The Pagan Book of Days for Monday, April 25th

Robigalia/St. Mark/Cuckoo Day

St. Mark’s Day is the old Roman festival of Robigalia, the ovservance of which was magically intended to avert the spirit of mildew, which threstens crops around this time. For many years, the Litania Major of the Catholic church for St. Mark’s Day at Rome followed the earlier festival. Its purpose, like the Robigalia, was to gain the blessing of heaven for the growing crops. In traditional English folklore, this is Cuckoo Day. The cuckoo, “St. Mark’s gowk,” heralds the arrival of migratory birds from the south, indicating the return of summer.
 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Monday, April 25th

Monday is the sacred day of the Moon, personified as the Goddesses Selene, Luna, and Mani. The moon is ruler of flow, affecting the changeable and impressionable aspects of people. If a full moon falls on a Monday, then the powers of the moon are at their most potent.

Deity: Mani

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Planet: Moon

Tree: Willow

Herb: Chickweed

Stone: Agate

Animal: Crab

Element: Water

Color: Gold

Number: 5

Rune: Lagu(L)

Celtic Tree Month of Saille (Willow) – April 15th thru May 12. The Willow tree is associated with healing and growth. During this phase, work on rituals, involving healing, growth of knowledge, nurturing, and women’s mysteries.

Runic Half Month of Man (human being) April 14 thru 28

Goddess of the Month of Maia April 18 thru May 15
 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

 

The Sky This Week: April 25 – May 1

Mercury reached peak visibility April 18, but it remains an impressive target most of this week. Meanwhile, the Lyrid meteor shower winds down, and the Eta Aquariids ramp up.

Monday, April 25
The Moon travels approximately 13° eastward relative to the background stars every 24 hours. This motion places it in a nearly straight line with Mars and Saturn tonight. The three objects clear the southeastern horizon by 11:30 p.m. local daylight time but, as they did yesterday, appear nicest once they climb high in the south during the early morning hours. If you do stay out into the wee hours, take some time to view the planets through a telescope. Both are only about a month away from opposition and peak visibility, so they look spectacular. Mars shines at magnitude –1.3 and shows a 15″-diameter disk with subtle dark markings and a whitish north polar cap. Magnitude 0.2 Saturn measures 18″ across and sports a beautiful ring system that spans 41″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Tuesday, April 26
Although Jupiter reached opposition and peak visibility last month, it remains a stunning sight from dusk until around 4 a.m. local daylight time. The giant planet shines at magnitude –2.3 against the backdrop of Leo the Lion, a region that lies high in the south at nightfall. Turn a telescope on Jupiter and you will see a 41″-diameter disk with plenty of atmospheric detail.

Wednesday, April 27
Look west after darkness falls tonight and you’ll witness the beginning of the winter sky’s decline. By 9:30 p.m. local daylight time, the lower tier of bright winter stars and constellations barely clears the horizon. From mid-northern latitudes, Sirius in Canis Major, Aldebaran in Taurus, and the three belt stars of Orion the Hunter all hang less than 10° high. Still, a higher tier of winter stars remains prominent. Look for Capella in Auriga, Castor and Pollux in Gemini, and Procyon in Canis Minor to keep winter on your mind and in the sky for several weeks to come.

Thursday, April 28
While the Lyrid meteor shower winds down this week, the Eta Aquariid shower ramps up. And the dwindling Moon casts less light into the morning sky by this weekend, which makes observing conditions far better. The best views will come in the hour or two before morning twilight commences, when you might see 5 to 10 meteors per hour from a dark site. The Eta Aquariids will peak May 5, when Northern Hemisphere observers could see up to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies.

Friday, April 29
Last Quarter Moon occurs at 11:29 p.m. EDT. The half-lit orb doesn’t rise until after 2 a.m. local daylight time tomorrow morning, however, when you can see it climbing in the southeast among the background stars of northern Capricornus.

Saturday, April 30
Asteroid 6 Hebe currently lies among the background stars of eastern Leo the Lion, just a stone’s throw from 2nd-magnitude Denebola. The region reaches its peak in the southern sky shortly after darkness falls. This evening, 10th-magnitude Hebe lies some 4° northwest of Denebola.

Sunday, May 1
One of the spring sky’s finest deep-sky objects, the Beehive star cluster (M44) in the constellation Cancer the Crab, lies high in the west once evening twilight fades away. The 3rd-magnitude cluster lies approximately 40 percent of the way from 1st-magnitude Pollux in Gemini to the similarly bright star Regulus in Leo. With naked eyes under a dark sky, you should be able to spot the Beehive as a faint cloud. But this star group explodes into dozens of stars through binoculars or a small telescope at low power.
 

