Crow is always on the alert for trouble—and their loud caws! warn each other of impending danger, Very little escapes Crow’s keen vision—which is why many cultures associate Crow with the keeper of knowledge. Crow has flapped his way into your life today to bring a message of watchfulness—have you built your nest high enough to really understand what’s going on around you?
Futility
Sadly sometimes our desires lead us down paths which have no end and offer us no chance of achieving the results we want. If we persist we end up like Sisyphus: forever rolling a boulder uphill only to have it roll back downhill before we ever get to the top. Futility suggest the existence of just such a situation–we are chasing a prize that will never be ours. Futility indicates a need to rethink our ambitions and direct our energies towards a goal or goals that can be attained.
As a daily card, Futility implies that you are putting energy into goals that cannot be met. It suggest the need to rethink your desires and possibly find a new goal or goals to chase.
What has traditionally been known as the Moon card refers to a deep state of sensitivity and imaginative impressionability, developed within a womb of deep relaxation. Here we dream and go into trance, have visions and receive insights, wash in and out with the psychic tides, and experience deep mystical and/or terrifying realities beyond our ordinary senses. The full moon and/or eclipse cycle charted by the Magi (as in some of the earliest Moon card images) exemplify this as a mechanism that Nature uses to expand consciousness.
The variants of the courtly lovers (representing skillful use of the sex force) or the man sleeping it off under the tree (use of drugs to alter consciousness) are also traditional avenues for tapping this primal force. Human interest in higher states propels us to the frontiers of consciousness, where we cannot always control what happens. The Moon card represents the ultimate test of a soul’s integrity, where the membrane between self and the Unknown is removed, and the drop of individuality reenters the Ocean of Being. What transpires next is between a soul and its Maker.
We are in tune with our feelings today, even if we don’t say anything about them. The cautious Cancer Moon raises concerns about placing someone else in an awkward position with our disclosure. Or, we may be worried about being rejected for saying too much. Fortunately, the radiant Sun’s sweet trine to imaginative Neptune replaces fear with optimism. Hopeful fantasy rules over harsh reality now and trusting our dreams leads to spiritual growth.
Speaking with authority doesn’t make your message true, but you might still try this ploy as a defensive strategy today. You may actually think you can talk someone into seeing the world through your eyes. But overpowering others by insisting you are right only makes you sound foolish, since your rationalizations are probably more transparent than you realize. Don’t pretend to be in control when you’re not. Those who know you love you simply for being yourself.
Your future looks bright today, but you may not be heading in exactly the right direction to realize your dreams. It’s not your goals are unrealistic; rather, it’s that you might underestimate the resources needed to reach your destination. Thankfully, you can see possibilities that others miss if you let your imagination wander. Just remember to separate fact from fancy or you could be rudely surprised by the outcome.
Your most vivid dreams are ripe for harvesting now, but don’t let your confidence run away with the show. Although you may think that you can be successful without working harder, this false illusion will dissipate as circumstances continue to change. If an unrealistic fantasy fades as you approach it, it’s probably best to let it go and move on to another idea. But don’t give up; your imagination holds the keys to your success.
It may seem as if you can describe your hopeful feelings today, but it’s still challenging to start a conversation about your future dreams. Instead of wasting energy by being self-critical now, keep your visions to yourself until you have a good reason to share them. It isn’t useful to reveal your plans prematurely or you could create an awkward impasse. Be patient and remain quiet just a little bit longer. Trust your intuition to tell you when it’s time to open up.
You may feel as if you’re in an ideal social environment today because everyone seems to enthusiastically support your decisions. You don’t even have to think about what to do next; you’re part of the flow and everything seems to happen naturally. Unfortunately, your current spontaneity doesn’t play well with your desire to establish deeper connections. Thankfully, you can have the best of both worlds by letting others participate in your success.
Relaxing is a challenge today because you’re afraid of what may occur if you don’t resist the prevailing emotional currents. You prefer rational behavior and like to be in control all of the time — but unfortunately you’re not. Therefore, your most logical strategy now is to avoid getting hooked by your own desires. Nevertheless, attempting to ignore your needs just gives power to whatever you fear most. Escape your regular routine by leading with your creative imagination rather than your analytical thoughts.
Beginning your daily tasks at work early in the day might sound like a smart idea, but nothing seems to go quite as planned. Your unflappable positive attitude is the most significant factor today in deciding whether or not you can put your schedule back on track. Don’t be overly rigid in your thinking if you run into an obstacle; being flexible now actually enables you to regain control later on.
You might be willing to take the easy way out of a problem today. Typically, your determination inspires you to achieve your goals, even if your non-negotiable approach complicates your life. But keeping your dreams alive may be more important now than accomplishing anything specific. Although your current productivity could suffer, you’re likely to be happier in the long run by following your heart’s desire.
