The old Roman festival of the Goddess Tellus, often called Tellus Mater, Mother Earth, is traditionally devoted to prayer for the continued health of our environment. Tellus is the matron Goddess of all environmentalists.
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
Friday is the day of Venus. It takes it name from Frigg, the Goddess of love and transformation. She rules the spiritual side of a person that manifests in the physical. Because of this, Friday is often thought of as dangerously unpredictable. This is expressed in an old East Anglian adage:
Friday’s day will have its trick
The fairest or foulest day of the week.
Deity: Frigg
Zodiac Sign: Taurus/Libra
Planet: Venus
Tree: Apple
Herb: Vervain
Stone: Sapphire/Chrysolite
Animal: Bull/Serpent
Element: Earth
Color: Yellow/Violet
Number: 7
Rune: Peorth(P)
Celtic Tree Month of Saille (Willow) – April 15th to May 12th. Willow is a tree of healing and protection. It can help us to connect with our emotions and bring us inner strength.
Runic Half Month of Man (human being) – April 14th to April 28th
Goddess of the Month for March 20 to April 17th is Columbina
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
Love magick is a perennial popular topic. However, there is more to this topic than meets the eye. There are many enchanting layers here for us to explore on this day of the week. What about creating a loving home, or producing a loving and nurturing family? What about keeping your intimate relationships vital and on track? How about promoting happy, healthy, and enduring friendships? See, there is more to be considered than just the “You shall be mine…” type of fictional love spell.
Don’t forget that many of the deities associated with Fridays are also parents. So, yes, while this is the day to work on romance, sex, and love spells, there is additional magick to be considered here, which makes Fridays a more well-rounded and bigger opportunity for witchery than many folks ever truly realize. The truest, strongest magick always comes from the heart.
Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan,
Ruler: Freya, Venus
Colors: Emerald green or pink
Power Hours: Sunrise and the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours following.
Key Words: Love, money, health
It is easy to spot the ruler of this day by its name. In the word Friday, we see the roots of the name of the Norse goddess Freya, a goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses thus the verse “Friday’s child is loving and giving.”
In Spanish this day of the week is called Viernes and is derived from the goddess Venus. Matters of love, human interaction, the fluidity of communication, sewing and the creation of artistic garments, household improvement, shopping, and party planning all fall under the aspects of Friday and its ruling planet, Venus.
Friday’s angels are Ariel/Uriel, Rachiel, and Sachiel. Rachiel also concerns himself with human sexuality and is a presiding spirit of the planet Venus.
On Fridays, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Venus, and that makes these times of the day doubly blessed. These four hours are the strongest four hours for conducting ritual.
Check the local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine your local sunrise.
Friday, April 15
Although Jupiter reached opposition and peak visibility over a month ago (on March 8), it remains a stunning sight from dusk until the start of morning twilight. The giant planet shines at magnitude –2.4 against the backdrop of Leo the Lion. Turn a telescope on Jupiter and you will see a 43″-diameter disk with lots of atmospheric detail. And this evening, you also can observe the shadows of two of its large moons. Volcanic Io casts its shadow onto the jovian cloud tops starting at 6:55 p.m. EDT (unfortunately still during daylight), but the black dot doesn’t leave the disk until 9:10 p.m. If you miss Io, you don’t have to wait long for icy Europa’s shadow to show up. It traverses Jupiter from 9:32 p.m. until 12:18 a.m.
Saturday, April 16
Mars pokes above the eastern horizon just after 11 p.m. local daylight time this week and remains prominent until morning twilight is well underway. The Red Planet’s eastward motion relative to the background stars of southern Ophiuchus comes to a halt today; it then starts moving westward at the start of its so-called retrograde loop. This is a sure sign that Mars is approaching peak visibility, which it will reach at opposition in late May. Our neighboring world currently shines at magnitude–1.0, trailing only the Moon, Jupiter, and Sirius. When viewed through a telescope, Mars appears 14″ across and should display a prominent north polar cap as well as subtle dark markings.
Sunday, April 17
The waxing gibbous Moon’s motion through the night sky carries it near Jupiter tonight. The night sky’s two brightest objects appear only 2° apart, or about four times the Moon’s diameter.
Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 110.88° ESE
Sun Altitude: 40.45°
Sun Distance: 93.278 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 20, 2016 5:34 PM (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 6:19 AM↑ 77° East
Sunset Today: 7:30 PM↑ 283° West
Length of Day: 13 hours, 10 minutes
Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 28.09° NNE
Moon Altitude: -35.31°
Moon Distance: 243880 mi
Next Full Moon: Apr 22, 201612:23 AM
Next New Moon: May 6, 20162:29 PM
Next Moonrise: Today1:44 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 64.8%
Evil never wins.
It will always be defeated, but there will be casualties.
I look to the Goddess and see her standing besides me.
I find the power which is mine
I raise my sword and defeat the face of evil with the
hands of the Goddess.
She will keep me safe.
For I am her daughter forever.
I gather my Brothers & Sisters close to me
I gather the strength of the Witches from the past
I gather the animals around me
My prayer begins:
I stand before the Goddess under this full moon. I seize the power of the moon in my hands. I bring the children to my side. The Goddess sends her light to me.
My family shows the love that we have for each other. May the Goddess send you her power. May those around us feel the joy that we bring to the circle. May prosperity fill our lives.
As her daughters and sons we show our love for Mother Earth daily. She shows respect for all that is alive. We pray for those who live in fear to find safety. We pray for those who live in pain to find compassion. We pray for those in cages to run free. See how the birds fly free in our skies. See how the animals roam free. May their days be long.
I send our power to the four corners. I send our wishes to all. Bless the children. Bless our families. Bless the animals. But most … Blessings to all.
—A Witch’s Prayerbook, JoAnne Spiese
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