Month: January 2016

Calendar of the Sun for January 20th

Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

The Witches Moon Phase for January 20th is Waxing Gibbous

January 20
Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 86%

The Moon today is in a Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase is when the moon is more than 50% illuminated but not yet a Full Moon. The phase lasts round 7 days with the moon becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon. During a Waxing Gibbous the moon will rise in the east in mid-afternoon and will be high in the eastern sky at sunset. The moon is then visible though most of the night sky setting a few hour before sunrise. The word Gibbous first appeared in the 14th century and has it’s roots in the Latin word “gibbous” meaning humpbacked.

Phase Details for – Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 86%
Moon Age: 11.13 days
Moon Angle: 0.53
Moon Distance: 372,808.68 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,206,790.06 km

Magickal Activity for January 20th, The Eve of St. Agnes

wiccan
Vision of Love Spell

Items needed: One dram of pure rose oil; one bowl of water; one pink birthday candle.

Place the bowl of water on the night stand next to your bed. Sprinkle seven drops of the rose oil into the bowl. Turn all the lights off in the room. Light the pink candle. Hold the candle over the bowl so the wax will fall onto the water, and chant the following seven times:

Rose and water,
Flame and fire,
Reveal this night,
The one I desire.

As soon as the candle has burned out, close your eyes and go to sleep. When you awake in the morning the name of the one you will marry will be spelled out in the waxing drippings left in the bowl.

Celebrating Legends, Folklore & Spirituality 365 Days A Year – St. Agnes’s Eve and St. Agnes’s Day

Love's Witch

January 20 & 21

St. Agnes’s Eve and St. Agnes’s Day

St. Agnes was a Roman Catholic child martyr who was beheaded in the year 304 A.D., for refusing to marry. Her eve has traditionally been a time for lovers’ divination—especially divination by fire. One very old custom tells: To be sure to dream of your future husband tonight, fast strictly and keep silent all day. On no account allow anyone—not even a child—to kiss you. At bedtime you must dress in your finest night-dress, then boil an egg. When the egg is hard, take out the yolk, fill the space with salt, and eat the egg, shell and all. Then walk backwards to bed while saying:

“Fair St. Agnes, play thy part,
And send to me my own sweetheart.
Not in his best or worse array,
But in the clothes he wears every day.”

You will then surely dream of your intended, but tell no one of your dream or the spell will be broken.

Wednesday Is Ruled By Mercury

OSTARA
Wednesday Is Ruled By Mercury

Wednesdays are wild and wacky days. They are for communication, change, cunning, and the arts. This is a Mercury day, and just its patron god this day is full of contradictions, change, and excitement. Some suggestions for Wednesday enchantments would include:

Pulling a little Wednesday color magic into your life by wearing purples or orange

Carrying a multipurpose agate with you and tapping into its various charms

Working with magical plants such as the fern for protection. This plant will also boost the power of any other magical plants with which it is arranged.

Incorporating lavender into charms and spells for transformation

Using the charming scent of lily of the valley to improve your memory, or working with the aspen tree for communication

Calling on Athena, patron of arts and crafts, for inspiration for a new project

Fanning out a Tarot spell to increase you creativity

Calling on Hermes on a Wednesday night to bring movement and good luck into your life

The Witches Correspondences for Wednesday, January 20th

REBIRTH
WEDNESDAY CORRESPONDENCES

Mercury/Neptune/Air/North/West/Southwest/Female/Male/Gemini/Virgo

Magickal Intentions: Communication, Divination, Writing, Knowledge, Business Transactions, Debt, Fear, Loss, Travel, Money Matters

Color: black, light blue, brown, gray, green, magenta, orange, peach, purple, red, silver, turquoise, violet, white, yellow; orange is the primary color

Number: 3, 5

Metal: mercury

Charm: distaff, rod, runes, staff, iridescent garments

Stone: moss agate, amethyst, bloodstone, emerald, hematite, lapis lazuli, lodestone, pearl, ruby, sapphire, sodalite, all blue stones

