Spell for Today – Spell to Strengthen Your Psychic Shield

 

Spell to Strengthen Your Psychic Shield

The night before the Full Moon, find a place where your altar will not be disturbed for 24 hours. Put the cauldron in the center with a red candle on the right side, black candle of the left side, and white candle in the back; but do not light them yet.

Sprinkle a mixture of equal parts of elder blossoms, marjoram, mint and rue in an unbroken circle around the cauldron. Into a tiny vial, measure equal drops of clove, frankincense, jasmine, and lavender. Set the sealed bottle in the cauldron and leave until the night of the Full Moon.

On Full Moon night, take a cleansing bathe and robe yourself in white. Carry a good protective or purification incense through every room in the house. Make certain that the smoke drifts into closets. Return to the altar and light the candles.

Take up the dagger or sword. Face the East and raise the sword in salute. To salute in this manner, simply hold the sword point upward in front of you. Say:

By the power of the rising sun,
all evil in my life is done.

Turn to the South, salute, say:

By the power of darkening night,
my shield is strong, my armor tight.

Turn to the North, salute, say:

By Full Moon in blackening sky, I am not alone.
My help is nigh. The Goddess’s hands around me stay,
To keep me safe by night and day.
Begone, foul spirits, unbidden here.
I send you back, I do not fear.
For I have won. I am set free.
You have no further power over me.

Face the altar and take up the vial of oil. Put a drop of oil on your finger and anoint your forehead, heart, solar plexus, wrists and ankles. As you do this, visualize a shining blue suit of armor slowly descending over your body until you are entirely protected. Cap the bottle and store in a safe place.

Thank the Powers for their help and extinguish the candles. Apply the oil and repeat the chants whenever you feel the armor is slipping.

April 27 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.

2022 April 27

Moon Shadow on Jupiter

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSProcessing & LicenseThomas Thomopoulos

Explanation: What is that large dark spot on Jupiter? It’s the shadow of GanymedeJupiter‘s largest moon. When Jupiter’s moons cross between the Jovian giant and the Sun, they created shadows just like when the Earth’s moon crosses between the Earth and the Sun. Also like on Earth, if you were in a dark shadow on Jupiter, you would see a moon completely eclipse the Sun. Unlike on Earth, moon shadows occur most days on Jupiter — what’s more unusual is that a spacecraft was close enough to record one with a high-resolution image. That spacecraft, Juno, was passing so close to Jupiter in late February that nearby clouds and the dark eclipse shadow appear relatively large. Juno has made many discoveries about our Solar System‘s largest planet, including, recently, rapidly expanding circular auroras.

 

Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator

April 27, 2022 Southern Hemisphere’s Planetary Positions

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 Tomorrow for 1200 BRT GMT 1500

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

 27 April 2022
03:00 pm GMT 12:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:07 Taurus 20
Moon:29 Pisces 22
Mercury:27 Taurus 39
Venus:24 Pisces 16
Mars:09 Pisces 27
Jupiter:27 Pisces 17
Saturn:24 Aquarius 05
Uranus:14 Taurus 21
Neptune:24 Pisces 28
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 33 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 21 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 25

Chiron:13 Aries 49
Ceres:22 Gemini 58
Pallas:28 Aries 49
Juno:02 Pisces 27
Vesta:20 Aquarius 59

Eris:24 Aries 29

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

Obliquity of the Nine Planets

Southern Hemisphere

The time for these Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Cape Town, South Africa

27 April 2022
10:00 am GMT 12:00 PM SAST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:07 Taurus 08
Moon:26 Pisces 38
Mercury:27 Taurus 25
Venus:24 Pisces 02
Mars:09 Pisces 17
Jupiter:27 Pisces 14
Saturn:24 Aquarius 04
Uranus:14 Taurus 20
Neptune:24 Pisces 27
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 34 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 22 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 23

Chiron:13 Aries 48
Ceres:22 Gemini 53
Pallas:28 Aries 43
Juno:02 Pisces 22
Vesta:20 Aquarius 54

Eris:24 Aries 29

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

Southwestern Hemisphere

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

27 April 2022
02:00 am GMT 12:00 PM AEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:06 Taurus 48
Moon:22 Pisces 14
Mercury:27 Taurus 02
Venus:23 Pisces 39
Mars:09 Pisces 02
Jupiter:27 Pisces 10
Saturn:24 Aquarius 03
Uranus:14 Taurus 19
Neptune:24 Pisces 27
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 34 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 23 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 21

