The Moon entering the fixed, water sign of Scorpio (2:14AM) each month points you in the direction of becoming an amateur detective. Don your Sherlock Holmes disguise and solve personal mysteries while ferreting out family secrets. Getting to the bottom of things is a key trait of this segment of the zodiac. Mother Nature beckons in one fashion or another as the Moon embraces the largest asteroid Ceres (3:06AM). Take a good look at your dietary and nutritional needs. Strive to be highly productive in your main fields of expertise. While much of today reveals a favorable vibration, the insurance, safety, security and investment fronts take a drubbing around the time when the Sun forms an off-kilter, 150-degree tie with Vesta (4:10AM). The good news picks up the pace shortly thereafter as a grand triangle in water signs lifts your spirits. The Moon in Scorpio first trines Mercury and Neptune in Pisces (5:42AM and 1:11PM, respectively) and then moves on to trine Jupiter in Cancer (9:58PM). Tune into the deeper levels of your spiritual awareness by utilizing the electro-magnetic qualities of this potent geometrical form in the heavens. It is also appropriate to reflect on the last month — as well as the last 12 months — of your life, with the gains and losses, opportunities received and challenges met, as tomorrow sees the Sun entering Aries, a sacred turning point of the calendar year and the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. [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.]
Day: March 19, 2014
Current Moon Phase for March 19th – Full Moon
Full Moon
(waning/80% of illumination)
A veil of self-absorption is lifted and suddenly you gain access to an unbiased view of others. This is a rare moment when you can see yourself objectively and become aware of whether or not what you want in your heart is actually beginning to manifest in your life. Traditionally, the Full Moon phase stirs emotion, and this is because when you “see” what is happening, you may become upset if you’re experiencing the “same ole, same ole” — rather than the things you would like. If the Full Moon phase is a disappointment, on the next New Moon it’s time to take creative action in the direction of your dreams.
Spring Invocation to Persephone
Spring Invocation to Persephone
by Elizabeth Barrette
Come, Persephone,
With your paint-pots and brushes:
Stipple the fields with flowers,
Dot the branches with bright blossoms Streak the Spring sky with pale pastels.
You are the one who paints the eyes on the pansies,
And the lines on the lilies so the bees can find their food,
And the blushes on the rosebuds.
Without you,
The bearded iris would have no smile
And the black-eyed susan would be blind.
Come, Persephone:
The world has rested too long
Under Winter’s snowy cloak.
Come bring your brushes and bright colors
And dress us in the shades of Spring again.
We invoke you, gracious maiden of freedom and beauty: So Mote It Be
An Example of an Ostara Ritual
An Example of an Ostara Ritual
This Ritual shall be performed either in the morning, at Dawn, or during the day sometime, or during the early evening hours, just after Sunset. Sweep area, starting in the North and moving deosil, with your magickal broom to cleanse the Circle area and “sweep away” any lingering negative energies. Set up the Quarter candles (North-Green, East-Yellow, South-Red,
West-Blue) and/or other items symbolizing the elements at the Four Quarters. Set up your altar as desired, and face it to the North, covering it with a white, light green, lemon yellow or a pale pink altar cloth. For this ceremony, decorate the altar with Springtime flowers of any color (silk are acceptable), along with a Spring basket filled with brightly-colored Pagan Ostara Eggs. Along with your usual ritual tools and items, have upon the altar:
White, Light Green, Lemon Yellow or a Pale Pink Altar Cloth
Spring Basket filled with Brightly-colored Pagan Ostara Eggs
Spring Flowers (for decoration)
A New Plant or a Seed or Seedling to be planted within your cast Circle –
you will also need some soil and a pot (as a Spring gift to yourself)
Pen and Paper (for writing out your desires for the coming year)
Cauldron for Burning the “Seed” Papers in (light each one from the Fire candle)
A Bell
Ostara Incense – Spring Blend, or Jasmine, Rose, Sage, or Strawberry Sticks
When all is set up, take a shower or bath for purification and don your Ritual Robe or other Ritual attire. Be sure to wear your Magickal jewelry, if you have any. Sit quietly and meditate for a little while – to ground and center. When you feel ready to begin, play some quiet peaceful music for the Ritual.
Cast the Circle… begin the Ostara sabbath Ceremony by sitting quietly for a few moments, then say these words aloud in dedication:
“Winter’s bareness has subsided,
from the death of Winter springs new life!
