Also called the Cornu, Cornicello, Wiggly Horn, Unicorn horn, Lucifer’s horn, or Leprechaun staff. The ancient magical charm or amulet worn in Italy as protection against “evil eye” has also been linked to Celtic and Druid myths and beliefs. Other traditions link it to sexual power and good luck. It is often worn with a cross for double protection or luck. In pre-Christian Europe, animal horns pointed to the moon goddess and were considered sacred.
c. 2018
By Patti Wigington, ThoughtCo.com
The Science of the Equinox:
Two days a year, the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight. Not only that, each receives the same amount of light as they do dark — this is because the earth is tilted at a right angle to the sun, and the sun is directly over the equator. In Latin, the word equinox translates to “equal night.” The autumn equinox takes place on or near September 21, and its spring counterpart falls around March 21. If you’re in the Northern hemisphere, the days will begin getting shorter after the autumn equinox and the nights will grow longer — in the Southern hemisphere, the reverse is true.
Global Traditions:
The idea of a harvest festival is nothing new. In fact, people have celebrated it for millennia, all around the world. In ancient Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate the harvesting of grapes for wine. In the 1700’s, the Bavarians came up with Oktoberfest, which actually begins in the last week of September, and it was a time of great feasting and merriment, still in existence today. China’s Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the night of the Harvest Moon, and is a festival of honoring family unity.
Giving Thanks:
Although the traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving falls in November, many cultures see the second harvest time of the fall equinox as a time of giving thanks. After all, it’s when you figure out how well your crops did, how fat your animals have gotten, and whether or not your family will be able to eat during the coming winter. However, by the end of November, there’s not a whole lot left to harvest. Originally, the American Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated on October 3, which makes a lot more sense agriculturally.
Thanksgiving was originally celebrated on October 3. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his “Thanksgiving Proclamation”, which changed the date to the last Thursday in November. In 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelt adjusted it yet again, making it the second-to-last Thursday, in the hopes of boosting post-Depression holiday sales. Unfortunately, all this did was confuse people. Two years later, Congress finalized it, saying that the fourth Thursday of November would be Thanksgiving, each year.
Symbols of the Season:
The harvest is a time of thanks, and also a time of balance — after all, there are equal hours of daylight and darkness. While we celebrate the gifts of the earth, we also accept that the soil is dying. We have food to eat, but the crops are brown and going dormant. Warmth is behind us, cold lies ahead.
Some symbols of Mabon include:
Mid-autumn vegetables, like squashes and gourds
Apples and anything made from them, such as cider or pies
Seeds, nuts and seed pods
Baskets, symbolizing the gathering of crops
Sickles and scythes
Grapes, vines, wine
You can use any of these to decorate your home or your altar at Mabon.
Feasting and Friends:
Early agricultural societies understood the importance of hospitality — it was crucial to develop a relationship with your neighbors, because they might be the ones to help you when your family ran out of food. Many people, particularly in rural villages, celebrated the harvest with great deals of feasting, drinking, and eating. After all, the grain had been made into bread, beer and wine had been made, and the cattle were brought down from the summer pastures for the coming winter. Celebrate Mabon yourself with a feast — and the bigger, the better!
Magic and Mythology:
Nearly all of the myths and legends popular at this time of the year focus on the themes of life, death, and rebirth. Not much of a surprise, when you consider that this is the time at which the earth begins to die before winter sets in!
Demeter and Her Daughter
Perhaps the best known of all the harvest mythologies is the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was a goddess of grain and of the harvest in ancient Greece. Her daughter, Persephone, caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. When Hades abducted Persephone and took her back to the underworld, Demeter’s grief caused the crops on earth to die and go dormant. By the time she finally recovered her daughter, Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to spend six months of the year in the underworld. These six months are the time when the earth dies, beginning at the time of the autumn equinox.
Inanna Takes on the Underworld
The Sumerian goddess Inanna is the incarnation of fertility and abundance. Inanna descended into the underworld where her sister, Ereshkigal, ruled. Erishkigal decreed that Inanna could only enter her world in the traditional ways — stripping herself of her clothing and earthly posessions. By the time Inanna got there, Erishkigal had unleashed a series of plagues upon her sister, killing Inanna. While Inanna was visiting the underworld, the earth ceased to grow and produce. A vizier restored Inanna to life, and sent her back to earth. As she journeyed home, the earth was restored to its former glory.
Modern Celebrations
For contemporary Druids, this is the celebration of Alban Elfed, which is a time of balance between the light and the dark. Many Asatru groups honor the fall equinox as Winter Nights, a festival sacred to Freyr.
For most Wiccans and NeoPagans, this is a time of community and kinship. It’s not uncommon to find a Pagan Pride Day celebration tied in with Mabon. Often, PPD organizers include a food drive as part of the festivities, to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and to share with the less fortunate.
If you choose to celebrate Mabon, give thanks for the things you have, and take time to reflect on the balance within your own life, honoring both the darkness and the light. Invite your friends and family over for a feast, and count the blessings that you have among kin and community.
The Morrígan (“phantom queen”) or Mórrígan (“great queen”), also written as Morrígu or in the plural as Morrígna, and spelt Morríghan or Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.
The Morrigan is a goddess of battle, strife, and fertility. She sometimes appears in the form of a crow, flying above the warriors, and in the Ulster cycle she also takes the form of an eel, a wolf and a cow. She is generally considered a war deity comparable with the Germanic Valkyries, although her association with cattle also suggests a role connected with fertility, wealth, and the land.
She is often depicted as a triple goddess, although membership of the triad varies; the most common combination is the Badb, Macha and Nemain, but other accounts name Fea, Anann, and others.
There is some disagreement over the meaning of the Morrígan’s name. Mor may derive from an Indo-European root connoting terror or monstrousness, cognate with the Old English maere (which survives in the modern English word “nightmare”) and the Scandinavian mara; while rígan translates as ‘queen’. This can be reconstructed in Proto-Celtic as *Moro-rīganī-s. Accordingly, Morrígan is often translated as “Phantom Queen”. This is the derivation generally favoured in current scholarship.
In the Middle Irish period the name is often spelt Mórrígan with a lengthening diacritic over the ‘o’, seemingly intended to mean “Great Queen” (Old Irish mór, ‘great’; this would derive from a hypothetical Proto-Celtic *Māra Rīganī-s.). Whitley Stokes believed this latter spelling was a due to a false etymology popular at the time. There have also been attempts to link the Morrígan with the fairy Morgan from Arthurian romance, in whose name ‘mor’ may derive from ‘sea’ or ‘water’.
The name is also sometimes spelt Morrígu and given in plural as Morrígna in Old Irish.
The earliest sources for the Morrígan are glosses in Latin manuscripts, and glossaries (collections of glosses). In a 9th century manuscript containing the Latin Vulgate translation of the Book of Isaiah, the word Lamia is used to translate the Hebrew Lilith. A gloss explains this as “a monster in female form, that is, a morrígan“. Cormac’s Glossary (also 9th century), and a gloss in the later manuscript H.3.18, both explain the plural word gudemain (“spectres”) with the plural form morrígna. The 8th century O’Mulconry’s Glossary says that Macha is one of the three morrígna. It therefore appears that at this time the name Morrígan was seen as referring to a class of beings rather than an individual.
The Morrígan’s earliest narrative appearances, in which she is depicted as an individual, are in stories of the Ulster Cycle, where she has an ambiguous relationship with the hero Cú Chulainn. In Táin Bó Regamna (The Cattle Raid of Regamain), Cúchulainn encounters the Morrígan, but does not recognize her, as she drives a heifer from his territory. In response to his challenge, she insults him, but before he can attack she becomes a black bird on a nearby branch. Cúchulainn now knows who she, and tells her that had he known before, they would not have parted in enmity. She notes that whatever he had done would have brought him ill luck. To his response that she cannot harm him, she makes a series of threats, foretelling a coming battle in which he will be killed. She tells him, enigmatically, “I guard your death”.