Chiron:13 Aries 47
Ceres:22 Gemini 45
Pallas:28 Aries 35
Juno:02 Pisces 15
Vesta:20 Aquarius 47

Eris:24 Aries 29

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

April 27, 2022 Current Moon Phase

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 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 April 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on April 27 has an illumination of 12%. 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 April 27 the Moon is 26.28 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: 12%
Moon Age: 26.28 days
Moon Angle: 0.52
Moon Distance: 381,872.34 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 150,605,493.48 km

Useful Moon Resources

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests blessed be.

April 25, 2022 Daily Horoscopes Digest

Click here for Georgia Nicols daily horoscopes

Moon Alert

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Pisces.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

This is an excellent day for business negotiations and dealings with finance and commerce because you’ll be quick to see the big picture. You will also be ready to act and explore any opportunity that comes your way. This is a winning day!

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Today the Sun is in your sign along with Mercury; and Mercury is dancing with lucky, moneybags Jupiter. This gives you a chance to see the big picture and view things with confidence and optimism. This is why you are courageous and hopeful about your future.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

This is an excellent day to do a little soul-searching and explore your own ideas and values, especially regarding spiritual matters. Your hopes and wishes are important today. Furthermore, you are taking a look at how you fit into the bigger picture around you.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Your interactions with friends, as well as groups and organizations, will be upbeat and positive today. In fact, your ability to work with others today will be extremely successful because you are quick to grasp group values and needs. People will listen to you today.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

This is a fabulous day to make your pitch to a boss, parent, teacher or any member of authority because you see the big picture, and will present your ideas with clarity and vision. (Oh yeah, people will be impressed.) This is because today you easily see the overall pattern of things.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

This is a marvellous day to study and do something to satisfy your intellectual curiosity about something. Philosophical and religious subjects in particular will appeal to you because you’re interested in exploring big answers to big questions. Travel plans will be ambitious!

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Your ability to negotiate important decisions with others about shared property, inheritances, taxes and debt is top-notch today. You see the big picture, which also allows you to see future possibilities as well as present solutions. Impressive!

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Discussions with others will be optimistic and upbeat today because you are in a positive frame of mind. Because of this, you will also attract positive-thinking people to you, as well. Take note: This is the perfect day to mend broken fences with someone who is close to you.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Discussions about work-related travel will go well today. This is also an excellent day to deal with foreign interests and people from other cultures, especially related to your job or your health. Something to do with a pet might lift your spirits today.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

This is a marvellous day for artists and anyone who is involved in a creative project. This is also a wonderful day to start a vacation or to enjoy social outings with others, especially in groups. Sports events and fun activities with children will particularly delight!

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Family discussions will go well today. This is a good day to begin an ambitious home-repair project or to explore real-estate opportunities. Dealings with the law and legal matters will be positive. You find it easy to “think big” today. Good day for family discussions about future plans in general.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

This is a lovely day for a trip or a chance to explore new ideas and meet new people, especially people from other cultures and different countries because you want to do anything to expand your experience of the world. Your mind is sharp, clear and alert to all possibilities today. You are optimistic and positive!

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actor Channing Tatum (1980) shares your birthday today. You are determined and focused. You are hard worker with a strong sense of responsibility. Others know that they can rely on you. This year is the last year of a nine-year cycle for you, which means wrap up whatever you are involved in. Clean your plate to be ready for next year when your new cycle begins.

April 26, 2022 Current Moon Phase

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 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 April 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on April 26 has an illumination of 19%. 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 April 26 the Moon is 25.27 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: 19%
Moon Age: 25.27 days
Moon Angle: 0.53
Moon Distance: 377,201.84 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 150,566,224.17 km

Useful Moon Resources

April 26, 2022 Northern Hemisphere’s Planetary Positions Digest

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

Currentplanetarypositions.com

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

For Your Local Time and Date

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for these Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Los Angeles, California, USA

April 26, 2022
07:00 pm GMT 12:00 PM PDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:06 Taurus 31
Moon:18 Pisces 22
Mercury:26 Taurus 42
Venus:23 Pisces 20
Mars:08 Pisces 49
Jupiter:27 Pisces 06
Saturn:24 Aquarius 02
Uranus:14 Taurus 18
Neptune:24 Pisces 26
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 35 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 24 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 19

