We are just like everyone, we get tired of doing the same old thing day in and day out. Today, we decided to do things just a bit different. We are going to take time out of our daily routine and explore some of the ancient symbols of witchcraft. Symbols are integral parts of our everyday lives. Sigils and their meanings, through the many formats, shapes, sizes, and appearances are used in a variety of ways to assist us in navigating through not only our days, but also through times of joy and sadness. What follows is a list of some of the most popular symbols, signs, sigils (or siglia) that are frequently encountered.

I know most of you know about the pentagram, the pentacle, the inverted cross and a few others. But today, we are going back in time to revisit some of the lesser known symbols. Some of them have not seen the light of day in centuries, others you might see every day and not connect them with witchcraft.

Ready to start the journey. Then what are you waiting for, hop on that broom and follow us this way……..

“9 lessons in witchcraft”

i. THE NATURE OF MAGIC

if you do not already understand magic
i am not sure i can explain it to you.

ii. sisterhood

we were sisters, or so the story goes, which
made it very confusing when i realized
that my feelings were not exactly sisterly.

iii. witch, witch, burn the witch

i learned the lesson early:
no one ever chooses the witch in the end.

iv. set aside childish things

i never learned that one.
some things stick with you, even
when you don’t intend them to.

v. keep it hidden

even if you ask me i won’t tell you.
i’ll laugh it off, make a joke of it, because
i can’t bear to let you see how real it is.

vi. ‘if you think you’re a witch, why don’t you take steps to actively be one?’

what do you think those steps look like?
should i have an altar with a knife and cauldron?
should i chant spells and say ‘blessed be’?

i already know that i am a witch &
i have known it since i was young.
just because i don’t match up
to whatever your notion of witch is
does not mean it isn’t true.

(for more information, see lessons one and five.)

vii. the difference between magic & coincidence is belief

this gets too close to the secret &
a magician never reveals hers.

viii. men are easy to ensorcel

the reason you hear about all those witches
with men under their spells
(remember odysseus? remember merlin?)
is that witchcraft is one of the few ways
women have been allowed any kind of power.

the reason you do not hear as often about witches
with women under their spell
is because we know how to keep a god-damn secret.

ix. sisterhood, revisited

the older i get, the more able i am
to see the connective tissue of the world,
glistening like a spiderweb with morning dew.

this woman likes snakes; she is my sister.
she likes spiders; she is my sister.
this woman calls herself a witch;
she is my sister.

About the Author

DANIELLE PERRY has not resorted to blood magic (yet). She graduated with a degree in Religious Studies and English Literature from Guilford College in North Carolina. She now lives in Portland, OR, but maintains her east coast sarcasm. Her work appears on The Toast, Voicemail Poems, Potluck Magazine, Luna Station Quarterly, and elsewhere. She also spends too much time on Twitter.

Published on Flapperhouse

The Wisdom of Buddha

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

Your Monthly Astrology Calendar for September

The following is the current monthly calendar complete with astrological information, including planetary aspects, void of course Moon data, and Moon signs. Note: Time is Eastern Time (Daylight Savings Time is observed).

How to Read the Astrological Calendar

The day’s Moon sign is shown in the top right-hand corner. When there are two Moon signs, the time when the Moon changes its sign is indicated.

The number color (date) indicates whether today is predominately a Physical (red), Intellectual (green), or Neutral (black) day.

The lower left corner represents the current stage of the Moon. This area of the screen will tell you if the Moon is in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th phase, or if it is a New or Full Moon. New and Full Moons are also designated by a blue outline.

If You Were Born Today, September 3

You are success-oriented and willing to work hard for what you want. You appear confident, and you are certainly passionate, but you don’t always feel as strong as you look to be. You have a good head for business, and you are also quick to respond to changes. You are known to be hard-working and dedicated to whatever job you choose to do. While you get along with others, generally speaking, it is probably better for you to be in your own business or in a managing and leading position, as you prefer not to feel limited by others and you prefer not to be told what to do. Even so, you have a strong need for security so that whatever you do, you would fare best with a trusted partner or confidante. You reach out to others and love to share your ideas and opinions with others. Yours is a passionate and friendly approach to love. While you are generally quite decisive, in love you are not always as certain. You are attracted to sociable, creative, and sensitive mates. Famous people born today: Alan Ladd, Kitty Carlisle, Garrett Hedlund, Nick Wechsler II, Eileen Brennan.

Your Birthday Year Forecast

With the Sun and Moon in harmony in your Solar Return chart, the year ahead should be satisfying and balanced overall. You are in comfortable demand and personally popular, and you are able to achieve a decent balance between work and play; personal and professional life. For the most part, you are on top of your game this year, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there is less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you!

There is special charm in the way you present your ideas this year, certainly helping to smooth over differences in your personal relationships. You might often meet with people or connect with projects that benefit you.

