Hawk flies into your reading today to bring you an important message. It may come in the mail, e-mail, a casual remark at the grocery store, a randomly selected page in a book, or even a phrase heard on the radio. Be alert, as hawk messages can sometimes be delivered in a subtle fashion.
The Phoenix
The mythical, endearing Phoenix has long been a symbol of rebirth, renewal, and coming full circle. Tired in both body and spirit the aged Phoenix combust into flames and from its ashes is reborn. The Phoenix does not indicate change so much as it does renewal and revitalization. It denotes the completion of a cycle and beginning anew.
As a daily card, The Phoenix suggest you are at a place where some aspects of your life have reached the end of a cycle. Your energies may be weakened from use and stretched over too many arenas to be as effective as they once were. As a result, now may be a good time for you to take a step back and allow yourself time to revitalize both your physical and spiritual self.
Pamela Coleman-Smith’s artful rendition of an “innocent Fool” archetype (Rider-Waite deck) is often used to represent Tarot in general. Early classical versions of the Fool card, however, portray quite a different character — a person driven by base needs and urges, who has fallen into a state of poverty and deprivation.
In some instances, he is made out to be a carnival entertainer or a huckster. In others, he is portrayed as decrepit and vulnerable — as the cumulative result of his delusions and failures. Not until the 20th century do you see the popular Rider-Waite image of the Fool arise — that of an innocent Soul before its Fall into Matter, as yet untainted by contact with society and all its ills.
Modern decks usually borrow from the Rider-Waite imagery. Most Fool cards copy the bucolic mountainside scene, the butterfly, the potential misplaced step that will send the Fool tumbling into the unknown. Don’t forget, however, that the earlier versions of this card represented already-fallen humanity, over-identified with the material plane of existence, and beginning a pilgrimage towards self-knowledge, and eventually, wisdom. The Fool reminds us to recognize the path of personal development within ourselves — and the stage upon that path where we find ourselves — in order to energize our movement toward deeper self-realization.
For those of us who managed to avoid the recent weird energy, we have another opportunity to experience the magic as Venus lingers close to surreal Neptune. The dissolving power of Neptune disperses our concentration, making it nearly impossible to focus on any one thing separate from everything else. Nevertheless, executing a concrete plan helps to keep us on track as the cautious Virgo Moon restrains the energy of the impulsive Aries Sun.
You think that you can’t tell your friends what you really want now because you’re afraid of being judged. Nevertheless, several planets are traveling through your feisty sign, prompting you to take a risk and express your feelings anyhow. However, it’s crucial to consider the impact of your words on a loved one before saying something that could be misinterpreted. Don’t be afraid of sharing your truth; just know when to stop or you could find yourself enmeshed in an unnecessary drama.
Although your desires may seem deliciously warm this morning, it could get much hotter than you expect as your ruling planet, Venus, continues to lure you into the heat of fantasy today. However, if you believe that you have overstepped your bounds, you might cool off rather suddenly and pull away. Unfortunately, someone could misinterpret your behavior and assume that your emotional retreat is because of your lack of affection. Avoid needless problems by communicating clearly from the start.
You might feel relatively clueless about your direction today, but the more you try to map out your destination, the less you seem to know which way to go. Unfortunately, your rational analysis won’t give you the whole picture now, for reality is being augmented by emotional rather than logical currents. Stop trying to think your way through these circumstances. Oddly enough, you gain a sense of freedom, or even temporary exhilaration, when you surrender to your feelings and follow your heart.
You could seem a bit absent-minded today as you slip in and out of contact with your imagination. However, if you lose touch with other planes of existence, they still make themselves known in the here and now. You can stretch your awareness and have momentary glimpses of how all the pieces fit together. But eventually, you may close back down and might even be confused by the whole experience. Luckily, it’s possible to relieve some of your anxiety by remembering that life is a mystery after all.
Reality may act just like a wet blanket as the truth dampens your spirits, especially if your expectations are overinflated now. But satisfaction might be within reach if you adjust your attitude so you can joyfully accept whatever opportunities you’re being offered. This temporary setback isn’t about lowering your standards; it’s about practicing the art of being grateful for what you currently have. Counting your blessings is an excellent first step.
Your over-the-top optimism sets you up for disappointment today. Or, maybe, you’re already discouraged and an enthusiastic friend tries to lift your spirits. No matter what occurs, you still might not feel very supported now. Just recognizing that others appreciate your talents and acknowledge your contributions could be enough to put you back on track. But don’t withdraw if you feel misunderstood for any reason. Be clear about your intentions and you have a better chance of ultimately being seen for who you truly are.
