The Witches Astronomy Journal for Saturday, May 5th
“Never put your faith in a Prince. When you require a miracle, trust in a Witch.”
Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Saturday, April 5th
The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 75.99° ENE
Sun Altitude: 8.68°
Sun Distance: 93.751 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 21, 2018 5:07 am (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 5:55 am↑ 69° East
Sunset Today: 7:47 pm↑ 291° Northwest
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 51 minutes
The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 205.14° SSW
Moon Altitude: 27.59°
Moon Distance: 251213 mi
Next New Moon: May 15, 20186:47 am
Next Full Moon: May 29, 20189:19 am
Next Moonset: Today10:13 am
Current Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 73.7%
Source
Astrology of Today – Saturday, May 5, 2018
The Moon is in Capricorn.
The Moon is waning and in its Waning Gibbous phase.
The Full Moon occurred on the 29th in the sign of Scorpio. The Last Quarter Moon will occur on May 7th.
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.
A Look At Your Planets And Stars for Saturday, May 5
Mercury forms a quincunx to Jupiter today, and we may face a challenging decision. Our ideas don’t always feel precisely right under this influence – we can waver quite a bit now, unable to reach a wholly satisfying decision or conclusion. We may overestimate our abilities or underestimate the situation. It may be best to avoid jumping into something without planning, as necessary details are too easy to overlook.
The Moon is in Capricorn all day, harmonizing with the Sun, Jupiter, and Neptune, aligning with Pluto, and forming a square with Mercury. We’re both practical and intuitive today. We’re in good shape for concentration and focus, although in the hours surrounding the Moon’s square to Mercury, we may be easily distracted. It can be challenging expressing what we intend today. The Moon is particularly resourceful in the sign of Capricorn, however.
The sky this week for May 5 to May 6
By Richard Talcott
Saturday, May 5
The waning gibbous Moon appears roughly halfway between Mars and Saturn this morning. All three objects rise by 1:30 a.m. local daylight time and climb nearly 30° high in the south by 5 a.m. Mars shines at magnitude –0.5 and is already a little brighter than it was earlier in the week. Saturn glows about half as bright, at magnitude 0.3. The trio stands against the backdrop of northern Sagittarius the Archer. If you view Saturn through a telescope this week, you’ll see its 18″-diameter disk surrounded by a stunning ring system that spans 40″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.
The Moon also reaches apogee today, at 8:35 p.m. EDT. It then lies 251,318 miles (404,457 kilometers) from Earth’s center, the farthest it gets from our planet during its month-long orbit.
Sunday, May 6
The annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks before dawn. Unfortunately, the waning gibbous Moon shares the sky, and its bright light will wash out fainter meteors and render the brighter ones less impressive. Don’t give up hope, however. For the best views, find an otherwise dark site and position yourself where a tree or building blocks the Moon’s direct light. The Eta Aquariid shower derives from bits of debris ejected by Comet 1P/Halley during its many trips around the Sun.
Although the Moon interferes with the Eta Aquariids, take a few minutes to enjoy a binocular view of our satellite next to Mars. The Moon slides 3° due north of the Red Planet at 3 a.m. EDT.
Source
In the Sky This Month
Of the five planets easily visible to the unaided eye, only Mercury is missing from view this month. The other four are in good view, with one of them, Jupiter, putting in its best showing of the year. Venus climbs higher as the Evening Star, while Mars and Saturn remain in the early morning sky. Among the stars, Regulus and Spica climb to their full spring glory.
May 5: More Moon and Mars
The planet Mars is in great view early tomorrow. It looks like a bright orange star just to the lower right of the Moon as the first blush of twilight begins to paint the sky. Mars will grow much brighter over the next couple of months.
May 6: Ursa Major
Ursa Major, the great bear, is high in the north on May evenings. The bear’s body and tail form the Big Dipper. The bear aims nose-first at the northern horizon.
May 7: Jupiter at Opposition
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, shines at its best for the year this week. It rises at sunset and sets around sunrise. It is brightest for the year, too, outshining everything else in the night sky except the Moon and Venus.
May 8: Evening Lights
As twilight fades this evening, two lights will pop into view long before the others. In the west, look for Venus, the “evening star.” At about the same height in the southeast, look for slightly fainter Jupiter, at its brightest for the year.
May 9: Coma Berenices
Coma Berenices is in the eastern sky at nightfall. Its stars are faint. But under a dark sky, they offer one of the prettiest sights in the heavens: streamers of stars that represent the hair of Berenice, a queen of ancient Egypt.
