Tarot Card Reversals

Get more meaning when you turn that Tarot card upside down

By Tarot.com Staff

Videos, Tarot, Insight

Do you have a handle on the Tarot card basics? Well, then, you’re ready for reversals!

Most of the Tarot readings you’ll see on deal strictly with upright Tarot cards because they are easier to interpret. But many advanced Tarot readers often shuffle their decks to include reversed Tarot cards because they can lend another layer of insight.

Turned upside down, Tarot cards can have an entirely different meaning from their upright interpretations. Some people think a reversed Tarot card guarantees bad news, but that’s not the case at all. Often reversed Tarot cards deliver good news, or simply strengthen or weaken the primary message of the upright card.

When reversed cards show up in your Tarot reading, you must listen to your gut and look at the surrounding cards to understand what the reversed Tarot card is trying to tell you. It may be positive, negative or neither — it could just be conveying a lesson you need to learn.

Three of the most common ways to interpret reverse Tarot cards include:

Opposite meaning of the upright Tarot card

Many Tarot readers who use reversals simply believe the reversed Tarot card delivers the exact opposite message of the upright card. For example, if The Devil card shows up in a reading it can indicate being trapped, whereas the reversed Devil card can indicate being set free. This is the easiest way to interpret reversed Tarot cards, but it’s not necessarily the best way.

Increased or decreased energy

Some Tarot readers believe reversed Tarot cards indicate the same basic energy of the upright card, only it will be strengthened or lessened. For example, if you draw the 3 of Swords Tarot card upright, it can indicate heartbreak. But if you draw the 3 of Swords in reverse, it can indicate you are either less heartbroken than you were previously — or that your extreme hurt feels insurmountable. With this method of reading reversals it is up to the querent to determine the true meaning of the card, so you must listen to your gut and pay close attention to the surrounding cards.

Delays and blocked energy

It’s possible your reversed Tarot card is simply trying to tell you there will be a block or delay before the upright meaning of the card is fulfilled. For example, the 10 of Cups in an upright position is a card of celebration — it indicates happiness, marriage, birth and reasons to rejoice. If this card shows up reversed in your spread, it can mean you will still have these things — but you’ll have to wait for them. This isn’t to be taken as a negative thing, however, simply a lesson to be patient or to help you find a way to remove the block.

Using reversed Tarot cards is more complicated because the meaning isn’t always clear, so such readings are best for more advanced Tarot readers. But the way to become advanced is through experience, so go ahead and practice! The more Tarot readings you do, the more intuitive the process will become, whether upright or reverse.

 

Get A Jump On Tomorrow….

Your Daily Horoscopes for Wednesday, August 17th

by Rick Levine

If Today is Your Birthday: August 16

You have exceptionally strong convictions, and some might call you hard-headed! You are a highly independent thinker. You value your freedom more than most. You never stop learning, and you accumulate knowledge easily because you are so open to it. You can reach success on your wit alone. As intelligent as you are, you are also extremely intuitive and have a spiritual side. At times, you can be uncompromising and willful, simply because you believe in yourself and your ideas. You are attracted to, or you attract, competent people who you admire for their sharp minds, regal manner, or wisdom. You need to totally respect the person you are with, and you will go to great lengths to support and accommodate the people you love. Famous people born today: Madonna, Timothy Hutton, Kathie Lee Gifford, James Cameron, Steve Carrell, Rumer Willis, Cameron Monaghan.

Your Birthday Year Forecast:

Transiting Uranus harmonizes with your Sun this year. Your personality is sparkling during this period, which is sure to attract new circumstances and people into your life. Exciting (not jarring) changes and new interests characterize the period. It’s easier than ever to express your unique individuality, and if this involves changing careers or jobs, a new love affair, or an entirely new hobby, it’s something that takes you forward into unexplored territory. You are more willing to adapt to new circumstances, ideas, and unfamiliar situations this year. It’s a good time to join organizations and groups and to attend meetings or social events. You are able to find especially creative solutions to problems.