You’re often the one who takes the time to understand what others are feeling, even if your empathy ends up making decisions more difficult. However, interactions with people around you might leave you with a sense of disillusionment today. Relationships may seem like a total mystery now and you don’t even know where to begin to put things back in balance. Thankfully, cultivating emotional detachment allows your perspective to return to normal in just a few days. In the meantime, keep the lines of communication open without making any sudden moves.
You don’t ask for a lot today; all you want is the connection of familiarity with a close friend. Unfortunately, your support network might seem somewhat distant now, leaving you feeling lonely or nostalgic. However, it’s not nearly as bad as it seems at first because the gulf between you and others won’t last long, especially since it’s largely the result of your own runaway imagination. Don’t worry; the real world is on its way back, bringing more clarity along with it.
Your playful spirit might run into a wall today, but the external resistance won’t hold you back for long. You may be required to readjust your goals, but that’s just because they weren’t all that realistic in the first place. Once you bring your hopes back into line, you could discover that the new obstacles will be much easier to overcome. If success starts to slip through your fingers, keep a positive attitude, reconsider your objectives and try again.
You have no trouble acting as the taskmaster today while the Moon aligns with stern Saturn. However, playing this lead role can be more work than you expected because charming Venus is attempting to soften your heart. But neither flirtation nor temptation should distract you from your current goals. Don’t give in; you must hold up your end of the bargain now by being the most responsible one in the group. Ultimately, others will appreciate your perseverance and singular focus.
Sustaining your connection with your imagination isn’t your top priority today because you want to produce tangible results. Although you’re normally quite capable of depersonalizing your feelings so you can have a more universal understanding of reality and the human condition, today’s Virgo Moon demands that you bring your ideas back down to earth. Don’t go too far in either direction; seek ways to balance your dreams with your present circumstances so you can experience the best of both worlds.
Fitting yourself neatly into a box that’s been created by someone else may be impossible today. But a close friend or partner has very specific expectations about how you should behave now, and you might not perform as desired. Conflicts between your personal styles or values is only a problem if one of you is so insecure that you need the other person to agree with you one hundred percent. Assure those you love that expressing your individuality doesn’t mean you love them any less.
If you feel tired today with more on your plate than you can handle, this is an obvious sign that you need to take some time to reevaluate your current direction. First, think about what your heart truly wants and pretend that nothing could keep you from your goals. Secondly, consider the very real obstacles you must overcome to reach your destination. Then methodically make the necessary changes to put your life back on track.
There may be something quite reassuring about being with your friends now, but social activities distract you from making progress at work. You can tell that something is happening, but your progress seems to be hidden from sight. Trust your own counsel, even if your inner voice sounds uncertain. The fundamental changes you make today bring positive results if you are patient.
You might want to go along with everyone’s plans for the day, but you don’t like the idea of being so closely tied to their schedules. You’re probably not as attached to tradition as some other people are, but there’s something to be gained now by going along with the crowd. Even if you want to take a more radical approach, a bit of self-compromise can actually bring you closer to the elusive happiness you seek. Find joy in whatever you’re doing; you’ll have your chance for more variety soon enough
You’re ready to jump into a project and do whatever needs to be done. There’s no reason to waste time on frivolous activities these days. Still, you’re quite aware that maintaining a professional appearance ultimately brings you closer to the security that you seek. Remember, you don’t have to give up your real goals; instead, just wait a while longer to make your big move.
You have more than your fair share of common sense now, and even if this isn’t normally your greatest strength, others are relying on you to hold things together. However, you might be motivated by something more personal than just helping everyone else. You are changing your life bit by bit in order to make your daily routines more efficient and productive. The more open you are to a variety of possibilities, the healthier this transition can be for you. This is your chance to bring your most colorful visions down to earth.
The potential for change is all around you. You may feel rather lighthearted today, unless you haven’t already completed your work chores. However, once you are done you are ready to play, but you must know exactly what you are getting into before you can enjoy yourself. Don’t scatter your energy before you meet your obligations or you might miss your chance to have fun later in the day. The more time you have away from your regular routine, the more time you have to explore all the possibilities on the horizon.
You may feel that someone is on your case now; no matter what you do, you should have done something else. Today’s analytical Virgo Moon can bring emotional stress with home activities and family members. You might need to justify your actions even if you try to avoid the conflict. Do whatever you must to get through the awkwardness of the current situation without attaching too much meaning to anything that happens. Thankfully, keeping the peace buys you time until you gain additional perspective.
