Category: Daily Posts

Famous Witches Throughout History – Circe

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Circe

In Greek mythology, flame-haired Circe is a minor goddess (or sometimes a nymph, witch, enchantress or sorceress) living on the island of Aeaea. She was reputed to transform her enemies, or those who offended her, into animals through the use of magical potions and was renowned for her knowledge of drugs and herbs.

Circe’s father was Helios, the god of the sun, and her mother was Perse, an Oceanid and daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. She was also the sister of two kings of Colchis, Aeëtes and Perses, and of Pasiphaë, the mother of the Minotaur.

In Homer’s “Odyssey”, Odysseus’ crew stumbled onto Circe’s island and her “water mansion” in a clearing in a dense wood, around which prowled harmless lions and wolves, the drugged victims of her magic. She invited the sailors to a feast, but the food was laced with one of her magical potions, and she turned them all into pigs with a wand after they had gorged themselves on it (modern interpretations suggest this may have been a hallucinogenic intoxication or drugged delusion rather than shapeshifting).

Odysseus set out to rescue his men, using the holy herb “moly” given to him by Hermes to protect himself from Circe’s potion, and following Hermes’ advice as to how to avoid Circe’s magic and seductions. Having freed his fellows, Odysseus and Circe became lovers, and he and his men remained on the island for a year feasting and drinking wine, after which Circe assisted him in his quest to reach his home.

Later poets extended the story, one version being that Telegonus, Circe’s son by Odysseus was sent by Circe to find Odysseus, who had long since returned to his home on Ithaca, but on arrival Telegonus accidentally killed his father. He brought the body back to Aeaea, taking Odysseus’ widow Penelope and their son Telemachus with him, and Circe made them immortal and married Telemachus, while Telegonus made Penelope his wife.

According to legend, Jason and the Argonauts also visited Circe’s island while they were escaping the Colchian fleet, (possibly at the request of Circe’s niece Medea, who was with them, or possibly instructed by the magical ship “Argo” itself) in order to be purified and cleansed by Circe for the assassination of Medea’s brother Apsyrtus.

In some stories, Circe was also attributed the ability to darken the heavens by hiding the moon or the sun behind clouds, and destroy her enemies with poisonous juices, calling to her aid Nyx (Night), Chaos or Hecate, the goddess of the crossroads. In her presence, and because of her enchantments, the woods would move, the ground rumble and the trees around her turn white. At night, uncontrolled visions filled her house, the walls and chambers of her palace could seem to be bathed in blood, and fire could seem to devour her magic herbs.

She is also credited with converting, in a fit of jealousy, the beautiful young woman Scylla into a monster with the face and breast of a woman, but having in her flanks six heads and twelve feet of dogs, who ever after presented a danger for ships passing the strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy. She is also supposed to have turned the handsome young magician Picus into a woodpecker after he refused her advances.

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The Spellbinding Story of Circe, Goddess of Magic

 

Circe was a goddess of magic and she continues to be one of the most enchanting deities of ancient Greek mythology. This daughter of Helios and patron of ancient Greek witches still fascinates people even today.

She appeared in many of the most famous ancient Greek texts, such as The Odyssey by Homer, The Theogony by Hesiod, Description of Greece by Pausanias, Geography by Strabo, and The Library of History by Diodorus Siculus. She was also mentioned by famous Roman writers like Virgil, Cicero, Ovid, Hyginus, Valerius Flaccus, Statius, and Propertius. Why did Circe become so popular for these and other writers? She was just one of many characters in Greek mythology, but people saw something in her which fascinated them more than the others.

The Magic of Circe
Witchcraft has always been important. Since the beginning of humanity, people have searched for solutions through magical practices. Therefore, Circe (or Kirke) became one of the most magnetic women in Ancient Greece.

In most texts, she is described as a daughter of Perse the Oceanid and the Titan of the Sun – Helios. She had several siblings, including Pasiphae (who married King Minos and bore the famous Minotaur.) Aeetes, known as the keeper of the Golden Fleece, was said to be her brother. However, some ancient texts suggest that she was actually the powerful goddess Hecate’s daughter instead.

Her personality and attributes encompass all of the key ideas related to witchcraft. It is written that she was a specialist in herbs and knew how to use them for magic and healing. She created many recipes for ancient potions to use in magic rituals. Circe is often depicted with a wand or a staff. One of the most famous of her accomplishments was transforming her enemies into animals.
The most popular account of Circe comes from the Odyssey 10. 135 – 12. 156:

“[Odysseus sailed forth from the land of the Laistrygones (Laestrygones) and came next to the island of Kirke (Circe):] Then we came to the island of Aiaia (Aeaea); here Kirke (Circe) dwelt, a goddess with braided hair, with human speech and with strange powers; the magician Aeetes was her brother, and both were radiant Helios the sun-god’s children; their mother was Perse, Okeanos’ (Oceanus’) daughter. We brought the ship noiselessly to shore, and with some divinity for guide we put in at the sheltering harbour. We disembarked, and for two days and two nights we lay there, eating out our hearts with sorrow and weariness.

But when Eos the Dawn of the braided hair brought the third day at last, I took my spear and my sharp sword and hastened up to a vantage-point, hoping to see some human handiwork or to catch the sound of some human speech. I climbed a commanding crag, and from where I stood had a glimpse of smoke rising from the ground. There were gleams of fire through the smoke, and at sight of this I wondered inwardly whether to go and look. But as I pondered, it seemed a wiser thing to return first to my vessel on the beach, give my men a meal and then send them out to spy. I was on my way back and near the ship when some divinity pities me in my loneliness and sent a great antlered stag right across my path [perhaps a man that Kirke had transformed into an animal].”

