Day: February 13, 2014

Mercury Retrograde on Valentine’s Day

Mercury Retrograde on Valentine’s Day

Love gone wrong…

Jeff Kishner  Jeff Kishner on the topics of valentines day, mercury retrograde, blogs, astrology
Healthy relationships depend on open communication. Unfortunately, on this Valentine’s Day the communication planet is intent on throwing a few screws into your plans. Mercury, from our perspective on Earth, moves backwards in the sky about three times a year, 22 days at a time. When Mercury goes retrograde, signals get crossed, mail gets lost, and delays and mix-ups are the order of the day. This year, Mercury turned its heels on Feb. 6 … and won’t right itself until Feb. 28.

Sure, your computer might malfunction or your bus might be late. But on Valentine’s Day, what counts is how love can go wrong. Here are just some of the things that can happen when Mercury tramples on your relationship:

• Your ex calls, and your current partner answers the phone.

• You send a sexy IM to your boss instead of your date.

• That Valentine’s Day card you sent to your long-distance “friend” comes back with “Returned to Sender” stamped on it.

• You accidentally make public your private online photos of you and your loved one … you know, those pictures.

• You forget to sign out of your email, and your partner reads that flirty email correspondence between you and your co-worker.

Mercury brings back past communications. When it’s retrograde, you’re supposed to wrap up unfinished business. Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day is not the best time for old relationships to pop up out of nowhere.

The solution? If you haven’t been completely honest about your past at this point, the most romantic of days is probably not the best time to come clean. Take some necessary precautions. When you leave the computer, double-check to make sure you signed off. Think twice before you hit “send” on that email. And know that Mercury, the trickster, will surely have something up his sleeve that you haven’t anticipated.

And on that special night, it can’t hurt to talk about all the good things that have built up to this moment. When the bad stuff rears its head, you’ll at least have had a wonderful evening to buffer the blows.

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Valentine’s Day: Another Kind of Love

Valentine’s Day: Another Kind of Love

Spread love to everyone during this Aquarian holiday

Jeff Jawer   Jeff Jawer on the topics of love, blogs, astrology, aquarius

Valentine’s Day is this Friday, February 14. The holiday that celebrates romantic love seems to have nothing to do with the saint for which it was named. Its association with amour began in the 14th century, about 1000 years after the death of St. Valentine. Although it’s a great way to sell chocolate and flowers and, hopefully, to open hearts, the astrological association with the holiday is almost as strange as its connection with a martyred priest.

The Sun is always in Aquarius on February 14. This is the sign of the Water-bearer but it’s not a sentimental Water sign. Aquarius is an Air sign characterized more by the head than the heart. Aquarius is about friendship, community and collective ideals rather than couples. It tends to be chilly, using the intellect to step back from the messy world of feelings to achieve understanding with the mind. Aquarian love is universal rather than personal and usually needs some emotional breathing space and independence to counter the confinement of intimacy.

Valentine’s Day, like Aquarius, is more about an idea than about reality. Its origins in the 14th Century reflect the romanticism of the Middle Ages … which was a model for spiritual rather than erotic love. (Robert Johnson’s book “We” is a good source of information on this subject.) Romantic yearning represented a desire for a divine connection, not personal pleasure. The partner was a symbol for God and the desire to experience sacred union. This model comes closer to Aquarius because it’s an ideal instead of a physical reality.

A higher plane

But the myth of romance has permeated culture for so many centuries that we’ve lost sight of its higher meaning. The unspoken expectation of becoming complete within a relationship is bound to produce disappointment. While personal love can be a delicious affirmation of our desirability, and intimacy serves as a bulwark against isolation, human partnerships usually fall short of our highest hopes. The familial, emotional, physical and financial connections we share within them have their divine moments but cannot confer immortality or answer life’s biggest metaphysical questions.

Romantic love comes with strings attached. Desire, jealousy, conflicting values and contrasting tastes are tests for even the most harmonious couples. Chocolate, flowers, champagne, a good dinner and great sex go a long way to erasing the illusion of our separateness but cannot eliminate it entirely. And depending on one person as the source of love is not an Aquarian formula for fulfillment … being part of a community is.

The sign of selfless love

One connection Aquarius has with romantic love is its opposition to Leo. The Lion is the sign of the heart and represents the personal experience of amour. It’s the rising of excitement we feel in the chest when someone arouses our feelings. It is the expression of affection that flatters others and warms ourselves. Yet if Leo is the heart, Aquarius is the circulatory system. The Water Bearer distributes, which is an important message about another kind of love. It is the love of humanity, called “agape” by the Greeks.

