You are a passionate and enthusiastic person who is exceptionally goal-oriented. Without clearly defined goals to work towards, you feel utterly lost! You are ambitious for the most part. Although you tend to over-think and can become quite nervous when you do, for the most part you go after what you want in life. At times indulgent, you are also responsible and sensible. You work hard and play hard, but for many of you, work does come first. You have a strong artistic side to you.
Famous people born today: Rudyard Kipling, Tiger Woods, Bo Diddley, Patti Smith, Tracey Ullman, Eliza Dushku, Kristin Kreuk.
Your Daily Horoscopes for Wednesday, December 30th
Aries
Aries
Venus moves into a position that harmonizes with your sign early today, dear Aries, and this helps to enhance and highlight your more attractive qualities until January 23rd. This cycle stimulates a more outgoing, adventurous attitude to life, and especially your feelings and affections. You have a spirited attitude now, and you’re more likely to jump in first, then ask questions later. Your tastes for pleasurable activities, art, objects, and possibly even people, tends to be a little more exotic now. This is also a generally good time for promotional activities, publishing, higher education, and travel. Today is good for taking care of business. There is more imagination and perhaps some serendipity in your life today and tomorrow.
Taurus
Taurus
Both the Sun and the Moon are in signs compatible to yours, and their harmony today can boost your spirits, prompt you to enjoy an adventure or new experience, and fuel your creative impulses, dear Taurus. Venus enters your intimacy sector today, where it will stay until January 23rd. This cycle favors working on the more complicated or intricate areas of relationships, sharing, and intimacy, as you are more able to approach tricky grey areas with grace and love. Financially speaking, you may find backing or support, and you are more reasonable with regards to working out agreements and power sharing issues, although you may not be especially certain of money coming from other sources than your own income. Your love nature runs a little deeper now.
Gemini
Gemini
Venus moves into your partnership sector today, dear Gemini, where she feels quite comfortable. During this cycle that lasts until January 23rd, your social life and one-to-one relationships may be enhanced and boosted. This is a strong cycle for attracting and improving close relationships. Your manner is especially reasonable and polite, and these qualities are very appealing to others now. You project yourself in a warm way, and you attract warm people into your life, making this a strong time for love and friendship. This is also a time when you attempt to correct other imbalances in your life, and you might acquire more beautiful possessions as well. Today’s mood is quiet but positive, and you can be quite productive.
Cancer
Cancer
Opportunities to smooth over your relations with co-workers or to balance out and enjoy your daily routines can emerge now that Venus is transiting your solar sixth house, dear Cancer. This cycle that lasts until January 23rd is strong for bringing harmony to your daily life, including your working environment. Some of you might stumble upon social opportunities through your work or through your daily routines, or while pursuing health goals. You might especially enjoy reading up about vitamins, supplements, health programs, or you could enjoy doing organizing and clerical work at this time. Today’s energies are generally good for sharing a vision, belief, or dream with someone special, as your mind is wide open for learning new and inspiring things.
Leo
Leo
Venus enters your romance and pleasure sector today, dear Leo, where she will stay until January 23rd. This cycle is a gently supportive, enhancing, and playful one. You are now more willing to take some personal risks with your heart, and with your personality. It’s a time when your natural charm comes shining through for all to see. It’s time to let your hair down, at least some of the time! There could be happy events surrounding your children, a romance, or an artistic pursuit or hobby. You are more fertile than usual. While the shift itself can bring subtly unstable energy, overall, the day is a steady one in which you can be quite productive. There can be a better ability to access your intuition and imagination while communicating.
Virgo
Virgo
Venus begins its influence on an introspective and self-protective area of your solar chart today, dear Virgo, ideally boosting up your sense of self and inner store of courage and fullness. During this cycle, you are a little more protective with your heart, tending to cling to the familiar and secure rather than venturing out into the world with your heart on your sleeve. Some hesitancy and caution when it comes to love, the pursuit of pleasure, and the handling of money is normal with this cycle active in your life. Some of you could enjoy improved living conditions and relationships with family. It’s a good time for entertaining in the home or deriving more satisfaction from home life. Today, the Moon is in your sign all day, amping up your emotions. At times, you could feel that family is blocking you or that they’re not as receptive to your plans or enthusiasm. However, you can quite readily throw yourself into a special project or interest.
Libra
Libra
Venus enters your communications sector today, dear Libra, increasing your need and ability to share your thoughts and feelings with someone special. This can also bring benefits from, or enjoyment to, your studies, mental interests, and communications. You’re even more diplomatic than usual, and more invested in the connections you make and your own ideas. You might get happy news or you could receive positive publicity. This is a good time to harmonize with siblings, acquaintances, classmates, and neighbors. Today brings somewhat more retiring energy than usual, but can offer a chance for you to get much-needed rest. Avoid overscheduling today.
