Month: June 2012

My Experience: Training in Witchcraft


Author: Rhys Chisnall

It was a long drive up through the dark trees of Elevdon Forest from Bury St. Edmunds to a small village in the North of Suffolk, and none of us in the car knew what to expect from our first session of Craft training; after all we were going to see the Witches. We knew that the training would be one evening a week, three weeks out of four for two years with a break between Halloween and Candlemas. We also knew that it was free of charge (though we were asked to bring biscuits) as apparently, all genuine Witchcraft training was given free of charge. We had been told though that it would be very hard work and they were not kidding, though I did not really know it then.

But as we drove through the forest in mid spring through the dark of the early evening, the leaves just starting to bud, we were not expecting the right rollicking we would get for being late.

A valuable first lesson- you don’t mess with the Craft, you treat it with respect.

It was the start of a great adventure, an adventure that has continued over many years till today, and looks set to continue for the rest of my life. It is an adventure that has taken me to places that I never imagined I would go, within this world and within myself and led to experiences that back then I could not have even conceived of in my wildest dreams. It has been an adventure that has brought me into contact with the most exceptional of people and with complete nutters, though as with any path in the Occult it is a road that had to be trodden by me alone- no one else could have walked it for me.

There is an old saying in the Craft, ‘that a Witch is not usually financially wealthy but he or she will always feel rich, rich in experience, rich in knowledge and rich in the friends that they make along the path’. For me it was the exceptional training that I received that opened up so many doors.

I had found out about the training through a contact organisation called The Green Circle. The Green Circle was a group founded by the magician Marian Green and was an organisation, which amongst other things helped practioners of the Western Mystery Tradition network and make contact with each other. I had been trying to practise by myself, and with a small group of friends for a couple of years and we were not really getting anywhere, several of them had lost interest, and so I had joined the organisation in the hope of meeting real Witches.

I suppose my interest in spirituality had recently been rekindled when I had read a book on Wicca. Even as a teenager I was always a keen reader. I had grown up in the countryside, as my father was the deputy principal of an agricultural college near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. As such my two younger brothers and I had the run of the college estate that included woodlands, ponds, rivers and fields. Perhaps it was this almost idyllic childhood, entrenched in the beautiful Suffolk Countryside that had led to my abiding love of nature and led ultimately to taking up a spiritual tradition that works with nature and its tides and season as a metaphor for its mysteries.

The Training group was run by a couple of Witches called Tricia and Dave. At that time they were the High Priestess and High Priest of a long established country coven in the rural north of Suffolk, a small town tucked away amid the trees of Thetford Forest. They felt that a long period of training outside the coven was necessary, firstly because it gave the coven a good long while to get to know potential members before they could join. Secondly it tested the commitment of the potential initiate (it’s funny how two years filters out the flavour of the month brigade) .

Thirdly a coven is only as strong as it weakest link (as a working coven has the responsibility to ensure that any spell work it undertakes is done to the best of their ability) . Fourthly and most importantly it gives the potential initiate the tools to practise personal development towards self-actualisation, leading to personal transformation making it possible to experience the mysteries and mystical experience.

“It is training for a mystical experience”, Dave said. At the time I had no idea what he was on about.

During that first session we discovered ourselves sitting in a comfortable living room in a pleasant medium sized bungalow in a small rural town in the middle of the forest. We were sat on leather chairs with Dave and Tricia who I guess at that time were in their mid fifties, facing towards us, and their Siamese cat Joss curled up asleep on one of the arms of the armchairs.

Dave has a voice like Christopher Lee while Tricia sat quiet sizing us up, when she spoke everyone listened. There were pictures of birds on the wall, and a carving of the Goddess Freya hanging up between them. There was also an old fashioned besom standing up against the wall- the sort you would expect Witches to have, and a funny looking forked stick leaning up in a corner. They explained to us that attending the training would not be a guarantee of being initiated into the Coven and that we were expected to put the training into practise in our lives.

“You will change, ” we were warned, “if you don’t change then the Craft is not working. Do you want to change? What about loved ones, will they want you to change, have you the right to inflict that upon them?” Blimey they were certainly right. “You will become and activist“, he said, “not the kind of activist who demonstrates outside of Greenham Common, but an activist within your own life.” He also warned us very gravely that we would only get out what we had put in.

Dave said that he would play devil’s advocate to see if we were really thinking for ourselves. We were expected to give our own ideas and opinions; we were not being told what to believe. We were not there to parrot back what Dave and Tricia was saying but to say what we really thought, what we really felt and what we really believed. They were not at all interested in what we thought they wanted to hear or what was written in some Farrar Book. Dave challenged everything we said (even if he agreed with it) . “If something doesn’t stand up to challenge then it is not worth keeping”, he said. It was certainly tough, but then anything worthwhile is earned and is not easy, you value it more, however it was also going to be really good fun and rewarding as well.

There was a huge amount to get through in two years. It wasn’t about how to cast a circle, nor doing rituals and casting spells. These are the kind of thing that may be taught after initiation in coven. Nor was it naff thing like tables of correspondences, what tool is used for what, what colour candle to burn or how to make a magic wand. Nor were we being told about the Wheel of the Year, or myths about the Gods- we could find out all that from books on Wicca. Likewise it was not about being told what to believe or towing the party line. Rather it was learning and practising the skills required for magic, meditation, visualisation and concentration. We looked into the function of Altered States of Consciousness and how to achieve them, of the functions of myth and ritual, not just in the Craft but also in religions and spirituality in general. We were asked to write our own personal myth to help us find patterns within our own lives, and thus change it if we wished. How can you change something if you unaware of it within yourself? Also we were taught how to write our own effective rituals.

Much of the training was about our self-actualisation and personal development. In particular we looked at Maslow’s model of self-actualisation and peak experiences. Dave and Tricia suggested that Witches were self-actualisers or at least were working towards it. We also spent a lot of time examining Carl Jung’s Depth Psychology. We looked at his model of the psyche, at owning our shadow, coming to terms and accepting and integrating those parts of ourselves that we dislike and often project onto others. We looked at our contra sexual side, that part of our psyche that is feminine if we are male and masculine if we are female, but at the same time realising that these are often culturally determined.

It is the path to individuation to identifying more fully with the whole of our psyche rather than just with the ego- giving us a more balanced personality and thus picture of the world. In that way we can deal with the world more wisely and act with self-determination. It wasn’t enough just to talk about it or to learn about it; rather we had to put it into practise in our own lives. This meant that we had to be very honest with ourselves; a process that continues throughout our lives.

Dave and Tricia said that it was a life long process of personal transformation, and self-knowledge, the start of which is initiation leading to individuation, and the identifying of self with the whole- pure mysticism. This was part of a mystery tradition; after all it was written above the temple of the mysteries, ‘Know thy self’. What isn’t so well known is what is written on the inside and is only seen by initiates, ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch!’

All this was tied to the myth of the wheel of the year. During training we discovered that the Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year had little to do with Celtic festivals as is often mentioned in Pop Wicca books. Rather the Wheel of the Year was like a big onion, multi layered. On the one hand it referred to the tides and season of the year, on another they referred to the mysteries of birth, sex, life, sacrifice (i.e. as in being a parent, putting your children first) , and death. On yet another it might refer to planning, putting into action, achievement and reflection forming a virtuous cycle, and so on and so on. We were encouraged to apply it to our own lives on the inner and outer levels.

We didn’t shy away from some of the topics that are often seen as taboo in Pop Wicca and Paganism in general. We learned about sacred sexuality, a quality very hard to define in words. Dave and Tricia spoke about the anima and animus our contra sexual sides, cultural memes of masculinity and femininity and how both need to be equally valued within us. We discussed the Lady and the Dark Horned Lord, within and without as metaphors of life, fertility, death and change.

We looked at the reasons for working sky clad that is ritually naked. This is something that is guaranteed to cause upset amongst Pop Wiccan, who sadly seem to have a fear of sexuality and sharing their whole selves (warts and all) within a coven. And who can blame them? Sexuality can be a very scary thing. But if we cannot truly love ourselves how can we truly love others? Craft is also about self-actualisation and self-empowerment, and sexuality is the fuel of the Craft. However it was also mentioned many times by Dave and Tricia that Witchcraft is not for everybody.

Another potentially upsetting subject was the subject of death. We were encouraged to learn about the nature of grief and how to help others and ourselves through it. We were also asked to write our own funerals. There were some really good reasons for this. It made us confront our own inevitable mortality in a healthy way. By directly thinking about our end gives more value to the present and allows us not to put off those things we would like to do. For me, it makes me extremely grateful that I am alive and have the opportunity to experience the wonder of the World, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’. It also gives loved ones something less to worry about in what is already a difficult time for them. By planning your own funeral and letting loved ones know what your plans are, means that they can just carry them out with little stress placed on deciding on what the deceased would have wanted.

However we had to bear in mind that funerals are not for the person that has died but for the people left behind. Sadly this was put into practise as in the training group after mine, a trainee tragically died. Since he had planed his own funeral and discussed it with his wife, a lot of the stress of preparation was taken away from her. He had done a good job of planning it and had put a lot of ‘fun’ back into ‘funeral’, there were a lot of tears of sadness and laughter that day.

It was all pretty practical stuff that we were being trained in, stuff that needed to be applied to our own lives. We also looked at plant identification and their uses for herbal medicine, magic and myth, at wine making and dowsing.

As Craft is a practical spirituality that deals in real life rather than fantasy, we also had ‘Tricia’s Topics’ every week. In this part of the evening we would discuss a current event, a life problem, a coven problem etc. The idea being that Craft needs to be grounded in the everyday world of real life- ‘Feet firmly on the ground and head among the stars’. Thank goodness there was no talk of fairies or how to make a wand with a crystal on the end.

Now I have heard Crafte training criticised, usually by people who have not undertaken it. One of the arguments put forward is that surely you do not need training to join a religion, after all who has ever heard of a Christian or a Muslim being trained. If you are talking about a religion I would one hundred percent agree with you, and for many Witchcraft and Wicca is seen as a religion. However we were not being trained in a religion, but rather an occult and mystery tradition. In the same way that Hermeticism, Cabbala, Tantra or Sufism are not religions, neither was the Craft I was trained in. Like all occult traditions one of its functions was a kind of reversed engineered mysticism. By understanding the metaphor of myth and ritual, by attuning to the changing seasons and re-experiencing and celebrating the lesser mysteries as contained in the metaphor of the Wheel of the Year, and working with certain techniques, we would come in time to have mystical experience which is a life transforming event. As such the trainers need to have undergone this process and have the necessary skills to practise magic, and had mystical experiences and experienced the mysteries themselves, how else could they pass them on and facilitate them on others? In the Craft, second best is never good enough. However, I should add that many people have spontaneous mystical experiences without any training.

As I came to the end of my training Dave and Tricia put me in touch with a Gardnerian Coven in East Anglia, whom I promptly contacted and asked if I could join (you are never invited to join a genuine coven- you have to ask) . Having had recommendations form Dave and Tricia they were happy to take me on, and I was initiated into the Gardnerian Witchcraft. I stayed with that Coven for five years and learnt an awful lot from them. However it became clear within the last couple of years that they were moving in another spiritual direction to myself. Therefore I decided to go back to Dave and Tricia to do their High Priestess and High Priest awareness course, which was also two years long. At the end of the course Dave and Tricia asked me if I would be happy to take over their training course for them, as they felt that they had done their bit for king and country, and I was happy to agree. As such I left the Gardnerian Group though we are still good friends and was initiated (after asking) into Dave and Tricia’s country coven in the north of Suffolk. I have been there for ten years so far and really love it. Every meeting I learn something new, and the people in the coven are exceptional; our HPS is the best I have ever worked under- who brings the rituals alive with a magic all of her own.