Your imagination is extremely vivid today, encouraging you to mix up your daydreams with reality. You might even believe that you can accomplish more than is possible because everything flows effortlessly in your mind. Unfortunately, each task you begin takes more time to complete than you expect. You may create trouble for yourself if you race through a chore, assuming you will make up for lost time. Instead, promise less and deliver more.
You can fool your workmates today by appearing to be busier than you actually are. However, if you want to be fully recognized for your contribution to a project, don’t try so hard to steal the spotlight. If you take your little song and dance too far, you might inadvertently overstep your bounds. You are better off if you just work hard and then let the chips fall where they may. Ultimately, your efforts won’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Your current lack of a concrete plan won’t necessarily get in your way today. Ironically, making it up as you go might just be your key to success now. Expressing your creativity brings recognition, and can even lead to some extra income. However, you could feel as if you’re wasting time managing unexpected interruptions, but it’s wise to simply handle them as they occur. Paradoxically, the current distractions may even inspire you to reach greater heights.
It’s tempting to shut out your problems by withdrawing into your imagination today. But escaping into your own personal fantasyland works best only for brief moments of time. Sooner or later you must return to the real world issues you tried to leave behind. Working on tangible solutions preemptively, rather than after the fact, is the most productive strategy now, even if you would prefer to take a less ambitious path.
Maria DeSimone on the topics of love, horoscopes, astrology
Fairy-tale romance, anyone? Friday’s trine between the Sun and Neptune will have you and your lover feeling especially idealistic, so be sure to enjoy the rare and beautiful dose of cosmic enchantment.
In the background of this mystical, inspiring and extremely romantic aspect will be a dramatic Moon in Leo on Saturday and Sunday. Leo craves theatrics, and it’s possible that this weekend your love life will feel like a real live soap opera.
Even if you’re not typically the type of person who enjoys drama, the theatrics that are likely to manifest this weekend will remind your heart that a little performance now and then isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, being in the center stage of someone’s heart clearly has its advantages. This weekend, you get to enjoy a melodramatic, but fulfilling, romantic limelight. Bravo!
The good cosmic news that arrived on terra firma yesterday still carries a positive wallop today. The Grand Triangle in water signs that aided your emotional and psychic sensitivity on Thursday remains strong this morning due to the Moon in Cancer forming a flowing trine of 120-degrees to Mercury in Scorpio (7:18AM). Enjoy literary and educational adventures to the hilt — particularly as the monthly Moon-Jupiter union in Cancer (1:32PM) acts as a sturdy backup to the harmonious tie between the Moon and Mercury. Tune into your confident and optimistic mind-set to gain a decisive edge over erstwhile competitors in business or professional affairs. However, the Moon-Jupiter conjunction (1:32PM) begins a 19+ hour void-of-course lunar limbo time-span that lasts until 9:13AM tomorrow. Even though the Moon’s energy is hampered somewhat, your creative imagination is activated as one of two, annual Sun-Neptune trines clocks in at 3:42PM. Improvise in a favorite artistic medium for a change of pace. Show off your burgeoning skills on the photography, film or music fronts. Learn more about the merits of affirmations, visualization exercises, yoga, sacred dance and meditation. [Note to readers: All times are calculated for Pacific Daylight Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]
Ivy Month
Colors: Light blue and dark green
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of dark green lay pots of ivy twined up around posts of gold with suns, three blue candles, a vine-painted chalice of water, and a feather fan.
Offerings: Pray for enlightenment, and to be lifted up.
Daily Meal: Sheep, goat, or vegetarian using the fruits of the local harvests.
Gort Invocation
Call: Hail the month of the Ivy!
Response: Hail the month of twining for the sky!
Call: Where the vine yielded forth the blood of the earth…
Response: The ivy yields up the winds of the sky!
Call: Where the vine dulls the mind with happiness…
Response: The ivy opens the mind with terror and light!
Call: Hail to the chains of the Maenads!
Response: Hail to Dionysos and his torrent of madness!
Call: Hail to the Lady that mates with the Oak!
Response: She has entwined him, she has wrapped her limbs about him!
Call: Even his great strength is not enough to stay her!
Response: She shows that not all strength is standing tall!
Call: Hail to she who is supported by others….
Response: Yet reaches as high as they themselves!
Call: Show us, sacred Ivy, what it is to rise with the aid of the strong.
Response: Show us what it is to be borne up by branches.
Call: Show us what it is to be borne up by hopes.
Response: Show us what it is to be borne up by the Gods.
Call: We cannot reach the sky without aid…
Response: So we entreat you, Ivy, beg for aid for our earthbound hands.
Call: Teach us that the sky can be gained not only by the straight path…
Response: But also by the path of the spiral!
