Get A Jump On Tomorrow…..

Your Daily Horoscopes for Wednesday, February 14th

Aries

This is an active time for bringing a sense of harmony and peace to a friendship, or for being a mediator with others, dear Aries. You are taking more pride than usual in your ability to relate well to people and to bring others together. Emotional matters can be on the tricky side, though. Money or relationship worries can surface later today. Your mind tends to move towards the darker elements of your life, and this can stimulate mental circling and spiraling, which is destructive rather than creative. Confront your fears rather than allow them to take over. Fortunately, a Mercury-Uranus aspect helps you reason things out and move on. A helpful conversation, invitation, or piece of news may be part of the picture now with these planets forming a pleasant alliance. Friends and networks can be the source of inspiration, or you might inspire others. Tomorrow is a Solar Eclipse, and today is good for winding down.

Taurus

Tomorrow is a Solar Eclipse, dear Taurus, making today an important time for winding down. However, this doesn’t mean the day has to be boring. It’s, in fact, a healthy day for relationships with bosses, parents, or work superiors, and for bringing harmony to your place of work. These things can be keys to success now and in coming weeks. You may be receiving special attention for your efforts, work, or accomplishments, and could be in the position to guide others in the weeks and even months ahead. Now is a good time to think about what you want to strive towards. You are giving off a protective, supportive vibe that draws others to you. Even so, later today there can be brooding energy, but it may be best to lift yourself above petty disagreements. A Mercury-Uranus influence coming into play now can help tremendously on this front as it allows for some detachment. It’s an excellent time to become better informed, and for seeking out new or unique approaches to career, public relations, or life path matters.

Gemini

You can be in the position to help and support others through your ideas or personal philosophies today, dear Gemini. This is a robust time for connecting with people through the mind, communications, learning, and ideas, as well as for empowering yourself through your studies. Relationships can improve today by giving others their space or encouraging their independence. Later today, however, there can be a tendency to nurse resentments. Do your best to rise above game playing. If you need to clear the air, do so, and keep in mind that we can be somewhat sensitive and reactive right now. Fortunately, we’re moving towards a Mercury-Uranus aspect that helps you see many possibilities. It also aids others to detach just enough to gain some perspective. This is a good time for entertaining new ideas, but not for starting something new since a Solar Eclipse will occur tomorrow and is likely to redirect your energies or focus. Networking can lead to useful and pleasant discoveries.

Cancer

You’re taking pride in being fair and non-judgmental with money, sharing power, and in close relationships right now, dear Cancer, and others appreciate you for these qualities. Later today, however, there can be difficulties coming to a place of agreement or understanding. Arguments can stem from people expecting one another to read their minds or to intuit what it is they need and want. This can be a time of asking yourself what you or another fear, and taking it from there, as a Venus-Pluto aspect today suggests that tense or controlling behavior comes from fears of loss or of being out of the loop. Fortunately, we’re tapping into good energy for solving problems and talking things through with objectivity. In fact, you can be very rational about tricky or sensitive topics right now. Business and career matters might improve with new methods or approaches. A surprise advance or development with a relationship or financial issue can be pleasant now.

Leo

As the Sun and Juno come together in your partnership sector today, you can be taking particular pride in your close relationships or your ability to treat others fairly, dear Leo. You may also be feeling more empowered through a close relationship. There is a satisfying sense that the effort you put into creating balance and harmony in your life now will reward you for some time to come. You are also a little more sensitive than usual to any feeling of inequality in your relationships, and efforts to bring things back into balance may involve the very kind of conflict you set out to avoid! Even so, the process can be rewarding. Buried resentments can emerge later today, possibly in a disruptive way, but you have all the tools to talk things through and learn from the experience. This is an excellent time for consulting others, increasing your understanding of a special person in your life, and coming up with bold new ideas. Interactions with people close to you can be energizing now and in weeks to come as the energies today are imprinted on tomorrow’s Solar Eclipse, which will affect you for months into the future. Conversations are refreshingly open, honest, and revealing. When tension emerges, use the power of candid communications to rise above it all or figure out what it all means.