So now I have come full circle, I have been training potential new Witches for nine years some of which have joined the coven. I love doing it for several reasons. The most important ones being that over the two years trainees become really good friends. I also learn so much from the trainees myself and it really helps to keep my skills and ideas fresh. One of the greatest things about it is there is nothing more rewarding or satisfying than to see people work with the Craft, to see them use it to transform their lives and themselves, starting them on their own greatest adventure of their lives.

A Witch’s Calling


Author: Moon magik

From the moment we are born into this learning experience called life, most of us have our spiritual paths chosen for us. If your parents are Catholic, you’re going to be Catholic. If your parents are Baptist, you’re definitely going to be Baptist. Children have no choice to their own beliefs, because their parents require them to follow family tradition. We then grow up doing the same thing to our own children. There are very few people that grow up and just decide after 20 or 30 years that they do not believe what they were raised to believe. There are also some that grow up with absolutely no spirituality in their lives at all.

My mother and father were divorced just 8 months after I was born. My father raised me, because my mother was young and irresponsible and he wanted me to grow up in a good environment. During the first seven years of my life, we lived with my grandparents. My grandparents were Lutheran, so naturally my father was Lutheran as well. There was a Lutheran church conveniently located just a few houses down from our home.

I knew from a very young age that I did not belong in a Lutheran Church. Most Witches’ have a calling to the old ways and earth traditions at some point in their lives. I hated bible study and had no interest in learning about Christ. I didn’t know anything about Witchcraft, or have a clue that I would one day find myself casting spells in a circle on my bedroom floor. I just simply didn’t care for church. It wasn’t until I was about 11 years old when I started having dreams that I was magical.

It began sporadically and then eventually became an every night dream. In my dream I was standing in the middle of the woods during the peak of fall season. I was spinning in circles and dancing around trees. Every time I had the dream, I notice I had a wooden stick in my hand. I now realize the wooden stick was my wand. I went to the library one morning to check out a book on Diana Ross, because I had a book report for school due on the following Monday.

When I sat down at the table in the library there was one small paperback book left behind by what I’m assuming was a lazy citizen. The book was about Witchcraft. I was extremely intrigued, so I decided to check it out and bring it home to read.

When my father saw the book, he was very unsure whether he wanted to allow me to read it or not. I used my charm and wit to persuade him, plus he was the biggest push over ever. The strange thing is, my father told me just a few days ago, that a few years before I checked out that book, I was scolded for drawing pentacles on my bedroom door. He said he couldn’t figure out where I got the idea to draw pentacles. He said he would have not been so freaked out by the action if the drawings were only stars without circles around them. He understands a bit more now that I am 27 and he knows about my spiritual practices.

As I grew older my dreams became more vivid and lucid. I started having dreams of things before they would occur. My first prophetic dream was about my mother. In my dream, the doctor called me on the telephone and told me that my mom was going to die, because she had a tumor in her stomach. About two weeks later my mother had to go to the doctors, because her premenstrual cycle would not end. The doctors ran some test and then found that she had a large mass, the size of a baseball growing in her uterus. They advised her that she needed surgery immediately to get the mass out. My mother called me on the telephone afterwards to talk to me. She was astonished how similar my dream was to her situation.

The second dream was even scarier. I was blind. The only thing I could do was listen to the sounds that were around me. I heard screaming and arguing and then a blast of gunshots so close like the gun was going off next to my ear. The next morning I went to work and received a phone call from my mother in the middle of the day, which was very uncommon. When I answered, she was frantically crying. She proceeded to tell me that one of my closest friends was shot in the head in the middle of the night.

She explained to me that he was still alive, but he was in a coma and the doctors said we should come in and say our goodbyes, because they did not expect him to live through the day. We all gathered at the hospital for which turned out to be a week while he struggled to survive on life support. Finally, he woke up from the coma.

He could not speak, because he had a trachea tube in his throat, so none of us knew if he could hear us or not. A bandage covered his eyes, so we did not know if he could see us. The bullet in his head traveled back down the path in which it entered and actually fell out into the bandage that was wrapped around his head. The doctors did not have to perform any surgery because of that. Unfortunately once the bandage was removed we found out that he was blind.

I have accepted the fact that I am not a psychic. I cannot read tarot cards. I cannot read runes or tea leaves or make use of any other divining tool. The only thing that I have is my dreams. Therefore, I call myself a dream witch. I love witchcraft. I love the freedom of being solitary eclectic and choosing beliefs that make me feel comfortable.

I love the art and beauty of casting a circle and uniting myself with the Lord and the Lady to mold the energies of the universe for my intentions. I love herb magick and candle magick. I love every aspect of earth traditions and wish that more people would discover the beauty and mysticism that surrounds it.

I wish more people would give their children the knowledge and independence to explore different beliefs to decide what or whom they want to worship. Children continue to be lead into their predecessor’s political, social and religious views. I am not saying that I want everyone to follow the path of the ancient traditions; I am just concerned with the limited freedom we give in a country founded on freedom.

 

Fact Sheet on Crowley

by Mandrake

‘Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law’

Aleister Crowley (Edward Alexander Crowley) was born 12 October in the same year as the foundation of the Theosophical Society (1875), at Leamington Spa at 11.30pm. He was therefore a Libran with Pisces moon and Leo rising. Contrary to popular legend, he died on the 1st December 1947. A review in Cambridge University magazine Granta of 1904 provides some guidance on the pronunciation of the great man’s name: ‘Oh, Crowley, name for future fame!/(Do you pronounce it Croully?)/Whate’er the worth of this your mirth/It reads a trifle foully.’

The myth of the magus has grown to prodigious proportions in the half century or more since the old man’s death. Crowley is now firmly established in the popular mind as a folk hero (or anti hero?), transmogrified to an icon on a spectrum somewhere between ‘the sandman’ (Clive Barker version) and ‘the gringe’.

To many, Crowley’s magick (I am using the archaic form of the term as popularised by AC for technical reasons), provides a neat dividing line between some kind of urban high magical tradition and the supposedly more earth centred styles of neo-paganism. The truth is, as always, a lot more complex. Crowley’s magick draws all of it’s power from nature, see for example an ancient Egyptian formula: ‘so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: Upon the Earth and under the Earth; on dry land and in the Water: of whirling Air; and of rushing Fire and every spell and scourge of God may be obedient to Me.’ (1)

Crowley spent all of his moderately long life exploring countless dramatic astral and mundane landscapes in search of gnosis. It’s a shame he wasn’t a good enough travel writer to communicate fully in his many books the real majesty of nature. He seemed to go everywhere, from the deepest jungles to the highest mountains of the earth. An account from Jan Fries’ book Visual Magick, amply demonstrates that Crowley never quite lost the taste for the great outdoors and the spirits of nature. In 1925 the mage took the leadership of the ‘Fraternitas Saturni on a long walk up the garden path and into the forest. Whenever Uncle Aleister noticed a remarkable plant, stone or tree, he graciously lifted his hat to greet it. This bizarre behaviour apparently astonished his fellows. Some novices, we are told, dared to whisper “What is the master doing?” “The elemental spirits of nature have come to see the master” was the reply “and Sir Aleister is acknowledging their greeting.” The whole incident including a rather nice ritual is to be found in an article on ‘Pentagramme Magick’ in Praxis (1963).

Towards the end of his life Crowley began to lose interest in the Ordo Templi Orientis and other organisations he had fashioned as potential vehicles for the dissemination of the great work. He met Gerald Gardner and together they may have devised a plan to transform the OTO into a more popular witchcraft cult. Gardner duly bought a charter and rose rapidly through the grades, even travelling to America to meet other OTO initiates. Fred Lamond, one of Gardners first acolytes, recalls that American adept Jack Parsons looked very favourably on the idea of a new witch cult. If Crowley had lived long enough to complete Gardner’s training, modern paganism would undoubtedly look quite different, but that’s another story.

(1) From Liber Samekh, as adapted by Crowley from an ancient Hermetic fragment. The cosmology of the Egyptian original made no sense to Crowley’s teachers, hence his slight paraphase – the original reads: ‘so that every daimon, whether heavenly or aerial or earthly or subterranean or terrestrial or aquatic’.
Crowley Today
Aleister Crowley may have died in 1947, but his influence is still very much felt by the magician of the 1990s. The CD soundtrack The Beast Speaks sold 8000 copies since its release in 1993, and the paperback edition of Crowley’s Confessions was number two in Virgin Megastores top ten books. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the magician of the nineties is a slavish follower or member of some mind bending cult. Crowley’s word was Thelema (The Crowleian pronunciation is Theh-LEE-mah, the accent bewatching on the vowel of the second syllable, Greek speakers ay the accent should be on the vowel of the first syllable for it to be pronounced right….ThEH-lee-mah) – which means [free] Will. Those who choose to follow this magical path aim to de-condition themselves, to develop independence of spirit and ultimately to become their very own self. One of the many attractions of Crowley’s type of Magick, was this advice to follow one’s own way and create your own life style. You don’t need a priest or a judge to tell you how to act – work it out for yourelf.

As part of the process of developing self knowledge, Crowley advocated the practice of Magick. This he defined as ‘the science and art of causing change in conformity with will.’ The history of magick is the history of human beings. Many of the things that are now labelled ‘culture’ began as experiments in ritual and magick viz. drama, music, art, dance, philosophy and poetry etc., etc. Magick has played a role in many key moments of our history, for example during the fourteenth century, it was the philosophy of the Renaissance. In our own time, many modern art movements have been driven by magical ideas, for instance, the first abstract painting was made by the Theosophist Kandinsky. Magick is a valuable and reputable activity to undertake.

Crowley’s Books

Whatever else one can say about it, magick certainly is not a mass activity, neither is it a spectator sport. Magicians are in many localities in a minority of one and have to teach themselves the skills traditionally part of the art viz. trance, divination, invocation and creative imagination. The solitary magician gathers most of his or her information from books and Crowley made a substantial contribution to the vast number of books on the subject. Most of his books are now in print, something like 100 titles. The secondary literature of commentaries and studies, as one might expect after more than 50 years, is very extensive indeed. However there is no need to read everything the master wrote. There are a handful of key texts that should give you a good grounding in the man and his magick.

Sadly, there is still no really objective biography of Crowley. The standard biography is John Symonds’ The Great Beast, (lastest edition of which is entitled King of the Shadow Realm) which records all of the salient facts but is very hostile to Crowley’s ideas and therefore gives a lively but unbalanced picture. Jean Overton Fuller’s Magical Dilemma of Victor Neuburg is slightly more objective and written with much inside information. A modern attempt is the late Gerald Suster’s Legacy of the Beast, which is too short to cover all the facts, and too sycophantic -nevertheless, it is not without value. Gerald Suster also wrote Crowley’s entry in Dictionary of National Biography – Missing Persons (OUP 1993) which is also worth a read. Incidentally, 1993 was also the year in which Crowley made it to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations for the first time with his motto ‘Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.’

Several newer biographies have recently appeared, two in particular are worthy of note: Martin Booth, A Magick Life and said by some to be the best of the whole lot: Do What Thou Wilt by Lawrence Sutin for St Martin’s Press.