 

Her role is quite large in the Odyssey, where it shows many things about morality and understanding the power of magic and the fear of deities in ancient Greece. Homer’s description of her also led to Circe being considered as one of the most attractive female figures in ancient mythology.

A Heroine of Science and Literature
Stories from ancient literature fascinated many scientists so much that they started to search for scientific explanations in them. For example, the plants which are believed to be the ones Circe used to put a spell on Odysseus’ companions were called Circaea. That name was given during the late 16th century.

Circe’s fame didn’t die with the end of ancient beliefs. During medieval times, she became an important symbol in moral stories created by Giovanni Boccaccio. In ”Famous women” ( De mulieribus claris ), he wrote that she lived in Italy and commented on her actions. She also appeared in the monumental 600-page text written by Georg Rollenhagen in 1595, titled ”The frogs and mice” ( Froschmeulseler). In that book, Rollenhagen described the story of Odysseus or Ulysses and Circe.

In 1624, Spanish writer Lope de Vega also presented her in his text titled La Circe – con otras rimas y prosas , where he wrote another version of the Greek myth. She was a popular motif during the 19th century in books related to mystical and mythical topics as well.

Circe Today
Circe is now one of the most popular figures from ancient witchcraft and mythology. Her character appears in TV series, movies, games, and fantasy books. She still casts her magic and terrifies men, who have no idea what to do – should they escape or admire her beauty? Circe is a symbol of female power for women and vanity for men. Regardless of how she is interpreted, she is still one of the most magnetic women from ancient Greek myth.

 

Reference
By Natalia Klimczak, Ancient Origins 

Zygmunt Kubiak, Mitologia Greków i Rzymian, 1997.

Pierre Grimal, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, 1996.

Homer, Odyssey, available at:
http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html

Kirke, available at:
http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html

The Study of Pagan Gods & Goddesses: Nephthys, Egyptian Goddess

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Nephthys

Nephthys was one of the original five gods of ancient Egypt born of the union of Geb (earth) and Nut (sky) after the creation of the world. She was the fourth born after Osiris, Isis, and Set and was the older sister of Horus (usually referred to as Horus the Elder). As one of the earliest goddesses of Egypt, she was a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis, a tribunal of nine deities of immense power. Her cult centers were Heliopolis, Senu, Hebet, Per-met, Re-nefert, and Het-sekem. Contrary to some scholars’ assertions that she was never widely worshipped in Egypt, temples to Nephthys were quite common and she was considered an extremely important goddess from the Predynastic Period (c.6000-c. 3150 BCE) through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE), the last dynasty to rule Egypt before it became a province of Rome.

 

NAME & SYMBOLS
‘Nephthys’ is the Latin version of her Egyptian name `Nebthwt’ (also given as Nebet-het and Nebt-het) which translates as “Lady of the Temple Enclosure” or “Mistress of the House” and she is routinely pictured with the heiroglyph for ‘house’ on her crown. The ‘house’ is neither an earthly home nor temple but linked to the heavens as she was related to air and ether. The ‘enclosure’ may refer to the courtyard outside a temple as she was represented by the pylons outside of temples in her role as a protective goddess; just as the pylons and wall protected the inner temple, Nephthys protected the souls of the people. She was associated with death and decay from an early period and was regularly invoked during funeral services. Professional mourners at Egyptian funerals were known as “Hawks of Nephthys” and she is one of the four goddesses (along with Isis, Selket, and Neith) whose images were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun as guardians of his canopic vessels. Historian Margaret Bunson notes:

 

Nephthys was associated with the mortuary cult in every era and was part of the ancient worship of Min [a god of fertility and reproduction]. The desert regions were dedicated to her and she was thought to be skilled in magic (188).

 

Her magical skills were similar to those of Isis and some scholars see her as Isis’ mirror image, Nephthys’ darkness balancing Isis’ light, and they are frequently pictured together as twin sisters. In the city of Heliopolis Nephthys and Isis were represented by two virgin priestesses at festivals who would recite the famous Lamentations of Isis and Nepthys at the Osiris’ festival. The Lamentations is a long narrative poem recreating the moment Isis and Nephthys worked together to revive the god Osiris and bring him back to life. Although originally spoken only at religious services, the Lamentations came to be included in the Egyptian Book of the Dead and was recited at funeral services.

 

Nephthys became the wife of Set and is best known for the part she played in the Osiris myth where, disguised as Isis, she seduced Osiris and provided Set with justification for the murder of his brother. She is later depicted in the myth as both betraying and then helping Isis in her efforts to restore her husband to life. She is a goddess of the dead who, like her granddaughter Qebhet, provides assistance to the souls of the deceased. She was so helpful to those in the afterlife that one of her titles was “Friend of the Dead” and she was also thought to bring news of the deceased back to their relatives on earth and comfort them in their time of mourning.

 

Her symbols are the hawk and the temple and the sycamore tree, one of the more popular trees depicted in inscriptions from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. She is the mother of the death god Anubis and was associated with the setting sun, twilight, and darkness. Prayers were offered to Nephthys at twilight for protection and also to aid her as she struggled with her husband Set to defend the Boat of Ra (the sun god) from the serprent Apophis as it made its journey through the realms of night.

 

MYTHOLOGICAL ORIGINS
According to the most popular version of the Egyptian creation myth, there was once only swirling chaotic waters and darkness in the universe until, one day, a mound (known as the ben-ben) rose from the seas with the god Atum (also known as Ra) standing upon it. Atum gazed out on the eternal nothingness and recognized he was lonely, and so mated with his own shadow to give birth to Shu (god of the air) and Tefnut (goddess of moisture). These two deities then left their father alone on the primordial mound and went off to create the world.

