Category: Articles

July 14 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1789 Bastille Day – the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris (now celebrated as France’s national day)

1798 US Sedition Act prohibits “false, scandalous & malicious” writing against government

1850 1st public demonstration of ice made by refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie

1933 All non-Nazi parties are banned in Germany

1941 6,000 Lithuanian Jews are exterminated at Viszalsyan Camp

1992 386BSD is released by Lynne Jolitz and William Jolitz, starting the open source operating system revolution. Linus Torvalds release “Linux” soon afterwards

Today’s Historical Events

982 King Otto II and his Frankish army defeated in pitched battle with Muslim army of al-Qasim at Cape Colonna, Southern Italy

1077 Bayeux Tapestry likely first goes on display to decorate the nave during the consecration of Notre-Dame of Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, Normandy [1]

1223 Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Philip II

1420 Battle at Vitkov Zizka’s hill (Prague): Taboriets beat Bohemia

1535 Emperor Charles V conquers Tunis

1570 Pope Pius V introduces a standardised Roman Missal (text of the Latin mass), a reform of the Council of Trent. Will remain unchanged for 400 years.

1581 English Jesuit priest Edmund Campion arrested for sedition in Anglican England (later hung, drawn and quartered)

1698 The Darien scheme begins with five ships, bearing about 1,200 people, departing Leith for the Isthmus of Panama

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1951 1st color telecast of a sporting event (CBS-horse race)

1968 WSWO TV channel 26 in Springfield, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting

1969 “Easy Rider”, directed by Dennis Hopper, starring himself, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, is released

1969 WMUL (now WPBY) TV channel 33 in Huntington, WV (PBS) 1st broadcast

1987 Steve Miller’s star is unveiled on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame

1989 Film “When Harry Met Sally” is released starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron

1992 Actress Nell Carter undergoes brain surgery

2005 38th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1682 Composer Henry Purcell appointed organist of Chapel Royal, London

1795 The French National Convention decrees “La Marseillaise” by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle France’s national anthem

1951 “Courtin’ Time” closes at National Theater NYC after 37 performances

1951 “Make a Wish” closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 102 performances

1967 The Who begin a US tour opening for Herman’s Hermits

1973 Phil Everly storms off stage at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California and declares an end to “The Everly Brothers”; the show was planned as their last, his exit improvised

1986 Paul McCartney releases single “Press”, from the album “Press To Play”

1989 Jessye Norman sings French national anthem, La Marseillaise at the Place de la Concorde, Paris, to celebrate 200th anniversary of the French Revolution

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1912 Kenneth McArthur runs Olympic record marathon (2:36:54.8)

1914 NL’s Boston Braves start climb from last place to world series sweep

1916 St Louis Brown Ernie Koob pitches all 17 innings for 14 hits in a 0-0 tie vs Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park

1934 NY Times erroneously declares Babe Ruth 700 HR record to stand for all time

1934 Philadelphia Phillies score 11 runs in an inning, beating Cincinnati 18-0

1946 Cleveland’s Lou Boudreau hits 4 doubles & HR, but Red Sox win 11-10 on Ted Williams 3 HR with 8 RBIs

1949 Czech tennis stars Jaroslav Drobný and Vladimir Černík defect while playing in a tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland; Drobny accepts Egyptian citizenship

1951 1st color telecast of a sporting event (CBS-horse race)

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Words are

Archetype

From moonlitpriestess.com

Universal pattern, symbol, or figure believed to be of primordial origins; typically used as a form of language between the conscious and subconscious minds. The most famous theories and discussions of the role and importance of archetypes were first proposed by psychologist Carl Jung.

July 13 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1772 Captain James Cook begins 2nd voyage aboard the Resolution to the South Seas to search for Terra Australis (Southern continent)

1832 Source of Mississippi River discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft

1943 Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia’s defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 lost by Germany

1966 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founds the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna movement) in New York City

Today’s Historical Events

574 John III ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1174 William I of Scotland, key rebel in Revolt of 1173-1174, captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England

1522 Hunger appeal by women of Utrecht

1558 Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spanish forces led by Count Lamoral of Egmont defeat the French forces of Marshal Paul des Thermes at Gravelines

1568 Dean of St. Paul’s London, Alexander Nowell perfects a way to bottle beer

1573 Haarlem surrenders after 7 months to Spanish army

1643 Battle at Roundway Down: Royalists beat parliamentary armies

1645 Aleksei Romanov succeeds his father Michael as Tsar of Russia

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1923 The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. It originally reads “Hollywoodland” but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949

1939 Frank Sinatra makes his recording debut, with The Harry James Orchestra, singing “From the Bottom of My Heart” and “Melancholy Mood”

