Calendar of the Moon

Willow Tree Month

Colors: Yellow, silver, and pale willow-green
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of yellow, silver, and pale willow-green place three white candles, wreaths of willow-branches, a large clay bowl of water, flowers if they are available, and a silver moon.
Offerings: Contemplate an emotion, and how you use it, and how it uses you.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian, preferably cold food. Fruits. Only spring water to drink.

Saille Invocation

Call: Now is the time of the Willow Goddess.
Response: Now is the time of the Green Man’s courting.
Call: Now is the time when leaves are full.
Response: Now is the time when gold gives way to silver.
Call: Now is the time when Sun gives way to Moon.
Response: Now is the time when Lord gives way to Lady.
Call: Now is the time of the search and the quest.
Response: Now is the time of magic dew on the fields.
Call: Now is the time of the phallus rising.
Response: He seeks the doorway that is wet with spring rains.
Call: He seeks the moon in the river.
Response: He seeks the fishes in the winnowing basket.
Call: He seeks the fruit of Persephone.
Response: He seeks the mountain of the Muses.
Call: We crown his head with flowers….
Response: That he may reach the sky.
Call: We crown his head with ribbons….
Response: That he may touch the earth.
Call: We bring forth the pole from earth to sky.
Response: We lay the line from earth to sky.
Call: We blow like the wind from earth to sky.
Response: We fall like the rain from sky to earth.
Call: We descend like the sunlight from sky to earth.
Response: We climb like the trees from sky to earth.
Call: We are the children of earth and sky.
Response: We are beloved of sky and earth.

Chant: 
We all come from the Goddess, and to Her we shall return,
Like a drop of rain, flowing to the ocean.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun
24 Eostremonath

Walpurgisnacht Day II

Color: Black
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a black cloth set the candle from the previous day plus a second one (each day of Walpurgisnacht adds another candle), a broom, a sheaf of grain, and the figure of a dog.
Offerings: The exercise for Gymnastika shall be running.
Daily Meal: Grain and greens.

Walpurgisnacht Invocation II 

On this night the White Lady runs.
On this day she flees the Wild Hunt
In the guise of a white deer,
Her hoofprints flee along the track,
For she is Spring’s creature, and the Winter
Is far behind, chasing her, trying to bring her down.
But we will not let her fall,
We will not let her be caught,
We will not let ourselves be trapped
In the winter’s sadness,
For all things must come to an end,
And the green season is upon us.
Sheaf of grain in her hand,
She rides her broom like a steed,
Sweeping the winter away before her,
While the Wild Hunt bays at her heels,
Until the very dogs of the Hunt turn aside
And run instead at her side,
Whining for her attention,
Putting their noses into her hand,
And she has conquered them
As she will conquer the year.
Hail, Lady of the unknown name,
Waelbyrga, Waluburg, Holda’s child,
We who have run from our foes
And yet found that the best defense
Is to turn them into friends,
We salute you!

(The broom should be passed from person to person, and every room of the house should be swept with it, as a purification. Each chants wordlessly, or with any simple chant, during this.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

SEARCH AND DESTROY: HOROSCOPES FOR PLUTO RETROGRADE IN CAPRICORN

• LEE COLEMAN

SEARCH AND DESTROY: HOROSCOPES FOR PLUTO RETROGRADE IN CAPRICORN

• LEE COLEMAN

PLUTO RETROGRADE DATES

DATES BASED ON PACIFIC STANDARD TIME (PST)

RETROGRADE: APRIL 24, 2019, AT 23°09′ CAPRICORN
DIRECT: OCTOBER 2, 2019, AT 20°38′ CAPRICORN

Amongst the planets, there is slow, and then there is Pluto. Taking over 248 years to orbit the sun, Pluto can stay in a sign for anywhere from twelve to thirty-two years.

Pluto first entered Capricorn for the first time January 25, 2008, and will only exit Capricorn for good on November 18, 2024. Once a year, every year, until Pluto enters Aquarius, Pluto will retrograde in Capricorn for almost half the year.