Call: Dance that spiral for us, Ivy, and we shall follow you!
Response: We shall follow you toward the blessed realms of the Gods.
Chant:
Turn turn turn again
Turn wind turn leaf
Twine o’er the last sheaf
Turn turn turn again
25 Winterfyllith
Selket’s Day
Colors: Bronze and Black
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of black place a bronze figurine of a scorpion, and four black candles.
Offerings: Help someone who is a troublemaker.
Daily Meal: Lentils, flatbread, millet, pomegranates.
Invocation to Selket
Lady of the Scorpion’s Whip,
Implacable one, hardest of the Four Deaths,
Sun of the unforgiving desert at high noon,
You blast down upon all wrongdoing
And show those wrongs in their true light.
Lady of the Poison Tail,
You are entrusted with those souls
Who have not done what they should do,
Who have spurned the path they were meant to walk,
Who have struggled and lashed out,
Who have caused hurt and pain to others.
Your firm hand takes them in, guides them
To see what they have done through eyes
Unclouded by their own pain,
And leads them to a place of understanding
And perhaps repentance. And yet,
There is something of this is all of us,
Some part of each that needs your guiding hand
Lest we think ourselves too perfect
And become uncompassionate in our pride.
Lady of the Scorpion’s Whip,
Sting us to the heart, and show us
That poison still within us,
That we may better learn to ride its strike,
That we may better learn to heal its wounds.
(Each comes forward, one at a time, and touches the tail of the Scorpion, which should be sharp. Each tells Selket, aloud or silently, where the poison is in them which makes them hurt others, and asks for her help in controlling it.)
This is a tremendous time of transmutation. All of the prior elements are coming together for a final burst of creative output. You have seen a clear view of your own needs and the posture of significant others. Now the accumulation of that input is leading to a deep, core change within you. In this phase, you will naturally be inclined to seek higher guidance so that you can emerge from this transformation successfully. The Disseminting Moon favors sharing what you have learned (and are learning) with others.
To let go of baggage.
Items You Will Need:
Black candle Empty paper bag Envelope Paper PenWrite down your baggage on a piece of paper, and put it in the bag/envelope. After you say the spell, bury the bag or burn it in a bonfire or fireplace. As you write the words and say the spell, concentrate on your willingness to let go. You can even visualize a little creature packing bags and walking out the door and down the road.
Baggage can be anything that is weighing down your life: old memories, bad habits, etc. But keep in mind that if you are doing this spell to get rid of a person, they will probably get gone and stay gone. Be absolutely sure that this is what you want before casting.
Best to do this spell on the New Moon.
“Pack your bags and get you gone Your time with me is finished now Once you worked but now you’re wrong And you can’t stay–no way, no how.” “Without your baggage I’ll move on I’ll get myself out of this rut So pack your bags and get you gone Don’t let the door hit ya in the butt.” So Mote It Be!
By the way, it’s good to remember that a male Witch or Wiccan is not called a warlock. He is a Witch or Wiccan, too. “Warlock” derived from an Old English word for “oath breaker;” later, during the mid-1400’s, the word came to mean liar (whether a person was male or female). So to call a male witch a warlock is a nasty insult.
The words “wizard” and “sorcerer” can be used for a man or a woman. “Wizard” derives from a term meaning “wise,” and “sorcerer” means “witch” or “diviner.” Writers Gerald Gardner and Sir James Frazier are commonly given credit for coining the term Wiccan and kick-starting the modern movement in the 1950s. The word “magician” is also appropriate for both sexes and for both Witches and Wiccans.
Zoroaster, in ancient Persia, taught priests called magi who relied heavily on astrology as an art. The “wise men” mentioned in the Christmas story are sometimes referred to as magi–they gained knowledge of Jesus’s birth by watching the stars. Depending on the cultural setting, magician came to mean people adept in astrology, sorcery, or other magickal arts. Note that the word magick in Witchcraft is spelled with “k” to differentiate it from the stage magick (or sleight of hand).
It should be notes that Wicca and Witchcraft share some of the core concepts and Practitioners use some of the same tools. However, witches come a wide array of schools, belief systems, and traditions of magick that is distinct and unique as they are.
The feast day honors two French Catholic brothers, Crispin and Crispinian, the patron Saints of shoemakers. According to one legend, the two brothers were martyred by being pricked to death by a cobbler’s awl. In another tale, they managed to survive four execution attempts because of their devotion to the needy. And yet another tale has them beheaded. However, it is agreed that if one buys a new pair of shoes on St. Crispin Day, he or she will have good fortune the rest of the year.
frigedaeg or frige dag (Anglo-Saxon) freitag (Germanic) dies veneris (Latin) sukra-var (Hindu) juma (Islamic) vendredi (French) kin youbi (Japanese)
This is traditionally the sixth day of the week. The name given to this day in ancient Rome was ‘dies Veneris’ as is was a day dedicated to Venus. Later the French named the day ‘Vendredi’ believed to have derived from the same origin. In northern countries the closest equivalent to the Goddess Venus was ‘Frigg’ or ‘Freya’ with the day becoming known by the Anglo-Saxons as ‘Frige dag’, later to Friday.