Virgo

Bringing balance and harmony to your daily routines and your work environment is important to you, dear Virgo, especially at this time of year. You’re in an excellent position for doing so now, and you can feel empowered through your efforts. Cooperation and support are in sharp focus now. While social elements can affect productivity now, your efforts are nevertheless meaningful and contributing to long-term happiness. As the day advances, on the one hand, there is some possible tension related to sensitive feelings. We may be a little possessive or jealous if we’re afraid of rejection or betrayal, and people in your life may seem to need more reassurance than usual. On the other hand, a Mercury-Uranus aspect sets the perfect environment for talking through problems. You may even reach an intellectual or communication breakthrough. With Mercury in your work and health sector, new insights or discoveries tend to center around health, employment, habits, and routine matters. You might discover new methods for improving your health or making your daily affairs easier or more efficient. There can be test results that you were waiting for coming in or new light shed on an old problem.

Libra 

You’re in a unique position for reaching an agreement with a lover, friend, or child today, dear Libra, as the Sun and Juno come together in your solar fifth house. You are big on fair play, in general, and you can be a particularly useful mediator or facilitator today. Creative efforts can also thrive as you’re feeling pleasantly competitive and motivated. As the day advances, a Venus-Pluto tense aspect comes into play, however, there is a strong tendency to feel more vulnerable and to make attempts to protect your feelings. In fact, these efforts may take you further from the problem than is healthy. Try not to allow this to control your mood or interfere with your relationships. Fortunately, a Mercury-Uranus connection in your relationship sectors puts you in a beautiful position for coming to a mutual understanding or for enjoying stimulating conversations with someone you care about. With this added layer of objectivity and a sincere desire to grow and improve, you can talk through most any problems.

Scorpio

With the Sun and Juno’s alignment in your home and family sector today, dear Scorpio, you can be determined to make peace with family or bring a feeling of harmony and balance in your home environment now. You are a little more sensitive to imbalances, but fortunately want to take action to correct problem areas. As the day advances, however, it may be all too easy to push an issue too far as Venus connects with Pluto in a minor but irritating way. If you’ve been holding on to resentment, it might surface now, perhaps unexpectedly. A Mercury-Uranus aspect, however, helps you to detach, let go, and talk through your issues. This is a time for reasoning things out. Your thinking is forward-looking and growth-focused, and you can approach domestic work, health, and routine matters in new ways. Through honest conversations and thoughts, you can get to a place of far greater understanding of your feelings about core issues.

Sagittarius

With the Sun and Juno joining forces in your solar third house today, dear Sagittarius, you are a powerful force when it comes to speaking, sharing, connecting, learning, and teaching. You are a natural at networking and might find yourself in the position of mediator or guide today. Even so, a Venus-Pluto aspect can heighten worries about security or finances, which may very well lead to some tensions in your relationships. A Mercury-Uranus harmony keeps your mind open to possibilities and ideas and helps you focus on what can be done to let go and move on. People are attracted to your unique perspective and convictions today and tomorrow. Worry, concern, or frustration can lead to inventive solutions.

Capricorn

You’re in a great position today for balancing and organizing your work or finances, dear Capricorn. Cooperating, negotiating, and solving problems are in focus and positive. You can enjoy taking special care of others or offering some guidance. Staying on top of your money, things, and business can feel empowering now. As the day advances, a Venus-Pluto minor challenge can stir up resentments or fears related to missing out or interpersonal problems. Frustrations emerging now tend to have a deeper root than what appears the case on the surface of things. Fortunately, we’re also closing in on a sextile between Mercury and Uranus, and conversations can be wonderfully useful for gaining perspective. Thinking and musing can lead to creative places. Progressive ideas about how to make yourself feel more secure and comfortable can emerge today and this week.

Aquarius

Your ability to mediate, negotiate, and treat others reasonably is in marked focus today, dear Aquarius, and is appreciated by the people around you. This is due to a Sun-Juno conjunction in your sign. Your personality is shining for your ability to create harmony, and you can be especially charming and appealing today. You feel proud and stronger for expressing yourself. As the day advances, a Venus-Pluto minor challenge points to possible worries about money or resources, and may even stir up issues of self-worth. While this may be a recurring issue that’s emerging and it deserves some attention, you may decide to focus on moving forward as your ruler, Uranus, forms a sextile to Mercury in your sign, leaving you in a particularly strong position to get your message across effectively. Using the power of words to attract what you want or to further your interests works supremely well for you. The chance to enjoy conversations with the things that genuinely interest you can emerge. Even so, take things easy, as tomorrow brings a Solar Eclipse in your sign, as well as the chance for new beginnings.

