Day: May 8, 2019

2019 FULL MOON AND NEW MOON CALENDAR

January » New Moon
Jan 6, 2019
01:28 UTC		 Full Moon
Jan 21, 2019
05:16 UTC
Lunar Eclipse Times>		 MORE >
February » New Moon
Feb 4, 2019
21:03 UTC		 Full Moon
Feb 19, 2019
15:53 UTC		 MORE >
March » New Moon
Mar 6, 2019
16:04 UTC		 Full Moon
Mar 21, 2019
01:42 UTC		 MORE >
April » New Moon
Apr 5, 2019
08:50 UTC		 Full Moon
Apr 19, 2019
11:12 UTC		 MORE >
May » New Moon
May 4, 2019
22:45 UTC		 Full Moon
May 18, 2019
21:11 UTC		 MORE >
June » New Moon
Jun 3, 2019
10:01 UTC		 Full Moon
Jun 17, 2019
08:30 UTC		 MORE >
July » New Moon
Jul 2, 2019
19:16 UTC		 Full Moon
Jul 16, 2019
21:38 UTC		 MORE >
August » New Moon
Aug 1, 2019
03:12 UTC		 Full Moon
Aug 15, 2019
12:29 UTC		 MORE >
September » Full Moon
Sep 14, 2019
04:33 UTC		 New Moon
Sep 28, 2019
18:26 UTC		 MORE >
October » Full Moon
Oct 13, 2019
21:08 UTC		 New Moon
Oct 28, 2019
03:38 UTC		 MORE >
November » Full Moon
Nov 12, 2019
13:34 UTC		 New Moon
Nov 26, 2019
15:05 UTC		 MORE >
December » Full Moon
Dec 12, 2019
05:12 UTC		 New Moon
Dec 26, 2019
05:13 UTC

WHAT MAKES THE MOON FULL?

Since the time of our earliest ancestors, mankind has used the motions of the heavenly bodies to mark time and keep the seasons. The annual movement of the Sun being perhaps the most important as relating to seasons for harvest, planting, and the long dark nights of Winter. The Moon however has played no less a role to our time keeping efforts, and the word “month” is even derived from the word for Moon, with a month being the time period between one New Moon and the next.

What is a New Moon? From the standpoint of an observer on Earth, the moon goes through a very predictable periodic cycle. Each day, the moon appears to change shape! For a short time the moon is dark and cannot be seen, we call this “New Moon” and it is both the birth and death of the lunar cycle. Starting as a tiny sliver of light at first, it grows (waxes) daily as more and more of the moon becomes brighter until finally, the moon is fully lit and appears as a great round orb shining down. This is called Full Moon, and many cultures around the world have names for the Full Moons that occur throughout the year, such as Harvest Moon, or the Cold Moon. After the Moon is full, it begins to wane each day as the bright round moon is reduced again to a tiny sliver of light and finally to disappear to begin the cycle all over again.

What physically causes what we observe in the sky with our own eyes? Consider the pattern of the lunar phases in relation to the Sun. As the moon moves further from the Sun in our sky, it grows more and more full. As the moon moves closer to our Sun, it wanes and darkens. We’ve known since at least the ancient Greeks what was going on here. The moon is round, like a giant ball and it revolves around the earth. Sunlight from the Sun is what is lighting up the Moon. Vampires beware, moonlight is nothing more than reflected sunlight! New Moon when the moon is dark occurs when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, and we see the dark side of the moon (that’s right, the dark side is not the far side, it’s just the side opposite from the Sun). As the Moon slides away from the Sun in our sky, we see the thin crescent, the edges of the great ball that is the moon being illuminated by sunlight hitting it from the edges. The moon waxes through the gibbous phases until the moon is on the other side of the earth, directly opposite from the Sun. As it moves in its orbit there is a moment in time when the Moon is directly opposite the Sun and is fully illuminated from our point of view on earth. This moment is Full Moon.