Chiron:13 Aries 46
Ceres:22 Gemini 38
Pallas:28 Aries 27
Juno:02 Pisces 09
Vesta:20 Aquarius 40

Eris:24 Aries 28

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

 

Northern Hemisphere

The time for these Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Chicago, Illinois, USA

April 26, 2022
05:00 pm GMT 12:00 PM CDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:06 Taurus 27
Moon:17 Pisces 16
Mercury:26 Taurus 36
Venus:23 Pisces 14
Mars:08 Pisces 45
Jupiter:27 Pisces 05
Saturn:24 Aquarius 01
Uranus:14 Taurus 18
Neptune:24 Pisces 26
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 35 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 24 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 19

Chiron:13 Aries 46
Ceres:22 Gemini 36
Pallas:28 Aries 25
Juno:02 Pisces 08
Vesta:20 Aquarius 38

Eris:24 Aries 28

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

Northeastern Hemisphere

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

26 April 2022
10:00 am GMT 12:00 PM CEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:06 Taurus 10
Moon:13 Pisces 22
Mercury:26 Taurus 15
Venus:22 Pisces 54
Mars:08 Pisces 32
Jupiter:27 Pisces 01
Saturn:24 Aquarius 00
Uranus:14 Taurus 17
Neptune:24 Pisces 26
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 36 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 25 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 17

Chiron:13 Aries 45
Ceres:22 Gemini 30
Pallas:28 Aries 17
Juno:02 Pisces 02
Vesta:20 Aquarius 31

Eris:24 Aries 28

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

April 26 Daily Tarot Card, Rune, Witch’s Rune, Ogham Divination

Tarot Card

Click here for more about the 7 of Cups from the Shadowscapes tarot deck on tarotx.net

7 of Cups

I. The meaning of the Seven of Cups Shadowscapes Tarot

The young girl’s mind now lost its way in the clouds. Her eyes were now filled with stars, her spirit drawn to the fanciful light of the moon as she looked toward the whole castle in the sky. She was not much aware of the dangerous standing position at the moment, maybe in a moment of excitement, she could carelessly step forward and fall from the cliff to the bottom of the dim white mist below. The wind blew and flipped her hair and clothes in an exciting melody.

In the meantime, the boy, standing in a somewhat safer position, with a little thought, turned his eyes towards the castle located on the surrounding cliffs. Perhaps it will be difficult to reach the place, but they can completely succeed, his desire is strong enough to achieve what he wants.

But that girl was the exact opposite. “Look!” She shouted while her fingers cupped the boy’s shoulders, urging him to listen to his desires. He nodded his head, trying to refute the thought of “how can we get to that heavenly city?” and continued to …


Rune

From TheRuneSite.com – Younger Futhork Runes

Óss

Sound: “o” as in “oh”
Stands for: God and also Mouth
Casting meaning: This rune represents the power of communication, oral bonds, and the commanding force of word and song.

More commonly Know by its Elder Futhark rune name – Ansuz

with a slightly different meaning

Sound: “aa” as in “aah”
Stands for: Mouth (or Divine Breath)
Color: Purple
Casting meaning: Ansuz is a rune that symbolizes stability and shows us order. It is also a rune that indicates intellectual activities and directly represents the divine breath of all life and creation.

Witch’s Rune

From thecarnutiannemeton.com – Witch’s Rune

Flight

Rune of Communication

As the bird fly’s in and out of this realm and the other it carries with it a message of transforming urgency. As quick as the birds direction can change also is the news it brings.

Keywords
communications, movement, travel, information, greater knowledge

Ogham

From thepeculiarbrunette.com – Ogham

Straif

Pronunciation – Str-ef

Tree Association – Blackthorn

Meaning – Adversity, omens, secrecy, and is sometimes known as the tree of the dead due to its connection with spirits and the Underworld. This thorny tree-shrub is symbolic of the sword, arrow, and spear. Now is a time to focus on the root of a problem instead of its effects. Confront challenges head-on, and do your best not to become overwhelmed by the difficulties that lie before you. Brace for the unexpected; life may be taking an unforeseen turn. It can be an excellent time to keep knowledge and information to yourself until the path ahead is more apparent.

If reversed – Transitions, changes, and death. Straif reversed is a sign of caution. Things may be falling apart in your life right now so that they can come together more positively later.

