Posts Tagged With: New Year

Happy New Year!

Posted on March 20, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

Astrological New Year

A bright new cycle begins with Spring Equinox

Maria DeSimone    Maria DeSimone on the topics of sun, spring, astrology, aries

Happy New Year! Oh wait, wasn’t that in January? Well, sort of. According to the Gregorian calendar, the beginning of an actual new year does fall on January 1. Astrologically, however, the New Year is a rather different concept, and it does not begin until the Spring Equinox on March 20. Those astrologers — they just love to complicate things!

But wait. Before you resign yourself to confusion about when to pop the champagne, why not consider the rich symbolism behind Astrological New Year and what it means.

First of all, think about the word “Equinox.” It literally translates as “Equal Night.” There are two periods each year when the length of daylight hours is equal to the length of time with no sunlight. This will happen at the Autumnal Equinox (or first day of autumn) and again at the Vernal or Spring Equinox (first day of spring).

At the Spring Equinox the day and night are equal in length, but the daylight hours are beginning to soar. From the moment of the Spring Equinox until the Autumnal Equinox there will be more and more time for us to spend basking in the rays of the Sun. That can only mean one thing: New life.

Everything on our planet and in our hearts is once again encouraged to sprout. Something almost sacred is resurrected in our collective spirits and we tend to feel a dynamic urge to begin again with a fresh, perspective.

New beginnings with the Sun in Aries

How appropriate that we feel this way, because the first day of spring also happens to coincide with the ingress of the Sun into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. Aries is all about beginnings. This is the sign of the pioneer, the entrepreneur, the self-starter. In many ways this is the baby of the zodiac because Aries is classic tabula rasa (Latin for clean slate).

The traditional New Year celebrated on January 1 might be the start of our new calendar year, and it does tend to have that same feel of new beginnings. Still, have you ever noticed how fleeting it is? Within a week or so we’re all back to our daily grind. January is, after all, the month of hardworking Capricorn.

However, if you pay attention to the energy around the Astrological New Year each spring, you may notice something different. There’s a pungent smell of possibility in the air and it lingers. Everything old has been washed away and we’re busy planting seeds of new beginnings everywhere (along with our flower and vegetable gardens).

This is what “spring fever” is all about! The restless energy we feel that haunts students everywhere is because now that the Sun is out the LAST place they want to be is cooped up inside a classroom. These psychological and physical urges have been documented at this time of year and often bring an increase in vitality — and even your sex drive! Not surprising when you consider that Aries is the sign ruled by passionate, assertive Mars.

What’s special about 2013

Every Astrological New Year will have this common vibe, thanks to the infusion of Aries energy. In 2013, however, we’ll have an added twist that will give you a dose of physical and mental verve that’s off the charts! At the Spring Equinox we’ll have the Sun, Mars and Uranus all closely connected in Aries and offering plenty of active electricity to the start of spring. There might be a buzz all around you (and even within you) that’s impossible to ignore. The urge to get out there and experience all that life has to offer will be incredible.

What makes this trio of Aries planets even more excitable is the fact that Jupiter in Gemini will be at a friendly angle to them, expanding their “one-two punch” in the most intellectually stimulating way.

The “main event” to this spring will begin to build in full force at the Spring Equinox, and it will gradually reach exact aspect on May 20. This, of course, will be our next precise square between innovative and rebellious Uranus and transformative Pluto. This will most certainly be an Astrological New Year to break down walls and create your own personal fresh start in the most blazing way. Va va voom!

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Single on Valentine’s Day? No Worries

Posted on February 13, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

Single on Valentine’s Day? No Worries

Celebrate yourself on this day of love

Sally Philips   Sally Philips on the topics of valentines day, love, astrology
Have you been dreading Valentine’s Day? Well, get over it! Cupid wants you to celebrate love in all of its manifestations, not just the romantic variety. As a single person, you have energy for loving friendships (which you might not have time for if you were part of a couple), so you have much to be grateful for.

Here are some tips for how each zodiac sign can use Valentine’s Day to affirm that a partner isn’t necessary when it comes to celebrating love — and a few suggestions for attracting a date as well!