PLUTO RETROGRADE IN CAPRICORN MEANING

Capricorn is the sign of tradition and business as usual; as an earth sign, Capricorn’s manner is grounded and persistent as it slowly plods towards concretizing its goals. With Saturn as its ruler, Capricorn has latent connections to authority and achievement, and a perverse sense of delight in following the rules. While it’s true that Capricorn has a strong, integrated sense of itself, it’s equally true that it is inclined to chase after success according to traditional, mainstream values.

In Capricorn, Pluto has his targets set on busting up the bigwigs: it’s no coincidence that the Great Recession, which toppled many long-standing institutions, coincided with Pluto’s entry into Capricorn. Who’s really in power, Pluto in Capricorn asks, and most importantly, do they deserve it?

As Pluto’s transit of Capricorn has continued, we have witnessed increasing breakdowns in the roles that traditional paradigms of authority play, and the respect that they are normally awarded in return (see: election 2016). A burgeoning group of empowered young people sit ready and waiting to hold any slick-talking corporate-cum-politicians feet to the fire, retweeting their hypocrisies and organizing boycotts between classes. This narrative of trimming corporate fat and contesting authority will continue to unfold as Pluto transits Capricorn. When Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn, search and destroy tactics will go underground; Pluto’s direct stations are notorious for exposing hidden agendas.

On the personal level, Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn punctuate the slow, gradual process of release. If you’re carrying anything unnecessary, particularly anything that’s unnecessarily Capricornian (traditions, responsibility, burdens, emotional austerity, torturous goals, achievement needs, authority complexes) it may be time for a psychic yard sale. The only way to walk with Pluto is to hand over everything you have. Like magma rising from below, Pluto will burn through everything within you, scrubbing your soul from the inside out with his special brand of chthonic firepower, leaving only the essentials.

HOROSCOPES FOR PLUTO RETROGRADE IN CAPRICORN

These Pluto retrograde insights can be read for both your sun and ascendant sign. 

Aries (and Aries Rising)
Since 2008, Pluto in Capricorn’s transit of your tenth house of career and reputation may have put you in the hot seat more than a handful of times, forcing you to grapple with internal and external power struggles as you forge ahead at work.

Shadow material in relation to your career might have also surfaced, bringing into question what you do and why; some may have been weighing up equally important questions about notoriety, fame, and even their mothers (a tenth house affair).

As Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn, you’ll be able to squeeze the best from this transit if you can delve below the surface, refining your career aspirations and positioning your power in only the worthiest of vessels.

Taurus (and Taurus Rising)
When the going gets tough, many tough folks get going to their safe havens: faith can be a panacea for burdens of the soul. With Pluto in Capricorn transiting your ninth house of spirituality, religion, foreign places and people, you may have found your normal cure-all in short supply or sorely lacking.

Pluto is pushing you to manifest true abiding faith in the face of an existence that can sometimes feel meaningless. Faith is not just knowing that all will be well eventually, but that the intransient moments of pain serve a purpose, too, even if we cannot always understand what that purpose may be.

The Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn can help nudge you along the hermit’s path, enabling you to seek grounded, immoveable answers to some of life’s biggest questions.

Gemini (and Gemini Rising)
Pluto in Capricorn has been bewitching a part of your chart associated with shared resources (bae’s cash, in short), inheritance, death, and, to use a very Victorian term, ‘vagaries of the mind,’ since 2008.

Since then, you may have been psychically pushed to the edge of your threshold or had to deal with more than your fair share of death and rebirth. True, too, however, that the intensity of Pluto’s transits may have gifted you an ultra-acute sense of how money and power can intertwine to toxic effect, and how to best avoid the pull of such slippery slopes.

As Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn, you can expect to ruminate further on getting to the root cause of all that threatens to unseat you in matters of money and mentality.