There is a 2004 reissue of Megatherion by Francis King, published by Creation Press, which was originally published in 1977 under the title The Magical World of Aleister Crowley. There is also an excellent study of Aleister Crowley’s followers in America during the Golden Age of Hollywood, entitled The Unknown God, W.T. Smith and the Thelemites by Martin P. Starr, published in 2003 by The Teitan Press, Inc.

The modern generation of Thelemites, admires something in the spirit of Crowley rather than the word. He could be a interesting writer but as is often the case, the present day re-working of his material is often easier to follow and less peppered by some of Crowley’s offensive cultural baggage. Writers such as Jan Fries in Visual Magick and Jack Parsons in Freedom is a Two Edged Sword, seem to have a better understanding of the magical philosophy for which Crowley was a conduit. However, you will undoubted want to make your own mind up in this, so apart from biography and if you have the stamina his massive autobiography, and the following are Crowley’s principal works.

1. Magick – alternatively called Magick in Theory and Practice -or Book Four. This is his textbook of magick, leads the reader from basic yoga techniques through Golden Dawn type ritual to his own unique gnostic rituals, many of them with veiled sexual content. But beware, this is not a book for the beginner and you might do well to ask a more experienced magician to suggest a study plan for it beginning with Liber O, or even look at some of the secondary literature first. For example see Lon DuQuette’s The Magick of Thelema or Israel Regardie’s Middle Pillar, Eye in Triangle, and others.

2. The Book of Thoth, along with the tarot cards of the same name, is his brilliant study of the tarot, difficult to follow in parts if you have no familiarity with his ‘Thelemic’ imagery, but well worth persevering with. The tarot deck he created with English ‘surrealist’ Lady Frieda Harris, is fast becoming the most widely used esoteric tarot deck in the world.

3. 777 and other Qabalistic Writings. A essential summary of his symbol system, which also contains a reprint of Mathers’ instructional essay on Qabalah.

4. Holy Books of Thelema – all brought together under one cover, including Liber al vel Legis – Book of the Law. The mystical poem that formed the core of Crowley’s magical system. ‘Delivered’ to him by discarnate entity Aiwass during one of the most important mystical experiences of his life.

Crowley’s People

There are a small but growing number of groups, based in this country that work with Crowley’s ideas. The following list is not exhaustive, but gives some of the main contact points. It is recommended that you do not atttempt to join all of them at once.

OTO This stands for Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Eastern Temple). A magical order, based on eastern eroto-gnostic techniques, some derived from Tantrism. Existed, long before Crowley came on the scene but soon became the principle vehicle for his magical work. Has undergone a big revival over the last ten years. Perhaps it is fortuititous that the OTO split into several rival tendencies following the death of Crowley’s successor, Karl Germer. Many magicians feel that magical orders, structured on medieval lines, may not be the appropriate vehicle for Thelema. But as things stand the aspiring candidate must make a choice after investigating and weighing up what both groups have to offer, if anything. In England there are two main groups claiming title to Crowley’s mantle: In other parts of Europe and the world, other OTOs exist and can claim priority. There are currently legal threats flying between these groups, so I hope I get it right.

i. OTO ‘Caliphate’ – BM Thelema, London WC1N 3XX – International HQ: Postfach 33 20 12 D-14180, Germany. More ‘traditional’ if it can be termed so. Uses original OTO Masonic style rituals and charges annual subscriptions and initiation fees.
ii. OTO ‘Typhonian’ BM Starfire, London WC1N 3XX. Ruled by famous occult scholar Kenneth Grant, whose book Aleister Crowley & the Hidden God, revolutionised the understanding of Crowley magick. Ditched the old Masonic style rituals in favour of the syllabus very like the Argentinum Astrum, i.e. individual graded magical practices leading to adeptship.

Non OTO Thelemic Groups
Apart from the ‘OTOs’ there are a number of ‘new wave’ magical groups and orders that are trying to refashion the occult community on more ‘rosicrucian’ lines, which seem more in tune with modern needs. Strict hierarchies, authoritarianism and obscurantism are definitely out. An honest attempt to build a fellowship or sodality of magicians is on the cards. Amongst these are:

Golden Dawn Occult Society
PO Box 250, Oxford, OX1 1AP. (email C/O Ogdos@mandrake.uk.net or http://www.uk.net/ogdos.htm. Offers a foundation course in magick and other training to associate members (associate membership is £5 pa.). Is part of a growing network of individuals and groups throughout Britain and all over the world. Online newsletter

Chaos Magic and the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT)
C/O, BM Sorcery, London WC1N 3XX, Another important new style of magick that has developed out of the Thelemic one. Other influences include new physics and European shamanism.

The Kaula-Nath Community (including AMOOKOS). C/O PO Box 250, Oxford, OX1 1AP. East- West tantrik groups, founded by Dadaji, one of Crowley’s disciple’s in the 1930s who, on the master’s advice, went to India and became a sadhu. A unique blend of western occultism with authentic magical Hinduism. Has an older equivalent of Crowley’s ‘Law of Thelema’ – viz: svecchacara – ‘the path of ones own will’.

Crowley and the Media
There has been precious little media attention to Crowley, there is still no film or documentary devoted in entirety to Crowley’s life. This situation is changing slowly. In year 2000, BBC Scotland made a short documentary about Boleskine, Crowley’s house on the banks on Loch Ness. The show was called The Other Loch Ness Monster, but the BBC have so far refused to show it outside of Scotland. Channel Four have filmed a more thoroughgoing documentary although broadcast has again been delayed due to editorial difficulties. It will eventually appear as part of a series dealing with occult themes. BBC Modern Times are currently filming a fifty minute piece on serious magick, which will include a fair amount of material on Crowley. There are been one or two short radio pieces and an interesting stage play by Snoo Wilson some time back. Snoo Wilson appeared in a fifteen minute broadcast for UK’s Channel 4 (text reprinted in Thelemic Magick I fromMandrake of Oxford.) Snoo Wilson’s Novel I Crowley, has been published to critical acclaim and should go into production as a feature film. It is based on events at the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily.
Obtaining Useful Books etc
Books by and about Crowley are now widely available in UK booksellers such as Waterstones, Borders, Ottakar’s etc. The best selection is still to be found in specialist bookshops such as the world famous Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum St, London WC1, and Watkins Bookshop, 19 Cecil Court, London WC2 4EZ, as well as several others throughout the UK. However, if you don’t live in London or getting to a bookshop is difficult, there are several good mail-order suppliers, including Mandrake of Oxford (mandrake@[removeme]mandrake.uk.net) which is run by and for working magicians. Information is available here on local stockists and sometimes links if you prefer to deal with a bookseller in your own country.

Advice on titles and merchandise is freely available from the Mandrake website clickhere

Love is the law, love under will

Fact Sheet © Golden Dawn Occult Society, PO Box 250, Oxford, OX1 1AP.

For more info please contact OGDOS C/O Mandrake@mandrake[removeme].uk.net

Pagan’s Point of Interest – Pagans and the Pledge of Allegiance

Pagans and the Pledge of Allegiance

By , About.com Guide

Recently, during a conversation about schools and the Pledge of Allegiance, someone casually said to me, “Oh, you don’t say it, though, right? Because you’re not a Christian?” It wasn’t said in a confrontational way at all, but I was kind of surprised by the logic behind the statement. On thinking about it, I suspect it may not be an uncommon attitude among people who don’t know anything about Paganism.

Let’s face it, the Pledge of Allegiance can be a pretty hot-button issue for some folks. After all, there’s that whole separation of church and state bit, and here we are asking our children to recite an oath to the United State which includes a reference to what is clearly the Christian deity. But — much like other controversial issues in today’s society — there’s no big rulebook that says “Pagans can’t say the Pledge of Allegiance!”

The Pledge of Allegiance is actually based upon a poem written by a Baptist minister in 1892. Originally, it read as follows: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That was it. No mention of God, or even the United States itself. The reference to the “flag of the United States of America” was added in the early 1920s. During the Communist uproar of the 1950s, the words “under God” were added by Congress, turning the simple pledge into what some people see as public prayer.

So — do Pagans say the Pledge of Allegiance? I spoke to a few Pagans from around the country to see how they would respond to this issue, and the answers might surprise you.

Morgaine S., a Wiccan from Summerville, South Carolina, said, “I’m a Navy veteran and so is my husband, and I do love my country. I wouldn’t feel right about not saying the Pledge when asked to. I say the Pledge, but when I do I say “under my gods,” rather than the “under God” that everyone else says.”

A ceremonial magician who asked to be identified only as Lucius has just the opposite perspective. He said, “I don’t say the Pledge at all, because if you have to tell someone to pledge their allegiance, it’s meaningless. An oath of allegiance, whether it involves a god or not, should be voluntary and not something I’m compelled to do.”

Finally, Justyn Raine is a Pagan from California who says it doesn’t matter what god is referred to in the Pledge. “I say “under God,” because in my heart I know I’m referring to my god, not someone else’s. If you believe in any god at all, you can say the Pledge of Allegiance as it’s written.”

So, what does this mean to people who are wondering if they should say the Pledge? Political opinions aside, it’s a matter that’s a personal one — if you feel comfortable with saying the Pledge as it is currently written, go ahead. If you’d like to substitute your own deity’s name — or the phrase “under gods” instead — then do so. Likewise, if you don’t believe you should say the Pledge at all — for whatever reason — then don’t do it. The choice is yours — after all, in the United States we have the freedom to speak (or not speak) as our conscience guides us.

Pagan Points Of Interest – Buncombe County School Board Updates

Buncombe County School Board Updates

By , About.com Guide

In early 2012, About Pagan/Wiccan followed the case of the Buncombe County School Board, in Asheville, NC, where there’s been a controversy brewing regarding the distribution of Bibles in public schools.

On December 23, 2011, we ran a story about Ginger Strivelli, a Pagan mom who complained after her son was handed a Bible in public school. School officials didn’t seem to understand what the problem is. Strivelli said her fifth-grade son and his classmates were invited to leave their classroom to go down to the school office and get a free Bible. The Bibles were donated by the Gideons.

When Strivelli complained to the principal, Jackie Byerly, about the sheer inappropriateness of this, Byerly told her that the Bibles were not just handed out, but that students were given a choice as to whether they took them or not.

Strivelli said her son’s teacher announced that students could leave go get a Bible from the school’s main office. She says that once everyone else left, her son did too – and after all, it was a chance to get out of class for a while. Strivelli said her complaint is not an attack on Christianity. “I would be just as angry if it had been Jewish, Hindu, Pagan or Muslim,” she said.

At that time, the school district said that their policy was inclusive, and that literature from any religion was welcome – however, when Strivelli went to drop off some Pagan books, the school quickly told her that the material would not be distributed, because the district was reviewing their policy on religious materials in schools.

In January, the district announced they would be considering restrictions on a number of religious activities in the schools – from chaplains leading prayer with football teams to choral groups singing Christian hymns at Christmas concerts. District officials said they recognized that including religious materials in a public school setting could open them up for a potential lawsuit.

At the school board meeting in February, 2012, Strivelli attended, along with Pagan blogger Angela Pippinger, and local priestess Byron Ballard. That’s when things got really heated – Pippinger, who live-blogged the entire meeting, said there were times she was concerned for her physical safety.