However, this year, Saturn also harmonizes with your Sun, starting in January 2017, and this helps you to bring a balance of tradition and progress into your life. Saturn’s transit suggests benefits from keeping your feet on the ground and paying attention to, and honoring, tradition as well as tried-and-true methods. Work you have done in the past begins to pay off now – not necessarily in dramatic ways, but in small, measurable ways. You may be recognized or rewarded in some way for the efforts you put forth. When you project a more responsible and credible “you”, people in authority are more inclined to appreciate you and recognize your work. This is a time in which you put your life in order in some significant manner. The key to success under this influence is adopting a realistic, practical, disciplined, and orderly approach to your life. Having a strong sense for both tradition and innovation opens doors for you. You have a real sense of tomorrow now, so it’s easier for you to take the necessary steps to make all of your “tomorrows” better.

Your ability to express yourself and to solve problems is enhanced. You may have opportunities to travel this year, and matters related to publishing, teaching, and writing should go especially well. You may find that you have the right information at the right time this year. You could also have big ideas and plans. Work, especially in communications, goes well. You are able to visualize in broader terms and see the “big picture” now. Your optimism can help you to attract positive circumstances into your life. You are especially enthusiastic about your ideas, and expressing yourself comes easily. Public relations and negotiations tend to run especially smoothly. This is a time for making long-range plans, seeing the big picture, and thinking about what is really important to you in the long run.

There can be significant involvement in publishing, television, or other areas where sharing ideas with large groups is a theme.

Your relationships are filled with passion and you are likely to have many affairs. You have a tendency to fall in love at first sight, but also to get bored quickly. You are very independent and have a constant need for excitement in your life.

You are able to organize activities well and seek active cooperation with others. Some of your meetings could occur suddenly, or you may unexpectedly start to work on a project with others. At times you also could have joint upsets or anxieties.

Your powers of investigation are strong – you go to the origin of a problem and work from there. There may be a project, idea, or person that demands much of your attention or occupies much of your thoughts. You are especially resourceful when your curiosity is piqued.

With Mars conjunct Saturn in your Solar Return chart, you are more determined and hard-working than usual. This is an excellent time to get organized and to stick with projects through to the end. When you face obstacles to your goals, which is a likely scenario this year, you are likely to just keep on pushing. Progress may be slow, but it’s steady and solid. What you accomplish now will benefit you for years to come.

There can be some wrestling with expectations or logistics in relationships this year. Feelings can sometimes run hot and cold in love. Venus in challenging aspect to Neptune and Saturn can affect finances or romantic relationships, and possibly both areas. Uncertainty in either of these areas is the theme, but this does not necessarily point to financial or romantic losses, by all means. It might point to, for example, a variable income that goes with the territory of self-employment, or a relationship that isn’t quite as settled as you’d like it to be for the time being. Saturn asks you to be responsible, hard working, dutiful, and serious when it comes to finances and/or romantic relationships. Neptune, on the other hand, places a veil over your eyes and seduces you into believing what you want to believe rather than what really is. You need to assess areas of your life that have become dysfunctional and, in the process, you may need to sacrifice a material benefit for a spiritual one (or vice versa). You are learning to put your priorities into better perspective. Venus is also moving towards a conjunction with the Moon’s North Node, suggesting that you are likely to attract growth-oriented relationships into your life. Your powers of negotiation are very strong, and this aspect points to some form of resolution to the matters mentioned above.

You may win respect and recognition for your work or craft this year. There is a good balance between learning from tradition and seeing things progressively.

You are better able to come to a good balance in attitude this year, and many life departments can benefit, although some relationships can be up and down and extra attention should be paid to financial matters. You’re in an exceptionally strong position for taking advantage of new opportunities while keeping your feet on the ground. There can be recognition for your work or talents.

2016 is a Number Six year for you. Ruled by Venus. This is a year of relative contentment. It is a time when love is the easiest to attract, and partnerships formed under this vibration have a better chance for longevity. You are able to attract others, and material things as well, this year. This is a good year for establishing harmony in the family and in the home. Advice – develop existing relationships, be positive and receptive because these kinds of energies help you to attract what you desire.

