Your Rune For Today
Thurisaz
Thurisaz embodies the polarity of life and death and the struggle to keep them in balance. Expect conflict, hardship and obstacles, but be assured that remaining focused and in touch with your inner strengths will see you through whatever comes your way. This Rune may also represent protection from your enemies, which is never a bad thing.
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011
When a leader finally comes into power, his or her personal strength usually has peaked. Great strength is required in climbing to the mountaintop, but once at the summit, the support of others is needed to maintain that lofty position. A shift in attitude becomes necessary. Raw strength must be tempered by wisdom; to maintain power, a strong leader must learn to give it away, to share it with others. Only then will his or her position be secure, for she will not only be the possessor of power, but the source of it as well.
If you find yourself in a high or strong position, it is especially important to act responsibly and react with care. Your personal power must not be allowed to degenerate into raw force that rides roughshod over everything in its path. A strong sense of responsibility to the collective good of all is the key to the successful exercise of strength. By following what we intuitively know to be for the greater good, we avoid reckless abuses of power that in the end undermine the source of our strength. Arrogance always contains the seeds of its own undoing.
Today’s Tarot Card for Everyone:
The Magician
This Tarot Deck: Winged Spirit Tarot
At the birth of Tarot, even a gifted healer who was not an ordained clergyman was considered to be in league with the Devil! For obvious reasons, the line between fooling the eye with sleight of hand, and charging the world with magical will was not clearly differentiated in the early Tarot cards.
Waite’s image of the Magus as the solitary ritualist communing with the spirits of the elements — with its formal arrangement of symbols and postures — is a token of the freedom we have in modern times to declare our spiritual politics without fear of reprisal. The older cards were never so explicit about what the Magus was doing. It’s best to keep your imagination open with this card. Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by evolutionary forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul.
The Sun’s dynamic square to fuzzy Neptune confuses us by blurring our senses today. Our dreams can lure us off track if we cannot distinguish facts from fantasies. The restless Gemini Sun entices us with choices, but a cluster of planets in bull-headed Taurus creates inertia, making a change of direction more difficult, even if it’s a smart idea. Meanwhile, the intelligent Aquarius Moon gives us logical reasons to validate what we think we know.
You are inspired to put your finances in order today, but it may be challenging to actually follow through on your intentions. Handling money matters requires singular concentration, yet your vivid imagination can interfere with your ability to stay focused. Nevertheless, your fiscal stability is a worthwhile goal, so every time you wander off in your thoughts, just bring yourself back to the job at hand.
Your key planet Venus is squared by the rational Aquarius Moon, emphasizing the conflict between what you want and what you truly need. You are eager to share your thoughts with someone you trust while talkative Mercury is in your sign. You might think that you’re being perfectly clear now, but your actions don’t seem to support your words. It may be a better strategy to work diligently toward reaching satisfaction without saying too much for a day or two.
Mercury the Messenger is revving up your brain and activating your 12th House of Secrets. You have a lot to say, but aren’t sure how to work your thoughts into a conversation. You don’t necessarily want to be left alone today now that the Sun is in your 1st House of Self, but a miscommunication or a misunderstanding might disrupt your social plans. The good news is that it’s easier to stay on your path if you have fewer distractions.
You are lulled into a surreal mental space but the emotionally detached Aquarius Moon is visiting your 8th House of Transformation, encouraging you to use your intellect to interpret the mysterious symbols of your dreams. Unfortunately, this may be a dead end strategy because rational analysis won’t uncover any hidden meaning. Instead, follow your imagination and you’ll remember what your subconscious mind is trying to tell you when you least expect it.
The conceptual Aquarius Moon’s visit to your 7th House of Partners could attract a very intelligent person into your life who believes that he or she has the answers you seek. But you don’t want to be distracted by anyone because you’re trying to figure out how you will get through the time crunch that you now face. Ultimately, you can create unnecessary frustration by concentrating on what’s ahead before you handle a more immediate situation first.
Your unrestrained idealism might tempt you to set your sights too high today. Thankfully, your approach is methodical and you can prioritize all the chores that you want to finish. But you may have to let some of your pet projects fall to the wayside. Being selective and eliminating non-essential chores should help you feel less anxious, especially if you preemptively handle a potential problem, rather than waiting for it to turn into a minor disaster.