Inscription and Magical Uses – Use this ogham wisely. It can help to develop the courage and fortitude you need to overcome the unpredictable challenges headed your way. Change is headed your way, helpful for use in keeping your mindset upbeat and instilling hope.

Folklore – Blackthorn has developed a bad reputation over the years since it thrives in winter when everything else seems to be dying. It is often associated with cailleach (Dark mother or Crone) and the Morrighan. Blackthorn was often used to create a shillelagh (Irish walking stick) which was often the weapon of choice for bataireacht (BAHT-air-ahct) (Irish stick-fighting martial arts).

April 26 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.

2022 April 26

Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House

Image Credit & Copyright: Prasun Agrawal

Explanation: The world is waking up to a picturesque planet parade. Just before dawn, the eastern skies over much of planet Earth are decorated by a notable line of familiar planets. In much of Earth’s northern hemisphere, this line of planets appears most nearly horizontal, but in much of Earth’s southern hemisphere, the line appears more nearly vertical. Pictured over the Sydney Opera House in southern Australia, the planet line was captured nearly vertical about five days ago. From top to bottom, the morning planets are SaturnMarsVenus, and Jupiter. As April ends, the angular distance between Venus and Jupiter will gradually pass below a degree as they switch places. Then, as May ends, Jupiter will pass near Mars as those two planets switch places. In June, the parade will briefly expand to include Mercury.

 

Notable Submissions to APOD: Morning Planet Parade 2022

April 26 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1478 Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo de’Medici and kill Giuliano de’Medici in Florence

1920 Harlow Shapley and Heber D. Curtis hold “great debate” on the nature of nebulae, galaxies and size of the universe at US National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.

1945 Marshal Philippe Pétain, leader of France’s Vichy collaborationist regime during World War II, arrested for treason

1956 First modern container ship, the Ideal X, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas

1986 World’s worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR explodes, 31 die, radioactive contamination reaches much of Western Europe

2005 Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country.

Today’s Historical Events

757 Paolo Orsini replaces his brother Pope Stephen II, as Paul I

1220 German king Frederick II grants bishops sovereign rights

1336 Italian Renaissance poet Francesco Petrarch famously climbs Mont Ventoux

1467 The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy

1478 Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo de’Medici and kill Giuliano de’Medici in Florence

1514 Copernicus makes his 1st observations of Saturn

1564 William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England

1607 Jamestown expedition makes first landing in America at a place named Cape Henry, in what would become Virginia, but they quickly depart for a better site

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1954 “Seven Samurai”, Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, is released

1967 KSPS TV channel 7 in Spokane, WA (PBS) begins broadcasting

1982 Rod Stewart is mugged, gunman steals his $50,000 Porsche on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

1991 “Dinosaurs” premieres on ABC-TV

1992 “Growing Pains” final episode on ABC TV

1992 “Who’s The Boss” final episode after 8 years on ABC TV

1993 NBC announces Conan O’Brien to replace David Letterman on “Late Night”

1994 TV series “Due South” about Canadian Mounties starring Paul Gross premieres in Canada

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1835 Frederic Chopin‘s “Grand Polonaise Brillante” premieres in Paris

1855 Composer Gioachino Rossini leaves Italy

1936 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 4th Symphony

1947 “Bless the Bride” musical opens in London

1965 Charles Ives‘ 4th Symphony premieres at Carnegie Hall, New York, 11 years after the composer’s death

1967 “Hallelujah, Baby!” opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 293 performances

1969 “Celebration” closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 110 performances

1969 “George M!” closes at Palace Theater NYC after 435 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1900 Newly renamed American League opener in Cleveland draws 6,500 (still as a minor league, was Western League)

1901 Jimmy Collins, having left the Boston Beaneaters (NL), captains and manages his first game for the Boston Americans (loses 10-6 at Baltimore Orioles)

1905 Cubs Jack McCarthy becomes only major league player to throw out 3 runners at plate in 1 game, all were ends of a double play

1912 1st homerun hit at Fenway Park (Hugh Bradley, Red Sox)

1920 Husband and wife team Ludowika & Walter Jakobsson representing Finland, win the pairs skating gold medal at the Antwerp Olympics; Ludowika is the only German-born athlete at the Games

1920 Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center Frank Fredrickson scoring 7 goals in Canada’s 12-1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match

1931 Lou Gehrig hits a HR but is called out for passing a runner, mistake costs him AL home run crown; he & Babe Ruth tie for season

1935 Frank Boucher is given NHL’s Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship permanently for winning it 7 of 11 years

 

The Sun Set on Mars

April 12, 2015

In this file photo from NASA, the sun sets behind the rocky terrain of Earth’s neighboring planet, Mars. The photo was taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover on April 15, 2015. The images were recorded by the Mast Camera attached to the rover. The haze in the air is martian dust still suspended in the atmosphere between dust storms. The blue hue of the image is due to the very fine dust particles being just the right size to allow blue light to penetrate the atmosphere.

