No, you’re not getting two thoughts of the today, I swear. This image just went well with what I wanted to talk to you about today. The WOTC was formed fifteen years ago this May. I was asked by several individuals to start a real witchcraft site. Whether I have did that or not I will leave that up to you to decide. Of course, I agreed, there was such a need. So I gathered up some other interested parties who wanted to make it happen and we got busy. We decided if we were going to make such a site, it would not only be a witchcraft site but also a safe haven from the mundane. We wouldn’t turn anyone away ever, we would accept all Paths, Traditions, and Religions that wanted to join us. I preached religious tolerance and I still do to this day. A witch preaching, sort of funny, huh? You should know by now, I love to throw curve balls, lol!

By seriously, we have grown and become what we are because of the Goddess’ help and your help. I have always said the WOTC would be nothing without you. That is very true, you make up the heart and soul of this site. Without you, we are nothing. As we continue to grow, I feel at times it is necessary to go back and reflect on why the WOTC was formed. Not only being a witchcraft site and safe haven from the outside, it was formed where like-minded individuals could meet, make friends and learn about other Traditions, Paths and Religions. The WOTC has turned into a very diverse group and truthfully I am proud of that. Individuals feel comfortable enough to call this place home when they are on the net. Which makes me very proud, I love and respect each and everyone of you.

As we continue to grow and have new people join us, I want everyone to remember one thing. It is simple and it is one of the foundations the WOTC was built on, that is to respect each other’s Religion, Path, or Tradition. You would be surprised at how many different Paths, Traditions and Religions are here. We are here to learn from each other. We are here to co-exist and again, respect each other. I cannot emphasis respecting each other’s various Traditions enough. You might not believe as another does in this group, but don’t tell them their wrong or that ain’t right. It is their Path, take time to learn from them. I know on occasions certain material might pop up that some of you don’t agree with but there are others who are wanting it. Be considerate of them. We have white witches, gray witches, black witches, Vodou practitioners, Hoodoo practitioners, Santerian practitioners, Celtic practitioners, Catholics, Christians, Baptists and who know what else here.

We have grown because everyone that visits here knows this is a safe haven and their religious beliefs will be respected. I am interested in several different traditions but I know the majority of you wouldn’t want to hear about them. I respect you enough that I don’t post my interests. I post what I feel like most of you want to read and learn from. I have never once told anyone who expressed a different belief from myself that they were wrong. I don’t expect any of our members to do so either.

The WOTC is a very religious tolerance group. Respect each others’ different beliefs. Learn from them. We have to learn about each other in order to co-exist. We have to co-exist because we have to work together to accomplish the WOTC’s goal. That goal is to put Witchcraft back into the mainstream religions of the day. We can’t expect the world to respect us, if we don’t respect each other. We can’t expect the world to accept us, if all they see is us fighting or bickering with each other. Remember this when you run across someone whose beliefs are just a tadbit different from yours. Instead of telling them they are wrong or that ain’t right, stop to think their beliefs are different from yours. Try to learn from them. I can guarantee you no one will push their beliefs down your throat. That is not what we are about, never have been and never will be.

All I ask is that each of us respect each others’ beliefs and be accepting. You might be surprised by what this site actually holds with all these members. Think about all the knowledge that is just sitting here waiting to be tapped into. It doesn’t hurt to learn about others beliefs that is the only way we learn and become accepting. I always said you had to know about the Dark side of magick and as you can imagine I had several to disagree with me. But it was simple, you learn about it, you can recognize it and if the need arises you can defend against it. I finally made people see that and most of them agreed with me after thinking it over. But back to the matter at hand, there is a wealth of knowledge here just with the members alone. Take time to learn about each other, respect their views and opinions. We can have discussion, express our point of view, that is how you learn from each other. I never want to hear someone telling another member of this site, that they are wrong.

What it all boils down too, is the WOTC is a place individuals can freely express their beliefs and their opinions. Again, I will ask you to respect each others’ beliefs and traditions. I shouldn’t even be having to make this speech but things do occur and some need to be reminded what the WOTC and me, being the zoo-keeper, are all about.

Thank you for making the WOTC what it is. Let us continue to work and move our effort forward for the glory of our Goddess and remove the tarnish that others have put on our religion.