2017 will be a Number Seven year for you. Ruled by Neptune. This is a year of preparation, chance, and refinement. It is not a time of dramatic changes. Instead, it’s a year when reflection on the past is helpful, and when refinements to your life path should be made. It’s a good year to study and analyze. Unexpected twists to your life story and “chance” meetings are probable. Advice – take stock of your life in order to prepare for more exciting years to come, examine the past and plan for the future, get in touch with your deepest needs and uncover your personal power, don’t strain yourself or actively try to expand.

Source

Cafe Astrology

Your Daily Horoscopes for Tuesday, August 16th

Aries

You can feel exceptionally romantic or simply confident and expressive today, dear Aries, with the Sun in your solar fifth house harmonizing with Uranus in your sign. You can be radiant now. There is quite a bit of energy to the day, as well as a strong sense that you can reach your goals. Romantically and creatively, you are in good form. The urge to make a splash or to take a risk is strong. You can be the bringer of surprise and change. Moves made now can be sudden, but intuitive. You might be making changes in how you approach others, and you have your eye on making progress and improvements.

Taurus

You can have a strong sense of moving forward and putting harmful elements of the past behind you now, dear Taurus. Even so, this is a good time for exploring the past and how it affects you in the present, so it makes sense to examine matters but avoid dwelling. Be courageous now, even if someone seems to be putting a damper on your plans, or if you face criticism. Anything can happen on the home front today, and surprises can emerge from the past, or a pleasing change of pace can occur that keeps things feeling fresh and moving forward. Give a little when it comes to traditional attitudes for best results today. Think up new ways to enjoy family and your home life.

Gemini

Interactions can be especially progressive, enthusiastic, and spirited today, dear Gemini. Opportunities can come from or through friends, groups, meetings, and communications. Don’t be afraid to show others your more unique qualities and to share your progressive ideas. Keep an open mind today, and look for opportunities to discover new interests. You are extraordinarily inventive and unafraid to show others your more unique qualities. You and others tend to be more open-minded and willing to entertain unusual ideas right now. Even so, today is about taking action on ideas and making them work. Exploring different ways of relating and communicating can be satisfying. There can be progress made in a friendship, community project, or team endeavor.

Cancer

There can be a strong focus of interest and conversation on business matters, money, personal possessions, and core values now, dear Cancer. You’re likely to consider ways to be a little more self-sufficient. Life is slightly more hectic and surprising today than it has been, and you’re sure to feel more optimistic about your current path and your future. People tend to be supportive of your goals. This is a time when your more unusual and progressive ideas about money and business can be recognized, so don’t be afraid to share. An opportunity might arise now that helps you to break free from restrictive circumstances, or that can lead to more freedom down the road. Some of you could be upgrading technology or might stumble upon an item that helps you improve efficiency.

Leo

You have even more impact than usual today, dear Leo, and you’re expressing yourself more spontaneously as well. Others are likely to receive you well. Finding yourself on the same page with a significant person in your life can be satisfying. This can be an advantageous time for drawing on the courage to assert your independence without alienating others in the process. You may solve a problem or two, not only for yourself but for others as well. You’re admired for your originality and unique perspective today. Non-routine activities tend to fare best right now, and some of you might even learn of or experience mind-blowing things today. Certainly, you are more spirited and open to change and progress than usual.

Virgo

Your inner world is animated, and you could have a strong sense that right now is the time to make significant emotional or spiritual changes, dear Virgo. As it often is these days, your attention turns to behind the scenes. You’re inclined to search within for answers. You can have sudden insights into your own behavior or that of others today, although you may not be as quick to share them, as you are in a particularly private frame of mind these days. An open mind is key right now, and you could feel quite happy with new discoveries, even if you do keep them to yourself for the time being. Surprises and opportunities can come out of the blue now, and an element/person of your past reappearing can be part of this.

Libra

Your social life can be quite animated today, dear Libra. Aim to be open to possibilities and also to making changes related to a partner or friend. Surprises or changes can occur now with your relationships, and they are likely to be pleasant or at least stimulating enough to get you thinking and relating in new ways. Share your personal philosophy with someone special, and don’t be afraid to approach certain topics – as long as you do it with grace and warmth, which comes naturally to you anyhow, you’ll find that we’re a little more open to different feelings and ideas now. An instinctive need for change is with you today, from the inside out. Outworn attitudes have to go, and circumstances now make you especially aware of this fact. You might decide to take action now on recent revelations. You might enjoy progress in a friendship, group endeavor, or community project.