In the Táin Bó Cuailnge queen Medb of Connacht launches an invasion of Ulster to steal the bull Donn Cuailnge; the Morrígan, like Alecto of the Greek Furies, appears to the bull in the form of a crow and warns him to flee. Cúchulainn defends Ulster by fighting a series of single combats at fords against Medb’s champions. In between combats the Morrígan appears to him as a young woman and offers him her love, and her aid in the battle, but he spurns her. In response she intervenes in his next combat, first in the form of an eel who trips him, then as a wolf who stampedes cattle across the ford, and finally as a red heifer leading the stampede, just as she had threatened in their previous encounter. However Cúchulainn wounds her in each form and defeats his opponent despite her interference. Later she appears to him as an old woman bearing the same three wounds that her animal forms sustained, milking a cow. She gives Cúchulainn three drinks of milk. He blesses her with each drink, and her wounds are healed. As the armies gather for the final battle, she prophesies the bloodshed to come.
In one version of Cúchulainn’s death-tale, as the hero rides to meet his enemies, he encounters the Morrígan as a hag washing his bloody armour in a ford, an omen of his death. Later in the story, mortally wounded, Cúchulainn ties himself to a standing stone with his own entrails so he can die upright, and it is only when a crow lands on his shoulder that his enemies believe he is dead.
The Morrígan also appears in texts of the Mythological Cycle. In the 12th century pseudohistorical compilation Lebor Gabála Érenn she is listed among the Tuatha Dé Danann as one of the daughters of Ernmas, granddaughter of Nuada.
The first three daughters of Ernmas are given as Ériu, Banba, and Fódla. Their names are synonyms for Ireland, and they were married to Mac Cuill, Mac Cécht, and Mac Gréine, the last three Tuatha Dé Danann kings of Ireland. Associated with the land and kingship, they probably represent a triple goddess of sovereignty. Next come Ernmas’s other three daughters: the Badb, Macha, and the Morrígan. A quatrain describes the three as wealthy, “springs of craftiness” and “sources of bitter fighting”. The Morrígan’s name is said to be Anann, and she had three sons, Glon, Gaim, and Coscar. According to Geoffrey Keating’s 17th century History of Ireland, Ériu, Banba, and Fódla worshipped the Badb, Macha, and the Morrígan respectively, suggesting that the two triads of goddesses may be seen as equivalent.
The Morrígan also appears in Cath Maige Tuireadh (The Battle of Mag Tuired). On Samhain she keeps a tryst with the Dagda before the battle against the Fomorians. When he meets her she is washing herself, standing with one foot on either side of the river Unius. In some sources she is believed to have created the river. After they have sex, the Morrígan promises to summon the magicians of Ireland to cast spells on behalf of the Tuatha Dé, and to destroy Indech, the Fomorian king, taking from him “the blood of his heart and the kidneys of his valour”. Later, we are told, she would bring two handfuls of his blood and deposit them in the same river (however, we are also told later in the text that Indech was killed by Ogma).
As battle is about to be joined, the Tuatha Dé leader, Lug, asks each what power they bring to the battle. The Morrígan’s reply is difficult to interpret, but involves pursuing, destroying and subduing. When she comes to the battlefield she chants a poem, and immediately the battle breaks and the Fomorians are driven into the sea. After the battle she chants another poem celebrating the victory and prophesying the end of the world.
In another story she lures away the bull of a woman called Odras, who follows her to the otherworld via the cave of Cruachan. When she falls asleep, the Morrígan turns her into a pool of water.
The Morrígan is often considered a triple goddess, but her supposed triple nature is ambiguous and inconsistent. Sometimes she appears as one of three sisters, the daughters of Ernmas: the Morrígan, the Badb and Macha. Sometimes the trinity consists of the Badb, Macha and Nemain, collectively known as the Morrígan, or in the plural as the Morrígna. Occasionally Fea or Anu also appear in various combinations. However the Morrígan also frequently appears alone, and her name is sometimes used interchangeably with the Badb, with no third “aspect” mentioned.
The Morrígan is usually interpreted as a “war goddess”: W. M. Hennessey’s “The Ancient Irish Goddess of War,” written in 1870, was influential in establishing this interpretation. Her role often involves premonitions of a particular warrior’s violent death, suggesting a link with the Banshee of later folklore. This connection is further noted by Patricia Lysaght: “In certain areas of Ireland this supernatural being is, in addition to the name banshee, also called the badhb“.
It has also been suggested that she was closely tied to Irish männerbund groups (described as “bands of youthful warrior-hunters, living on the borders of civilized society and indulging in lawless activities for a time before inheriting property and taking their places as members of settled, landed communities”) and that these groups may have been in some way dedicated to her. If true, her worship may have resembled that of Perchta groups in Germanic areas.
However, Máire Herbert has argued that “war per se is not a primary aspect of the role of the goddess”, and that her association with cattle suggests her role was connected to the earth, fertility and sovereignty; she suggests that her association with war is a result of a confusion between her and the Badb, who she argues was originally a separate figure. She can be interpreted as providing political or military aid, or protection to the king — acting as a goddess of sovereignty, not necessarily a war goddess.
There is a burnt mound site in County Tipperary known as Fulacht na Mór Ríoghna (“cooking pit of the Mórrígan”). The fulachta sites are found in wild areas, and usually associated with outsiders such as the Fianna and the above-mentioned männerbund groups, as well as with the hunting of deer. The cooking connection also suggests to some a connection with the three mythical hags who cook the meal of dogflesh that brings the hero Cúchulainn to his doom. The Dá Chich na Morrigna (“two breasts of the Mórrígan”), a pair of hills in County Meath, suggest to some a role as a tutelary goddess, comparable to Danu or Anu, who has her own hills in County Kerry. Other goddesses known to have similar hills are Áine and Grian of County Limerick who, in addition to a tutelary function, also have solar attributes.
There have been attempts by some modern authors of fiction to link the Arthurian character Morgan le Fay with the Morrígan. Morgan first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini (The Life of Merlin) in the 12th century. However, while the creators of the literary character of Morgan may have been somewhat inspired by the much older tales of the goddess, the relationship ends there. Scholars such as Rosalind Clark hold that the names are unrelated, the Welsh “Morgan” (Wales being the source of Arthurian legend being derived from root words associated with the sea, while the Irish “Morrígan” has its roots either in a word for “terror” or a word for “greatness”.
The origins of the Morrigan seem to reach directly back to the megalithic cult of the Mothers. The Mothers (Matrones, Idises, Disir, etc.) usually appeared as triple goddesses and their cult was expressed through both battle ecstasy and regenerative ecstasy. It’s also interesting to note that later Celtic goddesses of sovereignty, such as the trio of Eriu, Banba, and Fotla, also appear as a trio of female deities who use magic in warfare. “Influence in the sphere of warfare, but by means of magic and incantation rather than through physical strength, is common to these beings.” (Ross 205)
Eriu, a goddess connected to the land in a fashion reminiscent of the Mothers, could appear as a beautiful woman or as a crow, as could the Morrigan. The Disir appeared in similar guises. In addition to being battle goddesses, they are significantly associated with fate as well as birth in many cases, along with appearing before a death or to escort the deceased.
There is certainly evidence that the concept of a raven goddess of battle was not limited to the Irish Celts. An inscription found in France which reads Cathubodva, ‘Battle Raven’, shows that a similar concept was at work among the Gaulish Celts.
Valkyries in Norse cosmology. Both use magic to cast fetters on warriors and choose who will die.
During the Second Battle, the Morrigan “said she would go and destroy Indech son of De Domnann and ‘deprive him of the blood of his heart and the kidneys of his valor’, and she gave two handfuls of that blood to the hosts. When Indech later appeared in the battle, he was already doomed.” (Rees 36)
Compare this to the Washer at the Ford, another guise of the Morrigan. The Washer is usually to be found washing the clothes of men about to die in battle. In effect, she is choosing who will die.