1956 WCBI TV channel 4 in Columbus, MS (CBS) begins broadcasting

1978 BBC bans Sex Pistols “No One is Innocent”

1987 Federal judge throws out Bette Midler‘s $10 million suit against Ford Motor Co, who used a sound alike voice for their TV commercials

1988 Sting performs his 1st Rain Forest benefit at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

1994 Former NFL running back, broadcaster and actor O.J. Simpson (charged with murder) gives hair samples for testing

2005 TV police procedural “The Closer” debuts on TNT starring Kyra Sedgwick

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1668 Van Marco Cesti’s opera “Il Pomo d’Oro” (the Golden Apple or Tomato) premieres in Vienna

1935 Richard Strauss resigns as chairman of Reichskulturkammer

1946 Musical revue “Tidbits of 1946” closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC. after 8 performances

1979 George Harrison releases single “Faster”

1984 Eddie Van Halen makes a guest appearance, performing “Beat It”, in a Jacksons concert, in Dallas, Texas

1984 Jeff Beck quits Rod Stewart’s tour after 7 shows

1985 “Live Aid” concerts held at both Wembley Stadium (London) and John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia) raises over $70 million for African famine relief

1987 Kylie Minogue releases her debut single “Locomotion”

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1881 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: William Renshaw beats defending champion John Hartley 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 for first of his 7 Wimbledon singles titles

1885 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: 5 straight Wimbledon titles for William Renshaw; for second consecutive year he beats Herbert Lawford 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

1886 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: William Renshaw beats Herbert Lawford for the 3rd straight year 6-0, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 for his 6th consecutive Wimbledon championship

1895 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Wilfred Baddeley beats Wilberforce Eaves 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, 6-2, 6-3 for his third Wimbledon singles title

1896 Philadelphia outfielder Ed Delahanty becomes second major leaguer to hit 4 HRs in a game as Phillies lose 9-8 to Chicago Colts at the West Side Grounds, Chicago

1900 Phillies beat Pittsburgh 23-8

1919 Boston Red Sox pitcher Carl Mays walks off mound blaming teammates for lack of support in field

1924 Albin Stenroos wins Olympic marathon (2:41:22.6)

Scientists finally uncovered the source of the deadly ‘Blob’ that cooked the Pacific

A huge patch of water in the Pacific Ocean along the North American coast warmed above typical seasonal temperatures in late 2013.

This increase, named the “Blob” after a 1958 horror film about an alien life form that grows as it consumes everything in its path, lasted an abnormally long period of time and decimated sea life, killing fish, birds, and many other marine animals, particularly in 2015 and 2016.

The Blob has made at least two appearances since then, and now, a team of scientists has pinpointed the systematic warming in the Pacific Ocean that spurred the Blob’s rise, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment. Their modeling reveals the source of the Blob is not natural climatic variation, but rather human influences.

The source

A team of researchers led by Armineh Barkhordarian, an expert on atmospheric science and member of Universität Hamburg’s Cluster of Excellence “Climate, Climatic Change, and Society,” demonstrated how the long-term warming pool has contributed to local marine heatwaves.

The most recent marine heatwave, which lasted from 2019 to 2021, caused water temperatures to…

Click here to read the rest of this article

Mysterious ‘Lord of the Universe’ Deity from Ancient Palmyra Finally Identified

The identity of an unknown god described in inscriptions from the ancient city of Palmyra, located in modern-day Syria, has long baffled scientists. But now, a researcher declares that she has cracked the case.

Palmyra existed for millennia and the city flourished around 2,000 years ago as a center of trade that connected the Roman Empire with trade routes in Asia, such as the Silk Road.

The anonymous deity is mentioned in numerous Aramaic inscriptions at Palmyra and is referred to as “he whose name is blessed forever,” “lord of the universe” and…

Click here to read the rest of this article

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Words are

Yang

Yin

Yin-Yang

From moonlitpriestess.com

Male, day, light, hot, spirals outward, God, summer; equal and opposite of Yin.

Female, night, dark, cold, spirals inward, Goddess, winter; equal and opposite of Yang.

A symbol often used to express polarity and equality; reinforces the idea that one cannot exist without the other (Yin contains Yang; Yang contains Yin).

