Day: March 16, 2018

This Weekend’s Love Horoscope for March 9 – 11: Heal the Past

This Weekend’s Love Horoscope: Heal the Past

Love horoscopes for the weekend of March 9-11

 

With the New Moon in sensitive Pisces happening Saturday morning, you may be feeling physically tired and a bit melancholic, and not have a whole lot of energy for others. The source of these somber vibes comes from the celestial body Chiron, AKA “The Wounded Healer,” sitting with this New Moon in Pisces. Chiron represents a deep wound in your individual chart, but also shows how you can overcome this wound and heal yourself (potentially teaching others how to heal themselves, too). Unfortunately for some, painful feelings of loss may come to the surface this weekend. Severing Mars adds even more tension to this mix, as he will square Chiron and the New Moon. You could be forced to make a decision that you don’t necessarily want to make: maybe finally leaving a toxic or abusive relationship, or moving on from a meaningful relationship or breakup from the past.

If you set your intentions on healing, this emotional New Moon can help you identify and overcome your wounds. With Mars moving into Capricorn later on Saturday, you’ll have the energy and stamina to put your new intentions into action with the true diligence and efficiency that Capricorn brings.

 

Tarot.com is Part of the Daily Insight Group ©2018

Prepare for Equinox – Next Energy Threshold

Prepare for Equinox – Next Energy Threshold

Selacia
a message from Selacia

The March 20 Equinox is the next key energy threshold, and as such, it offers a gateway into a new future. This applies on both personal and collective levels. Changes already underway across the planet are getting a significant boost – issues illuminated in a big way and creative solutions arising.

Leading Up to Equinox

The days leading up to Equinox are chaotic, and the energies difficult to navigate. Part of the challenge involves the sudden change in energy – one moment calm and steady, the next moment erratic and fiery. Even the most seasoned practitioner can be tested in staying balanced. Regular grounding, meditation, and patience will help you navigate this time period.

New opportunities can begin to present themselves now. We’re sitting in the energy window of Equinox, and because of that, potentialities are already swirling in your field. Some of them are only seeds of things you have been magnetizing – others are in varying stages of ripening.

Acting on Your Potentials

Some potentials could be ready to begin actualizing in this window. Actualizing involves action on your part. This means you need to be present and actively engaged with what shows up. You may receive a text, get an offer, intuit something, or get a creative idea as you do a meditative walk. Each of these will require action to turn the potential into a tangible manifestation.

One of the most important things you can do over the next several days is to allow time for stillness. When you become quiet and turn off the world – for even a few minutes at a time – you can connect with your inner wisdom and flashes of insight that may not otherwise come. Give yourself these moments – lots of them – between now and Equinox.

The Mercury Retrograde Factor

As a reminder, we have a Mercury Retrograde starting March 22, soon after Equinox. This is a time when some things slow down and it’s usually not the best time to start something brand-new. That said, whatever things you begin working with now can continue developing during the retrograde. That will be a good time to set foundations and do essential research for your project. Example: if you have a book already edited, you can use the retrograde to find the right publisher and get that process going.

In “Predictions 2018” Premium, I have a section, guide to 2018 energies, with more tips on this year’s energy cycles and how to work with them. I cover things like Equinox and Mercury Retrograde.

Tap Your Highest Potentials

Do not underestimate your ability to tap your highest potentials. In cycles like this one, in fact, you are being energetically nudged to reach for your best. The energies, even if they bring up big challenges, can catalyze a powerful inner transformation that previously eluded you.

On Facebook this week I wrote more about life purpose: “Staying in touch with why you do what you do helps you keep the momentum of your life work going. Find your passion by remembering your why.”

Regularly step back from daily activity. Remember why you are here on this time. Reflect on how your reason for being here translates into something you offer in the world. Let your reason or your why, fuel your passion to live fully. When you do that, why would you settle for anything less than your best?

 

Copyright 2018 by Selacia – a globally known writer, DNA intuitive healer, spiritual teacher, and the creator of The Divine Changemakers * All Rights Reserved * http://selacia.com * Feel free to share these articles with your friends and post to your blog or website as long as you include this entire copyright notice, with link back to website, and the full article text.

Akashic Field reaches critical mass

Akashic Field reaches critical mass

a message from Gillian MacBeth-Louthan

 

 

As spring pushes her pretty and pink-self, into every pore of our being, we feel a sense of expectancy like a pregnant woman in her 9th month.  We all feel a slight urgency to accomplish that which is yet to be determined, the need to birth something in an outward fashion.  At a deep level our being kicks and pokes at us from the inside out.  Making life uncomfortable and tempers flare like a spring hairdo. All of earth mirrors this urge, to move forward, out of the long winter of waiting, into a place that aspires to be a warm hope.

We look at ourselves seeing a newness that has not made its way to the surface as of yet, but still, we fill the stirring waters of change within. We feel compelled and driven to move out of our winter blues searching blindly for those rose tinted glasses we once wore. We are seasoned like a good wine that seeks a crystal goblet. Everyday life gives us another morsel to digest, an appetizer that keeps us supping for more. People we know and love pass from the earth leaving a little hole in our heart. Regrets pile up like laundry that needs to be tended to, as we cling to what was and what could have been. We mourn for easier times and reflect upon what once was.

