The Witches Almanac for Saturday, May 7th

Saturday (Saturn): Longevity, exorcism, endings, homes, and houses.

Pilgrimage of St. Nicholas (Italian)

 

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: First Quarter

Moon Sign: Taurus
Taurus: Things begun now last the longest, tend to increase in value, and become hard to alter. Brings out appreciation for beauty and sensory experience.

Moon enters Gemini 12: 35 pm
Gemini: Things begun now are easily changed by outside influence. Time for shortcuts, communication, games, and fun.

Incense: Sage

Color: Black

The Witches Musts for Saturday

Feel the need for a psychic cleansing in the house? Light up some patchouli- or myrrh-scented incense, and wave the smoke around your house or apartment. It will help to break up any lingering negativity or bad feelings. Crumble up a few dried mullein leaves and create a circle around your home, or scatter it across the thresholds, to keep prowlers away.

Burn a few black candles to repel manipulative intentions or unwanted advances. Add a few protective herbs to your dinner such as thyme or basil. Try growing a blooming cyclamen plant in your kitchen to ward the family and to encourage Hecate’s blessings. Grow deep purple and black pansies in window boxes to encourage the planetary vibrations of Saturn. Let ivy grow up the walls of your home for even more bewitching security.

Saturdays are the particular day of the week for protection and for dealing with more serious magickal matters. Go back over the at-a-glance list and see what components you can add to your spells for today for a little more oomph.

Meditate on Hecate to learn her lessons and include some dark goddess wisdom into your Craft. As a Witch, you already know that you have power-the power to effect real change in your life. Working with Hecate can teach you how and when to best use this power for the greater good.

If you want to expand your magickal skills, then start learning how to incorporate all of this information on the days of witchery in a whole new way. This includes the knowledge you already have and the new day-by-day correspondences and witchcraft that were presented in this Book of Shadows. Put your own unique spin on things. Decide what your enchanting specialties are, then apply them to your Craft each and every day with wisdom and style.
 

Source

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

 

Spellwork Best Done on Saturdays

 

 Banishings
 Protection
 Bindings
 Lost objects
 Discipline
 Habits
 Freedom
 Obstacles
 Endings
 Spirit communication
 Meditation

 

Source

A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen

Saturday’s Witchery

 

Saturday is a day filled with opportunities to clean up and clear out. So if you are wondering why Hecate is assigned to this day, take another look at what she symbolizes and the magick that is associated with her. That should answer the question.

Hecate was the oldest form of the Greek Triple Goddess, as she presided over heaven, the underworld, and earth. Crossroads where three roads met were especially sacred to Hecate, earning her the title of Hekate of the Three Ways. It’s interesting to note that even after the worship of other goddesses waned, ancient people still worshiped Hecate as the Queen of the Underworld and the Guardian of the Three-Way Crossroad. It was also believed that if you left her an offering of food there, she would grant you her favors. As Hecate Trivia, her triple images were often displayed at these crossroads, where she was petitioned on the full moon for positive magick and on the dark of the moon for cursing and dark magick.

While this last bit of information sounds a little ominous, keep in mind that Hecate/Hekate was known by many titles and is a shapeshifter. Her appearance could and did change often. As a dark moon goddess, her faces are many. To some she may appear as a old crone, hunched over a smoking cauldron and draped in a midnight cape. To others she may appear as a dark beautiful, mysterious, and mature woman wearing a shimmering crown. To some she may be perceived as a maiden priestess. She was called the “most lovely one,” the Great Goddess of Nature, and the Queen of the World of Spirits. This dark goddess knows her way around the earth and the underworld. All the powers of nature, life, and death are at her command.
 

Source

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

 

Saturday

The planetary correspondence for Saturday is Saturn. Matters dealing with the public, farming, family ties, legal matters (such as wills and estates), taking care of debts, dealing with lawyers, financing, joint money matters, real estate, older people, banishing or binding negativity, and getting rid of bad habits all fall under the charge of Saturn. It’s easy to see why “Saturday’s child works hard for his living.”