Agape aligns with Aquarius’ community consciousness and represents a less personal but equally noble expression of the human heart. Giving to others without expecting anything return is generosity of the highest order. It is a reminder that a truly Aquarian Valentine’s Day gift would be a contribution to a charity or acting as a volunteer for an organization. We can still give our chocolates and flowers for personal romance but contributing to people in other ways will make this day of love even more complete

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Daily Cosmic Calendar for Thursday, Feb. 13th

Stay on course with supporting loved ones who may be under duress as Pallas opposes Juno (2:16AM). Any talent you have for resolving problems could be useful around this time-period and for several hours afterwards.  The two lights — the Sun and Moon — agree to provide supportive illumination for your key tasks and projects via their constructive sextile of 60-degrees (6:24AM). Bold ideas can inundate your consciousness since the Moon makes a 60-degree rapport with Uranus (10:59AM) followed by an energizing although possibly unsettling 45-degree tie between Mercury and Uranus (1:58PM). Eccentricity and outside-the-box thinking are in; following all rules to the letter of the law is out. The Moon continues in its adventurous romp through fiery, extroverted Sagittarius. [Note to readers: All times are calculated for Pacific Standard Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]

Calendar of the Moon for February 13th

Calendar of the Moon

13 Nion/Anthesterion

Anthesteria Day 3: Khutroi

Color: Purple
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a purple cloth set a great jug of water, the ship of Dionysos, a wreath of grapevines, nine purple candles, and a cauldron in which are many beans.
Offerings: Food. Feed people in the community.
Daily Meal: Beans and lentils and rice. Grains cooked with honey. Only water to drink today. A great meal should be prepared, and many people from outside the community should be invited, especially those who are in need. If there is not room, the meal may be cooked and taken to the appropriate shelter or soup kitchen.

Khutroi Invocation

After the joy of the vine,
We come to water and work.
Water of the flood, which washed away
Our ancestors, may you give us
Only aid, and may we not see
Your terrible aspect, drowning the millions.
Work of the world, the greatest of which
Is the giving of sustenance to those who have none.
As we come to a better understanding
Of what it is to be past childhood,
After the day of joy and mirth
We come to the threshold
Of work and toil for the good of others.
For this is truly the mark
That we have passed youth and innocence:
When we realize the Fate does not
Take care of everyone, including we ourselves,
And that we must stand in for Fate
And alter the order of the world,
Giving of ourselves that others may survive,
And thus become Fate.
On this the Day of Pots
We open our cooking fires
To the rest of the world.

(All depart and proceed to the kitchen, where the meal is prepared in silence, with all meditating upon the effort that it will take to feed all that they can, and what that means to one’s understanding of oneself as a mature being connected to the web of life.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

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Calendar of the Sun for February 13th

Calendar of the Sun

13 Solmonath

Parentalia

Color: Blood-red
Element: Fire
Altar: Set with a red cloth, and unlit red candles, and symbols of Mother and Father.
Offerings: Written words of thanks for one’s childhood. Be a parental mentor to someone young.
Daily Meal: Soups or stews, and bread.

Parentalia Invocation

Perhaps you gave us life,
Sowed our seed, gifted us with
Your chromosomes and genes.
Perhaps you birthed us
Or were there to greet us
As we entered the world.
Perhaps you fed us, cleaned us,
Held us when we cried,
Sang us to sleep, taught us
Many skills, or perhaps
You merely led by example.
Perhaps you were tied to us by blood
Or by marriage, or simply came
Into our lives when it was needed.
Perhaps you were a parent to our bodies,
Or to our minds, or to our hearts,
Or to our souls.
However it was, you were there,
And we are grateful,
For the flame you kindled
Has warmed us ever since,
And we will pass it on.

(Each steps forward, lights a candle, and speaks the name of a parent, or one who has parented them, and everyone else calls it back to them, as in “I honor Maria, my stepmother who taught me to read!” “We honor Maria!” The next person lights their candle from the last one, until the ritual is over. At the end, all chant in two-part harmony the names they have spoken.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

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Current Moon Phase for Feb. 13th – Waxing Moon

Gibbous Moon

(waxing/98% of Illumination)

Distractions from the outside begin pressing into your world. Analysis is favored, reevaluating all the various factors you are dealing with. It’s a time to process information and effectively integrate your aims with the people in your immediate environment. This is a good time for organizing things. This Moon phase is suited for synthesis: coming up with a practical plan for getting from point A to point B. Adjustment is required.

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BE THANKFUL

Celtic Comments & Graphics

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,

For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,

Because it means you’ve made an effort.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

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The Witches Magick for February 13 – Don’t Give Up Spell

The Witches Magick for February 13

Don’t Give Up Spell

When nothing seems to be going right, this spell helps you hang in there until the situation inproves.

What You Will Need:

Oak flower essence (available in health food stores or online)

A piece of yellow paper

A pen or marker with red ink

A black candle

A candleholder

Matches of a lighter

A Tarot Card that represents you

The Strength Tarot Card (which signifies inner and outer strength)

The Seven of Wands Tarot Card (represent the ability to hold firm when you’re challenged or attacked)

The Star Tarot Card (represents hope)

The World Tarot Card (represents everything working out successfully)

When to Cast:
Daily

The Spell:

Put a few drops of oak flower essence under your tongue. On the paper, draw a red pentagram at least one foot in diameter. Lay it face up on your altar, a table, or another flat surface where it can remain for a period of time. Fit the candle in its holder and set it in the center of the pentagram. Light the candle.