The element of time itself has quickened our heart beat and pulse.  We are all changed. Our lives have become very complex, causing the Akashic Field to reach a critical mass. We are continuously storing information in the Akashic Field, as we are not able to hold and process all the incoming energy and information and shifts we are destined to experience.  The Akashic field is like a “vibratory cocoon, which turns at a speed seven times that of light. This cocoon acts as a blotter, absorbing and remembering every event. The Akashic Field stores every single thought and response we have regarding all life situations in all lifetimes. They are like the DNA of the universe, they are the soul’s journey thru time.

Akasha is a light carrying “ether,” It is the medium that carries the “zero-point field. The Akashic Field holds everything that we are. Our energy is never destroyed. Nor is any thought or possible future destroyed. The Akashic field molds and shapes human consciousness. The field personifies an ever-changing fluid array of possible futures. Quantum Entanglement will become a way of life, as Slipping in and out of time and memory may become the sport of choice.  All occurrences of solar activity influence time and how we perceive it. The past present and future meet for a daily chat in our every experience. There is no getting away from the great Light that knows all and sees all.

 

Reference:

 

Gillian MacBeth-Louthan – PO box 217 – Dandridge, Tennessee 37725-0217 – www.thequantumawakening.com thequantumawakening@hughes.net

Pagan Study of the Gods & Goddesses, Today, Adonis

Adonis

Adonis

Adonis is a seasonal life/death/rebirth God associated with Tammuz, Atunis, Baldr, Osiris, Attis and Jesus. The name means “Lord”

His feast day is the Adonia and was celebrated in what is now August. Young women mourn him on this day and plant seeds of quick blooming, short lived flowers in his honor.

Conception and Birth
King Theias (or Cinyras) of Syria (or Smyrna) had a daughter named Myrrha (or Smyrna if you prefer). She was quite lovely and he bragged that she was lovelier even than Aphrodite. Aphrodite decided that a man who was so enamored by a girl’s beauty, certainly deserved her love, and caused poor Myrrha to fall madly in love with her own father.

Of course, she was horrified at the thought that she should be feeling this way about her father and did her very best to ignore her feelings. But this only made things worse. She swooned at his smile and shuddered at his touch. She woke sweating in the night from dreams of him and then sobbed at the shame of it. She became depressed, spoke little and ate less. Her nurse, who had served her since birth could tell that something was wrong and pressed the girl until she finally revealed her horrible secret.

At first her nurse urged her to continue to suppress her feelings and tried to treat her with sleeping droughts and appetite stimulants and by diverting her attention with entertaining games, outings and stories. She even attempted to arouse her interest in other men, but to no avail. Myrrha was pining, and she was wasting away. Her nurse was certain she would die if something wasn’t done soon.

On a certain evening, when Myrrha’s mother had gone to celebrate the festival of Demeter, the nurse noticed the King was quite drunk. She led him to bed, and then led Myrrha to his side. Myrrha lay by her father in the darkness and they knew a night of passion like none known since. He was enamored, and begged to know who she was, but she would not tell him and promised to return only when it was quite dark. He agreed, and she returned night after night under cover of darkness.

One night, after they had made love she fell asleep. He lit a lamp and held it up and was horrified to see his own daughter laying naked beside him! He bellowed his rage and went for his sword, determined to kill her, but she fled outside and Aphrodite, took pity on her and turned her into a tree before he could reach her. Myrrha’s pain was so great, having lost her father’s love and her lover and having given in to shameful temptation that even as a tree, the girl wept sweet smelling resin that came to be known as Myrrh.

Sometime later, a boar came by and rubbed its tusks on the tree, causing it to split and the young Adonis emerged. Fearful that his father/grandfather would certainly kill him if he discovered him, Aphrodite scooped him up and took him to the underworld and asked its Queen, Persephone, to look after him.

Adonis grew in beauty and strength and both Goddesses fell in love with him. When Aphrodite wanted him back, Persephone refused and she kept him as her own lover in the Underworld.

Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, settled the argument, giving each Goddess his custody for one third of the year, and granting him a third of the year to himself. He chose, however, to stay with Aphrodite during that third.

Death
Aphrodite warned Adonis to stay by her side, but the boy loved to hunt and inevitably, he went out into the forest alone one day. Discovering his absence, Aphrodite rushed to his side, but too late. He lay dying having been gored in the groin by a boar. She arrived in time to catch his last breath. She sprinkled him with nectar, and red anemones sprang up where his blood stained the ground. For the first time, Aphrodite wished she wasn’t mortal, and cried out her lament to the skies that she could join Adonis in the underworld, but she knew it could not be.

