Month: October 2021

October 31 Today In History

Important Events

1517 Martin Luther sends his 95 Theses to Albrecht von Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, precipitating The Protestant Reformation

1541 Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes painting “The Last Judgement” in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

1876 Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 ravages British India (Modern-day Bangladesh), over 200,000 killed

1918 Spanish Flu kills 21,000 people in the US in a single week

2011 The world population reaches 7 billion inhabitants according to the United Nations

Today’s Historical Events

1949 WOC (now KWQC) TV channel 6 in Davenport, IA (NBC) 1st broadcast

1953 TV broadcasting begins in Belgium

1954 KREM TV channel 2 in Spokane, WA (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1887 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral work “Capriccio Espagnol” premieres in St Petersburg

1949 “Regina” opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 86 performances

1957 “Jamaica” opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 558 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1888 Scottish vet John Boyd Dunlop patents pneumatic bicycle tyre

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Important Events

  • 1876 Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 ravages British India (Modern-day Bangladesh), over 200,000 killed
  • 1918 Spanish Flu kills 21,000 people in the US in a single week
  • 2011 The world population reaches 7 billion inhabitants according to the United Nations

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Dark Matter in a Simulated Universe

Illustration Credit & Copyright: Tom Abel & Ralf Kaehler (KIPAC, SLAC), AMNHExplanation: Is our universe haunted? It might look that way on this dark matter map. The gravity of unseen dark matter is the leading explanation for why galaxies rotate so fast, why galaxies orbit clusters so fast, why gravitational lenses so strongly deflect light, and why visible matter is distributed as it is both in the local universe and on the cosmic microwave background. The featured image from the American Museum of Natural History‘s Hayden Planetarium Space Show Dark Universe highlights one example of how pervasive dark matter might haunt our universe. In this frame from a detailed computer simulation, complex filaments of dark matter, shown in black, are strewn about the universe like spider webs, while the relatively rare clumps of familiar baryonic matter are colored orange. These simulations are good statistical matches to astronomical observations. In what is perhaps a scarier turn of events, dark matter — although quite strange and in an unknown form — is no longer thought to be the strangest source of gravity in the universe. That honor now falls to dark energy, a more uniform source of repulsive gravity that seems to now dominate the expansion of the entire universe.

Not only Halloween: Today is Dark Matter Day.

October 31 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this part of the Moon cycle, the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

Visit the October 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on October 31 has an illumination of 24%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On October 31 the Moon is 24.73 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 24%
Moon Age: 24.73 days
Moon Angle: 0.52
Moon Distance: 383,592.20 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 148,480,047.96 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

31 October 2021
01:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CET
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:08 Scorpio 19
Moon:10 Virgo 25
Mercury:21 Libra 43
Venus:25 Sagittarius 15
Mars:00 Scorpio 38
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 38
Saturn:07 Aquarius 14
Uranus:12 Taurus 58 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 40 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 56 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 47 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 39
Chiron:09 Aries 28 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 30 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 15 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 16
Vesta:21 Scorpio 23
Eris:24 Aries 06 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

See the source image

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Denver, Colorado, USA

October 31, 2021
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM MT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:08 Scorpio 44
Moon:16 Virgo 03
Mercury:22 Libra 20
Venus:25 Sagittarius 39
Mars:00 Scorpio 55
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 39
Saturn:07 Aquarius 15
Uranus:12 Taurus 57 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 40 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 55 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 46 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 42
Chiron:09 Aries 27 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 26 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 14 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 24
Vesta:21 Scorpio 36
Eris:24 Aries 05 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9
See the source image

Weekly Horoscope Sunday, October 31 to Saturday, November 6, 2021

Click here for Georgia Nicols’ Daily Horoscopes

All Signs

Every month, we have a New Moon, which is when the Sun and the Moon are lined up exactly in the same sign. It’s good to know about the New Moon because it’s the perfect time for beginnings and planting new seeds. This week, the New Moon peaks on Thursday, and is immediately followed by an electrifying zap from Uranus. Pow! (It will most strongly affect those born in the first week of May, Aug., Nov and Feb.) But for all of us, this is an opportunity for a fresh start and a chance to set new goals and make resolutions. So, heads up! Are you ready? I know I am. (Just today my partner and I were laughing about how competitive we are. I laughed more than he did, though.)