On March 1, the school board met again, and this time the numbers were a bit more balanced. Many members of a variety of faiths showed up in support of the board’s new policy of neutrality, and voices were heard from both sides. However, the majority of the room was clearly of a fundamentalist bent. Angela Pippinger and I were able to live blog the whole thing on Twitter and Facebook. Since many readers do not use either, I’ve consolidated my updates here:

  • (6:00 pm) So I’m here in Asheville NC, at the Buncombe County School Board offices, waiting for their meeting to begin. It’s starting to fill up. Should be some interesting stuff!
  • Holy guacamole! I’m in the Buncombe County offices, and can’t access my own website, because it’s labeled as “occult.” Oddly, you can get to all the other Religion Channel pages at About.com. Go figure. They did allow us to submit a request asking that it be unblocked, but it takes 24 hours for review.
  • Law enforcement is present tonight too. At least two police officers in the meeting room and may be more outside. Word is the Asheville PD is pretty good about keeping control. Nice to see you, guys! Been corrected, it’s not APD, but county sheriff. Big dudes.
  • (6:30 pm) Room is pretty much at capacity. Should be getting started any time. Thanks to everyone for all the support! I’m so impressed by the folks I’ve met so far in Asheville. Lots of people from different religions showing up.
  • Meeting begins with a moment of silence. Which isn’t really silent because there are lots of muttered prayers.
  • (6:45 pm) Board has made revisions on policy and tabling vote until next month. Discussion only tonight. They’re talking about regular curriculum and ed stuff right now, so that will go on for a while. Public commentary should open up in a little bit, so we’ll add more updates as that part of the meeting starts. Apparently they’re going to revise it and vote on the policy as a whole, rather than just voting on the changes.
  • (7:00 pm) Board is watching an absolutely fantastic video presentation on bullying – made by 3rd graders! Wondering if adults in the room are taking notes. “The power of courage grows when we work together and stand up for our friends.” ~random cute 3rd grader. How very appropriate.
  • Comments getting ready to start! Amethyst Strivelli will be second speaker. Her mom, Ginger, is sitting by me, and brought this whole issue to our attention. Right now a rep for “more than 50 pastors and churches” in the area is addressing board. Amethyst Strivelli speaking to board – HS student. Says many kids in school, many religions. “Minority has freedom of speech too. Claire, HS Student, raised Catholic: Schools should remain neutral towards any religion.
  • Sylvia, former teacher: encourage students/parents/staff to read Constitution, and not give up rights. Sylvia wants everyone to pray because the constitution says we’re allowed to. Bible enhances educational policy.
  • Marvin thinks bullying would go away if 10 Commandments were still hanging on the walls. He wants to know if we have freedom of religion, or whether gov is restricting freedom to practice. Marvin says Ginger didn’t go to the principal of school, went to news instead. Except, uh, she DID go to principal. Jerry says there’s “community support” for what he believes in. Christ will live forever. Lots of AMENS.
  • Patrick, a Heathen: speaking in favor of revised policy 652, not b/c it is pro- or anti-anything, but b/c it is pro-Constitution. Points out policy of “neutrality” is crucial. Patrick: responsibility of teaching religion belongs in homes and churches, not the public school system. “With liberty and justice for all,” right?
  • Rabbi Rob in support of policy: 1st Am is critical foundation for a truly democratic society. Contradiction between liberty for all and imposition upon the rights of others. Rabbi Rob: Schools are only free of bullying if it is a place that is safe for ALL, where students can live up to full potential.
  • Unknown gentleman speaker: Doesn’t like the idea of taking religion out of school. Mistakes made when prayer taken out of school. upset because students got assignment re Flying Spaghetti Monster. This is a religion and he doesn’t like it.
  • Ashley Carter points out he is indeed named Ashley and is a dude. Church/state sep is a 2way bridge. Officials protecting religion.
  • Karen says Christianity is our heritage. I’m not sure whose heritage, but she’d like Christians to have a chance to pass stuff out.
  • Pastor Rusty: size of crowd indicates this is important. Lots of AMENs. Reminds us of vote coming up in November. Says if you try to stop a coach from praying with students, you are infringing his right to practice as he sees fit. Unknown female commenter: many Christian students have faced discrimination because of fear. She says Christians are usually the ones whose rights get ignored in today’s society. Unknown gentleman: Thanks board for meeting with pastors to address concerns. Wants to protect students rights to do stuff like See You At the Pole.
  • Angela Pippinger addressing board: if another religion’s group had passed stuff out, people would have complained. She adds that school mission statement: helps to create a safe environment for ALL students. Think about all kids, not just one group.
  • Carol, an attorney who works with interfaith groups: with diversification of county, we now exp what it is to learn about others. Carol says new policy balances competing interests as reflected in 1st Am. Wants grandkids in a school respectful of many faiths.
  • Christina, HS student: believes in civil rights of all people, if policy supports neutrality, students appreciate that. Says kids get bullied for religion. Finds it ‘ludicrous’ that adults can be so disrespectful and petty and insulting others’ beliefs. Adds that it is not a teacher’s place to influence children with their own beliefs. “I go to school to better myself with education.”
  • Byron Ballard: supports new religious diversity policy. Points out that some adherents to majority religions think minorities are a threat. Byron says in culture where school bullying is on the upswing, kids need to be safe @ school.
  • Ginger Strivelli to board: parents of many faiths are supportive, but many afraid to stand up. Family is being tormented. Christians are not losing rights, they are losing special privileges. District money may end up paying for lawsuit.
  • Weston: religion has been very important in history. Never saw religion in his science classes. Teach it along with evolution.
  • Unidentified female speaker: it’s not a bad thing for kids to receive the word of God. But schools are not the place for it. Kids don’t know how to defend themselves if they’re not part of the majority. Will fight for your right to raise your kids any way you like, but don’t tell others how to raise their kids.
  • Unknown male speaker: kids need to learn how to fight and how to “give it back.” What does this policy say about the Bible? Now he says democracy and the majority crucified his Savior. That’s what a democracy is, and wants to know if people are gonna put up with that. This gentleman says Christians have been silent too long. Not sure if we’ve been attending the same meeting.
  • Board resumes meeting after ten minute recess. Most of the church crowd has left, room looks remarkably empty. Public commentary has ended for now.

The Buncombe County School Board will be meeting once again in April, and at that time the new policy will be voted on as a whole. Updates will be posted at that time.

Daily Feng Shui Tip for Monday, June 4th

Is it a coincidence that ‘Audacity to Hope Day’ falls on the same date as ‘Old Maid’s Day?’ In any case, there’s nothing audacious about hoping to find the perfect partner who brings joy to your life. In fact, Feng Shui says go ahead and hope away, especially if you take an empowering step towards engaging the mate of your dreams. This philosophy says that single women looking to land a partner should affix two pink peonies (or an image of peonies) directly outside and to the left (as you’re looking in) of your bedroom door. Seal the deal by saying the secret ‘Six True Words’ mantra of ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ nine times in succession. Do you believe? I do!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for June 4 is 10: Treading Carefully

10: Treading Carefully

Hexagram 10

General Meaning: People of ability find their way and make progress even in difficult circumstances. Consider your steps carefully when you are surrounded by changing forces. Weak and strong forces (or people) can co-exist when the weaker element does not impose upon the stronger, when the weaker maintains good humor and avoids taking bold action. When treading among sleeping tigers — or slippery stones — step gingerly and don’t stumble.

In the company of strong, brash people, rushing wildly ahead brings misfortune. Now is not a good time for taking the initiative; rather, try getting by with a little grace and good humor. In the court of a powerful king, the jester often has more power than the prince.

Today’s Runes for Monday, June 4 is Ger

 

Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Ger is one of the runes that touches on the cycles of the year, in this case the fall harvest. These cycles are eternal, which is represented in the rune by the fact that it is unchanged by reversal. Ger can represent pregnancy or other forms of fruitfulness, and is especially indicative of the cycles of providence and karma – that which has been sown is now being reaped. This rune can also represent the cycles of wealth, for crops were frequently a sign of wealth.

Today’s Tarot Card for June 4th is The Star

The Star

This Tarot Deck: Celestial

General Meaning: What has traditionally been known as the Star card is about reconnecting one’s Soul with the Divine — the transcending of personality, family, community and reputation. It has to do ultimately with the freedom to be one’s Self. The Soul is responding to celestial influences — forces that can provide the personality with a stronger sense of purpose. The Star card helps us to remember our exalted origins and our attraction to a Higher Union.

This card could also be called the “Celestial Mandate” — that which refers us back to our reason for being, our mission in this lifetime. The Star reminds us that, in a sense, we are agents of Divine Will in our day-to-day lives. If we let go of the idea that we are supposed to be in control, we can more easily notice and appreciate the synchronicities that are nudging us along. In this way, we become more conscious of the invisible Helping Hand, and we better understand our place within — and value to — the larger Cosmos.

Your Weekly General Horoscopes for June 4

Aries

A pair of eclipses will add a lot of intensity to the week, especially as they fall on opposite sides of the sky and therefore in opposition. The week begins with Monday’s lunar eclipse in an adventurous part of your chart, which is likely to evoke a sense of wanderlust and a severe case of Mondayitis, as well as challenging your excuses. However, it’s the much rarer Venus eclipse on Wednesday that brings heart and reality together, in an area of your chart where you’re most able to find your voice. It is words or ideas that you’ve been suppressing that will suddenly find their time. In all matters it’s communication that dominates this week, leading the way into a new era of connecting. Eclipse energy might stir things up and get the ball rolling, but it’s up to you to run with this.

Taurus

With a lunar eclipse in your financial sector on Monday and a much rarer Venus eclipse in your income sector on Wednesday will see money matters dominate. Monday’s lunar eclipse is likely to bring things on both the income and financial fronts to a head, while Wednesday’s Venus eclipse is likely to act as a trigger or a catalyst, just 6 days before lucky Jupiter is due to reach your income sector. Yet while money matters are likely to dominate this is not the only show in town, with Jupiter’s last week in your sign all about taking ownership of the future and making sure that in all aspects of your life that you’re on the path you want to continue on. With the door open to second chances on the income and work fronts and your romantic and creative passions returning, anything is possible.

Gemini

At some point during your birthday month you’ll be confronted by a Full Moon that challenges your intentions for your new solar year and provides the wakeup call that makes sure you’re not asleep at the wheel, moving into your new solar year on autopilot. That Full Moon falls on Monday, except instead of an ordinary Full Moon this is a lunar eclipse, with the messages it brings much louder and harder to ignore. This is just 2 days before Wednesday’s much rarer Venus eclipse, which sees Venus literally traverse across the Sun and the nearly 7 hours this will take your heart’s desires and your realities, as well as the past and future will all come together. With the Sun in direct and Venus in retrograde motion, all of a sudden you’re able to see where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Cancer

Just as your professional year should be slowing down, things heat up again with a lunar eclipse in your work sector on Monday. With the Moon not even returning to your work sector until the day of the eclipse, this might catch you off guard, with a need to move into the new week with an open mind, especially when it comes to work matters. The Moon will remain in your work sector until Wednesday, giving you time to work with whatever Monday’s eclipse triggers. It’s on Thursday that Mercury’s return to your sign brings the first direct planetary support you’ve had since September 2011, as well as bringing you to your smartest and most intellectually savvy point in the year. This gives you a chance to break through the nostalgia and reflective web that you’ve been enveloped in.