I love each and everyone of my brothers & sisters in the Craft,

Lady of the Abyss

The Ten Catmmandments

• I am the Lord of thy House.
• Thou shalt have no other pets before Me.
• Thou shalt never ignore Me.
• I shall ignore thee when I feel like it.
• Thou shalt be grateful that I even give thee the time of day.
• Remember My food dish and keep it full.
• Thou shalt spend most of thy money on toys and gifts for Me.
• Thou shalt always have thy lap ready for Me to curl up in.
• Thou shalt shower Me with love and attention upon demand.
• Above all, thou shalt do anything and everything it takes to keep Me happy.

 

Courtesy of Turok’s Cabana

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2016 January 24

Star Cluster R136 Bursts Out
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, & F. Paresce (INAF-IASF), R. O’Connell (U. Virginia), & the HST WFC3 Science Oversight Committee

 

Explanation: In the center of star-forming region 30 Doradus lies a huge cluster containing some of the largest, hottest, and most massive stars known. These stars, known collectively as star cluster R136, were captured in the featured image invisible light by the Wide Field Camera 3 in 2009 peering through the Hubble Space Telescope. Gas and dust clouds in 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula, have been sculpted into elongated shapes by powerful winds and ultraviolet radiation from these hot cluster stars. The 30 Doradus Nebula lies within a neighboring galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud and is located a mere 170,000 light-years away.

Full moon tonight, or last night?

Tonight – January 24, 2016 – many will look outside and think they’re seeing a full moon. In fact, they’re seeing a waning moon.

According to astronomers, those sticklers for detail, there’s only one instant when the moon turns precisely full. It’s when when the moon is 180^o opposite the sun in ecliptic longitude.

It’s the same instant worldwide, and, for us in the Americas, it was last night. That is, this month’s moon turned precisely full on January 24, 2016, at 1:46 Universal Time. According to clocks in the Americas, it was January 23 at 8:46 p.m. EST, 7:46 p.m CST, 6:46 p.m. MST and 5:46 p.m. PST.

So the moon is one day past full as it beams at early evening on January 24. No matter. The waning gibbous moon will still appear plenty full to the eye.

Want more precision? The lunar disk is 98.9% illuminated by sunshine on January 25 at 1:46 Universal Time (North American time zones: January 24 at 8:46 p.m. EST, 7:46 p.m CST, 6:46 p.m. MST and 5:46 p.m. PST).

Click here and you can also find that the waxing gibbous moon was 98.9% illuminated one day before the January, 2016, full moon (January 23 at 1:46 Universal Time).

So, no matter where you live on the globe, watch for a full-looking – but possibly already waning – moon to light up the nighttime nearly all night long. Tonight’s moon shines in the east at early evening, climbs highest up for the night around midnight and sits low in the west at the break of dawn.

Bottom line: There’s only one instant when the moon turns precisely full in January, 2016. It’s the same instant worldwide. That instant occurred on January 24, 2016, at 1:46 Universal Time. For us in the Americas, it was last night.

 

Author

Bruce McClure

Article published on EarthSky

 

 

 

PLANET TRACKER

Sun in Aquarius

Now Until Feb 18, 2016

 

The Sun enters Aquarius in mid-winter (in the Northern Hemisphere). Much of the world’s population faces cold weather and long nights at this time of the year. This is a perfect opportunity to step back from the daily grind and take a larger view of life. Aquarius wants to understand the big social patterns that define the culture so that it can be reformed and modernized.

After Capricorn (a practical earth sign) turns its ambition into form and structure, Aquarius comes along to change it. Airy Aquarius opens the doors and windows, breaks down the barriers and fights for the equality of all living things. Hierarchy is reshaped into a collective crystal where all are one, yet each is different. This combination of concern for the group with total commitment to the rights of the individual is essential to the nature of Aquarius.

The Not So Wet Water Bearer

It’s natural to think of the Water Bearer as a water sign, but it’s not. It’s an air, or mental, sign that is primarily concerned with ideas and concepts. The Water Bearer symbol represents the human mind that elevates us above our emotions (water). Aquarius, in fact, often uses intellect to distance itself from feelings.

Aquarius is also a fixed sign because it occupies the middle of a season. Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo and Scorpio are the others) are basically resistant to change, except on their own terms. Aquarius, as a detached air sign, may be the most open to change of this group.