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

If you’re single and loving it, more power to you … but if want to find a partner, try making this holiday your Valentine’s New Year. Write resolutions about new ways you can reach out while having fun in the coming year. Get psyched up and create a positive attitude. The world is your romantic oyster!

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

You could use some pampering on this special day, so take yourself to a spa to enjoy a head-to-toe beauty treatment, massage or soak in a hot tub. Be your own best date by treating yourself to whatever sensual delights tickle your fancy. Invite a close friend along and indulge together.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

If you get the urge to call your friends and whine about your single status, go ahead. Get chatty and vent all you want … but whatever you do, resist the temptation to ring up your ex or that hottie you’ve got your eye on. Wait for another day to make those calls, when your emotions aren’t so volatile.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

You’re one of the world’s biggest romantics, so don’t let being single stop you from celebrating love. Arrange a gift or card exchange in your circle of friends and invite them over for a Valentine’s party. Bake cookies and deck out the house in red hearts and candlelight. Declare a toast to the loving friendships that sustain you.

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22)

Okay, Leo, you may not have a date this year, but you can still spread some cheer. Offer to babysit your friends’ kids. Parents of young children often have trouble finding time for romance in their busy lives, so help them out. You won’t be alone, and you’ll have fun playing with their kiddos.

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22)

This is going to sound crazy, but this might be the perfect day to clean and reorganize your space. De-cluttering improves Feng Shui, which creates chi (vital energy) that can help attract more magic into your life. If you’re looking for a relationship, enhance the southwest sector of your bedroom with gemstones, crystals and candles.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22)

Being single isn’t easy for you, Libra. If you’re feeling sorry for yourself, here’s a sure-fire way to cheer up: help someone less fortunate than yourself. Seniors are often lonely, and not just on Valentine’s Day, so see if you can volunteer at a senior center in your neighborhood. Or, look for a church or non-profit group that could use your help.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21)

You love intrigue and the little white lies behind it, so find an online florist and order a bouquet of flowers to be sent to you at your workplace. Or have a local candy store deliver a big box of chocolates. Sign the card “From Your Secret Admirer.” The water cooler gossip will keep you amused all day.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21)

Recharge your batteries by taking a short trip. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Just getting on a bus and heading to some new part of town can do the trick. Or, try this with a friend: get in your car, start driving, toss a coin at every corner and turn left (for tails) or right (for heads) accordingly. After a few tosses, have dinner wherever you end up.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19)

You’ve already got a handle on creating attractive energy that draws people to you. Your flair for success is irresistible. Now’s a great time to share some of the fruits of that success by treating your friends to a special event. Look for a movie, concert, comedy club or theater production you know they will enjoy.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18)

Okay, so you’ve figured out that Valentine’s Day is a plot by flower shops and greeting card companies to bump up their post-Christmas sales. If you’re part of this “bah humbug” group, gather your like-minded friends and have a Valentine’s Scrooge party. Give a prize to the guest who brings the snarkiest card.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20)

Today is the day to amplify the compassionate traits you are known and loved for. Reach out to a friend or family member who needs an open ear. As you listen, offer your support and help them find their way back to a more cosmic perspective. This comes naturally to you, but it isn’t always so easy for others.

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Why Does The Chinese New Year Date Change Every Year?

Posted on February 10, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

Chinese New Year

By , About.com Guide

If you live in an area that has a Chinatown, chances are that at some point you’ve watched the Chinese New Year celebrations. However, Chinese New Year (also called the Spring Festival) doesn’t begin and end on a single weekend. Instead, the Spring Festival lasts a full fifteen days, with preparations beginning before the old year has come to a close. By the time the New Year arrives, families have already spent several days preparing for the big event; cleaning the house, buying gifts, and cooking festive foods.

People often wonder why the date for Chinese New Year changes each year. The Chinese calendar  is a combination solar/lunar calendar, based on a number of rather complex astronomical calculations, including the longitude of the sun. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (all months begin with a new moon). In 2013, Chinese New Year Day falls on February 10th.