Reference

Witchipedia

Adonis

Greek mythology

Adonis, in Greek mythology, a youth of remarkable beauty, the favourite of the goddess Aphrodite (identified with Venus by the Romans). Traditionally, he was the product of the incestuous love Smyrna (Myrrha) entertained for her own father, the Syrian king Theias. Charmed by his beauty, Aphrodite put the newborn infant Adonis in a box and handed him over to the care of Persephone, the queen of the underworld, who afterward refused to give him up. An appeal was made to Zeus, the king of the gods, who decided that Adonis should spend a third of the year with Persephone and a third with Aphrodite, the remaining third being at his own disposal. A better-known story, hinted at in Euripides’ Hippolytus, is that Artemis avenged her favourite, Hippolytus, by causing the death of Adonis, who, being a hunter, ventured into her domain and was killed by a wild boar. Aphrodite pleaded for his life with Zeus, who allowed Adonis to spend half of each year with her and half in the underworld.

The central idea of the myth is that of the death and resurrection of Adonis, which represent the decay of nature every winter and its revival in spring. He is thus viewed by modern scholars as having originated as an ancient spirit of vegetation. Annual festivals called Adonia were held at Byblos and elsewhere to commemorate Adonis for the purpose of promoting the growth of vegetation and the falling of rain. The name Adonis is believed to be of Phoenician origin (from ʾadōn, “lord”), Adonis himself being identified with the Babylonian god Tammuz. Shakespeare’s poem Venus and Adonis (1593) is based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book X.

Written By:

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Adonis

A tale as old as time

 

The myth of Adonis, a tale as old as time, is a legendary love story that combines tragedy and death on the one hand, and the joy of coming back to life on the other. The story of the impossibly handsome Adonis and his lover the goddess Aphrodite originally dates back to the ancient civilizations of the Near East. It was popular among the Canaanites, and very well-known to the people of Mesopotamia and Egypt as well, though referred to by different names in each civilization. It is the legend of the god of beauty who faced death when he was young, but came back to life for the sake of his beloved Aphrodite. The myth has been a source of great inspiration for many poets, artists and historians alike, leading to its widespread use as a major theme in literary and intellectual productions.

From The Canaanite Adon To The Greek Adonis

The god Adon was considered one of the most important Canaanite gods: he was the god of beauty, fertility and permanent renewal. The name itself, “Adon”, means “The Lord” in Canaanite. In Greek mythology and the Hellenic world generally, he was called Adonis, and became known by that name among those nations. Other adaptations of Adon in various civilizations include the Canaanite god Baal who was worshiped in Ugarit, and Tammuz or Dumuzi (meaning July) as he was known to the Babylonians. In Egypt, he was Osiris, the god of resurrection.

In addition to the god Adonis, the myth involves his everlasting mistress Astarte, the goddess of love and beauty. She was known as Aphrodite to the Greeks, and Venus to the Romans. Their stories were so intertwined that Adonis’ myth would be incomplete without mentioning Astarte and the legendary love story that brought them together.

When Aphrodite saw Adonis she was so amazed by his beauty that she decided to hide him from the rest of the goddesses.

The role that Cyprus played in transferring the myth of Adonis and Astarte from the Canaanite regions to the Greeks – and from the latter to the Romans – is a very significant one. However, perhaps due to the lack of Mesopotamian and Canaanite sources written about this legend (and often the ambiguity of such sources), the late Greek writings are the main references for this tale of eternal love. Hence, the myth is most popularly known as that of Adonis and Aphrodite, rather than Adon and Astarte.

Adonis in Greek Mythology

Based on the different Greek sources (such as Bion of Smyrna) and the other Roman references (like Ovid’s Metamorphoses) a general consensus on the story of Adonis and Aphrodite is as follows:

A great king called Cinyras (in some sources known as Theias, the king of Assyria) had a daughter named Myrrha, who was very beautiful. The king used to boast about his daughter being more beautiful than Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. When Aphrodite heard of this, she became angry and decided to retaliate. She used her son Eros, the god of desire and attraction, to make Myrrha fall in love with her father, and even deceived him into committing incest. When Cinyras discovered the trick, he swore to kill Myrrha, who in turn escaped from her father after realizing she was pregnant. Myrrha was ashamed and regretful of her heinous act, and pleaded to the gods to protect her. They answered her prayers by turning her into a Myrrh tree.

Nine months later, the Myrrh tree split off, and Adonis was born; he had inherited the beauty of his mother. When Aphrodite saw the boy, she was so amazed by his beauty that she decided to hide him from the rest of the goddesses, and entrusted him to Persephone, goddess of the underworld. Persephone began looking after the boy, and when he grew older and became more and more attractive, she fell in love with him.

A conflict then rose between Aphrodite and Persephone, who refused to give Adonis back to Aphrodite. Zeus, the king of the gods, intervened and ruled that Adonis to spend four months of the year with Persephone in Hades, the Underworld, then four months with Aphrodite, and the remaining four months however he wished. Because Adonis was so taken with the charm of Aphrodite, he devoted his free four months to her as well.

Adonis was well-known for his hunting skills, and in one of the hunting journeys in the Afqa Forest (near Byblos), Adonis was attacked by a wild boar and began bleeding in the hands of Aphrodite, who poured her magical nectar on his wounds. Although Adonis died, the blood blended with the nectar and flowed onto the soil where a flower sprouted from the ground, its scent the same as Aphrodite’s nectar, and its color that of Adonis’ blood – the Anemone flower. The blood reached the river and colored the water red, and the river became known as the “Adonis River” (currently known as Nahr Ibrahim or River Abraham), which is located in the Lebanese village of Afqa.