Aries (March 21-April 19)

For Aries, the New Moon this week takes place in the part of your chart that concerns how you share your wealth with others. This includes shared property, jointly-held items, shared debt (with banks and credit card companies), inheritances; plus, it includes shared responsibilities for others as well. A pretty big umbrella! The New Moon on Thursday is a great chance for you to think about how to reduce your debt and how to best handle your financial agreements with others, particularly partners. Something unusual might suddenly occur for you. Hopefully, a solution? Perhaps a better approach to something? Maybe something needs your attention? This is an unusual opportunity. Each New Moon is your chance to make new resolutions.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

The New Moon this week is the only New Moon all year that is directly opposite your sign. This polarized position will give you an opportunity to see how you can improve your closest partnerships and relationships. (It will be strongest for those born April 27 – May 8.) Even though the New Moon that is opposite your sign occurs only once a year, this one is unusual because it will be energized by unpredictable Uranus. This means you might have a sudden idea about how you can improve your relationship? Or something sudden and unexpected might prompt you to see how to make a change? Be open and receptive to whatever might occur because it can benefit you. Where and how can you make a new beginning?

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Something interesting and unexpected might jiggle your world this week, especially midweek when the New Moon occurs. As a result of whatever this is, you might suddenly decide you have to take a serious look at taking care of your health. You might get on self-help kick and want to turn over a new leaf. You want to do whatever will benefit you. Perhaps this same influence will cause you to look at your job, and the way you do your work? You might decide to work in a better way that is more efficient and productive? For some, this could be something unexpected that impacts a pet? Whatever happens, you will be resolved to make improvements in one of these areas this week. “Scout’s honour.”

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Unexpected challenges and surprises from unpredictable Uranus will occur midweek. (Parents take note: This is an accident-prone influence for your kids. Be extra vigilant and make sure your kids are safe. Be aware of potential hazards for toddlers.) Social plans might suddenly change this week. Something might be cancelled or alternatively, something new might blossom? Sports will hold surprises and potential accidents. On the upside, you might get a fun invitation or an opportunity in the entertainment world or the arts? Something unexpected might please you! Romance might surprise. This could mean love at first sight, an exciting new relationship, or instead it could be a sudden breakup. Who knows? It’s a crapshoot.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Expect a few curveballs to impact home and family this week. Something unexpected will surprise you or upset your home routine. This could relate to a parent or a family member. Someone might suddenly move out or move in. A domestic squabble might upset the family harmony. Increased chaos and activity are taking place at home now. Nevertheless, this week something unexpected will occur. It could also relate to real-estate deals suddenly changing, or surprise news about a family member. The upshot is that this week, you have a chance to make new beginnings and resolutions about your home and family. Ideas?

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Heads up, dear Virgo because this week will hold some surprises for you. For starters, there’s a strong accident-prone influence present. Therefore, pay attention to everything you say and do. Slow down and take it easy. Be vigilant; be mindful. You can definitely expect to meet new faces and see new places because almost certainly, your daily routine will change. In fact, your everyday world will have surprising challenges, opportunities and detours. However, you have some clever, original ideas! You might have an unexpected chance to take a course or get further training. You might also have surprising news from a relative or neighbour. “He did whaat? They both did?”

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Everyone is encountering some surprises this week. For your sign, the surprise could impact your salary, cash flow, earnings or something that you own. Therefore, be vigilant. For example, you might find money; you might lose money. Be smart and protect your belongings against theft, damage or loss. On the upside, you might get a financial windfall? (Admittedly, it could be the reverse.) This surprising influence might be mild — perhaps you will make an unusual purchase that delights you? You might get a different job or figure out a new way to make money. This is a fortunate time for you so whatever happens is nothing you can’t handle. Fingers crossed!