How did Chinese New Year come to be celebrated? According to an ancient legend, people were once tormented by a beast called a Nian – a ferocious creature with an extremely large mouth, capable of swallowing several people in a single bite. Relief from the Nian came only when an old man tricked the beast into disappearing. In reality, New Years festivities probably evolved from a desire to celebrate the end of winter and the fertility and rebirth that come with the spring, much like the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Today, New Years is about family reunions and wishing everyone good fortune in the coming year.

The Spring Festival is China’s major traditional holiday, and is also celebrated in other parts of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam (where New Year’s Day is called “Tet”), Malaysia, Taiwan, and of course, Hong Kong. However, in my research I couldn’t find any mention of Chinese New Year’s celebrations in Japan. Lisa Heupel, an expert on Japanese Culture, came up with a possible reason – apparently the Japanese followed the lunar calendar until the middle of the nineteenth century. However, after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they adopted the Gregorian calendar. Since that time New Years is celebrated on January 1st. While there are other popular festivals celebrating the arrival of spring, such as Hanami or the cherry blossom viewing festival, for the most part Chinese New Year goes unnoticed in Japan, except for a few small celebrations by the Chinese who live there.

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Daily Feng Shui News for Feb. 10th – ‘Chinese New Year’

Posted on February 10, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

It’s both my birthday and the start of the Chinese New Year, so you know there’s going to be a celebration tonight! Part of that party will be a traditional grand New Year’s feast including salmon (for longevity and intelligence), cabbage (for financial fortune and riches) and mandarin oranges (for good health) eaten to bring good luck all the next year! No meat is eaten on New Year’s Day out of respect for animals and knives or sharp instrument are not used lest we cut our good fortunes in half. Wishes (birthday or New Year) are always made on this day as well. Write your wish on a piece of paper with a red pen and place it inside a red envelope. Burn the envelope to seal your resolution and make it permanent. These special day smoke signals bring big and rewarding results! So if you got ‘em, light ‘em, and Happy New Year!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

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Wishing All Who Celebrate A Very Happy & Blessed Chinese New Year!

Posted on February 10, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

To all our friends and family that are celebrating the Chinese New Year today….

 

We wish you much happiness, much prosperity and many blessings,

 

Happy Chinese New Year!

 

 

 