Worship of Adonis

Byblos was one of the main places in the ancient world that used to observe the rituals of Adonis, and actually brought back the practice of these ceremonies and rites well into the early centuries of Christianity. The writings of Lucian of Samosata in the second century CE played a major role in shedding light on the rituals that were widely practiced by the people of Byblos. His book On The Syrian Goddess (De Dea Syria) recounts his visit to the village Afqa, where he explains what he encountered.

According to Lucian, the people of Byblos believed the wild boar incident that befell Adonis happened in their country. To commemorate this event, they would smite themselves each year, mourn, and celebrate religious rituals and orgies while a great mourning prevailed over the entire country. When their beating and bewailing stopped, they would celebrate the funeral of Adonis, as if he had died, and then the next day announce that he had returned to life and was sent to heaven.

Another one of the Byblos region’s marvels is the river that runs from Mount Lebanon and flows into the sea. The River Adonis is said to lose its color every year and take on a bloody red hue, pouring into the sea and dyeing a large part of the beach red – a sign to the people of Byblos to start their time of mourning. It is believed that at this time of year, Adonis was wounded in Lebanon, and his blood went to the riverbed. One of the reasons given by Lucian – as told to him by one of Byblos’ wise men – explaining why the river turns red at this time of the year is the strong wind blowing soil into the river. The soil of Lebanon (and of this region particularly) is known for its red color, which, when mixed with the river water, turns it purple.

The Immortal Myth

The popularity of the story of Adonis and his mistress Aphrodite led to a revival of its rituals in many other Phoenician cities as well. It also spread across to the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, but with minor differences in adaptation, depending on the characteristics and features of each civilization. The essence of the legend, however, remains intact across all adaptations: a god of beauty and youth and his relationship with the goddess of love, along with the young god’s death and return to life being a metaphor of nature’s annual rebirth.

The myth of Adonis is closely related to the concept of vegetation and agricultural civilizations, such as Mesopotamia or the Canaanite areas (as the story originated in the Near East). The winter was a season of gloom and sadness for the inhabitants of these areas, whereas the spring and summer brought them the joy of new life. This myth is commonly believed to be an expression of its people’s thinking, reflections, and psychological perceptions.

Remnants of Adonis worship are still present in this day and age among some nations of the Levant, Mesopotamia, and even Persia/Iran, where it is manifested as part of spring folklore celebrations, like the Feast of Nauroz.

 

References:

APA Style

Azar, E. N. (2016, February 21). Adonis. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Adonis/
Chicago Style

Azar, Elias N. “Adonis.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified February 21, 2016. https://www.ancient.eu/Adonis/.
MLA Style

Azar, Elias N. “Adonis.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 21 Feb 2016. Web. 16 Mar 2018.
License
Written by Elias N. Azar, published on 21 February 2016 under the following license: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms.

La Fin

The Witches Journal For Friday, March 16th

SPRING
The Witches Journal For Friday, March 16th

Friday, March 16

Friday is the day of Venus. It takes it name from Frigg, the Goddess of love and transformation. She rules the spiritual side of a person that manifests in the physical. Because of this, Friday is often thought of as dangerously unpredictable. This is expressed in an old East Anglian adage:

Friday’s day will have its trick
The fairest or foulest day of the week.

Deity: Frigg

Zodiac Sign: Taurus/Libra

Planet: Venus

Tree: Apple

Herb: Vervain

Stone: Sapphire/Chrsolite

Animal: Bull/Serpent

Element: Earth

Color: Yellow/Violet

Number: 7

Rune: Peorth(P)

 

Celtic Tree Month of Nuin (Ash) (February 18 – March 17)

Runic Half-Month of Beorc (March 14 – March 29)

Goddess of the Month of Moura (February 20 – March 19)

 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

The Pagan Book of Days for Friday, March 16

Dionysus/Bacchus/Egyptian Day

Beginning of the two-day festival of the Greek God Dionysus, equivalent to the Roman Bacchus, youthful deity of wine. The festival promotes a fruitful grape harvest.

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

The Goddess Book of Days for Friday, March 16th

Holi in India, Nepal and Mauritius, spring fire festival, dedicated to Fire Goddesses, Brigid, Vesta, Hestia, Pele, Lucia, Fuji, Lucina, Perchta, Befana, Freya, Oya, Hathor, Amaterasu, and Izanami. The sixteenth day of the Moon is Levanah’s, Luna’s or Selene’s, and Chalchiuhtlique.

Source

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

Spellcrafting for Friday

 Love
 Peace
 Family
 Marriage
 Beauty
 Growth
 Art
 Social status
 Passion
 Music
 Sexuality

Source

A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen

Magickal Days of the Week – Friday

 

Friday falls at the end of the work week for many of us, and that means we get a chance to relax for a little bit! Mark your Fridays with colors like pink and aqua, and metals such as copper. This is a day ruled by the planet Venus, so it should be no surprise that Venus and Aphrodite – goddesses of love and beauty – are associated with Fridays. This is a day named for the Norse goddess Freyja, so be sure to take a moment to honor her as well.

