In Spain, the day of the Running of the Bulls. Bulls (or earlier the horned cows) are a Goddess symbol of pagan Europe. Homed Goddesses are: Io, Juno, Isis, Hera, Hathor, Nephthys, the Deer Mothers, Selene, Luna, Pasiphae, Ishtar, and Europa.
The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein
The Roman emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus (331- 363 c.e.), known as Julian the Blessed, was a learned philosopher in his own right and the restorer of the Pagan religion to the Roman Empire.
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
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 Duir(Oak) – June 10 – July 7. Oak month is a time for protection and strength, fertility, money and success, and good fortune.
Runic Half-Month of Ur (primal strength) – July 4 – July 28
Goddess of the Month of Rosea – June 13 – July 10
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
Wednesday – is associated with Mercury
Candle colors – Purple
Conjuring for Wednesday: Mastery, Domination Work, Wisdom, Healing, Dealing with Legal problems.
—Old Style Conjure Wisdoms, Workings and Remedies
Starr Casas
Jupiter shines bright like a firework, Saturn dazzles, and Mars enters its autumn season.
By Richard Talcott
Wednesday, July 6
• Neptune rises shortly before 11:30 p.m. local daylight time this week and climbs some 40° above the southern horizon by the start of morning twilight. The magnitude 7.9 planet lies in Aquarius, some 0.5° southeast of 4th-magnitude Lambda (l) Aquarii. You’ll need binoculars to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which spans 2.3″.
• Mercury passes behind the Sun from Earth’s perspective at 11 p.m. EDT. This means the innermost planet lies on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and remains hidden in our star’s glare. It will return to view in the evening sky by the end of the month.
Thursday, July 7
• Today marks the peak of Pluto’s 2016 appearance. The distant world reaches opposition, which means it lies opposite the Sun in our sky and remains visible all night. It glows dimly at magnitude 14.1, however, so you’ll need an 8-inch or larger telescope with good optics to spot it visually. Pluto currently lies in northeastern Sagittarius, some 0.3° west-southwest of the 3rd-magnitude star Pi (p) Sagittarii. See “The quest for distant Pluto” in the July Astronomy for complete details on finding this world.
Friday, July 8
• The Moon passes 1° south of Jupiter tomorrow morning, unfortunately after the two objects have dipped below the western horizon. But the view this evening is nearly as nice. The waxing crescent Moon stands 3° to 5° (depending on where in North America you live) to the planet’s lower right. Tomorrow evening, a slightly fatter crescent Moon will appear about twice as far to Jupiter’s upper left.
Saturday, July 9
• The Big Dipper’s familiar shape lies high in the northwest as darkness falls these July evenings. One of the summer sky’s finest binocular double stars 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.
Sunday, July 10
• This should be a good night to hunt down asteroid 7 Iris through a small telescope. The 10th-magnitude object lies nearly due south and at its highest position in the sky as darkness falls. Even better, there’s a reasonably bright guide star to point you in the right direction. This evening, look for Iris 0.5° due south of the magnitude 5.0 star Lambda (l) Libr
The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 93.79° E
Sun Altitude: 44.41°
Sun Distance: 94.512 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 5:41 AM↑ 60° Northeast
Sunset Today: 8:17 PM↑ 299° Northwest
Length of Daylight: 14 hours, 36 minutes
The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 85.20° E
Moon Altitude: 17.13°
Moon Distance: 237084 mi
Next Full Moon: Jul 19, 20165:56 PM
Next New Moon: Aug 2, 20163:44 PM
Next Moonset: Today9:56 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 5.7%
Gather Witches cast thy spell
Harm thee none and all is well
Draw thy circle, cauldron light
Praise the spirits of day and night
Offerings on thy altar place
Welcome love into thy space
Dance and sing let joy abound
For thou art standing on
hallowed ground
Rejoice ye all the WItch’s way
Gather Witches young and old
Remember ancient stories told
So gather Witches cast thy spell
Harm thee none and all is well
The gods on high will come to thee
To all ye Witches, blessed be.
—Pagan Ways
Alan Faraway
Witches Of The Craft® 