Daily Overview of Your Sky for Thursday, July 12

The Sun opposes Pluto this morning, and this can be a time of releasing something we’ve been holding onto too tightly or giving away our personal power, likely through relationships or events. This can feel uncomfortable or can be disruptive, but leads to greater self-awareness. Outside forces can remind us of our need to take charge of our lives, but shortcuts to gaining control will not work out for us. A tricky or buried issue comes to a head. Matters of power and competition can surface for handling. We may feel on edge, volatile, and/or defensive. There can be an inner drama taking place now, or a feeling that external circumstances are undermining our feeling of powerfulness. We may experience a battle within ourselves between light and dark forces, or we can meet this through others.

Purging and releasing is especially useful with a Solar Eclipse occurring tonight in the Moon-ruled sign of Cancer, and we’re beginning fresh related to domestic issues, family, personal popularity, the public, women’s interests, safety, security, food, support, our past/roots/heritage, and emotional issues. We need to pay particular attention to our instincts, our deepest needs, and our feelings; and to recognize the importance of our family and our personal circle of friends and the security, sense of belonging, and safety we derive from them.

The Moon is void from 10:48 PM EDT, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a conjunction to the Sun), until the Moon enters Leo the next day, Friday, July 13th, at 1:31 PM EDT.

Moon in Cancer

The Moon is traveling through Cancer today. Beware of mood swings. Cook some soul food. Cuddle up with someone.

The restlessness of the Gemini Moon gives way to an instinctive need for peace and quiet. Feelings of belonging and safety are what motivate us under this influence. The Moon feels right at home in the sign of Cancer, as it rules the sign. This Moon position has much healing potential. Although insular by nature, our feelings run deep, making it an ideal time to get in touch with what motivates us.

The Moon in Cancer generally favors the following activities: Domestic activities, those that involve awareness of personal needs. Home decor, family get-togethers.

Astrology of Today – Thursday, July 12

• The Moon is in Cancer.
• The Moon is void from 10:47 PM forward (until tomorrow at 1:30 PM).
• The Moon is waning and in its Waning Crescent phase until 10:47 PM, after which the Moon is waxing and in its New phase.
• The New Moon Solar Eclipse occurs today in the sign of Cancer at 10:47 PM.
• Mercury is in its pre-retrograde shadow (Mercury will be retrograde from July 26-August 19).
• Mars is retrograde (Mars is retrograde from June 26th to August 27th).

Performing a New Moon Ritual

A Time for Planting Anew the Seeds of Your Desires
The new moon is the birthing cycle of the moon’s various phases. It is also an opportune time to attract your heartfelt longings by doing a moon ritual focused on manifestation.

Whereas the cycle of the full moon is a suitable time for purging old ways, the new moon phase is an optimal time for planning and seeding your intentions. Seedlings need a period of gestation before they break through the soil and reach for the sunlight. This is also true for cultivating our ideas and clearing the way for our visions to surface and become our new reality.

The dark side of the moon, with its mysterious unseen forces, offers a nurturing environment where our longings can establish roots. These miraculous manifestations begin to sprout and reach out to the stars as the moon continues its cycle.

Moon Ritual for Birthing Your Wishes and Desires
Prepare for your new moon ritual in advance by setting aside a few minutes each month during the new moon phase to focus on your wishes. This will help give you clarity of mind and fill your heart with promise.

When it comes to setting goals or planning ahead for your future, there is no better time to get started than during the new moon. Intentions and longings stated out loud or written down on paper, hold power, so please take care in considering those things that you truly want. The saying “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.” is a fair warning whenever setting your new moon intentions into motion.

No worries, though, the moon has its phases and so do our individual wants and needs. This is why it is a good practice to rededicate your list of intentions each month when another new moon cycle returns for a visit.

Prepare for a New Moon Manifestation
The moon ritual is something that you can prepare for throughout the month. You might begin by keeping a moon phase calendar on hand to note the upcoming new moon. When the day comes, set aside 20 to 30 minutes or more to do the ritual itself.