Beltane / Beltain / Beltaine / Bealtaine

Beltane was an important festival in the Celtic calendar. The name originates from the Celtic god, Bel – the ‘bright one’, and the Gaelic word ‘teine’ meaning fire, giving the name ‘bealttainn’, meaning ‘bright fire’.

This is the beginning of the ‘lighted half’ of the year when the Sun begins to set later in the evening and the hawthorn blossoms. To our ancestors Beltane was the coming of summer and fertility. Nature is in bloom and the earth is full of fecundity and life.

Beltane falls halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice and is a Cross Quarter Day.

Fire festivals

Beltane is one of the four Celtic fire festivals marking the quarter points in the year – feasts were held and bonfires were lit throughout the countryside. Fire was believed to have purifying qualities – it cleansed and rejuvenated both the land and the people.

The ritual welcoming of the sun and the lighting of the fires was also believed to ensure fertility of the land and the people. Animals were transfered from winter pens to summer pastures, and were driven between the Beltane fires to cleanse them of evil spirits and to bring fertility and a good milk yield. The Celts leapt over Beltane fires – for fertility and purification.

Young men would circle the Beltaine fires holding Rowan branches to bring protection against evil – its bright berries suggested fire – malign powers were considered particularly active at the year’s turning-point.

It was considered unlucky to allow anyone to take fire from one’s house on May Eve or May Day, as they would gain power over the inhabitants.

A Beltane fire festival is held annually in Edinburgh, at Calton Hill on 30th April – a May Queen and Green Man, representing Beltane fertility and renewal lead the celebrations on the hillside.

The Beltany Stone Circle in the North West of Ireland is named after the Beltane festival as the sunrise at Beltane is aligned with the only decorated stone in the circle.

 

The Maiden

The Triple Goddess – worshipped by the Ancient Britons – at Beltane is now in her aspect of the Maiden :

The May Queen, May Bride, Goddess of Spring, Flower Bride, Queen of the Fairies
a symbol of purity, growth and renewal.

The Crone turns to stone on Beltane Eve.

May Blossom

 

May blossom symbolises female fertility, with its creamy/ white, fragrant flowers. Hawthorn blossom was worn during Beltane celebrations, especially by the May Queen.

It is believed to be a potent magical plant and it is considered unlucky to bring the blossom inside the house, apart from on May eve.

Flower Language

May Day – Beltane Traditions

Beltane is a time of partnerships and fertility. New couples proclaim their love for each other on this day. It is also the perfect time to begin new projects.

The maypole – a phallic pole planted deep in the earth representing the potency and fecundity of the God, its unwinding ribbons symbolized the unwinding of the spiral of life and the union of male and female – the Goddess and God. It is usually topped by a ring of flowers to represent the fertile Goddess.

Paganhill, near Stroud, has one of the tallest maypoles. The Puritans banned maypoles during the 17th Century.

It was a Celtic tradition to fell a birch tree on May day and to bring it into the community.

Crosses of birch and rowan twigs were hung over doors on the May morning, and left until next May day.

Beltane cakes or bannocks – oatcakes coated with a baked on custard made of cream, eggs and butter – were cooked over open fires and anyone who chose a mis-shapen piece or a piece with a black spot was likely to suffer bad luck in the coming months. They were also offered to the spirits who protect the livestock, by facing the Beltane fire and casting them over their shoulders.

Beltane Celebrations and Rituals

At Sheen do Boaldyne, in the Isle of Man, twigs of Rowan are hung above doorways as protection – the opening of Summer was regarded as a time when fairies and spirits were especially active, as at Samhain and the opening of Winter.