Spring is coming to the land.
The days grow longer, warm breezes begin to stir…
All around me I see signs—
The growing things are beginning anew.
It is a resurrection of the dance of life—
The dance of the stems and stalks
As they push forth from the Earth.
It is the season of creation.
Growth has turned outward.
The land has become fertile again.
The Earth is caressed by the loving touch of the Mother.
Where Her hand passes:
Atoms twine together to create growth.
Buds burst open, leaves and vines unfurl.
She creates a vision of green beauty.
Beauty so breath-taking after the dark solitude of Winter.
It is this vision that we celebrate on Her day of Ostara.
The world recreating itself—
Returning from the death of Winter,
Into the new life of Spring
Through the love of the Lord and the Lady.”
Sit quietly again and reflect on the meaning of the Spring Season for a few moments. When you are ready, pick up your wand and hold it in your power hand, face the North and with your arms outstretched and say:
“The time of change is upon us again –
the Equinox comes, the Wheel turns…
The Wheel of the Year turns on and on,
bringing us all to and from each Season,
and from and to another…
What will be is. What was will be.
All time is here and now in this Sacred Space.
I now pause to watch the Wheel turn,
and cast this Circle on this blessed day/eve.
to celebrate this season of balance known as Ostara, the Vernal Equinox –
the time of new birth and new beginnings.
In this moment between time,
I come to praise the bountiful young Goddess.
and Her son-lover, the Great Horned God of renewal.
for Their blessings of fertility, warmth and life renewed.
I wish to give thanks and feel myself as a part of
the relentlessly turning Wheel of Life, Death, and Rebirth.”
Pause and reflect for a few moments, then continue, saying:
“O Great God of Strength, New Beginnings, and Fertility,
who has been known as Cernunnos, Herne, Pan,
the Great Horned God, and the Lord of the Forests –
Grant me strength, power, and understanding,
throughout this season and always.
O Great Goddess of Love, New Beginnings, and Fertility,
who has been known as Blodeuwedd, Eostre, Astarte, Aphrodite,
and the Maiden Lady of the Moon –
Teach me the secrets of the Mysteries
and the ways of magic.”
Still holding the wand in your power hand, pause and reflect again for a few moments, then say these words:
“Behold, the Lord and Lady of life and the giver of life.
Without Her Lord, the Goddess is barren.
Without His Lady, the God has no life.
Each is needful of the other for completion and power,
as Sun to Earth, the spear to the cauldron,
spirit to flesh, human to human.”
Rap the side of the cauldron lightly with the wand, say:
“O Great Goddess, be with me now.
in your aspect of the Maiden,
the fair one who brings joy and new life.”
Ring the bell once and say:
“O Great God of renewal, be with me now.
in your aspect of the Lord of the Forests,
the Horned God who brings warmth and love.”
Rap the cauldron once more with the wand and say:
“May the strength of the old enter into the new.
Great Lord and Lady, make all things strong
and giving of new life. Blessed be.”
Pick up the burning incense and carry it once more around the Circle deosil. Set it back down and say these words:
“Awake! All creatures in the realm of Earth, awake!
Greet the Maiden and Her Lover,
who herald the coming of Spring.”
At this time, symbolically present yourself with your new Springtime gift – the potted plant (or plant the actual seed or seedling in the soil and then present it to yourself). Say these words:
“As this tiny plant/seed/seedling begins its life anew,
so do I now begin to manifest
my new desires for the coming year.”
Pick up your athame and touch its tip to the paper, and say:
“Now I cast behind me
the darkness of Winter and the past.
I look only to that which lies ahead.
This is the time for me to plant seeds in the
physical, mental, as well as spiritual realms.”
Now write down your desires for the coming year on the slips of paper. Write only one desire on each piece of paper. Fold the papers and hold them up over the altar in offering to the Old Gods. Say these words:
“This is a joyous time, a time for planting.
With joy and trust, I place these requests
in the hands of the Goddess and Her Lord.”
Light the papers afire in the flame of the Fire candle and dropthem one by one into the cauldron to manifest as the Gods see fit. As you do so, say:
“These thought-seeds I do willingly place
into the hands of the Lady and Her Lord,
that these desires and dreams may
manifest and become reality.
By the free will of All, and
with harm to none,
as I will, so shall it be done.”