An early German spell found in Merseburg mentions the Indisi, who decided the fortunes of war and the fates of warriors. The Scandinavian “Song of the Spear”, quoted in “Njals Saga”, gives a detailed description of Valkyries as women weaving on a grisly loom, with severed heads for weights, arrows for shuttles, and entrails for the warp. As they worked, they exulted at the loss of life that would take place. “All is sinister now to see, a cloud of blood moves over the sky, the air is red with the blood of men, and the battle women chant their song.” (Davidson 94)
An Old English poem, “Exodus”, refers to ravens as choosers of the slain. In all these sources, ravens, choosing of the slain, casting fetters, and female beings are linked.
“As the Norse and English sources show them to us, the walkurjas are figures of awe an even terror, who delight in the deaths of men. As battlefield scavengers, they are very close to the ravens, who are described as waelceasega, “picking over the dead”…” (Our Troth)
“The function of the goddess [the Morrigan] here, it may be noted, is not to attack the hero [Cu Chulainn] with weapons but to render him helpless at a crucial point in the battle, like the valkyries who cast ‘fetters’ upon warriors … thus both in Irish and Scandinavian literature we have a conception of female beings associated with battle, both fierce and erotic.” (Davidson 97, 100)
She appeared to the hero Cu Chulainn(son of the god Lugh) and offered her love to him. When he failed to recognize her and rejected her, she told him that she would hinder him when he was in battle. When Cu Chulainn was eventually killed, she settled on his shoulder in the form of a crow. Cu’s misfortune was that he never recognized the feminine power of sovereignty that she offered to him.
She appeared to him on at least four occasions and each time he failed to recognize her.
Created By Calesta
The information on Morrigan is vast, and at times contradictory. It would take many, many webpages to tell all of her stories and it was very difficult to narrow this down! From maiden to mother to crone, from the destruction of war and death, to the beauty of the river of rebirth, Morrigan shows us the full circle of life. As with many Divine Feminine images, time can distort, and different cultures take on different attributes. What I have found that is close to the truth in my experience with her follows.
Morrigan is an Irish and Celtic Goddess. She can shapeshift into a crow or raven. It is said that she would take this form and fly over battlefields “calling upon the spirits of slain warriors.” (p. 252, McCoy) She is a triple goddess, with the aspects of the “virgin Ana, flowering fertility- goddess; the mother Babd, “Boiling” the cauldron perpetually producing life; and the crone Macha, “great Queen of the Phantoms” or Mother Death.” (p. 675, Walker). I believe she was also originally connected to the Great Irish Mother Goddess, Anu (later called Danu). In her aspect of Macha she was so powerful her name was the ancient capital of Ireland (p. 186, Kimball).
In the tales of the first people of Ireland, the Tuatha De Danann (literally the people of the Goddess Danu, pg. 189 Kimball), Morrigan was said to have blown a protective fog over all of the land, so that they would not be invaded. This shows the strength of Morrigan, and the protection the people received from her. Morrigan is also connected with death and destruction and battles. One story tells that Macha was forced to race while pregnant with twins, and when she (easily) won she gave birth to the twins. She was so angry at her tormentors for giving birth in public that way, she cursed them with the pain of childbirth before enemies were closing in. For nine generations when Ulster came under attack the men would experience the pains of childbirth (p. 192 Kimball).
Morrigan is a “Goddess of rivers, lakes and freshwaters”, and she was seen by Cu Chulain before his death, washing the clothes and arms. It is said that if one sees Morrigan by the river washing their clothes or body, is is a prediction of death before going into battle. Looking at this story, one can see the river or water as a place of rebirth, that Morrigan as the Goddess washing, anointing the body before being reborn.
Calling upon the strength of a woman that can fight off armies, and wash the dead is very powerful. Darkness, death, is a natural part of life, and brewing in the cauldron of rebirth is new life. But what I have found is to recognize that over time most Goddesses have been demonized… made to be solely focused on sex or death. Taking out pieces of the cycle, and turning them into something evil. Just as the wise crone was turned to hag.
Hymn to the Morrigan by Isaac Bonewits
O Morrigan, we call your name Across the dusty years.
You speak to us, of blood and lust. You show us all our fears.
You are a goddess, old and wise. Of holy power you have no dearth.
Beneath your wings : Black, Red and White, We learn of death and birth.
You walk about, this ancient land, Your hungers raw and clear.
You make the crops, grow rich and strong, As well your geese and deer.
A flirting maid, a lusty hag, A mother of great girth :
Without the touch of your black wings, We cannot heal the earth.
You float upon, a blood red wave, Of swords and spears and knives.
Your voice inspires, fear and dread, That you’ll cut short our lives.
You try the warriors’, courage sore, Our inner souls unearth.
Without the touch of your red wings, We cannot know our worth.
You fly above the silver clouds, To Manannan’s shining Gate.
You lead the dead along that path, To meet our final fate.
The joke’s on us, we find within, A land of laughter and of mirth.
Without the touch of your white wings, We cannot have rebirth.
The four basic elements to many pagans are earth, water, air (wind or spirit) and fire. Many consider the first two passive and feminine—and the last two active and masculine. In Wiccan or Native American rituals, the “quartered circle” (similar to the Medicine Wheel) represents a “sacred space” or the sacred earth. The four lines may represent the spirits of the four primary directions or the spirits of the earth, water, wind and fire.
Our monthly Crystalscopes pair each zodiac sign with a crystal whose energies can support us through the coming month’s transits. We choose crystals that are accessible and widely available; you may see the same stone pop up from month to month as a medicine for a different sign—consider it an invitation to use your toolkit!
Also consider low-impact methods like using gem essences and elixirs, buying used crystals, or starting a crystal share with friends. Real magic can only be accomplished by acknowledging our impact on the world around us.
Read these for your sun, moon, and rising signs to learn what you should wear, carry, or place on an altar to help boost your specific astrology for the month. These also work as remediations for specific houses in your natal chart. This month’s crystals are specially selected to maximize Venus’ transit of Pisces and the double Libra full moons we get this year.
Happy birthday, April Aries! This month is action-packed for Aries, with the sun, Mercury, and Venus all spending time in the sign of the ram—along with Chiron, whose presence we’re still just getting used to. Unfortunately, Aries may feel a little thin-skinned this month, with sensitivities exceptionally high, especially around the full moon. Smoky quartz is a traditional gemstone ally to aid in conditional invisibility, or in sneaking in under the radar, where desired. It is a great month for Aries to adjust energetic boundaries, and smoky quartz makes a great assistant in doing so. Wear a smoky quartz ring or a necklace to help suss out the right social situations and have a fantastic solar return.
Happy birthday to first decan Tauruses! The sun and Uranus will be conjunct in Taurus on April 23, and this is an ideal month to let the bulls of the zodiac roam free. An underappreciated aspect of Taurus’ famous stubbornness is a wholehearted commitment to personal freedom that can sometimes be quite iconoclastic and unconventional. Uranus in Taurus will certainly amplify this quality, and here in its first degrees and its conjunction with the sun, it opens up all kinds of giddy opportunities for more complete and holistic self-love. Try a birthday bath with a rose quartz companion and an affirmation on your mirror designed to help you embrace radical new concepts of beauty.
Mars lights up your corner of the sky this month. Ambition, sex appeal, and vitality can all soar—Gemini is practically hot to the touch this month! While a welcome boost, this energy can also feel like a little much, especially with so much mutable energy abounding in the cosmic sphere. Soothing, beautiful lace agate, especially worn at the throat, aids the twins in keeping things proportional, so you can avoid having your mouth write checks your body can’t cash.