Your key planet Venus has been cavorting with noisy Mercury and pushy Mars, replacing sweet romance with tough talk. Fortunately, you can reclaim your sensuality now by shifting the focus to nebulous Neptune. Let go of your personal tastes and specific desires by detaching yourself from what may happen. Don’t waste time by letting others know what you want. Instead, surrender to the flow; you can always check your GPS tomorrow and then decide where to go next.
The Sun’s entry into your 8th House of Deep Sharing reminds you that dancing around surface issues isn’t all that fulfilling. You want to build meaningful relationships with close friends or family. However, your desires may be thwarted by someone who has a very different agenda. Don’t try to talk the other person into seeing things your way; the more you interact today, the further apart you grow, so avoid lengthy explanations at all costs.
You might think you have a very practical strategy to finish your long list of chores today, but your idealistic solutions may fall apart once you start executing your plans. You could underestimate how much time a job could take, or maybe you discover that you’re missing an important tool. Either way, working faster isn’t the answer. Ironically, you’ll finish sooner if you slow down. Doing a job right the first time is more efficient than having to do it again.
You can grow anxious when you misinterpret what’s happening in your life today, especially if your lack of clarity has to do with financial matters. The Moon’s visit to your 2nd House of Self-Worth puts money on your mind, and a dreamy Sun-Neptune square can inflate your expectations and set you up for disappointment. Avoid discouragement by remaining realistic about your resources and staying aware of the time and money that will be necessary to make a creative idea worthwhile.
Today you seem to be attracted to anything that allows you to lose yourself in a crowd of people or get caught up in a group cause. But you won’t be able to run away from yourself because you’ll probably bump into someone you know just when you thought you escaped. Rather than trying to sidestep a difficult emotional interaction, just stay present with your feelings. You might be pleasantly surprised by what happens when you show up with your heart and not just your head.
The Sun’s square to your key planet Neptune can act like a green light that’s inviting you to luxuriate in the rich symbolism of your imagination. Fortunately, you’re not a stranger to slipping behind the veil of consciousness. However, it’s challenging now to put your dreams to work. Today is your day of rest; instead of actively planning your next move, just let your mind wander without any specific agenda.
Your Rune For Today
Berkano
Berkano is the Rune of birth and rebirth. This may symbolize a time when you are capable of great personal growth. Love may be in the air as well.
Today’s Tarot Card for Everyone:
The Fool
This Tarot Deck: Chinese
In some instances, he is made out to be a carnival entertainer or a huckster. In others, he is portrayed as decrepit and vulnerable — as the cumulative result of his delusions and failures. Not until the 20th century do you see the popular Rider-Waite image of the Fool arise — that of an innocent Soul before its Fall into Matter, as yet untainted by contact with society and all its ills.
Modern decks usually borrow from the Rider-Waite imagery. Most Fool cards copy the bucolic mountainside scene, the butterfly, the potential misplaced step that will send the Fool tumbling into the unknown. Don’t forget, however, that the earlier versions of this card represented already-fallen humanity, over-identified with the material plane of existence, and beginning a pilgrimage towards self-knowledge, and eventually, wisdom. The Fool reminds us to recognize the path of personal development within ourselves — and the stage upon that path where we find ourselves — in order to energize our movement toward deeper self-realization.
Although the Sun enters changeable Gemini today, alluring Venus slides into an emotionally profound trine with resolute Pluto. We’re still reeling from the intensity of yesterday’s Mercury and Mars trines to Pluto, challenging us to play for keeps and tempting us to think in terms of all or nothing. Powerful feelings arise from the subconscious, yet the Moon’s shift into cool Aquarius at 10:31 pm EDT offers a much-needed intellectual perspective.
Your key planet Mars continues to push you into some emotionally intense places today. Although you’re up for the ride, you want to have an escape route just in case you need it. You could grow skittish if you feel cornered, but overreacting won’t likely have a positive result. Succumbing to your worries about the future will only alert others to your anxiety. For now, it’s smarter to relax and sink into your feelings than dream about being somewhere else.
Your unwavering determination is your greatest strength as you continue to express your love today, even in the face of a confusing situation. Venus in sensual Taurus harmonizes with passionate Pluto, allowing you to concentrate on the underlying feelings rather than being distracted by the surface noise. As long as you keep aiming deep, you won’t be led off track by unimportant issues or temporary fears.
