Day: July 24, 2018

IS JULY’S TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE THE REAL INDEPENDENCE DAY

Spell of Relaxation

IS JULY’S TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE THE REAL INDEPENDENCE DAY

  • RACHEL CELESTE HANSEN

 

On Friday, July 27, 2018, at 4:20pm PST, the full moon will be in Aquarius.

This full moon (known as the Thunder Moon or the Full Buck Moon) also coincides with a total lunar eclipse – which, at one hour and 43 minutes, will be the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century!

Total lunar eclipses occur when the the sun, moon, and earth are in total alignment. For this August 2018 full moon eclipse, we here on earth are being put right smack in the middle of the Leo sun and Aquarius moon, striking a balance between our social conscience and our desire to be seen. Which means that this eclipse will have us primed to take our idealism to the next level… and if necessary, take it to the streets!

 

WHAT DOES THE AQUARIUS FULL MOON IN JULY MEAN?

 

The sign of the water bearer is all about making the world a better place—not just for ourselves, but for everyone else on the planet. (Sure, it’s idealistic. But if any sign stands a chance of making it happen, Aquarius is the one!) Under this full moon, innovative solutions to the world’s problems are just waiting to be discovered. All we have to do is tune our brain waves to the frequency of this visionary sign that’s both logical and intuitive, scientific and creative all at once.

If this sounds a little more cerebral than your average full moon, that’s because it is—and there lies the more challenging side of this lunation. As a rule, full moons can bring up a lot of emotions for us to process. But for all the brilliance of this fixed air sign, emotional intelligence isn’t exactly its forte.

It’s not that Aquarius doesn’t care. Actually, in its own way, it’s one of the more empathic signs of the zodiac. It’s just a lot more sensitive to energy—especially the energy of the collective—than it is to emotions. And while this sign cares deeply about humanity in an abstract, impersonal sense, it has a harder time relating to specific humans on a more personal, heartfelt level.

That’s where the Leo sun comes in. Its opposition to the August 2018 full moon reminds us of the need to bring more warmth to our interactions, and celebrate what makes us (and everyone else) truly one-of-a-kind. For those of us who tend to get “in our heads” a lot, it’s also a reminder to check in with our hearts—a vital connection, if we’re going to be true to ourselves and avoid getting caught up in group think at this full moon.

Source

Astrology.com

Moon in Sagittarius

SpellCaster

Moon in Sagittarius

The Moon is traveling through Sagittarius. The grass looks greener on the other side during this time. Jump ship. Learn a new language. Tell it like it is. Make people laugh.

The Moon is at her most optimistic and upbeat in Sagittarius. We are motivated by a need to seek the truth, and we are ready to pursue a new vision. We are not interested in details just now. Instead, we focus on the big picture. New experiences and adventures satisfy a deep emotional need. Spontaneity is the key. We may also be inclined toward overdoing and overstating. We don’t want to plan ahead, and prefer to “wing it”.

The Moon in Sagittarius generally favors the following activities: Adventurous activities that involve “winging it”, travel, higher education, starting publishing projects, advertising, sports, physical activity.

The Witches Current Moon Phase for Tuesday, July 24th

Crown Prince
The Witches Current Moon Phase for Tuesday, July 24th

 

Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 90% 

The Moon today is in a Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase is when the moon is more than 50% illuminated but not yet a Full Moon. The phase lasts round 7 days with the moon becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon. During a Waxing Gibbous the moon will rise in the east in mid-afternoon and will be high in the eastern sky at sunset. The moon is then visible though most of the night sky setting a few hour before sunrise. The word Gibbous first appeared in the 14th century and has its roots in the Latin word “gibbosus” meaning humpbacked.