Between the Ideal and the Real

Aquarius’ inspired idealism is sometimes more conceptual than concrete. Airy Aquarius can find it more comfortable to believe in people collectively, than get close to them individually. It’s hard to be intimate (it’s so messy) when your standards are so high. The gap between the ideal and the real can be painful for some Aquarians, making intimate relationships difficult.

Aquarius needs space and freedom. Sloppy sentimentality and overly emotional situations feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it’s that Aquarius expects so much from him or herself. Getting close means exposing flaws and fears, making one feel far from ideal.

The challenge for many Aquarians (or those with personal planets in this sign) is to keep the connection between mind and heart open, and to accept the tender vulnerability of human feelings.

The Human Revolution

The key, or ruling, planet of Aquarius is Uranus, a symbol of radicalism and liberty. Aquarians often consider themselves to be above the rules that govern the rest of us. These frequently exceptional people need freedom and often excel in circumstances of their own making.

This time of year, then, is one in which we all have a chance to see ourselves in a new light. It’s the month when the wild and crazy may begin to appear possible and real. We are also reminded of the bond that connects all human beings, yet honors the uniqueness of each individual, making new forms of relationship possible.

In this burgeoning Age of Aquarius we are called upon to recognize that we are more than organic beings bound up by a past filled with old values, memories and wounds. We are, rather, visitors from the future in the process of creating ourselves with our every thought and word. As we free ourselves from physical labor and connect our minds with new technologies, we are no longer bound by traditional ideas of order. We become fully human and free to love without fear or possessiveness.

Famous Aquarians

Aquarian innovators include artists Eduoard Manet, the founder of Impressionism, and action painter Jackson Pollack. The struggle for freedom has been waged in different ways by Aquarians Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Angela Davis, Oprah Winfrey, Ayn Rand and Betty Friedan.

Aquarius writer Jules Verne was a true visionary, while the visions of Yoko Ono and Alice Cooper are, perhaps, more bizarre than revolutionary. Ernie Kovacs, Matt Groening, Ellen DeGeneres, John Belushi and Chris Rock have all used comedy to shake the system. Bob Marley used music, as have Aquarians Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan, Garth Brooks and Sheryl Crow.

Paul Newman has played so many rebellious young men with his cool Aquarius blue eyes. John Travolta, Bridget Fonda, Minnie Driver, Jennifer Aniston, Rene Russo, Christian Bale, James Spader, Seth Green, Joe Pesci, Geena Davis and Christina Ricci are other successful Aquarius actors.

 

Tarot.com is a Daily Insight Group Site

The Wisdom of Buddha

Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.

Your Daily Influences
January 24, 2016

 

Seven of Swords
Plans may fail. Distrust and dishonesty are possible. Success will not be complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berkano
Berkano is the Rune of birth and rebirth. This may symbolize a time when you are capable of great personal growth. Love may be in the air as well.

 

 

 

 

Libra the Balance
This aspect of your life will be strongly influenced by a person who is diplomaitic, urbane, romantic, charming, easygoing, sociable, idealistic and peaceable. This person is someone you know socially.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Daily Influences represent events and challenges the current day will present for you. They may represent opportunities you should be ready to seize. Or they may forewarn you of problems you may be able to avoid or lessen. Generally it is best to use them as tips to help you manage your day and nothing more.

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
You are at a physical peak–particularly from a sexual perspective. Enjoy the next few weeks, for they can be remarkable if you let them.

General Description:
In India and Tibet the Dorje or Thunderbolt of Jupiter, is a favourite and greatly valued talisman. It is worn to protect against magic, all spiritual evils and to bring abundance, fruitfulness, and riches. The Dorje is shaped much like a dumb bell with pointed ends, and is the symbol of power and indestructiblility. It is supposed to overcome the Buddhist gods Ahi and Vrittra, the serpents, which the Buddhists believe swallow up the waters and cause drought, starvation and death; compelling the serpents to disgorge the waters, and to pour down the fertilizing showers.

Your Animal Spirit for Today
January 24, 2016 

Woodpecker

Wake up! Woodpecker is tired of trying to get your attention, and will peck and peck and peck until you hear the message. You have received the answer to a major question time and again, but refuse to act on it. It’s okay to ignore a solution—but be forewarned that woodpecker will keep making racket until you make some movement forward!