Traditionally associated in many parts of Europe with misfortune as this was believed to be the day when Christ was crucified at Calvary, and also that this was the day that Adam was tempted by Eve with the Forbidden Fruit. Within the Roman Catholic faith Friday was traditionally a day of abstinence. Today it is a still viewed as a day for some private act of self-denial.
According to tradition there are some practices that should be avoided if possible on a Friday including, births, weddings, the sailing of a ship, cutting your nails or starting a new job. This is indicated in the following rhyme:
‘Whoever be born on Friday or it’s night,
He shall be accursed of men,
Silly and crafty and loathsome to all men,
And shall ever be thinking evil in his heart,
And shall be a thief and a great coward,
And shall not live longer than to middle age.’
A contradiction is expressed if a child was born on this day in ‘Days of the Week’, which indicated a more favourable omen. And indeed it is said that in 1492 Columbus set sail and sighted land on a Friday.
In Hungarian (Europe) folklore it was believed be an omen of bad luck to be born on a Friday although it was believed that the onset of misfortune could be avoided or removed by placing some of your own blood on some of your own old clothing and then burning it.
The criminal underworld have an old belief that ‘a burglary committed on a Friday will probably result in arrest’ as perhaps a sign of divine intervention and retribution upon the criminal, and if you were bought to trial for any offence on a Friday it was thought to be a bad omen. In the British Isles and USA Friday was the customary day to carry-out hangings and so was sometimes referred to as ‘Hangman’s Day’ or ‘Hanging Day’. (This perhaps is connected to the Christian belief in a Friday being the worst day of the week, as this was the day identified with the Crucifixion and the death of Christ).
If it rains on a Friday an old rural belief (UK) was that it indicated the forecast would be fine on the following Sunday.
If you dreamt on a Friday night of an event or people and then told the content of the dream to someone in your family on the Saturday morning it was more likely to happen.
In Scotland (UK) and Germany (Europe) according to an old belief Friday was thought to be a good day to go courting (dating). Norse men traditionally saw this as a positive day, the luckiest of the week.
‘Black Friday’ has been regularly used to label days of significance within the British culture. This was the name given to December 6 1745 in the British Isles. This was the day that information reached London (UK) that the Young Pretender had reached Derby (UK). The threatened General Strike was cancelled on 15 April 1921 affecting the stance of the British Labour Movement (UK). The Government (USA) flooded the open market with gold to bring down prices on 24 September 1869 ruining the livelihoods of many speculators in USA.
Mohammedans believe that Adam was created on a Friday, and so the day is seen to be the Sabbath. It is also believed that Eve tempted Adam with the Forbidden Fruit on this day, and that later both died on a Friday.
Friday is believed to be a day of misfortune too for Buddhists and Brahmins.
‘Long Friday’ was another name given to Good Friday (For further information see Mystical WWW Easter) by the Saxons. It is thought that the name derived from the fact that this was a day of abstinence.
According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.
(For more information see Mystical WWW Mystical Time : Mystical Months).
Magickal Intentions: Love, Romance, Marriage, Sexual Matters, Physical Beauty, Friendship and Partnerships, Strangers and Heart
Incense: Strawberry, Sandalwood, Rose, Saffron and Vanilla
Planet: Venus
Sign: Libra and Taurus
Angel: Ariel
Colors: Green, Pink, Aqua
Herbs/Plants: Pink Rose, Ivy, Birch, Heather, Clematis, Sage, Violet and Water Lilly Stones: Rose Quartz, Moonstone, Pink Tourmaline, Peridot, Emerald and Jade
Oil: (Venus) Cardamom, Palmrosa, Rose, Yarrow
Friday belongs to Venus, and its energies are warm, sensuous, and fulfilling. Efforts that involve any type of pleasure, comfort, and luxury, as well as the arts, music, or aroma (incense and perfume) works well on this day. As Venus lends its sensuous influences to the energies of this day, use it for any magical work that deals with matters of the heart
Friday (Venus): Love, friendship, reconciliation and beauty.
Waning Moon
The Waning Moon is a time for study, meditation and little magickal work (except magick designed to banish harmful energies).
Moon Phase: Third Quarter
Moon Sign: Cancer
Cancer: Stimulates emotional rapport between people. Pinpoints need, supports growth and nurturance. Tends to domestic concerns.
Incense: Vanilla
Color: Purple
Witches Of The Craft® 
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