Now, the Moon continues around and approaches the Sun from the other side, and begins to wane in brightness as less and less of the Moon from our vantage point receives light from the Sun. The gibbous and crescent phases decline from the opposite side of the Moon from where they were growing as we approached New Moon because now, like on a merry-go-round, the Moon approaches the Sun from the opposite side from which it left. The Moon’s orbit, or path around the Earth is not fixed, but wobbles as well. Sometimes the Full Moon will pass directly into the shadow of the Earth and we observe this as a Lunar Eclipse. Everyone on Earth who can see the Moon can see a Lunar Eclipse when it occurs because the Moon is physically in the shadow of the Earth and not receiving any light. A Solar Eclipse on the other hand can only occur during New Moon and this happens on occasion when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun on its orbit. The Moon is small, and so the shadow from the Moon cannot cover the entire Earth and instead creates a shadow that races across the globe at supersonic speeds as the Moon passes by.

Astronomers can calculate the exact times of the New and Full Moon to great accuracy, and you can find these times in most almanacs. The orbit of the Moon as well as our path around the Sun are quite well understood. It takes the moon about 27.32 days to completely orbit the Earth, yet the Lunar Cycle is about 29.53 days long. Why the difference? Because both the Earth and Moon are also traveling around the Sun and the extra time for the lunar cycle is “catch up” time for the Moon to get into the same relative position to the Sun as we move around in our great circle.

Both New and Full Moon are very specific instances of time when the Moon is at a specific location in its orbit around the Earth. This moment in time doesn’t care what time zone anyone on Earth is located in either! Astronomers use a standard called Universal Coordinated Time, which is the time at Greenwich England. Everyone else on earth is in a time zone that is some offset from this coordinated time. On the East Coast of the United States for example, the time zone is 5 hours earlier (or 4 hours during Daylight Savings Time) than it is in Greenwich while people living in California are another 3 hours displaced for their local time. This makes civil life make more sense as sunset is “about” 5 O’clock for everyone because the time zones flow all the way around the Earth, and this keeps the Sun ins “about” the same place for everyone during their same times of day. Have you ever seen a television show advertised to come on at 8pm Eastern, but 7pm Central? Time zones at work, the broadcast is at the same time for everyone, but their local time zones, or offsets from Greenwich are different. This is why New Moon might be at 1am for someone on the East coast, but at 10pm the previous day for someone on the West coast. It’s the same moment in time, but because of civil time zones (and our round Earth), our local clocks are different.

MoonGiant.com

Moon Phase Calendar Wednesday – 8th May 2019

Current Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent

Moon Currently In The Sign of Cancer

Moon in Cancer:
Your feeling of safety is now related to your home, family and related activities such as cooking and gardening. You may be prone to emotional fluctuations; you should learn to forgive and forget in order to avoid depression from thinking too much about things. Your perception of the world can be very subjective; try to create a certain distance without being bitter. Due to your rich emotional manifestation you can create a real sense of belonging in the world.
Organs influenced by Cancer Moon Sign:
Organs: Stomach, mucosa, ovary, womb, vagina, breast, pleura, peritoneum, lymph system, breastbone.

These organs are now more sensitive so provide them with extra care.

Surgical operations:
Surgical operations are not recommended during the Waxing Moon.

The Current Moon Phase for Wednesday, May 8th

Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 14%

The Moon today is in a Waxing Crescent Phase. A Waxing Crescent is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the wester sky after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.

The Daily Cosmic Calendar for May 8

Home and family themes are highlighted once the moon leaves void status in Gemini and arrives on the scene in watery Cancer (2:07 a.m.). While a tense, 45-degree contact between Mercury and often-chaos-bringer Neptune (4:42 a.m.) reminds you to be on your toes across the board, revelations abound as Mercury joins forces with electrifying Uranus at 4 degrees of Taurus (7:24 a.m.). Not only is this conjunction the annual meeting of these two potent celestial bodies, but they are simultaneously energizing the discovery degree in 1977 of wounded-healer and rainbow bridge-builder Chiron.