 

Atum, alone on the hill in the midst of chaos, longed for his children and worried over their safety, and so he removed his eye and sent it out in search of them. Shu and Tefnut returned with the eye, having failed to create the world, and Atum was so happy to see them, he began to cry. As his tears fell on the fertile earth of the ben-ben, men and women sprang up.

 

These new fragile beings had nowhere to live, however, and so Shu and Tefnut mated and gave birth to Geb (the earth) and Nut (the sky). These two quickly fell in love and became inseparable; a situation Atum found intolerable as they were brother and sister. He pushed Nut high above Geb and fastened her there so the two lovers would be able to see each other but never touch again. Nut, however, was already pregnant by Geb and soon gave birth to five children: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus. Atum gave to these five gods the task of maintaining the world and set his first born, Osiris, to rule over all the living things of the earth.

 

THE OSIRIS MYTH
At this point in the story the famous Osiris Myth begins when Set becomes jealous of Osiris’ power and success. Osiris married his beautiful sister Isis and the royal couple taught the humans of the world culture and art, instructed them in religion, and gave them the gifts of agriculture. To the Egyptians, their country was essentially the world and this world, under the reign of Osiris and Isis, was a paradise. Men and women were equal in all things and there was an abundance of food.

 

Osiris

Horus the Elder, in this story, is never mentioned but the roles of Set and Nephthys, who are, seem fairly insignificant at first until Nephthys emerges to play a pivotal role. She changed her form to take on the shape and scent of Isis and seduced Osiris, who thought he was sleeping with his wife. In some versions of the story she drugs his wine or gives him too much while, in others, he simply comes to her bed thinking she is Isis. Osiris leaves afterwards but drops a flower he wore in his hair on the floor and this is later found by Set who recognizes it as his brother’s.

 

Set was already resentful of his older brother but now, believing Osiris had seduced his wife, he planned to murder him. He created an ornate chest to Osiris’ exact measurements and then threw a party where he offered the box as a gift to whichever of his guests could best fit in it. Osiris, of course, fit perfectly and, when he lay down in the casket, Set slammed the cover on, fastened it, and threw it into the Nile. He then assumed the throne with Nephthys as his consort. She gave birth a short time later to a son, the god Anubis, whom she abandoned and who was raised by Isis.

 

Isis, meanwhile, went in search of her husband and found the casket with his body inside lodged in a tree in Byblos. The king and queen of the city had seen the tree down by the shore and were attracted by its beauty (which was the essence of Osiris permeating the tree) and its sweet scent (the aroma of Osiris) and had it cut down and brought to their court to serve as a central pillar. Isis, disguised as an older woman, was invited to the court after she befriended the queen’s handmaidens down by the shore and soon became nursemaid to the young princes. In an effort to make the youngest son immortal, she held him in a mystical fire each night to burn away his mortal part and, one night, the queen caught her and was horrified. Isis threw off her disguise, revealing herself, and the king and queen begged her for mercy, offering her anything to spare them. She asked for the pillar in the court; and they gave it to her.

 

All this time, the world was suffering under the rule of Set. The land was barren and the desert winds blew. Equality in the land was forgotten as people fought for each other for survival. Isis returned to the wasteland with Osiris and hid his body in the marshes of the Nile Delta and then asked Nephthys to stand guard to protect him from Set. While Isis went off to find herbs to revive her husband, Set was out searching for the body and found Nephthys. He managed to get from her where Isis had hidden Osiris and hacked the body to pieces, throwing them across the land and into the river. When Isis returned, Nephthys tearfully told her the story and offered to help in any way she could.

 

Isis and Nephthys found all the parts of Osiris and put him back together except for his penis, which had been eaten by a fish. Osiris revived but, because he was not whole, could not return to the land as king; he would instead descend to the underworld where he would rule over the dead as their just and merciful judge. Before he left, however, Isis transformed herself into a kite (a falcon) and flew around his body, drawing his seed into her own and becoming pregnant with a son, Horus. When Horus was born, she hid him in the marshes of the Delta as she had his father’s body and Nephthys, this time, kept her secret.

 

THE CONTENDINGS OF HORUS & SET
When Horus grew to manhood he challenged Set for the kingdom. The best known version of this contest is known as The Contendings of Horus and Set from a manuscript of the Twentieth Dynasty (1190-1077 BCE). The story tells of the legal battle before the Ennead of Heliopolis, a tribunal of nine gods, to decide who was the rightful king of Egypt. These gods were Atum, Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut, Isis and Nephthys, Set, and Osiris. Horus and Set both present their cases and then must prove themselves in a series of contests and battles which are all won by Horus.

 

Horus

The majority of the nine gods ruled that Horus was the rightful king but Atum, the sun god, was not convinced and the decision had to be unanimous, barring Set’s opinion. Atum believed that Horus was too young and had led too sheltered a life to effectively rule while Set had the necessary experience if not the most gentle manner. Even though Horus won every contest against his uncle, Atum would not be moved. This trial went on for over 80 years while the people of Egypt suffered under Set’s chaotic reign until Isis intervened, showed the other gods – and Set – how wickedly he had behaved, and won the ruling in favor of her son. In another, perhaps older, version of the story it is the goddess Neith who settles the dispute in favor of Horus and grants the desert lands to Set along with two foreign goddesses (Anat and Astarte) as consolation. Horus assumed the throne of his father and ruled with Isis and Nephthys as his counselors. Set was driven from the land to the arid frontier deserts and Nephthys remained as a protector of the female head of the household, Isis in this case, but later any mature married woman.