Animal: bear, dog, fox, magpie, swan, weasel

Plant: almond, bayberry, chamomile, cherry, cinnamon, cinquefoil, clove, coltsfoot, ginger, hazel, hazelnut, jasmine, lavender, millet, oak, peppermint, periwinkle, rosemary, sage, St. John’s wort, sweet pea, tamarind, lemon verbena, violet

Incense: cassia, cedar, cinnamon, clove, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, mastic, mint, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, storax, dried and powdered citrus peel, and all incense made from aromatic bark, wood, and seeds

Goddess: Carmenta, Hecate (Queen of Crossroads), Hel, Ishtar, Ma’at, the Morrigan, Nike

God: Anubis, Bragi, Elath-Iahu. Enki, Garuda, Hermes, Maximon (Black Magician), Mercury, Nebo (Wise God of Wednesday), Odin, Shango, Ullr, Vishnu, Wayland, Woden

Evocation: Agrat Bat Mahalat, Michael, Miel, Raphael, Seraphiel, Tiriel

Courtesy of Moonlight Musings

Sun in Aquarius

wiccan

Sun in Aquarius

Eyes on the Future

The Dates: January 20th through February 19th

Keywords: original, Independent, progressive, pioneering, intellectual, compassionate, eccentric

The Shadow Side: dogmatic, stubborn, rigid, remote, detached, isolated

Quality and Element: Fixed and Air

People with Sun in Aquarius:
John Trudell, Rosa Parks, Galileo Galilei, Paul Newman, Elijah Wood, Christian Bale, James Dean, John Travolta, Vanessa Redgrave, Carson McCullers, Alice Walker, Abraham Lincoln, Jamie Walters, Matt Dillon, Geena Davis, Lewis Carroll, Evangeline Adams, Toni Morrison, Frederick Douglass, Guiseppe Verdi, Peter Gabriel, Bob Marley

Personality Profile:
The Sun in Aquarius has been called the “rebel” of the zodiac because of their total commitment to their unique vision. They’re uncompromisingly anchored in their own lives, and grant that same autonomy to others. This can make them seem detached and friendly at the same time, with an innate sense that everyone should “do their own thing.”

These are the ones with a faraway look, most likely thinking brilliant and futuristic thoughts. Their minds seem to roam the outer edges of what is possible, and many of them make the impossible a reality as pioneers in science and technology.

And their quirky, wholly original take on life gives them an edge should they venture into the Arts.
They’re tuned into a different frequency, and have a vast mindscape that seems to make them self-sufficient. In other words, they’re happy to spend time alone. Yet as a sign of paradoxes, the Aquarius is also drawn to groups and “communities.” They’re tuned into the undercurrents of gatherings and can help people act together toward a goal.

Solo Mia
The Aquarian nature is known as eccentric, but only because it follows that personal golden thread of inspiration to the limits. Another name for this could be genius, since it pushes out into the road less traveled and then goes yet further. While this leads to great achievement, there’s always a chance it can lead to feeling cut off from others — this is where the loner and “absent-minded professor” reputation comes into play.

The Aquarius remains a sovereign being that needs an intellectual rapport to sustain a romance.
An ideal mate inhabits a parallel universe with many loving thoughts and feelings transmitted from the other side of the bed. If you accept the physical and mental distances, you might just be surprised by how much love can grow in the space between.

Author
Molly Hall, Astrology Expert

Article Published on & owned by About. com

 

Aspects of the Second Quarter

SpellCaster
Aspects of the Second Quarter

(From the waxing half moon to the full moon)

 

During this lunar phase, emotions and instinct are heightened. You will notice that precognitive dreams, intuition, and clairvoyance will peak as the full moon gets closer. During this lunar phase, spells will come to fruition swiftly, especially if they are uncomplicated and sincere. The closer you can cast your spells to the actual time of the full moon, the more power and oomph your spells and charms will have. Now, the day of the full moon is actually a time of maximum magickal power. This is an all-purpose lunar phase, so get in there and start casting! The full moon aligns with the Mother aspect of the Goddess; for example, Selene, Luna, Freya, Isis or Aphrodite.

