Day: July 20, 2018

Calendar of the Moon for July 20

 

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Calendar of the Moon

Oak Tree Month

Color: Black
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a black cloth place the vase of oak branches, a hammer, a metal lightning bolt, a sun symbol with the rune Sigil upon it, and a Green Man with an oak-leaf face.
Offerings: Give thanks for personal victories.
Daily Meal: Serve salad with each meal, arranged in the circular pattern of the Green Man.

Duir Invocation

Call: Now is the time of the Sun’s height.
Response: Now is the time when the leaves reach to the heavens.
Call: Now is the time when the Oak King spread his arms.
Response: Now is the time when we reach with him for the Sun.
Call: Now is the time when we return to the ancient grove of the Druids.
Response: Now is the time when we witness the Sun’s sacrifice.
Call: Now is the time when we go forth in glory.
Response: Now is the time of the turning of the year.
Call: Hail to the wren, soul of the Oak King!
Response: Hail to the sky, crown of the Oak King!
Call: Hail to the Earth, bed of the Oak King!
Response: Hail to the Sun, lover of the Oak King!
Call: Hail to the guardians of the door!
Response: May they guard us well, O oaken beams!
Call: We have no need to guard ourselves….
Response: For the Gods will guard us.
Call: We have no need to hide behind bolted doors….
Response: For now is the time to be open to the Sun!
Call: Like the Green Man, we speak through the oak!
Response: Like the Green Man, our voice is the strength of the earth!
Call: Like the Oak King, we do not fear the lightning!
Response: Like the Oak King, we will accept all repercussions!
Call: We have no shame for our actions….
Response: For all that we do, we do from a place of worthiness.
Call: For all that we do, we do from a place of honor.
Response: For all that we do, we do from a place of love.

Chant:
By my body I be earth
By my spirit I be fire
Call the lightning to my heart
Bring my soul what I desire

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for July 20

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Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

The sky this week for July 20 to 22

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The sky this week for July 20 to 22

 

A meteor shower, a passing comet, and a slew of planets all make appearances in the sky this week.
By Richard Talcott
Friday, July 20

The Moon’s eastward motion carries it near magnitude –2.2 Jupiter tonight. Our satellite, which now sports a noticeable gibbous phase, stands 4° above the planet as twilight fades to darkness. If you point a telescope at Jupiter, you’ll see spectacular cloud-top detail on a flattened disk that spans 39″ across the equator. You’ll also see the gas giant’s four biggest and brightest moons.

Saturday, July 21

Perhaps no month better epitomizes summer in the Northern Hemisphere than July. And this month finds the season’s namesake asterism, the Summer Triangle, on prominent display. The trio’s brightest member, Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp, stands nearly overhead shortly before midnight. The asterism’s second-brightest star, Altair in Aquila the Eagle, then lies more than halfway from the southeastern horizon to the zenith. Deneb, the luminary of Cygnus the Swan, marks the Summer Triangle’s third corner. Although it is this asterism’s dimmest star, it’s the brightest point of light in the entire northeastern sky.

Sunday, July 22

Magnificent Saturn reached its peak less than a month ago, when it appeared opposite the Sun in the sky, and our view of the ringed planet remains spectacular. It is on display nearly all night among the background stars of northern Sagittarius, hanging in the south-southeast as darkness falls and climbing highest in the south around 11 p.m. local daylight time. Saturn continues to shine brightly, too, at magnitude 0.1. When viewed through binoculars, you’ll find the Trifid Nebula (M20) 3.2° to the west, with the even brighter Lagoon Nebula (M8) 1° south of the Trifid. Open cluster M25 resides 5.0° northeast of the planet and globular cluster M22 is 4.8° east-southeast of the ringed world. But the best views of Saturn come through a telescope, which reveals the planet’s 18″-diameter disk surrounded by a dramatic ring system that spans 41″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

In the Sky This Month

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In the Sky This Month

 

Although July offers warm, dry conditions for skywatching, it also provides some of the shortest nights of the year in the northern hemisphere, limiting the hours under the stars. Fortunately, some of the best skywatching sights are visible in the early evening, not long after sunset. Venus reigns as the Evening Star all month, slowly climbing the western sky. Mercury peeks into view below Venus for much of the month, with the star Regulus close to both of them.

