Day: June 13, 2016

The Elements & The Pentacle

The Elements & The Pentacle

 

The  elements  are  what  makes  up  the  universe,  without  them  there  would  be  no   form;  we  are  made  up  from  them.  So  the  five  points  represent  the  five  elements   known  as  Earth,  Air,  Fire,  Water  and  Space.

 

Earth  represents  our  bodies  and  the  material  world,  the  Earth  the  stars   and  all  the  contents  of  the  universe.  Air  is  what  we  breathe  and  animates  life,   Water  is  the  our  life  blood  and  the  oceans,  rivers  and  watercourses  that  are  so   abundant  on  the  planet.  Fire  is  what  gives  us  heat,  it  burns  in  our  bodies  allowing   us  to  digest  the  food  we  eat  and  it  warms  our  bodies  in  the  life  giving  properties  of   the  sun.  It  gives  us  the  beauty  of  the  heavens  at  night  when  we  look  up  at  the   stars,  each  one  a  mighty  fireball  of  energy  and  without  fire  we  would  not  have  the   most  precious  substance  of  them  all,  light!  Without  light  the  universe  we  live  in   would  be  devoid  of  any  sentient  life  because  it’s  light  that  gives  rise  to  all  creation.

 

The  fifth  element  is  the  most  mis-­‐understood  and  that  is  Space,  people   have  called  it  “Ether”  or  “Spirit”  and  those  words  do  descried  some  of  its   properties,  but  space  sums  it  up  best.  Empty  space  the  stuff  between  the  stars,  the   stuff  that  hold  and  supports all creation. The formless void we come to know as the cauldron of the Goddess.

 

The Experience of Life:

On  a  more  basic  level  of  life  the  pentacle  comes  to  represent  our  journey  through   life  and  the  Give  points  can  be  attributed  to  the  lessons  we  learn  through  life  such   as;

✴ To Love,

✴ To Create,

✴ To Experience,

✴ To Learn

✴ To Grow.

The  pentacle  opens  up  a  gateway  into  the  mysteries  that  allow  us  to  have  devotion   to  the  forces  of  nature  and  this  encourages  us  to  open  our  hearts  giving  rise  to  an   unconditional  love.  When  we  start  to  work  with  these  forces  we  learn  to  create   with  them  and  this  gives  rise  to  experiences. When we have experience we learn and in turn we grow, this is called wisdom.

 

The Basic Emotions of Life

The  pentacle  can  also  come  to  present  the  Give  basic  emotions  that  often  cloud  our   mind  because  they  cause  so  much  havoc.  These  are;

✴ Anger,

✴ Jealousy,

✴ Envy,

✴ Attachment

✴ Greed.

 

These  things  arise  in  each  and  every  one  of  us  and  when  they  become  extreme   they  cause  us  to  experience  all  the  difficulties  of  life.  The  aim  of  any  spiritual  path   is  to  transform  these  basic  emotions  into  Give  wisdoms  so  that  they  don’t  affect  us   as  much.  We  need  to  turn;

✴ Anger into Love,

✴ Attachment into Generosity,

✴ Jealousy & Envy into Forgiveness

✴ Greed into a Freedom that allows us to let go.

It’s  not  easy  but  it  can  be  done  if  we  have  patience  and  are  prepared  to  put  in   some  work.  That’s  the  journey,  the  path  or  training  that  is  needed  to  allow  the   individual  to  experience  the  deep  mysteries  and  then  in  turn  actualize  them  into   their  lives.

We  are  all  looking  for  a  happy  and  fulfilled  life  and  it’s  through  the  spiritual path we aim to try to find ways of helping us achieve these goals.

A Little Humor for Your Day – “The Irish Prostitute”

The Irish Prostitute

 

An Irish daughter had not been home for over 5 years. Upon her return, her father cussed her. “Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn’t ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old mum thru?

The girl, crying, replied, “Sniff, sniff… dad… I became a prostitute.”

Ye what!!? Out of here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You’re a disgrace to this family.”

“OK, dad– as ye wish. I just came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat, title deed to a ten bedroom mansion plus a savings certificate for $5 million. For me little brother, this gold Rolex and for ye daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible that’s parked outside, plus a membership to the country club… (takes a breath)… and an invitation for ye all to spend New Years Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera, and…”

“Now what was it ye said ye had become?” says dad

Girl, crying again, “Sniff, sniff… a prostitute dad! Sniff, sniff.”

“Oh! Bejesus! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a ‘Protestant’. Come here and give yer old man a hug!”

 

Find more great humor at Turok’s Cabana

Astronomy Picture of the Day – Unexplained Dimmings

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 June 13

Unexplained Dimmings in KIC 8462852
Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech

 

Explanation: Why does star KIC 8462852 keep wavering? Nobody knows. A star somewhat similar to our Sun, KIC 8462852 was one of many distant stars being monitored by NASA’s robotic Kepler satellite to see if it had planets. Citizen scientists voluntarily co-inspecting the data along with computers found this unusual case where a star’s brightness dropped at unexpected times by as much as 20 percent for as long as months — but then recovered. Common reasons for dimming — such as eclipses by orbiting planets or stellar companions — don’t match the non-repetitive nature of the dimmings. A currently debated theory is dimming by a cloud of comets or the remnants of a shattered planet, but these would not explain data indicating that the star itself has become slightly dimmer over the past 125 years. Nevertheless, featured here is an artist’s illustration of a planet breaking up, drawn to depict NGC 2547-ID8, a different system that shows infraredevidence of such a collision. Recent observations of KIC 8462852 did not detect the infrared glow of a closely orbiting dust disk, but gave a hint that the system might have such a disk farther out. Future observations are encouraged and creative origin speculations are sure to continue.