Scorpio

You might receive special attention today, dear Scorpio, particularly in a professional sense, and this may be about an innovative idea or method that you’ve employed recently. Today brings just enough emotional detachment that you can move past limitations and to break free from dwelling on certain issues from the past. For you, this relates mainly to a partnership, practical matters, and health. New developments in your career path or a work project can emerge, and they spell progress. Pleasant surprises are likely now. There can be a spirit of openness with co-workers or associates. This is a fine time to think about getting rid of unhealthy habits. You might put recent breakthrough ideas about work and health into motion now or experience increased motivation to work hard towards a long-term goal.

Sagittarius

You can feel quite inspired today, dear Sagittarius. An open, progressive attitude might lead to doors opening for new experiences involving travel or romance, or artistic and creative pursuits. If you’re feeling a little bit of fear about expressing your creative side, push yourself just a little to get yourself going. The motivation to reinvent yourself runs high. You might thoroughly enjoy connecting with people through different beliefs and opinions, or through new personal interests. You are in the mood to learn or teach or to gain a little more life experience. You might get the chance to put your talents to use, or even to show them off a little.

Capricorn

This is unlikely to be an ordinary or routine day, dear Capricorn, particularly with family and around the home. You might become inspired to redecorate or switch things up, you could receive unexpected visitors, or a surprising discovery can be made with someone close to you. It’s also a good time for talking rationally and easily about personal matters. Problem-solving about emotional issues is improved. A Uranus influence allows for the ability to detach yourself from a problem just enough to come up with innovative solutions. This is a good time for experimenting with approaches to others and ways to express your feelings. For some of you, there can be satisfying progress on a family or home-related matter now.

Aquarius

Today and tomorrow, you’re likely to seek out extra stimulation, and find it, dear Aquarius. Conversations can be at the very least interesting and likely very helpful. Your charm runs high now, and you might also be especially intrigued by what you hear. Negotiations tend to work out well now. Partnering up can help you solve a problem. A partnership or a communications project can enjoy progress. Opportunities to enhance or attract a partnership are available to you today, and part of this has to do with your willingness to approach matters with openness and honesty. You’re likely to open the airways and encourage others to do so as well.

Pisces

Unusual and exciting elements on the job or in your daily routine can be in focus today, dear Pisces, and they may very well make you shine. Look for new ways of approaching your work or services, making or handling money, and improving health. Problem solving comes very easily to you today as you look at practical matters in a new light. Your eye is on progress. A solution can come to you seemingly out of the blue, but it’s probably been with you on some level in the past – you simply weren’t tuned in, and now you are. Practical matters can thrive. It’s a good day for researching health programs or regimes. Alternatives can be introduced now that lead you to rethink old problems and concerns.

The Balance of the Signs & the Elements for Tuesday, Aug. 16th

LEO STRONG
Self-confident, generous, warm-hearted, powerful leader, dramatic. Can be overly proud, vain, extravagant, arrogant.
VIRGO STRONG
Meticulous, discriminating, pure, practical, health conscious, hard working. Can be hyper-critical, petty and perfectionistic.
SAGITTARIUS STRONG
Inspiring, broad vision, enthusiastic, goal seeking, truthful, adventurous. Can be reckless, unrestrained, tactless.
AQUARIUS STRONG
Humanitarian, innovative, group conscious, progressive, serving others. Can be rebellious, eccentric, aloof, emotionally superficial, overly extroverted.

BALANCE OF ELEMENTS

FIRE STRONG
Fire is enthusiastic, dynamic, and spontaneous, but lacks reflection. We are more courageous and adventurous now, with a tendency to act before thinking. There is little concern about what happened in the past. We are competitive and possibly impatient or bored easily.
WATER WEAK
There may be some insensitivity or lack of empathy now. We may be out of touch with what we’re feeling or with our emotional needs. We may be tougher than usual now, and more inclined to follow mental or practical considerations than we are to listen to our intuition.