Even if you feel resistance emanating from others, you must take some of the responsibility for the tension. Your destiny is in your own hands; whatever situation you created you can unmake. But it will take a real commitment, along with enough courage to engage in a difficult conversation. Bringing someone into your confidence might be just the catalyst you need to transform the current dynamics.
You must be as practical as possible now in order to counterbalance everyone else’s fuzzy thinking. But you could just as well be the ringleader of a pie-in-the-sky scheme, yourself. Either way, you have much to lose if you let your unbridled imagination run away with the facts. Making a list of the pros and cons enables you to sustain your newly found stability. Scaling your big ideas down to a manageable size greatly improves your chances of success.
It’s crucial to honor your feelings today, even if they aren’t consistent with your previous plans. But don’t think that the solution is to just drop whatever you are doing in favor of something new. You must find a workable balance between the opposite forces pushing and pulling on your life now. However, you might grow more confused as you try to resolve the dilemma. Thankfully, talking it over with friends can help, especially if you’re willing to listen to their sound advice.
Your imagination plays a significant role in your life today, but it’s up to you to utilize the unrealized potential of the moment. Nevertheless, don’t get so lost in your dreams that you can’t keep up with your responsibilities. Go ahead and let your thoughts take you where they will without deviating from your regular schedule. Trusting your intuition is smart now, but keep your feet securely planted on the ground when reaching for the stars.
You are of two minds now. You would like to forget about your chores and join in the fun, but something prevents you from jumping overboard. There may be too much going on to escape from your previous commitments and you won’t be able to enjoy yourself even if you do. Nevertheless, your friends are calling and they have an enticing plan. Take your time and make your choice only after you consider your options and decide what makes the most sense
Maria DeSimone on the topics of love, horoscopes, astrologyStop, look and listen! The universe appears to be on a crash course to test your mettle across the board, and no area of your life is safe. As mentioned in yesterday’s calendar entry, the Sun and Juno make waves by forming a rare conjunction at 22 degrees of Aries (12:17AM). Be sensitive to dear ones and avoid ego battles of any kind. Interests wax in the realms of design, style, fashion, elegance, and beauty. The ability to stay on the straight and narrow path to worldly success is not easy right now as Mercury forms a tense, 135-degree link to Saturn (8:44AM), the Sun chimes in by making a potentially confusing, 45-degree contact with Neptune (9:00AM), Juno makes a similar, 45-degree connection with Neptune (3:48PM) followed by an off-kilter, 150-degree tie from the Sun to Saturn (5:24PM). Any kind of disorderly work environment will backfire against you. Under Virgo Moon it is the little things in life that will make or break your potential gold mine under construction. Meanwhile, the annual Venus-Neptune union at 7 degrees of Pisces (7:25PM) sounds a note of universal love-wisdom and deep-seated understanding or increases the chances of illusions haunting the realms of romance and business. Mercury contra-parallel to Chiron (9:43PM) and Venus forming a frictional, 45-degree link to Juno (11:06PM) are additional reminders that reaching the promised land of your plans and goals may not be as simple as you expect. [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.]
April 11, 2014 — 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.
This is a good technique using herbs, visualization and relaxation to deal with difficulties. Though we have made suggestions for your visualization, try first of all to allow your own mind to create an image for you. Ask yourself, “What does my fear look like?”
You will need:
Some herbs for courage (such as Basil, Garlic, Mullein, Nettle, Thyme)
A red candle
METHOD
Construct your sacred space; spread the herbs around it.
Put the candle in front of you, then say the following three times:
Hear me, I call upon courage To relinquish the holding ties of fear, Break them, leave me, far away, Let them not be near.Now lie down quietly for 10 or 15 minutes, breathing deeply and concentrating on fear fading away into the atmosphere (cosmos).
You might use a symbol to represent fear. For example, you could use a visualization of a heavy weight which becomes lighter or the word ‘Fear’ itself in large letters which either breaks up into its individual letters and disappears or becomes smaller the more you concentrate on it.
Let the candle burn out on its own.
Collect up the herbs and candle and bury them in the earth.
Try to do this as far from your home as possible. (This will help you stave off your fears and doubts.)
Source:
Natural Magic: Spells, Enchantments & Self-Development Pamela Ball (2002-11-20).
Creative visualization is the art of allowing the mind sufficient freedom to produce a symbol or picture which is meaningful to nobody else but you. It does not have to be ornate – indeed you will find the simpler the better. Sometimes the image will come to you in meditation, sometimes in dreams and sometimes will arise spontaneously apparently of its own volition.