This is a time when you feel confident and supported enough to pursue your desires. It’s a good time to take steps towards making yourself feel more secure and safe, and for family or domestic activities. This is also a period when you more readily support or defend your loved ones, and they do the same!

Energy fluctuates this year, however. If you aren’t too rash or impulsive, you might be able to free yourself from restrictive circumstances. You could also have more courage than usual to do things that break the routine, and confrontations engaged in this year could clear the air and help you to move forward.

With Venus and Mars in a square aspect to each other in your Solar Return chart, your affections are strongly stimulated, and you are more acutely aware of your powers of attraction. Romance, love, sexuality, competition, and creative projects occupy your mind more than usual. You can enjoy an increase in personal magnetism but be wary of competitiveness or tension in existing relationships, as this aspect ignites your passions in general, whether they’re feelings of love or anger!

You’re also quite driven to make improvements and effect positive change in the year ahead. This positively impacts many areas of your life beyond the personal, including relationships and work.

From November to January, you benefit from a transiting Saturn trine to your Sun which is an especially grounding influence. This gives you a sense of responsibility and a feeling of directedness and purposefulness. Traditional methods work, and thoroughness brings rewards. Practice or refining a technique is favored this year. The approach that seems to work best with this aspect is a step-by-step one and the appreciation of slow but steady progress. Stabilizing elements in your life are appreciated.

It is easier than ever to express your individuality in a manner that is true to you in the year ahead. In certain areas of your life, you’re inclined to rock the boat this year so that you can break free from a limiting situation. Be mindful when/if making sweeping changes. In other areas, you’re hunkering down and getting organized. Some relationships (or a key one) can be competitive or up-and-down, but you’re also making special connections. Special care with finances is wise this year, particularly when it comes to impulse buys. Cooperation brings rewards.

2018 is a Number Five year for you. Ruled by Mercury. This is a year of discovery and freedom. It’s a time when exploration and reaching out to others brings opportunities. It’s a good time to advertise, promote, and sell. Surprises are in store, and the routine is broken for the better. This is a year when exciting relationships can be formed; or, if you are already in a partnership, new life is breathed into the relationship. Advice – explore, look for adventure, keep your eyes open for opportunities, diversify, mingle.

2019 will be a Number Six year for you. Ruled by Venus. This is a year of relative contentment. It’s a time when love is the easiest to attract, and partnerships formed under this vibration have a better chance for longevity. You are especially able to attract others–and material things as well–this year. This is a good year for establishing harmony in the family and in the home. Advice – develop existing relationships, be positive and receptive because these kinds of energies help you to attract what you desire.

Weekly Forecast: September 2 – 8, 2018

a message from Kelly M. Beard

To view more of Kelly’s insight, please visit her website, www.KarmicTools.com

The Karmic Tools Weekly Forecast covers the current planetary transits which affect people in different ways and to various degrees of intensity. Take notice when it is a Personal planet (Sun / Moon / Mercury / Venus / Mars) interacting with a Social (Jupiter/Saturn) or Collective planet (Uranus / Neptune/Pluto). And pay extremely close attention when it is a Social planet interacting with a Collective planet because that means something *big* is brewing that will move large groups of people along their evolutionary paths. Tuning in to the energy and rhythm of the planets can serve as a useful *guide* as you move along your Individual Path. It also helps to understand your place within the context of the larger Social & Collective Story. Below, you will find out how these energies tend to manifest, as well as guidance and direction.

*NOTE*  There are some days when there are NO CONTACTS (besides the Moon), please note that there are no missing entries, we just list the actual Activations of each week + the day they happen.

Weekly Forecast: September 2 – 8, 2018

9/3 ~ Mercury (thoughts) ~sextile~ Venus (art & beauty):

This energy turns your thoughts and ideas toward how you feel, what inspires you with love and beauty. This is a great time to be particularly creative, or do something related to the arts. It is best to keep it light and let go of your mundane burdens just for a time. Pleasure reading, walk on the beach, a play or museum are all good things to do at some point this week.

9/6 ~ Saturn Direct at 2* CAPRICORN:

This is Saturn’s first time in Capricorn since 1988-1990 and today completes its first retro in its home sign. This is a tremendous amount of stabilizing energy that you can direct consciously on your own behalf. In general, you can look to any area of your life that requires you to upgrade & fortify because it has essentially run its natural course and is more/less worn out. But you can also look to your Capricorn House, and see if the Areas of Life it represents, also may require some much-needed focus & dedication. Saturn often gets our attention by creating blockages & delays, pointing out weaknesses & oversights, and during its retrograde, there are reports of folks feeling like they are being ‘held back by the elbows’. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. A better use of Saturn’s amazing energy is to slow down and check in with your personal base. How organized are you in general? Are you naturally focused and self-directed or do you succeed more often when you have a structure? This is a time to develop or fortify your Inner Authority to make choices & decisions on your own behalf, with courage & confidence. Take time to organize your thoughts or create a plan or strategy for adjusting to the changes (seemingly) being forced on you at this time. Start with small, manageable goals because accomplishing them will also give you the momentum & fortitude to go after the bigger goals. It’s time to release fear & doubt and redefine your reality on some level, as Saturn gets its 2+ year journey through Capricorn underway. This retrograde likely revealed at least a clue about what restructuring needs to happen for you personally.