Everyone will have a different approach to the new moon ritual and it’s important that you tailor it to meet your needs. Unless you’re part of a ritual group, feel free to include bits and pieces of all the suggestions as you see fit.

Some of the items you might gather include a notebook and pen for writing down your intentions. An assortment of candles is useful as these are magical objects, representing all four elements. Some people also find that meditation music helps them relax and maintain awareness during the ritual. Others find power in adding crystals and stones to an altar.

In addition, incense and smudging herbs will help you cleanse the air and your body before the ritual. Sage is particularly helpful and it has long been used by Native Americans to clear a space of negative energy while inviting positive feelings. Long smudge sticks work very well. You simply light one end and blow out the flame until it has a wonderful glow, then enjoy the perfumed smoke.

You will also want to prepare a sacred space where you will perform the ceremony when the new moon arrives. This can be indoors or out but should be comfortable and free from distractions.

Center Your Being for the Ritual
When the new moon arrives, it is time to set your intentions in motion. Hopefully, you have given some thought to the longings you want to wish for. If not, take a few minutes to contemplate this.

Many people prefer to begin their new moon ritual with a cleansing bath of sea salt and herbs. It is during this time that you can mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming ceremony and finalize your list of intentions.

When you are ready, begin by cleansing your sacred area with an opening prayer or meditation and by burning incense, smudging sage, or both. Light one or more candles. Choose colors that represent your birthing desires: green for prosperity, red for passion, orange for creativity, etc.

Take the time to become grounded in your thoughts. You can do this by visualizing roots extending from your body and all the way down to the core of the Earth. Allow the roots to reach back up through your feet and touch each chakra in your body.

Another word for grounding is centering. Essentially, you will center your being and calm yourself in whatever way is appropriate for you. Take some deep cleansing breaths, play some meditation music or leisurely sip on a cup of relaxing herbal tea.

No matter your approach, the goal is to clear your mind, calm your body, and remain in the moment. The now is all that matters and mindfulness on the ritual before you is your priority.

Setting Your New Moon Intentions in Motion
The first step in giving your new moon intentions momentum is to declare them. This may be done verbally, though many people find it best to write them down. This concretes the wish and gives you something to look at in the coming days and weeks. This list can also morph as your intentions are realized or evolve.

Open your notebook and date the first page. Write down an affirmation statement such as, “I accept these things or something better into my life now for my highest good and for the highest good of all concerned.”

Below this affirmation, begin writing down your desires. Your list may consist of a single item or you may fill several pages. Try not to limit yourself. If having many things in your life helps to fulfill you, then don’t deny yourself these desires.

During the ritual, you can also incorporate symbolic acts and objects that pertain to your biggest dreams. Explore how you might be able to weave the elements, astrological symbols, planets, and symbolic herbs into your ritual.

Some people choose to physically send their desires off into the world. Actions like tying your list to a balloon and releasing it into the sky or burning the list on the end of a stick can be quite powerful.

As the month continues, keep track of your progress. Journal if you like or simply remain mindful of your list of intentions. When the full moon appears, take some sort of action on those big dreams. Even a small step can help and don’t forget to celebrate the minor achievements, either.

Renewal and Manifestation
During the month, when an item on your new moon list comes to you, do not merely cross it off of your list. Take the time to rewrite the list in its entirety and eliminate the manifested item from the listing. Revising your master list in this way allows you to refocus on the intentions you have not realized while re-examining those that remain.

At the same time, add whatever else you have decided you would like. Feel free to reword any of the original phrases to better suit your life as it is now. It is natural that your desires will change as time advances.

A second notebook can be used as a manifestation scrapbook. In it, you can draw, write, or paste pictures of items that you are wanting to manifest. It’s similar to a vision board and should be a fun project to undertake, so enjoy yourself. You will soon be amazed how these things begin to find their way into your life after starting this process.

