The constellation Taurus was one of the earliest to be named. It includes the star cluster known to us as the Pleiades in Greek, the seven sisters or seven daughters of Atlas, whose rising has been used all over the world to mark the dates of Spring festivals. The Pleiades are named Subaru in Japanese and are known as the seven seeds signifying the time to plant seeds. Yes, the auto company's logo is a stylized glyph of the constellation.

Taurus, like Spring itself, represents productivity and growth. The symbol of Taurus is the bull or cow, an animal long sacred to the Goddess. Cattle have had religious significance all over the ancient world dating back at least to the last Ice Age. They have commonly been used as a sacrifice by many cultures. The horns of cattle are symbolic of the moon in Eastern art. The cow's milk exemplifies motherhood and nurture. The Milky Way of the heavens was mythically derived from the milk of the Egyptian cow goddess or from the milk of the Greek goddess Hera as she suckled Heracles in the heavens.

Click here to see the Pleiades at www.ras.ucalgary.ca/~gibson/pleiades

April 20th to 26th is Passover (Submitted by Melissa, IEM's staff consultant on Jewish affairs)

Passover is a holiday that takes place in spring, beginning on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan (usually April). It celebrates the Jewish people's freedom from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. When the pharaoh of Egypt refused to let the Jews go, God sent nine plagues, each worse than the last, to force him to change his mind. When Pharaoh still would not free the Jews, God sent a tenth plague, the Angel of Death, who killed the firstborn son in every Egyptian home. The angel "passed over" the Jewish homes. That is why we call this holiday Passover.

At last Pharaoh let the Jews go and led by Moses and his brother Aaron, they fled Egypt. But Pharaoh changed his mind and sent an army that pursued the Jews to the Red Sea. God worked another miracle to save the Jews; He parted the sea, allowing only the Jews to cross safely. The waters then closed in on Pharaoh's army, and they perished. After wandering for 40 years in the desert, the Jewish people finally returned to their ancient homeland of Israel.

Some people celebrate Passover for seven days, and others for eight. During this time, it is traditional to remove and not eat bread and other forbidden foods, and to eat unleavened bread called matzah. On the first night of the holiday, there is a special Seder mean where families and friends gather. Many homes have another Seder on the second night, too. Jews read from the Haggadah, a book that tells the story of Passover and also explains what to do during the Seder.

As the Seder starts, everyone says a special prayer of hope. They pray that by next year, all people will be able to celebrate freedom. After this prayer, a young child asks the Four Questions, which begin, "Why is this night different from other nights?" The answer is the telling of the Passover story. Usually the youngest child in the family recites the Four Questions.

During the Seder, certain foods are always eaten. These include haroset, a mixture of wine, apples, honey, and nuts that recalls the mortar Jews used in laying bricks for the Egyptians. Bitter herbs (maror) bring to mind the bitterness of slavery, and a non-bitter green vegetable, usually parsley (karpas), stands for spring and rebirth. The flat, crunchy matzah helps people remember the night the Jewish people fled Egypt without time to bake their bread. After dinner, the door is opened for the prophet Elijah. According to tradition, he will one day return to announce the coming of the Messiah. The children search for the afikoman, a piece of matzah that was hidden at the beginning of the Seder (which means order). Special Passover songs are sung, and families and friends draw close together to celebrate not only the freedom of the Jewish people but also the warmth and joy that freedom brings. (Thanks Melissa!)

April 21st is Good Friday

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Golgotha. This event is reported in detail in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23 and John 19.

The crucifixion demonstrates Jesus' renunciation of "the easy way". He refuses to defend himself, use his political connections or allow others to intervene to avoid the death that was prophesied in Psalm 22.

Click here to read about The Good Friday Accord, 2 April 1999 address at St Patrick's cathedral, Dublin on "HUMAN RIGHTS AS SOCIETY'S GEL" by the Human Rights Commission for Northern Ireland and Scotland at //www.nihrc.org/

April 22nd is Earth Day

"The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda. In a speech in Seattle in September 1969, I announced a national environmental teach-in which became Earth Day 1970." -- Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earthday.

Click here to learn more at the Earth Day 2000 online website at earthday.envirolink.org/

Click here to learn more at the Earthday Network website at www.earthday.org/

Click here to learn about participating in Earth Day events at earthday.envirolink.org/earthday-events_world.html

April 23rd is Easter

Easter is the Christianized version of Oestara or Ostara. It celebrates the resurrection of the Christ after three days in the tomb. See Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20. This coincides with the Sun gods of many cultures who spend three days in the underworld before coming forth with a treasure or a new teaching.

Christians dropped the fertility rituals of Ostara but retained the traditional rabbit and eggs. The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.

April 28 is Arbor Day

Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April.