Source

 
Astronomy Magazine

Your Sun & Moon Data for Monday, April 25th

 

Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 114.47° ESE
Sun Altitude: 48.53°
Sun Distance: 93.531 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 20, 2016 5:34 PM (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 6:06 AM↑ 72° East
Sunset Today: 7:39 PM↑ 288° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 32 minutes

 

Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 263.32° W
Moon Altitude: -21.34°
Moon Distance: 249261 mi
Next New Moon: May 6, 20162:29 PM
Next Full Moon: May 21, 20164:14 PM
Next Moonrise: Today10:50 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 89.6%

 

Source

timeanddate.com

Circle Etiquette

(varied sources)

• Never summon Anything you can’t banish.
• Never put asafoetida on the rocks in the sweat lodge.
• Do not attempt to walk more than 10 paces while wearing all of your ritual jewelry, dream bags and crystals at the same time.
• When proposing to initiate someone, do not mention the Great Rite, leer, and say, “Hey, your trad or mine?”
• Never laugh at someone who is skyclad. They can see you, too.
• Never, *ever* set the Witch on fire.
• Looking at nifty pictures is not a valid path to mastering the ancient grimoires. Please read thoroughly and carefully from beginning to end so that your madness and gibberings will at least make some sense.
• A good grasp of ritual and ritual techniques are essential! In the event of a random impaling, or other accidental death amongst the participants, (see next rule) a quick thinker can improvise to ensure successful completion of the Rite. Make them another sacrifice, Demons really love those those.
• Watch where you wave the sharp pointy items.
• Avoid walking through disembodied spirits.
• Carry an all-purpose translator’s dictionary in case the ritual leader begins talking in some strange and unknown language.
• Avoid joining your life force to anything with glowing red eyes.
• If asked to sign a contract or pact and you are experiencing doubts or reservations, sign your neighbor’s name. Malevolent entities rarely ask for photo ID.
• Blood IS thicker than water. Soak ritual garments an extra 30-45 minutes.
• While drunken weaving may be mistaken for ecstatic dancing, slurring the names of Deities is generally considered bad form.
• If the ritual leader should ask for a volunteer, resist the urge to raise your hand! While it is true that volunteering will most likely gain you stature and prestige amongst the group, thereby allowing you to advance quickly through the ranks, it is equally likely to get you strapped to a table and eaten alive by a drooling demonic horde.

 

—Original Authors Unknown

 

 

 

 

 

PLANET TRACKER

Moon in Sagittarius

Apr 24, 2016 to Apr 26, 2016

 

Think of a horse running free. An archer’s eye trained on a distant target. A monk’s heart and mind expanding to the heavens. The Moon encourages you to reach beyond a limit today. Pick one thing (however small) that you can do in the next hour to renew your sense of adventure and love for the world. The energy of Sagittarius is expansive, free, optimistic, generous, philosophical and visionary. Quick-jot down five things you’re grateful for. Next, write down your current salary and add a couple zeros. And that fabulous thing you haven’t accomplished yet? See yourself having done it. In this expansive frame of mind, hug a know-it-all. Forgive anyone who sticks their foot in their mouth. But avoid the mall, you’ll overspend. In body matters, take a loofa to your cellulite thighs. If you go to the gym this Moontime, be cautious of upper leg strain.

 

Part of the Daily Insight Group

The Wisdom of Buddha

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.

Your Daily Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
The most powerful of all talisman indicating you or someone close to you will recover from an infection.

General Description:
One of the most famous of all talismans, and used as a magical formula by the Gnostics in Rome for invoking the aid of beneficent spirits against disease, misfortune and death. Sammonieus, the celebrated Gnostic physician; instructed that the letters of this magical triangle which he used for curing agues and fevers, were to be written on paper, folded into the shape of a cross, worn for nine days suspended from the neck, and, before sunrise, cast behind the patient into a stream running eastward. It was also a most popular charm in the middle ages. During the Great Plague, 1665, great numbers of these amulets were worn as supposed safeguards against infection.

 

 

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today

The Open Door

The Open Door signifies the presence of new opportunities. However, to reap the benefits of these prospects you will have to move beyond where you are now–forsake the comforts and safety of your current life and head out in new directions. Moves like those symbolized by The Open Door require courage, because fresh opportunities signify the chance of gain, but do not guarantee they will be realized. Regardless of the benefits that may be reaped, with the transitions like those required to explore these new found opportunities, something is always lost. Before launching on a voyage down new paths it is a good idea to objectively assess your current state of being and decide whether what you have now is worth jeopardizing.

As a daily card, The Open Door indicates a time that is primed for you to pursue new goals and dreams. For you opportunity exists, but there are no assurances that they will lead to a richer life. Weigh your current circumstances carefully, and if you feel there is a more fulfilling path for you, then this is the moment for you to begin your walk down that path–the moment for you to walk through The Open Door before you.