BALANCE OF MODES

CARDINAL WEAK
This is not a time that we tend to naturally initiate actions. We may be stronger at following up than starting anew. Survival mechanisms may be weaker now.
MUTABLE STRONG
We are flexible, adaptable, willing, open to change, and possibly flighty or nervous.

Astrology of Today – August 16, 2016

• The Moon is in Capricorn until 7:52 AM.
• The Moon is void until 7:52 AM (since yesterday at 10:44 PM).
• The Moon is in Aquarius from 7:52 AM forward (until Thursday, August 18th, at 12:34 PM).
• The Moon is waxing and in its Waxing Gibbous phase.
• A First Quarter Moon occurred on the 10th, and a Full Moon will occur on the 18th.
• Mars is direct and in its post-retrograde shadow until August 22nd.

Break Free at Full Moon

a message from Selacia

Monday, 15 August, 2016  (posted 16 August, 2016)

To read more of Selacia’s insight, please visit her website, Selacia and The Council of 12

If you have been feeling like you want to break free of the status quo, this could be your week to act on those feelings. With Thursday’s Aquarius Full Moon and some other helpful energy in the air, it could be easier to take some new and bolder steps. In this article, I provide suggested actions that could shift you out of neutral and into forward.

For most people, this has not been an easy or simple year. It’s been common to have unexpected delays and confusing moments. So much is going on and many more in-the-background factors influenced progress.

Dream Time Processing

During your dream time and inner work process, you have been processing a vast canvas of energy. Most likely, you are aware of some themes as they reflect issues that have come up for resolution. You have become conscious of those.

Know, however, that one reason you could sometimes feel heavy is that you are also processing interconnected issues – so far outside your awareness that they are not apparent. Some of these relate to past lives, others relate to discordant planetary energies you incarnated to help heal. This additional level is being mentioned here so that you have perspective about why you sometimes feel things so deeply.

Remember: you are a quantum multidimensional being with many lifetimes before this one and a soul destiny involving Earth’s ascension.

Divine Changemaker Role

No one day will be all good or all bad. That’s linear thinking. Energy can shift like a lightning bolt, at any moment, for it is always in motion. Your role as a divine changemaker is to learn how to ride the energy waves, utilizing both positive cycles and challenging cycles for your spiritual growth. Whatever the energy is, your response to it becomes your path.

For this week through the weekend, some nice surprises could be unfolding. Examples: creative juices could be amplified, making connection with others could be easier, and risk taking could be less scary.

Steps to More Empowerment

Benefit from this week’s energy with these simple actions.

FIRST, stay grounded and invite inner wisdom about how to break free of your status quo. Be open to the larger view spirit has. This means being willing to see beyond what you already know about yourself. Spirit may show you suggested changes in areas you don’t suspect.

SECOND, give yourself more personal quiet time than you typically experience. Ideally this is a combination of solo self-reflection and some group meditative experience that can be very powerful during this Aquarius Full Moon cycle.

THIRD, inquire within and ask: “What is the one thing that as I take action to address it now, can be the key catalyst I’ve needed for a more fulfilling life?”

Your biggest breakthroughs can come when you feel the most challenged, yet you apply unwavering dedication and perseverance. The key is being willing to take each step as it is presented, letting go of having to know what the next step will be. With each step know that spirit is always with you.

18th August 2016: Full Moon in 26th degree of Aquarius

a message from Sarah Varcas

To read more of Sarah’s insight, please visit her website, Awakenings

Living Life On Purpose

Occurring a day before the next eclipse season begins (19^th August – 23^rd September), this Full Moon is an ‘almost-but-not-quite’ lunar eclipse, giving it greater influence and a stronger ‘edge’ against which to hone our awareness. Eclipse seasons are powerful things, to be honoured with our full attention, deepest respect and steadfast commitment to respond to their gifts and graces, challenges and obstacles. They kick-start otherwise lagging change, up-turn certainties and awaken issues and themes which shape the following six months. If we pay attention during these times we may well discover the deepest truths of our lives and receive the most influential and personal guidance. Think of them as a cosmic crash course in what our life is really about, minus all the fluff and bluster we add to it on a daily basis! For this reason, a Full Moon occurring just prior to the beginning of an eclipse season is of particular note, for it comes as a wake-up call that something of great import is in the air. If this Full Moon closely aspects a natal planet we may well experience it as carrying much of the power and potential of an eclipse even though it doesn’t quite ‘make the grade’ in that respect. In any event, this Full Moon raises issues which will impact the coming eclipse season and offers guidance to bear in mind throughout the coming weeks.