I remember bringing home little tree seedlings from school each Arbor Day and planting them in the yard. I always wanted them to be where I could see them through a window.

Now, whenever I walk in a residential neighborhood and see trees planted totally incorrectly (like the giant cedar tree that engulfs the whole front of a house) I wonder if it started out as a child's cute little Arbor Day tree. Trees planted correctly can save energy, increase property values, provide habitat for birds and squirrels and provide a sacred space in your yard.

Click here to visit The National Arbor Day Website at www.arborday.org/

April 28th is Orthodox Holy Friday and April 30th is Orthodox Easter

The Orthodox Church uses the Julian Calendar rather Gregorian Calendar. The Julian is a Roman Calendar supposedly commissioned by Julius Caesar himself. Pope Gregory XIII later corrected it in the sixteenth century in order to mitigate the ever-increasing discrepancy between calendar time and calculated astronomical time. This became our Gregorian Calendar.

Despite the efforts of the emissaries of Pope Gregory XIII to convince the Orthodox to accept the New (Gregorian) Calendar, the Orthodox Church rejected it and continues to use the Julian Calendar for their liturgical feast days.

Click here to learn more about the Orthodox Church in America at www.oca.org/

Click here to learn more about the Greek Orthodox Church in America at www.goarch.org/

May 1st is Beltane or May Day

May is named in honor of the goddess Maia, originally a Greek mountain nymph, later identified as the most beautiful of Atlas' daughters, the Seven Sisters or the Pleiades. Beltane is midway between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice and celebrates the beginning of Summer. This is the time of the traditional Maypole dance, Morris Dances and Mummer's fairs. The celebration of Beltane is a mythic ritual of fertility, symbolizing the community's hopes for a bountiful growing season.

Click here to visit the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh at www.beltane.org/

May 1st is known throughout the rest of the world as International Workers Day (Labor Day). This day is a public holiday in 66 countries but not in the United States, despite the fact that it originated here. It commemorates the Chicago labor union's general strike on May 1886 that won the eight-hour workday in the U.S. There were 400,000 marching strikers in Chicago alone. The story of the strike, riots and the aftermath contains drama, conspiracy, political intrigue and ends with a fixed jury and three hangings. It is a great story and a reminder that Taurus corresponds to the worker's need for security in salary, hours and benefits. Wearing a red carnation is the traditional symbol of solidarity on May Day.

Click here to read the history of Chicago's Haymarket riot at www.chicagomayday.org/

Click here to visit the Olympia Resistance page at www.mayday2k.org/oly/

May 3rd is a New Moon

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.

May 5th, the first Friday of the month, is The Monthly IEM Get Together. Please note that our Taurus, May 5th party is cancelled. Inga's grandma is moving in with us and things will be a little up in the air until her apartment downstairs is completed. We'll see you at our Gemini party on June 2nd! Click here for more information.

May 5th is also Cinco de Mayo

This event commemorates the defeat of the French army by the Mexicans at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. Mexico was indebted to the Spanish, British and French after her war with the US. France decided this was a perfect time to expand its presence in the New World and invaded.

The French army encountered resistance at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin led a small, poorly armed militia of about 4,500 to stop and defeat a well-outfitted French army of 6,500 soldiers. The short-lived victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriots.

Click here to send a Cinco de Mayo greeting at www.bluemountain.com/eng/seasonal/CMcincodanc.html

May 5th is also the culmination of a Planetary Alignment. The five classical planets plus the sun and moon will span 26 degrees, their closest alignment since 1962 and their closest until 2675. Only Venus in the morning and Mars and the crescent moon in the evening might be visible.

Please click here for more pictures and detailed information including an explanation about why there will not be any catastrophic events related to this cosmic event at www.griffithobs.org/SkyAlignments.html

May 7th is Scott and Inga's 18th Wedding Anniversary

May 14th is Mother's Day

The earliest tradition of Mother's Day comes from the ancient Greeks in honor of Rhea, mother of the Gods. In England "Mothering Sunday" was the fourth Sunday of Lent. It was a holiday in which all servants were allowed the day off to go home to visit their mothers. Sunday wasn't generally a day off for domestic servants and most of them lived where they worked rather than in their own homes.

Aventurine, like amethyst and citrine, is a variety of quartz. It is pale green in color and corresponds to Taurus and Venus. The Celtic version of the May Goddess is Blodeuwedd. Her followers wore green to symbolize blossoming and new growth as they encouraged Springtime through the fertility rites of Mayday.

Aventurine is a perfect amulet to program for starting a new cycle of your life or for supporting new growth. Wear aventurine to begin a new garden, job or project. Wear it to start a new health or fitness program.