Scorpio
Scorpio
Venus leaves your sign early today, dear Scorpio, and its new cycle, while it doesn’t sound as glamorous, is a natural progression and quite positive. The attention turns away from you and your ego needs, putting you in a better position to enjoy yourself without self-consciousness. Love is more about security and comfort in few weeks (until January 23rd). Affections stabilize during this cycle, and you begin to value simpler pleasures, although money may be spent on comfort items and beautiful things. Today brings wonderful energy for imaginative undertakings, as well as communications. Your intuition is strong.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
Venus enters your sign today, dear Sagittarius, and love will begin to move forward whether you’re ready for it or not! You become more expressive and certain of your affections, and people around you in a general sense are appreciating the very style and personality traits that you express naturally. This cycles lasts until January 23rd and puts the focus on pleasure and affection in your life. Your demeanor is calmer, more harmonious, and attractive. Your own more appealing traits are emphasized and noticed. For the most part, this is a pleasing and pleasurable cycle in which you are giving out good vibes, and receiving them in turn. Today is good for sorting out your practical affairs.
Capricorn
Capricorn
Venus enters your privacy and soul sector today, dear Capricorn, where she will stay until January 23rd. This cycle brings a little more mystery to your love life and possibly also to your feelings and affections, which you are inclined to review. You are not as clear when it comes to openly expressing your love, as you need time to get in better touch with your own feelings during this period of your life. This cycle always precedes a cycle in which Venus is in your sign and you tend to attract what you want or believe you’re worth. As such, it’s a good time to connect with your inner needs and more thoroughly understand what and who it is you desire! There can be a greater love of private moments with a partner, or for some of you, a need or necessity to give of yourself unselfishly to someone or even to a cause. Take your time when it comes to matters of the heart. Even with the outgoing energy of the Sun and Mercury in your sign, Venus here keeps part of you to yourself and perhaps focused on the past.
Aquarius
Aquarius
Venus moves into a harmonious angle to your sign today, dear Aquarius, and this subtly enhances your natural style, likability, and powers of attraction until January 23rd. You value equality in your interactions more than usual now, and you are not big on displays of excessive ego needs or demands, preferring to give yourself and others freedom and space. Good-natured energy is now brought to your social life, networking activities, and sense of fulfillment through activities with and for others. Humanitarian efforts can be especially rewarding and smooth-flowing. This is a good day for intuition related to money and business.
Pisces
Pisces
Venus moves into your career and reputation sector today, dear Pisces, where it will stay until January 23rd. This gives you a chance to realign your goals and to soften or enhance your reputation. There is a general sense of harmony and cooperation around you that allows you to, at the very least, tend to your work in peace. Social opportunities can come through professional dealings or business now, or you may be projecting especially warm and appealing energy in your professional life. Your own talents or personality can be winning and contributing factors to your success. There can be more awareness of how you look and come across, and also how responsible you are being with money and pleasure-seeking activities. You may be recognized as a good role model now. Today and tomorrow are especially strong for personal influence and also for harmonizing with someone close to you.
The Balance of the Elements and the Signs for Wednesday, December 30th
VIRGO STRONG
Meticulous, discriminating, pure, practical, health conscious, hard working. Can be hyper-critical, petty and perfectionistic.
SAGITTARIUS STRONG
Inspiring, broad vision, enthusiastic, goal seeking, truthful, adventurous. Can be reckless, unrestrained, tactless.
CAPRICORN STRONG
Disciplined, responsible, reliable, industrious, conscientious, practical, achieving. Can be pessimistic, overly conventional, rigid, materialistic, callous.
BALANCE OF ELEMENTS
EARTH STRONG
We are especially in touch with the physical world. We consider what we’ve learned and experienced in the past in order to make the most of the present. We can be cautious, practical, and possibly unimaginative. We are deliberate and can pace ourselves well. We need hands-on experience and are not impressed with theory as much as we are with results. Routines are tolerable and comforting.
AIR WEAK
We may have a difficult time being objective or detached. We may not be especially communicative.
WATER WEAK
There may be some insensitivity or lack of empathy now. We may be out of touch with what we’re feeling or with our emotional needs. We may be tougher than usual now, and more inclined to follow mental or practical considerations than we are to listen to our intuition.
BALANCE OF MODES
CARDINAL STRONG
We are ready to take action and to take on challenges, and can become frustrated with stagnant conditions.
FIXED WEAK
We may be open to change but may not have much follow-through.