Place the Tarot Card that represents you on the top point of the pentagram. Position the cards Strength and the Seven of Wands on the two side points of the pentagram. Put the Star and the World cards on the pentagram’s bottom two points. Gaze at the cards and allow their symbolism to imprint your subconscious with positive imagery. Feel them stimulating the courage and confidence you need to face the challenges before you. When you feel ready or start to lose your focus, extinguish the candle. Repeat this spell daily, for as long as necessary.

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Let’s Talk Witch – Is It Really Wiccan Magick?

LET’S TALK WITCH – IS IT REALLY WICCAN ETHICS?

Ask any Witch from any tradition of Witchcraft, why they don’t cast evil spells,
do baneful magic or use their powers to manipulate or harm others, and most of
them will quickly respond: “Because Witches believe in the Threefold Law: What
you send out will return to you three times over.”

Well, that’s a concept that will certainly keep you in line!

But is it really Wiccan ethics?

Not even remotely. Why? Because the Threefold Law is actually a rule of conduct
based on punishment, and therefore fear, and because it’s leftover from biblical
morality and because it does not reflect Wiccan values.

Let’s start with the first problem with Threefold Law: punishment and fear. Stop
and think about it for a minute. The Threefold Law is actually saying that you
better behave yourself, because if you don’t something worse will happen to you.
In other words, misbehave and you’ll be punished. So it’s just your fear of
punishment – of something worse happening to you — that keeps you from abusing the powers of Witchcraft. That’s not ethics — it’s expediency and self-
interest, based on fear of reprisal and nothing more.

Here’s the second problem: Where does this idea of fear of punishment as a
motivator for morality come from? It is a remnant of biblical thinking, dragged
from the past and misdirecting our future. In the biblical religious view, God
is not present in the world, He’s transcendent, dwelling “above” in heaven.
Where does that leave us? Living in the Lord of the Flies. When God is not
present in the world, you need a set of rules to live by. Hence the Ten
Commandments, Papal edicts, Talmudic interpretations, and Mullahs dictating the meaning of the Koran. The threat of damnation, sin, hell fire, and fatwahs for
your disobedience certainly motivate compliance with the rules of morality. Just
like the Threefold Law — behave or you’ll be punished. But just turn on the
television set and you’ll see how well that system of rules and punishment is
working.

Now the third problem: Wicca doesn’t believe in a transcendent, exclusively
male, and punishing God. Instead, Wicca is a spirituality with accessible
practices that enables you to experience the Divine dwelling within you and all
around you in the natural world. For a Witch, the world is not fallen from grace
— it’s paradise, it’s the body of the Divine. And when you are able to
experience the presence of the Sacred in the world, in yourself and others, you
don’t require a rule based upon punishment, fear and self-interest to motivate
you to behave in an ethical manner.

The real Wiccan ethic is simple: Witches live in a sacred manner, treating all
of life and the world itself with reverence and respect, because they live in a
sacred world.

This is an ethical approach to Witchcraft, to magic, spellcasting and daily life
that is truly a reflection of our deepest spiritual principles, and our
practices. And it is an understanding that can remedy the wrongs threatening the
survival of the Earth. So the next time someone asks you why Witches don’t cast
evil spells, or what the basis for your ethics are, you can reply: I live in a
sacred manner because I live in a sacred world. I treat that world, and all the
creatures in it, with reverence and respect because everything is an embodiment
of the Divine.

—- Author Uninown

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Thursday Is Ruled By Jupiter

Thursday Is Ruled By Jupiter

Archangel: Sachiel

Candle colours: Blue

Incenses: Sandalwood or sage

Crystals: Lapis lazuli or turquoise

Use Thursdays for spells for career, justice, prosperity, leadership, creativity, marriage and all partnerships, whether love or business, and for male potency.

Where possible work on a hillside, moorland or near a natural sacred site

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The Witches Almanac for Thursday, February 13th

The Witches Almanac for Thursday, February 13th

Thursday (Jupiter): Expansion, money, prosperity and generosity.

Parentalia (Roman)

Waxing Moon

The Waxing Moon is the ideal time for magick to draw things toward you.

Moon Phase: Second Quarter

Moon Sign: Leo

Leo: Draws emphasis to the self, central ideas, or institutions, away from connections with others and other emotional needs. People tend to be melodramatic.

Incense: Apricot

Color: Crimson

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May the God & Goddess Bless You & Yours On This Thursday Morn’!

Good Morning Images
I pledge this day to do my best
To put the past behind me
Walking straight with head held high
So fortune’s favor finds me.
 
Yesterday is gone and done
Tomorrow lies before me
I will not let myself be bound
By history’s faded story.
 
No longer looking toward the past
Except for lessons learned
I’m moving toward the future now
And all that I have earned.
 
So Mote It Be.
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