July 12 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1679 Britain’s King Charles II ratifies Habeas Corpus Act allowing prisoners right to be imprisoned to be examined by a court

1690 Battle of Boyne: in Ireland, Protestant King William III defeats English Catholic King James II

1790 French Revolution: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is adopted, putting the Catholic Church in France under the control of the state

1804 Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton dies after being shot in a pistol duel the previous day by Vice President Aaron Burr

1863 In New Zealand, British forces invade Waikato, home of the Maori King Movement, beginning a new phase of the wars between Maori and Colonial British

1913 150,000 Ulstermen gather and resolve to resist Irish Home Rule by force of arms; since the British Liberals have promised the Irish nationalists Home Rule, civil war appears imminent

1943 World War II: Battle of Prokhorovka – Russians defeat German forces in one of the largest ever tank battles

1957 US Surgeon General Leroy Burney connects smoking with lung cancer

Today’s Historical Events

526 St Felix IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope

927 King Aethelstan is the first southern English king to gain control of much of the north of Britain when various local kings accept his overlordship at Eamont, Cumbria

1109 Crusaders capture Syria’s harbor city of Tripoli

1191 English King Richard I the Lionheart and Crusaders defeat Saracens in Palestine

1442 King Alfonso V of Aragon becomes King of Naples

1537 Battle of Albancay: Diego de Almagro defeated by army led by Alonso de Alvarado on behalf of Francisco Pizarro

1542 French troops under Maarten van Rossem occupy Flanders

1549 Kett’s uprising occupies Norwich, England

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1928 1st televised tennis match

1953 KTVB TV channel 7 in Boise, ID (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1959 NBC uses cameras to show catchers signals during Yankee-Red Sox game

1960 XEWT TV channel 12 in Tijuana-San Diego, CA (IND) begins broadcasting

1976 1st “Family Feud” game show debuts on ABC hosted by Richard Dawson

1993 Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s musical “Sunset Boulevard”, based on Billy Wilder‘s 1950 film, starring Patti Lupone and Daniel Benzali, opens at the Adelphi Theatre, London

2002 Hindi film “Devdas” premieres directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit (Best Film Filmfare Awards)

2012 45th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1946 Benjamin Britten‘s “Rape of Lucretia” premieres at Glyndebourne Opera Festival

1958 “Li’l Abner” closes at St James Theater, NYC, after 693 performances

1962 Rolling Stones 1st performance (Marquee Club, London)

1976 Ian Dury & Kilburns disband

1985 “Singin’ in the Rain”, musical adaptation of the 1952 film, opens at Gershwin Theater, NYC; runs for 367 performances

1990 “Les Miserables,” opens at National Theatre, Washington, DC

1992 Axl Rose arrested on riot charges in St Louis stemming from a concert on Jul 2

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1817 Karl Drais von Sauerbronn demonstrates bicycle course

1901 Cy Young wins his 300th game

1921 Babe Ruth sets record of 137 career home runs

1921 Indians (9) & Yankees (7) combine for an AL record 16 doubles

1926 Paavo Nurmi walks world record 4x1500m (16:26.2)

1927 Yankees slugger Babe Ruth half way to his MLB record of 60 home runs; smacks #30 of Joe Shaute in 9th inning in New York’s 7-0 win over Cleveland Indians at Dunn Field

1928 1st televised tennis match

1930 US Open Men’s Golf, Interlachen CC: Defending champion Bobby Jones wins record-tying 4th US Open title by 2 strokes from Macdonald Smith; third consecutive major title

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Word is

Natural Magick

From moonlitpriestess.com

Another term for Earth Magick, magick that is drawn from the energies of the Earth, natural objects, the Elements, etc.

July 11 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1405 Chinese fleet commander Zheng He sets sail on his first major expedition, to the Spice Islands, leading 208 vessels, including 62 treasure ships with 27,800 sailors

1533 Pope Clement VII excommunicates England’s King Henry VIII

1818 English poet John Keats writes “In the Cottage Where Burns is Born”, “Lines Written in the Highlands”, and “Gadfly”

1877 Kate Edger becomes New Zealand’s first woman graduate and first woman in the British Empire to earn a Bachelor of Arts

1944 Franklin Roosevelt announces that he will run for a fourth term as President of the United States

1995 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men are massacred when Bosnian Serbs overrun the UN ‘safe haven’ of Srebrenica

Today’s Historical Events

138 Antoninus Pius succeeds Hadrian as Emperor of Rome

911 Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy

1156 Siege of Shirakawa-den in Japan

1244 Khwarezmian Tatars sack Jerusalem, decimating the city’s Christian population and driving out Jews

1302 Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch) near Kortrijk, Belgium. Flemish coalition defeat French army

1346 Charles IV of Luxembourg is elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

1347 Heir to the Bohemian throne elected German anti-king Charles IV

1405 Chinese fleet commander Zheng He sets sail on his first major expedition, to the Spice Islands, leading 208 vessels, including 62 treasure ships with 27,800 sailors

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1895 Auguste and Louis Lumière show film for scientists

1922 The Hollywood Bowl opens.

1967 “The Newlywed Game” premieres in the US on ABC TV

1983 Lorraine Elizabeth Downes, 19, of NZ, crowned 32nd Miss Universe

2007 “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, the 5th film based on the books by J. K. Rowling is released