I, Kuthumi come forward to share with you once more. The challenges many have faced this year have created change in many of your lives.
Some of you have been required to make big adjustments, others smaller, yet in every situation there has been growth through experience. It is this change within you – either mental or emotional – which propels you forward as you enter a new year.
The process of change is not as difficult for those who walk in a higher vibration of Light. This is for two reasons. One is due to the speed which they are able to process emotions. The other is simple acceptance. Yes, acceptance of the need for change, whatever that may be. In that acceptance they are able to move forward in a positive manner, full of hope once more in a new situation.
Acceptance
This is the key to any situation which requires you to stop, think, and know that some level of change is inevitable. As you retire to your mental body to look at various scenarios available to you, there is always a doorway open to you which may or may not be to your perfect liking. In this case it is necessary to think of stepping stones. Each decision and each step takes you forward to better situations. Sometimes these smaller steps are required to take you to the desired outcome.
Hope
Hope carries you forward, enhanced by your soul presence. In hope there is also acceptance of your situation. Acceptance that this maybe just a temporary step. So many fight and struggle any change. Such wasted energy for it is futile action in many cases. Eventually one will see this, though their path can be long and quite twisted back and forth through the process. It is their choice and they will still expand through experience.
Your new year brings much hope and provides promise also. Throughout 2015 many have been required to change on some level. Much, if not all of that change has been worked through. A new vision has been created in your mind of your life created from that change already experienced.
Vision
Always at the beginning of a new year expectation and excitement abound in the ethers. Many new visions of desires are tossed about. Many will be brought into the physical plane and created where the desire is strongest. When the vision is sent from your soul you will feel it repeatedly being presented on your mental body at frequent times. You see your soul knows what is best for you, knows what you came to Earth to experience and to achieve. You will say, ” it’s been on my mind.” Those who know us well will recognize the call of their soul.
Light on the Planet
As you are aware the Light on Earth is expanding as more and more are awakened to their soul purpose and Light. The Light is the God essence and is powerful. It is this Light which will provide the feeling a better path will be obtained. Strength will be gained from understanding the Light is contained within each of you, not outside of you. It begins within first – always.
Outer World
So new hope does indeed abound. In your outer world the battle for dominance is diminishing on every level. From one person to another, from country to country. I have just spoken of change and it is the people who now step forward wanting peace, wanting to provide for their families a better life. So the change continues to a better way of living.
The Earth requires nurturing quickly. This will be seen by the masses in your new year as movements grow in numbers for protection of all life. It will become as important as the air you breathe. New ways and new building materials will be used out of necessity.
As I have spoken before basic living will become the normal way of living. Many will seek to grow their own food due to the many chemicals consumed throughout the current food chain. This is what I call basic simplicity. New fuels will emerge also in the new year along with major new medical treatments for malfunctions of the mind.
Man must be careful not to outsmart himself in the desire to be first with knowledge from your neighboring planets. Truth will continue to be seen in the new year. Truth of injustices to other human beings, truth of monetary exploitation from lending institutions and business. People will begin to look at new ways of borrowing and doing more themselves. The world monetary system has become in-balanced through greed and issues of control. In the new year the desire for change will be great to bring about a new and better balance in this area.
So you see change is necessary in all things. Acceptance is the key to moving forward in a positive manner. Create your visions. Day dreams create your reality also. These are very important as you choose your desires for the new year, your major goals. As always focus is important in implementing those goals into your lives. Outer change – those in your town, country and world – will always be, due to the time zone you reside in. I say to you it is wise to remain vigilant, flexible and to remain open to accepting new ways. Hope will remain as your fuel for your progress of experience and growth.
Blessings of Light I send to each of you.
The Moon today is in a Waning Gibbous Phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts roughly 7 days with the Moon’s illumination growing smaller each day until the Moon becomes a Last Quarter Moon with a illumination of 50%. The average Moon rise for this phase is between 9am and Midnight depending on the age of the phase. The moon rises later and later each night setting after sunrise in the morning. During this phase the Moon can also be seen in the early morning daylight hours on the western horizon.
Phase Details for – Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 75%
Moon Age: 19.70 days
Moon Angle: 0.50
Moon Distance: 401,084.21 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,103,747.00 km
The end of December ushers in the new year, a time of anticipation and celebration. For our pre-Christian ancestors, most of the New Year’s festivities were designed to ward off the barrenness of Winter and insure the fertility of Spring. This was accomplished with the actual or symbolic killing of the king of the old year and the welcoming of a new king-a metaphor phor still dramatized in the popular British mumming play.