Cancer (and Cancer Rising)  
All is fair in love and war, especially where Pluto is concerned. Pluto in Capricorn’s transit of your seventh house, the sacred space of coupledom and committed partners, is teaching you just how much war seethes beneath the surface of even the most blissfully loved up duos.

In this transit, you may have to work on healing any deep-seated wounding that allows toxicity to infiltrate your relationships; in particular, Pluto has a penchant for jealousy, betrayal, manipulation, and its closest cousin, gaslighting.

During the Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, turn your attention inwards, deconstructing how you may be aiding or abetting the devolution of your partnerships. It’s not pretty, but it’s purposeful – leave no stone unturned if you want raw, authentic love.

Leo (and Leo Rising)   
Pluto has been grinding away in a part of your chart dedicated to the daily grind for the better part of a decade; the results of this reckoning may have profoundly impacted you, body, and spirit.

On one hand, you may be well on your way to discovering exactly what kind of work or service it is you feel most pulled to proffer, on the other hand, you may have been feeling like your life is encased in drudgery (it is worth noting that the sixth house used to signify indentured servitude). Equally possible is that you will have been tested, again and again, to move towards an ever-deepening relationship to your health.

The Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn will afford you more time to get to the root of and generate holistic answers to all these challenges.

Virgo (and Virgo Rising)    
Pluto in Capricorn plundering around in the house of the chart normally reserved for fun and frivolity has been no picnic. Pluto’s excoriating gaze burns through anything superficial, which is especially problematic when he travels in the fifth house, which embodies the relatively shallow pleasantries and indulgences of life, whether that is found in the laughter of children or the sighs of our lovers.

Light-hearted fun may have been a challenging energy to tap into this transit, and there may have also been traumatic upheavals in the realms of sex, children, and creative pursuits.

The Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn provide a small window of opportunity to allow yourself to lean back and breathe a little bit easier, and if you can, to remind yourself that all work and no play is no way to live. Life is for the living.

Libra (and Libra Rising)
Having had Pluto in Capricorn for such an extended time in your fourth house, the part of the chart that describes our roots, childhood, family, and especially our fathers, you may feel as if the psychological study of your origin story and its impact on your life is never-ending.

Here, Pluto is testing your ability to see family for what it is, minus the pretty facades. Just as important is internalizing just how necessary some of the failings of family life can be for our personal growth and transformation.

If you’re amid delving deeper into family narratives or muddling through home turf drama, the Pluto retrograde in Capricorn transit can be a boon time for studying your posse through Pluto’s razor-sharp lens. Seek not to assign blame, which will only victimize yourself or others, but to build stronger ties based on brutal truth.

Scorpio (and Scorpio Rising)   
Pluto has been playing around in a many-splendored area of your chart: the third house embodies everything from siblings and neighbors to communication and short-distance travel. Some may be called to step up their relationships with brothers and sisters (as well as aunties and the like), a shift that may be necessary if any underhandedness presents itself in these relationships.

More likely, your processes of thought and speech are undergoing a serious rework. Powerful ways of communicating may be emerging, and you may be applying that newfound voice to causes connected to your community.

The Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn are a time to revisit the power of words. If you’re in doubt about the integrity of your communications, hit the pause button until you better understand your deeper motives – what you say is just as important as why you say it.

Sagittarius (and Sagittarius Rising)
The second house, where we currently find transiting Pluto, is our personal bank. Although more euphemistic understandings of this house include our sense of self-esteem and our talents, the core of this house’s significations are tied up in greenbacks.

Having Pluto here is not easy. There is an indelible link between what we earn and how we feel about ourselves. Hosting a Plutonian obstacle in our house of funds is enough to derail anyone, even the eternally optimistic Sagittarian. Keep the faith. By transit’s end, you’ll have earned a consummate education in money, both in how it corrupts, and how it empowers. With that knowledge in tow, you’ll be able to control your finances instead of being controlled by them.

Use the Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn to consider how the modern worship of money may be disconnecting us from what’s truly valuable, as well as studying how well you’re adapting to your new role as money master.