This is another well-worn favorite of mine. It is subtitled "Astrology and the Female Experience" but I think it transcends that implied limitation. The writing is universal in tone although the writers defer to the feminine pronouns. Authors Lindsay River and Sally Gillespie discuss Astrology as "not only a science for the study of planetary movements but also an art of interpretation and a philosophy, a system of understanding both the cosmos and the individual self."

The book contains separate chapters on astrological theory, history, and the planets, signs and houses and ends with aspects and synthesis. References are included at the end of each chapter and there is a great bibliography at the end of the book that could keep you busy reading for a couple of years. Also included (one of my favorite things to see in a reference book) is an index.

One of the things I like personally about this book is that the writers have really explored the historical nature of the astrological language to give you more than the cookbook descriptions that others provide. In Virgo, they discuss the mythology of Demeter, Hygeia and the Virgin Mary. In Scorpio, they review the mythology of Pluto and Inanna. The use of myth and poetic imagery really helps one to understand the energy inherent in the astrological symbols rather than following what many authors do in trying to distill a personality typology from a sign.

The authors describe the Taurean personality as, "Touched by the warm sensuality of the flower Goddess, and those born in this astrological month have some of her easy grace and luxurious delight in the physical."

"Luxurious Taurus can be lazy, but there is another side of her personality: committed, persevering and determined. Others who are less practical often dismiss her as materialistic, but fail to understand that decisions about money are a way for her to make important choices about what she does value and provide her with a path to self-knowledge." -- Inga Duncan Thornell

The Element: Earth

(Click here for the introduction to the Elements that appeared in our Pisces 2000 issue.)

Earth is a Yin or Feminine element. It denotes reliability, stability, solidity, stoicism, sensuality, and practicality. The Earth Signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. The relative emphasis of Earth in our natal charts determines our practicality, managerial ability and organizational ability.

The best way to increase the power of the Earth element in your life is to regularly practice "grounding." Grounding is an electrical term for giving electrical current a path into the earth or ground. The process does the same thing for a human, thereby merging our energy with the energy of the Earth.

This is a basic grounding visualization. Try it outdoors first to practice connecting to Earth. Then you can do it anywhere! Try it 4 times a day at first to fully feel the connection.

• Stand with your feet solidly beneath you shoulder width apart.
• Balance yourself by swaying front to back and side to side until you find your "center".
• Bend your knees a few times to limber up your legs and get your energy circulating.
• Inhale deeply and exhale fully, then repeat.
• As you continue to breathe deeply, picture yourself as a tree. Your arms and hair are branches. Your torso and legs are trunk. Picture roots extending from your feet into Earth.
• Each time you inhale, feel energy coursing up into your body through your roots and into your legs, torso and finally into your arms.
• Each time you exhale, feel your roots extending deeper into Earth seeking new energy.
• When you feel "full", thank Earth and let your roots retract until they disappear back into your feet. You are now "grounded" in your body.

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!

Excerpt from Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural speech (Submitted by E.G.)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fears that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us it is in everyone.

As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear our presence automatically liberates others.

Gnome Liberation Front Strikes Show (Submitted by Stewart Stremel)

PARIS (Reuters) - The dormant Garden Gnome Liberation Front has sprung back to life, stealing around 20 gnomes during a night-time raid on a Paris exhibition. "We demand...that garden gnomes are no longer ridiculed and that they be released into their natural habitat," the Front's Paris wing said in a statement following its weekend strike. France's first garden gnome exhibition in the exclusive Bagatelle park on the outskirts of the capital opened last month and has been a hit with the public as chic Parisians develop a taste for kitsch culture. The Garden Gnome Liberation Front vanished from the public eye in 1997 after a northern French court handed its ringleader a suspended prison sentence and fined him for his part in the disappearance of around 150 gnomes.

The only suspected sighting of the organization since then was a mass suicide of gnomes at Briey in eastern France in September 1998, when 11 of them were found dangling by their necks under a bridge. A letter found nearby said: "When you read these few words we will no longer be part of your selfish world, where we serve merely as pretty decoration."

Now, the sight of 2,000 of the gaudy, colorful creatures dotted around the Bagatelle gardens has clearly proved too big a temptation for the group to avoid. It warned that it would strike again unless the show was closed and all the gnomes released. Organizers told the daily Le Parisien that they had no intention of bowing to the Front's demands.

A book review of Scott Cunningham's "Earth, Air, Fire, & Water" (by Donald O'Neill)

When I first sat down to read Scott Cunningham's book, entitled "Earth, Air, Fire, & Water", I knew instantly that this would be another great book by this wonderful author! His wisdom of the craft, depth, and knowledge are all present in this book as well as in all his others!