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Waking Up & Clearing Space

Posted on February 2, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss
Waking Up & Clearing Space
By Lotus Moonwise
.
When the cold weather begins and the season shifts from autumn to winter, I go into hibernation. I go into that quiet space within and it feels like time stands still. Projects that I’ve been working on get put on the shelf. I know that things unfinished will have to wait for Spring. I let go of the past year and move into the dark months. During this time, I often find myself wanting to just curl up in a warm bed, like a child in the womb of the Mother. I feel a quiet calmness. If one looks only on the surface, it seems there is not much going on. Though deep within there is much activity. Energies of the past year mingling with energies of what is to come. Swirling together in the void. Within that void, all possibilities exist and from that space, creation springs forth. In this dark space, we wait to be reborn and for new light and inspiration to find us. We wait for the first signs of Spring. I feel the stirrings within me and the excitement of starting over again. Another turn of the wheel and we’ve arrived at one of my favorite times of year: Imbolc. We start to awaken from Winter’s long sleep. We pay attention to our thoughts and notice how inspiration begins flooding in, giving us little clues to follow, opening us up to all the potentials of the New Year. We feel an inner urging to clear our space. We begin to look around and notice all the ways we could simplify, clear out, and unclutter our lives. We make peace with the process of letting go of the past to make room for the new.  “Spring Cleaning” is a tradition for many people at this time of year. It’s part of our natural cycles as humans connected to the Earth. We feel it in our bodies. We don’t need to look at a calendar to tell us it’s time to clear our space. We feel it in every cell. We know it by the way we feel. We know it when we feel the flower inside our hearts begin to open up, ready to blossom towards the sun as it grows in strength. We want to open our arms and embrace this new light by sharing it with those we love. In my family, Imbolc is a celebration that lasts over several weeks. It begins when we pack up the Yule decorations and take down the tree. The clearing process starts with our physical space. Starting at one end of the house, usually the kitchen, we turn on some music, open all the windows, empty each room completely, and clean everything from top to bottom, infusing the space with new energies. Then we take our time filling the space again, putting back only what is essential. We usually have a few boxes to categorize the items we remove from the rooms. A box of things we know we want to keep, a box for things that we know we can let go of, and one for things we are not sure of yet. First we put back what we know we want, then we spend time in the room as it is. Going within, we ask, what else is truly needed here? The inspiration comes. Maybe a new altar for the kitchen? Maybe some new pictures to hang on the wall? A new plant? Every year, it’s a different answer. The room tells us what it needs. Room by room, we continue like this, until the entire house has been re-born.  When we get to the kid’s rooms, we talk about what it means to let things go. We talk about how other children may enjoy the toys the kids no longer play with. The kids get their own box to put used toys in that are later taken to a donation center, along with everything else that we are letting go of as a family. It’s a process they have become used to. Letting go of things from the past is a natural part of their life. Learning to let go now, as children, sets a foundation for their lives and makes transitions easier to move through.
Once the physical space is clear, it’s time for a clearing of another kind. A clearing of the emotional, mental, and spiritual space within. A time to take stock of everything in our lives and what it means to us. Family, friends, career, spiritual practice, hopes, dreams, goals. It’s the time to get quiet and listen to your inner voice tell you what it needs. A time to set your intention to be open to allow all avenues of blessing and abundance into your life. Sometimes the inner voice will tell us if we have gotten off track and how to get back to the basics of what we truly need. Maybe we need to spend more time with family or friends. Maybe it’s time to change our job if it’s not bringing us joy. Maybe it’s time to move to a new place? The possibilities are endless. I use this time to re-dedicate myself to my chosen spiritual path and to re-write my personal statement of intent. I call upon Brigid at this time for inspiration for new projects that I’m starting, and to revive old projects that I put on the shelf when the winter months began. I visualize the waters of her sacred well washing me clean of the past and nurturing me in the wholeness of the now moment. I allow myself to be actively fulfilled by the present moment and open to the truth of the perfection that is within me. It’s time to fertilize the soil of our souls with the seeds of our dreams, knowing that these seeds will grow and blossom as the year progresses through it’s cycles once again.
Have a Blessed Imbolc!
About The
Author: Lotus Moonwise is studying to become a Priestess of the Order
of the White Moon.
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Your Daily Affirmation for Thursday, Jan. 31st

Posted on January 31, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

Days Of The Week Comments
I am inspired by the world around me! I am creative and spontaneous! I am excited and full of life!

~fromMoonDragon

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Calendar of the Moon for January 25th

Posted on January 25, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

Calendar of the Moon

Beth/Poseideion II

Birch Tree Moon

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of white set the budded birch branches, a single , the rune Berkana carved onto a piece of birch wood, and a bowl of clear water.
Offerings: White cakes with the Berkana rune carved upon them.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian with dairy and eggs.

Beth Invocation

Call: Now is the beginning of the year.
Response: Now is the time of stillness and .
Call: Now all is still and waiting upon the earth.
Response: Now the earth sleeps beneath her many blankets.
Call: Now is the time of patience.
Response: Now is the time of our longest wait.
Call: We are at peace with the Earth and with each other.
Response: We are at peace with the Earth and ready to begin.
Call: This is the month of indrawn breath.
Response: This is the time of all beginnings.
Call: May the year grow strong before us!
Response: May we grow strong before the year!
Call: For as the birch tree steps forth into the burned fields,
Response: So do we  forth into the aftermath of our own burning.
Call: For as the soft branches of the birch beat away the old year,
Response: So do we lower our heads for the strokes of the future.
Call: For as the pheasant hunts the snow for food,
Response: So do we seek through the ruins of the past.
Call: For as Frigga spins the clouds into thread,
Response: So do we circle like the spinning whorl,
Call: So do we take up the fiber of what has been,
Response: So do we bring forth the new year from our very hands.
Call: From our open hands,
Response: From our open hearts,
Call: From our open bodies,
Response: From our open souls.

Chant: Silver tree, in your branches
White of snow, stars are dancing
Tree of clouds, like thread of silver
Time runs through our hands.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

 

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