It was during the 19th century, when the hustle of the Christmas Day celebrations were over and the new year was fast approaching, that the mummers took to the streets, pubs, and private homes to act out their plays. Masked and costumed, tumed, they portrayed three different themes: the Hero-Combat bat of St. George, the “Sword Dance,” and the Plough or Wooing play. Of the three, the Hero-Combat was the most favored.
The central part of the play begins with the Hero fighting an opposing champion or, occasionally, a whole succession of enemies-the Black Prince, the Turkish Knight, or the Bold Slasher. After a spirited battle, in most but not all cases, the villain is slain. Suddenly a doctor appears, who boasts lengthily (with a great deal of buffoonery) of his skill and travels, after which the dead man suddenly regenerates. Once the mummers mers have been paid, they journey to their next performance.
It might not be as well known as Christmas or New Year’s Eve, but Hogmanay is still celebrated in parts of England and Scotland. Although the word Hogmanay has never been satisfactorily factorily established, it very well may come from the Anglo-Saxon Saxon Haleg Monath (Holy Month) or from the giant Gogmagog or Hogmagog, guardians of the cities of London and Plymouth. For the most part, Hogmanay is met with massive enthusiasm. Parties are helod, people ring bells, fireworks are set off, and everyone makes a conscious effort to make a clean break with the past by making New Year’s resolutions.
Scotland has always made more of Hogmanay than England and still has a variety of customs associated with the holiday. Some of these include divination, of which Bibliomancy is the most popular. The Family Bible is prayed over, and then the person seeking his or her future will open the Bible at random.
Without looking, a verse is marked wit the index finger and then read. Whatever the verse discusses will be the person’s fortune for the year. Another popular custom is to open the back door of the home and then close it just before midnight to let out all of the bad luck. At the stroke of midnight, the front door is then opened to let in the good luck. Finally, Hogmanay is a favored time for predicting the weather by observing th direction of the wind with this old Scot’s rhyme:
If New Year’s Eve night – wind blow south,
That betokens warmth and growth. If west,
much milk and fish in the sea. If north,
much cold and sorms will be. If east, the
trees will bear much fruit. If north-east, flee it,
man and brute.
Wednesdays are wild and wacky days. They are for communication, change, cunning, and the arts. This is a Mercury day, and just its patron god this day is full of contradictions, change, and excitement. Some suggestions for Wednesday enchantments would include:
Pulling a little Wednesday color magic into your life by wearing purples or orange
Carrying a multipurpose agate with you and tapping into its various charms
Working with magical plants such as the fern for protection. This plant will also boost the power of any other magical plants with which it is arranged.
Incorporating lavender into charms and spells for transformation
Using the charming scent of lily of the valley to improve your memory, or working with the aspen tree for communication
Calling on Athena, patron of arts and crafts, for inspiration for a new project
Fanning out a Tarot spell to increase you creativity
Calling on Hermes on a Wednesday night to bring movement and good luck into your life.
Wednesday (Mercury): The conscious mind, study, travel, divination, and wisdom.
Republic Day (Madagascan)
Waning Moon The Waning Moon (from the Full Moon to the New) is a time for study, meditation, and little magical work (except magic designed to banish harmful energies).
Moon phase: Third Quarter
Moon Sign: Virgo Virgo: Favors accomplishment of details and commands from higher up. Focuses on health, hygiene, and daily schedules.
Incense: Bay laurel
Be bold and daring today! Expand your knowledge of the Craft by working with the planetary energies of Mercury on this multifaceted day of the week. Consider the Greco-Roman gods Mercury and Hermes and all of the many lessons they have for you. Embrace change and movement, and work on your communication techniques. Conjure up a little good luck for yourself with that Mercury dime spell. Call on Athena to inspire you to try magickal arts and crafts and to be more creative in your own spellwork and witchery.
Meditate on Odin and see what you can discover about him. I wonder what sort of fabulous and fascinating magickal wisdom you will uncover? Odin is a shaman, after all; he may appear in many guises and faces. I guarantee that he will make you laugh at yourself before he is through with you, but you will learn. It’s up to you what you do with that knowledge. Will you let it shapeshift into wisdom?
Wednesday is the wild and wily day of the week, so try to go with the flow; don’t fight the quirky energies of the day. Most importantly, follow your heart, and always keep a good sense of humor, because of Wednesdays you will really need it.
—Ellen Dugan, Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Power Hours: Sunrise and the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours following
Keywords: Success, creativity, communication
The word Wednesday is reminiscent of the Norse wind god Wodin, which is referenced in the popular rhyme verse “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.” This does not mean that those born on this day are full of sorrow or trouble. To be full of Wo (Wodin) means to be full of wind, to be spirited. Woden was such a powerful pagan god that the German church fathers changed the name of his day to Mittwoch, meaning midweek, in an attempt to exorcise his influence.