Saturday’s angels are Cassiel, Machatan, Uriel, and Orifiel. Cassiel is the angel of solitudes and tears. He is one of the rulers of the planet Saturn and occasionally appears as the angel of patience. Cassiel links himself to dragon energy. Regarding Machatan, the only information we get is that he works well with Cassiel and is also a power of Saturn. Orifiel is an angel of the wilderness, a ruler of the second hour of the day, and also associated with Saturn.

On Saturday, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Saturn, 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.
 

Source

Gypsy Magic

 

Soothing Sage

 

Sage not only has many mouth–watering culinary uses, but is valued by herbalists for it antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Astrologically associated with the zodiacal sign of the Bull, which prevails on May 7, sage is often used to soothe a sore throat, and it is thought that its efficacious action is at least partly due to Taurus’s influence over the throat. So if your throat feels scratchy and raw and you are finding swallowing painful, brew a pot of sage tea(use 1 oz of dry sage or 2 oz of fresh leaves, to 1 pint of boiling water) to gargle with or sip.

 

Miraculous Mannka?

If you are prone to sore throats, invest in a pot of Manuka honey–check that it has a UMF rating–and you may find that it’s work its weight in gold. For many people swear that swallowing a teaspoon or two of this New Zealand honey works wonders.

 

Source

The Wicca Book of Days
Selena Eilidh Ash

The Pagan Book of Days for Saturday, May 7th

None of May/Heldon Furry Dance/Egyptian Day

 

The famous Furry or Floral Dance is traditionally performed at Helston in Cornwall. In former times, dancing through towns and villages was commonplace.

 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Saturday, May 7th

Saturday is dedicated to the shadowy Anglo-Saxon God Saetere or Seater, equivalent to the God Saturn. It is a day also associated with the Norns, the Norse equivalent of Three Fates, and the trickster God Loki. It is connected generally with apprehension, austerity, caution, and excessive self-limitation.

Deity: Saetere

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Planet: Saturn

Tree: Alder

Herb: Daffodil

Stone: Amethyst

Animal: Eagle

Element: Earth

Color: Dark Blue

Number: 4

Rune: Dag(D)

Celtic Tree Month of Saille (Willow) – April 15th and runs through May 12

Runic Half Month of Lagu (flowing water) – April 29th -May 13

Goddess of the Month for April 18 to May 15 is Maia
 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

 

The Sky This Week: May 7 – May 15

A New Moon rises, Comet PANSTARRS makes an appearance, and Mercury crosses in front of the Sun.

Saturday, May 7
With an age of 4.5 billion years, “young” might not seem an appropriate word to describe our Moon. But tonight, you have an exceptional opportunity to see what astronomers call a “young Moon” — a slender crescent visible low in the west some 30 to 45 minutes after sunset. With New Moon having occurred yesterday afternoon, only 2 percent of our satellite’s disk appears illuminated this evening. You should notice an ashen light faintly illuminating the Moon’s dark side. This is “earthshine,” sunlight reflected by Earth that reaches the Moon and then reflects back to our waiting eyes. Use binoculars for the best view. The young Moon will be much easier to see tomorrow evening, when it appears significantly higher and some 7 percent illuminated.

Sunday, May 8
Although the Eta Aquariid meteor shower reached its peak last week (on May 5), it still should put on a show during the predawn hours for the next few nights. According to the International Meteor Organization, the shower’s broad maximum produces up to half the peak rate between May 3 and 10. Eta Aquariid meteors derive from debris ejected by Comet 1P/Halley during its many trips around the Sun. When Earth crosses this debris stream, our planet’s atmosphere incinerates the tiny dust particles and we see the streaks of light called meteors, or “shooting stars.” With the Moon now out of the sky, an observer at a dark site can expect to see 10 to 15 meteors per hour shortly before morning twilight begins. Those living close to the equator and in the Southern Hemisphere should have the best views.