Gemstones associated with Friday include coral, emerald and rose quartz, and plants like strawberries, apple blossoms and feverfew are also related. This is a good day to do spellwork associated with family life and fertility, sexuality, harmony, friendship, growth. Take advantage of Friday’s correspondences and plant a seed, make something grow, and enjoy your blessings

*Note: There are a lot of disputes as to the origins of the word Friday, because there is still a great deal of discussion as to whether it was named for Freyja or Frigga, and whether they were the same deity or two separate ones. Some scholars believe that while they may have eventually become two distinctly different goddesses, they could have had their origins in a single, common Proto-Germanic deity.

Author

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

Friday–The Day of Freya

In the stories of the gods and goddesses of the Angles and Saxons we find two goddesses, Frigga, the wife of Odin and queen of the gods, and Freya, the Goddess of Love. Some people think that Friday was named after Frigga, and others that it was Freya’s day. Since very similar stories are told of each of them, it is quite probable that they were really the same person. The Roman name for the day was Dies Veneris, the day of Venus, who, it will be remembered, was the Goddess of Love, and so corresponded to Freya. The modern French name is taken from the Latin and is vendredi.

Frigga was the Goddess of the Clouds, and, when she was not with her husband Odin, spent her time in spinning clouds. Her spinning-wheel was studded with jewels, and at night could be seen in the sky as the constellation to which the Romans gave the name of Orion’s Belt, as we have seen in the story of Orion.

Frigga was also the Goddess of Spring, and as such was known as Eastre, whom we have already mentioned as giving us the word Easter.

Freya, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, like the Venus of the Romans, received a great welcome when she came to the home of the gods, and was given a special kingdom called Folk Meadow, where was a vast hall known as the Hall of Many Seats. Here she received half of those slain in battle, the other half being entertained by Odin, as we have seen.

Freya is depicted as having blue eyes and golden hair, and often as wearing a robe of feathers, which enabled her to fly through the air like a bird.

The goddess is said to have married Odur, who was probably Odin under another name. Odur once had occasion to leave Freya and travel over the world, and the goddess was broken-hearted at his departure. Her tears fell among the rocks and were changed to gold, while some which fell into the sea were transformed into amber. All nature mourned with her: the trees shed their leaves, the grass withered, and the flowers drooped their heads. At last Freya in her distress set out to find her husband, and, passing through many lands, where her golden tears were afterwards found, came to the sunny south, and there overtook the wandering Odur. As the lovers returned, the fields and the flowers rejoiced with them. The frost and snow fled before them, and the earth became green again as they passed.

“And Freya next came nigh, with golden tears;
The loveliest Goddess she in Heaven, by all
Most honour’d after Frea, Odin’s wife.
Her long ago the wandering Odur took
To mate, but left her to roam distant lands;
Since then she seeks him, and weeps tears of gold.”
MATTHEW ARNOLD–Balder Dead.

This story, of course, reminds us of Ceres and Persephone, and is only another fanciful explanation of summer and winter.

Freya was the proud possessor of a dazzling necklace of gold, which had been made by the dwarfs, and which she wore night and day. On one occasion only did she lend the necklace, when Thor, disguised as Freya, went to the land of the giants to recover his hammer, which had been stolen by the Giant Thrym. Loki, by borrowing Freya’s robe of feathers and flying over the country of the giants, had discovered the thief, but had also found that Thrym would only return the hammer on condition that Freya would become his wife. When Freya heard of the giant’s presumption, she became greatly enraged, and vowed that she would never leave her beloved Odur and go to live in that dreary and desolate land of cold. Heimdall, the guardian of the bridge Bifrost, then suggested that Thor should go to Thrym disguised as Freya, in company with Loki disguised as Freya’s attendant. The gods at last allowed themselves to be persuaded, and Thor, having borrowed Freya’s clothes and necklace and wearing a thick veil, set out with Loki, who was dressed as a handmaiden. On reaching the giant’s palace, they were welcomed by Thrym, who was delighted at the success of his plan, and who led them to the banqueting hall, where a great feast was held. At the end of the feast, Thrym ordered the famous hammer to be brought in, and he himself laid it in his bride’s lap as a marriage gift. Thor’s hand immediately closed over the hammer, and in a few moments Thrym and all the guests invited to the wedding feast lay dead.

Freya was greatly relieved to have her necklace returned in safety, but the evil Loki, attracted by its wonderful beauty, determined to steal it. One night the god, by changing himself into a fly, succeeded in entering Freya’s palace. He then resumed his own shape, and, creeping stealthily to Freya’s bed, gently removed the necklace from the goddess’s neck. The watchful Heimdall, however, had heard Loki’s footsteps, and, looking in the direction of the Folk Meadow, became a witness of the theft. He at once set off in pursuit of Loki, and, overtaking him, drew his sword and was about to kill the thief, when Loki changed himself into a flame. Heimdall immediately changed himself into a cloud, and sent down a shower of rain to put out the fire. Loki then took the form of a bear, and opened his mouth to catch the water. Heimdall also took the form of a bear and attacked Loki, who, finding that he was being overpowered, changed himself yet again, into a seal. Heimdall followed suit, and fought again with Loki, and at length compelled him to give up the necklace, which was returned to Freya.