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Expect a surprise this week because the Sun, the New Moon and fiery Mars are all in your sign, and midweek, this bundle of energy receives a powerful electric charge from Uranus. Something surprising or unusual will almost certainly happen. This could relate to a close relationship. Or instead, it might relate to you personally. It might mean a sudden change in your environment. One possibility is an unexpected accident. Therefore, be careful. Pay attention to everything you say and do. Guard against rash actions and knee-jerk reactions. On the upside, this could be when you finally have the courage to make a break for your own personal freedom. “I’m outta here!”

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

It’s fortunate Venus is in your sign now because it makes you charming and diplomatic. (This is a wonderful cover in case you are personally bewildered about something. You’re the only one who will know.) Venus also promotes good times with friends; and it ranks pleasure above work. Meanwhile, a hidden, unexpected surprise will catch you off guard this week. Because it will take place in a hidden part of your chart, others might not know but you will. Caution against accident-prone behaviour. Think twice before you react to surprising news. Stay cool. (You always do.)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Stay on your toes this week because you will encounter a surprise from a friend or a member of a group. You might be asked to leave a group. You might be asked to join a group. Whatever happens, it will introduce a change in your life and possibly, a change to your future goals. This could be major. On the other hand (you have different rings), it could be a minor tiff with a friend. People are a bit hotheaded now; and you might be in competition with someone? This could lead to an argument. Remember – you value your public reputation. Therefore, don’t do anything that you will regret later. Possibly, this relates to secret love affair? (Hmmm.)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

This is not a typical week. Not by a longshot. At the very top of your chart, sits the Sun, the New Moon and fiery Mars. Then midweek, this handful of energy is challenged by your ruler wild, wacky Uranus. For some of you, this could mean that you will take a sudden stand and fight for your own independence. You might rebel against bosses, parents and authority figures. You might decide to strike out on your own? It could be as minor as an argument with a parent or a boss. It could be as major as changing your life direction? Fortunately, Venus will help you to be diplomatic with friends, who in turn, will be supportive to you. No one, more than you, values their friends.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Big changes are occurring; and the upshot of it all is that you have a thrilling sense of freedom. Oh yes, you’re out there flying your colours! This might bring a sudden opportunity to travel for some of you. It might also mean a chance to explore avenues in publishing, the media, the law, medicine or anything to do with higher education. This could also indicate a sudden split or quarrel about philosophical, political, racial or religious ideas. You might have the leading role in Gunfight at the OK Corral! (Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday?) The good news is that Venus, at the top of your chart, guarantees warm support from authority figures in your life. Big changes are taking place – but you are protected.

Samhain

From History.com

CONTENTS

  1. Ancient Samhain
  2. Samhain Monsters
  3. Myths of Samhain
  4. Samhain in the Middle Ages
  5. Dumb Supper
  6. Christian Samhain
  7. Samhain Merges With Halloween
  8. Wicca and Samhain
  9. Celtic Reconstructionists
  10. Sources

Samhain is a pagan religious festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition. In modern times, Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”) is usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.” Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and denizens of the Otherworld.

READ MORE: Halloween: Traditions, Rituals, Origins

Ancient Samhain

Ancient Celts marked Samhain as the most significant of the four quarterly fire festivals, taking place at the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. During this time of year, hearth fires in family homes were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered.

After the harvest work was complete, celebrants joined with Druid priests…

Samhain Celebration Guide

To read more about celebrating Samhain please click on this link

From Plentiful Earth – Northern and Southern Hemispheres Samhain

MAGICKAL 🍂SAMHAIN

By: Forest🐾Devi✨ (Novice in the Heart’s Spirit Coven)


Voices from the spirit world whisper in the wind.

Tonight two worlds come ever closer the curtain waivers thin.

Hear the crackle of the flames burning in the hearth, while loved ones in the Summerlands 

Return to walk the earth.

We welcome in the new year, a time to shed our skin.

With gratitude for lessons learned the future ushers in.

As entities from other worlds come feast with us again.