2013 “Orange Is the New Black” premieres on Netflix starring Taylor Schilling, first series to be nominated for comedy and drama Emmy awards

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1967 Kenny Rogers forms 1st Edition

1969 David Bowie releases the single “Space Oddity” 9 days before Apollo 11 lands on the moon

1969 Rolling Stones release “Honky Tonk Woman”

1982 “7 Brides for 7 Brothers” closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 5 performances

1984 Britain’s MusicBox begins satellite transmission to Europe

1987 Heart’s “Alone” single goes #1 for 3 weeks

1995 Shaggy releases his third studio album “Bombastic” (Grammy Award Best Reggae Album)

  • 2021 Billionaire Richard Branson flies to the edge of space on his Virgin Galactic rocket plane in space tourism test

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1900 Charlotte Cooper beats Hélène Prévost to become the 1st female Olympic tennis champion and the 1st individual female Olympic champion in any sport

1912 There are 6 medallists in the Stockholm Olympic pole vault; American Harry Babcock takes gold (3.95m); countrymen Frank Nelson and Marc Wright dead-heat for silver; 3-man dead-heat for bronze

1914 Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth makes his MLB debut as a pitcher for Boston Red Sox; earns 4-3 win against the Cleveland Naps at Fenway Park

1923 Harry Frazee, sells Red Sox to Ohio businessmen for $1M

1930 21 year old Australian cricket super-batsman Don Bradman is 105 at lunch, 220 at tea, and 309 at stumps on the first day in 3rd Test vs England at Leeds; goes on to 334

1931 NY Giants beat Phillies 23-8

1939 7th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 3-1 at Yankee Stadium, New York NY Yankee/AL maanager Joe McCarthy starts 6 Yankees

1944 12th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 7-1 at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Word is

Banishing

From moonlitpriestess.com

Removing, pushing away, or expelling something or someone magickally; generally for removing negativity or unwanted spirits.

July 8 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1099 First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on

1497 Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama departs on his first voyage, will become the 1st European to reach India by sea

1777 Independent Vermont introduces a new constitution, prohibiting slavery

1800 Dr Benjamin Waterhouse gives 1st cowpox vaccination in the US to his son to prevent smallpox

1853 Commodore Matthew C. Perry sails his frigate Susquehanna into Tokyo Bay, opening Japan to Western influence and trade

1948 500th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated in Moscow

1949 South Africa’s Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act commences, prohibiting marriage or a sexual relationship between White people and people of other races [1]

Today’s Historical Events

939 The Major Occultation, or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi

1099 First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on

1283 War of the Sicilian Vespers: Battle of Malta

1497 Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama departs on his first voyage, will become the 1st European to reach India by sea

1579 Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, was discovered underground in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan

1663 King Charles II of England grants a charter to Rhode Island

1672 William III is appointed stadholder by the States General in the Netherlands

1680 The first confirmed tornado in America kills a servant at Cambridge, Massachusetts

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1954 KMOX (now KMOV) TV channel 4 in Saint Louis, MO (CBS) 1st broadcast

1982 15th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Hotel San Diego

2005 Marvel superhero film “The Fantastic Four” starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis premieres

2010 “Inception”, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, premieres in London

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1946 “Tidbits of 1946” opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 8 performances

1949 Monte Irvin & Hank Thompson, 1st black players for New York Giants, 4-3 loss to Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field

1982 “7 Brides for 7 Brothers” opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 5 performances

1988 Rockers Jonathan “Chico” & Robert DeBarge indicted on drug trafficking

1988 Stevie Wonder announces he will run for mayor of Detroit in 1992; he does not follow through

1996 British girls group the Spice Girls release their debut single “Wannabe” in the UK

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1889 John L. Sullivan successfully defends last officially sanctioned, bare-knuckle world heavyweight prizefighting championship; Jake Kilrain’s trainer throws in towel after 75 x 1-minute rounds near Hattiesburg, Mississippi

1889 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: William Renshaw wins his 7th Wimbledon singles title; beats twin brother Ernest Renshaw 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0

1898 Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Red Donahue no-hits Boston Beaneaters, 5-0 at the Baker Bowl

1902 Baltimore manager John McGraw is accused by AL President Ban Johnson of trying to wreck the Orioles & Washington Senators; negotiates his release from the Orioles, having already signed with NY Giants

1905 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: May Sutton becomes first American player to win the singles title at Wimbledon; beats Dorothea Chambers 6-3, 6-4

1905 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Home town favourite Laurence Doherty wins his 4th consecutive Wimbledon singles title; beats Norman Brookes of Australia 8-6 6-2 6-4

1909 1st pro baseball game (minor league) played under lights

1911 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Anthony Wilding of New Zealand wins 2nd of 4 consecutive Wimbledon singles titles beating Herbert Roper-Barrett 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-2 ret

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Words are

Astral Plane

and

Astral Projection

From moonlitpriestess.com

Realm believed to be beyond space and time; considered by some as an alternative dimension running alongside the physical realm we currently inhabit where beings (including ourselves) can travel and interact in spirit or astrally; sometimes visited to perform magick that can affect change on the physical plane.