The Sun’s return to your mentally agile sign helps you to maintain your balance if you are lured into unknown emotional territory. You may need to push past your own resistance and share your feelings, even if you’re unsure of how the other person will react. Thankfully, the conversation will go much better than you expect as long as you don’t freeze once you start talking. You might learn something new if you are truly willing to listen.
You may be in a deep and dark mood today as you attempt to reveal your strong feelings to a trusted ally. But your current sense of urgency might provoke frustration or anger if your friend isn’t willing or able to match your emotions. It’s useless trying to change anyone else; focus on your own inner process and work to transform your dissatisfaction into an appreciation of what you have, instead.
You may be tired of people at work being so nice to you now because it doesn’t feel real. You might even see their propitiating behavior as a symptom of weakness. But it’s not a smart idea to harden your stance in an ill-conceived plan designed to demonstrate your strength. You must learn that you can be strong and yielding at the same time. Recognizing the wisdom of being flexible with respect to your desires can help you sail through a very intense day.
You might try to narrow your focus and limit your distractions so you can concentrate on what you need to do today. Unfortunately, this strategy grows more difficult as your emotions are stirred and you set your heart on some distant destination. It’s not about being smart or having the right data now; it’s just foolhardy to ignore your feelings. You already know what you must do, and having more facts at your disposal won’t make your choice any easier.
You may be feeling pretty confident now about your current plans, but something is still gnawing away at the bottom of your imagination. You might be limited in what you can do today, especially if you’re obsessing about a relationship from the past. Don’t try to escape your history, rather, dig into it. After you can find your way around in the shadows of your subconscious, you’ll also be able to navigate better in the light of reality.
Your unexpressed anger can cool into ice and transform into resentment, which is more difficult to process. Fortunately, Venus’ current trine to your key planet Pluto stimulates your emotions and prevents them from going quiet. It’s easier than usual for you to let go and act on your intuition. Following your instincts now is your best insurance against fostering negativity. Taking the high road is surely your best option.
The Moon and Pluto are in your resourceful 2nd house, reminding you that issues of self-worth and net worth are inextricably intertwined, even if they seem like separate entities. Today you might be more self-confident because you can ride a new sense of power from your emotions. If your self-esteem is growing, consider cashing in on it and asking for a raise. Naturally, circumstances at work need to support your request, but in any case your contribution and your courage won’t go unnoticed.
You are still enjoying the pleasurable benefits of three planets visiting your 5th House of Spontaneity. Your involvement in a significant creative project or a new romance may be growing, and you’re tempted to go overboard as you try to give the performance of your life. This can be quite a memorable day as long as you don’t struggle to accomplish too much.
It’s refreshing to feel so creative now and you’re excited knowing that your weekend could improve even more. But your easygoing attitude today is very deceptive. You may be able to skillfully disarm someone’s aggression, yet you’re still ready for serious business in a moment’s notice. Use your ability to shift back and forth between the lighthearted and heavy-handed extremes, so you can make the most of every moment.
You may be afraid that someone in your life might become more of a problem during the days ahead. Although nipping a challenging situation in the bud sounds like a smart plan, it’s not always wise to suppress the natural expression of negative emotions like fear and anger. If you truly want to handle the situation in a way that preempts potential trouble, ask thoughtful questions and be an active listener. It’s easier to deal with things once they are out in the open.
Saturday, May 21, 2:22 am PDT, 5:22 am EDT
The mutable air sign Gemini is a welcome invitation to lighten up and take ourselves less seriously. There is no single right path, correct answer or absolute truth to limit us now. Life is about exploring potential options and multiple perspectives that vary according to where we stand and how we choose to see things. Greater flexiblity permits us to discover alternative methods that we are more open to try now. We can be less judgmental when we recognize the many different ways of interpreting reality. Communication tends to flow more easily as each idea can breathe freely without being weighed, measured, tested and compared to determine its validity.