Capricorn (and Capricorn Rising)   
Trying to live easy while Pluto in Capricorn has transited your first house has likely been impossible to ignore. Seeing that this house covers our sense of self, how we appear to others, and even our vitality, Pluto transits in this key part of the natal chart can feel particularly destabilizing.

Some may have faced huge, no-turning-back changes in their personality, while others may have faced challenges maintaining their health or energy levels.

The Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn will provide you with ample breathing space to explore just how well these transformations of body and persona are going; with careful introspection, you can take stock of just how far you’ve come – and how much further you wish to go.

Aquarius (and Aquarius Rising)   
It’s been said that there is no good time for a Pluto transit, just an appropriate one; Aquarians that have tussled long-term with Pluto in Capricorn inhabiting one of the trickiest parts of the natal chart may be more than inclined to agree.

In some ways, Pluto is likely at home in the twelfth house, where we find hidden enemies, addictions, self-sabotage, and the deep, cavernous seat of our subconscious. Pluto acts like a dark mirror, reflecting all that we would normally avoid seeing, and for that, we must be thankful.

To know who we are, warts and all, and to accept those ‘lesser’ parts of our being, is a radical act of compassion. As you continue on this journey, employ the Pluto retrogrades as much-needed pit stops to ground yourself and refuel, before heading ever deeper into yourself.

Pisces (and Pisces Rising)   
As Pluto in Capricorn continues its transit of your eleventh house of groups, friends, hopes, and aspirations, you may have been undergoing intense transformation through key friendships or collectives.

Truth be told, this is one of the least difficult houses to host a Pluto transit, being that its significations are so sunny and optimistic. All the same, Pluto has set out a rigorous syllabus for you. As part of his passage in this house, you may have completely upended your ideas about the friends and groups that dominate your calendar. This has likely involved cutting cords with old comrades or undergoing tremendous shifts with particular pals; you may have even found yourself pitched into a circle of powerful movers and shakers.

During the Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, aim to review this transformational path, ensuring that whoever you align yourself with has the same heartfelt intentions as yourself.

Published on Astrology.com

Sure, Pluto was demoted in astronomy back in 2006. But in Astrology, Pluto is one of the most unpredictable planets, and it will be even more unpredictable as Pluto is retrograde in the serious sign of Capricorn from April 24 to October 3, 2019.

At times, deep Pluto is a cosmic detective, determined to find the real story; other times Pluto is like an outspoken dinner guest who blurts out secrets and reveals hidden truths about everyone at the table.

When a planet goes “retrograde,” or, appears to be moving backwards through the sky, it often creates a “Bizarro World” of everything it stands for — communication planet Mercury creates miscommunication and technology breakdowns when retrograde, for example. But Pluto’s backward shift doesn’t make us confused, it makes us reflective. Instead of Pluto creating sticky situations in the outside world, it forces us to look inward.

First, it’s important to realize that Pluto was named after the Roman god of the underworld — aka, the land of the dead. Like its namesake, the planet Pluto rules over the shadow side of everything and everyone. So when Pluto is charged up and moving direct (forward), issues of corruption and buried stories may surface; we could learn that a politician has been taking bribes, a celebrity has been having an affair, or that a friend has been saying negative things about us behind our backs.

When Pluto brings out your dark side

So when Pluto goes retrograde, it forces us to focus on our own personal shadow sides — specifically, the unpleasant parts of our personalities that we may not really like. Two big themes that Pluto likes to highlight are power and desire. With Pluto retrograde, we’ll have to get honest with ourselves about how much we’re motivated by a need for recognition, money and authority.

At the same time, we might have to confront the darker sides of what we want; for example, are you working hard to get in shape because you are truly concerned about your health, or are you spurred by a desire for revenge on an ex who didn’t appreciate you?

With Pluto retrograde for five months, this period of personal reckoning allows us to do a lot of purging, too. Once we see traits in ourselves that we dislike, we can work to improve them. We can also revisit old hurts and hang-ups as Pluto sheds light on the darker corners of our experiences. In this way we can grow, which highlights Pluto’s key role in our lives: transformation.