Leo

There is something magical in the air this week and it comes just as Jupiter is spending his last week in your career sector and when you most need to remain plugged in professionally. Yet a pair of eclipses, one in your romantic sector and the other in a social and serendipitous part of your chart won’t let you get away with life becoming all work and no play. A week of intense eclipse energy kicks off with a lunar eclipse in your romantic sector on Monday, bringing things on the personal, romantic and creative fronts to a head or to a turning or tipping point. It’s during Wednesday’s much rarer Venus eclipse that the laws of attraction and synchronicity come together, as well as the past, future and present. During both eclipses there’s a need to take your hands off the wheel.

Virgo

The week is being dominated by a pair of eclipses, something incredibly rare as a lunar and solar eclipse will always fall 2 weeks apart. You’ll get two this week because while Monday’s eclipse is a lunar eclipse, Wednesday’s eclipse is a much rarer Venus eclipse. Falling on opposite sides of the sky and with opposite agendas, this may create some complications and some work/life balance pressure. For while Monday’s lunar eclipse falls in your home and family sector, Wednesday’s Venus eclipse falls in your career sector and it puts forces on both fronts into conflict. Yet with Jupiter returning to your career sector next week finding that balance is a must, for while your professional star is on the rise, it doesn’t require the sacrifices or the all or nothing approach of the past.

Libra

Your week kicks off with a lunar eclipse in your communication sector, taking what an ordinary Full Moon will do in terms of giving you a chance to clear the air and express yourself, to a whole new level. This comes just 2 days before Wednesday’s much rarer Venus eclipse with Venus, planet of desire and your ruling planet moving across the face of the Sun, in your sector of travel, adventure, learning and discovery. This will put all your desires and realities on the same page, just 6 days before Jupiter, planet of luck is due to return to kick off your most adventurous and expansive 12 months in over a decade. Life is waking you up to what you’ve been missing out on and how bold, rich and colourful it can be. All of a sudden simply going through the motions is no longer enough.

Scorpio

Having two eclipses in one week is something unheard of, for a lunar and solar eclipse can’t fall any more nor less than 2 weeks apart and even more so when these two eclipses fall in your 2 money houses. This is putting a lot of focus on your money game this week and with so much eclipse energy, is likely to bring things to a turning or tipping point. The week begins with a lunar eclipse in your income sector, which has the power to trigger anything building or pending and can often unblock and get things moving. It’s Wednesday’s much rarer Venus eclipse in your financial sector that brings things to a major tipping point, just 6 days before Jupiter’s return kicks off your luckiest and most expansive financial year in over a decade. At the same time this is a pivotal relationship week.

Sagittarius

The halfway point of your solar year is always marked by a Full Moon in your sign, which puts the Sun on the opposite side of the sky and at the halfway point from your last solar return and your next. With the Sun and Moon in opposition this brings the wake up calls required to ensure that you’re on track and a reminder of the intentions you moved into this current solar year with. That Full Moon falls on Monday, but goes one step further to form the first lunar eclipse in 2012, with the wake up calls much louder and clearer. They have to be, for they’re not only competing with a lot of relationship focus, but a much rarer Venus eclipse in your relationship sector on Wednesday. With lucky Jupiter reaching your relationship sector next week, things reach an early tipping point.

Capricorn

The 2 eclipses likely to dominate things this week are not only on opposite sides of the sky but on opposite sides of the spectrum, in terms of the influence. The week begins with Monday’s lunar eclipse in an intuitive, reflective and internally focused area of your chart, taking the Full Moon that will always fall here during the Sun’s month long visit to your work sector to a whole new level. This is a lunar eclipse that asks you to pull back, to question a lot of your beliefs and to stop what you’re doing, step back and take time to hear yourself think. This is in complete contrast to Wednesday’s much rarer Venus eclipse, which falls in your work sector. This will bring a new level of clarity on the work front, giving you a new sense of where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Aquarius

You are experiencing the ultimate of ironies this week. After no planetary activity in either of your professional houses since last November, Mercury’s return to your work sector on Thursday will kick off the first professional planetary activity in 2012. However this comes in a week where a pair of very magical eclipses will draw your attention and focus to anything but your job. The week kicks off with a lunar eclipse in a social and serendipitous part of your chart and while a lunar eclipse will always bring the element of fate into play, this one will also unleash the laws of synchronicity. Wednesday’s much rarer Venus eclipse falls in your romantic and creative sector, just 6 days before Jupiter kicks off your luckiest year for love and for all things heart related.

Pisces

Experiencing 2 eclipses in one week is not something that you’ll see every day if at all, yet that’s what you have and it’s the fact that they fall on opposite sides of the sky that will keep you on your toes. The week kicks off with a lunar eclipse in your career sector, bringing forces or matters that have been building behind the scenes to a head or to a turning or tipping point. With Mercury returning to your work sector 3 weeks later, this will give your professional game a much needed shot in the arm. Yet just 2 days later a much rarer Venus eclipse will fall in your home and family sector, bringing the focus back to matters on the home front. Even Monday’s lunar eclipse will put direct pressure on the Sun here, bringing any work/life matters to a head, where they can be resolved.

Your Daily Horoscopes for Monday, June 4

Aries

Today’s Full Moon is a lunar eclipse, with deep links to a force that has been trying to get to the surface for too long now and finally finds a crack in your resistance. It’s a sense of adventure that interlaced with today’s moonbeams will soak into your pores and into your very being, making it hard to hide behind your excuses. Whether it’s a sense of wanderlust or curiosity that has you in its grasp, dare to follow where it takes you.

Taurus

It was 2 weeks ago to the day that the Sun and Moon not only returned to your income sector but aligned to form a solar eclipse and now the tables have turned, with a lunar eclipse in your financial sector. This time, instead of the Sun and Moon aligned they’re in opposition, bringing forces on the income and financial fronts to a head and into conflict. As a super charged Full Moon, this has the power to bring financial matters to a tipping or turning point.

Gemini

Today’s lunar eclipse in your relationship sector is the last before the North Node leaves in August and therefore the last in a series of eclipses here to help point things in the right direction or put things on the right path. As a super charged Full Moon, with deep links to forces that have been building on the relationship front, behind the scenes, this is more the tip of an iceberg, giving you insight into what’s happening beneath the surface and behind the scenes.

Cancer

It was nearly 4 weeks ago that an active and defining 3 professional months ran their course, but the Moon’s return to your work sector today and the lunar eclipse this creates is throwing one final wildcard on the table. Until now there is likely to have been a sense that a piece of the puzzle was missing, but as it’s played today and things come to a head everything is now on the table. This could bring things on the work front to a tipping or turning point.

Leo

Just as you’re fighting to find the right balance between work and play today’s Full Moon is likely to influence which way the scales tilt, even if it is just temporarily. No ordinary Full Moon but instead a lunar eclipse in a romantic, playful and creative part of your chart, this will unleash strong and previously suppressed feelings, giving you a clear sense of what you want and need. This makes listening to your heart a must today.

Virgo

Just when you’re ready to fly professionally, today’s lunar eclipse in your home and family sector brings a reminder of the need for the right work/life balance. Just 2 weeks ago the Moon aligned with the Sun just after returning to your career sector, forming a solar eclipse that opened some major new doors. Now the Moon is directly challenging the Sun, making sure your home and professional lives are evenly balanced.

Libra

A Full Moon in your communication sector will always bring an interesting mix of intuition and logic, imagination and intelligence together in a smart, intellectually savvy and articulate part of your chart, creating just enough pressure to push through your excuses. Today’s Full Moon is a little stronger as it’s a lunar eclipse, creating a chance to clear the air and get unsaid words off your chest.

Scorpio

At a time when there is a lot of focus on your financial situation as a whole, the Moon’s return to your income sector and the lunar eclipse this creates brings a chance to put things into perspective. While this puts the Sun and Moon in opposition and may create some financial pressure, it’s also likely to create a breakthrough on the income front and provide some timely financial wake up calls. The money gods are making sure you’re not asleep at the wheel.

Sagittarius

The halfway point in every solar year is marked by a Full Moon in your relationship sector, which puts the Moon in your sign and the Sun on the other side of the sky and halfway through your 12 month solar year. That point is reached today, but for the second year in a row it’s not marked by a Full Moon, but by a lunar eclipse, bringing much louder and stronger wake up calls. No matter what buttons are being pushed, it’s because too much is on offer to remain on autopilot.

Capricorn

Today’s Full Moon is packing a little more punch than is usually the case, due to the fact that this is not only a lunar eclipse, but the second lunar eclipse in an intuitive part of your chart in as many years. This is a Full Moon that works from within, stirring up strong emotional and intuitive responses that can bring unexpected shifts in perception. As the truth dawns this may challenge previous perceptions, but a truth once heard can’t be ignored.

Aquarius

There is a powerful mix of fate and synchronicity in the air today as today’s Full Moon, a powerful Wishing Moon, morphs into a lunar eclipse. Falling in a social and serendipitous part of your chart, that rules your hopes and wishes, this lunar eclipse will provide an outlet or a trigger for forces that have been building behind the scenes. While the chances are high for some serendipitous moments or encounters today, they shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

Pisces

Just 3 weeks before new doors are due to open on the work front, the Moon not only returns to your career sector today but becomes first a Full Moon and then a lunar eclipse. This is likely to see everything that has been building on the career front since late last year and behind the scenes since then come to a head and as the last lunar eclipse here for several years, will bring things to a turning or tipping point.

Your Pet’s Weekly Horoscopes for June 4

Aries

If one eclipse can play havoc with my nerves, then 2 in one week is really going to drive me nuts, especially as they are sending conflicting signals. It’s when I feel a little out of control and I can’t understand what I’m feeling, that I gain a sense of security and safety from everything around me remaining the same. It’s routine and all things predictable that will save my sanity this week.

Taurus

Strong forces in the air this week are unlikely to rattle me, which is surprising as I’m usually quite prone to the effect that eclipses have on me. This time around this is going to infuse me with a new sense of confidence and see a desire for change fill me with a sense of entitlement. Expect me to turn into a bit of a diva this week, wanting my own way and very sure about what I do and don’t like.

Gemini

My birthday month reaches a critical point this week, where I’m being influenced by forces that make me feel threatened and by those that fill me with confidence and a clear sense of what I do and don’t like. One minute I seem fragile and in need of reassurance and the next I’ll be ready to take on the world. They don’t call me the sign of the Twins for nothing, with both sides of my personality coming out this week.

Cancer

Don’t be surprised if Monday’s lunar eclipse inspires a burst of activity from me, especially as until then you may be worried that I’m becoming a little too lazy and a little too fond of dozing and my all day naps. If you want to encourage me to move more and get active, then the early days of the week are the best, when you’re more likely to catch me in the right frame of mind. By mid week I’ll be wondering what came over me.

Leo

A sense of playfulness and a desire to exercise my social butterfly wings becomes unplugged this week, moving to extremes. I’m in such a need for fun that you might even find me howling at the Moon, especially during Monday’s lunar eclipse in a fun and playful part of my chart. An even rarer Venus eclipse in a social part of my chart will have me just as eager to be the centre of attention.

Virgo

Any week that has 2 eclipses is going to rattle me, as it will all pets and even you humans, but I’ll cope best if I have some predictability and balance. Chances are this will turn me into a bit of a home body, feeling best when I’m surrounded by all things familiar. Yet by midweek I’m likely to find my inner confidence, doing a complete flip flop and demanding my independence.

