I am a Witch!
I am at One with the Earth, The Universe,
and the Divine!
Let this day be free from Strife and Fear;
Let only Joy and Love come near;
With Blessings given and received
I walk in Peace in Word and Deed.
–Author Unknown
Thursday, April 14
Asteroid 6 Hebe currently lies among the background stars of eastern Leo the Lion, just a stone’s throw from 2nd-magnitude Denebola. This region rides high in the southeast during the early evening hours and peaks in the south around 11 p.m. local daylight time. This evening, 10th-magnitude Hebe lies some 2.5° due north of Denebola.
Friday, April 15
Although Jupiter reached opposition and peak visibility over a month ago (on March 8), it remains a stunning sight from dusk until the start of morning twilight. The giant planet shines at magnitude –2.4 against the backdrop of Leo the Lion. Turn a telescope on Jupiter and you will see a 43″-diameter disk with lots of atmospheric detail. And this evening, you also can observe the shadows of two of its large moons. Volcanic Io casts its shadow onto the jovian cloud tops starting at 6:55 p.m. EDT (unfortunately still during daylight), but the black dot doesn’t leave the disk until 9:10 p.m. If you miss Io, you don’t have to wait long for icy Europa’s shadow to show up. It traverses Jupiter from 9:32 p.m. until 12:18 a.m.
Saturday, April 16
Mars pokes above the eastern horizon just after 11 p.m. local daylight time this week and remains prominent until morning twilight is well underway. The Red Planet’s eastward motion relative to the background stars of southern Ophiuchus comes to a halt today; it then starts moving westward at the start of its so-called retrograde loop. This is a sure sign that Mars is approaching peak visibility, which it will reach at opposition in late May. Our neighboring world currently shines at magnitude–1.0, trailing only the Moon, Jupiter, and Sirius. When viewed through a telescope, Mars appears 14″ across and should display a prominent north polar cap as well as subtle dark markings.
Sunday, April 17
The waxing gibbous Moon’s motion through the night sky carries it near Jupiter tonight. The night sky’s two brightest objects appear only 2° apart, or about four times the Moon’s diameter.
Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 91.78° E
Sun Altitude: 18.57°
Sun Distance: 93.250 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 20, 2016 5:34 PM (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 6:21 AM↑ 77° East
Sunset Today: 7:29 PM↑ 283° West
Length of Day: 13 hours, 8 minutes
Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 10.39° N
Moon Altitude: -36.81°
Moon Distance: 240447 mi
Next Full Moon: Apr 22, 201612:23 AM
Next New Moon: May 6, 20162:29 PM
Next Moonrise: Today12:46 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 54.1%
![Spring Fantasy [orginal made by alison899]](https://i0.wp.com/image.blingee.com/images19/content/output/000/000/000/80d/831397507_154334.gif "Spring Fantasy [orginal made by alison899]")
Let your arms open wide.
Feel them inside.
Spirits come to you.
Hear their words.
They whisper in the night.
As a choir we hear them,
Singing their desires,
Telling their stories,
The sweet sounds of innocence.
On the wind they lift us.
Knowing who they are,
We are filled with their grace.
—A Witch’s Prayerbook, JoAnne Spiese
After watching the 2015 movie Cinderella, I got inspired to put this up as a nifty green beauty idea:
A Lavender wash for hands and feet.
It is another all-natural recipe easily made for your everyday beauty care or spa day!
For more essential oil recipes, check out Eupterra Foundation’s In-Home Spa section!
Are you ready for summer season?
Whether you want to tread with your legs bare in hot weather or smooth and snuggly during the winter, here is a simple combo that is good for even the most sensitive of skin (and especially for not drying your skin out after a shave).
Lemon, coconut oil, and sugar – that is all you will need.
Instructions: follow ratio’s above and apply to wet skin like a smooth lather, than shave. Afterward, apply as a smooth lather again and rinse off. This will help seal in the moisture, naturally.
Enjoy! Check out Eupterra Foundation’s In-Home Spa section for MOAR!
Have any of your own great raw recipes? Let us know~
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2016 April 12
Combined Solar Eclipse Corona from Earth and Space
Image Credits: J. Vilinga (Angola, IAP), LASCO, NRL, SOHO, ESA, NASA;
Processing: R. Wittich; Composition & Copyright: S. Koutchmy (IAP, CNRS)
Explanation: Sometimes, a total eclipse is a good time to eye the Sun. Taking advantage of an unusual juxtaposition of Earth, Moon and Sun, the featured image depicts the total solar eclipse that occurred last month as it appeared — nearly simultaneously — from both Earth and space. The innermost image shows the total eclipse from the ground, with the central pupil created by the bright Sun covered by a comparatively dark Moon. Surrounding the blocked solar disk is thetenuous corona of Sun imaged in white light, easily visible from the ground only during an eclipse. Normally, this corona is hard to track far from the Sun, but the featured montage matches it to false-colored observations of the Sun from NASAand ESA’s space-based, Sun-orbiting, Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Observations like this allow the study of the constantly changing magnetic activity both near and far from the Sun, the same activity that ultimately drives Earth’s auroras.
Tonight – April 12, 2016 – look for the moon and Winter Circle stars. It’s difficult to convey the humongous size of the Winter Circle, this lasso of brilliant stars that fills our western sky at dusk and nightfall. But you can see the circular pattern of stars around the moon tonight.