Pisces

There is a strong focus on the past or your private life these days, dear Pisces, and today is no exception. You can be very busy sorting through past experiences seeking a point of resolution or closure as the Sun and Juno come together in your privacy sector. You are especially sensitive to imbalances, and you want to set things right. However, later today there can be vague concerns and worries that tend to hang heavily in the air, and some of you could be concerned about a relationship or friendship. Try not to overthink things, as is the tendency now. A Mercury-Uranus influence is also in place, and while it doesn’t cancel out the tension, it helps us talk through or reason out problems. Your mind tunes into progressive ideas and possible areas for improvement. Open-mindedness brings wonderful rewards.

Your Daily Horoscopes for Tuesday, February 13th

Aries

Uranus in Aries connects harmoniously with the Sun today, dear Aries, putting you in fabulous form for enjoying new interests, a friendship, making connections, or dreaming up new ways to enjoy your life. You can be particularly inspired by new ideas and potential ventures now. You might also break through a barrier or problem, and this comes as a pleasant relief. You’re in particularly good shape for sharing your talents or expertise with others, socializing, and coming up with creative and exciting ideas for future projects. You love to innovate and break ground, and with the Solar Eclipse on Thursday and the aspects forming now, you’re in an unusual position to do so in the weeks ahead. A Mercury-Jupiter square, also active today, warns against going overboard with money, relationships, projects, and promises, in general, but it also challenges you to think in bigger terms than usual. Dream but don’t invest your heart, money, or energy into something brand new just yet.

Taurus

A Sun-Uranus connection today is gently exciting, dear Taurus, as circumstances are such that you’re reminded of areas of your life that are doing well, improving, or showing great promise. It’s important to keep in mind the tendency to gloss over practical details today, though, unless you’re merely daydreaming and not signing on the dotted line! The temptation may be to jump to a conclusion, but information is likely to be incomplete now. As well, Mercury is at the top of your chart and you’re likely to attract more attention than usual for what you communicate! For some of you, there can be a disconnect with someone about your long-term plans, and while this should be addressed at some point, try not to put too much weight into it at the moment. It may very well be coming off as more difficult than it truly is (a Mercury-Jupiter influence active today has an exaggeration effect). However, do look for opportunities to advance your professional interests and consider ways to free yourself from attitudes that have been limiting your progress or success.

Gemini

Today, Jupiter forms a square to Mercury, your planetary ruler and the ruler of communications, in general, dear Gemini. This can lead to misjudgments as we speak, judge, or conclude too quickly. Even so, their conflict can stir up some incredible enthusiasm and good ideas, even if these may need some refinement at a later date. You can be defending your beliefs today, which is energizing but might also lead to moodiness if others are listening only to themselves, which is very likely with this transit. Also today, a Sun-Uranus connection forms that inspires you. You are more in tune with your desire for new experience, learning, and excitement these days, and friends and acquaintances can be part of this today. Travel, courses, networking, teamwork, and publishing opportunities can be areas of improvement or inspiration. Friends and alliances formed through your studies or extracurricular activities can be in focus and successful in the coming weeks. For some, a long-distance friendship is a central focus in your life now.

Cancer

For the most part, the day is likely to find you very positive and enthusiastic, dear Cancer. Even so, moodiness is possible with a Mercury-Jupiter square that tempts you to jump to conclusions. You may want to make big promises to make someone happy, but it’s best to avoid this kind of behavior now. Instead, open your mind to possibilities and reserve judgment for later. Creative activities fare beautifully. You’ve been attracting rather intense energy or experiences into your life recently with the Sun and Mercury in your intimacy sector, and today, you’re looking for ways to improve and change for the better. You’re in good shape for recognition from people at work, in your field, or in a position of authority, especially for your unique insight or methods. A relationship might play a significant role in your motivation to reach a goal or ambition, or a common purpose with a significant other can form now. You’re encouraged to think outside of the box for solutions to problems now and in the coming weeks.

Leo

A Sun-Uranus connection today is excellent for you, dear Leo. Not only does it involve your ruler, the Sun, but it also occurs with Uranus in harmony to your sign. People in your life are contributing much to your life now, and it can feel enjoyable and fulfilling. There can be some restlessness stirred now, and this can lead you to interesting places, but toning things down can be useful if you find yourself becoming hyped up over a belief or idea that didn’t mean much to you before today. Attention to a partnership may seem to interfere with efforts to settle in or pay extra attention to family. With Mercury in your partnership sector, you might often want to share decisions with someone else these days, but today, others may want to be included. Fortunately, you’re in a great position to slip into another’s shoes, and you can come to agreements quite readily. Aligning yourself with others who are progressive, adventurous, and forward-looking can be very beneficial now.