In Aquarius, it illuminates mental habits and unconscious tendencies which keep us stuck in rigid patterns of thought, belief and behaviour. If we’ve been wondering why we can’t seem to get it together and do what’s needed to make that long overdue change, it reveals how we keep ourselves in chains, blinkered to truths just outside our awareness and mired in self-sabotage. It may be a rude awakening, especially if the stark lunar light reveals it is we who have painted ourselves into a corner, not external circumstances conspiring against us. Whilst such insights are a bitter pill to swallow, this is just the first stage: a nudge from the universe to embrace our past selves, not chastise them. Self-blame will get us nowhere, so whatever comes to light around the time of this Full Moon must be met by a gentle and loving heart, not a hardened and critical one.

This Moon may come with loneliness, a sense of being misunderstood. If we can resist taking things too personally it will go a long way to not letting these feelings rule the day and create mountains out of molehills! There’s a fair bit of tension around and many will be feeling it, so cutting each other (and ourselves) some serious slack is good advice! If possible, avoid heated topics of debate and focus on things that unite rather than divide, otherwise it may be all too easy to slip into overzealous championing of our own perspective without any due consideration of someone else’s view. Conflict seeded now may grow at an alarming rate, producing painful fruit in September when we have two eclipses and the next exact conjunction between Uranus and Eris. However, this Full Moon potentises all efforts made to calm troubled waters, expand our perspective and foster connections that nourish rather than polarise, enabling meaningful interactions with others despite any difficult circumstances.

Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, shapes this Moon. Offering the opportunity to break free from old ties and reinvent ourselves, it reminds us nothing is set in stone as long as we seek always to release that which binds us in the very moment it does so. Not a week, a month, or years down the line, but immediately – freeing past pain, old beliefs and habits, behaviours that sabotage us and conditions that keep us stuck. Sometimes we have to dig deep, working long and hard to let go, but throughout the coming eclipse season we have a precious opportunity to release, moment by moment, whatever holds us back.  Practice not allowing anything to stick in your energy field. Visualise it as flowing water, rushing wind. See its constant motion. By identifying with the trials of life, buying into their drama instead of claiming our freedom, we create substance where movement should be, calcifying thoughts and feelings unnecessarily. Recognising and reversing this process is key to profound and lasting change.

The mind is both our liberator and our jailer now. If we allow it to oppress us with demands for ever greater ‘proof’ of this or that, evermore detail to justify what we know instinctively to be true, we will tie ourselves in mental knots that drain our energy and produce no useful outcomes. But if we can expand our mind to embrace possibilities previously discounted, to consider life from new angles, we could experience liberation like never before. The veils between the egoic and higher minds are paper thin now and we can break through so easily, with just the slightest effort, if we choose. However we feel at this juncture, we can rest assured there are new perspectives just waiting to be seen, something we simply haven’t perceived about our situation which can revolutionise the path ahead.

We may, however, be too distracted to take ourselves in hand. An accumulation of stress and anxiety, despair or depression – even the tedious boredom of a life lived in black and white – can all keep us from recognising the power of the present moment and the alchemical force unleashed when we live it fully and without regret. We may have invested too much energy in anticipation of an ideal future when everything magically falls into place, not realising the magic is us, living on purpose, with clear intent and for the greater good right now. This Moon has little time for fears and failings, excuses and justifications. It simply wants us to get a grip and move ahead by arriving fully in the present, with our power intact and our resolve firm and clear.