Libra

I’ve been under the spell of a sense of adventure and wanderlust for some time, but this week the voice in my head just won’t keep quiet, telling me to just ‘go for it’. While I’m normally well behaved and enjoy having rules and boundaries and enjoy even more the ‘atta girls’ or ‘atta boys’ I get when I abide by them, my inner gypsy is just too strong to be ignored.

Scorpio

If you’re looking to introduce change into my life, then strike while the iron is hot this week. I’m not only more open to change this week but actually want you to bring it on, but I’m going to have a boost in confidence to help me cope with getting what I wish for. For while I want change it’s just as scary for me as it is for you, with an extra dose of confidence a useful panacea.

Sagittarius

I’m so ready to stand up for myself this week, saying ‘no’ when you try and tell me what I should do or to get what I want when you try and stop me, that I’m likely to do just that whether you do or not. Even when you’re not trying to be the boss of me I’ll be standing up and telling you that you can’t. So yes, I am going to get a little loopy this week, but I blame it on all the eclipse energy in the air.

Capricorn

You may start to wonder if my missing twin has all of a sudden showed up from out of the blue and that at times we’re switching places, just to play with you. For while there will be two sides to me this week, they are so extreme and are likely to flip flop so much, that you may be left wondering which is the real me. At times you’ll get the action me, running around like an Eveready Bunny, while at other times you’ll get the sloth.

Aquarius

Whether I’m normally shy and hesitant when there are strangers around or not, my social butterfly wings will be getting a full work out this week. There is a sense of fun in the air this week that I’ll want to tap into, so much so that I’ll be afraid of missing out on anything, showing up just in case. This is being spurred on by a lunar eclipse in a social part of my sign on Monday, which will help me to come out of my shell.

Pisces

Pets and animals as a whole have a sixth sense, relying on and trusting our instincts, which has served us well for thousands of years and works well for me now, knowing how to wrap you around my little finger. Us Piscean pets are even more sensitive, but the downside is that I pick up on everything and with two eclipses this week my senses will be going haywire. This may play havoc with my nerves, but keeping things as routine as possible is all the panacea I need.

Your Weekly Career Horoscopes for June 4

Aries

The Moon’s visit to your career sector from Wednesday to Friday will not only sharpen your professional instincts and give you a chance to get your bearings on career matters and situations it will have a big impact on things on the income and work fronts. The Moon returns to your career sector on the same day that Mars, warrior planet of the cosmos moves into his last 4 weeks of his 8 month visit to your work sector and just when you’re ready to put everything you have into everything you do. This will give you the insight to pick your battles wisely, making it important to have your finger on the pulse and your ear to the ground. This is the Moon’s last visit to your career sector before Jupiter leaves your income sector next Tuesday, giving you an intuitive sense of where the money is.

Taurus

You reach two important road markers on the work front this week, just as you’re moving into one very powerful and auspicious week on the income front. With Jupiter, planet of luck returning to your income sector next week, you’re on the doorstep of some very auspicious times on the income front and it seems you’ll have the professional clout to back it up. It’s on Monday that Saturn reaches a point where he’s just 3 weeks away from turning direct in your work sector, while on the same day Mars reaches a point where he’s just a month to the day away from arriving. This sets the scene for a massive turnaround on the work front early next month, which income forces are already lining up for. Use the chance you have now, while the doors to the past are still open, to work behind the scenes.

Gemini

After the Moon spent the weekend in your work sector you’re able to move into the new week with your finger on the pulse, your ear to the ground and your instincts sharp. Monday is when your instincts will be the sharpest and it’s also the day when Neptune will be spending his last full day in direct motion in your career sector, before turning retrograde on Tuesday. Still in direct motion but at a standstill, but not yet in retrograde motion so not yet able to retrace your steps, Monday provides an opportunity to simply stay in the moment and with the Moon having just left your work sector, you’ll have your finger on the pulse and your ear to the ground. It’s from Thursday that you’ll have a chance to focus more on where the money is, with a smart head for money kicking in.

Cancer

Your week begins with a lunar eclipse in your work sector, which may take you by surprise considering the Moon only returns on Monday, the day of the lunar eclipse. It’s where things have been building behind the scenes, either on or off your radar, that eclipse energy has the power to bring things to a head or to a turning or tipping point. Even though the day might pass uneventfully, you’ll eventually look back at this time and recognise it for the turning point it actually is. With the Moon not returning to your work sector until Monday that means it will stay on until Wednesday, giving you a further 2 days to digest any strong messages and insights. As with all eclipses it’s important to get out of the way and let what is meant to be, be.

Leo

This is your last week to give your professional year as much of a push as possible but chances are, if you’ve been working with the stars over recent months there might not be much left in the tank, in which case it’s more about tying up loose ends. For this is Jupiter, planet of luck’s last full week in your career sector and when he leaves next Tuesday, he won’t return until 2023 and with no planetary activity here at all until April 2013, things will ease right back. It’s the Moon’s visit to your work sector from Wednesday to Friday that gives you a chance to touch bases with Pluto and forces on the work front, for from next week this is what will keep your professional game on track. This week is all about tying up loose ends and putting them on the path you want them to continue on.

Virgo

This week is being dominated by a pair of eclipses, both having an impact on your professional game but in very, very different ways. The week begins with Monday’s lunar eclipse putting direct pressure on the Sun in your career sector, bringing any work/life balance issues to a head. But considering what’s coming, this gives you a chance to tweak things before things really start to move. It is Wednesday’s eclipse that will have the biggest direct impact on your professional game, for this is a rare Venus eclipse in your career sector, not to be repeated in your lifetime. With Jupiter, planet of luck and expansion returning to your career sector next week Wednesday’s eclipse will get things moving ahead of time. This will bring both your professional desires and realities to a head.

Libra

This is one week when a one size fits all approach won’t suit, for there is a divergence taking place that will see things on the work and career fronts go in different directions. You’ve had no planetary activity in your career sector since September 2011, so as you move into the new week the focus is as it has been all year, on matters on the work front. But Neptune’s retrograde turn in your work sector on Tuesday will almost see work forces drop back, making room for new doors to open on the career front. For just 2 days after Neptune turns retrograde in your work sector, giving you a chance to work behind the scenes, Mercury returns to your career sector. Mercury’s return on Thursday unlocks the door to new opportunities and the 3 most important career months of the year.

Scorpio

The closer you get to Mercury’s return to your career sector on the 26th June, which is a lot closer than it sounds and is in just 3 weeks from Tuesday, the closer you get to the next professional surge. It wasn’t even a month ago that an active 3 months on the work front ran its course and with the next surge on the horizon, what you really need is a chance to work behind the scenes and with the cards already on the table. While work pressures won’t peak until later in the month, just days before Mercury is due to reach your career sector, it will begin building this week. Refuse to see this as a sign that you can’t afford to rest on your laurels, though use it to remain on your toes. A lunar eclipse in your income sector on Monday should bring some interesting developments into play.

Sagittarius

With Jupiter, planet of luck spending his last full week in your work sector and Mars, warrior planet of the cosmos reaching a point on Monday where there’s just a month left before he leaves your career sector, each will be fighting for your attention and for rights to make their agenda the more urgent one. Yet with Jupiter in your work sector since last June and Mars in your career sector since last November most of your cards will already be on the table. It’s on the work front that there is more urgency, for once Jupiter leaves next Tuesday he won’t be back until 2023 and there’ll be no planetary activity here of any kind until April 2013. The Moon’s visit to your career sector from Wednesday to Friday will sharpen your professional instincts and provide some valuable and timely clues.

Capricorn

Saturn reaches a point on Monday where he’s just 3 weeks away from turning direct in your career sector and moving into his final weeks in retrograde motion he’s slowing right down and with Venus not turning direct in your work sector until 3 weeks from Thursday, this should be slowing things down across the professional spectrum. However, while the door will remain open to second chances on both the work and career fronts, the Sun and Mercury are making sure that this is not at the expense of any forward momentum. Things come to a head in a spectacular way mid week when Venus literally runs across the Sun. This creates a rare Venus eclipse which falls on Mercury’s last full day in your work sector, with the power to bring things to a turning or tipping point.

Aquarius

Since the Sun left your career sector last November you’ve had no planetary activity in either of your professional houses, with only the Moon’s monthly visits to your work and career sectors to keep things on track. That all changes this week with Mercury’s return to your work sector on Thursday, with this intellectually savvy planet arriving with the keys to unlock the doors to the first professional planetary activity for the year and to 3 of the most important months on the work front. This is the first planetary activity in your work sector since September 2011 and while things may be a bit rusty, the Moon’s visit to your career sector over the weekend will help you move into the new week with your professional instincts sharp, your finger on the pulse and your ear to the ground.

Pisces

Your working week gets off to a bang, with a lunar eclipse in your career sector bringing things to what might appear to be an unexpected head, turning or tipping point. Chances are if you look back you’ll have see there were signs. The Moon only returns to your career sector on Monday, the same day as the eclipse, so this might catch you off guard, but staying on until Wednesday this gives you time on the other side to get your head around anything this triggers. This is the last lunar eclipse in your career sector before the North Node, the trigger for this eclipse, leaves in August so will be a last push to get things out in the open. With Mercury returning to your work sector on the 26th June, whatever this lunar eclipse triggers will have plenty of resources to keep in motion.

Your Weekly Financial Horoscopes for June 4

Aries

Chances are you’re coming out of a weekend that saw some buttons pushed and financial tension come to a head or at least that’s what the Moon would have been hoping for. For as you move into the new week the Moon is leaving your financial sector, having spent the weekend sharpening your financial instincts but also putting pressure on Jupiter, over in your income sector. Yet while this may have pushed some buttons it was timely and necessary, for this is Jupiter’s last full week in your income sector for another 11 years and the one week where you can’t afford to be asleep at the wheel. It’s what you’re willing to invest into your income situation, either in terms of expectations committed to or concrete steps taken, that will define your experiences for weeks, months and years to come.

Taurus

Despite the fact that Jupiter won’t return to your income sector until next Tuesday, kicking off your luckiest and most expansive 12 months on the income front in 12 years, it seems that the money gods are impatient, for they’re all turning up this week. It’s a pair of eclipses within 48 hours of each other that is set to send seismic shockwaves through your money game, with potentially game changing results. It starts with a lunar eclipse in your financial sector on Monday, bringing things on the financial front to a head or to a turning or tipping point. But the real show stopper is a rare Venus eclipse in your income sector on Tuesday, revealing what you want, need and expect to a point that there’ll be no going back. When your luck turns you’ll be more than ready.

Gemini

Until now all your focus has been on your financial situation as a whole, with your income situation barely getting a look in from the money gods, with only the Moon’s monthly visits keeping things on track. That all changes this week with the arrival of Mercury, planet of communication and smart thinking and your ruling planet into your income sector on Thursday. While Mercury will only spend 19 days here, leaving later in the month, the smart head for money this gives will help kick off the 3 most lucrative months of 2012. Don’t expect this to be all plain sailing, for this will put Mercury in competition and opposition to Pluto in your financial sector. While this may push some buttons over the next few weeks, it will keep you on your toes and force you to pay attention.