Between the sun squaring your sign and Saturn and Pluto opposing it, Cancer may be feeling a bit, well…crabby. April is rife with potential annoyances, hindrances, and challenges, but they are not without merit. Long-term investment, loyalty, and commitment are needed to clarify plans and desires—luckily Cancer excels at showing up. Garnet was carried into battle by ancient warriors to remind them what they fought for; carried in your pocket or worn as a talisman, it can remind you too!
Trines with the sun, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter are undeniably exhilarating. April offers Leo prosperous opportunities and a chance to shine. With many different options to choose from, it will be necessary to practice your best diplomacy skills and perhaps even evade a bit of jealous critique. Black Onyx was a go-to for ancient Greek philosophers who wished to keep their interpersonal debates in the forum and prevent drama from spilling into everyday life. Particularly if you’re engaged in casual dating or a competitive professional sphere, Leo may want to call in some backup with regal, potent black onyx.
Virgo is probably feeling a little fried at this point. Ever the workaholic, Virgo may have gone a little hard in March and are now finding themselves in need of respite. Abundant mutable energy continues to swirl around us, and the seemingly never-ending Piscesinfluence drags particularly hard on Virgo. It has been a necessary and transformative gauntlet, but as the Pisces party draws to a close and Mercury and Venus transit to new signs mid-month, Virgo needs to power through and rebalance. An ancient remedy for drunkenness (literally: it was dropped in wine glasses at the end of parties in hopes of mitigating intoxication), amethyst helps Virgos use spiritual reflection to stay in equilibrium. Wear earrings or a barrette to maximize this childhood favorite’s effects on your poor, addled mind.
With this second powerhouse full moon, Libra is gifted an opportunity to envision and manifest whatever you most desire. There is no limit to what Libra can envision and dream up this month; opposing Aries energies and squares from the nodes and Saturn and Pluto do create tension, but hopefully, this energy can be harnessed and used to boost Libra’s ability to go big. Indecisiveness is often a factor for the scale-bearers, but gorgeous and enchanting cat’s eye chrysoberyl is traditionally used to cut to the heart of anything that is convoluted or unclear. Libra can particularly benefit from clear vision because this month’s full moon work is almost guaranteed to come to fruition, so we want our requests to ring clear as a bell.
This month will likely be filled with some profound intrigues for Scorpio. Mercury, Venus, and Neptune all spend some time in Pisces, and alongside the north node in Cancer, create some powerful depth magic for the fixed water sign. It is more possible than ever for Scorpio to truly dive deep into emotional processing, intimate communication, and the claiming of power. Lapis lazuli was the stone of the priest class in ancient Egypt, ensuring right use of authority and integrity in leadership. Scorpio’s potency is off the charts this month and lapis lazuli is an uncompromising co-ruler.
Riding the waves of mutability this month, Sagittarius is invited to shoot for the stars—but for real this time. Less talk, more walk. A certain amount of tender realism and staunch determination will stabilize the centaur’s most extravagant daydreams in April. Very big things are possible for Sagittarius this month but must arrive in combination with deep faith and profound honesty with the self—dispelling illusion is a must. Enter iolite. This beautiful purple-gray stone of spiritual awareness and truthful awakening is an ideal companion for Sagittarius this month, cementing even very extravagant plans to ensure future success. Try incorporating iolite into a daily prayer practice and watch your wildest dreams come true.
Capricorn is undergoing such a powerful renovation over the next few years, what with Saturn ensconced at home and Pluto decamped in the sign of the enigmatic sea-goat. April provides a gorgeous opportunity for Capricorn to boost self-regard, especially where it comes to the axis of deserving/undeserving. Stimulating the solar plexus is ideal here, as well as encouraging the notoriously serious sea-goat to lighten up a bit. Golden calcite is pure laughter—recommended use is resting the stone on your solar plexus while meditating on the theme that you deserve abundance and goodness. If you live in a state where it is legal, and you partake, then by all means enhance the giggles with a little herbal support.
Aquarius has undergone a major healing journey over the last eighteen months, and the road ahead is finally opening. Significant change is afoot, but there may be a few final spasms of discomfort to overcome, especially with tense squares from the sun and Uranus late in the month. Bloodstone has long been associated with overcoming suffering, transcending pain, and learning from our particular tragedies. Wearing or carrying bloodstone this month will help the water-bearers achieve their apex identity: that of one who has triumphed over adversity, one who has survived against all odds.
Usually, sapphire is associated with Pisces’ sister sign of Virgo, but this time we’re calling it in here. Mercury’s unusually long stay in your sign this year, combined with Venus’ scintillating exalted visit and Neptune’s long and lush home game, greatly amps up the potential for increased self-knowledge. Sapphires come in every color of the rainbow, and the diversity available in this stone should serve as inspiration for Pisces dreamers the world over. Wearing a sapphire provides a boost to self-confidence that can allow you to showcase your very specific self and amplify your 12th house gifts of magic, mystery, and playful mayhem.
Published On Astrology.com
This crystal, one of the most valued quartz varieties, is renowned for its delicate pink tone. The impurities of titanium or manganese that give it this hue also prevent the growth of large individual crystals, which means it is usually found in massive form. Most rose quartz these days comes from Brazil but there also sources in India, Madagascar and the USA. In healing work, the stone encourages the heart to open, bringing more trust and love into our lives.
Identification and care
Magick
Healing Functions
Practical Ideas
(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE THIS TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER)
Recipe by Gerina Dunwich
A small cauldron filled with homemade potpourri can be used as a fragrant altar decoration, burned (outdoors) as an offering to the old gods during or after a Sabbat celebration, or wrapped in decorative paper and ribbons and given to a Wiccan sister or brother as a Sabbat gift.
45 drops rose oil
1 cup oak moss
2 cups dried dogwood blossoms
2 cups dried honeysuckle blossoms
1/2 cup dried violets
1/2 cup dried daffodils
1/2 cup dried rosebuds
1/2 cup dried crocus or iris
Mix the rose oil with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and then store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
(The above recipe for “Spring Equinox Ritual Potpourri” is directly quoted from Gerina Dunwich’s book: “The Wicca Spellbook: A Witch’s Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and Recipes”, pages 161-162, A Citadel Press Book, Carol Publishing Group, 1994/1995.)
Source
Ostara Lore
Researched and Compiled by StormWind
Put in soap or annoint candles
5 drops lavender
5 drops jasmine
5 drops patchouli
5 drops rose
Add a lavender bud and small lapis lazuli, rose, and clear quartz crystals. This has the gently smell of spring beginning to blossom. Very lovely!
Recipe by Scott Cunningham
2 parts Frankincense
1 part Benzoin
1 part Dragon’s Blood
1/2 part Nutmeg
1/2 part Violet flowers (or a few drops Violet oil)
1/2 part Orange peel
1/2 part Rose petals
Burn during Wiccan rituals on Ostara, or to welcome the spring and refresh your life.
(The above recipe for “Ostara Incense” is directly quoted from Scott Cunningham’s book: “The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews”, page 83, Llewellyn Publications, 1992.)
Hanukkah (Jewish)
Themes: Miracles; Victory, Success; Overcoming
Symbol: Light
About Sephira: This ancient Cabalistic goddess embodies divine light – the active, energetic power that flows
through the Universe in all directions. Thus, it is no coincidence that the ten spheres on the Tree of Life are
called Sephirah, for this goddess guides our way and path with her radiance.
To Do Today: This festival commemorates the rebellion of the Jews against the Syrians, in which a miracle took
place. A small bottle of oil stayed lit for eight days, keeping the temple consecrated until more oil could be brought.
Since Sephira is the light of miracles, today’s a good time to focus on seemingly impossible goals or situations that
you may have set aside or left behind in discouragement. Revisit those dreams; reconsider the logistics of those
circumstances. If there is a better way to approach things, Sephira will illuminate that path or options for you in
your meditations. Make sure to turn on light sources today, and open curtains to let natural light into your home.