All commenced in celebration of MAGICKAL Samhain

October 31 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Southern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this part of the Moon cycle, the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

Visit the October 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on October 31 has an illumination of 24%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On October 31 the Moon is 24.73 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 24%
Moon Age: 24.73 days
Moon Angle: 0.52
Moon Distance: 383,592.20 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 148,480,047.96 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Southeastern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 

31 October 2021
06:00 am GMT 5:00 PM AEDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:08 Scorpio 02
Moon:06 Virgo 31
Mercury:21 Libra 18
Venus:24 Sagittarius 57
Mars:00 Scorpio 26
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 37
Saturn:07 Aquarius 13
Uranus:12 Taurus 59 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 40 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28

True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 57 Rx

Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 48 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 37
Chiron:09 Aries 28 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 32 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 16 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 10
Vesta:21 Scorpio 14
Eris:24 Aries 06 Rx

Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

Southwestern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America

31 October 2021
08:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:08 Scorpio 37
Moon:14 Virgo 21
Mercury:22 Libra 09
Venus:25 Sagittarius 32
Mars:00 Scorpio 50
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 38
Saturn:07 Aquarius 14
Uranus:12 Taurus 57 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 40 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 55 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 46 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 41
Chiron:09 Aries 27 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 27 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 14 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 21
Vesta:21 Scorpio 32
Eris:24 Aries 05 Rx
Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

Sweet Beltane

Image result for beltane southern hemisphere
By Fawn Devi
Swirling around the maypole
Dancing to the drums
Celebrating sweet Beltane
Summer has begun
Mother earth breathes New life
Under the sun aglow
The marriage of the earth and sky
Fertility bestowed
Swirling around the maypole
Flowers in our hair
It’s the Goddess and the green man
& they’re blessed love affair
See the source image

Tales from the Unwavering Witchlett – Part 1

This will be an on going series of a true life story being written a novice in Witches of The Craft School of Witchcraft. Despite her Multiple Sclerosis getting very bad at times she has persevered not only in her studies but by startting to tell her story of her time as a Novice to share with all of you. Fawn health is very bad right now she can use healing energy, and/or candles being lit for her health improve, and/or just you thinking of her being up and around and feeling better.

Now without further ado here in Fawn’s own words, with no editing done by me, is her first part of her on going story:

 

By : Forrest Devi ✨

Merry meet kindred souls, and welcome! If you have tripped across this blog , know that it is not by chance. I believe and innately know nothing happens by chance. Everything has a divine purpose . There are no coincidences in life, only synchronicity‘s guiding us down our path. Here on this blog I will share my story! With it, I hope to inspire your mind, warm your hesrt, and enlighten your spirit.

First let me introduce myself, I am Forest Devi. As long as I can remember i have been drawn out into the woods almost as if enchanted by. I have spent my life rescuing & sometimes raising different orphaned woodland creatures. And I have always had a great fondness for all things furry! Nature is my church where I’ve always found serenity. It has taking me many years and peeling back many layers to discover who I really am.

Which brings us to today, here on Witches of the Craft. It was several years ago and I somehow tripped across WOTC . Intrigued, I signed up to receive their daily posts . Following Lady Abyss who was very passionate about witches of the craft . It wasn’t until after she passed, & Lady Beltane took over that I developed the courage to study here as a novice . This clearly was my path!  Now I am currently knee-deep into my novice course on witchcraft. I feel blessed to be studying under Lady Beltane, whom I hold in very high regard. And filled with gratitude to be handed down her knowledge & tricks of the trade! She’s been by my side every step of the way. And thank goodness! Because If it wasn’t for that WHO would fix my magickal mishaps? let’s face it… The “Oops now what?”😳 is going to happen

Yes! I am still a work in progress. Not only as a witchlett, but also on healing my body! I have multiple sclerosis and that’s what brought me here! It was definitely a catalyst for my awakening . Six years ago my doctor told me bluntly, “you will eventually be bedridden and die from this.” At that point I decided to heal myself. There was no other option …and I wasn’t READY to lay down and die. And so began my spiritual quest! THATS when the magick started to really take place!