AND

Also called astral traveling; the art of “leaving one’s body” while in a trance state to visit other locations or realms astrally, or “in spirit.” Traveling into the astral plane, generally understood as a parallel world unseen in our world of form. Studies have shown an individual successfully astral projecting can be seen and heard by a non-projecting individual on this plane, giving credit to this ability.

July 7 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1520 Battle of Otumba, Mexico: Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalans defeat a numerically superior Aztec force

1937 Japanese and Chinese troops clash at the Marco Polo Bridge, beginning the Second Sino-Japanese War

1947 Alleged and disputed Roswell UFO incident

2005 Coordinated terrorist bomb blasts strike London’s public transport system during the morning rush hour killing 52 and injuring 700

2005 Influenced by global Live 8 concerts, G8 leaders pledge to double 2004 levels of aid to Africa from US$25 to US$50 billion by the year 2010

Today’s Historical Events

1124 Tyrus surrenders to Crusaders

1438 King Charles VII issues the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges stating that a General Church Council with superior power to the Pope must be held every 10 years

1456 A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death

1495 King Ferdinand II returns to Naples

1498 Emperor Maximilian I establishes choir of Imperial Chapel

1520 Battle of Otumba, Mexico: Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalans defeat a numerically superior Aztec force

1534 European colonization of the Americas: first known exchange between Europeans and natives of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in New Brunswick

1543 French troops invade Luxembourg

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1936 RCA shows 1st real TV program (dancing, film on locomotives, Bonwit Teller fashion show and monologue from Tobacco Road & comedy)

1939 “The Rules of the Game”, French film directed by Jean Renoir, starring Nora Gregor and Paulette Dubost, premieres in Paris

1949 “Dragnet” premieres on NBC radio; also a TV series in 1951 & 1967

1956 “Hancock’s Half Hour” premieres as a TV show starring Tony Hancock and Sid James, written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson

1975 TV soap opera “Ryan’s Hope” premieres

1977 “The Spy Who Loved Me”, 10th James Bond film starring Roger Moore and Barbara Bach, premieres in London

1980 Shawn Weatherly, of USA, crowned 29th Miss Universe

1980 Jineane Ford of Arizona replaces Shawn Weatherly (Miss Universe) as the 29th Miss USA

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1949 “Cabatgata (A Night in Spain)” opens at Broadway NYC for 76 performances

1956 Douglas Moore/John Latouche’ opera “Ballad of Baby Doe,” premieres

1965 Otis Redding records “Respect”

1967 Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” is released

1967 Doors’ “Light My Fire” hits #1

1968 Rock group “Yardbirds” disband

1986 It is reported that Boy George is being treated for heroin addiction

1988 Hungarian state funeral for composer Béla Bartók in Budapest, 42 years after his death with his remains relocated from New York

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1868 Surrey wicket-keeper Ted Pooley completes a then-1st class cricket record 12 dismissals (8 caught, 4 stumped) in a County match against Sussex at The Oval

1887 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: 3-time runner-up Herbert Lawford wins his only Wimbledon title beating Ernest Renshaw 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

1890 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Irishman Willoughby Hamilton wins his only Wimbledon title beating 7-time champion William Renshaw 6-8, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1

1892 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Lottie Dod beats Blanche Bingley-Hillyard for a 4th time in a Wimbledon final 6-1, 6-1

1900 Boston Beaneaters pitcher Kid Nichols notches his 300th career MLB victory with an 11-4 win over Chicago Orphans

1911 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Dorothea Chambers becomes first player not to concede a game in a final beating Dora Boothby 6-0, 6-0

1912 American athlete Jim Thorpe wins 4 of 5 events to win the Pentathlon gold medal at the Stockholm Olympics, medal stripped 1913 (played pro baseball), reinstated 1982

1914 Baltimore Orioles owner Jack Dunn offers future baseball legend Babe Ruth, Ernie Shore & Ben Egan for $10k to Connie Mack (Philadelphia A’s); refuses pleading lack of finance

Popping Pills and Magical Practice

Popping Pills and Magical Practice

Author: Deborah
Since writing my latest article for WitchVox on Magically Cleansing Your Home, I’ve been getting the same question over and over:

Do you think that taking medication affects your magical practice?