The Winter Circle stars aren’t the brightest star-like object in the sky on these April, 2016 evenings. Instead, the brightest “star” in the evening sky is actually the planet Jupiter. The king planet will be hard to miss, because Jupiter ranks as fourth-brightest celestial body to light up the heavens, respectively, after the sun, moon and the planet Venus. But throughout April of 2016, Venus will sit in the glare of the rising sun and will not be all that easy to catch before sunrise (especially in the Northern Hemisphere).
The Winter Circle can be seen from the Southern Hemisphere, as well. If you’re in that part of the world, the star Sirius will appear at the top of the Circle and the star Capella at the bottom (if you can see Capella at all; it’s far to the north on the sky’s dome).
No matter where you live worldwide, observe the Winter Circle at dusk/nightfall because the Winter Circle stars that loom low at nightfall will sink below the horizon by early evening.
Bottom line: Use the moon on April 12, 2016, to find the bright stars of the Winter Circle!
Bruce McClure is the chief writer for the popular EarthSky Tonight pages. Since joining EarthSky in 2004, he has written thousands of astronomy articles, enjoyed here by millions. He also writes, gives planetarium shows and hosts a wide assortment of public astronomy programs in and around his home in upstate New York. If you ask an astronomy question on our site, it’s likely to be Bruce that answers it. His love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, and he has sailed the North Atlantic, earning his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. Bruce is also a sundial aficionado. He says his number one passion – besides his wife Alice – is stargazing.
Article published on EarthSky
Solitude is represented by a single person standing at the end of a boardwalk staring out at a vast, empty panorama. They are truly alone, but may not feel loneliness. They are at a place in their life where the need to withdraw from the our secular world is strong, because their focus should be on their inner self, their morality, and their dreams. The view before them is empty, but it is a canvas on which they may paint their future–a future restricted only by the size of their imagination and courage. For them Solitude is a choice. They chose to take the walkway that distances them from the rest of us. It is also a choice that can be undone. Just as they chose to take a path that leads them away from us, they may choose to turn around and come back at anytime.
As a daily card, Solitude suggest a period in which you need to distance yourself from those around you and explore your inner-self, what is driving your day to day life and decide if you are really on the life path that is best for you. This is a time to revitalize your spirit, and draw your dreams for the future.
Your Self Overall for this Week
Tiwaz
Tiwaz is the Warrior Rune. It represents pure, masculine power and the ability to successfully fight to meet your goals. However, you must be careful that costs of attaining your goals overshadow their values.
Matters Concerning Your Home this Week (The Moon Rune)
Naudhiz
Naudhiz may foretell needs unmet and friction in relationships. You may be in a time where you should be very careful in whatever endeavor you take on. Also it may be that you are about to learn some of life’s hard lessons and come out the other side of this period a stronger being.
Matters Concerning Business, Skills and Integrity This Week (The Rune of Mercury)
Thurisaz
Thurisaz reversed often represents your inability to come to terms with repressed issues. It is a warning that if you do not purge past demons they may return to harm you. This Rune is also indicative of a time when you should not act on impulse.
Matters Concerning Love This Week (The Rune of Venus)
Gebo
Gebo represents the coming of gifts and favors. While each are usually positive events, they often carry obligations with them. Gebo often represents strong bonds such as deep friendships and marriage.
Matters Concerning Hostility, Opposition and Aggression This Week (The Rune of Mars)
Uruz
Uruz reversed may represent a time of discord in your life and a disassociation from your inner strengths. You may be in a rut—absent of goals or challenges. The power to change this lies within you. While opportunities may seem to be nonexistent, they are there and waiting for you to find them.
Matters of Finance, Acquisition and Wealth This Week (The Rune of Jupiter)
Sowilo
The Sun Rune, denotes power and strength. That which you want may be attained. Sowilo also denotes mental clarity and added warmth to your relationships
The Final Outcome for this Week
Fehu
Fehu reversed represents material stagnation, possibly poverty as well as infertility.
By Brigit Esselmont, Videos, Tarot Reader, Tarot Cards, TarotFor the week of April 11, I chose the Eight of Cups, reversed.
The Eight of Cups often signifies a disappointing situation, but in the reversed position, it means you may have recently walked away from a disappointing situation that was no longer meeting your needs. However, there’s still an emotional ‘cord’ that is holding you to this situation and causing you to doubt yourself about whether you’ve made the right decision to move on.
If you’re feeling this emotional attachment, ask yourself whether it is serving you or holding you back. There may be some unresolved issues to work through before you can completely move forward with your life.
This week, keep telling yourself that you’ve made the right decision and that better things lie in store for you! Go with your gut, and also trust that you know the best path for yourself. Now is not the time to get depressed or anxious — if you’re still having doubts, ask a mentor or friend for advice.
Part of the Daily Insight Group
The Emperor is blessed with the skills to successfully lead others. He can turn chaos into order and provide structure to that which is unbound. He is quick of mind and confident in his power and right to rule, and does so in a just manner. Although stern by nature, he truly is the ultimate father figure. He will provide as needed, teach those with unanswered questions, protect the vulnerable, set and maintain boundaries. His perfect world runs on schedule and is free of any disturbances. What the Emperor must be wary of is setting boundaries and rules where none are needed. If he isn’t careful not to over use his powers he may well become a tyrant.
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