May 10: Coma Star Cluster
The star cluster Melotte 111, in Coma Berenices, is a good target for binoculars or a small telescope. The constellation is high in the east at nightfall, and good binoculars reveal a small swarm of stars.
Source
Your Daily Cosmic Calendar for Saturday, May 5th
Opportunities to take a couple of great leaps forward appear on the horizon very early as the moon in Capricorn trines the sun in Taurus (12:53am) while Venus in Gemini forms an inspirational, 72-degree rapport with Chiron in Pisces (1:10am).
However, unexpected snafus regarding communications or travel plans can catch you napping as Messenger of the Gods Mercury makes a potentially tense, 150-degree liaison with King of the Gods Jupiter (4:06am).
While plunging into research projects with intensity makes sense during the monthly lunar union with distant Pluto in Capricorn (2:01pm), any kind of arm-twisting maneuvers or manipulative behavior with dear ones is taboo. Meanwhile, the monthly moon convergence with Mars (11:21pm) offers a boost for athletics and exercise routines but carries a warning to steer clear of egocentric power plays that alienate or disturb loved ones.
[Note to readers: All times are now calculated for Pacific Daylight Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]
Copyright 2018 Mark Lerner & Great Bear Enterprises, Ltd.
Astrology.com
The Witches Current Moon Phase for Saturday, May 5
Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 74%
The Moon today is in a Waning Gibbous Phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts roughly 7 days with the Moon’s illumination growing smaller each day until the Moon becomes a Last Quarter Moon with a illumination of 50%. The average Moon rise for this phase is between 9am and Midnight depending on the age of the phase. The moon rises later and later each night setting after sunrise in the morning. During this phase the Moon can also be seen in the early morning daylight hours on the western horizon.
PHASE DETAILS FOR – SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2018
Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 74%
Moon Age: 19.84 days
Moon Angle: 0.49
Moon Distance: 405,455.57 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 150,906,648.24 km
Source
The Moon’s Magical Phases
Each phase of the Moon resonates with magical significance and astrological meaning.
These meanings spill out into world-wide folklore, sinister superstitions, and even gardening advice. Werewolves, in particular, are creatures of the Moon – transforming themselves by the light of the full Moon into deadly hunters which can only be killed by a silver bullet. Hairy, scary creatures aside….the Moon’s phases are used in witchcraft and magic to determine when to cast a certain kind of spell. New Moons are for beginnings, for example, while the waning Moon is believed to be a good time for banishing things, or clearing negative influences. In predictive astrology these phases reveal different themes in your life, and offer a guide to planning activities, projects, and even study. If you want to try tuning in to these phases you’ll need to observe the Moon every evening, cloud permitting, and check exact details of its phase in an almanac or moon calender.
Here are the phases and what they mean:
The New or Crescent Moon – Beginnings
It’s time to begin projects, new regimes, fresh starts. Some gardeners maintain that this is the best time to plant seeds – you can easily imagine that this is a symbol for many things.
The First Quarter Moon – Action
The Moon reaches her first quarter seven days after the New Moon. Take your projects out there and do something practical about those decisions or wishes you made when the Moon was new.
The Gibbous Moon – Movement
The Moon is now waxing larger as it moves from New towards Full. The next seven days have a forward momentum. If you began something new, like a diet, at the New Moon, you should be seeing some results by now. Not the final results you imagined, but moving towards them.
The Full Moon – Harvest
The lunar energies peak now, fourteen days into the cycle. It is harvest time, possibly for projects begun at a New Moon months beforehand. Results in just two weeks are hard to find in most endeavours……although we can always dream. Emotions may peak one way or another too.
The Disseminating Moon – Thinking
The Moon begins to wane, and energies and thoughts turn inwards. This is a good time to think about your projects or the direction you are following. Use what you have learned and bide your time.
The Third Quarter Moon – Shuffling the deck
If you need to fine-tune things, now’s the time. It’s about seven days since the Full Moon. Work with what you have, and make it better. It’s not a good time to go after anything new, but a great time to polish up your skills and make things work out. Anything you don’t need, or which isn’t working can be recycled or thrown out now. Needless to say, this is a good time to clear out cupboards, weed your garden, or get a sassy new haircut.
The Balsamic Moon – Release
The waning Moon has reached its last phase. It is a time of release. If you want to let go of a relationship, job, or anxiety this is the perfect time to focus on this desire. You may feel peaceful, or empty. The final days just before the New Moon are also called the dark of the Moon, because it sheds so little light. Symbolically, this suggests the inner world is more important than the outer world at this point in the cycle.
Source
Witches Of The Craft® 
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