The ‘Obby ‘Oss, at Padstow, Cornwall – wearing of animal skins was believed to be a relic of a Pagan sacred marriage between earth and sky, and the dance enacts the fertility god sacrificed for the good of his people.

The May Queen – Maid Marion/the Maiden consorts with Robin/ the Green Man in Celtic celebrations of May day.

Going ‘A-Maying’ meant staying out all night to gather flowering hawthorn, watching the sunrise and making love in the woods – a ‘greenwood marriage’.

The dew on the May day morning is believed to have a magical potency – wash your face and body in it and remain fair all year, and guarantee your youth and beauty continues – men who wash their hands in it will be good at tying knots and nets – useful if you’re a fisherman!

From new-age.co.uk

A Laugh for Today

Wishing you a terrific Tuesday!

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again blessed be dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests.

April 25, 2022 Daily Horoscopes Digest

Click here for Georgia Nicols daily horoscopes

Moon Alert

After 6:30 AM EDT today (3:30 AM PDT) there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The Moon is in Pisces.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

This is a good day to begin your week! You have money and earnings on your mind. Meanwhile, something going on behind the scenes might support your situation. Certainly, you’re full of moneymaking ideas. (Nevertheless, if you think something fishy is going on – it is.)

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

This is a strong day for you, and a great way to begin your week! The Sun and Mercury are in your sign promoting conversations with friends and groups. You might feel competitive. You will definitely enjoy artistic, creative friends.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You make a great impression on others now. In fact, today in particular, people are aware of personal details about your private life. Fear not, you look good! Having said that, you will be happy to work alone or behind the scenes today. Good day for research.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

This is a popular week for you! In particular, you will enjoy the company of younger people. Today travel plans or opportunities to explore new avenues in publishing, the media, medicine and the law exist. Do whatever you can to expand your world.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

This will be a strong week for you because the Sun is at the top of your chart casting you in a flattering spotlight. This means bosses, parents, teachers and VIPs (including the police) admire you, even if you don’t do anything special. (It’s smoke and mirrors.)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You might discuss travel plans with a partner or close friend today. You have an urge to get out of town, or do something that will give you a feeling of adventure. Listen to what someone has to say today because cooperation and teamwork are theme of your day.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

This is a good day to tidy up loose ends about taxes, debt and the wealth and resources of others. You’re ready to roll up your sleeves and work hard today and this week. Fortunately, others will help you. You might see ways to improve your job or get a better job.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Remember to get more sleep because you need more rest this week. Meanwhile, this is an excellent day to explore social outings, the arts and anything to do with sports. Playful activities with children will delight. You might find yourself in a competition of some sort?

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

You’ll find it easy to work hard this week because you want to be productive, efficient and effective in all your actions. Motivation is everything. If this is your motivation, then you will accomplish a lot. A discussion with a female family member will go well today.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

This will be a playful week for you! It can be a productive week for those of you in the arts or any kind of creative activity. This is a good time to work with children. In fact, discussions with relatives, neighbours and daily contacts will be positive today.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Home and family will continue to be a major focus for you this week, including home repairs. Family discussions are likely. Today, you might address financial matters and discuss specific purchases or major expenditures. It’s all good.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

This will be a fast-paced, busy week for you, so eat supportive, nutritious food. (Hey, your body needs fuel to run on!) You’re pumped with energy now with fiery Mars in your sign. On top of that, today the Moon is in your sign improving your luck just a little. Yay!

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actor Hank Azaria (1964) shares your birthday today. You are often misunderstood because you hide your deepest thoughts. You are sensitive, emotional and highly intuitive. When you were, you are a perfectionist. This year you will prosper. You might get a promotion, an award. You will be acknowledged for your excellent efforts. Pursue your dreams by taking some risks!

April 25, 2022 Current Moon Phase

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 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 April 2022 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Crescent Phase

The Waning Crescent on April 25 has an illumination of 28%. 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 April 25 the Moon is 24.25 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: 28%
Moon Age: 24.25 days
Moon Angle: 0.53
Moon Distance: 372,864.42 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 150,526,661.84 km

Useful Moon Resources

April 25, 2022 Northern Hemisphere’s Planetary Positions Digest

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

Currentplanetarypositions.com

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

For Your Local Time and Date

Northwestern Hemisphere

The time for these Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Los Angeles, California, USA