Tarot.com is Part of Zappallas USA © 2019

COSMIC CALENDAR

• APRIL 24, 2019

Some of yesterday’s harmonious sky configurations may have given earth dwellers the false sense that all is well and the universe will keep supporting your highest aims and ideals. Mercury uniting with Vesta at 10 degrees of Aries (6:55 a.m.) and Venus forming an inspirational, 72-degree liaison with Pluto (3:13 p.m.) are feathers in your cap, but they don’t have the intensity and gravitas of Pluto making its station and turning retrograde at 24 degrees of Capricorn (11:49 a.m. and very strong all day).

Tune into the following key themes associated with Pluto—death-rebirth, regeneration, and purification, metamorphosis, the underworld, extremes, mysteries, and secrets; mega-wealth, plumbing the depths, research, and investigations, spiritual willpower and mental concentration, psychology and hypnosis; deep-seated fears, abandonment, and loneliness; phobias, atomic, and nuclear energy; tyrants and terrorism. Do your best to avoid falling into self-destructive traps or entangled webs of intrigue—orchestrated by adversaries or created accidentally by your own karmic behavior in the past. (Pluto remains in reverse until October 2 when it will station again to turn direct at 21 degrees of Capricorn.)

[Note to readers: All times are calculated for Pacific Daylight Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]

Copyright 2018 Mark Lerner & Great Bear Enterprises, Ltd. 

Astrology.com

I, Witch

I am many things,
I am a Daughter, a Lover, and a Friend.
I am a Teacher, a Student, and a Woman.
I am many things,
Wear many costumes,
And act in many ways.
Yet beneath each mask I wear,
I am a Witch.

I am a Priestess,
I follow the Path,
I follow the Old Tradition,
I follow the Ways of the Wise Ones.
I seek to know the God,
I seek to know the Goddess,
I seek to know myself.
I am a Witch.

Though I may only dress up,
For eight sabbats a year,
And thirteen esbats in turn,
I am always a Witch.
Though I may not always dress in black,
Or leave my hair wild and free,
I am still a Witch.

I do not worship Satan,
I’ve never even met him,
Yet many see me as evil,
And magick as a sin.
I do what comes natural,
What the Gods have taught me,
And although it does not conform,
I am still a Witch.

The Goddess shows me beauty,
The God has shown me life,
And Earth, and Air,
And Fire, and Water,
Teach me what is right.
And Spirit in its mystic ways,
Teaches me about myself.
That I am a Witch.

–Lady Amhranai
Published On Pagan Library

You are much more than a friend, a sister or a mother,

You are a very special soul that has lightened all the lives

that you touch each day.

On your special day, we just wanted to let you know

that we love you more and more each day we spend with you.

We wish you a very special day and a very Happy Birthday!

WE LOVE YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

In case you are new and unaware of the fact, the WOTC relies totally on donations and support from our members. If you would like to support the WOTC and see that we continue our daily operations, there is a simple way you can help us out.

Support us by patronizing the new Witches of the Craft’s store. All the sales that come from that store help us continue our daily operations and covers our daily expenses. We would greatly appreciate it if you might sometime visit the store and remember your purchases go to the continued operation of our main site.

Right now, Lady of the Abyss has an automatic $5.00 coupon at the top of the main page. It would be a good time to pick up a knick-knack or something you need. We appreciate your donations and your patronage of our store.

Witches of the Craft’s On-line Magickal Boutique

I should add Lady of the Abyss is not with us today. She has a family emergency.  As you know our area has been hit hard by flooding. Her son’s home is now surrounded by flood water and keeps rising daily. His house is five foot off the ground by he told Lard A, you could go fishing off the front porch. The water is under his home. His wife and children have already left their home but Lady A’s son is staying due to looters. It is ashame when someone is losing everything they have, then you have people come in and steal what they have left. That is the reason she is not here today. Please say a prayer for Lady A’s son and his family as they go through this difficult time. The water is only suppose to rise and that is not good news for Lady A’s son or his family. Keep them in your prayers.

