The Pagan Book of Days for Monday, August 22nd

Odin’s Ordeal (6)/Aedesia

The fifth century Neoplatonic philosopher Aedesia is remembered today.

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Today is Monday, August 22nd

 

Monday is the sacred day of the moon, personified as the goddesses Selene, Luna, and Mani. The moon is ruler of flow, affecting the changeable and impressionable aspects of people. If a full moon falls on a Monday, then the powers of the moon are at their most potent.

Deity: Mani

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Planet: Moon

Tree: Willow

Herb: Chickweed

Stone: Agate

Animal: Crab

Element: Water

Color: Green

Rune: Lagu (L)

Celtic Tree Month of Coll (Hazel) – August 4 – September 1

The Runic Half Month of As (August 13 – August 28)

Goddess of the Month of Hesperis – August 9 – September 5

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

 

Spellcrafting for Monday

 

 Spirituality
 Astral work
 Dreams
 Psychic talents
 Lunar energy
 Family
 Emotions
 Children
 Pets
 Fertility
 Female Energy
 Purification

Source

A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen

 

The Sky This Week for August 22 to August 28

Planets, Pallas, and the Big Dipper will all make wonderful viewing this week.

By Richard Talcott

 

Monday, August 22

• The constellations Ursa Major the Great Bear and Cassiopeia the Queen lie on opposite sides of the North Celestial Pole, so they pivot around the North Star (Polaris) throughout the course of the night and the year. In late August and early September, these two constellations appear equally high as darkness falls. You can find Ursa Major and its prominent asterism, the Big Dipper, about 30° above the northwestern horizon. Cassiopeia’s familiar W-shape, which currently lies on its side, appears the same height above the northeastern horizon. As the night progresses, Cassiopeia climbs above Polaris while the Big Dipper swings below it.

Tuesday, August 23

• The three evening planets form a pretty isosceles triangle above the western horizon tonight. Jupiter stands highest and lies some 4° from both Mercury and Venus, while the two inner planets appear 6° apart.

• The western twilight vista isn’t the only exciting one happening this evening. As those three planets set, shift your gaze about 25° above the south-southwestern horizon. There you will find fiery Mars flanked by golden Saturn some 4° above it and ruddy Antares 2° below it. The two bright planets form a straight line with the 1st-magnitude star tonight.

Wednesday, August 24

• Last Quarter Moon occurs at 11:41 p.m. EDT. It rises around midnight local daylight time and climbs high in the southeast by the time twilight starts to paint the sky. Earth’s only natural satellite lies next to the Hyades star cluster in the constellation Taurus the Bull.

Thursday, August 25

• Mars passes 4° due south of Saturn today. The Red Planet shines twice as bright as its ringed companion, and the two make a stunning pair with the naked eye and through binoculars. Both are worth examining through a telescope as well. Mars’ sports an orange-red disk that spans 11″ and shows several subtle dark markings. Saturn measures 17″ across while its dramatic ring system stretches 38″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Friday, August 26

• Distant Neptune reaches opposition and peak visibility one week from today, but the view now is essentially the same. The ice giant planet rises during evening twilight and climbs nearly halfway to the zenith in the southern sky by 1:30 a.m. local daylight time. The magnitude 7.8 planet lies in Aquarius, 1.1° southwest of 4th-magnitude Lambda (l) Aquarii. You’ll need binoculars to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which spans 2.4″.

Saturday, August 27

• Venus and Jupiter lie closer to each other today than at any time since May 2000. At their tightest, just 4.2′ separate them. Unfortunately, this happens in late afternoon from North America. By twilight, the two worlds have pulled slightly apart — 5.5′ from the East Coast and 12.1′ from the West Coast. Still, that’s close enough that many people will see the two merge into one. Binoculars will provide spectacular views, clearly splitting the pair and revealing Mercury 5° to their lower left and just above the horizon. Most telescope-eyepiece combinations will show Venus and Jupiter in the same field, with Jupiter spanning 31″ and Venus 11″.

Sunday, August 28

• Evenings this week are great times to explore the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. This star group lies due south and at peak altitude around 9 p.m. local daylight time, just as the last vestiges of twilight fade away. The brightest stars within the constellation form the shape of a teapot — a distinctive asterism once you’ve found it. The central regions of the Milky Way pass through Sagittarius, so it’s always worth exploring the area through binoculars or a telescope.

Source

Astronomy Magazine

 

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Monday, August 22nd

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 99.04° E
Sun Altitude: 30.66°
Sun Distance: 94.004 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 6:17 AM↑ 75° East
Sunset Today: 7:36 PM↑ 285° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 18 minutes

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 261.18° W
Moon Altitude: 21.25°
Moon Distance: 228155 mi
Next New Moon: Sep 1, 20164:03 AM
Next Full Moon: Sep 16, 20162:05 PM
Next Moonset: Today10:54 AM
Current Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 78.2%

 

Source

timeanddate.com

The Coven Spell

 

O ancient ones of heaven, earth and sea,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!
To music of the night-wind blowing free,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

The owl hoots within the hollow tree,
The black cat runs by night silently,
The toad beneath the stone dwells secretly,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

To moon that draws the tides of air and sea,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!
To god that bides beneath the greenwood tree,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

By witches’ garter bound about the knee,
By staff and cauldron and all powers that be,
We will the thing in our minds we see,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

The Spell is flowing like the sea,
The spell is growing like the tree,
Like flame that burns and blazes free.
We chant the spell, thus shall it be!
We chant the spell, thus shall it be!
We chant the spell, thus shall it be!
IT IS!

“Witchcraft For Tomorrow,” by Doreen Valiente
Originally published on Pagan Library