—Ellen Dugan, Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick

The Witches Almanac for Wednesday, January 20th

Blessed Be ...
The Witches Almanac for Wednesday, January 20th

Wednesday (Mercury): The conscious mind, study, travel, divination and wisdom.

Inauguration Day

Waxing Moon
The Waxing Moon (from the New Moon to the Full) is the ideal time for magic to draw things toward you.

Moon phase: Second Quarter

Moon Sign: Gemini
Gemini: Things begun now are easily changed by outside influence. Time for shortcuts, communication, games, and fun.

Sun enters Aquarius 10: 27 am
Aquarius: Rebellious energy. Time to break habits and make abrupt changes. Personal freedom and individuality is the focus.

Incense: Honeysuckle

Color: Brown

Daily Magickal Applications for Wednesday

And With A Strand Of My Red Hair, Let The Magic Begin ~ GP
Daily Magickal Applications for Wednesday

To the Romans, this day was called Dies Mercurii, or “Mercury’s day” Mercury was a popular character in the Roman pantheon. A messenger of the gods, he presided over commerce, trade, and anything that required skill or dexterity. The Celts also worshiped Mercury and eventually equated him with the Norse god Odin (some spelling variations on this name include Wotan, Wodin, and Wodan). In Norse mythologies, Odin, like Mercury, is associated with poetry and music. Interestingly enough, both Odin and Mercury were regarded as psychopomps, or the leaders of souls, in their individual mythologies.

Odin, one of the main gods in Norse mythology, was constantly seeking wisdom. He traveled the world in disguise as a one-eyed man with a long gray beard, wearing an old, beat-up hat and carrying a staff or a spear (which brings to my mind images of Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings). In the Old English language, this day of Mercury evolved into Wodnes daeg, “Woden’s day,” or Wednesday.

Wednesday carries all of the planetary and magickal energies and associations of the witty and nimble god Mercury himself. Some of these mercurial traits included good communication skills, cleverness, intelligence, creativity, business sense, writing, artistic talent, trickiness, and thievery. And don’t forget all of those wise and enigmatic qualities associated with the Norse god Odin/Wodin, not to mention the goddess Athena’s contributions of music, the arts, handmade crafts, and writing. Wednesdays afford excellent opportunities for seeking wisdom, changing your circumstances, and improving your skills, be they in trade and commerce, music and art, or in communication and writing.

Source:
Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

Wednesday Witchery

Wiccan
Wednesday Witchery

Be bold and daring today! Expand your knowledge of the Craft by working with the planetary energies of Mercury on this multifaceted day of the week. Consider the Greco-Roman gods Mercury and Hermes and all of the many lessons they have for you. Embrace change and movement, and work on your communication techniques. Conjure up a little good luck for yourself with that Mercury dime spell. Call on Athena to inspire you to try magickal arts and crafts and to be more creative in your own spellwork and witchery.

Meditate on Odin and see what you can discover about him. I wonder what sort of fabulous and fascinating magickal wisdom you will uncover? Odin is a shaman, after all; he may appear in many guises and faces. I guarantee that he will make you laugh at yourself before he is through with you, but you will learn. It’s up to you what you do with that knowledge. Will you let it shapeshift into wisdom?

Wednesday is the wild and wily day of the week, so try to go with the flow; don’t fight the quirky energies of the day. Most importantly, follow your heart, and always keep a good sense of humor, because of Wednesdays you will really need it.

Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

Wednesday

Wiccan

Wednesday

Ruler: Wodin, Mercury

Colors: Orange, light blue, and gray

Power Hours: Sunrise and the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours following

Keywords: Success, creativity, communication

The word Wednesday is reminiscent of the Norse wind god Wodin, which is referenced in the popular rhyme verse “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.” This does not mean that those born on this day are full of sorrow or trouble. To be full of Wo (Wodin) means to be full of wind, to be spirited. Woden was such a powerful pagan god that the German church fathers changed the name of his day to Mittwoch, meaning midweek, in an attempt to exorcise his influence.

In the Spanish word for Wednesday, miercoles, we clearly see its connection to Mercury. Under the guidance of Mercury; Wednesday is a day of swift activity, communication, correspondence, and phone calls. This is a good day for journalists, writers, poets, bargaining, hiring employees, and visiting friends.