| Your Daily Influences May 20, 2011 |
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 Tarot Influence |
Rune Influence |
 Charm Influence |
| The Knight of Wands Reversed Jealousy, conflict and chaos. Work left undone. |
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| Elhaz Elhaz represents your power to protect yourself and those around you. It also connotes the thrill and joy of a successful hunt. You are in a very enviable position right now, because you are able to maintain what you have built and reach your current goals. Enjoy. |
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| The Hei Tiki Now is an ideal time to learn. Your mind is particularly keen at this time for the study of witchcraft, divination and esoteric subjects. Knowledge affects this aspect. |
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| Your Daily Influences represent events and challenges the current day will present for you. They may represent opportunities you should be ready to seize. Or they may forewarn you of problems you may be able to avoid or lessen. Generally it is best to use them as tips to help you manage your day and nothing more. | ||
HEMATITE
FOLK NAME: Volcano Spit
ENERGY: Projective
PLANET: Saturn
ELEMENT: Fire
POWERS: Healing, Grounding, Divination
MAGICAL/RITUAL LORE: Hematite is a strange stone. It is heavy, solid, and silvery black. Its name alone is something of a mystery. To ancients, hematite was what we now know as bloodstone, so virtually all magical information relating to “hematite” in old books refers to bloodstone. This hematite, though, when worked on a lapidary wheel, “bleeds” and produces stains that look much like blood.
Hematite is a fine, showy stone. In Italy and elsewhere, it is fashined into necklaces which are sold as “volcano spit.” Magical information relating to this stone is scarce.
Hematite possesses the curious property of “healing” itself. Make a small scratch on the surface of the stone, then rub your finger over it. The scratch may disappear.
MAGICAL USES: Hematite is said to be powerful in drawing illness from the body. As with all stones, it is held in the hands while visualizing, then placed on the skin directly over the afflicted area. A necklace of smallstones can also be worn for healing.
Hematite is worn for grounding and stabilizing purposes, and to focus the attention on the physcial plane.
A scrying: In a darkened room, light a red candle. Settle before it and hold a large piece of hematite so that the candle’s flame is reflected on it. Gaze at the reflection and visualize a question. The answer will come to you.
| Your Deck of Ancient Symbols Card for Today |
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Solitude Solitude is represented by a single person standing at the end of a boardwalk staring out at a vast, empty panorama. They are truly alone, but may not feel loneliness. They are at a place in their life where the need to withdraw from the our secular world is strong, because their focus should be on their inner self, their morality, and their dreams. The view before them is empty, but it is a canvas on which they may paint their future–a future restricted only by the size of their imagination and courage. For them Solitude is a choice. They chose to take the walkway that distances them from the rest of us. It is also a choice that can be undone. Just as they chose to take a path that leads them away from us, they may choose to turn around and come back at anytime. As a daily card, Solitude suggest a period in which you need to distance yourself from those around you and explore your inner-self, what is driving your day to day life and decide if you are really on the life path that is best for you. This is a time to revitalize your spirit, and draw your dreams for the future. |
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Goddess of the Day
The Morrigu / Morrigan / Morgaine / Morganna
(Irish, British)
Celtic Goddess of Water and Magic. Supreme War Goddess, Shape-shifter. Reigned over the battlefields, helping with her magic but did not join in the battles. She is the Crone aspect of the Goddess. Great Mother; Moon Goddess; Queen of the fairies. In her dark aspect, her symbol is then the raven or crow. She is the Goddess of war, fate, death; she went fully armed & carried two spears. Goddess of rivers, lakes & fresh water. Patroness of priestesses & witches. Revenge, night, magic, prophecy. A Triple Goddess made of three largely autonomous Goddesses. Their names vary, but they are usually called Macha, Badb and Nemain. Morgan was said to be married to Merlin, and it was from him she learned her magic. She was also doubled with The Lady of the Lake.
Your Rune For Today
Kenaz
Kenaz foretells the coming of clarity and knowledge. It is time for you to grow by exchanging knowledge with others. Opportunities are upon you.
My Pentacle Is Bigger Than Yours!
Author: Devon, The Maid Of Epona
I’ve been a practicing solitary witch for a little more than ten years. I have just recently decided to wear my pentacle openly.
Does that mean I’m out of the broom closet? Heavens no! I like to describe myself as having one foot in and the other out of the proverbial broom closet. I believe this to be the smart way to be, living where I live. Hey! Pennsylvania isn’t California!
I’m not a militant pagan although I do have a serious warrior’s streak. But being a warrior also means picking and choosing your fights. I work in the small animal business in one job and in the horse business in the other.
When working in the horse business, keeping your mouth shut about what faith you are, especially if it is an alternative faith that is greatly misunderstood by others, is the wiser way to go.