Don’t be surprised if a wave of nostalgia washes over you with the moon activating the fourth sign of the zodiac. Cooking, baking, and considering redecorating schemes for a favorite room in your residence are in the spotlight. Try your hand at writing rhyme poetry, haiku or limericks as the sun forms a supportive, 60-degree rapport with Neptune (7:53 p.m.)—which also helps to neutralize some of the earlier confusion that the Mercury-Neptune aspect may have set in motion.

[Note to readers: All times are 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

A SPELL FOR HECATE’S WISDOM

Madre wicca

This is a spell which uses an incantation to Hecate, the goddess of the Crossroads. She therefore can assist in the making of important decisions, which is why she is approached in this instance.

Her sacred day is Friday, so that would be the best day to perform this spell.

YOU WILL NEED

INCENSE SPECIFIC TO HECATE MADE UP OF:

  • 3 parts sandalwood
  • 2 parts cypress
  • 1 part spearmint

SMALL BOWL CONTAINING HONEY

 

METHOD

  • Light your incense.
  • Contemplate your decision. If necessary write down all the options.
  • Stand with your arms in the Goddess position (arms crossed) to acknowledge the presence.

Read the incantation below aloud and let the energy of it flow through you.

 

All powerful Hecate,

goddess of victory

Bestower of good fortune

and infinite wealth

Hear my prayer, that I send

through this sweet smelling smoke

 

Wise Watcher of the crossroads

and the forking alleyways

Of sailors, and travellers

and all journeying folk Hear me now as I too

Humbly make my approach.

 

Raise the bowl of honey and say:

 

Accept this offering of fresh clear honey

As sweet and as pure

as your fine beauty Bestow divine light

Bring me clarity

Hear my prayer now

As I choose which road.

 

Put the honey bowl down.

Raise your arms again in acknowledgement of Hecate.

Lower your arms.

Sit down quietly knowing that the answer will come to you and you will know which decision to make.

 

You may not receive an answer immediately, but rest assured that one will come. Hecate has become known as one of the Goddesses who works at night, so you may find you receive an answer through dreams.

 

Hecate – The Distant One

HECATE
Greek goddess of the three paths, guardian households, protector of everything newly born, and the goddess of witchcraft

Once a widely revered and influential goddess. Sadly the reputation of Hecate has been changed over the centuries. In current times, she is usually depicted as an ugly hag.  In reality nothing could be further from the truth. Hecate is a beautiful and powerful goddess.  Hecate was given the power of giving anything she wished (or withholding if it pleased her).

Classified as a “Moon Goddess”,  she ruled 3 kingdoms . . . the earth, sea, and sky. She was also considered the protector of shepherds and sailors.

It is said that Hecate was a “virgin” because of her unwillingness to give up solitude and her independent nature for the sake of marriage.

Walking, traveling at night or visiting cemeteries during the dark phase of the moon, the Moon Goddess Hecate was described as shining or luminous.  Some tales say she is invisible or simply a quick glimpse of light…maybe it’s because she always carried a torch to light her way.

Hecate and her sacred dogs were said to have three heads so that they could see in all directions.  Usually pictured as a beautiful woman having three human heads, on occasion she was pictured with one snake head, one horse, and the third a boar’s head.  Other opinions are that the three heads gave her the ability to see the past, present, and future.  It is said that Hecate was often accompanied on her travels by an owl, a symbol of wisdom.

Hecate also played an ongoing important role in the life of Persephone (Hades wife), becoming her confidante when she was in the Underworld. Hades, because he was thankful for their friendship,had the effect of promoting her reputation as a spirit of black magic with the power to conjure up dreams, prophecies, and phantoms.

It not surprising that a woman who needed to make a trip alone at night would say a short prayer to Hecate for protection.

Known as a protector of women, especially during childbirth. Not only was Hecate called upon to ease the pains and progress of a woman’s labor, but especially to protect and restore the health and growth of a child.

