Significant dates from ancient folklore; timings given are UK time (GMT)
Listings in black are Harmony Healing Events, Forest Bathing events in green.
Timings given are UK time (GMT), click here to convert to your time zone
During March, we can look forward to extended daylight and the awakening of nature, especially in the forest. As well as new green buds and sprouts on the trees, we start to see new growth at ground level, with a plethora of camelias, hellabores,daffodils, narcissi, hyacinths and daphne; some with a lovely subtle fragrance. And even where trees have fallen this last week, following three successive violent storms here in the UK, it will be amazing to observe the speed with which new saplings will appear to fill the spaces.
The month of March was named after the Roman God of War, Mars.The Roman Calendar originally strated in March. To the Anglo-Saxons, March was called 'Hrēðmonath', named after a pagan fertility Goddess called 'Hreða' (also known as Rheda).
March begins with the Welsh celebration of St David's Day as well as the Roman Festival of Matronalia. This year it's also Shrove Tuesday. March was a busy month in the Roman calendar, indeed, there’s even a festival for Roman Matrons (older married women) to celebrate by turning the household hierarchy of their day on its head. March is also a month for celebrating women in the modern calendar, with International Women’s Day (8th), Mothering Sunday (27th) and the celebration of numerous goddesses, Egyptian (5th & 20th) and Roman (1st, 15th, 17th & 19th). The Irish celebrate on 17th with St Patrick's Day.
We have North Surrey & London Forest Bathing events scheduled this month on the 16th(Cannon Hill Common, London SW20), 20th (Harry Edwards, Shere, Surrey), 21st(International Day of Forests Tree Connection Workshop, Shere, Surrey)and 31st March (Horsell Common, Woking, Surrey).
For a deep dive into the ‘whys and wherefores’ of the listed festivals and spiritually significant days, I publish a blog post on the day in question. Or to receive the information to your mail inbox, sign-up for Blog update alerts.
The Reyad Sekh Em (RSE) Egyptian Alchemy Healing online evening study Introduction programme continues this month with Mindful Chakras starting 10th March and Essene Angelology starting the 16th March. The earlier two modules can still be joined with recordings available for missed sessions.
To assist with therapeutic and abundant alignment with the moon cycle, we have our Full Moon Guided Meditation on Friday 18th March and our next Lunar Cycle Alignment Programme commences with the New Moon on Friday 1st April and runs until Saturday 30th April, more on this next month.
Tuesday 1st March is St David’s Day. St. David, Dewi Sant, is the patron saint of the Welsh, and 1st March, his feast day, is celebrated as a patriotic and cultural festival in Wales.
Saint David, Grandson of the King of Ceredigion, was said to have been born on a clifftop during a fierce storm. He died on this day during the year 500. He grew up to be a celebrated Bishop and founder of monastic settlements and churches. Glastonbury Abbey may have been founded by St David.
So why is David associated with a dragon? There is a myth that when David was asked by villagers to slay a dragon, he instead went to visit the dragon and listen to its sad tale.
Tuesday 1st March is also Matronalia, according to Roman tradition, which was the topsy-turvy feast sacred to Juno, the birth Goddess.
It was also a celebration of marriage, and the peace that these unions could usher in between Romans and Sabini, tribes from the mountain region near the Tibor.
The Roman mistress of the house waited on her servants for the day and presents were given to other people’s partners!
The wives of the house also gave a feast for their female slaves.
Tuesday 1st March is Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, or within the UK as Pancake Day. Being the final day before Lent, this was traditionally a day for confessing sins and using up all the foods banned during the Lent fast. With pancakes containing butter and milk, they became associated with the date.
The verb 'shrive' means to gain absolution for one's sins through confession and/or penance. Hence Shrove Tuesday is derived from the tradition that Christians were 'shriven' before Lent.
The date of Lent - which takes place in either February or March but always seven weeks before Easter - varies from year to year according to the lunar calendar which determines when Easter falls.
Interestingly, as with many Christian Festivals, there is a theory that Pancake Day might actually have originated as a Pagan holiday; when eating warm, circular yellow pancakes - resembling the sun - celebrated the arrival of spring. Image by Harmony Healing.
Wednesday 2nd March @ 17:38 is New Moon.
The New Moon Abundance Ritual should be carried out within 24 hours after the New Moon. It needs to be after the New Moon because the moon should be waxing (getting bigger again) to carry the manifestation energy. Image by Harmony Healing.