When you are finished, proceed with the Cakes and Ale Ceremony, followed by Releasing the Circle in
your usual manner.
This Completes the Ostara sabbath Ritual
Please note this ritual is based on the Northern Hemisphere correspondences of elements and their colors, and directions and so on.
Let’s Talk Witch – 8 Ideas for Celebrating Ostara
Let’s Talk Witch – 8 Ideas for Celebrating Ostara
Ostara, the Spring Equinox, is always especially beautiful here in Sonoma County, California. This year seems especially nice. Winter’s rains have been lighter than we would like, but they have been gentle and well timed. My farmer friends with whom I’ve spoken are feeling good. Warming temperatures and longer days have brought forth the first abundant flowers, especially the wild mustard that makes it seem as if our craggy valley oaks and vineyards have their feet awash in bright yellow paint. The threats from frost are virtually over.
Our season and Ostara’s symbolism are in perfect harmony.
Wiccan Sabbats celebrate our Wheel of the Year, and the Wheel of the Year, like the phases of the moon, symbolize to us the stages of life, from birth to death to rebirth. Four Sabbats are “Greater Sabbats” originally linked with Celtic agricultural cycles: Brigit, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain. The other four “cross quarter” Sabbats are correlated with the cycles of the solar year, the solstices and equinoxes. On the 21st of this month, Witches and many other Pagans will celebrate Ostara, the Spring Equinox.
Equinoxes are times of balance between day and night, light and darkness. But the balance is dynamic, lasting a day, before shifting into playing a role in that greater balance that is the Wheel of the Year. For me this sense of balance should be the dominant theme of either Ostara, or Mabon, the Fall Equinox. But they are very different Sabbats otherwise, for after Ostara the light will continue to grow, whereas after Mabon, it is darkness that increases.
There is another aspect of balance that comes to mind as a am mulling this post over, that between the universal and the concrete. Solar Sabbats are universal, the Greater Sabbats are specific to time and place. Together, they balance the universal with the variety that is local. So while I think it is important to make sure Greater Sabbats are strongly connected with where we live, it is not as important for the Cross Quarter ones.
With these thoughts in mind, I have a few ideas for celebrating Ostara I want to share. All are suitable for Solitaries.
1. On my altar I will have 4 candles. I will light two, and with sundown, light another. I have tried to figure out a simple but visually beautiful way of symbolizing Sabbats and their meaning, and here is my scheme into which this simple observance fits.
Yule – 1 candle lit during ritual.
Imbolc – 1 candle lit, a second during the ritual.
Ostara – 2 candles lit, a third lit at end of ritual or at sunset.
Beltane – 3 candles, one lit during ritual, making 4.
Midsummer – 4 candles, one extinguished at end of ritual.
Lammas – 3 candles, one extinguished during ritual.
Mabon – 2 candles, one extinguished at sunset or end of ritual.
Samhain – 1 candle lit, but extinguished during ritual.
2. I will fill my place with local flowers. I just spoke with a friend in Maine. The garden I helped plant still looks like a snow drift. Maybe the willows are changing their color as the sap tentatively rises, making for a good altar decoration. If not, it’s good that this is a solar Sabbat!
3 I will watch the dawn, and do some invocations and prayers while I do it. Ostara is said to have been a Goddess of the Dawn as well as spring, so this is fitting, although very little is known of Her. If I was in Fairbanks, I might let this slide.
4. In Pagan times eggs and hares were associated with the creation of life and fertility, for obvious reasons. While it seems all folklore of ancient provenance has disputed origins, regardless of how these customs arose and survived, they are perfectly fitted for symbolizing this time, when almost everywhere spring has arrived or is coming soon. Dyeing the eggs in Spring-time colors, and having a good old fashioned Ostara Egg hunt is a wonderful thing for kids.
5. A good smudging, followed by a good airing if the weather permits. Burning sage is the easiest way to smudge a place, though any cleansing incense is worthwhile. Be sure to get corners and dark places. Energy collects and stagnates in those places, and most of us have had all winter for that to happen.
6. Plant a seed associated with a magickal ritual for something you want to grow. Simple and personal is best. Focus your intent strongly on the seed, then on the pot of soil after you have planted it. Take care of it. I’d recommend a perennial, that you can plant and let continue to flourish with your care, but maybe an annual will do the trick. Depends on your project.