If we find ourselves resistant at this Moon, wrestling with external pressures that threaten to change our course, discernment is vital. We cannot and do not live apart from the world and must attend always to the constant feedback loop which occurs between us and our environment both near and far. Sometimes we must stand firm in the face of external pressures. At other times those very pressures are the touch of the divine reminding us we may be losing our way, drifting off track or blind to something we cannot afford to ignore. If resistance energises and clarifies intent, it is probably keeping us on track. If it drains us and destroys our peace, distracting from positive action which could blow the cobwebs away, we may well be resisting the very thing that will set us free.

Beware the seduction of certainty in the face of current confusion. It can only ever be a thin veneer atop an infinitely complex existence beyond anyone’s power to fully understand. Knowing it’s okay not to know, being at peace with paradox, embracing with an open heart all insights gleaned, even that we’ve been wrong all along: these are important elements of our preparation for the weeks ahead. Avoid the tendency to act out rather than turn within. Many people are feeling over-stimulated mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. It would be easy to take our stress out on the people around us now, but every moment in which we soften around the tension, turn toward another not away from them, seek common ground not battleground, is a blessing bestowed upon the world around us.

This isn’t an ‘easy’ Moon, but it is a liberating one for sure, with gifts galore for all who commit to seeing life through fresh eyes, not allowing the tyranny of a ‘tried and tested’ past to jeopardise a creative and fulfilling future. If, however, we give in to lethargy that says ‘nothing ever really changes, life’s just too much trouble and anything else is wishful thinking’ then the coming eclipse season may have to jolt us rudely awake, compelling us to live life on purpose ‘or else’! The changes approaching now require bold commitment and creative courage which seeks new solutions to old problems and dares to challenge the very foundation of our life. The choice is leap now or be pushed later. But either way we have to shift at some point!! This Moon says best get it on with it, for it’s simply no longer an option to continue standing still.

Sarah Varcas

Calendar of the Moon
16 Coll/Metageitnion

Day of the Apple Tree

Color: Apple-green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon an apple-green cloth set a vase of apple branches, a bowl of apples, a single green candle, a pot of soil, seeds, a bowl of water, a jug of cider, and a bell.
Offerings: Plant seeds. Feed people outside the home.
Daily Meal: Vegan, with apples, applesauce, and cider.

Invocation to the Green Man of the Apple Tree

Hail, Green Man of the Autumn!
Apple tree of immortality
Whose branches hide the white hind,
Whose fruit nourishes all,
Whose juice gives gladness
To those who work your Earth,
Whose seeds show the pentad
Of the eternal Goddess,
Tool of Eris which shows
How the mighty may fall
Beneath your spreading branches,
Equal to the lowest in their folly
And fate; this is your gift,
Love-fruit, merry one,
Brightest star in the harvest
With the universal star at your core.
Teach us that this joy
Belongs to everyone,
As does your gift of health,
So may we all be hale!
We hail you, sacred apple tree,
Green Man of the Autumn,
On this your day of greatest nourishment.

Song: Here’s To Thee, Old Apple Tree

(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Pass the cider and apples around for everyone to share, and pour out the last as another libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun

Carista – Day of Peace in the Family

Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.

Carista Invocation

May there be Peace in this house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Peace can be a hard mistress.
The daily round of the ordinary,
The simple turn of day and night and day
The presence of the same souls
Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,
And yet Peace still demands
That we find a way to move past
That ordinariness
And all the thousand thorns and briars
And bring Peace into the house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Take the hand of your sister, your brother,
The one who shares your roof, your table,
The ground you walk on,
Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,
And swear to find a way
To bring peace into the space between you.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)

Chant:
My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.

(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the community, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

In case you are wondering why things are a little different. It is because the road leading into the office is currently flooded out. That means I am here and everybody else is on the other side of the pond(more like river right now). With it being just me here, I have things I have to get up and get done. If the others were here, they would do those chores, but since they aren’t, it is up to me. They said the flood waters should go down in about 2 or 3 days. It is rather scary to look out and see water everywhere. Doing this keeps my mind off of what is going on around me right now. They have brought in a boat and we putter back and forth. This Summer has been on hell of an experience to say the least.

I thought I would let you know why things are just a tadbit different for now. In a day or two, we will get back to normal, I hope. I am off for now….