My short answer would be: No.

For those of you interested in a discussion, I will share my thoughts with you here. Firstly, I’d like to say that I really dislike it when people are made to feel like they need to engage in secrecy and shame. If that happens, something has really gone wrong in my opinion. The fact that apparently a lot of Pagans/Magical Practitioners feel that they can’t talk about taking prescription medication — and need to hide the reality that they do take medications from the community — makes me really sad. Taking care of your health and taking advantage of modern medicine shouldn’t be something you have to feel shame about in spiritual circles.

So let’s start kicking down some walls and lay it all out there. I have depression, anxiety, anemia and fibromyalgia. I currently take the following medications to make it so that I am a productive member of society: Prozac, Xanax, Remeron, Savella, Celebrex, Vitamin D, Multi-Vitamin and Birth Control. In the past, I have: gone to therapy and tried Kava and St. John’s Wort to help.

The therapy helped immensely, the Kava and St. John’s Wort significantly less so. In addition to my medication I use yoga, stress management techniques, japa/self guided meditation, massage, journaling and talking to loved ones to manage my conditions. I see my doctor regularly. She is very tight fisted with all the “fun” meds and I don’t think I could get a Vicodin out of her if it meant she could retire on an island of her own. But at the same time, she treats my conditions very aggressively.

Even with good coping mechanisms, good medication and a good support structure, I still have days where I’m anxious and can’t sleep and I occasionally have days when I am depressed for no reason. Sometimes my fibromyalgia causes me so much fatigue and pain still that I can’t get out of bed.

Even with taking medication, I still feel the normal human range of emotions and generally only feel sad or stressed when I’m “supposed to”. I’ve worked since I was fourteen. I pay my taxes. I write; I ran a convention. I go out and have fun doing all the things early thirty-somethings like to do. I have loving relationships and I own a car and a condo. My medication makes it so that instead of being too depressed to be motivated, or paralyzed with inexplicable fear and anxiousness, or too bedridden with pain and fatigue, I can lead a fairly “normal” life.

Which is the reason I get confused about why shame needs to be implemented if people choose to take advantage of first world medical care in order to lead functional lives. Are there people who abuse prescriptions? Um, yeah. They’re addicts like the people who are alcoholics and drug abusers. Is that the majority of people who take meds? No.

There’s this idea that really bugs me that there are all these people who take medication they don’t really need and this medication magically takes away all of their problems so they don’t need to deal with them. Last I knew, you needed to take like a fistful of Xanax or are shooting H to get that effect. Which . . .see: addict.

Medication (and therapy) helps get you to the point where you’re not in a full-blown chemical freak-out so you can effectively solve your problems and live your life. If you can do that for yourself without meds, awesome! You have an incredible immune system and brain chemistry. If you can do that solely with homeopathic methods, great! There’s nothing wrong with homeopathy if it works for you.

If you feel taking meds makes you a lesser person somehow then that’s your business and you certainly have a right to your feelings. But I start to get really touchy when someone who thinks that taking meds makes him/her a lesser person insists that I should think that too. I get even more touchy when you start to try to tell me what to do with my body because I have a real problem with that. Agency over my body goes way beyond whether or not I decide to have an abortion; it’s also about having the right to make the decisions I make regarding my health care.

And this junk that some people in our community put on others — about how taking prescription medication is selling out, supporting corporate evil and bringing our community down and how you don’t “believe” in the pharmaceutical industry so neither should anyone else, along with the hype that positive energy/crystals/herbs/alternative therapies would work for everyone regardless of their brain chemistry and body systems and personal desires — is just that: junk.

Because honestly? Unless you’re completely off the grid (and then would not be reading this on the internet) , we all have to make compromises every day with big business. Do I like that? No. Am I willing to compromise my issues with big business in order to be a reasonably functioning human? Yes. Am I saying you have to make that compromise? No. Am I saying you need to leave me alone and make my own big girl decisions about that compromise and why I don’t use crystals for healing? Yes.

With all that out of the way, let’s get to the nuts and bolts of the question asked. While I haven’t been completely unmedicated in roughly ten years, there are occasions when I have a little time in between prescriptions due to various reasons (mostly due to the length of time it takes for my prescriptions to arrive to me via mail) . It is during these times when I am in a quasi-unmedicated state — and/or if my fibro-flare is that impressive that it punches past my meds — that I feel able to give my own take on whether or not my medications have affected my magical practice.