 

THE LAMENTATIONS OF ISIS & NEPHTHYS
This myth was important to the ancient Egyptians on many levels. It illustrated core values of harmony, order, divine intervention in human affairs, the importance of gratitude, trust, and how, in the character of Set, even the gods could succumb to temptation but, no matter what, harmony and order would be restored. The death and ressurection of Osiris provided a divine template for the passage of all human beings who were thought to be travelers on an eternal journey through life and on into the afterlife. The Cult of Osiris became extremely popular and part of his religious service included the recitation of the liturgy known as The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys.

 

The most complete version of this verse comes from the Berlin Papyrus 3008 dating to the Ptolemaic Dynasty. This papyrus was part of a copy of The Book of the Dead owned by a woman named Tentruty (also given as Teret) and is written in hieratic script (the cursive, everyday, script of the Egyptians) in five columns. The poem is written as an exchange between Isis and Nephthys as they call Osiris’ soul back to his body. The two goddesses entreat the soul to return, to live again among them, and invoke Horus, Osiris’ son, as his protector in life who will provide him with “bread, beer, oxen, and fowl” and whose sons will guard his body and protect his soul. In the end, Osiris returns to life as the poem ends with the line, “Lo! He Comes!”

 

Following the verse, the scribe has left very careful instructions on how the Lamentations is to be presented at the festivals:

 

Now, when this is recited the place is to be completely secluded, not seen and not heard by anyone except the chief lector-priest and the setem-priest. One shall bring two women with beautiful bodies. They shall be made to sit on the ground at the main portal of the Hall of Appearings. On their arms shall be written the names of Isis and Nephthys. Jars of faience filled with water shall be placed in their right hands, offering loaves made in Memphis in their left hands, and their faces shall be bowed. To be done in the third hour of the day, also in the eighth hour of the day. You shall not be slack in reciting this book in the hour of the festival. It is finished.

 

The two virgins would recite the Lamentations to invite Osiris to participate in the festival and, once he arrived, the celebration could begin. Osiris was considered the first king of Egypt who had given the people their culture and who, through his death and resurrection, showed them the way to eternal life. In death, everyone was linked to Osiris who was the first to have died and been reborn. His festivals, therefore, were of great importance and Nephthys regularly featured as one of the most important elements of the celebration: one of the two who called the god to join the living.

 

She describes herself as the “beloved sister” of Osiris in the Lamentations and says, “I am with you, your bodyguard, for all eternity.” When the Lamentations became included in The Book of the Dead (c. 1550-1070 BCE), the poem was recited at funerals and Nephthys would then have been speaking to the soul of the deceased. It was in this capacity that she came to be regarded as the “Friend of the Dead” who walked with the soul and helped them in the afterlife as their “bodyguard for all eternity” and made her such an important deity to the people.

 

NEPHTHYS & THE BARGE OF RA
Long before the Osiris myth became popular, Nepthys was already a very significant goddess, however. In texts of the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613 – c. 2181 BCE) she is referenced with Set as the two gods who protect the barge of the sun god Ra (Atum) as it passes through the night sky. The evil serpent Apophis tried every night to murder the sun god but Nephthys and Set fought the creature off so the sun could rise the next morning. Set was later transformed from a protector god to the villain of the Osiris myth but Nephthys’ role remained the same: a protector and sustainer of life. Even though the focus on who was protected changed, the basic elements of her character remained the same. The scholar Geraldine Pinch has observed that, “Nephthys never enjoyed the high status of her sister, Isis” (171) and, while it may be true that worship of Nephthys never was on par with that of Isis, her status was consistently quite impressive throughout Egypt’s history.

 

In the Predynastic Period of Egypt, Nephthys was one of the most important deities owing to her part in this myth. If Apophis succeeded in murdering Ra, the sun would not rise and so it was vital that the barge be protected. In the Coffin Texts Set and the snake-god Mehen protect the barge; Mehen by coiling himself around Ra and Set by fending off Apophis. Mehen was later replaced by Nephthys but Apophis was considered so powerful, and the threat to Ra so dire, that other deities often appear on the barge to drive the enemy of the sun away such as Isis, Bastet, Selket, Neith, and Sekhmet who were collectively known, with Nephthys, as the Eyes of Ra in this capacity.

 

The myth of the nightly threat to Ra is most clearly told in a manuscript dating from the Ramessid Period (1292-1069 BCE) but archaeological evidence suggests the story is much older. By the time of the Ramessid Period the myth had evolved into a ritual known as Overthrowing Apophis in which a priest would recite a list of Apophis’ secret names (thereby gaining power over him) and the people would sing hymns celebrating his destruction. Even though the gods destroyed the great serpent every night, he returned to try to murder Ra again the next. The hymns were sung to encourage the gods in their eternal struggle. Participants in the ritual would then make serpents out of wax, spit on them, and destroy them in fire. The ritual was performed regularly after a number of cloudy days when it seemed as though Apophis was succeeding in preventing the dawn and especially during a solar eclipse.

 

POPULARITY & WORSHIP OF NEPHTHYS
Prior to the addition of the other goddesses, however, it was Nephthys and Set who kept the sun on course and she was duly honored for this. Temples to Nephthys were located in every region of Egypt long before she became associated with the dead and only grew more numerous afterwards. As with any Egyptian deity, her temple was attended by priests and priestesses who cared for her statue and observed her holy days and festivals. The public was barred from entering the inner sanctuary of the temple where her statue resided but were welcomed in the outer courtyards where the clergy tended to their needs and collected their donations and sacrifices.