Earth Sky News for June 13: Come to know the Summer Triangle

Come to know the Summer Triangle

We in the Northern Hemisphere can see the Summer Triangle for part of the night at any time of the year. But seeing it in summer is the most fun! As suggested by its name, the Summer Triangle is most prominent during the summer season, for us at mid-northern latitudes. Although the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice won’t be forthcoming for another week, we can often see the Summer Triangle at evening dusk by mid-June. Seeing the Summer Triangle again and again on summer nights is a deep pleasure that adds to the enjoyment of this season. So, as dusk deepens into night on a warm June or July night, look eastward.

How to find the Summer Triangle. As night falls in June or July, look east for a sparkling blue-white star, whose name is Vega. Reigning at the apex of the celebrated Summer Triangle, Vega overwhelms as the brightest of the Summer Triangle’s three glorious stars, all bright enough to be seen from many light-polluted cities.

It’s difficult to convey the huge size of the Summer Triangle asterism – a star pattern that is not a constellation. At nightfall in summer, look for the brightest star in your eastern sky. That’s Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the Harp. Look to the lower left of Vega for another bright star – Deneb, the brightest in the constellation Cygnus the Swan and the third brightest in the Summer Triangle. An outstretched hand at an arm length approximates the distance from Vega to Deneb.

Look to the lower right of Vega to locate the Summer Triangle’s second brightest star. That’s Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. A ruler held at an arm length fills the gap between these two stars.

Summer Triangle as a road map to the Milky Way. If you’re lucky enough to be under a dark starry sky on a moonless night, you’ll see the great swath of stars known as the Milky Way passing in between the Summer Triangle stars Vega and Altair. The star Deneb bobs in the middle of this river of stars that passes through the Summer Triangle, and arcs across the sky. Although every star that you see with the unaided eye is actually a member of our Milky Way galaxy, oftentimes the term Milky Wayrefers to the cross-sectional view of the galactic disk, whereby innumerable far-off suns congregate into a cloudy trail of stars.

Once you master the Summer Triangle, you can always locate the Milky Way on a clear, dark night. How about making the most of a dark summer night to explore this band of stars – this starlit boulevard abounding with celestial delights? Use binoculars to reel in the gossamer beauty of it all, the haunting nebulae and star clusters of a midsummer night’s dream!

Some see the Summer Triangle as a great big “V” for vacation, with Altair marking the point of the “V.” In summer, the Summer Triangle appears in the east at nightfall, high overhead after midnight and in the west at dawn. All night long on a summer night, the stars of the Summer Triangle – as if school kids on vacation – waltz amidst the streetlights of the Milky Way galaxy.

Summer Triangle as nature’s seasonal calendar. The Summer Triangle serves as a stellar calendar, marking the seasons. When the stars of the Summer Triangle light up the eastern twilight dusk in middle to late June, it’s a sure sign of the change of seasons, of spring giving way to summer. However, when the Summer Triangle is seen high in the south to overhead at dusk and early evening, the Summer Triangle’s change of position indicates that summer has ebbed into fall.

Bottom line: Coming to know the Summer Triangle, then seeing it again and again on summer nights, is a deep pleasure that adds to the enjoyment of this season.

 

Author

BRUCE MCCLURE

Bruce McClure has served as lead writer for EarthSky’s popular Tonight pages since 2004. He’s a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also writes and hosts public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York.

Article published on EarthSky

Your Daily Influences for June 13, 2016

Your Daily Influences
June 13, 2016

 

The Eight of Wands Reversed
Delay seems probable. Jealousy may become a problem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perthro
This may be a period of loneliness and stagnation you must fight through. This may not be a good time for you to take chances or indulge in any form of gambling.

 

 

 

 

Necklace of Charms
What you need in this aspect is a bit of understanding. You can find happiness in abundance if you understand and accept the differences of those with whom you share your life within this aspect.

 

 

 

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 June 13th is The Tau Cross

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
A journey that you or someone close to you must make will have a positive influence on this aspect. This trip may be over a great distance.

General Description:
This charm was worn by the ancients to protect the wearer against disease and snake bites. The Jews used it as an amulet for epilepsy and erysipelas. It is still used in Ireland as a talisman against sickness. The Tau is one of the most ancient crosses and the forerunner of the Latin Cross. Moses used the Tau Cross with the brazen serpent attached, to save the Children of Israel in the wilderness from the attacks of the fiery serpents. The Cross has always been the symbol of life eternal. It was this mark, the Tau Cross, that was placed upon the foreheads of those exempted from Divine wrath in Jerusalem.