 

9/7 ~ Mercury (voice) ~trine~ Uranus (individuality):

This activation gives you access to your Higher Mind and opens the way for new, deeper insights that can guide & direct you at this time. Business as usual will not work, it’s time to open up to the unusual, do something different, look at things from another angle and watch the ah-ha’s start pouring in. Your intuition will be firing on all cylinders, giving you access to unprecedented clarity. While your thinking may lack discipline, your ability to access solutions to any recent (or long-standing) challenges will be off the charts. This energy will not be contained, even though it is generally all mental, you really will have a hard time keeping up with the ideas, thoughts, concepts & intuitions that come to you under this influence so try to take notes that you can refer to later when the grounding will be necessary. Pay attention to the messages that come through/from others as well since you never know how the Universe will show up. This alone is an indication that whatever your consciousness may not have been previously ready to assimilate or process is awakening now to that which is just for you!

9/7 ~ Mercury (your thinking) ~trine~ Saturn (structure & organization):

This energy is good for deep thinking. You are sharp and your standards are high because you are in ‘strategy mode’. This is a more solitary energy though, so communications with others may be hampered a bit because it is time for you to hold your own, at some new level. It’s time to focus on the details that hold the big dream together, all the little things that make the grand vision work. Some respect that attention to detail while others may consider it nit-picky but it is what the energy supports at this time so don’t worry if others don’t understand at this time. By the same token, you may also feel a little overwhelmed by the many “little things” that cannot be denied or delayed and thus a sense of urgency to get it all done. Beware of a tendency toward pessimism, depression or overwhelm. Try to stay focused on all the blessings that you do have and all that you have accomplished instead of what’s still on the list of things to do (in life). This energy is not intended to make you feel bad about all the things left yet to do, but encourage you to begin the necessary steps for manifesting your dreams. This energy just makes you focus on the practical side of manifesting. Clear the debris, and begin to lay a new, clean, solid foundation beneath your goals. Saturn gets you present to the necessary steps and Mercury helps you think clearly.

9/7 ~ Sun (ego & essential Self) ~oppose~ Neptune (illusion & delusion):

Where Venus oppose Neptune is about your relationships & finances, this Sun activation is more about YOU, the individual. And any opposition requires that we find the balance in the middle. This can be a very confusing energy. You will be very sensitive to others and their needs, as well as how they relate to you & your own needs. You may want to withdraw or not voice your opinion just to avoid conflict, feeling like it wouldn’t solve anything anyway. Often, if/when you do not ‘disagree’ (openly) then people assume you agree, which creates more problems. You shouldn’t give in to any temptation of being “slick” either, that will only attract more of the same to you. If you’re feeling unsure of yourself or your position, you may think it is easier to give in to another person’s demands when you really should stand up for yourself. Self-preservation is not selfish, it is necessary, so try to avoid playing the victim. Be honest and up-front with anyone demanding a confrontation at this time, that you would rather gather your thoughts and discuss things later (by then this energy will have passed) when you can articulate your side of things better. Be aware of deception – both on your part and/or the part of others (trying to deceive you). Your discernment is not its strongest under this influence so it is best to be still and quiet until the energy passes. Take this time to do some spiritual, inner work.

9/8 ~ Venus (values & priorities) ~square~ Mars (desire & passion):

This is our Inner Sacred Feminine & Masculine pushing out of comfort zone and into new territory. It’s time to recalibrate how you give & receive, as well as how you BE versus DO. It helps to know the Signs + Elements to consciously choose how to work with it. In this case (9/8), Venus is at 29* Libra and Mars is at 29* Capricorn, which is Air & Earth. The 29th degree is the final degree when we have the least amount of control, things are what they are. In this case, your individual responsibility or obligation to certain relationships is challenged to grow to a whole new level or come to a natural end. Anytime Venus & Mars interact, the energy has to do with your relationships, both personal & professional, private & public. Squares create the necessary tension to catalyze action. As an individual, it is time to grow, change & integrate your own Venus (values & priorities) with your own Mars (desires & passion), however, on another level it activates sexual energy as that too is the energy of creation. Your desires & inner sacred masculine is finishing its retro-recalibration, meaning who you are and what you want has likely fundamentally changed in the last 2-years. Now that you’ve altered what you want, adjustments must be made to accommodate the new values & priorities that you are about to recalibrate with Venus Retro in Scorpio next month (10/5). Use this tension to clarify what you are building.