Newsletter 18th August 2025
Summer and Autumn workshops
Dear Folks who are interested in the stuff of our inner worlds,
I’m reaching out to let you know about the next 3 family constellations dates that I have planned for the end of this Summer and the upcoming Autumn period.
- Saturday 13th September at Rustington £50 for the day
- Saturday 25th October in Brighton £60 for the day
- Weekend workshop 6th and 7th December £130 for the whole weekend
The weekend workshop will be held at Bonhams House, West Sussex. There is the option to stay at Bonhams House and also to have your meals there for the weekend. Here is the website for the venue www.properposh.uk
Please use the link above or contact me for further information.
emmastarck@yahoo.co.uk / 07958797165
Thank you to all who attended the first of these weekend workshops in July 2025. It was a wonderfully connected space where the energy built throughout the weekend. I had to check the date while writing this to check that it really was only a month ago. In a way it seems like a lifetime ago, maybe because it felt like we were stepping into a sacred space and since then we have been in the very outward sign of Leo, ruled by the sun. This is traditionally an energetic part of the year where the Sun is at it’s strongest, which in Astrology results in other parts of the sky being less visible due to the bright light of the Sun. Maybe the Summer holidays are always more ‘outward’ looking where we join with friends and family and thus there’s less time for inner reflection.
Family Constellations are one of the most magical experiences regarding conscious personal development. We have moments of magic everyday, especially if we start noticing co-incidences, brief conversations with strangers and surprising gifts that we receive. But to be immersed in this sort of energy for a whole day or a whole weekend is very special and I feel privileged to be able to facilitate these workshops.
Here are some quotes that try to put into words some of the wordless experiences from constellations.
Family Constellation Quotes:
“In Family Constellations work we use representatives to stand in for members of our family and ancestors; this is when we engage the unseen presence that we have come to know as the Knowing Field. It is then that we meet the phenomenon that representatives have access to information and feeling of the individual they are representing. This, for the representatives, can be a powerful and life-changing experience in its own right as they step into another’s shoes and ‘become’ someone else, with little or no knowledge of the personality and circumstances of the individual they are representing.”
John L. Payne (Shivasti), The Healing of Individuals, Families and Nations, (2005), page 4.
“Guilt is not the same thing as evil. Often it’s exactly the opposite, and doing the good or right thing makes us feel guilty, whereas doing the wrong gives us the feeling of innocence. Many times people feel innocent when they stay stuck in a problem, or when they suffer in a bad relationship. Only someone who is willing to take on guilt is capable of taking a step towards a solution. One is lonelier at this level, and a return to old patterns is more comfortable.”
Bert Hellinger, Supporting Love: How Love Works in Couple Relationships, page 248
“It is now clear to me that the family is a microcosm of the world. To understand the world, we can study the family: issues such as power, intimacy, autonomy, trust, and communication skills are vital parts underlying how we live in the world. To change the world is to change the family.”
— Virginia Satir
Astrology News
I am still learning more and more about Astrology and this powerful timing technique for our lives. I am using it as an added tool in self-reflection and to help with understanding the relational dynamics between people. We are all unique of course, with unique birth charts and the charts are an added layer to remind us of our own special gifts, talents and possibilities in life.
Astrology has a reputation for being able to predict the future. And there is a famous quote that Millionaires don’t use astrology but Billionaires do, suggesting that it helps us to become successful.
The more I deep dive into Astrology and connect with professional Astrologers who do predict times for people to perform certain acts, (marriage, selling a house, performing a sacred ritual and more), I have realised how very difficult this process is. It is something I’ve been pondering for a little while, wondering if it really is possible to set a perfect time for such things, and this week two separate conversations yielded me some great insights. One astrologer told me they are no longer offering this service to anyone who is not already deeply involved in their own astrological practice and is familiar with the power of the planets/gods. Another astrologer gave an example of offering a time to sell a house, which didn’t sell quickly. When this astrologer looked back to the moment he decided to work on this election, (the astrological name for predictions), he realised that the horary chart (the chart of the moment), wasn’t good for him to perform this technique, he explained to this client and gave the money back.
These are both top notch astrologers, who have been studying for years and yielding great results for people, but still it is a difficult task making predictions. There are so many variables involved. It is also heart-warming to know that these practitioners want to do their upmost to help people and are honest when they feel they haven’t achieved this.
The extra takeaway piece for me is that it frees me up to continue to explore embodied Astrology, as well as learning the nuts and bolts of the astrological clock. I integrate my astrological knowledge into the workshops, not as a prediction technique, but as an added layer to the personal development process of the work. The constellations are there to help us take the next step in our life, so not a prediction as such, but a helpful indicator might be a more accurate description. When I took an issue of exploring becoming a mother to a workshop, many years ago now, a man was chosen to represent my as yet un-conceived child. It was a magical moment for me to see my wished for child in an embodied state. I went on to have my happy little boy soon after this constellation.
Neither Astrology nor Family Constellations is the key to everything, but for me they help a lot. They help me get to the unconscious, the hidden, the mysterious and I am passionate about helping others to do this, just as I’ve been helped on my journey. But we still need to live in the real, embodied world with all those other humans and plants and beautiful animals as well as all the new technological advancements that are upon us in this era of Pluto in Aquarius.
Venus
The two benefic planets in astrology are Venus and Jupiter. These are both in the sign of Cancer together at the moment and are visible in the morning sky, about an hour before sunrise during the next couple of months.
The planet Mercury will reach its greatest distant from the morning Sun on August 19th, so it will also be visible with Venus and Jupiter from August 18-28th. I did get up before dawn today, but there was too much clout cover to spot any planets. I will try again tomorrow.
More details about the best times to view the night sky to catch different planets and stars can be found at this website https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury/
Just as in family constellations, where we remember and look at people who may have been missing from our family system, the planets like to be seen, according to practicing Astrologers. If we are going to ask the planets for help in certain areas; Venus for love and beauty, Mars for competition and setting boundaries, Saturn for structure and wisdom in old age, Jupiter for great teachers, travel and philosophy etc, then it is wise to let them know that we remember they are there.
Venus, (or Aphrodite in the Greek pantheon), is depicted here holding the golden apple, the prize awarded to her by the Trojan prince, Paris, for beating Juno and Minerva in a beauty contest.
A practical tip for relationships and the Venus cycle is that if a couple can survive their first Venus retrograde time span this will bode well for their relationship. If they can’t it might turn into a relationshit, (one of my son’s favourite words at the moment). The Venus retrograde periods are times that make ‘love and relationships’ more challenging. Her next retrograde will be from October 3rd to November 14th 2026, so we have a year to prepare!
Heres a beautiful image of the 8 year Venus cycle from the website Astroseek.
Is this Venus cycle the reason that apples are connected to Venus? Apples always have 5 pointed stars when cut through the middle.