On another occasion Freya was sought by one of the giants, and it was only by the cunning of Loki and by an act of bad faith on the part of the gods that she was saved. The gods, ever anxious lest the giants should invade Asgard, decided to build a stronghold which would prove impregnable. They received an offer from a stranger, who was willing to undertake the work in return for the sun, the moon, and the goddess Freya. By Loki’s advice they accepted the offer on condition that he should complete the work in one winter, aided only by his horse. To the surprise of the gods the stranger agreed to these conditions, and with the help of his horse, which could haul the heaviest stone, set to work. The gods, who at first felt sure that their conditions had made the task impossible, were alarmed to find as time went on that the stranger was working so quickly that it seemed certain that he would be able to keep his promise. The gods on their side had no intention whatever of keeping their promise, since they could not possibly part with the sun and the moon and the Goddess of Love, and they angrily pointed out to Loki that since it was he who had got them into this difficulty, he must find some way out of it. Loki replied that the gods need have no fear, for with his usual cunning he had thought of a plan whereby the stranger might be made to forfeit his reward. On the last day, when only one stone remained to be dragged into position, Loki changed himself into a horse, and, trotting out from the forest, neighed loudly to attract the attention of the stranger’s horse. Tired of his continual labour and longing for freedom and rest, the horse broke free from its load and galloped after Loki. The stranger, after pursuing it vainly through the forest, at last made his way to Asgard, and, full of anger at the trick which had been played upon him, took on his real shape, for he was a frost-giant, and was about to attack the gods when Thor hurled his hammer at him and killed him.

Frey, the god mentioned in the story of Loki and Sif’s golden hair, was Freya’s brother. He was the God of the Fields, and sacrifices were made to him for the crops. In the early spring his wooden image was driven in a chariot through the countryside, in order that he might bless the fields and bring a fruitful harvest: Frey, as we have seen, became the possessor of a ship which could travel over land and sea, and though large enough to contain all the gods, yet could be folded up like a cloth, and he also possessed a boar with golden bristles. The god often rode on this boar, which was swifter than a horse, and was no doubt a symbol of the sun, which ripened the crops. We find the same idea of sunshine in Frey’s flashing sword, which fought of its own accord as soon as it was drawn from its sheath.

The month of the Angles and Saxons which begins just before our Christmas was sacred to both Frey and Thor, and it was customary at that time, as we have already mentioned, to bind a huge wooden wheel with straw, and, setting fire to it, to roll it down a hill. The wheel was a symbol of the sun, which at that time began to chase away the winter. At this time, too, was held a great feast to all the gods, and the chief meat eaten was a boar’s head, in honour of Frey. The missionaries who first brought Christianity to the Northmen, finding this feast was of great importance and was celebrated by all the people, did not try to do away with it. Instead, they changed it from a heathen to a Christian festival by putting Christ in the place of the Norse gods, and calling it the Feast or Mass of Christ. A similar change was made, it will be remembered, in the case of the Easter festival, held in honour of Eastre or Frigga, the wife of Odin.

The Witches Guide to Friday

Ruler: Freya, Venus

Colors: Emerald green or pink

Power Hours: Sunrise and the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours following.

Key Words: Love, money, health

It is easy to spot the ruler of this day by its name. In the word Friday, we see the roots of the name of the Norse goddess Freya, a goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses thus the verse “Friday’s child is loving and giving.”

In Spanish this day of the week is called Viernes and is derived from the goddess Venus. Matters of love, human interaction, the fluidity of communication, sewing and the creation of artistic garments, household improvement, shopping, and party planning all fall under the aspects of Friday and its ruling planet, Venus.

Friday’s angels are Ariel/Uriel, Rachiel, and Sachiel. Rachiel also concerns himself with human sexuality and is a presiding spirit of the planet Venus.

On Fridays, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Venus, and that makes these times of the day doubly blessed. These four hours are the strongest four hours for conducting ritual.

Check the local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine your local sunrise.

Source

Gypsy Magic

Friday’s Witchery

Love magick is a perennial popular topic. However, there is more to this topic than meets the eye. There are many enchanting layers here for us to explore on this day of the week. What about creating a loving home, or producing a loving and nurturing family? What about keeping your intimate relationships vital and on track? How about promoting happy, healthy, and enduring friendships? See, there is more to be considered than just the “You shall be mine…” type of fictional love spell.

Don’t forget that many of the deities associated with Fridays are also parents. So, yes, while this is the day to work on romance, sex, and love spells, there is additional magick to be considered here, which makes Fridays a more well-rounded and bigger opportunity for witchery than many folks ever truly realize. The truest, strongest magick always comes from the heart.

Source

Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

The Witches Honey Do List for Fridays

Fridays are days of loving enchantments and passionate emotions.