If I were to be open to everyone about my faith, it would have a detrimental effect on my career. People in the horse business would immediately assume that I was one of those “tree hugging, wackos” and I suddenly wouldn’t get hired or be able to buy or sell horses because gossip runs rampant in stables and sometimes is taken to be truer than the Bible! I also deal with many of the Amish community and I hide my pentacle out of deference to their beliefs.
So I pick and choose when and where to display my symbol of faith openly. I have also made an agreement with myself that, when I wear my pentacle openly, and someone questions my faith, then I must answer truthfully and intelligently.
I tell them that my pentacle stands for the four elements and the element of spirit. I tell them that it is a symbol of wholeness and balance, not of negativity and hatred. And its meaning cannot be twisted by reversing its direction, at least not in my eyes!
The first day I wore my pentacle, I walked about with a heightened sense of awareness, waiting for everybody to judge me. I guess I was expecting the whole world to gasp, point their fingers and declare me a witch in that tone of voice that meant nothing good. The actual reaction of people was much more subdued and confused.
Instead, the only question I had to deal with was, “I didn’t know you’re Jewish!”
Do you know how hard it is not to roll your eyes at someone and exclaim, “What? Can’t you count”?
I took a real risk this past Christmas. My husband had given me two gifts I picked out from our favorite knife catalog; an unusual knife and a pentacle decorated with red gems that I thought was pretty. So what it wasn’t silver!
Well pictures in catalogs can be deceiving!
I thought the pentacle to be modestly sized and the knife to be around the size of a Bowie knife. Well the truth was things were reversed.
The knife was the size of a pocketknife. The pentacle was big. REALLY BIG!
Try a pentacle with some serious attitude and lots of bling to the red gems on it. There was no mistaking it when I chose to wear out. It just reeled you in. Ooooh boy!
Then I decided to wear it out and obvious to a family function. Hey! It was a Christmas gift from my hubby that I still really liked in spite of the size. I wanted to show off my sparkly!
Now, not all of my family knows my religious denomination but most are aware. My parents are a blessing from the Goddess! They approve as long as I don’t go around trying to convert everybody. My brother and sister know and are open minded enough to not make a big deal about such things. My cousins even know and are cool with it.
My uncle? Well, lets just say his religious views scare me! He attends an ultra conservative church that has several ministers, several auditorium sized rooms for worship and boasts an attendance of several thousand people.
I was told to never tell my uncle what religion I was.
He was coming to the party as well.
I probably should NOT have worn the pentacle. But I did.
I also chose to disguise it with my new fashion statement, which was to wear cowboy clothes. You see, in the western horse show world, they have this design that is called a Texas star. It’s like a sheriff’s badge. Hmmm. Guess what? That’s a pentacle!
So I immediately went out and got my western show attire decorated in “Texas Stars”. I’ve got them on my hat and even my horse’s saddle and bridle sport little “pentacles”. No, I won’t wear ten million pentacles on myself but I’ll completely festoon my poor, long suffering horse with them!
Anyway, I showed up at the party with my hunka, big, new pentacle and my “Texas Star” hat. And my uncle showed up later. He looked directly at my new pentacle and then me and my newly dyed, black hair.
And then he asked if I’d had any of the steamed shrimp he brought.
I felt like I had had the rug pulled out from under me. I tried not to laugh my relief.
The pentacle was a big hit though.
Two people asked about it and my religious persuasion. I found out that they also were open-minded and we had a lovely evening chatting about esoteric things. Those conversations would have probably never happened if I hadn’t been daring enough to chance wearing it out.
But the real point of the matter is this: A pentacle, or a cross, or a Jewish star, or whatever symbol you choose to wear is nothing but a piece of jewelry unless the belief is behind it to make it more.
Those Wiccans that chose not to wear a pentacle or any other symbol of faith, does that make them any less of a Wiccan? No.
Sometimes I wear my pentacle and sometimes I wear my favorite jade horse pendant. They are both symbols of faith in my opinion and are as important to me as the cross is to someone else.
But I am not a Wiccan because I choose to wear a pentacle. I am Wiccan because that is what language my heart sings.
And no one can change what you feel in your heart. You can only choose whether or not to speak it.
Do you wear your pentacle on your skin or in your heart?
Witches Of The Craft® 
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