Source

Your Daily Cosmic Calendar for Tuesday, July 24th

Goth

Your Daily Cosmic Calendar for Tuesday, July 24th

 

If you sense a big series of changes about to occur, your psychic powers are working at full capacity. Mercury in Leo is slowing down in direct motion as it prepares to begin a three-week retrograde cycle tomorrow. Furthermore, inter-planetary skirmishes become the rule rather than the exception on Wednesday and Thursday — leading to a Total Lunar Eclipse and monthly full moon on Friday. The situation today also has its rough spots as a potentially mind-enriching trine between the moon in Sagittarius and Mercury in Leo (1:23am) begins a 13 hour void lunar zone that lasts until earthy Capricorn moon starts at 2:50pm. During the void time-period, Venus in Virgo makes its annual opposition to Neptune in Pisces (12:24pm). From the positive perspective, this polarity can open profound doors of love and romance on the relationship front, but it is always possible that nebulous conditions wind up trapping you in a web of illusion. Do your best to maintain clarity of thought and emotional equilibrium throughout the day. The sun trine to Chiron in fire signs (10:34pm) and the monthly lunar union with Saturn in Capricorn (10:47pm) can be a pair of aces that gives you an edge over competitors on the professional horizon.

[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

In the Sky This Month

By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes... hehe :)

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 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.

July 27: Moon and Mars

Mars and the full Moon stick close together tonight. Mars looks like a brilliant orange star, outshining all but the Moon and the planet Venus. It perches close to the lower right of the Moon at nightfall.

July 28: Albireo

Albireo represents the beak of Cygnus, the swan, which is in good view on summer nights. The constellation is high in the east at nightfall, with its body parallel to the horizon. Bright Deneb is at the left end of the body, with Albireo at the right.

July 29: Vindemiatrix

Vindemiatrix, the third-brightest star of Virgo, is in the southwest at nightfall. It is far to the upper right of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. Vindemiatrix is a bloated star that has completed the “normal” portion of its life.

July 30: Future North Star

About 2,000 years from now, Earth’s north pole will aim toward the star Gamma Cephei instead of Polaris, the current North Star. Gamma Cephei is one of the brightest stars of Cepheus, which is in the northeast this evening.

 

Source

StarDate

The sky this week for July 24 to 29

Wiccan

The sky this week for July 24 to 29

 

Don’t miss out on Mars this week! The Red Planet shines brighter than it has at any point in the past 15 years.
By Richard Talcott
Tuesday, July 24

The waxing gibbous Moon passes just 2° north of Saturn tonight, helping point the way to the magnificent ringed planet. The two are on display nearly all night among the background stars of northern Sagittarius, hanging in the southeastern sky as darkness falls and climbing high in the south by 11 p.m. local daylight time. The pair will look nice with the naked eye or binoculars, but telescope users will want to target the magnitude 0.2 planet on another night this week when the Moon isn’t so close. Saturn reached its peak a month ago, when it appeared opposite the Sun in the sky, and our view of the ringed planet remains spectacular. A telescope reveals the world’s 18″-diameter disk surrounded by a dramatic ring system that spans 41″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Wednesday, July 25

Venus dominates the western sky after sunset. The dazzling object shines at magnitude –4.3 among the background stars of southern Leo. The planet appears 11° high an hour after sundown and sets shortly after 10 p.m. local daylight time. When viewed through a telescope, Venus appears 19″ across and 60 percent lit.

Thursday, July 26

Mars lies opposite the Sun in our sky tonight as it reaches peak visibility for 2018. The Red Planet appears low in the southeast as darkness falls and grows more prominent as the evening wears on and it climbs higher. By 1 a.m. local daylight time, it stands about 25° high in the south against the backdrop of stars in southwestern Capricornus. The world shines at magnitude –2.8, brighter than it has been in 15 years. When viewed through a telescope, the planet’s ocher-colored disk spans 24.2″, though you likely won’t see much surface detail because a global dust storm continues to choke the martian atmosphere. The Red Planet will come closest to Earth in four days, when its disk will appear 0.1″ larger than it does tonight.