Rededicate Your New Moon Intentions
Each month, as the new moon returns, be sure to rededicate your intentions by renewing your list at a repeated ritual. This is accomplished by rewriting your list out using a fresh sheet of paper. Disregard any items that no longer feed your soul and add new things which will.

Try not to get in the habit of simply scratching out the items you no longer desire and adding the new stuff to the bottom of your old list. You don’t want the energy of clutter and sloppiness messing up the path meant to deliver new stuff into your life.

Include Minor Longings
It is also helpful to salt and pepper your manifest list with smaller items that will occur quickly. These may be such things as tickets to the ballet, lunch with a friend, or a day at the spa. You may think that smaller things are too trivial to put on your intention list, but these are important as well.​

Things that tend to manifest with less effort still deserve to be written down. Write down everything that you desire, no matter how small or simple. If it is something that makes you happy, write it down.

Manifesting smaller items on our lists creates a steady flow of chi and gives your list a boost. Each manifestation, no matter the significance, creates movement and allows a natural ebb and flow of the tides. We are dealing here with the moon cycles, after all.

Besides, sometimes we forget to appreciate the smaller pleasures in our lives while we wait for the big stuff to come our way. If you only write statements like, “I want to win the lottery” in your notebook, you are limiting yourself by not allowing abundance to flow to you from a multitude of avenues.

Source

Phylameana lila Desy, Author
Published on ThoughtCo.com

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Thursday, July 12

The Sun

Sun Direction: ↑ 95.92° E
Sun Altitude: 45.61°
Sun Distance: 94.499 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2018 8:54 pm (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 5:44 am↑ 61° Northeast
Sunset Today: 8:15 pm↑ 299° Northwest
Length of Daylight: 14 hours, 30 minutes

The Moon

Moon Direction: ↑ 103.56° ESE
Moon Altitude: 50.75°
Moon Distance: 222423 mi
Next New Moon: Jul 12, 20189:47 pm
Next Full Moon: Jul 27, 20183:20 pm
Next Moonset: Today7:59 pm
Current Moon Phase: Near New Moon (Waning Crescent)
Moon’s Illumination: 0.4%

Source

timeanddate

Before Time Was

Before time was, there was The One;
The One was all, and all was The One.
And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One,
all-wise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing.
And space moved.
The One moulded energy into twin forms,
equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God
from The One and of The One.
The Goddess and God stretched and gave thanks to The One,
but darkness surrounded them.

They were alone, solitary save for The One.
So They formed energy into gasses into suns and planets and moons; They sprinkled the universe with whirling globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God.
Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns.
And the Goddess and God, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved,
and were one.

From their union sprang the seeds of all life, and of the human race,
so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.
The Goddess chose the Moon as Her symbol,
and the God the Sun as His symbol,
to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their fashioners.

All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath the Sun and Moon;
all things come to pass there-under,
and all occurs with the blessings of The One,
as has been the way of existence before time was.

—A creation myth by Scott Cunningham

If You Were Born Today, July 11

You are a seeker, and both a dreamer and an achiever. Some might call you an overachiever, as there is a bit of a perfectionist in you. While you do need security and comfort, your desires tend to stretch beyond the routine and mundane. You have strong morals and standards for yourself, and you work hard for what you have. Things are not simply handed to you, and you know this instinctively and push all the harder. You possess much creative intelligence and stand out as unique. Famous people born today: John Quincy Adams, E. B. White, Yul Brynner, Michael Rosenbaum, Rachael Taylor, Lisa Rinna.

Your Birthday Year Forecast:

Pluto opposes your Sun until November 2018, and there continue to be some blocks and frustrations when it comes to going after what you want during this period. Pushing too hard to get your way can backfire. Avoid taking extreme measures to make things happen your way, and avoid people who might be doing same. Deliberately trying to maneuver things in order to get the upper hand will be a lesson in frustration. It’s important to avoid power games with others which can be all too easy to become a part of this year. Look for healthy ways to release frustrations.