So join me , sisters and brothers as I perform what doctors say is the Impossible & reclaim vibrant health! While behind the scenes studying here as a novice on WOTC! I know NOTHING is impossible , the word itself says I’m possible! Plus I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Moral to the story here never give up! So buckle up, & fly with me!
It’s gonna be a bumpy ride… but the destination is WELL WORTH iT! We will talk soon my lovelies.
Blessed be ,
Forest Devi🐈‍⬛✨

Calling Your Ancestors

I am blessed to work with to Archangel Suriel (a.k.a. Sariel), who helps people and other
living things that are stuck on this plain, for whatever reason, to accept their death and get
ready to cross to the Spirit Plane. I also work with Archangel Zlar, who crosses the Spirits from this plain to the
next The Spirit Plain is known by the name The Summerlands to many Witches and Wiccans.

In simpler terms, I am a medium an ability I was honored enough to be born with.I have to keep permanent protection shields up all the time so I can eat, sleep and live life without constantly hearing the voices of Spirits wanting to pass a message on to someone. While I am very grateful for the honor of the Archangels using me for this task; if I leave myself open all the time it can become unbearable to live with.

Many people are born with or are given this “gift” but do not know they have it or choose to ignore it. If someone ignores it just like any other talent not used it will wither and become dormant. If you may think you have this gift it can come to you in many ways. Some of which are: hearing voices, seeing someone/something out of the corner of your eye and when you turn your head no one is there, having consistent dreams of people who have crossed over (died) are the most common signs of this ability. One thing to always remember is if you have this ability that it is the Archangels mentioned above using you to help with their work and it is an honor to have this gift and yes, it can feel like a curse at times also..

This is spell can be used anytime you would like an Ancestor to visit or just on Samhain. I have written it two
different ways, one to invite them anytime you would like them near, and the other for on
Samhain (Pronounced Sow-en. Falls on October 31st when the veil between ours and the
Spirit plain is at its thinnest.).

Many covens set aside a portion of time during their Samhain celebration for members to call their ancestors into the circle to feast and celebrate with them. How this part of the Samhain celebration and ritual is done varies from coven to coven based on how the leader chooses to do it.

I found that I preferred even when I was with a coven that I liked talking and visiting with my ancestors alone. No special reason just personal preference.

What you need:

1 Birthday or short Candle for each Ancestor

A container with sand in it (I use an old metal pie plate)

Hot pad (to set container on to protect surface of what you set pie plate on)

Spell for any time use:

I invite _____ (fill in name of person you wish to contact) to come visit when I light this
candle one.

To visit and return to whence you came when your candle is done.

So mote it be.

Spell for Samhain:

I invite the Spirits I call upon to come to me one by one. (Light 1 candle each time you say
a name and place it in the sand)

Visit and return from whence you came when your candle is done.

So mote it be

After doing the spell spend some time just sitting quietly and thinking of the people you have summoned. They may just want to spend some time with you also and/or have a message for you or someone in your life. Ancestors are not just blood relatives that have crossed over they include anyone in your life that has had some type of impact on it. One of my favorite people to spend time with is an oil painting teacher I had when I was twelve years old. She was a very patient and sweet woman who help me through painting deal with my father’s crossing.

Copyright 2013 Lady Beltane

Sinister Solar System From NASA

Introduction

Our universe is full of mysterious sights, and spine-tingling sounds. Take a journey to the most frightful corners of the cosmos.