Hecate played a role that, in contemporary times, we would describe as “hospice nurse”, helping the elderly make a smooth, painless transition into the next life even staying with them if need be.  She also helped in the otherworld to prepare them for their return to the earth in their next life.  Familiar with the process of death and dying as well as that of new birth and new life, the goddess Hecate was wise in all of earth’s mysteries.

The Greek Goddess Hecate reminds us of the importance of change, helping us to release the past, especially those things that are slowing our growth, to accept change and move comfortably into transitions. She sometimes asks us to let go of what is familiar, safe, and secure and to travel to the uncomfortable places of the soul.  Changes of any kind no matter if they are spiritual or mundane, aren’t easy. But Hecate is there to support and show you the way.

She gives you the needed tools to see what’s been forgotten, lost or even hidden, and helps you set your feet upon your path. At times she “shines her torch” to guide you while you are dreaming or meditating.
Hecate teaches us to be just and to be tolerant of those who are different or less fortunate, yet she is hardly a “bleeding heart”, for Hecate dispenses justice “blindly” and equally.

Whether the Greek goddess Hecate visits us in waking hours or only while we sleep, she can lead us to see things differently (ourselves included) and help us find greater understanding of our selves and others.

Although her name may mean “The Distant One”, Hecate is always close at hand in times of need, helping us to release the old, familiar ways and find our way through new beginnings.

 

Invocation To The Queen Of The Witches

Hecate
Goddess of the cross-roads,
Goddess of Manic-Depression,
Dweller in the deep places of the earth and mind,
Traveller in the land between worlds!
Torch-bearer! Protectress of the very old and the very young;
Protectress of those used and abused;
Healer of those who are torn apart;
She will be there for us when we call on her and at the end.
Grandmother to lost children and to the downtrodden.
Nurse to the suckling infant,
Comfort to the lone man or woman in the darkest night.
She who seeks vengeance for her children who are wronged!
Wanderer and prowler!
Sorceress who lives at the edge of the mind.
Drawer-up of the secret compost from the unused internal well.
She who has no relatives on the earth save for her children.
Without Mother or Sister.
Lady on the brink, both bi-polar and uni-polar!
They call her mad, and it is she who terrifies the disbeliever and the
unworthy!
Bringer of nightmares!
But she it is who sooths the sleepless and disheveled spirit.
Mother of night!
Dark Power of the moon!
Keeper of the shadow!
Walker of the endless highways!
She unites those who follow her as her children; the Hekite.
Bearer of the sacred poppy.
Shape-shifter, Transformer.
Keeper of the hounds of Hel and the three-headed dog Cerebus!
She walks abroad in the hour of the wolf and under the Dark Moon!
Hear my call O Lady and cover us with your starry cloak.
Let the unborn moon seed in my heart this night.
And let her growing light shine upon our intention;
That she be at our full deliverance,
So Mote it be!

Erhard Hans Josef Lang

 

Who Is Hecate?

DIOSAS WICCA
Who Is Hecate?

Hecate is a Pre-Olympian Triple Goddess. Some sources say that Hecate’s parents were the Star Goddess Asteria, as her Mother and Her Father was a Titan named Perses. She in Her self is a Maiden, a Mother and a Crone. Changing ages and/or form at will.

In Greek literature, Hecate was often portrayed in Her Maiden aspect. For example, in the Traid of Hecate, Persephone and Demeter, the break down is thus:

Hecate is the Maiden, Persephone is the Bride and Demeter is the Mother. This thought differs from the mainstream modern perception of Hecate, as just a Crone.

Zeus himself honored Hecate above all other Goddesses. He bestowed unto Her a portion of the Earth and of the Sea, for Her ruling. Hecate also had the privilege of heaven. Zeus also called upon Her for her assistance, in helping Demeter to get Her daughter back from Hades and out of the Underworld. Of course Hecate was successful in this endeavor.