There are video instructions on my Facebook Page or You Tube Page.
It is a good day for creating a personal or corporate Vision Board for 2022. Harmony Healing proviides a Vision Board template and periodically we offer a lunar cycle mentoring programme.
Wednesday 2nd March, is also Ash Wednesday this year, which is generally said to have been named after the tradition of burning away old issues in preparation for Lent.
The date of Lent - which takes place in either February or March but always seven weeks before Easter - varies from year to year according to the lunar calendar which determines when Easter falls.
However, Ash Wednesday could have obtained its name from an apparent tradition of placing a stick of Ash down one's sock for good luck! Ouch, I can't see that being popular, but then maybe the choice of stick, regarding size and shape, is paramount!
Wednesdays 2nd & 9th March= Harmony Healing Virtual Workshop: Violet Flame of Amenti (Level 1), 7.15pm - 9.30pm (UK time/GMT = UK & America friendly hours), £88. three x 2.25 hour evening course, held remotely on Zoom. Recordings are kept of the missed sessions, so it is possible to catch up.
This course features instructions on the ancient alchemical properties of the Violet Flame and how to use it in your daily life. See Violet Flame of Amenti page for further details and to book.
Worth 1 unit towards the RSE Level 1, available at a special package rate of £266, which includes a personal angelic attunement, worth £33, created around your date of birth.
Thursday 3rd March is Fritter Thursday. According to The Free Dictionary, Fritter Thursday took its name from the custom of eating apple fritters, which were fruit-filled cakes deep-fried in fat, on this day.
I was surprised that this would be an acceptable dish once Lent had commenced (as 'fritter' suggests batter which would contains egg and milk) and on further research I discovered that in Lancashire (source: lep.co.uk) traditionally ‘Shrovetide’ meant the three days before Lent and comprosed of ‘Collop Monday’, ‘Pancake Tuesday’ and ‘Fritters Wednesday’ (rather than Thursday) with the fritters being sliced apples fried in batter. Image by Harmony Healing.
Thursday 3rd March = Final week of Harmony Healing Virtual Workshop: Introduction to Khemitology, 7.15m - 9.30pm (UK time/GMT = UK & America friendly hours), £88. 3 x 2 hour evening course.
This course outlines an alternative version of Egyptology, as taught by the tribal elders and local wisom-keepers. Worth 1 unit towards the RSE Level 1. Held remotely on Zoom. recordings are kept of the missed sessions, so it is possible to catch up.
Friday 4th March is Kissing Friday. According to historic.co.uk, this bizarre custom was especially popular in the Victorian and Edwardian period and only died out in the mid-20th century.
Although unthinkable these days, a schoolboy could kiss a girl on this day without fear of repercussions.
Of course, first of all the girl had to be caught and in some instances this involved tying ropes across the street and passing girls would have to pay a kiss for safe passage across the rope.
Others would simply chase the girls until they caught them. Indeed, Kissing Fridaywas also the one day every year when girls could leave school early, to avoid being chased home by the boys.
In the Leicershire village of Sileby, this day was called Nippy Hug Day. Here, if the girl actively resisted a kiss, the boy could 'louse' (pinch) her bottom, a disturbing reference to the action of pinching off lice. Image by Antonia Skelton.
Saturday 5th March is Ploiaphesia, Egyptian Festival of Navigation. This was when one of the most important festivals of the Egyptian Goddess Isis was celebrated, the Ploiaphesia or Navigium Isidis (Ship of Isis).
The festival marked the opening of the safe sailing season after the stormy weather of winter had passed. A statue of Isis was carried in procession from her temple down to the harbour, where a specially-built ship was moored. The ship would then be loaded with offerings and dedicated to the Goddess, before being launched and carried out to sea by the wind.
The festival is described by Apuleius in his Metamorphoses (also known as the Golden Ass). To participate you can enjoy the energy of water and celebrate with processions, lights, mirrors, music and flowers. We have informative Egyptian Deity Posters available for sale from the Harmony Shop.
Tuesday 8th March is International Women’s Day; a day designated to celebrate the empowerment of women worldwide.
This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias
Imagine a gender equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together we can forge women's equality.
Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
See the International Women’s Day website for more. Or for other inspiring ideas,seewomenforwomen.org.
Thursdays 10th, 17th & 24th March, is the start of the Mindful Alignment of your 11-chakras & Axiatonal Awakenment Interactive online evening course (7.15-9.30pm GMT).