He opens the book with a section called "This is magic", which beautifully shows just how magick our lives really are, and/or can be. It is a great introduction to the book. He then goes on to talk about "Magical techniques" in "Tools of Magic", and then "The Elements". The chapter on The Elements is very informative! He introduces each element with relations, then gives associated colors, symbols, seasons, etc.. Earth, our Mother; Air, one of our most important things needed to live; Fire, our warmth; Water, the cleanser, another important thing in our lives; and finally, the Fifth Element, Akasha, or Spirit.

Next, the book moves on to the actual rituals. The rituals in this book are very creative and easy to understand. They are very specific and colorfully magickal! Each is certainly useful and some are kind of, well...different! He includes some rituals for snow magic, ice magic, sea magic and wishing well magic. He ends the book with magickal symbols which can be VERY useful at times.

All in all, this was just another great book by Cunningham. I learned from it and I enjoyed it. And although it's a nice book, of about 215 pages, I had questions about some of the things he mentions. Also, for someone experienced in magick, this book may have a lot of boring repetition. Nice cover art and great content gives this book, in my opinion, eight out of ten pentagrams.

Click here to learn more about purchasing this book from Amazon.com

A Wish For You (submitted by Charanjit Singh)

Strength in dealing with times of weakness
Ability to cherish your own uniqueness
Consolation when going through times of pain
Realization to know that its never in vain

Balance among your work, rest and pleasure
To know in your heart that you are a treasure
Comfort when going through struggle and strife
Good health to come for the rest of your life

Sunshine and blue skies to warm up your soul
Rain so you'll blossom and continue to grow
Rainbows so that you'll appreciate the rain
Wisdom to know that its for your own gain

Courage to go after your dreams and ambitions
Flexibility to endure through life's transitions
Hope when you feel helpless and want to rebel
Faith when you think that you're going to fail

Good luck when life seems to be so unfair
The knowing that someone really does care
Desire to pursue your full capabilities
Arousal to share your creative abilities

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 or bring your sleeping bag and mat and camp out on the floor of Inga's office.
• 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!

The big advantage to living with a world class astrologer is that I can get readings as often as I need. Inga and I have worked with my natal chart many times over the years and of course, I study my solar return chart with her each year on my birthday so I know what growth issues I face in the year ahead. Even with as many readings as I have had, I'm still awed by how the natal chart truly is a blueprint for my lifetime. It precisely shows what resources I have to work with and what challenges I face in order to build my "house".

I remember the conflict I felt when I first encountered my natal chart. My logical brain struggled mightily to reconcile it with my cultural and religious beliefs while my emotional mind resonated with recognition and the "ring of Truth". When enough accurate, anecdotal evidence was presented to me about my life and personality, I had to concede that something profound was before me regardless of my inability to explain it. With as critical and analytical as I am, this was no small feat!

So I took ownership of my life's blueprint. I realized that I had been unconsciously following it my whole life and that my house was partially built; the earthwork, foundation and the framing phases were already complete. I then shifted into a conscious construction mode and in perfect Virgo fashion, I crafted an elaborate project plan with detailed tasks and milestones. I followed this for about a year, or one solar return cycle, and I realized that all that extra energy and focus didn't get the house built any faster or better. I also realized that I was trying to rapidly complete construction, move in and retire! Fortunately, it doesn't work that way. I've come to learn that it's more akin to growing a tree. It just so happens to take a lifetime, a lot of patience and Love!

After the "blueprint ownership" milestone, came the "volunteer vs. victim" milestone. It took a lot of introspection plus coaching from White Elk, my spiritual teacher, to believe and accept in my heart and mind that I indeed volunteered to build this lifetime vs. being a victim of circumstance, born into existence without prior planning on my part. With this acceptance, I was filled with resolution, dedication and responsibility. I will not quit or give up on personal and planetary transformation. I will never stop. Tough obstacles will be encountered along the way but I will simply back up, strategize and tackle it again until the blockage is healed and cleared. I will question and analyze everything and build enlightened, holistic systems for growth. I will be an anchor for those around me, a source of strength, commitment and courage. I have felt this calling in my heart since childhood but fear kept me from living it. As Nelson Mandela said in his speech, I was afraid to accept my power. I volunteered for this assignment and as I study my life's blueprint, I see that I have been perfectly equipped with the resources I need to accomplish it.

Of course, I still reserve the right to question why I volunteered for such a challenging assignment! What was I thinking? "Send me in coach!?!?" I mean what was wrong with the wealthy scuba instructor in the Bahamas scenario? Though as I empathetically experience other people's blueprints, I've come to believe that we all volunteer to "go for it" to full extent of our abilities for the benefit of mankind, Earth and Father-Mother-God. And in this lifetime, whenever I stop "playing it small" and start living as that child of God and Light, the "scenario" I volunteered for is filled with as much joy, wonder and adventure as I could possibly imagine! -- Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)

• Natural Houses (Updated)

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