Friday, July 27

Full Moon arrives at 4:20 p.m. EDT, and it dominates the sky all night. Our satellite appears Full when it lies opposite the Sun in our sky, just as Mars did yesterday, so you might expect the two to appear close to each other. You’d be right: The Full Moon lies 7° north of the Red Planet. Skywatchers in the Eastern Hemisphere get a bonus tonight as the Moon plunges through Earth’s shadow. Observers across most of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia will see a total lunar eclipse. Totality runs from 19h30m to 21h13m UT (that’s before dawn on the 28th for people in eastern Asia and Australia). The 103 minutes of totality make this the longest lunar eclipse since 2000.

Saturday, July 28

Asteroid 4 Vesta should be an easy target through binoculars or a telescope this weekend as the bright Moon moves away from the minor planet’s home in southern Ophiuchus. With binoculars, start at magnitude 2.4 Eta (η) Ophiuchi and then drop south one field to magnitude 4.4 Xi (ξ) Oph. This evening, magnitude 6.3 Vesta lies 1.7° southeast of Xi.

Sunday, July 29

The Big Dipper’s familiar shape appears halfway up the northwestern sky as darkness falls. One of the summer sky’s finest binocular double stars marks the bend of the Dipper’s handle. Mizar shines at 2nd magnitude, some six times brighter than its 4th-magnitude companion, Alcor. Even though these two are not physically related, they make a fine sight through binoculars. (People with good eyesight often can split the pair without optical aid.) A small telescope reveals Mizar itself as double — and these components do orbit each other.

Source

Daily Overview Of The Stars & Skies for Tuesday, July 24

Blessed Are The Witches

Daily Overview Of The Stars & Skies for Tuesday, July 24

 

The Moon continues its transit of Sagittarius until 5:50 PM EDT, after which the Moon moves through the sign of Capricorn. Venus opposes Neptune today, and if we’ve been indiscriminate with money, pleasures, and relationships, problems can emerge now. Uncertainty in Venus-ruled areas of life (romance, social life, and finances) can be prominent now. There can be a veil over our eyes, and we can be seduced into believing what we want to believe rather than what really is. This influence arouses romantic and idealistic imagination, and we may be especially put off by anything vulgar or harsh. We need to assess areas of our lives that have become dysfunctional and, in the process, we may need to give up on an unrealistic ideal so that we can make gains. We may be more vulnerable emotionally, and more susceptible to deceit or self-deceit. If possible, it may be best to delay significant decision-making regarding social and romantic involvements, as well as finances, as we are unlikely to be seeing these things clearly.

 

However, as the day advances, we head towards a Sun-Chiron aspect that encourages a holistic approach to problem-solving and points to opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. We’re putting our respect in the right places.

 

The Moon is void from 4:23 AM EDT, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a trine to Mercury), until the Moon enters Capricorn at 5:50 PM EDT.

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Tuesday, July 24

Wiccan Priestess

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Tuesday, July 24

 

The Sun

Sun Direction:↑ 101.21° E

Sun Altitude:47.35°

Sun Distance:94.424 million mi

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

Sunrise Today:5:53 am↑ 64° Northeast

Sunset Today:8:08 pm↑ 296° Northwest

Length of Daylight: 14 hours, 15 minutes

 

The Moon

Moon Direction:↑ 338.10° NNW

Moon Altitude:-72.14°

Moon Distance:250905 mi

Next Full Moon:Jul 27, 20183:20 pm

Next New Moon:Aug 11, 20184:57 am

Next Moonrise: Today 5:51 pm

 

Source

timeandate

A Very Blessed Tuesday Morn’ To All Our Dear Brothers & Sisters of The Craft! May The Goddess Fill Your Life With Abundant Blessings This Glorious Day!

Blessed be

Almighty Mother
Loving and wise
Help us to let go of hatred
And open our hearts to compassion instead.

Let us be patient
With the shortcoming of others
And let us have tolerance
For those who are different.

Help us to remember
That we are all your children
More alike than not
And equally loved in your eyes.

Banish the darkness
And negativity from our thoughts
Wash away prejudice
With the purity of your waters.

Let us love others
Let us love ourselves
As all are loved
By your encompassing spirit.

So Mote It Be