July 20: Moon and Jupiter

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, stands just below the Moon this evening and looks like a brilliant star. Binoculars reveal Jupiter’s biggest moons, which look like tiny stars near the planet.

July 21: Two Crosses

The Northern Cross is another name for Cygnus, the swan, which sails high overhead on summer evenings. When we look at Cygnus, we’re looking down the spiral arm that contains our own solar system, so we see many amazing celestial objects.

July 22: Vega

Vega, the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, is enthroned at the top of the sky tonight. The name Vega is from an ancient Arabic name that means “swooping eagle.” Vega is in the constellation Lyra, the harp.

July 23: Mars at Opposition

Mars blazes across the sky this week. It rises around sunset and is in view all night. It is brightest for the year, too. In fact, for the next couple of months it will be the third-brightest object in the night sky, after the Moon and Venus

July 24: Mars and Company

The planet Saturn is the bright star-like point of light just below the Moon at nightfall. Its broad, bright rings are tilted into good view, so they reflect a lot of sunlight, enhancing the giant planet’s luster.

July 25: Martian Opposition

Mars is at opposition this week, passing closer to Earth than it will for many years. It is in the southeast as night falls. It looks like a brilliant orange star, outshining all but the Moon and the planet Venus.

July 26: Lunar Eclipse

The Moon will pass through Earth’s shadow tomorrow, creating an eclipse, although it won’t be visible from the U.S. Our consolation is that the Moon will be close to Mars. It looks like a brilliant orange star, to the lower left of the Moon at nightfall.

 

 

StarDate

An Overview of the Sky, Stars & Planets for July 20

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An Overview of the Sky, Stars & Planets for July 20

 

The Moon spends the day in Scorpio, and while it forms a square to retrograde Mars this morning, stirring up buried frustrations, it harmonizes with Venus and aligns with Jupiter tonight, promoting warm cooperation and goodwill. Retrograde Mars aligns with the South Node of the Moon this morning, and we may be cycling back to a problem or situation that first emerged in early June. We should watch for stubbornly holding onto something that no longer supports our growth.

The Moon-Jupiter alignment tonight also has the effect of magnifying our feelings and attachments, except that we can be exceptionally comfortable with our emotions now. A Mercury-Uranus parallel today promotes exciting ideas. We’re not interested in recycling old ideas now – we are embracing new concepts. Routines may feel particularly stifling today.

Moon in Scorpio

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Moon in Scorpio

 

Intensity is what the Moon in Scorpio is all about. Whether it’s passion, elation, sorrow, or desire, emotions are felt on a deeply personal level. We are motivated by the desire to get to the bottom of things, and we instinctively read between the lines. Superficiality won’t work for us now. The Moon in Scorpio urges us to uncover our own power, and it’s an excellent time to rid ourselves of old fears and limiting habits. It can be an intimate and passionate time. Avoid manipulative tactics, brooding, and suspicion.

The Moon in Scorpio generally favors the following activities: Taxes, accounting, intimacy issues, psychological examinations, research, self-examination, getting rid of old things.

Your Sun & Moon Data for Friday, July 20

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Your Sun & Moon Data for Friday, July 20

 

The Sun

Sun Direction:↑ 95.73° E

Sun Altitude:42.87°

Sun Distance:94.456 million mi

Next Equinox:Sep 22, 2018 8:54 pm (Autumnal)

Sunrise Today:5:50 am↑ 63° Northeast

Sunset Today:8:11 pm↑ 297° Northwest

Length of Daylight: 14 hours, 21 minutes

 

The Moon

Moon Direction:↑ 54.85° NE

Moon Altitude:-49.69°

Moon Distance:241927 mi

Next Full Moon:Jul 27, 20183:20 pm

Next New Moon:Aug 11, 20184:57 am

Next Moonrise: Today 2:06 pm

Moon’s Illumination: 58.3%

Current Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous

 

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To all who gather this Friday Morning, We wish you a very blessed & beautiful day

A note before we get started, Lady of the Abyss is not here today. Her sons, Jacob and Joseph have a stomach virus and she has been up all night with them Wednesday and last night. She is taking them to the doctor today. There is a horrible intestinal virus going around in our area right now. It is also very contagious. She will back as soon as the boys are better till then you are stuck with either Eleanor or myself. Today, you got lucky, you got me. Maybe luck is a matter of opinion.

Have a very blessed Friday,

Lynette