The Balance of the Signs & the Elements for Wednesday, May 18th

TAURUS STRONG
Stable and enduring, strong values, unyielding, earthy, acquisitive, strong desires. Can be stuck, stubborn, overly possessive, self-indulgent.
LIBRA STRONG
Even-handed, harmonious, artistic, diplomatic, balancing, strong sense of fairness. Can be over- compromising, appeasing, judgmental.
SAGITTARIUS STRONG
Inspiring, broad vision, enthusiastic, goal seeking, truthful, adventurous. Can be reckless, unrestrained, tactless.

BALANCE OF ELEMENTS

EARTH STRONG
We are especially in touch with the physical world. We consider what we’ve learned and experienced in the past in order to make the most of the present. We can be cautious, practical, and possibly unimaginative. We are deliberate and can pace ourselves well. We need hands-on experience and are not impressed with theory as much as we are with results. Routines are tolerable and comforting.
WATER WEAK
There may be some insensitivity or lack of empathy now. We may be out of touch with what we’re feeling or with our emotional needs. We may be tougher than usual now, and more inclined to follow mental or practical considerations than we are to listen to our intuition.

BALANCE OF MODES

The modes are balanced.

LUNAR PHASE: GIBBOUS
Moon 135 to 180 degrees ahead of the Sun.
We are looking to attach value and meaning to our goals. This is a time for analyzing, questioning, perfecting, and improving.

Astrology of Today – May 18, 2016

Summary:

• The Moon is in Libra all day (until Thursday, May 19th, at 2:29 AM).
• The Moon is void from 11:22 AM forward (until tomorrow at 2:29 AM.
• The Moon is waxing and in its Waxing Gibbous phase.
• A First Quarter Moon occurred on the 13th, and a Full Moon will occur on May 21st.
• Mercury is retrograde (Mercury is retrograde from April 28-May 22).
• Mars is retrograde (Mars is retrograde from April 17-June 29).

Calendar of the Moon

Hawthorn Tree Month

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a cloth of purple place a vase of the budded hawthorn twigs, a knife, incense of gardenia and marjoram, and a figure of the Goddess.
Offerings: Contemplate something that is both beautiful and painful.
Daily Meal: Serve fruit juice with the food.

Huath Invocation
Call: Now is the time of the flower’s blossoming.
Response: Now is the time when the hand reaches forth to pluck.
Call: Now is the time when we struggle with our instincts…
Response: To take beauty for ourselves, or to leave it in its place.
Call: Now is the time when we must remember that all plants are not ours.
Response: We did not plant the forest, and it does not belong to us.
Call: We were not the first beings on this earth.
Response: We have come young and late, and the trees look down upon us.
Call: They groan from the centuries of our meddling.
Response: They grow thorns to protect themselves.
Call: Now is the time when the hawthorn goddess steps forward.
Response: Now is the time when the heartless lady lifts her hand.
Call: Now is the time of great beauty in the world.
Response: Now is the time when Nature protects her beauty.
Call: The hawthorn goddess stabs us to the heart with beauty.
Response: She reminds us of our place in the world.
Call: She reminds us that we do not own this green planet.
Response: She reminds us that our grasping fingers can still bleed.
Call: She makes the hedges that our animals cannot cross.
Response: She sets the boundaries that no man may cross.
Call: She makes our hearts beat faster or slower.
Response: Her berries are sweet, but she protects them.
Call: We must respect her as we respect the Earth….
Response: The Green Man falls before her, heedless and headless.
Call: She is the blade of all trees, and we shed our blood for her.
Response: She is the teeth of Nature, and we give way before her might.

Chant:
Cauldron of Changes
Blossom of Bone
Arc of Eternity
Hole in the Stone
[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun
18 Thrimilchimonath

Vor’s Blot

Colors: White and blue
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of white and blue set twelve white candles, one sky-blue candle, a great jug of mead, and a mirror. Throughout the next day, the altar stays the same, and one more candle is lit. On this day, light the blue candle and eleven white candles.
Offering: Plan ahead toward your goals. Dream. Do things correctly.
Daily Meal: Soup or stew. Bread with cheese, meat, or jam.