 

By the time of Ramesses II (1279 – 1213 BCE) Nephthys was so popular she was given her own temple at the popular religious center of Sepermeru in the holy precinct where Set’s temple was located. Nephthys was so popular at this time that she is mentioned in texts without allusion to Isis or Set. Her temple in the town of Punodjem was apparently so popular that the head priest and vizier Pra’emhab complained of his workload and her temple at Herakleopolis, near Sepermeru, became the site of the Heb-Sed festival celebrating the rejuvenation of the king. The basalt statue of Nephthys currently housed at the Louvre in Paris comes from this temple.

 

Although Nephthys is frequently depicted as a mirror to her twin sister Isis, she had a life and status all her own which was just as worthy of veneration. Once she became associated with the afterlife and the care of the dead the linen which was used to mummify the deceased was known as “tresses of Nephthys” and it was thought that she, along with Selket, helped to breathe life back into the soul and help them on their eternal journey. Nephthys came to represent the promise of a helper at one’s side in the afterlife who would look after and protect the soul and who assured the living that death was nothing to be feared. The realm of the afterlife was only a new land one traveled to and old friends, like Nephthys, would be waiting to offer their protection and guidance in death as they had throughout life.

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Nephthys

Nephthys was an ancient goddess, who was referenced in texts dating back to the Old Kingdom. She was a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis as the daughter of Geb and Nut and the sister of Osiris, Isis and Horus and the sister and wife of Set. When the Ennead and Ogdoad merged, Nephthys was given a place on Ra’s boat so that she could accompany him on his journey through the underworld.

 

Nephthys is the Greek pronunciation of her name. To the Ancient Egyptians she was Nebthwt (Nebhhwt or Nebthet) meaning “the Mistress of the House”. The word “hwt” (“house”) may refer to the sky (as in Hwt-hor, the “House of Horus” – the name of Hathor), but it also refers to either the royal family or Egypt as a whole. The latter makes a great deal of sense as she was described as the head of the household of the gods and was thought to extend her protection to the head female of every household. She was sometimes associated with Ptah-Tanen in representing Lower Egypt, while Khnum and Isis represented Upper Egypt.

 

It seems that she was originally conceived of as the female counterpart of Set. He represented the desert, while she represented the air. Set was infertile (like the desert that he represented) and was frequently described as either bisexual or gay and so Nephthys was often considered to be barren. As a goddess of the air, she could take the form of a bird, and because she was barren she was associated with the vulture – a bird which the Egyptians believed did not bear children. The Egyptians thought that all vultures were female (because there is very little difference in the appearance of a male vulture), and that they were spontaneously created from the air. While the care shown by a mother vulture for her child was highly respected, the Egyptians also recognised that vultures fed on carrion and associated them with death and decay. As a result, Nephthys became a goddess of death and mourning.

 

Nephthys
Professional mourners were known as the “Hawks of Nephthys”, in recognition of her role as a goddess of mourning. It was also believed that she protected Hapi in his role as of the Four sons of Horus (who guarded the organs stored in the four canopic jars). Hapi protected the lungs, and as a goddes of the air Nephthys was his guardian. She was also one of the four goddesses who guarded the shrine buried with the Pharaoh. She appears with Isis, Selkit (Serqet) and Neith on the gilded shrine of Tutankhamun, but was often depicted with Isis, Bast and Hathor in this role. Yet, she was also said to be the source of both rain and the Nile river (associating her with Anuket) and was thought to protect women in childbirth (with the assistance of her sister, Isis). Thus she was closely associated with both death and life.

 

Although she was technically infertile, later myths claimed that she was the mother of Anubis by either Osiris or Set (depending on the myth). This came about because Anubis’ position as the god of the dead was usurped by Osiris when the theologies of the Ennead and the Ogdoad merged. According to one myth Nephthys disguised herself as Isis to get the attention of her neglectful husband Set, but instead seduced Osiris (who apparently did not realise that it was Nephthys). An alternative myth made it clear that Nephthys intended to seduce Osiris from the beginning and drugged his wine to make her task easier, while a less common myth held that she did trick her husband into a brief daliance in order to concieve Anubis. It is suggested that this tale also explained the flowering of a plant in a normally barren area because Set apparently discovered the adultery when he found a flower left by his brother Osiris.

 

Isis and Nephthys were very close despite Nephthys’ alleged infidelity with Osiris (the husband of Isis) and her marriage to Set (the murderer of Osiris). Nephthys protected the body of Osiris and supported Isis as she tried to resurrect him. The goddesses are so similar in appearance that only their headdresses can distinguish them and they always appear together in funerary scenes. Together Isis and Nephthys could be said to represent day and night, life and death, growth and decay. In Heliopolis, Isis and Nephthys were represented by two virginal priestesses who shaved off all of their body hair and were ritually pure.

 

Nephthys was usually depicted as a woman with the hieroglyphs of her name (a basket on top of the glyph representing the plan of an estate) on her head. She could also be depicted as a mourning woman, and her hair was compared to the strips of cloth used in mummification. She also occasionally appears as a hawk, a kite or a winged goddess in her role as a protector of the dead. Her major centers of worships were Heliopolis (Iunu, in the 13th Nome of Lower Egypt), Senu, Hebet, (Behbit), Per-mert, Re-nefert, Het-sekhem, Het-Khas, Ta-kehset, and Diospolites.

 

Reference
Joshua J. Mark, Ancient History 

J Hill, Ancient Egypt Online 

The Witches “Witchy” Journal for Thursday, April 12th

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The Witches “Witchy” Journal for Thursday, April 12th

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Witches were a bit like cats. They didn’t much like one another’s company but they did like to know where all the other witches were, just in case they needed them. And what you might need them for was to tell you, as a friend, that you were beginning to cackle.