Symbolically, this welcomes Sephira’s active power into your spiritual life and quest. Also consider following with
Jewish tradition and giving coins to friends or family. These tokens draw financial security. Or, eat potato pancakes
for providence.
By Patricia Telesco
Color Magick is a basic tenet for working spells. The properties of each color determine how it impacts your mood, frame of mind, and the potency of your spell casting.
Be mindful of the color of the candle, gemstone, and flower you choose; carefully pick the hues of your clothing, furniture, and even the paint on the walls.
For example, if you are given to moodiness or anger, remove all RED from your home décor. If you are predisposed to melancholia, a VIOLET scheme may depress you.
For a Peaceful Home
Burn blue candles on Thursday
To Overcome Fear
Burn red candles on Sunday
For Inner Peace
Burn silver candles on Monday
For Self-Confidence
Burn red candles on Sunday
For Physical Wellbeing
Burn green candles on Friday
To Overcome Regret or Guilt
Burn white candles on Wednesday
For Mental Clarity
Burn yellow candles on Wednesday
To Let Go of Anger
Burn orange candles on Monday
For Success at Work
Burn green candles on Friday
Inner Peace is a state of mind that is free from worry, anxiety, fear, anger, frustration, envy, jealousy, hatred, resentment, greed, lust, pride, vanity, gluttony, sloth, envy, avarice, arrogance, conceit, self-pity, malice, revenge, and all other forms of evil. This spell is perfect for anyone that needs to remove negativity from their life.
Whether that’s negative thoughts, people, or actions, this spell will help you to do just that.
In many traditions of Paganism, days of the week are very important aspects of effective spellcasting. For example, spells to do with abundance or prosperity could be done on Thursday, because it is associated with riches and desire. When casting a spell concerning business or communication, one might prefer to work on a Wednesday due to its associations.
While not all traditions follow this rule, when you’re doing any sort of magical working, always be sure to document the day of the week you’re performing the spell.
Sunday Magical Correspondences
Sunday is associated with the colors yellow and gold, which shouldn’t be surprising – it’s the day of the sun, right? Because of this planetary association, this is a day that’s also connected to solar deities like Helios and Ra. Interestingly, in some Celtic traditions, Brighid’s day is Sunday as well.
When it comes to crystal use, Sunday is related to quartz crystals and diamonds, as well as the yellowish hues of carnelian and amber. For herbs and plants in magical workings, use marigolds, sunflowers or cinnamon.
What kind of magic is best performed on Sunday? Well, it’s a day that generally has a number of associations – agriculture, beauty, hope, victory, self-expression and creativity are all connected to this particular day. Plant or harvest something new (not just material crops, but metaphysical ones as well), create something from nothing, and prepare to win at everything.
Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com
We of the Old Religion have our own particular compact with our deities that charges simply, “An it harm none, do as ye will.” And our gods do not despise us for being human but delight in our celebrations of life and love. We are ageless souls, only for a while within bodies – merely visitors upon this plane. We are brothers to the gods and only temporarily cousins to the ape, and our lives belong to us, not to this world nor to its earthly governors. We are not doomed to shame and decay; not lost; not indentured to perish with earthly manifestations; not disposed to eternal misery for any past or present lapses of courage or wisdom. We are as children in the school of life who must learn our lessons, on life at a time, before we graduate. Our lives span the march of time, striving upward, subordinate only to our individual probity and growth.
But in this mortal life, greedy, trivial hierophants and mundane rulers have perpetrated a fraud upon humanity. They have purloined for profit and temporal power, our legitimate heritage, and that of all society, and have substituted for it shame, despair, and fear, inventing evil deities to terrify and to constrain mankind from the exercise of his own native conscience.
Still we take our uncertain portion time and again, joining with the species on this plane, only to meet with earthly disunity and distress; only to be told by bogus, uncelestial shepherds that we are deficient and fundamentally iniquitous; constantly rebuked that our natural birthright is insubstantial or even sinful, and that we must cleave to the pious injunctions of reigning mortals, no matter how oppressive, or suffer beyond measurable time, yearning for some mythical golden glory just out of reach, but somehow never quite worthy of it.
That is the apocryphal hell and the fabled satan; they are of mortal creation; they are now, not in some remote bye-and-bye; and those who choose to believe in them perpetuate them in this earth. But nevertheless, by sublime design, despite narrowness, folly or fear, we all, each and every one, possess this wondrous legacy: that each of us sustains a singular covenant with the cosmic, in that the soul is and ever was, one with the universe, conducting itself in concordance with the absolute. And whatever paths it may walk, or whichever faith it may follow, on sojourn at a time, each shall as a consequence of that oneness, and attuning with its destiny, eventually return on its own to its source to again be part of that totality, atoned, aware and unshackled.
“JUSTIFICUS”
Although you can carry out rituals using absolutely anything, you may like to create a special set of
symbols for a variety of rituals. These you can keep in a separate box within your main store of magick
artefacts so they do not get scattered or broken.
You may include a thimble to symbolise domestic affairs, a tiny padlock for security at home, a
wooden toy boat for travel, a silver locket for fidelity, a key charm for a house, tiny painted wooden
eggs for fertility in any venture – just to suggest a few. You can also use small fabric dolls to represent
people, for example in a love spell.
Tarot cards also provide excellent symbols for magick: the Emperor for power, the Empress for
fertility, the Ten of Pentacles for prosperity, the Lovers for romance, the World or the Eight of Wands
for travel, Temperance for harmony, Justice for matters of law, etc. Even if you do not use Tarot cards
for divination, a brilliantly illustrated pack, such as the Rider Waite or the Morgan Greer, will by their
pictures suggest all kinds of images for your work. My book Tarot Talks to the Woman Within
(Quantum, 2000) contains many examples of Tarot spells and in spite of its title, the book is very male-
friendly. The Tarot is also very portable.
You may also find a supply of white clay useful for creating impromptu symbols and if the clay is soft
you can empower it with written words or symbols. I am not suggesting you create waxen images of
the kind you see in B-movies, and I certainly don’t want you to collect nail clippings or hair in an
attempt to harm anyone in any way; this is merely a representation of a person or desired object. It may
be possible to find a natural source of clay.
A beach near my home provides me with an abundant supply. You can also buy the natural, untreated
potters’ material. After using the clay in a ritual, you can return it to the soil. Clay is especially good in
binding spells or banishing spells when the actions to be bound or the destructive habit are to be reabsorbed by the Earth. It is also excellent in group rituals as a number of people can mould into it their collective energies.
The substances of magick for formal rituals are the same as those used in informal magick. I have
already described their magical associations in informal spells and in ritual magick the correspondences in colour and fragrance are exactly the same. Each is set in its own quarter of the circle and used to charge the focus of the ritual with power. They can also be used for empowering and cleansing your ritual tools.
If you make your own candles or incense for your rituals, you can endow energies by chanting the
purpose for which they are being made. Some practitioners prepare their ritual substances the day or
the evening before the ceremony, at the right planetary or angelic hour for its purpose. But you do not
need to do this – the days of apprentices and long hours devoted to a single ritual are gone and even the
most complex ceremony need take no more than an hour, many much less.
Salt
Salt rituals are among the oldest forms of magick and salt can form the focus of magick for health and
prosperity ceremonies as well as for psychic protection. The kind used is most usually sea salt and
represents the Earth element. It should be kept covered and separate from domestic salt and it must be
empowered before use.
The salt should be placed on the altar to the left of your Earth ritual tools, in a small ceramic dish with
a silver spoon. Use new salt for each ritual and tip any remaining into flowing water, watching it
carrying away your wishes to fruition.
A very simple crescent moon ritual for attracting money involves piling magically charged salt in a
central cone, surrounding this with coins and filling them all with power. Then take the empowered
coins and leave them in an open jar in the moonlight until the full moon. On the day after the full
moon, spend them on giving happiness to others.