Virgo

While there is some tendency to misjudge a situation today, dear Virgo, mental restlessness may also lead to exciting discoveries. Your mind can be doing some interesting exercises now, and while some of it may lead to nothing, at the very least, you’re entertaining ideas you may not think up on another day and having some fun with it. Do watch for having too many balls in the air now, or for taking on more than you can handle. When it comes to news or others’ overtures to you, it’s best to double-check facts. A little research goes a long way today with Mercury in your work and health sector making nice with Uranus in your solar eighth house. You may be uncovering hidden answers or information that helps push you forward into new territory. Alternative methods work best right now; there is no need to cling to the traditional. Try not to overdo things but enjoy the positive vibes that may very well lead to small breakthroughs in your work or intimate life.

Libra 

Mercury connects with Jupiter and the Sun to Uranus today, dear Libra, and while there is some tendency to go overboard or to exaggerate, it’s an excellent time to dream up new ideas and turn on to new interests. You’re open to others and they to you. Keeping in mind that you and others are prone to jump to conclusions today, you can enjoy the positivity and have some fun with conversations and thoughts. As the Mercury-Jupiter square involves your second and fifth houses, a situation with a child or lover can have much more to it than meets the eye. Or, judgment about money may be off just for now (likely towards excess). Creatively speaking, your ideas are quite brilliant, but you may not have all the resources, particularly time, to implement them for now. Be patient about putting exciting new plans into action. This is a time of the year when creative impulses are stronger than usual, and fresh approaches to relating are in order. A little frivolity goes a long way, and expressing yourself more freely and playfully can help open doors to you.

Scorpio

While thinking may have been a little cautious yesterday, today you’re latching on to exciting new ideas and feeling quite enthusiastic about them, dear Scorpio. It’s important not to invest too much of yourself or your resources into a new venture just for now, but ideas can be in the hatching stage and entirely worth your attention. A good practice in times like these is to remind yourself of your usual limits. Significant commitments should be avoided until further notice! You are more sharply focused on family affairs and your personal life these days, and today is particularly strong for enjoying the freedoms that acceptance and support afford you. Work, health, and family life benefit from a creative, non-traditional approach, and this is set to continue since the aspects in the days surrounding a Solar Eclipse (which will occur on the 15th) are imprinted into the eclipse and have more staying power. Follow your instincts when it comes to decorating, reorganizing, nesting, cooking, and working, as you could create a small masterpiece now. Your mind is open and others give you the space to do your own thing.

Sagittarius

If you can avoid putting too much energy or hope into a particular line of thought or plan today, dear Sagittarius, and enjoy the idea process instead, you’re in great shape. Mental restlessness is a given with Jupiter, your ruler, in tense aspect with Mercury, but it also encourages you to stretch your mind. Your trust that others understand you may be too optimistic and can lead to miscommunications, or jumping to conclusions can lead to same, under this influence. It’s not the time to divulge sensitive information. However, this is a beautiful time for discovery, particularly along mental or intellectual lines. The information you uncover today is exciting and possibly even profitable. Your sense of humor is in full bloom, and your mind is open to new ways of connecting. The weeks ahead can be a time of advances, however big or small, that motivate you and lift your spirits as the aspects active today tie into Thursday’s eclipse and stick around for some time.

Capricorn

A Mercury-Jupiter square happening today points to some tendency for us to jump to conclusions or to make hasty (perhaps even haughty) decisions, dear Capricorn. Keeping this in mind, you can nevertheless enjoy an exercise of the mind now. Optimism can lead you to take on more than you can reasonably handle, but if you defer promises or commitments, you can come up with some bright ideas. Tune into optimistic energy now. A Sun-Uranus aspect, also active today, helps. It feels good when you meet with open minds and open your own mind to possibilities. Interactions are likely to be fresh and invigorating or inspiring. You might enjoy unique insight into a practical matter, especially financial, that surprises you or seems to come out of the blue. This is a time for approaching your family life, money, and domestic affairs in refreshing new ways and making small improvements that help you feel more in charge and more secure. The energies of today are tied into the eclipse that will occur on Thursday, as well as any new beginnings related to money and talents that can come of it.