See how many ways you could add a little loving enchantment into your life and the lives of your loved ones. If you wish to explore the topic of love and romance witchery even further, then check out my book How to Enchant a Man: Spells to Bewitch, Bedazzle &Beguile. If cat magick has tickled your fancy, then for further study read my book The Enchanted Cat: Feline Fascinations, Spells &Magick.

In the meantime, try sharing red berries with your partner some enchanted evening. Work that meditation, and see what other mysteries Freya has to teach you. Wear a Venus planetary color and call on the Goddess for a little inner sparkle. Burn some floral incense, light up some rosy candles, and set a romantic mood. Try wearing a little copper jewelry, and see how it affects you and your Friday magick. Get those potpourri and philter recipes going, and see what you can conjure up.

Advancing your magickal skills takes drive, ambition, and passion. Work with Eros to discover just how much enthusiasm, inspiration, and drive he can bring into your days, for the imagination is a place where dreams flourish and ideas come to fruition.

Call on these fertile and romantic powers, and create your own unique spells and charms. Just think of all the magickal information that you can now add to your repertoire of witchery. Lastly, remember this: when you combine imagination and a loving heart with magick, you’ll succeed every time.

 

Source

Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

The Witches Almanac for Friday, March 16th

St. Urho’s Day (Finnish-American)

Waning Moon

Moon phase: Fourth Quarter

Moon Sign: Pisces

Incense: Thyme

Color: Pink

FRIDAY CORRESPONDENCES

Venus/Water/East/West/South/Dawn/Female/Libra/Taurus

 

Magickal Intentions: Love, Romance, Marriage, Sexual Matters, Physical Beauty, Friendship and Partnerships, Strangers, Heart

Color: aqua, blue, light blue, brown, green, pale green, magenta, peach, pink, rose, white, all pastels

Number: 5, 6

Metal: copper

Charm: green or white garments, scepter

Stone: alexandrite, amethyst, coral, diamond, emerald, jade, jet, black moonstone, peridot, smoky quartz, tiger’s-eye, pink tourmaline

Animal: camel, dove, elephant, goat, horse, pigeon, sparrow

Plant: apple, birch, cherry, clematis, clove, coriander, heather, hemlock, hibiscus, ivy, lotus, moss, myrtle, oats, pepperwort, peppermint, pinecone, quince, raspberry, rose, pink rose, red rose, rose hips, saffron, sage, savin, stephanotis, strawberry, thyme, vanilla, verbena, violet, water lily, yarrow, and all flowers

Incense: ambergris, camphor, mace, musk, myrrh, rose, saffron, sage, sandalwood, sweetgrass, vanilla, violet, all floral scents

Goddess: Aphrodite, Asherah, Baalith, Brigid, Erzulie, Freya (Passionate Queen), Frigg, Gefion, Harbor (Beautiful One), Hestia, Inanna, Ishtar (Lady of Passion and Desire), Lakshmi, Lilith, Mokosh, Nehalennia, Nerthus, Ostara, Pombagira, Sarasvati, Shakti, Shekinah, Sirtur, Al Uzza, Venus (Queen of Pleasure), Vesta

God: Allah, Bacchus, Bes, Cupid, the Dagda, Dionysus, El, Eros (God of Love), Freyr, Frit Ailek, Shukra

Evocation: Agrat Bat Mahalat, Anael, Hagiel, Mokosba, Rasbid, Sachiel, Uriel, Velas

 

Source

Moonlight Musings

Friday Is Ruled By Venus

 

Friday belongs to Venus, both the planet and its namesake Roman goddess of love. This day is sacred to many other gods and goddesses of love such as Eros, Venus, Aphrodite, and the Norse goddess that gave the day its name, Freya. This day of the week is for magical topics such as love, birth, fertility, and romance. Colors for today include pink and aqua. Some suggestions for Friday enchantments would include:

Carrying a rose quartz with you today to send out some gentle and loving vibes to those crabby co-workers

Working a loving Tarot spell to charm a friend’s pregnancy with good health and safety

Working a little flower magic to enchant a single pink rose for friendship and inner beauty, and setting it on your desk. Or try empowering a red rose for passion and placing it in your bedroom

Burning rose-scented candles to encourage the same effect. Call on Eros to “bring a passion for life” to your days.

Sharing a romantic snack with your partner. Feed each other ripe, red strawberries. Those strawberries are love-inducing food, and are sacred to many love goddesses, including today’s patroness, Freya.

A Little Goody Just for Fridays – Love Apple Cocktail

 

This cocktail is meant to arouse desire. Stir together in a saucepan 2 cups of tomato juice, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of basil, and a dash each of dill and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the mixture for three minutes, then chill it in the refrigerator. Strain the beverage before serving. Dill is powerful enough to bring on proposals of marriage, so if you’re not interested in marriage, you substitute with celery salt!

Source

How To Make Potions & Spells That Really Work: The Beginners Guide To Real Witchcraft

Crafty Witch

SPELL TO ENTICE LOVE

You will need:
salt shaker
pepper shaker
pink ribbon

This spell can be used to attract love or to draw a love closer. It should be begun on the night of a new moon.

Take a salt shaker and pepper shaker, and designate one the female and the other the male. Then take a piece of pink ribbon, and tie the female object to one end and the male object to the other, leaving about a foot of ribbon between them. Every morning, untie the ribbon. move the objects a little closer together, and retire the knots.