On Wednesdays, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Mercury, making these times of the day doubly blessed. These are the strongest four hours for ritual work. Check your local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine when sunrise occurs.

 

Source:
Gypsy Magic

The Goddess is Alive

Celtic Witch

The Goddess is Alive

Moon shines down upon a sea of Light,
Shifting sands lay singing in the Heart of the Night.
I looked upon a scene that gripped me to the core,
White-clad maidens below were dancing on the shore.

Sweet sounds slipped from moon-lit throats,
Wind whipped hair abound,
Lit by the light within and without,
The Women circled ’round.

As I stood, water engulfed my feet,
My body swayed to your Heavenly Heart beat.
Wind and wave and fire light,
Paled in my mind Earthly delight.

Time slipped by me as you held your embrace,
And windblown spray covered my face.
Protected deep within your Womb,
I could feel the tender pain of Life’s bloom.

Candles flared high as the Dance progressed,
Deep inside with a healing touch you blessed.
All around, wind, wave and fire shouted of your life,
Your light speared deep within, soothing my strife.

Divine Mother, Goddess of Light,
To you I come seeking protection from the night.
Come home to shelter within your arm,
Surrounded by Love, hidden from harm.

Holy Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
From you we all trace our Birth.
Heavenly Goddess, light from above,
Shine down upon us, we pray for your Love.

—Author Unknown
Published on Pagan Library

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for January 18th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Perfection delights the soul of the super-orderly person. The perfect relationship, the perfect gift, the perfect time, all these things give the would-be perfect person the belief that everyone and everything should be perfect.

Far too often, perfection precludes love. Without love, nothing remotely perfect survives. With love, the imperfect is either lost from view or is so beautiful in its own way that we see it as beautiful.

Whatever we give of ourselves with love is the perfect gift. It is given at the right time and in the right way — and it is free of attachments, such as owing a return gift, having to be without even the least fault, and allowing others the freedom to be themselves.

______________________________________

Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet:http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

 

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 18

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 18

“Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind and spirit.”

–Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa), SANTEE SIOUX

Be still and know. All new learning’s, all ideas about new things, creativity, daydreaming and mental effectiveness come to those who learn about silence. All warriors know about the power of silence. All Elders know about stillness. Be still and know God. Meditation is about the place of silence. This is the place to hear God’s voice. We can find tremendous amounts of knowledge in the place of silence. This is the sacred place of God.

Great Spirit, teach me the power of silence.

 

January 18 – Daily Feast

January 18 – Daily Feast
Volume II

Talk to your body, talk to your mind, and give support to your spirit. These are your friends, your life mates, your agility, your harmony, and your joy. Degrade them and they will fail you – not out of revenge but because it is you who keeps the in working order, who supplies them with the strength and well-being they need. Tell your legs and feet and knees how strong and steady they are, and tenderly clean the mind of trash you may have inadvertently thrown there. When something is out of order, call it back into place – and give thanks for the privilege. These are precious things, never talk negatively to them or condemn them – because you will be condemning yourself.

~ The Indian thinks of places and sends his prayers there to win help and blessing. ~

DAKOTA WISEMAN – 1800s

“A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II” by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

 

Daily Motivator for January 18th – All better

All better

by Ralph Marston

If you try to make it all better all at once you’ll end up frustrated. But you can make it a little bit better, and then a little bit more, and then a little bit more.

If you are fifty pounds overweight you won’t be able to lose all that weight by next week. Yet you can lose a pound or two, and then more the next week, and so on until you’ve reached the goal.

Just because you can’t do it all at once is no reason to be dismayed. In fact it is a good reason to go ahead and do what you do can right now.

Time will dependably pass and you can use every moment of that time to make progress. The incremental progress you make will quickly add up.

An hour from now, you can be one step closer to your goal than you were before. Take that step now, and then be ready to take the next one.

Put time on your side by putting it to use, doing what you can, when you can. Start now, take control of your destiny, and keep going.

© 2016 Ralph S. Marston, Jr.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/motivate/160118.html