TERRY PRATCHETT, A Hat Full of Sky

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Today is Thursday, April 12th

Thursday is the day of the planet Jupiter, dedicated to Thunor(Thor), God of thunder and agricultural work. His parallels in various European traditions are Zeus, Taranis, Perun, Perkunas and St. Olaf. The faith of the Northern Tradition holds Thursday sacred, just as Islam reveres Friday, Judaism the Sabbath(calculated from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday), and Christianity, Sunday. This is why almost all adages about Thursday are positve, such as “Thursday’s child has far to go,” “Sneeze on Thursday, something better,” or “Cut nails on Thursday for wealth.” Thursday rules controlled optimism, energetic growth, physical well-being and material success.

Deity: Thor

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn/Pisces/Sagittarius

Planet: Mercury

Tree: Oak

Herb: Henbane

Stone: Turquoise/Bloodstone/Topaz

Animal: Fish/Goat/Aurochs

Element: Fire

Color: Brown/White/Orange

Number: 3

Rune: Thorn

 

The Celtic Tree Month of Fearn(Alder)(March 18 – April 14)

Runic Half Month of Ehwaz(horse) (March 30 – April 13)

Goddess of the Month of Columbina (March 20 – April 17)

Source
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

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The Pagan Book of Days for Thursday, April 12

Cerealia was the eight-day Roman festival of Ceres, goddess of the Earth and its fruits, who was prayed to for peace good government and plenty.
Source
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

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The Goddess Book of Days for Thursday, April 12

Day of Chu-Si-Niu Niu Si in Taiwan, she is a Birth Goddess, cognate to Kwan Yin (Iatiku, Tonantzin, Spider Woman, Oddudua, Changing Woman, Yemaya, Isis, Mary, Stella Maris, Sheela, Eileathyia, and Carmen).
Reference
The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

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Goddesses Asssociated with Thursday

Juno, Hera, Kwan Yin, Mary, Cybele, Tara, Mawu, Mbaba Mwana Waresa, Ishtar

Source

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

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Thursday’s Magickal Correspondence

Wealth
Male Fertility
Ambition
Expansion
Luck
Happiness
Honor
Family
Harvests
Planet: Jupiter
Colors: Dark Blue, Green
Crystals: Turquoise, Amethyst, Lapis

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Thursday

Thursday: Is associated with Jupiter and the colors of – Blue and Metallic Colors
Thursday is the best time to deal with such matters as: Broadcasting, Business, Charity, College Education, Correspondence Courses, Doctors, Expansion, Forecasting, Foreign Interests, Gambling, Growth, Guardians, Horses, Logic, Long Distance Travel, Luck, Material Wealth, Merchants, Philosophy, Political Power, Psychologists, Publicity, Publishing, Reading, Religion, Researching, Self-improvement, Social Matters, Sports, Studying, and The Law

Reference

Practical Magick for the Penny Pinching Witch
Carol Moyer

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Magickal Days of the Week – Thursday

 

Thursday is a day of royal blues and greens, associated with the planet Jupiter and metals like tin. When it comes to deities, look at leader type gods like Thor, Zeus, and Jupiter. Gemstone correspondences for Thursday include turquoise, amethyst and lapis lazuli, and plant associations can be found in honeysuckle, cinquefoil, and even oak trees.

This is a day for honor, fealty and family loyalty, as well as harvesting, success, and prosperity.

Take advantage of Thursday’s different aspects and do spellwork that brings abundance to you, declares your allegiance, and embraces prosperity.

Author
Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by ThoughtCo.com

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The Witches Guide to Thursdays

 

Today is the day for prosperity work of all kinds. It can also be used for healing work, whether that is a physical healing of an illness or an emotional healing. Also remember that you have to follow up your healing work and prosperity magick and physical action.

I can’t tell you the number of times I have met new witches who complain to me that their prosperity spell or “I need a better job” spell did not work as they expected. They’ll ramble on and on about how much time and money they spent working their magick….but, alas, they had no glorious manifestation of wealth or fabulous job that suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed in their laps.

Then, when I gently ask them, “Did you enchant your resume or application when you filled it out? Did you do a little confidence-boosting spellwork when you went to apply for the job or went to the interview?” typically they give me a blank, confused stare.

Nine times out of ten, their response is, “You mean I have to go out and actually look for the job too?” Um, yes, my dear, you certainly do. Magick follows the path of least resistance, which means it’s going to manifest along the simplest, quickest route. Get out there and hit the pavement. See what you can find. Times are tough and competition for good jobs is fierce, so you need whatever edge you can get. For folks like us, we’re going to get the edge by using our magick and our spellcraft.

Thursdays have such a rich source of magick for us to draw upon that, honestly, the sky is the limit. This is the day associated with the gods of the sky and heavens, after all. Get to know these deities and add their wisdom and magick into your days
Source

Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

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Thursday’s Witchery

Today is the day for prosperity work of all kinds. It can also be used for healing work, whether that is a physical healing of an illness or an emotional healing. Also remember that you have to follow up your healing work and prosperity magick and physical action.

I can’t tell you the number of times I have met new witches who complain to me that their prosperity spell or “I need a better job” spell did not work as they expected. They’ll ramble on and on about how much time and money they spent working their magick….but, alas, they had no glorious manifestation of wealth or fabulous job that suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed in their laps.

Then, when I gently ask them, “Did you enchant your resume or application when you filled it out? Did you do a little confidence-boosting spellwork when you went to apply for the job or went to the interview?” typically they give me a blank, confused stare.

Nine times out of ten, their response is, “You mean I have to go out and actually look for the job too?” Um, yes, my dear, you certainly do. Magick follows the path of least resistance, which means it’s going to manifest along the simplest, quickest route. Get out there and hit the pavement. See what you can find. Times are tough and competition for good jobs is fierce, so you need whatever edge you can get. For folks like us, we’re going to get the edge by using our magick and our spellcraft.