Hecate is not just an Underworld Goddess. Although She makes Her home there, it is by Her choice, as she could reside in the Heavens, within or on the Earth or the Sea if She so chooses.

Hecate is the Queen of the Dead, who guides souls of women that have passed out of this life, into the Underworld, to rest and prepare for their next incarnation.(Hermes is the guide for men.) This is a very important aspect of Hecate; without Her, souls would be wandering aimlessly. It is Her torch and the light it shines that calls the passed souls unto Her. For those who don’t see it, or are too confused, Hecate then goes to find them. Often wandering Graveyards, places of violent crimes or areas of intense trauma, in order to assist them. (This is also, it seems, a common trait of the followers of Hecate, who also seek to assist misguided souls find Hecate’s light!)

Hecate has many symbols. Some of the most common are the following: Crossroads, Keys, Torches, Entrence ways, Gate ways, Black Dogs or Hounds, Black ewe lambs, Cauldron, Snakes, All phases of the Moon, the Sea and Graveyards. There are many more.

Hecate has control over Birth, Life, Death and Re-birth. All major Rites of Passage, Hecate is there. Hecate has control over all the powers of nature and the secrets it contains. Hecate is a protectress, of Her followers, sailors and those in travel. Zeus made her a nurse to the young,(A child’s nurse) so she also protects new life. It makes sence that Hecate would take part in the Re-birth of the newly incarnate soul.

The structure of the worship of Hecate tends to be sketchy at best. What is known is Her followers would place a statue of Hecate at the Crossroads. They would leave offerings to Her, with their petition of need said at such a place, turning and leaving without looking back, in fear of encountering Hecate in person. The offerings consisted of Black dogs/hounds, Black ewe lambs, which where sacrificed in her honor. Often her followers would place either at the Crossroads or out before their dwellings, the offering called HECATE’S SUPPER. There are many variations of Hecate’s Supper, but the commen thread seems to be Honey and Mushrooms.

Some of the Herbs associated with Hecate are:

Aconite, Belladonna, Root of the Dandilion, Yew, Willow. Also Hemlock, Cyclamen, Garlic, Mandrake, Mint, Palm Date, Oak and Cypress. There are more which I could add, but you will find many more from Hecate herself if you spend any amount of time with Her.

DAYS OF IMPORTANCE FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW HECATE!

November 16, The Night of Hecate:

In Greece, this festival begins at sunset. Hecate Supper’s and Amimal sacrifices were often preformed on this night. Those who follow Hecate were often Initiated into Hecate’s mysteries on this night. In modern time, new Witches who follow Her often choose this day to be Initiated. This day is to us who follow Her, Sacred.

It is said that on this night Hecate would wander the Earth with Her pack of hounds or other familiars, blessing those followers who left Hecate her supper.

November 30: DAY OF HECATE AT THE CROSSROADS

Again in Greece, Hecate was honored on this day. For this aspect.

August 13: CELEBRATION OF HECATE OF THE MOON

In Greece, on this night Hecate was called on for protection from crop devastating storms. (Hecate has also been known to show Her fury and wrath by causing such storms, so this celebration is more then likely for Hecate’s pleasure and for Her Blessing!)

Hail & Well Met, It Is Wednesday, April 8th

Purple Goth..

Morning Chant To The Queen of the Witches,

Hecate

(This is a short chant to say at dusk and dawn, calling the protection of Hecate, the ancient goddess of crossroads. Taking a moment to chant these words can help us to ground, and give us a way to recognize this daily cycle of rebirth and transformation in our lives. It also helps to enforce our connection with Hecate.)


At the gate of dawn I stand,
Hecate, on the other hand,
Guard me with your magic power,
Guide me through the crossroads hour
From the beauty of the night
To the glory of the light.

And/Or

At the gate of dusk I stand,
Hecate, on the other hand,
Guard me with your magic power.
Guide me through the crossroads hour,
From the glory of the light,
To the beauty of the night.