After the ritual, dissolve the salt in sacred water and tip it into a flowing source of water to get the
money energies moving.
In a formal ritual for the same purpose, focus the energies by casting a formal circle, inviting the
guardians of the elements (see page 200) to lend their power to the endeavour. Pass the elemental
tools, incense, candles and water over the salt and money, thus concentrating the energies. Dissolve
and tip the salt away in a tub of water that has been swirled nine times to get the power flowing as the
climax of the ritual. The difference is one of degree of intensity.
Incense
Incense is placed in the East of the altar to the left of the ritual tools.
Incense is, as well as an elemental substance, an easy but powerful way of marking the boundaries
between the everyday world and the magick. Frankincense, myrrh or sandalwood is sometimes burned
on the altar before a ceremony to purify the area, especially if the room is used for other purposes, and
to raise the vibrations from the mundane to the more spiritual. If you are using the granular kind you
burn on charcoal, you will need a censer, but a bowl containing sand will serve for incense sticks or
cones.
As the incense is burned, so the energies are released.
Candles
All rituals and spells use a number of candles but they are particularly significant in formal magick. I
will repeat very briefly the basic information you need for a formal ritual, but you might like to read
through again Chapter 5, as candles are such an important part of magic.
You will need one or two altar candles in white, cream or natural beeswax. From the altar candle(s),
you will light all the other candles used in your rituals. If you have only one, it will stand in the centre.
If two, they are usually placed symmetrically to the right and left of the altar, the god candle on the left
and the goddess candle on the right.
You will also need four elemental candles, to represent Fire, Air, Water and Earth, in appropriate
colours, though if you are carrying out a ceremony in which the power of one element predominates,
you could use four candles of this same element. If you are working entirely on the altar, these can be
small candles, placed in a line nearer to the perimeter. More usually, however, the candles mark the
outer perimeter of the circle at the four compass points. You can, place these on small tables or plinths,
or have floor-standing candle-holders.
Green is for Earth, midnight, winter and the North. Place the candle at the 12 o’clock position on a
clock, aligned with magnetic North (use a compass if necessary).
Yellow is for Air, dawn, spring and the East. Place the candle at the three o’clock position.
Red, orange or gold is for Fire, noon, summer and the South. Place the candle in the six o’clock
position.
Blue is for Water, dusk, autumn and the West. Place the candle in the nine o’clock position.
Light elemental candles after the altar candles if they are within the circle, but before any wish or
astrological candles, and begin in the North. If you wish, you can light each candle as its Guardian of
the Quarter is invoked (see page 200) and thus called in the ascending flame.
You may also use a candle to represent the petitioner in the ritual. This may be yourself or the person
for whom you are performing a ritual. The candle should be in the appropriate zodiacal colour
according to the petitioner’s birth date and one the colour of the need.
In love rituals, light two candles, one for each lover, and place them slightly in front of the altar
candle(s): the male lover’s candle should be placed next to the goddess candle and the female’s by the
god candle, if applicable.
If you have a central cauldron, you can stand any candles of need or petitioners’ candles in it.
Empowering Candles
Usually candles are so powerful that they are already full of magical energies, However, in more
formal and elaborate magical ceremonies, you may wish to inscribe or anoint those candles
representing a need or person with either olive oil or a ready-prepared, fragrant, anointing.
Inscribing Candles
Carving your wishes and intentions into a candle endows the candle with your special energies and as
you etch each letter or symbol, these energies become concentrated.
If you anoint a candle, you should engrave it afterwards, although you may feel that inscribing it is
sufficient. Engraving candles is not difficult, but you must use a very light touch and choose good quality candles. Beeswax is not so easy to inscribe, but because it is very malleable, you can push tiny
symbols, such as coins, etc., into the wax or you can buy sheets of beeswax and even if you do not
fashion your own candles, you can add tiny beeswax symbols. You can also buy beeswax candles – and
some ordinary ones – in different shapes, for example entwined lovers for a love ritual, or a beehive for
abundance.
Anointing Candles With Oil
You can anoint, or dress, candles with scented oil or use candles that have fragrance already added.
When you anoint candles with oils, they become more flammable, so you need to be extra cautious
about sparks. For safety, stand your candlesticks on a fireproof tray.
Generally, the anointing is performed in silence. You can use virgin olive oil for dressing candles for
any need. Some people add a pinch of salt for purification and life-giving properties.
Before beginning, pour a small quantity of the oil into a clear glass or ceramic dish and gently swirl it
nine times deosil with a ceramic or glass spoon, visualising light pouring into it and endowing it with
healing and magical energies. You need use only a small quantity as the anointing action is symbolic.
Rub the oil into the candle in an upward motion, starting in the middle of your candle. Use a
previously unlit candle as this will not have absorbed any energies apart from those with which you
endow it. Rub in only one direction, concentrating on the purpose of your ritual. See the qualities of
your oil and your need entering the candle.
Then, starting in the middle again, rub the candle downwards, again concentrating on your goal. A few
practitioners will rub from base to top for attracting magick and from top to bottom for banishing
magick; it is also usual to use a white candle for attracting energies and a black for banishing.
By physically touching the candle with the oil, it is said that you are charging the candle with your
personal vibrations so that when it is lit, it becomes an extension of your mental power and life energy.
If the candle represents another person and they are present, ask them to anoint their own candle.
If you light a candle for a formal ritual on successive days, you should re-anoint the candle each time,
visualising the partial completion of the goal.
Water
Water represents its own element and stands in the West in a dish to the left of the chalice. See page
163 for instructions on how to make and empower sacred water. You can also use water to which rose
petals have been added or you can float lavender or rose essential oil on top (this water should not be
consumed internally).
—Practical Guide to Witchcraft and Magic Spells By Cassandra Eason
Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month,
and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye
assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of
She, who is Queen of all witches. There shall ye assemble,
ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its
deepest secrets; to these will She teach things that are
yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a
sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your
rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love,
all in Her praise. For Hers is the ecstasy of the spirit,
and Hers also is joy on earth; for Her law is love unto all
beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards
it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For Hers is the
secret door which opens upon the land of youth and Hers
is the cup of wine of life, and the cauldron of Cerridwen,
which is the Holy Grail of immortality. She is the
gracious goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart
of man. Upon earth, She gave the knowledge of the spirit
eternal; and beyond death, She gives peace and freedom,
and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor does
She demand sacrifice, for behold, She is the mother of
all living, and Her love is poured out upon the earth.
She who is the beauty of the green earth, and the white
moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and
the desire of the heart of man, calls unto thy soul. Arise,
and come unto Her. For She is the soul of nature, who
gives life to the universe. from Her all things proceed,
and unto Her all things must return; and before Her face,
beloved of gods and men, let thine innermost divine self
be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let Her
worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all
acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals. And therefore
let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And
thou who thinkest to seek Her, know thy seeking and
yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the
mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not
within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee. For
behold, She has been with thee from the beginning; and
She is that which is attained at the end of desire.
Listen to the words of the Great Father, who of old was called Osiris,
Adonis, Zeus, Thor, Pan, Cernunnos, Herne, Lugh and by many other names.
My law is harmony with all things.
Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life and mine is the dish of salt of
the earth that is the body of Cernunnos that is the eternal circle of rebirth.
I give the knowledge of life everlasting, and beyond death
I give the promise of regeneration and renewal.
I am the sacrifice, the father of all things,
and my protection blankets the earth.
Hear the words of the dancing God, the music of whose laughter
stirs the winds, whose voice calls the seasons.
I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of the Light,
sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame.
I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me.
For I am the flesh of the earth and all its beings.
Thru me all things must die and with me are reborn.
Let my worship be in the body that sings,
for behold all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals.
Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness,
joy and peace, awe and longing within you.
For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself,
within me, all beginnings have endings, and all endings have beginnings.