Aquarius

A Mercury-Jupiter square aspect today can lead to saying something too soon or without enough thought today, dear Aquarius, particularly as Mercury is currently in your sign. It’s best not to take on too many projects or commitments on both personal and professional levels now, not only because judgment may be a little off today, but also because a Solar Eclipse will occur in just two days, setting you along a new path. Positively, it’s a good time to think in bigger terms than usual, and later you can reshape and refine what you come up with now. The Sun in your sign connects well with Uranus today, and this boosts your appeal, particularly through your communications and ideas. People appreciate you more than usual. You might find yourself on the same page as a significant other, or agreements come organically now. This can be a time for shaking up the usual routine a little, or for reaching out to someone you’ve been meaning to connect with.

Pisces

With Mercury forming a square to Jupiter today, ideas can catch hold quickly, and enthusiasm can take off, dear Pisces. However, disagreements can get very big, very fast, as well. Try not to invest too much into information coming in or promises made today, and you’ll be in better shape. As long as you keep things fun and light without excessive expectations, then this is an excellent day to daydream and consider new possibilities. Also active today is a Sun-Uranus transit that gently nudges you towards positive improvements and changes. You’re working under the radar or behind the scenes these days, but you can also be branching out and coming up with novel ways of expressing yourself. When it comes to money, personal possessions, and valuables, you’re doing things just a little differently. A change of pace can feel right.

15th February 2018: Solar eclipse in 28th degree of Aquarius

a message from Sarah Varcas

To view more of Sarah’s insight, visit her website, Astro-Awakenings

The Witches Current Moon Phase for February 13

Waning Crescent
Illumination: 5%

The Moon today is in a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this phase the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

PHASE DETAILS FOR – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018
Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 5%
Moon Age: 27.36 days
Moon Angle: 0.49
Moon Distance: 404,384.37 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,725,901.69 km
Source
MoonGiant.com

Celebrating Legends, Folklore & Other Spirituality 365 Days A Year for Feb. 13th

Parentalia

The ancient Roman festival of Parentalia began with the senior Vestal Virgin performing rites in honor of the dead. For the following eight days of the festival, each family in Rome would pay tribute to its ancestors by leaving offerings and gifts at their graves. During this time, temples were closed, marriages were forbidden, and magistrates did not wear official insignia.

On the last day of Parentalia a public ceremony was held, culminating in a sacrifice to Faunus, also known as Pan, a pastoral and oracular God who revealed the future through dreams.

Tuesday Is Ruled By Mars

Tuesday is a Mars day, and just like the god of war, this is the time to tap into magicks to call for strength and courage. This day of the week is for rebels and warriors. If you are facing a challenge of any kind, need a boost to your courage, or want to enhance your passions, Tuesday is the day of the week for you.

Some suggestions for Tuesday enchantments would include:

*Wearing the fiery colors associated with this day: scarlet, red, black, and orange. Don some of the more daring and bewitching colors of your wardrobe on Tuesdays and turn a few heads

*Carrying a bloodstone in your pocket or wearing garnet-studded jewelry to reinforce your convictions

*Working with protective and fire-associated plants such as the snapdragon, thistle, and holly to boost your shields and bravery

*Burning spicy-scented energy-enhancing candles to add a little magical aromatherapy to your home

*Cooking up a hearty meal featuring carrots, peppers, and garlic (all Mars foods and spices) to empower yourself for victory and success

Moon in Capricorn

The Moon is traveling through Capricorn today. Make a list of goals. Work overtime. Climb higher. Don’t sulk.

We become aware of the need for structure and planning ahead with a Capricorn Moon. We are instinctively aware of the limitations of time and motivated by a desire for success. Achievement and manifestation are more important to us now. We are resourceful and don’t want to waste time, energy, or resources. This can be a somewhat sober influence, but it can also be a productive time when we look reality in the eye.

The Moon in Capricorn generally favors the following activities: Long-term activities that yield slow but steady results, practical undertakings, career issues, making a business plan, practical investments.

The Witches Almanac for Tuesday, February 13th

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)

Waning Moon
Moon phase: Fourth Quarter
Moon Sign: Capricorn
Moon enters Aquarius 10: 11 am
Incense: Basil
Color: Maroon

Tuesday’s Witchery

Tuesday is the day to work any magick that falls in the category of increasing strength, courage, bravery, and passion. All of these intense emotions are linked to this day’s energies, and spells designed around these themes will have extra punch when performed on this magickal day.