There can be a stronger tendency toward, or desire for, commitment and deep involvement in your relationships during this period. You may be taking love and/or friendship more seriously. There can be a willingness to make sacrifices if it seems the best way to make improvements in relationships and with money matters. You can be quite particular in your tastes, and better than usual with money and savings.

At the same time, you’re welcoming more spontaneity into your personal relationships, or at least some of them. You’re in excellent shape for social meetings and events as well as for situations that call for treating others with equality and respect. You are more courageous on a social level, and happily embrace the new, unusual, and out-of-the-ordinary with regards to romantic involvements as well as financial undertakings.

This could be a good year for financial endeavors involving electronics, technology, the internet, metaphysics, and the arts, as well as group activities. Circumstances may be such that you handle money more carefully this year.

You have a taste for the offbeat this year, and romance or friendship can enter your life unexpectedly, perhaps in a scenario that at least feels like love at first sight.

With certain relationships, you’re finding ways to make progressive or unconventional set-ups work, or injecting more excitement and fun into steady connections.

However, you may not always have follow-through when it comes to your projects as you may be experimenting with new ideas and hobbies. Watch for wasting too much time on new ideas if it comes at the expense of productivity. Ups and downs may lead to new commitments nevertheless.

If there are health issues this year, look for blockages or constrictions since Saturn is involved with the Node.

Idealistic and humanitarian goals or impulses surface this year. Making connections with others from different backgrounds may figure strongly. Widening your mind through unusual or different experiences can be part of the picture. You more easily make personal sacrifices for what you believe to be the greater good this year.

Saturn forms an opposition to your Sun from March to November 2019. Saturn calls upon you to identify the weaker areas of your life and to fix or strengthen them. Take the time to sort out details, improve your work, and become more efficient this month. Taking a slow and steady approach to life is necessary during this period. Pushing too hard will likely lead to frustration and setbacks. Take it easy and work on self-improvement. Results are not immediate, but will eventually come and bring healthy rewards. Relationships may be (or seem) more challenging than usual while Saturn opposes your Sun. Fortunately, this is a quick pass transit, lasting only a month or so instead of the usual several months.

However, Neptune transits in harmony with your Sun from June 2019 forward, enhancing your creativity. A higher purpose to your life is what you seek during this period, and you rely more heavily upon your intuition in order to achieve it. You could find that your intuition is subtly enhanced and that you’re often in the right place at the right time, probably because your hunches are more likely to be correct. You tune into your imaginative and artistic side. This is a good year for self-improvement programs or efforts. The need to “get away from it all” to find some peace and quiet now and again will be strong. A more sensitive – even mysterious -persona is projected this year, and this can attract pleasantly unusual circumstances (and people) into your life.

You’re inclined to rock the boat this year so that you can break free from a limiting situation, but be mindful when/if making sweeping changes. With work, you’re expanding your interests in satisfying ways. Do watch for a tendency to communicate impulsively and to waste too much time on projects that don’t lead to something substantial. There can be increased steadiness and reliability in your social life, however, and some relationships (or a key one) improve happily.

2018 is a Number Two year for you. Ruled by the Moon. This is a year of potential companionship. It is a quiet, gentle, and mostly harmonious year that is generally not as active than other years. Instead, you are more responsive to the needs of others. If you are patient and open yourself up in a gentle manner, you will attract what–and who–you want into your life now. This is an excellent year in which to build and develop for the future. Advice – be patient, be receptive, enjoy the peace, collect, develop, build, and attract.

2019 will be a Number Three year for you. Ruled by Jupiter. This is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time when you find it natural and easy to enjoy life and other people. The focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for adventure than you are in other years. It’s likely to be a rather lighthearted year when opportunities for “play” time are greater than usual. It’s also a favorable year for expressing your creativity. Advice – reach out and connect but avoid scattering your energies.