Re-balance your chakras and reconnect with the Earth & Sky.
Learn to work with etheric crystals and the energy of the chakra system. Many of my students report powerful and transformational experience during this course of meditations and alignment techniques. Cost is £66 including an balancing attunement and 6¾-hours of mentoring. Held remotely on Zoom.
Worth ½ unit towards RSE Level 1,see Harmony Healing Website for details of this specific module.
Tuesday 15th March was the Ides of March in Roman tradition and a Festival to Jupiter.
Shakespeare had a soothsayer warn Julius Caesar 'Beware the Ides of March'.
Indeed he was reputedly assassinated on 15th March 44 BC.
In Ancient Rome, 15th March was also the celebration ofAnna Perenna.
Offerings were made to the Spirit of the Year, so that the circle could be completed.
Wednesday 16th March, 11am -1.30pm, Forest Bathing+ with Joanna & Katie at our new London location (woohoo) in Cannon Hill Park, £35 (+ Paypal fee = £36.75).
Immerse yourself in the healing elements of nature and connect deeply with all your senses. We will take you on a 2½ hour journey through the beautiful landscaped park, nestled in this little known oasis of calm within Greater London. Through a selection of simple sensory activities, you will learn how to enhance your perceptions and slow down to focus on what could easily be missed. We end with a treelaxtion; a deeply relaxing and rejuvenating experience, and which, despite the title forest bathing, does not involve any swimming!
Some of the scientifically proven benefits of spending time in woodland include reduced stress levels, stronger immune system response, and a stabilised cortisol cycle.
This session which will take place in all weathers except 25+mph winds or electrical storms. Book via our the Harmony Healing shop or our London Meetup. Email to go on our forest bathing mailing list.
Wednesdays 16th & 30th March (skipping 23rd March): Introduction to Essene Angelology, Harmony Healing Interactive online evening course, 7.15-9.30pm UK time (GMT), offering UK & USA friendly hours.
Learn how to commune with the Weekday and Planetary Guardian Angels and invite them into yur life on a daily basis. Even if you are already familiar with the angelic realm, dsicover how to strengthen your connection with channellings, affirmations, colours, crystals and planetary symbols.
Connect with Melchisadec and Pistis Sophia,the Essene Guardians of our Planet Earth and the Constellations.
Cost is £66 including a personal attiunment into three of your Essene Guardian Angels plus 5½ hours of mentoring. This is a stand alone unit but complements the Chakra Balancing Course (starting on the 10th March) and comprises ½ unit towards RSE Level 1. Held remotely on Zoom. See Harmony Healing Website for details of this specific module.
Thursday 17th March is St Patrick’s Day in Ireland. St Patrick is credited with converting the Irish back to Christianity which had been abandoned under Roman rule.
Saint Patrick is said to have used the Shamrock (three leaved clover) as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity.
The name shamrock comes from the Irish word seamróg, which is derived from the Irish word for clover (seamair) and means simply "little clover" or "young clover".
Thursday 17th March was the Roman Festival of Liberalia, this was the feast to celebrate the male coming of age!
In view of the date coinciding with St Patrick's Day, having abandoned Christianity under Roman rule, I wonder if there is a connection that when Eire re-converted to Christianity they chose the Roman Festival for males coming of age as their date of celebration...
rebirthing and the Spring Equinox. I can't help wondering if it was a development from the Egyptian Pelusia Festival, see 20th March entry.
Friday 18th March@ 07:20 (Equinox Worm Moon), we are holding our Full Moon Meditation tonight, see entry below.
Between Full Moon and the next New Moon is considered as a good time energetically for detoxing the body.
For details of Full Moon timings for the year, as well as instructions for an Angela McGerr Angelic Meditation with Gabriel, see Harmony Healing Full Moon link.
Friday 18th March, 7.30-9.30pm UK time (GMT) is our Full Moon Unity Consciousness Meditation.
During this session, we connect with other like-minded people and together we work through a mindful chakra balancing process using colours and etheric crystals, with the aim that all participants will experience a degree of unity consciousness. Participants all receive a deeply healing experience. Cost to participate is £20 by online BACS payment (£1 admin fee added for PayPal, concessions to RSE/VFoA graduates), book at the Harmony Shop.
This activity serves as a good taster of Joanna's work in general and the virtual format of our Zoom based programme. And, most importantly, it's a step towards making a difference to the global predicament. To find out how working on your own spiritual consciousness can help humanity and the planet by raising the overall human consciousness levels, see Joanna's You Tube explanation.