Eventually the salt and pepper shakers will touch. Leave them bound together for seven days before untying them.

By this time. love should have entered your life or your current partner should have drawn closer.

THE “PERFECT LOVE FOR ME” SPELL

 

On a Friday, in the waxing phase of the Moon, (from new to just before and including full Moon) take two long red candles, a piece of parchment, pen and ink, a pie plate (for safety’s sake) and find a quiet place free from interruptions. Write on one side of the parchment “The Perfect Love For Me”, and on the other side, draw a semi-circle.

On one of the candles scratch in “The perfect love for me” and on the other, scratch in your name. Place the parchment in the pie plate with the semi-circle side up.

Place the one candle (in a holder if need be) that has your name on it on the inside of the semi-circle, the other one (once again, holder okay) on the outside of the circle. Light the candles, concentrating on your desire for a perfect love. Let it burn for about an hour, snuff them both using a snuffer or your fingers (do not blow them out) and on each night thereafter, walk the outer candle closer to the center of the semi-circle, burning the candles for about an hour each night. Once the outer candle is close to the inner one, take the same pen you used originally and close the circle around the two in a clockwise direction. Allow the candles to burn out. When done, burn the parchment and save the ashes and any left over wax in a small bag (preferably red) under your pillow until your love arrives.

As with all magic, you must really desire this, and put that desire into your spell. Your love should arrive soon. If you only wish someone to date, you can also put that instead of perfect love on the candle and parchment.

Ostara The Spring Equinox

Spring Equinox or Ostara, around March 21, is when light and darkness are in balance but the light is growing stronger. Ostara was not originally a part of the Celtic year, and all of its associations were given to Beltaine until recent times. Because it was named for the Teutonic Goddess of Spring and New Life, Eostre, it is assumed that it was brought to prominence in the Celtic world by the Saxons.

Symbols: Egg, Rabbit, Equilateral Cross, Butterfly

Colors: Pastels

Herbs: celandine, cinquefoil, jasmine, rue, tansy, and violets may be burned; acorn, crocus, daffodil, dogwood, honeysuckle, iris, lily, and strawberry may be decorations.

Modern Celtic Pagan practice has adopted Ostara whole-heartedly, and different Celtic traditions have different ways of observing this Sabbat. Primarily it is a night of balance in which night and day are equal, with the forces of light gaining power over the darkness. One tradition honors the God in his guise as a warrior on this date, while another views it as a time of the courtship between the God and Goddess, a relationship to be consummated at Beltaine.

Another Ostara custom of uncertain origin which has gained popularity in Celtic circles is that of awakening Mother Earth. The youngest person present is often asked to take a stick or wand and walk to the far northern point of the circle, the coldest compass point in the northern hemisphere, the place where the sun never travels, and tap on the ground three times. The youngest then entreats Mother Earth to “wake up”. In keeping with the Celtic beliefs about the sacredness of three times three, this gesture is repeated twice more. After this is done you may wish to evoke or invoke the Earth Mother and make her the center of your Ostara festivities, celebrating her presence as the embodiment of Spring.

Here are a few suggestions for activities that may be part of the Sabbat celebration or something to do during the day:

Make Hot Cross Buns to honor the union of the Earth and Sun for spring. Slash the ‘X’ with your boline and bless the bread.

Have a traditional breakfast of buns, ham, and eggs. Save the eggshells and after breakfast, throw the crushed eggshells into the garden and say:

For fairy for flowers, for herbs in the bowers,
The shells pass fertility with springtime showers.

Wear green clothing.

Bless seeds planted in the garden.

Color hard-boiled eggs and add the symbols for the Fertility God, the Goddess, the Sun God, unity, fire, water, agriculture, prosperity and growth, strength and wisdom, spring, love and affection, and protection.

Consecrate the eggs by saying:

In the name of the Goddess of spring (name),
And the ever-returning God of the sun, (name),
By the powers of the four elements – earth, air, fire, and water,
I do consecrate these eggs of Ostara.

Point your athame at the eggs, make the sign of the pentagram, and see the energy flow through the blade into the eggs, and say:

New life watching as new life shall enter the soil.
Let those who see this life find it and consume it,
for all life feeds on life.

The eggs may be hidden and the Ostara Egg Hunt commences.

On Ostara Eve, light a purple or violet candle and burn patchouli incense. Carry them both through the house, saying:

Farewell to wintry spirits and friends;
On morrow we greet the spirits of spring;
Our blessings to thee as your way you wend;
And merry we’ll meet next winter again.

Blow out the candle and say:

Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!

Celebrating Legends, Folklore & Spirituality 365 Days A Year for March 16

16 March

Festival of Holi

Holi, a Spring holiday, is celebrated on this day by the Hindus. It’s a favorite day among children, probably because they get to throw red-colored water on anyone who passes them by. Each village has a central bonfire dedicated to the Krishna, an incarnation of the God Vishnu. The ashes that result from the sacred fire are then rubbed on the people’s foreheads to bring them good fortune in the coming year.