Invocation to Frigga’s Handmaidens

Call: Twelve maidens hold the halls of Asgard!
Response: Twelve virgins hold the pillars of heaven!
Call: Twelve mysteries hold the luck of Asgard!
Response: Twelve virtues hold the Law of heaven!
Call: Twelve words of power resound through Asgard!
Response: Twelve stars light up the dome of heaven!
Call: We call upon the power of Virtue!
Response: We call upon the mysteries of heaven!

Invocation to Vor

Hail, prophetess who sees the future!
Although we may not be so bold
As to demand a long look
Into the mirror you hold up to us,
Aid us in our plans and dreams,
That they might stumble less than otherwise,
That they might be well thought,
That they might not wrong some heart unforeseen.
Show us the far view of our lives
And the curling spiral of Time,
For Vision is more than just divining;
It is the open-eyed acceptance of tomorrow.

Chant:
Cloth of honor from the thread of truth
Weave your heart into all you offer

(A libation of mead is poured out for Vor, and the jug replaced for the next day’s ritual. All should speak today of the hopes and dreams for the House, and their own hopes and dreams. It is an auspicious day for divination.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Day 8

An energizing spell for anytime you need a little extra boost!

Feel my power,
Feel it soar
Filled from within
A lion’s roar
Breaths so deep,
Colors wild,
All things are possible
for this Universe Child.

Source

The Power of Positive Witchcraft: Daily Incantations & Enchantments: A Spell a Day for 30 Days
Garden Summerland

Magickal Activity for May 18th, Apollo’s Day

Sun Talisman for Personal Power

Items Needed:
Yellow paper or card stock
A gold marker or ink pen
First pentacle of the Sun

This simple rite is best performed at high noon on Sunday. Inscribe the first pentacle of the Sun on the yellow paper using the gold marker. Cut the pentacle out and hold it toward the sun. Feel the power and energy of the sun flower through you and into the pentacles you chant:

Glory of the Sun, everlasting light,
Bring me power, strength and might.
So Mote It Be!

Carry the pentacle in your purse or wallet.

May 18th

Apollo’s Day

This day is sacred to the Greco-Roman God Apollo, who embodied the qualities most admired by ancient Greek society. ety. Associated with human intellect, musical harmony, religious purity, and male beauty, he was considered to be “the most Greek of the Gods.”

Apollo personified the Greek male. Annually on his day, 17-year-old males were initiated and welcomed into the community.

The giving of advice was related to Apollo through the giving of prophecy. Inscribed on the wall at Delphi (the most famous of all Greek oracles) are two of his most memorable proverbs: “Nothing In Excess” and “Know Thyself ” In addition to Delphi, Apollo’s second-most important sanctuary was the tiny Aegean island of Delos, believed to be the place of his birth. As a primary God of the Greeks, Apollo oversaw human religious purification and spiritual atonement. He was considered to be a patron of medicine and the lord of music.

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

Correspondences for Mercury

Attributes: communication, creativity, divination, thankfulness, mental focus, changes

Element: Air

Herbs: lavender, lemongrass, peppermint

Stones: fluorite, agate, aventurine

Day: Wednesday
 

Source

A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen

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

Source

Moonlight Musings

The Witches Almanac for Wednesday, May 18th

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

Las Piedras Day (Uruguayan)

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: Libra
Libra: Favors cooperation, social activities, beautification of surroundings, balance, and partnership.

Color: Yellow

Incense: Lilac

Magickal Days of the Week – Wednesday

Wednesday is named for Woden himself, although the Romans called it dies Mercurii. This is a day associated with the color purple, the planet Mercury, and the metal quicksilver – which is also called mercury. See a pattern here?

When it comes to deities… yes, Mercury! However, there are a few other gods associated with Wednesday, including Odin and Hermes, Athena, and Lugh. Gemstones like adventurine and agate come in handy as well, as do plants such as aspen trees, lilies, lavender and even ferns.

Business and job-related issues, communication, loss and debt, traveling, and journeys are all tied in to Wednesday. This is a good day to do a working to open up lines of communication – especially if your own actions are preventing you from being an effective speaker or listener. Go someplace new or return to an old favorite stomping ground, step up your game, and settle up your accounts.

Author

Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com

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.
 