Cancer

The closer you get to Mercury’s return to your income sector on the 26th June the more you’re going to sense that turnaround ahead. Yet it’s when something is so close that you can smell and sense it that frustration can set in as well as anxiety, as your inner voices starts to ask ‘what if you’re wrong’? The reality is that you’re not, with the 3 most lucrative income months of the year kicking off in just 3 weeks from Tuesday and this year there are no roadblocks or unchartered pitfalls. This makes it important to pay attention and work with the lunar eclipse in your work sector on Monday, for it will help point things on the work front in their most authentic direction. If you’re on the right professional path when new doors open on the income front, nothing can slow you down.

Leo

It was only a few weeks ago that the last opposition between forces on the income and financial fronts played out, but already their different agendas are not just operating independently, the dynamics on both fronts is changing dramatically. With Mars due to leave your income sector on the 4th July there is a new sense of urgency setting in, especially with Jupiter also spending his last full week in your career sector. With Mars speeding up, things are not only more likely to be moving quickly on the income front, your fighting spirit is reinvigorated. Yet with Neptune turning retrograde in your financial sector on Tuesday and Chiron slowing down ahead of his retrograde turn a week later, on the financial front as a whole you’re able to pull back and work behind the scenes.

Virgo

As you move into the new week you reach 2 important milestones on the same day, both destined to have big implications on your income reality over the coming months. It’s on Monday that Saturn reaches a point where he’s just 3 weeks away from turning direct in your income sector, which is when the tide will turn. However, it’s on Monday that Mars also passes an important road marker, one that puts him a month to the day away from joining Saturn in your income sector, for the last time for another 30 years. Mars is the muscle that will bring things home and due to return just 9 days after Saturn turns direct, when the tide turns it will really turn. These final weeks are about learning from the past while working to bring powerful career forces up to speed.

Libra

Jupiter, planet of luck and expansion’s last full week in your financial sector is all about making a commitment to the future and to both the financial expectations and concrete steps you’re able to take now, to both walk the talk and keep Jupiter’s spirit alive. For once Jupiter leaves your financial sector next Tuesday he won’t be back until 2023 and there’ll be no planetary activity here at all until April 2013. Yet Jupiter is still here and you still have luck on your side and just in case that wasn’t advantage enough, you’re moving into the new week with a nose for money, thanks to the Moon’s visit to your income sector over the weekend. You’ve also had some timely wake up calls, with any financial tension making sure you’re not asleep at the wheel.

Scorpio

You have not one but two eclipses in your two money houses this week, just 48 hours apart, something that is incredibly rare considering that a solar and lunar eclipse can’t fall closer than 2 weeks apart. The week kicks off with a lunar eclipse in your income sector on Monday, bringing anything pending or building behind the scenes, either on or off your radar to a head, fruition or to a turning or tipping point. It’s the Venus eclipse just 48 hours later that is in a very different category, for this is only the second but also the last in your lifetime. Falling just 6 days before Jupiter, planet of luck is due to return to your financial sector next Tuesday, Wednesday’s Venus eclipse will trigger some strong financial desires along with the laws of attraction.

Sagittarius

Pluto, planet of change and revolution has been enjoying the fact that he’s the only planet active in either of your money houses and that as well as having no challenges to face, he’s received nothing but support from forces on the work and career fronts. The only real danger that Pluto and your financial situation face is complacency. Two events take place this week that will ensure that won’t happen and while both may trigger some financial pressure and push some buttons, it’s more to make sure you’re not asleep at the wheel. Both events take place on Thursday, with Mercury’s return to your financial sector coinciding with pressure from Uranus, who is ready to shake things up. Yet with any financial tension comes a smart head for money and a chance to take your power back.

Capricorn

You reach an important road marker on Tuesday, one that puts Mercury just 3 weeks away from your financial sector. With most if not all of your income objectives already banked, it’s your financial situation as a whole that has lacked any support or interest at all from the money gods. With Mercury destined to spend 2 months instead of his usual 2 weeks and with no roadblocks to face, it won’t be long before you have a chance to take control of your financial situation and money matters. This makes procrastination a viable option this week, with nothing to be gained by jumping the gun. Instead, the Moon returns to your income sector on Friday and the nose for money this brings gives you a chance to redefine your income expectations, in light of some major professional developments.

Aquarius

Money matters are splitting into two distinct camps this week, with financial matters going one way and income matters the other. With Mars, the warrior planet of the cosmos due to leave your financial sector on the 4th July, as you move into the new week that’s just a month away, with a new sense of urgency setting in. Expect to feel a new fire in your belly, ready now to grab the tiger by the tail and tame it, once and for all. This puts the focus on the future and as things speed and hot up, a chance to really get things moving. On the income front the very opposite is happening, with Neptune’s retrograde turn in your income sector on Tuesday giving you a chance to pull back and reflect on where you’ve been, with Sunday the day when you’re most likely to have a strong nose for money.

Pisces

As you move into the new week you reach two important financial road markers, on the same day and they both offer a lot of hope and anticipation for what the future holds. For while Monday is the day that Saturn reaches a point where he’s just 3 weeks away from turning direct in your financial sector it’s also the day that Mars reaches a point where he’s just a month to the day away from arriving. With Mars due to return to your financial sector 9 days after Saturn turns direct, when the tide turns it is destined to be fairly dramatic and not the slow, drawn out affair that it usually is. This gives you the confidence to make the most of these final weeks where you have a chance to work behind the scenes, learning from where you’ve been and working to deal with whatever needs resolving.

Your Weekly Love & Romance Horoscopes for June 4

Aries

A pair of eclipses this week is bound to shake things up a bit, but it’s the Venus eclipse in your communication sector on Wednesday that will have the biggest impact. Already in retrograde motion and on a mission to give unsaid words a voice, Venus steps out of the shadows to make her voice one of the most powerful in the solar system. This comes just as Mercury, planet of communication is reaching out to Saturn, in retrograde motion in your relationship sector. With Venus and Saturn both turning direct later this month, Mercury is working to ensure that as well as having the communication lines running into the past, that they are operating well into the here and now and when it comes to moving on. This makes communication the key to everything this week, with authenticity a must.

Taurus

Having spent the weekend in your relationship sector that Moon allows you to move into the new week having had a chance to get your bearings, having come full circle from a Full Moon early last month. Having got that out of the way and having had a chance to address any relationship issues or to simply give your relationships some much needed attention, the focus shifts back to all things romantic. For on Monday it’s just a month to the day before Mars, planet of passion is due to leave your romantic sector, wrapping up an 8 month visit that began in November 2011, his longest visit here in 47 years. Now that you’re coming into the home straight it’s time to throw everything you can into your romantic passions, leaving no room for regret.

Gemini

A pair of eclipses is set to polarise things on both the romantic and relationship fronts this week, leaving you in no doubt how you really feel. The week kicks off with a lunar eclipse in your relationship sector that is set to bring things to a turning or tipping point and is followed up by a much rarer Venus eclipse on Wednesday. It’s in your sign that Venus will cross the face of the Sun to reveal in very clear and certain terms what your heart really feels and what you really want and need from love. It’s this pair of eclipses, just 48 hours apart, that will create vibrations that will send ripples out into the past and the future, creating a new level of authenticity on both the romantic and relationship fronts, while at the same time sending a clue for anything waiting in the wings.

Cancer

A sense of both romantic and relationship nostalgia is only going to intensify, but rather than fight it this is something that you need to embrace. Having spent the weekend in your romantic sector the Moon leaves in the early hours of the week, leaving behind clues to what the future might hold and what you might need to do now in order to start lining up for that future. With Venus not turning direct until later in the month and not returning to your sign until August, this gives you time to continue with a trip down love’s memory lane. Avoid a temptation to over think this, telling yourself that it’s time to move on. The Moon’s visit to your relationship sector from Wednesday to Friday might push some buttons, but comes just when the communication lines are most likely to open.

Leo

You have arrived at one of the most exciting romantic weeks of the year to date, with a pair of eclipses electrifying things and bringing the element of fate and the laws of attraction and synchronicity into play. The week kicks off with a lunar eclipse in your romantic sector on Monday and as a super charged Lovers Moon this brings the element of fate into play, creating vibrations and ripples that will bring anything pending to a head, as well as sending signals out into the future. It’s 2 days later that a much rarer Venus eclipse, in a social and serendipitous part of your chart, brings the laws of attraction and synchronicity into play in a powerful way, setting the scene for some serendipitous moments or encounters. Both have the power to bring things to a turning or tipping point.

Virgo

With Pluto already in retrograde motion in your romantic sector, having turned retrograde in April and staying in retrograde motion until September, you’re already taking a trip down love’s memory lane. This week your relationships join in this nostalgic and retrospective focus with Neptune, planet of dreams and fantasies turning retrograde in your relationship sector on Tuesday and Chiron, planet of healing slowing down ahead of his retrograde turn here next Tuesday. It’s Chiron’s retrograde turn next week that will begin what has now become an annual healing process, but until then Neptune is your tour guide, which means viewing the past with rose coloured glasses. The reality checks can come later, with a chance this week to revisit the past and recapture something lost or missing.

Libra

The Moon’s return to your romantic sector on Friday will set the scene for a romantically charged weekend, especially as you have no planetary activity here and only the Moon’s monthly visits to keep things on track. In any other week this would have been the high point of the week for all things romantic, but this is literally being eclipsed by an event mid week. It’s on Wednesday that Venus, planet of love and romance will cross the face of the Sun to form a rare Venus eclipse, unleashing all the hidden and suppressed longings and feelings your heart has been holding back on. Falling in an adventurous part of your chart this will bring both the opportunity and the courage to take a leap of faith, making a bold move to escape from a romantic rut or from simply going through the motions.

Scorpio

Romantic and relationship forces are battling for your attention this week and while you need to honour both, it’s your relationships that need to come first. For this is Jupiter, planet of luck and expansion’s last full week in your relationship sector and as he’s not coming back until 2023 and there’s no more planetary activity here once he’s gone until April 2013, you’ve got to make it count. It’s what you’re willing to invest into your relationships this week, either in terms of the intentions set or concrete steps taken, that will determine what you get back over the coming months and years. Meanwhile, Neptune’s retrograde turn in your romantic sector on Tuesday gives you a chance to take a trip down love’s memory lane, preferably wearing your rose coloured glasses.

Sagittarius

While a lunar eclipse in your sign on Monday will put direct pressure on the Sun in your relationship sector, creating some relationship tension in the early days of the week, any buttons being pushed are more a case of the love gods making sure you’re not asleep at the wheel. For it’s just 2 days later that everything is set to come together in the form of a very rare Venus eclipse, in your relationship sector on Wednesday. This will see Venus, currently too close to the Sun to be seen in the night sky, spend 6 hours moving across the face of the Sun and across the brightest stage lighting in the solar system. As the planet of love takes centre stage this is going to bring your deepest relationship desires, wants and needs out of the shadows, making this impossible to ignore.

Capricorn

This week marks the end of one era and the start of the next, with a crossover between the two creating some continuity and a chance to integrate one into the other. For this is Jupiter’s last full week in your romantic sector and due to leave next Tuesday, not to return until 2023, this is the final week for laying everything on the line. Your romantic sector has been continuously active since April 2011, but after the Sun and Mercury left late last month it’s been up to Jupiter to wrap things up, a job he’s taking seriously this week, helping you to put things on the path you want them to continue on. Yet it’s on Thursday that Mercury returns to your relationship sector, kicking off 3 active months on the relationship front which will allow you to take things to the next level.