Traditionally, Sunday is the first day of the week. It is also known as the Lord’s Day from it original association with the Lord, that is, the Sun God, personified as Helios, Apollo, Ogmios, Mithras, and St. Elia. But in the Northern Tradition, the sun is seen as feminine, personified as the goddess known as Phoebe in East Anglia and Saule in eastern Europe. The sun rules the conscious element of the human being, the ego, the real self, and Sunday is the day on which this conscious power is at its most effective.
Deity: Sol
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Planet: Sun
Tree: Birch
Herb: Snakeroot
Stone: Ruby
Animal: Lion
Element: Fire
Color: Gold
Rune: Sigel
The Celtic Tree Month of Luis(Rowan) January 21 – February 17)
Runic Half Month of Peorth (womb, dice cup) ( January 13 – January 27)
Goddess of the Month of Hestia (December 26th – January 22nd)
Source
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
Hera is the Queen of the GODS and is the wife and sister of ZEUS in the Olympian pantheon. She is known for being the Goddess of Marriage & Birth. Despite being the Goddess of Marriage, she was known to be jealous and vengeful towards the many lovers and offspring of her husband Zeus.
She was also known to turn her anger towards mortals who crossed her as well – for example, Paris, who chose APHRODITE over Hera as the most beautiful goddess at the marriage of the sea-nymph Thetis to a mortal called Peleus.
In images and statues, Hera is portrayed as being majestic and solemn, crowned with the polos – a high cylindrical crown worn by many of the Great Goddesses.
Even before her marriage with Zeus, she ruled over the heavens and the Earth. This is one reason why she is referred to as ‘The Queen of Heaven’ – ruling over Mount Olympus where all the gods and goddesses live.
Even the great Zeus feared his wife Hera. Her never-ending hatred of Heracles, the illegitimate son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene stemmed from his continuous adultery and, amongst other things, Hera raised a storm at sea in order to drive Heracles out of his course to kill him.
Zeus became so angry that he hung her in the clouds by a golden chain, and attached heavy anvils to her feet. Her son Hephaestus tried to release his mother from her humiliating position, for which Zeus threw him out of heaven, and his leg was broken by the fall.
Hera was Queen of the OLYMPIAN GODS.
She was the wife and sister of Zeus.
Hera was a jealous wife, and she fought with Zeus frequently over his extramarital affairs and illegitimate children. For this reason, Hera was known for punishing offending husbands.
She was the protector of women, presiding over marriages and births.
While Hera was worshipped in all parts of Greece, temples were erected in her honor at Argos and Salmos.
The peacock was sacred to her.
Hera had few, if any, redeeming qualities. She never forgot an injury.
The Titans Ocean and Tethys brought her up.
Hera is often described as “cow-faced,” although she was also called the chief among the immortals in beauty.
Though she may have been physically attractive, her vindictive personality makes her less so.
The Trojan War would have ended in peace, but Hera had a vested interest in its outcome and influenced Zeus to either switch sides or remain neutral.
Hera had no concept of justice when angry or jealous; she could not forgive the women with whom Zeus had sexual relations—even if they were innocent of wrongdoing.
Ilithyia, a daughter of Hera’s, assisted women in childbirth.
In the story of the Quest of the Golden Fleece, Hera was a gracious protector of the heroes.
Paris awarded Aphrodite the Golden Apple over Athena and Hera.
Hera punished one of Zeus’s love interests, Io, by putting her in the charge of Argus. Argus had a hundred eyes and kept vigilant watch over her so that Zeus could not come to her aid.
Hera turned Callisto into a bear because Zeus fell in love with her.
Hera arranged the death of Semele, another of Zeus’s mortal conquests, although she did not directly cause it.
Hera never forgave HERCULES for being Zeus’s son, but when Hercules died and was taken to heaven, he and Hera reconciled. While in heaven, Hercules married Hera’s daughter Hebe.
In some stories, it was at Hera’s orders that DIONYSUS was torn to pieces. He was brought back to life, and it is this resurrection that was celebrated in theatres.
Source
Health
Abundance
Leadership
Strength
Ambition
Individuality
Authority
Hope
Joy
Happiness
Creativity
Source
A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen
Taking its name from our closet star, the Sun, Sunday is the best day of the week to work magical involving fathers and other authority figures such as your boss. It is also a good day to work on questions regarding leadership, money, prosperity, and power.
Color: Yellow, gold
Planet: Sun
Deities: Brighid, Helios, Ra, Apollo
Crystals: Quartz, diamond, amber, carnelian
Herbs: Marigold, sunflower, cinnamon
Associations: Success, promotion, fame, wealth, prosperity
Source
Ruler: Sun
Colors: Gold or yellow
Power Hours: Sunrise and sunset.
Key Words: Love, happiness, health, wealth
It is easy to spot the ruler of this day by its name. Sunday is the day of the sun. Community work, volunteer services, exercise, outdoor sports, buying, selling, speculating, meeting people, anything involving groups, running fairs and raffles, growing crops and taking care of all health matters fall under the influence of the Sun. With all this activity and the brightness of the sun, it’s easy to see why the child that is born on the Sabbath day is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
Michael is the primary angel of Sunday but each hour of this day also has it’s secondary angel. These angels are Michael (first hour), Anael (second hour), Raphael (third hour), Gabril (fourth hour), Cassiel (fifth hour), Sachiel (sixth hour), Samael (seventh hour), Michael (eighth hour), Anael (ninth hour), Raphael (tenth hour), Gabriel (eleventh hour), and Cassiel twelfth hour). Notice some of the angels do double duty this day.
On Sundays, (unless you are invoking a specific angelic energy) the hour of sunrise will be the most powerful time to work, especially if you want to infuse energy into your work. Sunset is the second best time and is favored when you need to calm down a situation. Check the local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine your local sunrise.
Source
Those ambitious, successful spells and charms will be heightened by working on the day of the week that has the planetary influence of the sun. So light those sunny candles, wear some luminous colors, and break out the gold jewelry! Bake up some cinnamon rolls or low-fat cinnamon muffins for an enchanting family breakfast. Take an orange with you to eat at lunch today. Try using a little magickal aromatherapy and burn some cinnamon-scented incense to encourage success and wealth today. Make the talisman to keep your solar magick with you. Sprinkle some dried marigold petals around your house-or across the threshold-to pull triumph and protection toward you and your family.
Get outside and tip up your face to the sun. Take a walk outside, and soak up some sunshine! Acknowledge the power of Sunna or Helios as they blaze across the sky and bring courage and motivation into your life. Sit outside at sunrise on a Sunday morning and bask in its warm, rosy-golden glow Acknowledge Brigid as the inner, creative spark of imagination and inspiration. She can help these gifts burn brightly within your own soul. Use your imagination and create your own brand of witchery and magick. Here comes the sun, and it’s your turn to shine!
Source
—–Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan
Magickal Intentions: Growth, Advancements, Enlightenment, Rational Thought, Exorcism, Healing, Prosperity, Hope, Exorcism, Money
Incense: Lemon, Frankincense
Planet: Sun
Sign: Leo
Angel: Michael
Colors: Gold, Yellow, Orange and White
Herbs/Plants: Marigold, Heliotrope, Sunflower, Buttercup, Cedar, Beech, Oak
Stones: Carnelian, Citrine, Tiger’s Eye, Amber, Clear Quartz and Red Agate
Oil: (Sun) Cedar, Frankincense, Neroli, Rosemary
The first day of the week is ruled by the Sun. It is an excellent time to work efforts involving business partnerships, work promotions, business ventures, and professional success.
Spells where friendships, mental or physical health, or bringing joy back into life are an issue work well on this day, too.
