Day: July 26, 2016

Magickal Goody of the Day for July 26 – Make Your Own Wooden Tarot Box

Magickal Goody of the Day

Make Your Own Wooden Tarot Box

If you’ve got a set of Tarot cards that you’d like to keep safe, one of the best ways you can store them is in a special box. This easy craft project is one you can make either for yourself, or as a gift for a friend. You’ll need the following:

  • A plain wooden box, available at craft stores
  • A pencil
  • Paints or a woodburning tool
  • Scrap fabric

For the box’s cover, choose a design from your Tarot deck. For the one in the photos, I chose 0, the Fool(not the same box pictured), because it’s the first card, and signifies the beginning of a journey, which I thought was perfect for the lid’s design. Using your pencil, copy the design of the card onto the box’s lid.

Use either acrylic paints or a woodburning set to finish the image permanently. Although you may wish to add a coat of polyurethane to seal the design if you use paint, it’s not absolutely necessary.

Use a piece of scrap fabric to line the inside. You can either glue it in place, or leave it loose to wrap around the cards. Before you place your cards in the box for storage, consecrate the box as you would any other magical tool.

 

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

Crystal of the Day for July 26th is Actinolite

Crystal of the Day

Actinolite


                                                                        
The name Actinolite comes from the Greek words, “aktinos” (ray) and “lithos” (stone).


Hardness: 5 -6                           
Specific Gravity:                           
Chemistry: Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2 Calcium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide       
Class: Silicates                     
Crystallography: Monoclinic                                 
Cleavage: perfect in two directions                     
Fracture: splintery to uneven                      
Streak: white                            
Luster: vitreous


Healing: Actinolite is used to boost the immune system.

Workings: Actinolite is an excellent stone to use in shielding. It protects one from psychic attack. Actinolite promotes a feeling of self-worth and strength and encourages inner balance and patience.
Actinolite is associated with the astrological sign of Scorpio and vibrates to the number 9.

Chakra Applications: Actinolite is used to energize the aura. It is associated with the Heart and Root chakras. Green actinolite works on the heart chakra and black works on the root chakra.

Foot Notes: Actinolite is an amphibole silicate mineral. It is a semi-precious stone, consisting of many needle-shaped crystals and their radial impregnations. Actinolite is commonly found in metamorphic rocks, such as contact aureoles surrounding cooled intrusive igneous rocks. It also occurs as a product of metamorphism of magnesium-rich limestones.
A variety of actinolite, Nephrite, is one of the two minerals called jade.
Reference:
Author: Crick

Herb of the Day for July 26th is Cinnamon

Herb of the Day

Cinnamon

                                


Add cinnamon to remedies for acute symptoms, as this herb is a stimulant to other herbs and the body, enabling herbal remedies to work faster. It is also a blood purifier, an infection preventive, and a digestive aid. Cinnamon is used as a mouthwash, and is good for upset stomach.
For a cold medication simmer sticks with cloves for 3 min, add 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp honey, 2 tbsp whiskey.

Cinnamon is also good for yeast infection and athlete’s foot. A 2% solution will kill both of these conditions. Boil 8-10 sticks in 4 cups water, simmer 5 min, steep 45 min, then douche or apply to athlete’s foot. Cinnamon reduces cancer causing tendencies of many food additives.


Do not ingest cinnamon oil.

Magickal uses: The ancient Hebrews used cinnamon oil as part of a holy anointing oil. The Egyptians also used the oil during the mummification process. The Romans wove the leaves into wreaths, which were used to decorate the temples. Burned in incense, cinnamon will promote high spirituality. It is also used to stimulate the passions of the male. It should also be burned in incenses used for healing. The essential oil is used for protection.

Properties: Warming stimulant, carminative, antispasmodic, antiseptic, anti-viral, alterative, analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, anti-rheumatic, aromatic, astringent, demulcent, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, expectorant, germicide, hemostatic, stimulant, stomachic

Growth: Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka, growing in tropical forest and being extensively cultivated throughout the tropical regions of the world.
Reference
Author: Crick
Website: The Whispering Woods