Click here for More interesting and fun information about our “Sinister Solar System”

October 30 Today In History

Important Events

1340 Battle of Rio Salado (or Tarifa): King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile defeat Sultan Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada, last Marīnids invasion of Iberian Peninsula

1899 Battle of Ladysmith, Natal: Boers defeat the British, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith

1905 “October Manifesto” Russian Tsar Nicholas II grants civil liberties and accepts the first Duma (Parliament)

1917 British government gives final approval to Balfour Declaration

1973 The Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time

Today’s Historical Events

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

Today’s Events in Music History

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

 

October 30 Astronomy Picture of the Day

A Rorschach Aurora

Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand

Explanation: If you see this as a monster’s face, don’t panic. It’s only pareidolia, often experienced as the tendency to see faces in patterns of light and shadow. In fact, the startling visual scene is actually a 180 degree panorama of Northern Lights, digitally mirrored like inkblots on a folded piece of paper. Frames used to construct it were captured on a September night from the middle of a waterfall-crossing suspension bridge in Jamtland, Sweden. With geomagnetic storms triggered by recent solar activity, auroral displays could be very active at planet Earth’s high latitudes in the coming days. But if you see a monster’s face in your own neighborhood tomorrow night, it might just be Halloween.

October 30 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

 

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this part of the Moon cycle, the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

Visit the October 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on October 30 has an illumination of 33%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On October 30 the Moon is 23.74 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 33%
Moon Age: 23.74 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 388,477.06 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 148,518,980.78 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

30 October 2021
03:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CET
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:07 Scorpio 24
Moon:28 Leo 17
Mercury:20 Libra 24
Venus:24 Sagittarius 20
Mars:00 Scorpio 01
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 35
Saturn:07 Aquarius 12
Uranus:13 Taurus 00 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 41 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 27
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 59 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 50 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 33
Chiron:09 Aries 30 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 38 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 18 Rx
Juno:24 Sagittarius 58
Vesta:20 Scorpio 54
Eris:24 Aries 06 Rx

Fire:5
Earth:2
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:7
Mutable:8

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Denver, Colorado, USA

October 30, 2021
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM MT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:07 Scorpio 44
Moon:02 Virgo 39
Mercury:20 Libra 53
Venus:24 Sagittarius 40
Mars:00 Scorpio 15
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 36
Saturn:07 Aquarius 13
Uranus:13 Taurus 00 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 41 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 28

True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 58 Rx

Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 49 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 35

Chiron:09 Aries 29 Rx

Ceres:10 Gemini 35 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 17 Rx
Juno:25 Sagittarius 05
Vesta:21 Scorpio 04
Eris:24 Aries 06 Rx

Fire:4
Earth:3
Air:7
Water:5
Cardinal:4
Fixed:6
Mutable:9

Thoth Tarot Introduction And Spread – Crowley Tarot

From Tarotx.net: Click here or on hyperlinks for more information about the Thoth Tarot – Crowley Tarot

I. Overview of Thoth Tarot Deck

Thoth Tarot deck is one of the most famous Tarot decks in the world, which painted by artist Frieda Harris under the guidance of the legendary researcher who is a member of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley. This deck is influenced by the Book of Thoth and Judaism. Although still being one of the classic decks, it contains the Kabbalah mystical symbol systems and astrology from the Book of Thoth, which requires users to do a lot of research to understand the hidden meaning in each card and have a certain knowledge base to capture the deck in the best way.

Thoth Tarot deck is accompanied by a guide book to help users are equipped with knowledge of reading cards and the connection between image system of cards and many fields such as astrology, arts, music, myths, Tree of Life, Runes, elements, and other prototypes.

The Thoth Tarot is considered one of the classic decks but it requires a lot of knowledge to be able to be contemplated. However, this is a controversial tarot deck, …

October 29 On This Date in History

Today’s Historical Events

539 BC King Cyrus “the Great” of Persia marches into Babylon, freeing Jewish captives and allowing them to return home

1268 Conradin, the last legitimate male heir of the German Hohenstaufen dynasty of Kings and Holy Roman Emperors, is executed with Frederick I, Margrave of Baden by Charles I of Sicily

1268 Conradin, the last legitimate male heir of the German Hohenstaufen dynasty of Kings and Holy Roman Emperors, is executed with Frederick I, Margrave of Baden by Charles I of Sicily

1390 First trial for witchcraft in Paris

1467 Battle of Brusthem: Charles the Bold defeats Liege

1508 Gelderse troops occupies Kuinre

1552 Tsar Ivan IV escapes back to Moscow after battle

1591 Giovanni A Facchinetti elected as Pope Innocentius IX

1618 English adventurer, writer and courtier Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against King James I of England