When I was unmedicated/quasi-unmedicated, it was significantly easier for me to be in touch intuitively. What that means to me is that Tarot reading was easier to “pull”, getting random psychic impulses and having an easier time seeing what’s going on with what I call The Tapestry. The Tapestry refers to everything that’s happened in the past, everything that’s happening right now, everything that will happen and everything that never happened. To me it looks like a huge tapestry constantly weaving and unweaving itself in bits and pieces. Typically I could see about like one billionth of the whole tapestry, and it was mostly my little corner of the world.

However. And this is a big however, my magic has significantly improved since medicating. My spells are much more effectively, I now have the focus to have a personal practice (which I didn’t previously) and my rituals are more effective and meaningful.

So while yes, my general fuzzy random psychic ability was better unmedicated, having the ability to cast better and have a better personal practice to me far outweighed my unmedicated abilities. My unmedicated abilities were more “traditional” psychic aspects.

The ability to get the perfect condo through my targeted magic work far outweighed the benefit of being able to say, “Gordon! I think something is going to happen to you on Wedne- Thursd- No, definitely Wednesday. No idea what though. Cheers!” So for me, being more functional in my daily life and being more effective in my targeted magical practice far outweighed being unmedicated.

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Word is

Aromatherapy

From moonlitpriestess.com

Form of alternative healing using essential oils, believed to contain the power of plants and that the medicinal properties of those plants can work through the olfactory system (sense of smell) as smell is shown to affect the conscious mind; may be used in a multitude of ways, such as candles, and incorporated into other modalities such as massage.

July 6 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1348 Papal bull of Pope Clement VI issued during the Black Death stating Jews not to blame and urging their protection

1785 US Congress unanimously resolves the name of US currency to the “dollar” and adopts decimal coinage

1885 Louis Pasteur successfully give an anti-rabies vaccine to 9-year-old Joseph Meister, saving his life

1923 The Central Executive Committee accepts the Treaty of Union, signed in Moscow in December 1922, and the Russian Empire becomes the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

1967 Nigerian Civil War erupts as Nigerian forces invade the secessionist state of Biafra

1970 California passes 1st “no fault” divorce law

Today’s Historical Events

1016 Battle of Pontlevoy: one of largest battles of early Medieval France won by Fulk the Black and Hebert I of Maine again Odo II of Blois in the Loire Valley

1044 The Battle of Ménfő takes place in Hungary, won by a German force led by Peter Orseolo over Hungarians

1189 Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England, upon the death of King Henry II

1253 Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania

1348 Papal bull of Pope Clement VI issued during the Black Death stating Jews not to blame and urging their protection

1415 Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus is burned at the stake in Constance, Germany

1483 Richard III is crowned King of England after deposing Edward V

1484 Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1933 “Nertsery Rhymes” short film starring Ted Healy and His Stooges premieres, one of the first film appearance of The Three Stooges

1945 Abbott and Costello‘s film “The Naughty Nineties” released; features longest version of their “Who’s on First?” routine

1954 KMOS TV channel 6 in Sedalia-Warrensburg, MO (PBS) begins broadcasting

1959 WENH TV channel 11 in Durham, NH (PBS) begins broadcasting

1969 Filming begins on “Ned Kelly” starring Mick Jagger

1990 “Jetsons the Movie” by Hanna-Barbera with Tiffany Darwish, premieres

1994 “Forrest Gump”, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Gary Sinise, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1995)

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1946 “St Louis Woman” closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 113 performances

1957 John Lennon (16) & Paul McCartney (15) meet for 1st time as Lennon’s rock group Quarrymen perform at St. Peter’s, Woolton’s Parish Church in Liverpool

1964 The Beatles’ film “Hard Day’s Night” premieres in London

1965 Rock group “Jefferson Airplane” forms

1975 Dmitri Shostakovich completes Sonate for alto opus 147

1997 “Dream-Johnny Mercer Musical” closes at Royale NYC after 109 performances

2005 Live 8 concert at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland; performers include Wet Wet Wet, Annie Lennox, James Brown, the Corrs, and The Proclaimers

2010 Brandon Boyd announces the release of his debut solo album, “The Wild Trapeze”

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1887 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Lottie Dod becomes youngest ever Wimbledon champion (15 years, 285 days); defending champion beats Blanche Bingley 6-2, 6-0

1889 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Blanche Bingley-Hillyard beats Lena Rice 4-6, 8-6, 6-4

1907 Tom Reece takes 5 weeks to compile the highest recorded billiards break in a match (499,135) in London, his ‘cradle’ cannon method is soon banned

1912 V Summer (Modern) Olympic Games officially open Stockholm, Sweden; events conducted prior to the ceremony dating back to 5 May

1920 New York Yankees score MLB record 14 runs in 5th inning of a 17-0 rout of Washington Senators

1923 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Suzanne Lenglen of France beats Kitty McKane 6-2, 6-2 for her 5th straight Wimbledon singles title

1928 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: In an all-French final René Lacoste beats defending champion Henri Cochet 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

1929 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Henri Cochet beats fellow Frenchman Jean Borotra 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 for his 2nd Wimbledon singles crown

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions

Today’s Word is

Archetype

From moonlitpriestess.com

Universal pattern, symbol, or figure believed to be of primordial origins; typically used as a form of language between the conscious and subconscious minds. The most famous theories and discussions of the role and importance of archetypes were first proposed by psychologist Carl Jung.