Deity of the Day for July 26th is Bellona, the Roman Goddess of War

Deity of the Day

Bellona

the Roman Goddess of War

Discover the legends and myths and religious beliefs surrounding Bellona, the Roman goddess of war and the war-cry. She was believed to have inspired a warlike frenzy, in which Roman legionnaires would fight in a nearly uncontrollable, rage and fury. Dies Sanguinis (Day of Blood) was a festival held in Ancient Rome on the 24th March, called Bellona’s Day, when devout adherents and priests of the cult of Bellona cut themselves and drank the sacrificial blood to propitiate the goddess. Her name is derived from the Latin word ‘bellum’ meaning war. The Greek counterparts of Bellona were Enyo and Eris.
Bellona, the Roman goddess of war
Bellona, the Roman goddess of war was believed to have been introduced to Roman soldiers during campaigns in Asia Minor under General Pompey and Sulla during the last century of the Roman Republic. Her cult also introduced the ferocious, masochistic and orgiastic rites (similar to those of the goddess Cybele) performed by Asian priests. Bellona is often depicted wearing a plumed helmet and armed with a spear and a torch. In the picture by Rubens of Bellona she carries a shield, called the Aegis, displaying the head of Medusa, the gorgon an attribute that is usually associated with Minerva
Temple of Bellona
The first temple to Bellona was built in the year 296 by the consul Appius Claudius and it was erected by the Circus Flaminius, located in the southern end of the Campus Martius. Campus Martius was located outside the city walls of Rome and was dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war, with an ancient altar and became closely linked to soldiers and the army. Events, rituals and festivals associated with underworld deities were held in the Campus Martius. The festival in honor of Bellona was celebrated on June 3. Bellona also had had several shrines in Rome and another temple was dedicated to her in Ostia Antica, the harbour city of ancient Rome. Priests of Bellona would perform furious dances using weapons and armor in honor of the goddess of war and were known to wound and gash themselves in a frightful manner.
Priests of Bellona – the Bellonarii and Belladonna
The priests of Bellona were called the Bellonarii who practised a variety of masochistic rituals. These rites took place on the 24 March and on the day that was called the dies sanguinis meaning the “day of blood”. On the dies sanguinis, the “day of blood” the Bellonarii mutilated their own arms and legs with sharp knives, collecting the blood to either drink or offer to Bellona to invoke the war fury. The bellonaria plant (solanum) was used by priests at this festival. Its seeds were eaten by priests to induce hallucinogenic, prophetic and oracular states. The name Belladonna, deadly nightshade, is a corruption of the word bellonaria. Another festival called Megalesia was celebrated between April 4 – 10 in honor of Cybele, the fertility goddess. Her eunuch priests, called the Galli, also practised mutilation leading to incorrect historical connections between the worship of two goddesses and their festivals.
The Worship of Bellona, the Roman goddess of war
The Romans were highly practical and believed that their gods and goddesses controlled everything in their lives and therefore every occupation and task had its presiding Roman goddess or god. Bellona the Roman goddess of war was worshipped in the same way as any other Roman divinity with prayers and making vows, dedicating altars, sacrificing blood, animals, birds and offerings of milk, honey, grain, fruit, cakes, flowers, perfumes and wine. Black victims to the deities of the Underworld. The sex of a sacrificial animal had to correspond to the sex of the goddess to whom it was offered. The blood sacrifices made to Bellona, the goddess of war, would therefore have been a black ewe, cow or heifer, sow, hen or other female birds and conducted outside a temple. An even darker side to Bellona is revealed in relation to blood offerings as the earliest sacrifices are said to have been human.

 

Reference:

Tales Beyond Belief

Astronomy Picture of the Day – Puzzling a Sky over Argentina

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 July 26

Puzzling a Sky over Argentina
Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Montúfar; Acknowledgement: Planetario Ciudad de La Plata / CASLEO observatory

 

Explanation: Can you find the comet? True, a careful eye can find thousands of stars, tens of constellations, four planets, three galaxies, and the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy — all visible in the sky of this spectacular 180-degree panorama. Also, if you know what to look for, you can identify pervasive green airglow, an earthly cloud, the south celestial pole, and even a distant cluster of stars. But these are all easier to find than Comet 252P/LINEAR. The featured image,taken in el Leoncito National Park, Argentina in early April, also features the dome of the Jorge Sahade telescope on the hill on the far right. Have you found the comet yet? If so, good for you (it was the green spot on the left), but really the harder thing to find is Small Cloud of Magellan.

Earth Sky News for July 26th: Orion the Hunter returns before dawn

Orion the Hunter returns before dawn

By

Meteors ahead! Everything you need to know: Perseid meteor shower

In late July and early August, if you’re up early and have an unobstructed view to the east, be sure to look in that direction in the hour before dawn. You might find a familiar figure – a constellation that is always returning to the sky around this time of year. It’s the beautiful constellation Orion the Hunter – recently behind the sun as seen from our earthly vantage point – now ascending once more in the east before sunrise.

The Hunter appears each northern winter as a mighty constellation arcing across the south during the evening hours. Many people see it then, and notice it, because the pattern of Orion’s stars is so distinctive.

But, at the crack of dawn in late summer, you can spot Orion in the east. Thus Orion has been called the ghost of the shimmering summer dawn.

The Hunter rises on his side, with his three Belt stars – Mintaka, Alnitak and Alnilam – pointing straight up.

Also, notice the star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus the Bull. It’s said to be the Bull’s fiery red eye. See the V-shaped pattern of stars around Aldebaran? This pattern represents the Bull’s face. In skylore, Orion is said to be holding up a great shield . . . fending off the charging Bull. Can you imagine this by looking at the chart at right? It’s easy to imagine when you look at the real sky before dawn at this time of year.