April 25, 2022
07:00 pm GMT 12:00 PM PDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:05 Taurus 33
Moon:04 Pisces 57
Mercury:25 Taurus 29
Venus:22 Pisces 12
Mars:08 Pisces 04
Jupiter:26 Pisces 53
Saturn:23 Aquarius 58
Uranus:14 Taurus 15
Neptune:24 Pisces 24
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 37 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 27 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 12

Chiron:13 Aries 43
Ceres:22 Gemini 15
Pallas:28 Aries 01
Juno:01 Pisces 48
Vesta:20 Aquarius 17

Eris:24 Aries 28

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

  

Northern Hemisphere

The time for these Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Chicago, Illinois, USA

April 24, 2022
07:00 pm GMT 12:00 PM CDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:04 Taurus 35
Moon:21 Aquarius 19
Mercury:24 Taurus 11
Venus:21 Pisces 04
Mars:07 Pisces 18
Jupiter:26 Pisces 40
Saturn:23 Aquarius 54
Uranus:14 Taurus 11
Neptune:24 Pisces 23
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 39 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 30 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 06

Chiron:13 Aries 40
Ceres:21 Gemini 52
Pallas:27 Aries 35
Juno:01 Pisces 28
Vesta:19 Aquarius 53

Eris:24 Aries 27

Fire:3
Earth:6
Air:4
Water:6
Cardinal:5
Fixed:8
Mutable:6

Northeastern Hemisphere

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

25 April 2022
10:00 am GMT 12:00 PM CEST
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:05 Taurus 11
Moon:29 Aquarius 52
Mercury:25 Taurus 00
Venus:21 Pisces 47
Mars:07 Pisces 47
Jupiter:26 Pisces 48
Saturn:23 Aquarius 57
Uranus:14 Taurus 14
Neptune:24 Pisces 24
Pluto:28 Capricorn 36

True Lunar Node:22 Taurus 38 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:23 Taurus 28 Rx

Lilith (Black Moon):01 Cancer 10

Chiron:13 Aries 42
Ceres:22 Gemini 07
Pallas:27 Aries 51
Juno:01 Pisces 41
Vesta:20 Aquarius 08

Eris:24 Aries 27

Fire:3
Earth:6
Air:4
Water:6
Cardinal:5
Fixed:8
Mutable:6

Spell for Today – Honey Jar and Candle Spell

This magic spell can be worked on anyone’s name you want to sweeten. Depending on what relationship the person has to you, what special items you put into the name-packet, the colour of candle you choose, and the oil you dress it with, this trick will cause the person you name to like you more, to love you more, to favour your petition, to want to help you, to be sympathetic to your cause, or to forgive any wrongs you have committed. It can be used to influence and sweeten a judge in a court case, a loan officer at the bank, a boss from whom you want a raise, a teacher in your school from whom you want a good grade, a lover with whom you want a reconciliation, an in-law who has been back-biting you, or friend who has cut you off because of a foolish quarrel.

 

The following ingredients are needed
a jar of sweetener (see below)
a piece of paper
a pen
optional herbs, curios, and/or bodily concerns (see below)
a candle (choose the appropriate colour at the candle magic page)
a candle-dressing oil such as Special Oil No. 20 or Love Me oil

 

Get a small jar of sweetener. This can be honey, Karo Syrup, Crystal Syrup, home-made brown sugar syrup, Log Cabin Syrup, Vermont maple syrup, Bre’r Rabbit Blackstrap Molasses or whatever you desire — as long as it is in a container with a metal lid. You can buy the goods in a pint-size glass Mason jar or pour the sweetening of your choice into a jar of your own at home. All that matters is that it should be a short, squat jar with a metal lid, filled up to the shoulder of the jar.

 

In the old days, when skin colour was a lot more important to people than it is now, it was recommended that the colour of the sweetener match the skin of the person you wanted to sweeten. Thus, for a white judge, you might use Crystal Syrup, and for a Latino loan officer you might use light brown sugar syrup, and for a dark-skinned lover you might use Bre’r Rabbit Blackstrap Molasses. Frankly, these days specifying a person’s skin colour is not as meaningful as it once was (for which we can all be thankful), and today many folks prefer to use honey for the spell, no matter what the target’s skin colour is, because it is a natural sweetener and not man-made. I believe that if you just follow your own intuition and decide which sweetener you like the best, you can be confident that you have made the right choice.

