Perfumes: Sweetpea, Lavender, Mastic, Frankincense, Cloves
Incense: Cinnamon, Cinquefoil
Color: Yellow or Grey
Influences: Conjurations, Predictions, Knowledge, Writing, Eloquence
A Book of Pagan Rituals
Herman Slater
This week is all about the planets, the Moon, and the Delta Aquarid meteor shower.
By Richard Talcott
Wednesday, July 27
Pluto reached opposition and peak visibility nearly three weeks ago, and it remains a tempting target 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 0.8° west-southwest of 3rd-magnitude Pi (p) Sagittarii and 0.7° northeast of 4th-magnitude Omicron (o) Sgr. See “The quest for distant Pluto” in the July Astronomy for complete details on finding this world.
The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, at 7:37 a.m. EDT. It then lies 229,698 miles (369,662 kilometers) away from us.
Thursday, July 28
The Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight. Although the waning crescent Moon rises around 2 a.m. local daylight time tomorrow morning, it doesn’t really detract from the show. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius, which rises in late evening and appears highest in the hours before dawn. At its best, the shower produces 15 to 20 meteors per hour under a dark sky, a rate that stays nearly constant for a couple of days on either side of the peak.
Friday, July 29
The Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower isn’t the only event you’ll want to keep an eye on this morning. As the waning crescent Moon marches eastward relative to the background stars of Taurus, it passes directly in front of the Bull’s luminary. Our satellite occults 1st-magnitude Aldebaran for observers south of a line that runs from southern New Mexico to northern Maine. While viewers north of this line will see the Moon and star just miss each other, those along the line will witness the star skimming Luna’s northern limb. Be sure to set up ahead of time, center the star in your telescope’s field of view, and watch the magnificent show.
Uranus’ eastward motion against the background stars comes to a halt at 10 p.m. EDT. This so-called stationary point marks the beginning of the best period to observe the outer planet. Uranus rises before midnight local daylight time and appears more than halfway to the zenith in the southeastern sky as morning twilight commences. The magnitude 5.8 planet lies in Pisces, 2.7° due north of magnitude 4.8 Mu (m) Piscium. A telescope reveals Uranus’ blue-green disk, which spans 3.6″.
Saturday, July 30
Although Saturn reached its peak nearly two months ago, it remains a lovely sight. You can find the planet nearly due south around 9 p.m. local daylight time. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3 and appears far brighter than any of the surrounding stars of southwestern Ophiuchus. When viewed through a telescope, the planet measures 18″ across while its dramatic ring system spans 40″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.
Sunday, July 31
The two inner planets lurk low in the western sky shortly after sunset all week. Your best chance to spot them comes when they lie highest in the twilight this evening. If you scan the western horizon through binoculars 30 minutes after sunset, you should pick up Venus standing just 3° high. It shows up only because in shines so brightly, at magnitude –3.9. Mercury appears 6° above the horizon but will be harder to see because it glows more dimly at magnitude –0.2. And if you have a haze-free sky, you might spot the 1st-magitude star Regulus between the two planets.
The Last Quarter Moon or Third Quarter Moon phase occurs when the Moon is 270 degrees after the Sun.
This is a time of action, but it’s about reviewing, receiving, paying, planning, closing, sorting, storing, and reaping. Most suitable activities now include paying debts, asking for money owed to us, giving rewards, receiving rewards, making evaluations, taking inventory, tying up loose ends, dealing with people and matters from the past, contacting people from the past, dealing with endings, acting with wisdom and maturity, and letting go if necessary. This is an accountable time when following the rules is most appropriate.
The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 97.90° E
Sun Altitude: 42.43°
Sun Distance: 94.395 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 5:56 AM↑ 65° East
Sunset Today: 8:06 PM↑ 295° Northwest
Length of Daylight: 14 hours, 9 minutes
The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 239.67° WSW
Moon Altitude: 49.25°
Moon Distance: 229700 mi
Next New Moon: Aug 2, 20163:44 PM
Next Full Moon: Aug 18, 20164:26 AM
Next Moonset: Today2:09 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 42.6%
We know they feared our Pagan ways,
They tried to wipe us out,
They tortured and they burned us,
If they had the slightest doubt,
They took away our festivals,
Replaced them with their own,
But we stood strong and carried on,
We’ve flourished and we’ve grown.
They said we worshiped Satan,
Stole babies and much worse,
And if by chance someone fell ill,
They said we laid a curse,
They took us in for “questioning”,
Tortured till we confessed,
But anyone would say the words,
Under such duress.
With bodies bruised and broken,
They put us on the stand,
The priests said we’d offended God,
And the devil took our hand,
The villagers believed them,
Our guilt was their desire,
Then everybody turned out to see,
The witch burned in the fire.
They never really understood,
And some to this day still,
Do not understand our craft,
We bear no one ill will,
We live a life of peace and love,
At one with Mother Earth,
So in secrecy the Hedgewitch lives,
Gathering berries, leaves and herbs.
I sometimes think that there are those,
Who live in those dark times still,
They do not wish to understand,
And I guess they never will,
But Pagans all around the world,
Are proud to carry on,
We practice the oldest religion,
In our deeds and in our song.
Be Joyful all ye Pagans,
For the road has been so long,
Remember the innocent martyrs,
That suffered in those days gone,
Give your praise to all the Gods,
And the Goddess of rebirth,
For they can never destroy our faith,
We are the children of the Earth.
—Pagan Ways
Alan Faraway
Witches Of The Craft® 