7. If you have a yard, this is a good time to begin getting in touch with the spirits of your place. But as with any relationship, it will normally take some time to grow. The last time I lived for any length of time in a house with a yard, I would make weekly offerings in a out of the way part of my yard, that I otherwise left alone (all the rests was garden). I would leave a small glass of rum, some tobacco, and a votive candle (be very careful about fire if you do this). After some months the ‘feel’ of my back yard began to change in ways I and others liked a lot. But remember, attitude makes or breaks this kind of thing – as with all relationships.
8. If there is a public Sabbat celebration, and you are not part of a coven, try and go. Some are well done, some can seem like ‘ritual abuse,’ but either way, this is a good way to begin meeting other local Pagans. In my view the real magic of what we do is most powerful when we work and celebrate together
Source
Information from Beliefnet
Author: Gus diZerega
Blog: A Pagan’s Blog
Celebrating Other Spirituality 365 Days A Year – Quintaria/Quinq uatrus
Celebrating Other Spirituality 365 Days A Year
Quintaria/Quinq uatrus
In Ancient Greece, the day before the Vernal (Spring) Equinox was dedicated to the Goddess Athena. In Rome this was the fifth day after the Ides of March—the start of the five-day festival for the God Mars and the principal festival of the Goddess Minerva. The first day was her birthday and the following four days were devoted to circus games.
Minerva was the Goddess of crafts and trade guilds. She was originally the Etruscan Goddess Menrva and identified with the Greek Goddess Athena. In Rome, Minerva had a temple on the Aventine Hill and another in the Forum of Nerva. Her festivals were held on March 19, June 19 and September 13.
Wednesday Is Ruled By Mercury
Wednesday Is Ruled By Mercury
Archangel: Raphael
Candle colour: Yellow
Incenses: Lavender or fennel
Crystals: Citrine or yellow calcite
Use Wednesdays for spells for money-making ventures, learning new things, passing examinations and tests, house moves and travels, overcoming debt and repelling envy, malice and deceit.
Where possible, work in a windy place or when the clouds are moving fast across the sky.
The Witches Correspondence for Wednesday, March 19th
The Witches Correspondence for Wednesday, March 19th
Magickal Intentions: Communication, Divination, Writing, Knowledge, Business Transactions, Debt, Fear,Loss, Travel and Money Matters
Incense: Jasmine, Lavender, Sweet Pea
Planet: Mercury and Chiron (though this is a moon of Pluto)
Sign: Virgo
Angel: Raphael
Colors: Orange, Light Blue, Grey, Yellow and Violet
Herbs/Plants: Fern, Lavendar, Hazel, Cherry, Periwinkle
Stones: Aventurine, Bloodstone, Hematite, Moss Agate and Sodalite
Oil: (Mercury) Benzoin, Clary Sage, Eucalytus, Lavender
This day is governed by Mercury. Wednesday’s vibration adds power to rituals involving inspiration, communications, writers, poets, the written and spoken word, and all matters of study, learning, and teaching. This day also provides a good time to begin efforts involving self-improvement or understanding.
The Witches Almanac for Wednesday, March 19th
The Witches Almanac for Wednesday, March 19th
Wednesday (Mercury): The conscious mind, study, travel, divination, and wisdom.
St. Joseph’s Day (Sicilian)
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: Libra
Libra: Favors cooperation, social activities, beautification of surroundings, balance, and partnership.
Moon enters Scorpio 5:13 am
Scorpio: Increases awareness of psychic power. Precipitates psychic crises and ends connections thoroughly. People tend to brood and become secretive.
Incense: Honeysuckle
Color: Brown
Happy, Happy Wednesday! It’s Lady A’s Birthday, Let’s Party!
This is not the main birthday post to Lady A. I just wanted to throw a few “Happy Birthdays” here and there. I have good news, we collected enough money for the pentagram necklace. Thank you. I just wish you could be here when Lady A opens it. Got to remember to get the camera this afternoon. I am running late today because I had to get my brother off to Nashville. I am sure you ladies know how it is to get a man out the door. I should have gone it would have been much simpler. I just hate driving in that traffic down there.
It is time to get to work. I want you to know I plan on fixing Lady A a nice birthday page after the end of today’s postings. She is suppose to home around 7:00 pm so I should have it done before then. I only wish I was a graphic expert, lol!
I hope everyone has a very blessed and happy Wednesday,
Mystie
Witches Of The Craft® 