Saturday 19th Marchis the Roman Festival of Quinquatrus,so named because it was the 5th day after the Ides of March. 
This was a Festival in honour of Minerva; it seems that women were accustomed to consult fortune-tellers and diviners upon this day.
At one time, celebrations took place 19th - 23rd of March, orginally an Etruscan festival to celebrate spring, rites of women, rebirthing and the Spring Equinox. I can't help wondering if it was a development from the Egyptian Pelusia Festival, see 20th March entry.
Sunday 20th March,11am - 2pm, Forest Bathing+ in the grounds of Harry Edward's Healing Sanctuary, £35 (+ Paypal fee = £36.75).
Immerse yourself in the healing elements of nature and connect deeply with all your senses. Spend 3 hours in the woods mindfully connecting to your surroundings and living fully in the present moment, guided by me in simple sensory exercises and a treelaxtion. A deeply relaxing and rejuvenating experience, and which, despite the title forest bathing,does not involve any swimming!
Some of the scientifically proven benefits of spending time in woodland include reduced stress levels, stronger immune system response, and a stabilised cortisol cycle.
This session which will take place in all weathers except 30+mph winds or electrical storms. Book via our the Harmony Healing shop or our London Meetup. Email to go on our forest bathing mailing list.
Sunday 20th March is the Egyptian Festival of Pelusia, with the Egyptian Goddess Isis working her spring magic to ensure the flooding of the Nile later in the year, thereby guaranteeing a fruitful harvest.
We have informative Egyptian Deity Posters available for sale from the Harmony Shop.
Sunday 20th March is also the Pagan Equinox at 15:32.
On the Equinox, light and dark are equal over the whole world: mark the moment of the Equinox with silence and stillness. Representing balance of opposites; it's a good time to bring balance into your life.
I'll be offering a special Equilibrium Attunement (£55, half price to RSE & Moon students) to help you balance your energies on the Equinox, the day when night and day is equal and the earth herself is in perfect balance.
Monday 21st March is International Day of Forests, sponsored by the United Nations. The theme for 2022 is Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption.
Forests are home to more that 60,000 tree species; comprising about 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity.
In fact, 1.6 billion people are directly dependent on forests for their shelter, food, medicines, income and energy. Alarmingfly, we are losing around 10 million hectares of global forest annually (the size of Iceland) and this is said to accountsfor 12-20% of greenhouse gas emissions thought to contribute to our climate change.
As a qualified Forest Bathing+ guide, I am delighted to see Forests being recognised for their wellbeing benefits and valuable biodiversity and efforts being made to protect dwindling international woodlands.
Celebrate International Day of Forests with Harmony in Nature at Harry Edwards (Shere, Surrey).
Join us for the day in the Bluebell Room and outdoors to strengthen your connection with trees, particularly those native to the UK. Spend 2-3 hours Forest Bathing with us in the lovely private grounds (connecting with nature using mindful sensory activities), find out more about our most popular trees and learn how you can bring wellbeing into your life through a selection of tree essences, teas and essential oils. Discover about nature's WoodWideWeb and learn how to connect with it on a daily basis. Meditate with a tree through the seasons.
An educational, interactive and fun workshop for tree lovers, which can work around school runs. £70. Book at harmonyinnature.co.uk
Wednesday 23rd March, Joanna's talk entitled 'The Real Great Escape' at Chersey Museum.
Joanna will tell the pesonal story of her father who was a Prisoner of War(PoW) in Stalag Luft III, at the time of the Great Escape, 1944.
The one hour talk will cover: details of what actually happened on the night of the Great Escape (made famous by the 1963 Hollywodd Blockbuster), as well as how he survived the war, his lucky escape, and how he came to run a travel agency in Chertsey.
You canbook online via Chertsey Museum Websiteor by phone on 01932 565764. Tickets cost £10.
Saturday 26th March, in the UK this year, is also when the clocks go forward, in fact at 01.00 on Sunday 27th March, and that is the start of British Summer Time, although we often have a while to wait until summer arrives in the UK.
Sunday 27th March is Mothering Sunday in the UK, now viewed as a chance to recognise the positive role of mothers in our lives.
Often posies of daffodils are presented.
Mothering Sunday is celebrated by Christians in the UK & Ireland and some other English speaking countries. It takes place on the fourth Sunday in Lent, which is exactly three weeks before Easter Day.