1665 Battle of Mbwila [Ambuila]: Portuguese defeat forces of the Kingdom of Kongo and decapitate King Antonio I of Kongo / Nvita a Nkanga

1675 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz makes the first use of the long s, ∫, for integral, helping discover integral and differential calculus

1682 William Penn lands at what is now Chester, Pennsylvania

1709 England & Netherlands sign anti-French “Barrieretraktaat”

1727 Severe earthquake in New England

1792 Mount Hood (Oregon) is named after the British naval officer Alexander Arthur Hood by Lt. William E. Broughton who spotted the mountain near the mouth of the Willamette River.

1794 French troops occupy Venlo (modern south east Netherlands)

1811 1st Ohio River steamboat leaves Pittsburgh for New Orleans

1814 “Demologos”, 1st steam-powered warship, is launched in New York for the US Navy

1833 1st US college fraternity to have a fraternity house founded

1859 Spain declares war on Morocco

1863 International Committee of Red Cross forms as result Geneva held conference (Nobel 1917, 1944, 1963)

1864 Greek parliament accepts new Constitution

1867 Mail packets “Rhone” & “Wye” capsize off St Thomas, Virgin Islands

1872 J. S. Risdon of Genoa, Illinois, patents the metal windmill

1881 Judge (U.S. magazine) first published

1888 Lord Salisbury grants Cecil Rhodes charter for British South Africa Company

1929 “Black Tuesday” Wall Street Stock Market crashes triggering the “Great Depression”

2015 China announces the end of their one-child policy after 35 years

Today’s Events in Film & Television History

1956 NBC anchors Chet Huntley and David Brinkley first team up in “The Huntley–Brinkley Report”

1970 WYEA (now WLTZ) TV channel 38 in Columbus, GA (NBC) 1st broadcast

1998 ATSC HDTV broadcasting in the United States is inaugurated with the launch of STS-95 space shuttle mission.

2008 “Quantum of Solace” 22nd James Bond film starring Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko, premieres in London

2020 Three people stabbed to death in church in Nice, France, in an terrorist attack, after similar attack and President Macron’s defense of right to publish cartoons of Prophet Muhammad

 

Today’s Events in Music History

1787 Opera “Don Giovanni”, music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte premieres at the National Theater of Bohemia in Prague

1923 Gibbs, Grey and Wood’s revue “Runnin’ Wild” (introducing “The Charleston”) opens on Broadway, New York City

1924 Musical revue “Dixie to Broadway” opens at Broadhurst Theater

1936 Cole Porters musical “Red Hot And Blue”, starring Ethel Merman, Jimmy Durante, and Bob Hope, opens at the Alvin Theatre, NYC; runs for 183 performances

1941 Cole Porter‘s musical “Let’s Face It” opens at the Imperial Theatre, NYC; runs 547 performances

1963 “Meet the Beatles” booklet is published

1967 Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado’s musical “Hair” premieres in NYC

1977 John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical “The Act”, starring Liza Minnelli, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 233 performances and wins a Tony Award

1982 Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson release single “The Girl is Mine”; peaks at # 2 in US, and #8

1994 Pink Floyd finishes their final concert tour at Earls Court in London

1995 “Fool Moon” opens at Ambassador Theater NYC

Today’s Events in Sports History

1889 “World Championship” Baseball Series, Polo Grounds, NYC: defending champion NY Giants (NL) beat Brooklyn Bridegrooms (AA), 3-2 in Game 9 to claim series, 6-3

1910 Hamilton running back / kicker Ben Simpson lands CFL record 11 singles in Tigers 14-7 win over Montreal at Montreal AAA Grounds