Thursdays have such a rich source of magick for us to draw upon that, honestly, the sky is the limit. This is the day associated with the gods of the sky and heavens, after all. Get to know these deities and add their wisdom and magick into your days

Source
Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

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Magickal Must Dos for Thursdays

Try wearing some honeysuckle-scented perfume to encourage prosperity. Bewitch someone by wearing deep royal blue or brighten up a dreary day by wearing lucky, prosperity-drawing green. Brew up a pot of mint tea to help increase your cash flow. Try adding a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon to an unscented candle to encourage some fast cash. Bake up a loaf of wheat bread for the family, and celebrate abundance and be thankful for all that you have.

Conjure up a witchy craft and create a philter or two for your magickal needs. Work with the deities and the magickal plants corresponding with Thursday.

How did the energies of the plants of Jupiter enhance your magick? What did you learn by working with Juno, Jove, or Zeus? The truth is that by adding these new techniques and information into your spellcasting repertoire, you will indeed advance your skills, thereby moving up in the ranks to become a more adept magickal practitioner

Just by believing in yourself and working toward creating abundance, health, and prosperity, you have already begun to transform your outlook on life. Put your game face on; think positively. Work with Thor for perseverance and courage, and apply those qualities to your own prosperity spells and healing witchery. Break out the tarot cards; How could you incorporate that symbolism into other spells of your own design?

Use your imagination, check Thursday’s correspondence list, and see what other bewitching things you can conjure up for prosperity magick all by yourself. Call on the gods and goddess of Thursday and bring some positive change, abundance, health, and prosperity into your life!

Source
Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

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The Witches Almanac for Thursday, April 12th

Children’s Day (Bolivian and Haitian)

Waning Moon
Moon phase: Fourth Quarter
Moon Sign: Pisces
Incense: Carnation
Color: Green

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Correspondences for Thursday, April 12

Thursday (Thor’s day)

Planet: Jupiter

Colors: Purple, Deep Blue

Crystals: Amethyst, Lepidolite, Sugilite, Tin

Aroma: Melissa, Clove, Oakmoss, Jupiter Oil, Cinnamon, Musk, Nutmeg, and Sage

Herb: Cinquefoil

Ruled by the planet Jupiter and dedicated to Thor, god of thunder and agricultural work. His parallels in various European Traditions include Zeus, Taranis, Perun, and Perkunas.

Magical aspects: controlled optimism, energetic growth, physical well-being, material success, expansion, money/wealth, prosperity, leadership, and generosity.

Thursday is the day of Jupiter, the largest of the planets and said to be the most powerful. Spellcasters would be wise to use this day for attempting wealth, success and prosperity spells.

Thursday is also associated (in Greek mythology) to Thor – Thor’s day – and some even say that Jupiter and Thor are one in the same. Both are strong and powerful, yet wise and just. Try a small prayer to Jupiter before commencing any ritual on Thursday as a sign of respect.

This is the proper day of the week to perform spells and rituals involving luck, happiness, health, legal matters, male fertility, treasure, wealth, honour, riches, clothing, money, desires, business, group pursuits, joy, laughter, and expansion

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The Witches Magick for April 14th – A Love Charm and Love Poppet Reversal

In April or May, when Rosemary is in season, choose pliable, willowy stems and
bind them together into the shape of a heart. Form a mental image of the one you
wish for.
Then secure the rosemary heart with a yellow ribbon and if you have any threads
from your partner’s clothes or strands of hair, wave these in to create a
stronger vibrational link. If your desired one is born under Aries, weave in a
few strands of wool too. Place the rosemary heart in a white envelope and put it
under your pillow. Before you sleep, repeat the words:

DIVINE LOVE
BLESS MY SLEEP
MY TRUE LOVER
I SHALL KEEP

The rosemary will dry with time and its life force will fade. When you feel your
spell has brought the one you want closer, burn the heart in a fire, thinking
while you do it of the flames of passion.

_____________________

Love Poppet Reversal Spell

Too often I have seen authors teach how to make Love poppets, but they forget to
teach how to reverse them. Here is a little spell that works very well:

TO REVERSE A LOVE POPPET SPELL:

1. Light a white candle.

2. Remove the top stitching from the puppet.

3. Speak the following spell:

“I now revoke the spell I previously spoke.
Let _______(name)___ love me no more,
but hate me not — happily we part
our ways, keeping pleasant memories
for all days.

____(name)__ I set thee free and thus in this
I too am free, Apart now do we flee.
It is my wish, so mote it be.”

4. Remove the contents of the doll, burning all.

5. Repeat spell.

6. Burn doll while repeating:

“An’ it harm none, so mote it be.”

7. Repeat spell.

8. It is done.

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Celebrating Legends, Folklore & Spirituality 365 Days A Year for April 12

The Cerealia/Chu-Si-Nu Festival

The Cerealia is an ancient Roman holiday to honor the Goddess of grain, Ceres. The festival began on April 12 and concluded on April 19. As with most of the Spring festivals, the Cerealia was celebrated to secure fertility for the crops. Most of the activities were held inside the Circus Maximus, including the yoking of a bull and a rather bizarre fox chase. Burning brands were tied to the foxes tails and then they were set loose among the people.
in Taiwan, the Goddess Chu-Si-Nu who presides over childbirth is honored at this time. ONe of the customs is for pregnant women to go the temple of Chi-Si-Nu and ask for her blessing on their unborn children.

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Things Every Witch Should Know – The Healing Properties of Trees and Herbs

Celtic Tree & Flower Medicine 

BIRCH – this tree is indicative of cleanliness & determination in overcoming adversity. Use when wanting to make a fresh start & ridding yourself of bad influences

ALDER – is a water-loving tree, the God linked with this tree is Bran the blessed, is for spiritual protection & prophecy.