Source

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

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 Woden (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

Wednesday’s Conjuring

Wednesday – is associated with Mercury

Candle colors – Purple

Magickal Conjuring for the Day: Mastery, Domination Work, Wisdom, Healing, Dealing with Legal problems.

—Starr Casas, Old Style Conjure Wisdoms, Workings and Remedies

Spellcrafting for Wednesday, May 18th

 
 Creativity
 Divination
 Employment
 Knowledge
 Travel
 Communication
 Wisdom
 Learning
 Addictions
 Business
 Negotiations

Source

A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen

The Pagan Book of Days for May 18th

Apollon Day

A day sacred to Apollo, the Greco-Roman god of music, poetry, divination and sunlight.

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Wednesday, May 18

Wednesday is the day of the Teutonic deity known as Wodin or Odin, an aspect of the Allfather, god of knowledge, wisdom, enlightenment and combat, the parallel of Hermes, the planet Mercury.

Deity: Woden

Zodiac Sign: Gemini & Virgo

Planet: Mercury

Tree: Ash

Herb: Cinquefoil

Stone: Emerald & Sardonyx

Animal: Raven & Cat

Element: Air

Color: Red & Blue

Number: 6

Rune: Odal(O)

Celtic Tree Month of Hauth (Hawthorn) – May 13 – June 9. Hawthorn month is a time of fertility, masculine energy, and fire. Also associated with the realm of Faerie.

Runic Half-Month of Ing (expansive, energy) – May 14 -28

Goddess of the Month of Hera – May 16 – June 12. Hera is associated with motherhood, marriage, the household, infidelities, beauty, luxury
 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

The Sky This Week: May 18 – May 22

Wednesday, May 18
• Neptune rises shortly before 3 a.m. local daylight time this week and appears low in the southeast before dawn. The distant world glows at magnitude 7.9, so you’ll need binoculars or a telescope to spot it. Fortunately, it lies near a brighter star that will help guide you. Look for the planet 0.4° south-southeast of 4th-magnitude Lambda (l) Aquarii. You can confirm a sighting of Neptune through a telescope, which reveals the planet’s 2.3″-diameter disk and blue-gray color.

• The Moon reaches apogee, the farthest point in its orbit around Earth, at 6:06 p.m. EDT. It then lies 252,235 miles (405,933 kilometers) from Earth’s center.

Thursday, May 19

• Brilliant Mars passes 1.0° due north of the 2nd-magnitude double star Delta (d) Scorpii this evening. Binoculars or a telescope at low power will afford the best views of this conjunction.

Friday, May 20

• Although Saturn will reach opposition and peak visibility two weeks from today, observers will be hard-pressed to see it as inferior this week. The ringed planet rises shortly after 9 p.m. local daylight time and appears highest in the south around 2 a.m. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.1 and stands out against the relatively dim background stars of southern Ophiuchus. If you target the beautiful world through a telescope, you’ll see its 18″-diameter disk surrounded by a ring system that spans 42″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Saturday, May 21

• The Moon looks completely illuminated all night as it reaches Full phase at 5:14 p.m. EDT. You can find our satellite rising in the east around sunset and peaking in the south at 1 a.m. local daylight time. The Moon passed 6° due north of Mars during the afternoon hours, and those two form a dramatic quadrilateral with Saturn and the 1st-magnitude star Antares throughout the night.

Sunday, May 22

• Mars lies opposite the Sun in our sky today as it reaches peak visibility for 2016. The Red Planet appears low in the southeast as darkness falls and grows more prominent as the evening wears on and it climbs higher. By 1 a.m. local daylight time, it stands one-third of the way to the zenith in the southern sky against the backdrop of stars in northern Scorpius. The world shines at magnitude –2.1, brighter than it has been since 2005. When viewed through a telescope, the planet’s ocher-colored disk spans 18.4″ and shows subtle dark markings along with a whitish north polar cap. The Red Planet actually will come closest to Earth eight days from now, when its disk will swell to 18.6″ across. For more details on viewing the planet, see “Observe Mars at its best” in the May Astronomy.

• The Moon’s eastward motion relative to the background stars carries it 3° north of Saturn in this evening’s sky.

Source

Astronomy Magazine