Monday, May 9
Mercury passes directly between the Sun and Earth today for the first time since November 8, 2006. The innermost planet’s dark disk will transit the Sun’s face for 7.5 hours. Observers across most of the world (excluding Australia, New Zealand, eastern Asia, and the adjacent oceans) can view at least some of the transit. This is a morning event for most North Americans. Mercury first touches the solar disk at 7:12 a.m. EDT, lies closest to the Sun’s center at 10:57 a.m., and leaves our star’s limb at 2:39 p.m. You’ll need a telescope equipped with a safe, full-aperture solar filter to see this event. For complete observing details, see “How to view Mercury’s rare transit” in the May issue of Astronomy.

Tuesday, May 10
The Big Dipper’s familiar shape lies nearly overhead on May evenings. The spring sky’s finest binocular double star marks the bend of the Dipper’s handle. Mizar shines at 2nd magnitude, some six times brighter than its 4th-magnitude companion, Alcor. Even though these two are not physically related, they make a fine sight through binoculars. (People with good eyesight often can split the pair without optical aid.) A small telescope reveals Mizar itself as double — and these components do orbit each other.

Wednesday, May 11
Another comet in the growing throng of such objects discovered by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii makes its appearance it May’s morning sky. Comet PANSTARRS (C/2013 X1) currently glows between 7th and 8th magnitude in northeastern Aquarius. (This morning, it lies 2° northeast of 4th-magnitude Phi [f] Aquarii.) From most of the United States, you’ll need a clear, flat eastern horizon to spot the comet through a telescope just before dawn breaks.

Thursday, May 12
Brilliant Jupiter appears high in the south as darkness falls and remains on display until 3 a.m. local daylight time. The giant planet shines at magnitude –2.2 — brighter than any other point of light in the night sky — against the backdrop of southern Leo the Lion. Jupiter appears equally dazzling through a telescope, which reveals a wealth of atmospheric detail on a disk that spans 40″. Look carefully tonight and you should see a black dot crossing the cloud tops. This is the shadow of Ganymede, Jupiter’s (and the solar system’s) largest moon. This shadow transit takes place from 11:40 p.m. to 2:51 a.m. EDT.

Friday, May 13
First Quarter Moon occurs at 1:02 p.m. EDT. The half-lit orb rises just after noon local daylight time, appears highest in the south shortly before sunset, and sets around 2 a.m. The Moon spends this evening among the background stars of southwestern Leo the Lion, less than 5° from that constellation’s brightest star, Regulus.

Saturday, May 14
The Moon moves approximately 13° eastward relative to the starry background every 24 hours, and its motion carries it near Jupiter this evening. From North America, the two appear within 5° of each other all night. They will be in conjunction at 6 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning, when our satellite passes 2° due south of the planet.

Sunday, May 15
About 45 minutes after Mars rises, Saturn pokes above the southeastern horizon. Although the ringed planet pales in comparison to its neighbor, its yellow color contrasts nicely with the Red Planet’s hue. Throw in the ruddy glow of nearby Antares, the 1st-magnitude luminary of Scorpius, and you have a colorful trio of bright objects to follow throughout the late evening and morning hours. As you might guess, Saturn’s proximity to Mars means it also will reach opposition and peak visibility soon — in fact, it reaches this orbital highlight June 3. The view of Saturn through a telescope never fails to impress. This week, the world appears 18″ across and sports a beautiful ring system that spans 42″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.
 

Source

Astronomy Magazine

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Saturday, May 7th

Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 104.66° ESE
Sun Altitude: 45.98°
Sun Distance: 93.817 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 20, 2016 5:34 PM (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 5:53 AM↑ 68° East
Sunset Today: 7:49 PM↑ 292° Northwest
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 56 minutes

 

Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 97.42° E
Moon Altitude: 34.42°
Moon Distance: 223580 mi
Next Full Moon: May 21, 20164:14 PM
Next New Moon: Jun 4, 20169:59 PM
Next Moonset: Today8:59 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 1.2%

 

Source
timeanddate.com