Love ya,

Lady A

The Sky This Week for August 16 to August 21

The Perseids may slowly fade, but there’s still plenty to see out there this week, including an important Sirius sighting.

By Richard Talcott

Tuesday, August 16

• Mercury reaches greatest elongation today, when it stands 27° east of the Sun. For observers at mid-northern latitudes, however, the innermost planet hangs low in the west after sunset. From 40° north latitude, it stands 5° high 30 minutes after the Sun goes down. You can find the magnitude 0.2 world through binoculars some 4° (about half a binocular field) below Jupiter. Be sure to keep an eye on Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter during the next two weeks as the triangle they form grows tighter.

Wednesday, August 17

• Full Moon officially arrives at 5:27 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning, but it looks completely illuminated throughout the night. It appears low in the east as the Sun sets and reaches its peak in the south around 1 a.m. local daylight time. Luna resides among the dim background stars of northeastern Capricornus. As a curiosity only, the Full Moon crosses the northern edge of Earth’s penumbral shadow. Just 2 percent of our satellite dips into this subtle shadow, however, and observers won’t be able to detect any dimming.

Thursday, August 18

• Although Saturn reached its peak in early June, it remains conspicuous on August evenings. You can find the planet in the south-southwest around 9 p.m. local daylight time, when it forms the vertex of a pretty triangle that includes Mars and Antares. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.4, intermediate in brightness between the Red Planet and the ruddy star. When viewed through a telescope, Saturn measures 17″ across while its dramatic ring system spans 39″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Friday, August 19

• Distant Neptune reaches opposition and peak visibility two weeks from today, but the view now is essentially the same. The ice giant planet rises around 8:30 p.m. local daylight time and climbs nearly halfway to the zenith in the southern sky by 2 a.m. The magnitude 7.8 planet lies in Aquarius, 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 20

• Asteroid 2 Pallas reaches opposition and peak visibility today. The second-biggest object orbiting between Mars and Jupiter glows at magnitude 9.2, bright enough to show up through almost any telescope. You can find it on the border between Pegasus and Equuleus, 4° due west of 2nd-magnitude Enif (Epsilon [e] Pegasi), the star that marks the nose of Pegasus the Winged Horse. The lovely globular star cluster M15 lies 2.5° north and a touch east of Pallas. The three objects lie about halfway to the zenith in the southeastern sky after darkness falls.

Sunday, August 21

• Look toward the south-southwest during evening twilight and you can’t miss Mars. The Red Planet shines brightly at magnitude –0.4 and remains visible until it dips below the horizon around midnight local daylight time. Mars resides on the border between Scorpius and Ophiuchus, crossing from the former to the latter constellation today. When viewed through a telescope, Mars’ orange-red disk spans 11″ and shows several subtle dark markings.
• The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, at 9:19 p.m. EDT. It then lies 228,074 miles (367,050 kilometers) away from us.

Source

Astronomy Magazine

Your Daily Sun & Moon Info for Tuesday, August 16

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 126.35° SE
Sun Altitude: 55.78°
Sun Distance: 94.113 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 6:12 AM↑ 72° East
Sunset Today: 7:44 PM↑ 287° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 31 minutes

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 347.25° NNW
Moon Altitude: -69.13°
Moon Distance: 237176 mi
Next Full Moon: Aug 18, 20164:26 AM
Next New Moon: Sep 1, 20164:03 AM
Next Moonrise: Today6:33 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 96.4%

Source

timeanddate.com

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 August 15

Human as Spaceship
Space Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, and J. Maiz- Apellániz (IAA); Acknowledgement: D. De Martin;
Human Image Copyright: Charis Tsevis; Composition: R. J. Nemiroff

Explanation: You are a spaceship soaring through the universe. So is your dog. We all carry with us trillions of microorganisms as we go through life. These multitudes of bacteria, fungi, and archaea have different DNA than you. Collectively called your microbiome, your shipmates outnumber your own cells. Your crew members form communities, help digest food, engage in battles against intruders, and sometimes commute on a liquid superhighway from one end of your body to the other. Much of what your microbiome does, however, remains unknown. You are the captain, but being nice to your crew may allow you to explore more of your local cosmos.