1920 Ed Barrow appointed GM of NY Yankees

1931 Lefty Grove, A’s pitcher who won 31 games, is named the AL’s MVP

1939 NHL Babe Seibert Memorial Game: All-Stars beat Montreal 5-3

1942 Branch Rickey named president and General Manager of Brooklyn Dodgers

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2021 October 29

Haunting the Cepheus Flare

Image Credit & Copyright: Leo Shatz

Explanation: Spooky shapes seem to haunt this dusty expanse, drifting through the night in the royal constellation Cepheus. Of course, the shapes are cosmic dust clouds visible in dimly reflected starlight. Far from your own neighborhood, they lurk above the plane of the Milky Way at the edge of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex some 1,200 light-years away. Over 2 light-years across and brighter than most of the other ghostly apparitions, vdB 141 or Sh2-136 is also known as the Ghost Nebula, seen at the right of the starry field of view. Inside the nebula are the telltale signs of dense cores collapsing in the early stages of star formation. With the eerie hue of dust reflecting bluish light from hot young stars of NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula stands out against the dark just left of center. In the broad telescopic frame, these fertile interstellar dust fields stretch almost seven full moons across the sky.

October 29 Daily Correspondence Digest for the Northern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this part of the Moon cycle, the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

Visit the October 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on October 29 has an illumination of 43%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On October 29 the Moon is 22.78 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 43%
Moon Age: 22.78 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 393,075.58 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 148,558,227.43 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Northeastern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

29 October 2021
03:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM CET
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:06 Scorpio 24
Moon:15 Leo 28
Mercury:19 Libra 01
Venus:23 Sagittarius 20
Mars:29 Libra 21
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 33
Saturn:07 Aquarius 10
Uranus:13 Taurus 03 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 42 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 27
True Lunar Node:02 Gemini 00 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 53 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 26
Chiron:09 Aries 32 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 46 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 21 Rx
Juno:24 Sagittarius 39
Vesta:20 Scorpio 22
Eris:24 Aries 07 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:2
Air:8
Water:4
Cardinal:5
Fixed:6
Mutable:8

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Denver, Colorado, USA

October 29, 2021
11:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM MT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:06 Scorpio 44
Moon:19 Leo 42
Mercury:19 Libra 28
Venus:23 Sagittarius 40
Mars:29 Libra 34
Jupiter:22 Aquarius 34
Saturn:07 Aquarius 11
Uranus:13 Taurus 02 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 42 Rx
Pluto:24 Capricorn 27
True Lunar Node:02 Gemini 00 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:02 Gemini 52 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):11 Gemini 28
Chiron:09 Aries 31 Rx
Ceres:10 Gemini 43 Rx
Pallas:09 Pisces 20 Rx
Juno:24 Sagittarius 46
Vesta:20 Scorpio 32
Eris:24 Aries 07 Rx
Fire:5
Earth:2
Air:8
Water:4
Cardinal:5
Fixed:6
Mutable:8

A Bewitching History: Why Witches Ride Broomsticks

From LiveScience.com

By Megan Gannon 

Among the throngs of this year’s trick-or-treaters, hundreds of Americans will be dressed as Miley Cyrus or a minion from “Despicable Me,” but more will go with a fail-safe getup. “Witch” once again reigns as the No. 1 costume for adults, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2013 Halloween survey.

Many of the pointy-hatted sorcerers who roam the streets this Oct. 31 will be carrying broomsticks or besoms. But few likely know the murky tale of how witches came to be associated with those familiar household objects.

The story — full of sex, drugs and Christian inquisitors — starts with poisonous plants like black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), sometimes called stinking nightshade.

Flying ointments

Ingesting henbane, which is rich in powerful alkaloids, can cause hallucinations (if it doesn’t kill you first). According to legend, witches used herbs with psychoactive properties like henbane in their potions, or “flying ointments.” Some historical accounts suggest witches applied these ointments to their nether regions. And what better applicator than a wooden staff?

Lady Alice Kyteler, Ireland’s earliest known accused witch, was condemned to death for using sorcery to kill her husband in 1324. (Kyteler escaped, and her maid was burned at the stake in her stead.)

The English historian Raphael Holinshed later recounted the case and described some of the supposedly damning evidence authorities found against Kyteler:…