The return of Orion and Taurus to the predawn sky happens in late July or early August every year.

Bottom line: In the wee hours before daybreak, look for Orion the Hunter. From the Northern Hemisphere, Orion is sometimes called the ghost of the summer dawn.

 

DEBORAH BYRD

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. “Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers,” she says.

Article published on EarthSky

Daily Planet Tracker for July 26th: Sun in Leo, Now Until August 22, 2016

 

 

 

 

PLANET TRACKER

Sun in Leo

Jul 21, 2016 to Aug 22, 2016

 

Signs are Seasons

Leo occupies the middle of the summer in the northern hemisphere, the hottest time of the year for half the planet. It’s appropriate, then, that the sign Leo is associated with our source of heat, the Sun. This central star of our solar system is the hub around which all of the planets orbit. This position of centrality is basic to the Leo personality.

Leo represents awareness of self and is, arguably, the most self-centered sign of the zodiac. Taken negatively, this means that Leo can be blinded by the light of its own ego. Like a shining star, its brilliance can make it difficult to recognize the importance of others. Learning to share the spotlight is a core issue for many Leos.

The Ruler

The Sun in astrology is said to “rule” the sign Leo. That means that there is a natural affinity between this “planet” and sign. Being born with a planet in its “home” sign is considered to be an advantage by astrologers.

The energy of the Sun is thought to flow most easily in Leo. However, a planet in its home sign can also be overly simplistic and narrow in its expression. A lack of obstacles in not always a strength.

Leos, then, can benefit from humbling experiences. It’s important that they learn how to fail, so that they can reconnect to the sources of their creativity and confidence and begin again.

The Child

Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac. It represents that point in the cycle when a child becomes aware of his or her personal power. The discovery of self is a wonderful thing, a fascinating experience in which the rest of the world is seen as a toy with which to play. From a healthy perspective, this offers a sense of confidence that encourages creativity and risktaking throughout life. However, a potential pitfall is for Leo to operate under the illusion that he or she is creating the world in which all of us live, rather than just being a part of it.

Growing up can be a challenge for everyone, but is particularly true for Leos. Moving from the excitement of possibilities to the real commitments necessary for accomplishment can be the measure of Leo’s potential for success. Learning to listen, too, can be vital for Leo to fulfill its considerable ambitions.

Stars vs. Constellations

It is natural for Leo to see him or herself as a star. Those born under this sign do best when their self-confidence is high. Yet, even though it is the hub of our solar system, the Sun is but one star among the uncountable billions in the sky. What appears to be the source of life from one perspective is just another point in a distant constellation from another. Leos who understand that everyone is a star are best able to build the co-operative relationships that can make life so satisfying.

Famous Leos

Leos tend to do well in the spotlight, so show business is full of them. Half the cast of Friends are Leos (Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry). So are Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston, Kathie Lee Gifford, Woody Harrelson, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Mick Jagger, Christian Slater, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Snipes, Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry and Steve Martin.

Leo pairs in the world of entertainment include Madonna and Sean Penn, Melanie Griffth and Antonio Banderas, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman (as reporters Woodward and Bernstein). Other Leo pairs are Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and that perfect Leo couple: Jerry Garcia and Martha Stewart.

Sports stars Magic Johnson, Deion Sanders, Barry Bonds, Walter Payton and Patrick Ewing were all born with the Sun in Leo, too. Showmanship and heart helped make these athletes great.

 

Part of the Daily Insight Group

Your Daily Influences for July 26, 2016

Your Daily Influences
July 26, 2016 

 

Ace of Wands Reversed
There may be false starts ahead. New ventures of all kinds may be postponed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naudhiz
Naudhiz may foretell needs unmet and friction in relationships. You may be in a time where you should be very careful in whatever endeavor you take on. Also it may be that you are about to learn some of life’s hard lessons and come out the other side of this period a stronger being.

 

 

 

Virgo the Virgin
This aspect of your life will be strongly influenced by a person who is modest, shy, meticulous, reliable, practical, diligent, intelligent and analytical. This person may be a leader of some kind where you are employed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Tuesday, July 26th is The Eye Agate

Your Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
The eye represents your will to be loved. The strength of your will controls this aspect. You have neglected needed emotions of love in your life. You cannot expect to be loved if you do not show it.

General Description:
These enati (eye stones) were first worn for protection in the East, but soon the custom of wearing these charms spread to almost all countries. Implicit faith was placed in their reputed magical power to guard the wearer from the dreaded influence of the evil eye. From the very earliest times the imagined influence of the evil eye has struck terror into the hearts of the weak minded, ignorant, and superstitious. The uncanny effect of the eye is produced by cutting through the parallel bands, or layers of the different colours which form the agate.