confidence in myself and my faith and my trust in the system of synchronicity grows and becomes stronger. So I emerge out of "I'm not worthy or capable and why am I here?" mode into "I volunteered for this and I'm fully equipped, loved and supported to tackle it!" mode. I practice how to convert worry energy into healing energy by using ritual to declare my intent, align myself with Universal Mind and channel loving energy into the problem. As a result, I experience first hand the difference between human will and Divine alignment and see how the teamwork of alignment causes an outcome that far exceeds what I had imagined was possible. So instead of trying to control a situation, I direct loving energy into the chaos and out of it comes creativity, inventiveness and healing.

• Moon Phases - Paying attention to the Moon phases will get you in touch with nature's cycles and you'll begin to understand your own inner cycle as well. Moon phases can indicate the best time to start a project, cut your hair and plant your garden.

• The Moon through the Signs - The Moon passes through all the signs of the Zodiac every month. Which sign she is in on a given day can show how we will attempt to meet our needs on that day. Beginning a new project or ritual on a day when the Moon is in the sign corresponding to that project will greatly enhance your chances of success.

Since the Moon rules our emotional response, this is your best line of defense in any situation where you need to interact with others. When everyone around you is feisty and argumentative, the Moon is in Aries. When everyone is witty and sociable and calls back to change their appointment three times, the Moon is in Libra. When everyone feels rebellious and outrageous, yep... the Moon is in Aquarius.