As a general rule there are seven stages of creative visualization. These are as follows:
1. Setting the scene in as much detail as you can.
2. Visualizing objectively yourself and others taking part in your scenario.
3. Refining the detail, rejecting things that are obviously not feasible or are over the top, and accepting and adding additional detail where possible.
4. Seeing, feeling and sensing yourself participating in your visualization.
5. Testing your doubts and fears. These may range from ‘Have I the right to expect this?’ to ‘Someone will stop me….’ and taking in a huge range of similar such statements in between – even down to ‘Do I really want this?’
6. Accepting that whatever you are visualizing can happen for you in the here and now. You are giving yourself an acceptable present.
7. Taking responsibility for allowing your visualization to happen. You have, and can have, a sustainable future.
You can often gain tremendous insight into your own and other people’s motivation through this process and it is, of course, an invaluable tool in making things happen in a positive way. Here we use it to remove problems, but it could equally be used to create good things for yourself and others.
Source:
Natural Magic: Spells, Enchantments & Self-Development Pamela Ball(2002-11-20).
Use Fridays for casting for love, luxury, pleasure and entertainment
Planetary Influence: Venus
Household Symbols: A seashell, a fountain, fresh flowers, your wedding ring or wedding photos, red or pink paper hearts, apple and cherries.
Colors: Pink and aqua green
Kitchen Spices: Thyme and sugar
Source:
Cottage Witchery Natural Magick for Hearth and Home Author: Ellen Dugan
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.
Waxing Moon
The Waxing Moon is the ideal time for magick to draw things toward you.
Moon Phase: Second Quarter
Moon Sign: Virgo
Virgo: Favors accomplishment of details and commands from higher up. Focuses on health, hygiene and daily schedules.
Incense: Alder
Color: Purple
In the brain the processing of smell is closely linked with memory retrieval, so that a smell can act as a powerful trigger for a memory and therefore a mood. This makes it possible to prime calm states of mind using certain scents – helpful when you are in a state of confusion or bereavement Perform this exercise for the first time when you are already feeling calm. Sit comfortably, light some incense and close your eyes. As you breathe focus your awareness on the smell of the incense as it enters your nostrils during each inhalation. Visualize the smell as a beautiful light, flooding your body with liquid calm. Continue for at least five minutes. Perform this exercise whenever you are feeling agitated or confused. Not only will it be calming in itself, but it will also trigger memories of the calm that you first experienced.
I am so glad this week is over. It has been a very difficult week for everyone. It seems like every time you turn on the News there is more death. I don’t know if we are more aware of it now because of the news broadcast or what, but death has been everywhere. The truly sad thing is that it is all our young people being killed. Don’t get me wrong, death at any age is very hard to handle. I know from personal experience, I am the only left in my family. But for the life of the young to be taken so swiftly, you have do wonder why? They have their own life ahead of them and poof, it is gone in an instant.
Being a parent, myself, weeks like these take a toll on me. I have two grown children and if something was to happen to them, I don’t know how I would handle it. My heart breaks for all of these parents. This morning ten more were suddenly token from this plane. One there way to check out a college they were planning on attending. Look forward to life, all the beauty and happiness they could imagine laid before them. Now it’s gone. I never dreamed of anything happening like this when my kids went on school trips. Who does? I cannot imagine what a hell these parents must have been throw into. Goddess Bless Them!
I know it is said, “Time heals all wounds!” It makes the pain easier but it is still there. After all these years, I still feel the pain. People try to comfort those grieving with words, there are no words of comfort. There is not really much we can do when a person is dealing with the loss of a loved one. We can stand beside them and just listen. You don’t have to say a word. Listening is more important than you can ever imagine. If they start to cry, open your arms and just hold them. Simply gestures that in the end mean so much.
Once again in closing, I would ask that you say a prayer for all those we have loss this week.
Divine Mother, once again we humbly come to pray for all the souls that have been lost this week. Make their transition from this world to the next as peaceful and calm as can be. Hold them in your loving arms.
Divine Mother, bless their loved ones left on this plane. Hold them in your arms and give them comfort. Let them know their loved ones are at peace and one day we shall all be reunited. Make their pain ease, give them hope and give them courage. Almighty Mother, give them the reassurance death is not final but a new chapter opening from which a new life to emerge. Divine Mother, bless us all, we humbly prayer. So Mote It Be.
Witches Of The Craft® 