So, let’s add a little passion and conviction into your life! Break out the daring red pieces of your wardrobe, and put a little pizzazz into your day. Work with Lilith, and see what she has to teach you about personal power and sexuality. Meditate onTiw/Tyr and Mars, and see what those ancient warrior gods will show you about new tactics, strategies, and claiming personal victories in your life. Practice conjuring up that astral weapon from the meditation and use it wisely for protection and for courage.

Create a philter for courage and protection or handcraft your own Witch’s jar to remove negativity from your home. See what other Witch crafts you can conjure up with Tuesday’s magick. Create some kitchen magick on this Tuesday by whipping up a spicy stew-add in a few Mars-associated ingredients such as carrots, peppers, and garlic. Empower the stew for success, and then treat yourself and your family to a good, hearty meal. Try working with a little aromatherapy and burn some spicy or coffee-scented candles to increase your energy level.

Check the sky at night, and see if you can find the reddish planet Mars up in the heavens. Not sure where to look? Check an astronomy magazine or search the Web for more information. Become a magickal warrior and move forward in your life with strength, courage, and compassion. Embrace the side of yourself that loves a good challenge and that is passionate and daring! Banish fear, and face your future with strength and conviction. Believe in yourself and in your dreams, work hard, and you will win every time.

Source
Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

The Witches’ Tuesday

Ruler: Mars

Colors: Red, rose or scarlet

Power Hours: Sunrise, and the eighth, sixteenth and twenty-fourth hours following

Keywords: Business, sex, hunting, energy

A god, goddess or planet governs each day of the week. It is usually easy to spot the ruled of the day by its name. The word Tuesday, however, is not so easy, but if we look at the word in Spanish, Martes, we clearly see it connections to Mars.

On Tuesdays the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Mars, and that makes these times of the day doubly blessed. The four hours are the strongest one to do ritual in. Check your local newspaper, astrological calendar or almanac to determine your local sunrise.

Source
Gypsy Magic

Magickal Days of the Week – Tuesday

Named for the Norse god Tyr, who was a deity of heroism and combat, Tuesday is a very martial sort of day – color associations include bright red and oranges, as well as warrior-like metals such as iron and steel.

The ancient Romans called this day Martis, after the warrior god Mars – other deities associated with Tuesday include Ares, the Morrighan, and other gods of battle and glory. Red gemstones like rubies and garnets come into play on Tuesdays, as do herbs and plants such as thistles, holly, coneflowers and cacti – you’ll notice these are all sharp, prickly plants!

One of the interesting – and more than a little amusing – aspects of Tuesday magic is that in addition to war and conflict against your enemies, this is a day also associated with marriage. You can also use this day of the week for magical workings connected to protection and initiation. Use Tuesday to assert yourself, make a mark and stake your claims.

Author

Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by ThoughtCo.com

On Tuesday, February 13th, We Celebrate the Goddess Yemaya

Yemaya

Goddess of the Ocean and the New Year

They call her the goddess Yemaya, Ymoga (Mother of the Fishes), Iamanga, and Balianne. She traveled with them from Yoruba to distant lands, comforting them in the holds of the slave ships that took them far away from their homeland in Africa. Today she is also celebrated under many other names, including the virgin Mary (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception), Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), and Our Lady of Regla…to name but a few.

Originally Yemaya was a river goddess of the Yoruba in Nigeria, far from the ocean. She was a nature spirit, an orisha, a powerful guardian spirit that reflects an important aspect of the God of the Ife religion. An orisha manifests itself as a force of nature. When her people were hoarded onto the slave ships, Yemaya went with them, thus becoming the Goddess of the Ocean.

Actually Yemaya shares responsibility for the ocean with another orisha. Olokun rules the dark and turbulent depths of the ocean. Her domain is the upper level, the part of the sea that the light strikes, where water evaporates to be carried to land by her daughter Oya (the wind) to make rain for the crops. Yemaya’s gentle waves rock the watery cradle of the abundant life forms of the sea.

Yemaya is a mother goddess, the goddess of home, fertility, love and family. Like water she represents both change and constancy–bringing forth life, protecting it, and changing it as is necessary.