It was once observed as a day when people visited their mother church, but has become a day for honouring mothers and exchanging presents with them. Increasingly it's being referred to as Mother's Day, although that name originated as an American secular holiday, celebrated on a different date and quite distinct from the initial UK based Mothering Sunday.
Tuesday 29th March, 7-8.30pm, Joanna's talk about the Moon cycle for ConsciousCafe. Tickets start at cost £5.98.
Human beings have always been fascinated by the Moon and the power it has to influence so much of what happens on our planet. In this fascinating event you will have the opportunity to learn from expert Joanna Bristow-Watkins how the moon impacts on your life in so many different ways and how to work with it to maximise the way it can help you.
To find out more about the talk, and to book, go to Conscious Cafe event listing on Eventbrite.
To assist with therapeutic and abundant alignment with the moon cycle, our next Lunar Cycle Alignment Programme (LCAP) commences with the New Moon on Friday 1st April and runs until Saturday 30th April, more on this next month.
Thursday 31st March, 11am - 1.30m, Forest Bathing+ with Joanna & Katie at our Woking (GU21) location in Horsell Common, £35 (+ Paypal fee = £36.75).
Immerse yourself in the healing elements of nature and connect deeply with all your senses. Spend 2½ hours in the woods mindfully connecting to netaure through simple sensory exercises and a treelaxtion. Join us at this mixed woodland and heath location, featuring many Scott's pines and silver birches. This historic common land was featured in HG Wells' best selling novel.
A deeply relaxing and rejuvenating experience, and which, despite the title forest bathing, does not involve any swimming! Some of the scientifically proven benefits of spending time in woodland include reduced stress levels, stronger immune system response, and a stabilised cortisol cycle.
This session which will take place in all weathers except 30+mph winds or electrical storms.
Book via harmonyinnature.uk or our Surrey Meetup. Email to go on our forest bathing mailing list.
Acknowledgments
Celestial Forecast is compiled by Joanna Bristow-Watkins of Harmony Healing, the original is published at Joanna's Monthly Celestial Forecasts. It is created using many sources but notably the Moonwise Calendar and Lia Leendertz's annual Almanac. Whilst considerable effort is made to ensure accuracy, this is not an exact science and sources are sometimes contradictory!
These monthly Celestial Forecasts (CF) are generally uploaded to the Harmony Healing website 2-3 months ahead and can be accessed via the drop-down box on the right. They are sent out to the main mailing list and CF subscribers a few days before the month starts.
Extracts from the Celestial Forecast are reproduced in Glyden Magick, an online magazine offered via Gylden Fellowship which is a fabulous resource for Neo-Pagans (particularly in the South of England when physical meet-ups can resume).
To subscribe to the detailed Blog updates (headed with a title detailing the occasion/event so you can choose whether to open it or not), featuring New and Full Moon, meteor showers, eclipses and other meteorological events, interesting anniversaries, ancient festival dates plus notification of dates of numerological significance, sign up here. The nature of the Blog means that whenever there are several key dates in close succession, there will be frequent mailings.
If you would rather ONLY receive the monthly Celestial Forecast, select the appropriate subscription. You will receive occasional newsletters but this opts you out of the smart Blog which emails regular notifications as events occur.
Through Harmony Healing, Joanna utilises the philosophies of the Ancient Egyptians, in the form of Reyad Sekh Em® (RSE) Level 1 Egyptian Alchemy Healing. Featuring four online modules of Khemitology (Ancient Egyptology according to the indigenous oral traditions), Violet Flame of Amenti, Mindful Chakra Balancing & Essene Angelology. Missed sessions are fully recorded so that late registrations or are possible. Reyad Sekh Em (RSE) Level 1 costs £266 and run about three times a year. the individual modules are stand-alone and cost either £88 or £66, hence the RSE 1 package offers a cost saving.
These are interspersed by her one month Lunar Cycle Alignment Programmes. She is also an intuitive healer offering 1-2-1 distant healings and readings, plus MP3 recordings. She is a fully qualified Fotrest Bathing guide, offering Forest Bathing sessions in the Surrey Hills of England. Joanna acts as the retailer for her sister, Angela Mcgerr's, best selling angelogy books and angel card sets. The are mostly now out-of-print, but Joanna still has some unused copies as well as pre-used versions of many of the card sets, see the Harnony Shop for the full details.