 

Next, prepare your paper. Again, in the old days, we would be told to use white paper for a white person, tan paper for a high-brown, and rough old grocery-bag paper for a person of dark colour, but these days the type of paper you use can simply be a matter of personal style. I use the smooth, tan-coloured light-weight shopping bag paper because that is my choice, based on the way i was taught, which was that such paper is “pure paper” and better than parchment from the art-supply store. I prepare my paper by tearing it neatly on all four sides so there is no machine-cut edge. Of course some folks prefer parchment paper more, and they trim it square with scissors — and the spell still works for them. So go ahead and prepare your paper just as you wish and that will suffice.

 

Once you have got your paper together, write the person’s name three times on it, one name under the other like so

 

Jane or John Doe

Jane or John Doe

Jane or John Doe

 

Then you rotate the paper 90 degrees and write your own name across the person’s name, also three times:

 

Your Name

Your Name

Your Name

 

The result will be that the two names are crossed over each other, like a cross or a tic-tac-toe grid, and the other person’s name will be under yours. This is called crossing and covering their name. If the sweetening is being done for love, you can use a red ink pen. Otherwise, the colour of the ink does not matter. Now all around the crossed names, write your specific wish in a circle. If you need a guideline, lightly sketch the circle-shape with a pencil and then follow around it when writing with your ink pen. You must write your wish in one continuous run of script letters, with no spaces — AND WITHOUT LIFTING YOUR PEN FROM THE PAPER. Do not cross your t’s or dot your i’s. Just write the words in one run and be sure to join up the end of the last word with the beginning of the first word so the circle is complete. Then you can go back and cross your t’s and dot your i’s. To make it easy to connect the word together at the end, i have found it best to make my petition in the form of short commands, such as “help me favour me help me favour me” or “love me love me love me” or “forgive me come back forgive me come back.”

 

If you make a mistake — for instance, if you lift your pen in the middle of writing your petition-circle — throw away the paper and start it all over again. You want it to be perfect.

 

Other ingredients can be added to the name-paper if you wish — a piece of court case root for a court case spell, two rose petals for a love spell, a lump of sugar for a family member, two clove buds for friendship, bayberry root or sassafras root for a money spell, a pair of Adam-and-Eve roots for love, two small Lodestones for sexuality, a pinch of deer’s tongue leaves for a proposal of marriage, a square of camphor for cleaning out bad things of the past, and so forth.

 

If you are sweetening someone for love, then in addition to the name-paper and whatever optional herbs, roots, or minerals you choose, you must also get one of the person’s hairs and one of your hairs. If the hairs are long enough, tie them together. Otherwise, just lay them crosswise to each other. In either case, place them on the name-paper. Don’t ask me what to do if you can’t get their hairs ’cause I can’t help with that. Either work the spell without the hairs and expect a much lower rate of success or get the hairs! Don’t load the paper up with lots of other stuff thinking that if you can’t get the hairs that six different love-herbs and two lodestones will be as strong as two hairs. They won’t be.

 

Fold the paper toward you to bring what you want your way and speak aloud your wish as you do so. Turn the paper and fold it again, and again, always folding toward you, to bring what you want your way. Speak aloud your wish each time you fold the paper toward you. Fold it until it will not fold any more.

 

Open the jar of honey or syrup. To make room for the folded paper packet, you will need to eat some of the contents. Take out a spoon’s worth, and as you eat it, say, “As this honey [or syrup] is sweet to me, so will i become sweet to John Russell Brown [or the name of the person you are working this on].” You can do this three times — taking out three small spoonsful of sweetener and speaking your wish aloud each time. Push the folded paper packet down into the jar and close up the lid.

 

Dress an offertory candle (a 50 cent, 6″ long candle or a 25 cent 4″ long one, nothing fancy) with an appropriate anointing oil, or use Special Oil No. 20, which is specifically indicated in this type of spell. Use a white candle for general blessing and healing, a red one for sexual love, a pink one for reconciliation, a brown one for a court case, and so forth. (For a longer list of colour symbolism, see the page on candle magic.)

 

Stand the candle on the lid of the closed-up jar and light it. You can melt the candle to the lid with hot wax if need be.

 

Let the candle burn all the way out. Do this every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for as long as it takes. Add teach new candle on top of the remains of the last one. I have seen people’s syrup-jar spells like this done for court cases that were continued for so long and required so many candles that you could not see the jar under all the dripped-on wax!