In the Spanish word for Wednesday, miercoles, we clearly see its connection to Mercury. Under the guidance of Mercury; Wednesday is a day of swift activity, communication, correspondence, and phone calls. This is a good day for journalists, writers, poets, bargaining, hiring employees, and visiting friends.
On Wednesdays, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Mercury, making these times of the day doubly blessed. These are the strongest four hours for ritual work. Check your local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine when sunrise occurs.
I am ever grateful to that which has given life
Too the one that started it all
Too thee I give thanks
for such beautifulness
In all of the variety
Which can be called the spice of life
Maybe not by all
Round and round
Which the wheel keeps spinning
And so it goes
It has no beginning
Nor has an Ending
Forever meeting
Round and round
We go
Spinning in a circle
In a spherical motion
Just going with the flow
There is a rainbow
And a perfect halo
With wings being optional
Ever sweet music always plays
Too charge the soul
And stir emotions of expression
Ever causing movement
Always moving completing a cycle
In many different forms
Making such bedazzling sparks
Such a pretty light show
I love the glow
And no I can never stop
Being amazed and in awe
Of such wonders
Always leaves me feeling lost in all
Caught in this space
Which is everything
Knowing nothing could ever compete
Or duplicate nor replace
And so I always have a hold
Fitting in the fold
Living in this beautiful sphere
That we call home
The beautiful poem, Sphere, is from our resident poet, T. J. WhiteWolf
To read more of his beatiful and moving poetry, view his website, TJWHITEWOLF’S POETRY
The first day after Christmas my true love and I had a fight
And so I chopped the pear tree down and burned it just for spite
Then with a single cartridge, I shot that blasted partridge
My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me
The second day after Christmas, I pulled on the old rubber gloves
And very gently wrung the necks of both the turtle doves
My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me
The third day after Christmas, my mother caught the croup;
I had to use the three French hens to make some chicken soup
The four calling birds were a big mistake, for their language was obscene.
The five gold rings were completely fake and they turned my fingers green
The sixth day after Christmas, the six laying geese wouldn’t lay,
I gave the whole darn gaggle to the A.S.P.C.A.
On the seventh day what a mess I found
All seven of the swimming swans had drowned
My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me
The eighth day after Christmas, before they could suspect,
I bundled up the eight maids a milking, nine pipers piping
Ten ladies dancing, ‘leven lords a leaping,
Twelve drummers drumming and sent them back collect
I wrote my true love, “We are through, love”,
and I said in so many words,
“Furthermore your Christmas gifts were for the birds!”
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.
Explanation: What surrounds a hotbed of star formation? In the case of the Orion Nebula — dust. The entire Orion field, located about 1600 light years away, is inundated with intricate and picturesque filaments of dust. Opaque to visible light, dust is created in the outer atmosphere of massive cool stars and expelled by a strong outer wind of particles. The Trapezium and other forming star clusters are embedded in the nebula. The intricate filaments of dust surrounding M42 and M43 appear brown in the featured image, while central glowing gas is highlighted in red. Over the next few million years much of Orion’s dust will be slowly destroyed by the very stars now being formed, or dispersed into the Galaxy.
Tonight – December 29, 2015 – look eastward before going to bed, and you just might catch the moon and the star Regulus over your horizon. If you’re an early bird – and go to sleep before the moon and Regulus come up at mid-to-late evening – wake up before dawn to see them. If you do that, you’ll notice the dazzling planet Jupiter nearby … and the moon will be moving toward Jupiter in the next few days. On this night, Jupiter will follow the moon and Regulus into your sky by very late evening or after midnight. After Jupiter rises, it’ll follow the moon and Regulus westward throughout the rest of the night.
Whether you’re sky gazing this evening or during the predawn hours, look first for the waning gibbous moon and the nearby bright star will be Regulus.
Jupiter is much brighter than Regulus and more noticeable, but it comes up later.
The exact rising times for the moon, Regulus and Jupiter vary around the world, so you might want to check out the links on our almanac page.
What’s more, three other planets – other than Jupiter – light up the morning sky right now: Venus, Mars and Saturn. All four will light up the morning hours for months to come.
And here’s something really exciting. Mercury will join the foursome in the morning sky in late January 2016. When that happens, all five visible planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – will be shining simultaneously in the sky visible from around the world.
You can see all five planets simultaneously from about January 20 to February 20, 2016.
In the meantime, you can also see all five visible planets tonight! Catch Mercury at dusk or very early evening, and then spot the other four visible morning planets – Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – in the predawn/dawn sky.
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.
Sphere
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