The fourteenth day of the Moon/month dedicated to Selene, Ishtar, the Lady, Gos and Drvaspa the Cow. The Full Moon is also Hina, Ata Bey, Erzulie, Oshun, Aida Wedo, Semele, Surabhi, Chalchiuhtlique, Tonantzin, Hathor, Luna, Hera, Anahit, Lato, Rhea, Anaitis, Anath, Saoka, Ana Mah, Kwan Yin and Cybele.
The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein
Lights of Isis/St. Clare/William Blake
Ancient Egyptian festival of the Lights of Isis, later became the Christian day of St. Clare. Today is also the anniversary of the death of visionary artist and poet William Blake.
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
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
Celtic Tree Month of Coll (Hazel) – August 4 – September 1
The Runic Half Month of As (August 13 – August 28)
Goddess of the Month of Hesperis – August 9 – September 5
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
Health
Abundance
Leadership
Strength
Ambition
Individuality
Authority
Hope
Joy
Happiness
Creativity
A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen
The Perseids may slowly fade, but there’s still plenty to see out there this week, including an important Sirius sighting.
By Richard Talcott
Sunday, August 14
• Brilliant Jupiter remains a beacon in the western sky after sunset, but its days of prominence are numbered. It currently appears 10° high a half-hour after sunset and dips below the horizon during late twilight. The giant planet shines at magnitude –1.7 against the backdrop of western Virgo. At this low altitude, Jupiter won’t show much detail through a telescope — don’t expect to see more than a slightly flattened disk measuring 31″ across the equator.
Monday, August 15
• A second bright planet lurks low in the western evening twilight this week. Venus appears only about half as high as Jupiter, however, so you’ll need an unobstructed horizon to spot it. Fortunately, the inner planet glows brilliantly at magnitude –3.8 and will show up clearly under good atmospheric conditions. A telescope reveals an almost fully illuminated disk that spans 10″.
Tuesday, August 16
• Mercury reaches greatest elongation today, when it stands 27° east of the Sun. For observers at mid-northern latitudes, however, the innermost planet hangs low in the west after sunset. From 40° north latitude, it stands 5° high 30 minutes after the Sun goes down. You can find the magnitude 0.2 world through binoculars some 4° (about half a binocular field) below Jupiter. Be sure to keep an eye on Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter during the next two weeks as the triangle they form grows tighter.
Wednesday, August 17
• Full Moon officially arrives at 5:27 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning, but it looks completely illuminated throughout the night. It appears low in the east as the Sun sets and reaches its peak in the south around 1 a.m. local daylight time. Luna resides among the dim background stars of northeastern Capricornus. As a curiosity only, the Full Moon crosses the northern edge of Earth’s penumbral shadow. Just 2 percent of our satellite dips into this subtle shadow, however, and observers won’t be able to detect any dimming.
Thursday, August 18
• Although Saturn reached its peak in early June, it remains conspicuous on August evenings. You can find the planet in the south-southwest around 9 p.m. local daylight time, when it forms the vertex of a pretty triangle that includes Mars and Antares. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.4, intermediate in brightness between the Red Planet and the ruddy star. When viewed through a telescope, Saturn measures 17″ across while its dramatic ring system spans 39″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.
Friday, August 19
• Distant Neptune reaches opposition and peak visibility two weeks from today, but the view now is essentially the same. The ice giant planet rises around 8:30 p.m. local daylight time and climbs nearly halfway to the zenith in the southern sky by 2 a.m. The magnitude 7.8 planet lies in Aquarius, 1° southwest of 4th-magnitude Lambda (l) Aquarii. You’ll need binoculars to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which spans 2.4″.
Saturday, August 20
• Asteroid 2 Pallas reaches opposition and peak visibility today. The second-biggest object orbiting between Mars and Jupiter glows at magnitude 9.2, bright enough to show up through almost any telescope. You can find it on the border between Pegasus and Equuleus, 4° due west of 2nd-magnitude Enif (Epsilon [e] Pegasi), the star that marks the nose of Pegasus the Winged Horse. The lovely globular star cluster M15 lies 2.5° north and a touch east of Pallas. The three objects lie about halfway to the zenith in the southeastern sky after darkness falls.
Sunday, August 21
• Look toward the south-southwest during evening twilight and you can’t miss Mars. The Red Planet shines brightly at magnitude –0.4 and remains visible until it dips below the horizon around midnight local daylight time. Mars resides on the border between Scorpius and Ophiuchus, crossing from the former to the latter constellation today. When viewed through a telescope, Mars’ orange-red disk spans 11″ and shows several subtle dark markings.
The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 113.91° ESE
Sun Altitude: 49.05°
Sun Distance: 94.149 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 6:11 AM↑ 71° East
Sunset Today: 7:47 PM↑ 288° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 35 minutes
The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 29.34° NNE
Moon Altitude: -69.53°
Moon Distance: 243397 mi
Next Full Moon: Aug 18, 20164:26 AM
Next New Moon: Sep 1, 20164:03 AM
Next Moonrise: Today4:58 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 84.5%
And so from Gaia,
Was born man,
From soil and stone,
And earth and sand
From her gentle,
Womb,
We all became one,
Forever connected,
Never undone
Each thing having energy,
Individually owned and
possessed,
Strengthened by one another,
All we are blessed.