In the creation myths of the Yoruba, the creator Olodumare first created a mortal god-human, Obatala, and gave him a wife. Their children were Yemaya and Aganyu, who had a son together. They named him Orungan. As a teenager Orungan rebelled against his father and brutally raped his mother. When he tried to rape Yemaya a second time, the river goddess fled to a nearby mountaintop where she cursed her son until he died.

In sorrow she chose to end her own life on the summit of the mountain. As she died she gave birth to fourteen powerful orisha. When her waters broke it caused the great flood that inundated the world and created the seven seas. Obafulom and Lyaa, the first human male and female and the ancestors of all humans, arose from the bones of the goddess. According to legend, Yemaya is the mother of all life.

According to legend, Yemaya’s first gift to humans was a sea shell in which her voice could always be heard. To this day we honor Yemaya when we hold a shell to our ear in order to hear her voice, the ocean.

Olokun, the orisha of the bottom of the sea where the light does not shine, inspires respect and fear, for the powers of destruction that can be unleashed from the ocean depths are vast.

In The Secrets of the Sea, Gloria Rolanda tells of a time that Olokun, feeling unappreciated, decided to punish mankind.:

At his orders, immense waves began to invade the land…the ocean swelled up, darkened, infinite, and people who lived furthest from the coast saw, terrified, a horizon of water mountains running towards them.

Fortunately Yemaya was able to calm the fury of Olokun just in time, and the wave settled gently into the shore, leaving mounds of coral and pearls when the water receded.

Olukun demands respect for his ominous power that is unbounded, but it is the goddess Yemaya that is associated with creation and with life itself. When each of their dual aspects, (such as male and female, power and compassion) is held in proper balance, these two orisha unite to offer enormous gifts and unlimited energy.

Often depicted as a mermaid, or simply a beautiful woman standing amidst the waves, Yemaya is a goddess of comfort and inspiration. When it comes to caring for others, her impulses are sincere and comforting. And she has a love for children that is unequalled.

Yemaya reminds us that even the worst catastrophes can be endured and that, with her help, we can learn to negotiate the ebbs and flows of change in our lives with her wisdom, courage, and grace.
Source
Goddess Gifts

The Pagan Book of Days for Tuesday, February 13th

Ides of February/Parentalia/St. MatthiasOld Leap Year’s Day

The Parentalia was the chief Roman festival of the dead which lasted until the Feralia on 21 February. St. Matthias took the place of Judas as the twelfth apostle. This is his traditional East Angian feast day.
Source
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Calendar of the Sun
13 Solmonath

Parentalia

Color: Blood-red
Element: Fire
Altar: Set with a red cloth, and unlit red candles, and symbols of Mother and Father.
Offerings: Written words of thanks for one’s childhood. Be a parental mentor to someone young.
Daily Meal: Soups or stews, and bread.

Parentalia Invocation

Perhaps you gave us life,
Sowed our seed, gifted us with
Your chromosomes and genes.
Perhaps you birthed us
Or were there to greet us
As we entered the world.
Perhaps you fed us, cleaned us,
Held us when we cried,
Sang us to sleep, taught us
Many skills, or perhaps
You merely led by example.
Perhaps you were tied to us by blood
Or by marriage, or simply came
Into our lives when it was needed.
Perhaps you were a parent to our bodies,
Or to our minds, or to our hearts,
Or to our souls.
However it was, you were there,
And we are grateful,
For the flame you kindled
Has warmed us ever since,
And we will pass it on.

(Each steps forward, lights a candle, and speaks the name of a parent, or one who has parented them, and everyone else calls it back to them, as in “I honor Maria, my stepmother who taught me to read!” “We honor Maria!” The next person lights their candle from the last one, until the ritual is over. At the end, all chant in two-part harmony the names they have spoken.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

The sky this week for February 13 to 18

Moon in Capricorn

The Moon is traveling through Capricorn today. Make a list of goals. Work overtime. Climb higher. Don’t sulk.

We become aware of the need for structure and planning ahead with a Capricorn Moon. We are instinctively aware of the limitations of time and motivated by a desire for success. Achievement and manifestation are more important to us now. We are resourceful and don’t want to waste time, energy, or resources. This can be a somewhat sober influence, but it can also be a productive time when we look reality in the eye.

The Moon in Capricorn generally favors the following activities: Long-term activities that yield slow but steady results, practical undertakings, career issues, making a business plan, practical investments.