Aquarius

Having Venus in your romantic sector for 4 months, instead of the normal 4 weeks, is one thing and even having Jupiter on his way and due to arrive next week is a big deal, but the real magic starts this week. It’s a pair of eclipses, falling within 48 hours of each other that are set to unleash the laws of attraction, synchronicity, fate and destiny, making this a week for taking your hands off the wheel from the get go. The week begins with a lunar eclipse in a social and serendipitous part of your chart, which operates under the laws of synchronicity. This sets the scene for some serendipitous moments or encounters, but it’s a much rarer Venus eclipse in your romantic sector on Wednesday that is the real game changer. From this point on denying something real is no longer an option.

Pisces

You reach an important milestone on Monday, one that puts Mars just a month away from leaving your relationship sector and wrapping up his 8 month visit. It has been a rocky, an up and down and often roller coaster ride on the relationship front, as the warrior planet of the cosmos makes his longest visit to your relationship sector in 47 years. Normally here for just 6 weeks, this has been anything but a brush over, with a chance to get right to the bottom of relationship issues and to establish what you’re fighting for and against. It’s time now to bring things home. However, what you need is some light relief, with Mercury’s return to your romantic sector on Thursday kicking off the 3 most romantically charged months of the year. It’s then that your heart will find its voice.

Your Love & Romance Horoscopes for June 4

Aries

With some potent eclipse energy in the air today, an alliance between forces on the relationship and communication fronts create yet another opportunity for a breakthrough. It’s where there are strong emotional responses or your buttons are being pushed that you’ll have the opportunity and resources to give unsaid words a voice.

Taurus

As the Moon wraps up his first visit to your relationship sector since last month’s Full Moon this leaves you with a much better read on where things stand on the relationship front, but also how far you still have to go. With the Moon returning later in the month this has given you a chance to get your bearings.

Gemini

From out of nowhere forces on the relationship front are likely to come to a head, as the Moon not only returns to your relationship sector but becomes a lunar eclipse, with the power to bring things to a head or to a turning or tipping point. Yet chances are what might appear to blindside you has been hiding in plain sight, with fate stepping in to take the wheel.

Cancer

As the Moon wraps up his first visit to your romantic sector since last month’s Full Moon he leaves you with plenty to mull over, including the promise of big things destined for the second half of the year. Listen to both what you do and don’t want to hear, knowing that you have time to work on anything revealed.

Leo

Today’s lunar eclipse in your romantic sector is a super charged Lovers Moon, bringing the ultimate eclipse of the heart. While the Moon visits your romantic sector each month this is by far the most important visit of the year, evoking feelings that can’t be ignored. This has the potential to bring things on the romantic front to a turning or tipping point.

Virgo

As Neptune, planet of dreams and fantasies spends his last full day in direct motion in your relationship sector he’s come to a standstill, creating a situation where you’re no longer moving forward but you haven’t yet turned back. This has you stuck in the moment which is exactly where you need to be.

Libra

You’re moving into some important times on the relationship front, where there is a new call for honesty and authenticity, but also where the laws of synchronicity are in effect. It’s today’s lunar eclipse in your communication sector that creates an unexpected opportunity to not only connect, but holds the potential for a breakthrough.

Scorpio

While there is a new sense of urgency on the relationship front, with Jupiter now just 8 days away from leaving your relationship sector, on the romantic front there is a sense of timelessness that is encouraging you to stay in the moment. Take a proactive approach to relationship matters, but when it comes to love it’s all about the here and now.

Sagittarius

At what is an important time on the relationship front, today’s lunar eclipse in your sign creates a need and a call for personal authenticity. With the Moon in opposition with the Sun in your relationship sector this may create some personal and relationship pressure, yet it provides a timely wake up call on both fronts.

Capricorn

With Jupiter, planet of luck and expansion just 8 days away from leaving your romantic sector and with all your cards now on the table, what you see and what you feel is what you get. Knowing what you want and need from love and with both luck and the love gods on your side, all that’s required now is that you walk the talk.

Aquarius

Don’t be surprised if the path to true love doesn’t run smoothly today or that you encounter some roadblocks or pressure, refusing to see this as a sign that you’re on the wrong path. It’s simply today’s lunar eclipse challenging your romantic attentions, with a heart and love that is true likely to come out stronger and more determined as a result.

Pisces

Mars, planet of passion and the warrior planet of the cosmos is now just a month away from leaving your relationship sector and he’ll be doing everything he can to encourage you to make this final month count. Where before it was challenges that you had to respond to, focus now on taking your relationships into the future.

Your Daily Chinese Horoscopes for June 4

Rabbit

You may find that you have better luck bargain hunting today. You may have some interesting opportunities and synchronicities, where you make unusual connections that lead you to people who have the kind of resources or information that you are needing right now.

Dragon

Wonderfully romantic aspects turn up in your chart today. You are attractive, dynamic and sexy. People will make comments on your appearance. You have opportunities to make new friends, and your love life is heating up nicely. Get out tonight and shake your bootie.

Snake

You may have some interesting dreams or psychic impressions about a loved one or family member today. Someone will have a special run of good fortune that they want to share with you. Be gracious when accepting an unexpected gift – let them have the joy of giving!

Horse

You’ll have wonderful opportunities to make friends and meet new people today. Your energy is a lot more fun-loving and upbeat, and you enjoy any challenges you face. You and your significant other are overdue to be spoiled. If you are looking for a treat, consider a spa treatment or massage.

Sheep

Despite an apparent faux pas at a social or career-related party or event today, you actually have stepped ahead on the career ladder. You may say the wrong thing in front of the right person. Your honesty and passion for your projects or beliefs will come through.

Monkey

You will find that paperwork, communication and travel goes a lot easier today. People are interested in your plans and ideas, your high level of energy is contagious, and people you work with are eagerly willing to follow your energetic lead.

Rooster

You have an opportunity to make some money in the stock market or through other forms of investing. If you are new to such things, your biggest luck will come through older, more experienced friends and associates who can show you the ropes.

Dog

You will feel a lot more energetic, enthusiastic and confident today. If you are still single, you might want to consider taking in a sporting event, or getting out for a walk in the park where you can meet new people who share your interests.

Pig

You will be eager to get out of bed and get to the daily chores today. You have a lot of good ideas, and the authority figures you have to deal with right now are supporting your ideas and ambitions. Make the most of an unexpected opportunity to bend an important ear.

Rat

A long-distance phone call could bring happy news about a loved one. Someone may be having a child soon, or you may hear that a sickly child is going to pull through a rough patch. Your spirits will be up, and you will enjoy knowing things are getting better.

Ox

You will have an opportunity to improve your home in a way that could benefit someone’s health, fitness and wellbeing. You may put in a sun room, or bring a rebuilt computer to a shut-in relative who needs some help keeping in touch with the rest of the family.

Tiger

A work-related trip or opportunity from another country could be just the thing to get your cash register ringing. You have a possible business partnership in the works that will help increase your cash flow.

the daily humorscopes for monday, june 4

the daily humorscope 

Monday, June 04, 2012

 
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
You will become trapped in the sofa, again. People will point and laugh.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
You will spend another full day attempting to shuffle a deck of cards with your toes. Fortunately, nobody will find out.
Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
Bad juju today. Stay well clear of West African carved figurines.
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
A man with a single eyebrow is following you. You haven’t borrowed any money lately, I hope?
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
This week you will angrily tell someone that you are more than just a name and a number! You are also punctuation!
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
You know that how you dress will invevitably send a message to those around you. In this case, your message is “Help! Help!”
Libra (September 23 – October 22)
Good day to buy chocolate for someone you love.
Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
Beware of giant squids today. Other than that, a good day for a nice walk along the beach.
Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
Today you will begin work on a life-size pterodactyl robot, which you will use to terrorize the city. Either that or you’ll take a nap. It just depends what sort of mood you’re in.
Capricorn (December 22 – January 20)
You will discover the secret to becoming a great artist! You can stick anything you want on the wall, the trick is to make people think deep thought went into it. For example, spray-paint a bathroom pluger gold, and stick little angel wings on it. Call it “Life In The Details”.
Aquarius (January 21 – February 18)
You’ll become part of the Formal Attire Resurgence movement. Be wary of the Casualist Party though – there’s someone out there just dying to spit on your spats.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
Your sudden fascination with podiatry is nothing to worry about, and should fade with time. Eventually, the only remaining evidence will be your usual telephone greeting: “Hello, how are your feet?”

Your Daily Cosmic Calendar for June 4th

Stop, look and listen! Silence is golden in the early hours as the Partial Lunar Eclipse strikes first at 4:04AM PDT followed 9 minutes later by the Full Moon at 4:13AM PDT (activating 15 degrees of Gemini and Sagittarius). Individual and group meditations are encouraged during what some esoteric groups call the Festival of Humanity. Send out your inspiring thoughts and prayers to friends, colleagues, relatives and the kingdoms of nature. Worrying about your own personal needs is a no-no. Think more about your higher destiny in this lifetime and how you can be of greater service to the invisible host of teachers, angels and spirits that orchestrate the universe from their elevated perspectives. Giving your religious beliefs and philosophy of life extra support is Neptune becoming motionless at 4 degrees of Pisces (2:05PM PDT) as it gradually shifts into retrograde motion – a reversal direction that lasts until November 10. All Neptune themes – dreams and visions, psychic sensitivity, the creative imagination, spiritual longings, ideals, artistic genius, universal love-wisdom, fishing and sailing, water sports, illusions, fantasies, confusion and chaos, addictive behavior and being hooked on anyone and anything – are intensified. Adding to today’s carnival-like atmosphere is a Venus-Mars square from Gemini to Virgo (5:29PM PDT). Strive for serenity in affairs of the heart. Fortunately, Venus will also make an inspirational, 72-degree contact with Pallas (6:34PM PDT) – offering encouragement regarding problem-solving and strategy sessions. The Moon, still transiting, adventurous and playful Sagittarius goes retrograde during a Moon-Mercury opposition (10:09PM PDT). Complete odd jobs and old projects on a high note during the next 7-hour uncertainty zone until the Moon enters industrious, earthy Capricorn at 5:32AM PDT on Tuesday.

Calendar of the Moon for Monday, June 4th

4 Huath/Thargelion

Arianrhod’s Day

Color: Silver
Elements: Air and water
Altar: Upon a white and silver cloth lay several silver moons, in order from new crescent to full to old moon, four white candles, and incense of myrrh.
Offerings: Clean something white.
Daily Meal: Cool white food.

Invocation to Arianrhod

Silver Wheel that spins in the sky,
Keeper of the Spiral Tower,
Keeper of deep mysteries,
Unforgiving moon that stares down
Upon our hapless dreams,
Lover of the ocean and its spirits,
Lover of the sky and its spirits,
Lady of the night horizon,
The point where starry sky touches starry sea,
We call you forth upon this day
To ask for your blessing on us,
As you blessed your son Llew Llaw Gyffes.
And even as that blessing was not easy
In forthcoming, we know that you will not
Give out your benedictions at our will.
So this we say, Lady: We have worked,
And willed, and created a dream
And made it reality, and here we stand together,
And if that is not worth something to the world,
Then nothing is. Arm us well, Lady of the Silver Wheel,
With weapons sharp and keen,
Tongue and mind of steel that yet yields
To the spear of Truth that strikes.
Bless each name that we have taken,
As you gave your son his name,
And bless us with divine inspiration
That we might bring more beauty
To the world and all its beings.

Chant:
Light up the night
Light up the night
Bring your dreams into the circle

[Pagan Book of Hours]