Blessed Be: A Collection of Witchcraft Poetry
Chastity Skye
Good morning, dear family! How are you doing today? I hope super great. As you know, we always take a day off on the weekends. Today is our day off. I wanted to share with you what I will doing (if the weather holds). The pharmacy that I use asked me if the pups and I would do a commercial for them. First time I have done a commercial, sort of scary. My part isn’t that big though, I just stand at the counter and pretend to check out. The pups do all the acting, lol! It was really a surprise when I was asked. The owner of the pharmacy told me they had been looking for some unusual pups to do the commercial. Since these two are rather unusual in the markings, she told me they were perfect. They act like little angels in public but wait till you get them home. They are worse that kids. I just hope they don’t drop a surprise in the floor during the shoot.
I am suppose to get a copy of the commercial. As soon as I do, I will post it on here for everyone to view. So we are off, wish us good luck. We will be back tomorrow. Till then….
Luv & Hugs,
Lady A
You might be practicing Bubba Wicca if …
For more great Pagan humor, visit Turok’s Cabana |
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 August 12
The Easterbunny Comes to NGC 4725
Image Credit & Copyright: Bob English
Explanation: At first called “Easterbunny” by its discovery team, officially named Makemake is the second brightest dwarf planet of the Kuiper belt. The icy world appears twice in this astronomical image, based on data taken on June 29 and 30 of the bright spiral galaxy NGC 4725. Makemake is marked by short red lines, its position shifting across a homemade telescope’s field-of-view over two nights along a distant orbit. On those dates nearly coincident with the line-of-sight to the spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, Makemake was about 52.5 astronomical units or 7.3 light-hours away. NGC 4725 is over 100,000 light-years across and 41 million light-years distant. Makemake is now known to have at least one moon. NGC 4725 is a famous one-armed spiral galaxy.
Tonight – August 12, 2016 – use the waxing gibbous moon to find the ringed planet Saturn and nearby red planet Mars. Or maybe you noticed them already while watching meteors in the Perseid meteor shower these past few nights. The meteor shower is probably past its peak now, but – although the Perseid shower tends to rise to a peak gradually and then fall off rapidly after its peak – you should still be able to see some meteors in a dark sky between midnight and dawn Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Friday evening, watch for the moon and planets. Mars is the brighter of the two planets near the August 12 moon, while Saturn shines more brilliantly than nearby Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion.
These colorful celestial beauties – Saturn, Mars and Antares, brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion – form a triangle of lights that you can see in the evening sky.
These next two photos, from Bob Kelley near Las Vegas Nevada, show how the moon has moved eastward, past the planets, over these past two nights.
Keep watching Mars and Saturn, even after the moon moves away. With the star Antares, these planets have made a prominent triangle on our sky’s dome for many months. But Mars is on the move now, in front of the star background. Mars is rapidly traveling eastward in the direction of Saturn and Antares. It’ll pass in between Saturn and Antares on or near August 24.
On August 24, Saturn and Mars to be in conjunction (north and south of one another on the sky’s dome). Saturn, Mars and Antares will align on the sky’s dome. Saturn will mark the northern point and Antares the southern point of this celestial line-up, with Mars to the south of Saturn and to the north of Antares.
After the Mars-Saturn conjunction on August 24, be sure to keep an eye on Saturn, Mars and Antares as darkness falls in the following months.
You’ll see the red planet Mars travel farther and farther east of Saturn and Antares day by day.
Bottom line: On August 12, 2016, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower has probably passed, but you can still see meteors in a dark sky in the hours before dawn. Also, on August 12, use the moon to locate a triangle of objects: Saturn, Mars and Antares. By late August and September, Mars will have moved to the other side of Saturn and Antares, to mark the easternmost point of this changing celestial triangle.
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. If you go to the gym this Moontime, be cautious of upper leg strain.
Your Life Destiny Number is 33
Your Destiny Number sheds light on those things you must accomplish in your life to be fulfilled.
You have the Master Number 33 as your Life Destiny Number. Master Numbers indicate nearly complete or complete development of the traits associated with the number they would reduce to. This relation is usually expressed by writing the Master Number and the number it reduces to together. Master Number 33 is often written 33/6.
Freedom and responsibility come with having a Master Number. You have the freedom to choose whether to allow your Master Number traits to express themselves or not. If you opt to act responsibly and use your lofty powers, you will find your reward is in the choice itself. If you choose to ignore your talents, you may find yourself taking more than one step back. You may incur a Karmic Debt.
Having a 33 as your Destiny Number implies your destiny includes spreading love and joy throughout the world. Your love of your fellow humankind and all living things is very nearly boundless. Your knowledge of the power of love is steeped in experience. Your spirit houses an amazing set of tools meant to bring people together and foment harmony. Your spiritual strength will be tested by the heartache you suffer from witnessing the suffering of others, but it is your destiny to heal the pains of others, fight the wrongs others endure and mend the beaten. As difficult a destiny as this may sound, to not take this course will leave feeling aimless and without meaning.
Today’s Meaning:
The Scarab is a symbol of creation. Someone close to you will soon announce the conception of new life, life that will positively affect you within this aspect.
General Description:
Scarabs are engraved stones representing the Scarab beetle (Scarabaeus sacer), which rolls each of its eggs in a ball of mud and may be seen on sandy slopes in the hot sunshine of Egypt; rounding the pellet by pushing it backwards uphill with its hind legs, and allowing it to roll down again. The ancient Egyptian compared this living germ to the sun, which brings matter into life, and the Scarab became the symbol of creation, and sacred to their Sun-god, Khepera. It was their custom as far back as 4,600 years B.C. to bury these engraved Scarabs with their dead, and frequently one was placed in the heart itself. It was an emblem of re-creation, and symbolized this evolution of the soul through eternity.
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