Thank you,

Lynette

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2019 February 28

Sharpest Ultima Thule 
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins University APL, Southwest Research Institute, National Optical Astronomy Observatory 

Explanation: On January 1, New Horizons swooped to within 3,500 kilometers of the Kuiper Belt world known as Ultima Thule. That’s about 3 times closer than its July 2015 closest approach to Pluto. The spacecraft’s unprecedented feat of navigational precision, supported by data from ground and space-based observing campaigns, was accomplished 6.6 billion kilometers (over 6 light-hours) from planet Earth. Six and a half minutes before closest approach to Ultima Thule it captured the nine frames used in this composite image. The most detailed picture possible of the farthest object ever explored, the image has a resolution of about 33 meters per pixel, revealing intriguing bright surface features and dark shadows near the terminator. A primitive Solar System object, Ultima Thule’s two lobes combine to span just 30 kilometers. The larger lobe, referred to as Ultima, is recently understood to be flattened like a fluffy pancake, while the smaller, Thule, has a shape that resembles a dented walnut.

Before we talk about the Moon in Capricorn, let’s first learn a little bit about the Moon itself. The Moon is considered a planet in astrology, and it moves so quickly that it passes through each of the zodiac signs every month. While your Sun sign represents your basic nature, your Moon sign represents your inner emotions and moods. It’s important to know this piece of your astrological puzzle because it determines elements of your personality such as your fears, instincts, and romantic compatibility.

Before we talk about the Moon in Capricorn, let’s first learn a little bit about the Moon itself. The Moon is considered a planet in astrology, and it moves so quickly that it passes through each of the zodiac signs every month. While your Sun sign represents your basic nature, your Moon sign represents your inner emotions and moods. It’s important to know this piece of your astrological puzzle because it determines elements of your personality such as your fears, instincts, and romantic compatibility.

When the Moon is in Capricorn

When the Moon moves into the conservative sign of Capricorn, we tend to be a little bit more cautious, a little more serious, and a little more grounded than we normally are. Capricorn is a sign that means business! Instead of being concerned with short-term satisfaction, you’ll be more inclined to dig in and focus on your long-term goals.

During the Capricorn Moon you might find that you have an increased desire for professional success. The good news is that this industrious Earth sign also gives you a shot of determination to achieve whatever it is you’ve set your sights on. Capricorn is a natural born leader so you may end up volunteering to head up a big project at work. You might also feel the urge to start looking at the next stage of your career and map out how you’ll get there.

New Moon in Capricorn

New Moons are always a time of new beginnings. Our calendar New Year begins with the Sun in Capricorn so the Capricorn New Moon is like the beginning of a brand new personal year. We think of it this way because it’s a time when we set our intentions for what we want in the year ahead. These goals become like a mountain, and that mountain becomes the object we set out to climb. Luckily, Capricorn has a determination that equips us with the patience, discipline, and persistence to reach the top.

Full Moon in Capricorn

Every Full Moon has us working to finish what we started around the time of the New Moon, but when the Full Moon is in Capricorn it works even harder to finish what was started at the beginning of the lunar cycle. You’ll ask yourself what you obtained, what you have yet to achieve, and what you need to adjust to make things happen. A Capricorn Full Moon is all about success and never taking “no” for an answer. So, this is the time when you’ll get to the finish line because this Moon will help you tackle any obstacles you face along the way.

During this time the Moon in Capricorn faces the Sun in Cancer. Both signs are associated with security, yet they seek it in different ways. Capricorn is concerned with accomplishments and external status while Cancer wants us to tune into our feelings in search of comfort and safety. It’s not a matter of choosing to be hard or soft, sensitive or insensitive; this Full Moon is about learning how to be tough or tender depending on the circumstances. When the lesson is learned, we feel at home within ourselves and within the world around us.

Tarot.com is Part of Zappallas USA © 2019

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.