Spell For Today – Contacting A Friend

This spell should be used to cause someone with whom you have lost contact to contact you. It is not manipulation so much as an astral call for contact when you have no other way to reach them that you know of.

You will need:
White candle anointed w/ sandalwood oil
Sandalwood incense
photo of the person
small glass of water.
salt

Light the white candle and the incense. Place the picture of the person on your altar. Put 2 heaping tablespoons of salt in the palm of your right hand. Let a small amount of salt trickle into the glass while making the sign of the equal armed cross of the elements. Make this cross 3 times. Say ” Call me” three times as you do this. Then set the glass on the altar and say “Get in touch with me, please.” They should contact you by the time the water has evaporated from the glass.

Author:
Rowan Moonstone

July 5, Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1687 Isaac Newton‘s great work Principia published by Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation

1811 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: 7 provinces declare themselves independent of Spain

1852 Frederick Douglass, fugitive slave, delivers his ‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’ speech to the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, condemns the celebration as hypocritical sham

1865 US Secret Service begins operating under the Treasury Department

1994 Amazon.com founded in Bellevue, Washington by Jeff Bezos

2004 First Indonesian presidential election by the people – first round (eventually won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)

Today’s Historical Events

649 St Martin I begins his reign as Catholic Pope

767 Duke of Nepi names his brother (leek) Pope Constantine II

1166 Austrian town of Bad Kleinkirchheim is first mentioned, in an ecclesiastical document

1294 Pietro del Murrone elected as Pope Coelestinus V

1295 Scotland and France form an alliance, the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England

1436 German emperor Sigismund signs peace with Hussieten

1450 Pope Nicolas V names Walraven van Meurs bishop of Munster

1596 English fleet under Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, captures Cadiz

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1953 WANC TV channel 21 in Asheville, NC (IND) begins broadcasting

1954 The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin

1961 KUSD TV channel 2 in Vermillion, SD (PBS) begins broadcasting

1970 20th Berlin International Film Festival cancelled due to controversy surrounding the participation of Michael Verhoeven’s anti-war film “o.k.”

1989 “Seinfield” (originally titled The Seinfeld Chronicles” screens its pilot episode starring Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards on NBC

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1942 1st performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Chôros 6/9/11

1947 “Barefoot Boy with Cheek” closes at Martin Beck NYC after 108 performances

1954 Singer Elvis Presley‘s 1st professional recording session (with guitarist Scotty Moore & bass player Bill Black) takes place at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee. The trio record four songs including their historic cover of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s song “That’s All Right”. [1]

1963 1st Beatles’ tune to hit US charts, Del Shannon’s cover of “From Me to You” at no. 87

1965 Greek-American soprano Maria Callas makes her final opera stage appearance in the title role of Giacomo Puccini‘s “Tosca” at Convent Garden, London, England

1968 John Lennon sells his psychedelic painted Rolls-Royce

1969 Rolling Stones play a free concert in London’s Hyde Park

1975 At Knebworth Festival in England, Pink Floyd debut their album “Wish You Were Here” with pyrotechnics and an exploding plane which flies into the stage

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1898 Lizzie Arlington becomes first woman to play professional men’s baseball when she pitches 9th inning for the Reading Coal Heavers against the Allentown Peanuts; allows 2 hits and walks a batter but preserves 5-0 win

1902 All-rounder Monty Noble takes 6 for 52 as Australia wins the one and only cricket Test played at Sheffield’s Bramall Lane, England

1904 NY Giants 18-game winning streak ends as Phillies win 6-5 in 10 innings at Huntington Park

1906 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Dorothea Chambers beats May Sutton 6-3, 9-7 for her 3rd of 7 Wimbledon singles titles

1907 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: American May Sutton avenges previous year’s defeat, beating Dorothea Chambers 6-1, 6-4

1912 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: English badminton champion Ethel Larcombe wins her first and only major tennis title beating Charlotte Cooper 6-3, 6-1

1914 MLB Boston Braves (26-40) are 15 games back in NL, go on to win World Series 4-0 vs Philadelphia A’s

1919 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Suzanne Lenglen of France beats Dorothea Chambers 10-8, 4-6, 9-7 for the first of 6 Wimbledon singles titles