Sunday corresponds to the sun, our closest star. This day is full of wonder and all sorts of magical potential for success, wealth, and fame. Sundays are for personal achievements of any kind such as working towards a promotion at your job, seeking fame and wealth, or being acknowledged for a job well done. All of these goals fall under the golden influence of the sun. Some suggestions for Sunday enchantments would include:
Sitting outside at sunrise and calling on the goddess Brigid for illumination and inspiration
Wearing gold jewelry or clothing that is gold or sunshine yellow to pull some color magic into your life
Arranging a few sunflowers in a vase and empowering these “flowers of the sun” for fame and ambition
Gathering up the common marigold flower and scattering it’s petals about to encourage prosperity
Baking up a batch of cinnamon rolls for the family and enchanting them for health and success
Snacking on a solar fruit, the orange, and enjoying the magical boost it brings to your life
The planetary energy of the Sun is stimulating and warm. It encourages growth and expansion as well as general good feelings all around. It may be used for magick related to the growth of anything; career, family, public influence, wealth, the garden, friendships, love, general abundance, employment opportunities, business. Because the Sun shines down on the whole world, and thus sees everything that happens, the Sun’s planetary energy is occasionally used to find objects as well as protecting us from deception or being “kept in the dark”. Looking at the Sun’s universality in a different way, this energy can be used to find a common thread (we’re all warmed by the same Sun) to encourage new friendships and partnerships and reconciliation where existing ones are threatened.
Many things that correspond to the planetary energy of the Sun also correspond to the elemental energy of Fire.
Healing
The sun is associated with the heart, circulatory system, the spinal cord and the thymus gland.
Solar Minerals
Metal Gold
Crystals/Stones
Yellow, red and particularly bright, shiny crystals and stones tend to correspond to the energy of the Sun. diamond, ruby, chrysolite, yellow topaz, citrine, red garnet, chrysoprase and amber- fossilized tree sap said to contain the energy of the Sun as metabolized by the tree. Corundum and yellow Tiger’s Eye show sparkling designs that remind one of the sun and of course, there is sunstone.
Crystals and metals that correspond to the planetary energy of the Sun can be worn, carried or placed on the body to encourage healing or to draw planetary energies ruled by the sun, such as abundance to the individual. They may also be used to create a gem elixir and ingested, assuming they do not contain toxic materials. Crystals can be placed in a location to draw the desired energies to your home, place of business or vehicle as desired, placed on the altar, held, or gazed upon to enhance energies being raised during spellwork or other focusing and manifesting exercises.
Solar Plants and herbs
Plants that resemble the sun in shape or color, that open during the day and close at night, that follow the sun’s movements during the day, and those plants that are traditionally associated with the winter solstice as well as those that provide winter nourishment when fresh plants are unavailable, such as grains and nuts. Physically, edible Sun plants tend to encourage a feeling of warm satisfaction and medicinal plants affect the heart. sunflower, calendula, marigold, daylily, orange, citron, saffron, pine, mistletoe, rosemary, buttercup, heliotrope, bay laurel, daisy, walnut, acorn, maize, wheat, hops, cloves, cinnamon
Herbs can be incorporated into magick by placing them on the altar in the form of fresh flowers or dried potpourri or incorporated into incense to enhance energies raised during spellwork and ritual of a solar nature. They can also be carried or worn in a pouch or placed in an area to attract these energies. An herbal floor wash will infuse an area with the desired energies, or this may be accomplished via fumigation. Edible plants can be consumed as part of a meal or as part of an elixir or other herbal preparation. Those herbs that are skin-safe can be added to massage oils or fragrance sprays and ritual baths. Whole herbs or essential oils may be used.
*Incense* cinnamon, clove, pine, citrus, Benzoin, Pine, Frankincense, Labdanum, Olibanum
Sun fragrances are generous and, to me, home sweet home types of smells, with the exception of a few, which have “special occasion” feels to me. The sorts of smells that fill a temple, or the house on a day when lots of company is coming. Over at http://www.alchemy-works.com/planets_sun.html this family of scents is described as “glorious” and it suits.
Days and Holidays
The Winter Solstice is the day most strongly associated with Solar Energy, though it peaks at the Summer Solstice, it declines thereafter.
Sunday is the Sun’s day.
Zodiac Leo is ruled by the sun.
Other Solar Correspondences
Animals Lion, Sparrowhawk, Griffin, hawk
While animal parts are used for magick in many traditions, they can be difficult or impossible to obtain and some animals are endangered, though you may find using feathers and fur of local animals to be feasible, using important bits of animals that aren’t already raised and slaughtered for food isn’t within the reach or moral compass of most modern witches. Using live animals subjects animals to discomfort and fear and is also not recommended. However, images of animals have a long history of use in magic and images of animals are quite easy to obtain as 2D pictures and 3D sculptures. If you are artistic, the very act of creating these images can help you more closely attune to their energy.
Colors
Orange, amber, gold, yellow, red
Many magic-users bring color into their working through their choice of colored candles, altar cloth and other items placed on the altar. If you wish to bring solar energy into your daily life, you may choose corresponding colors for your clothing or even chose paint, curtains and carpet colors to draw solar energy into your space.
Magick Prosperity, wealth, wealth, growth, confidence, clarity, commonality, abundance, truth, harmony, partnerships.
Source
Finally, it’s Sunday, the official day of rest. Not only do Christians acknowledge this day, but I’m sure many Pagans appreciate this day, as well. Everyone needs rest and lot of people need a good day to worship their creator (whomever or whatever that may be), however they deem fit to do so. With the Sun being the central theme of many ancient rituals, Sunday just seems to fit, in name and theory. Not only is it a good day to worship, it seems good to do more relaxed spells, such as, sleep, dream and rebirth.
Items you will need for this spell: 1 small sachet or bag 1 pinch of lavender 1 handful of roses 1 pinch of allspice 1 pinch of nutmeg 1 white candle 1 lighter or match
Fill a small sachet or bag with the above ingredients. After the bag is filled, tie off the end and shake all the ingredients around. Then, lay the bag on a table next to the white candle. Light the candle and think about having a nice, peaceful rest. Think about how long you want to sleep and how wonderful it feels just to be able to sleep. Take about five, deep breaths and relax. Pick up the candle and pour some wax over the end of the sachet or bag. After that, blow out the candle and put the sachet or bag under your pillow. At night, before you go to bed, get the sachet or bag from under your pillow and smell it. Breathe in the scents and allow your body to relax. Hold it in your hands for as long as you need to. Before you know it, you will be falling asleep.
A Witch’s Week of Spells and Activities
Helga C. Loueen
Items needed: One dram of pure rose oil; one bowl of water; one pink birthday candle.
Place the bowl of water on the night stand next to your bed. Sprinkle seven drops of rose oil into the bowl. Turn all the lights off in the room. LIght the pink candle. Hold the candle over the bowl so the wax will fall onto the water, and chant the following seven times:
Rose and water,
Flame ad fire,
Reveal this night,
The one I desire.
As soon as the candle has burned out, close your eyes and go to sleep. When you awake in the morning, the name of the one you will marry will be spelled out in the wax dripping left in the bowl.
Linked to the “circle”. Ancient symbol of the goddess, the womb, fertility, feminine serpent force, continual change, and the evolution of the universe.
Apache tears are rounded nodules of obsidian (volcanic black glass) with diameter from about 0.5 to 5 cm. An Apache tear looks opaque by reflected light, but translucent when held up to light. Apache tears are usually black, but can range from black to red to brown. They are often found embedded in a greyish-white perlite matrix.
The name “Apache tear” comes from a legend of the Apache tribe: about 75 Apaches and the US Cavalry fought on a mountain overlooking what is now Superior, Arizona in the 1870s. Facing defeat, the outnumbered Apache warriors rode their horses off the mountain to their deaths rather than be killed. The wives and families of the warriors cried when they heard of the tragedy; their tears turned into stone upon hitting the ground.
American singer songwriter Johnny Cash wrote lyrics entitled Apache Tears for his album Bitter Tears (Ballads Of The American Indian).
On the Mohs scale, Apache tears fall between 5 and 5.5
Witches Of The Craft® 
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