WILLOW – medicine stands for female & lunar rhythms of life. She is water-seeking like the alder. Offers protection against damp diseases &modern herbal Practioners extract salicin from the bark to be used to ease illnesses like rheumatic fever. The gift of fertility is also represented here.

ASH – The World Tree, it has deep penetrating roots which change the chemistry of the soil, making undergrowth difficult for other vegetation. Helps link the earthly and spiritual. Good medicine for meditation.

HAWTHORN – Small tree with dense, many-branched body. Best used for cleansing & chastity, bringing protection from the inner magical realms.

OAK – The Oak’s place in Celtic lunar calendar is seventh among thirteen months. The Oak has protected England through the use of his timbers for the building of ships. Oaks are used as boundary marker. Oak medicine is best used for securing your pursuits, protecting while attaining your goals. It is essential protection for those less able, who require security in order to strengthen their characters.

HOLLY – a white-wooded tree with almost invisible grain, looks much like ivory. Holly is associated with the death and rebirth symbolism in both Pagan & Christian lore. In Arthurian legend, Gawain (Representing the Oak King of summer) fought the Green Knight, who was armed with a Holly club to represent winter. Holly medicine may be used with difficulties in sleep and to ease the passage of death.

HAZEL – Hazel embodies many talents: poetry, divination, and the powers of meditation. In Celtic tradition, the Salmon of knowledge is said to eat the nuts dropped into its sacred pool from this tree growing beside it. Each nut eaten by the salmon becomes a spot on its skin. In Europe and North America Hazel is used to gain knowledge, wisdom & poetic inspiration.

APPLE – A dense, fine grained, rosy colored wood with a sweet smell. Apple is associated with choice. This is good medicine to use when your are having difficulty in making decisions, whether they are work or relationship oriented.

VINE – This is used in the development of prophetic powers, best when used while trying to reach deeper state of consciousness and when doing healing work.

IVY – Represents the spiral of the self and the search for self. The maze of the labyrinth is also linked to Ivy, since it symbolized the wondering soul, circling inward and outward, seeking nourishment from within & without, leading you to ENLIGHTENMENT . A wonderful aid if helping others on a spiritual journey.

REED – Helps create spiritual weapons – gives you direction. Best when used before beginning healing work or soul retrievals.

BLACKTHORN – is a wintery tree. Fruits, known as sloes, only ripen after the first frost. The Gaelic word “staif” has links with English word “strife”. Wood of Blackthorn is traditionally used with the Irish shillelagh. It represents the strong action of fate or outside influences in your life. Blackthorn should not be used by the novice.

ELDER – is linked to eternal turnings of life and death, birth and rebirth. It represents the end/beginning and beginning/end. Significant of creativity and renewal.. new beginnings.

SILVER FIR – is used to bring knowledge of your present and past lives into now. The color sliver links you to your SILVER THREAD symbolizing your awareness of the progress of your spiritual journey. Best used when searching for gift of INSIGHT.

HEATHER – used for Solitary healing work (going within) Heather along with mistletoe create powerful healing medicine in both spiritual and physical aspects.

WHITE POPLAR – concerns with earthly and material aspects of Life. Also with finding the spiritual determination to face hardship we have to endure. This tree has the ability to resist and to shield, also an ability with languages and speech with close relationship with the winds.

YEW- mostly found in ancient cemeteries. In Breton Legen, the tree is said to grow a root into the open mouth of each corpse buried in the graveyard. This root is the symbol of rebirth. Good medicine when used in working with past life issues and regression.

GROVE – tree of All Knowledge. The grove represents a sacred place wehre all is linked and becomes clear. Helps you look beneath the surface of things.. whether situations or people. Medicine works with your hidden knowledge, helping you to manifest it at the appropriate time.

SPINDLE – completion of tasks. Ability to complete something to its end, no matter how difficult. Good for progressing in certain areas of your life which are of difficulty to you

HONEYSUCKLE – helps you to distinguish what is real from what is false, and what is of real value on your journey. The honeysuckle will help you tread safely – remaining true to your quest.

BEECH – Beech wood is close grained and easy t work with – smooth and even surface. Beech medicine can tell you about yesterday and how it is relevant today. Handling old objects or visiting a place connected to your past will bring understanding of people, incidents, reviving the memories within that are needed.

blessed are the witches

The Witches Astronomy Journal for Thursday, April 12th

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The Witches Astronomy Journal for Thursday, April 12th

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Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Thursday, April `12th

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 85.86° E
Sun Altitude: 9.21°
Sun Distance: 93.184 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 21, 2018 5:07 am (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 6:24 am↑ 78° East
Sunset Today: 7:26 pm↑ 282° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 2 minutes

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 128.69° SE
Moon Altitude: 25.64°
Moon Distance: 244521 mi
Next New Moon: Apr 15, 20188:57 pm
Next Full Moon: Apr 29, 20187:58 pm
Next Moonset: Today4:07 pm
Current Moon Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 13.7%
Reference
timeanddate.com
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Astrology of Today – Thursday, April 12th

Mars-Uranus early today is progressive. A Last Quarter Moon occurs shortly before midday, and asks us to consider our spiritual needs.
The Moon is in Pisces all day (until Wednesday, June 10th, at 7:13 AM).
The Moon is void from 2:08 PM forward (until tomorrow at 7:13 AM).
The Moon is waning and in its Waning Gibbous phase until 11:41 AM/ Third Quarter phase from 11:41 AM forward.
The Third Quarter Moon occurs at 11:41 AM in Pisces.
Mercury is retrograde. (Mercury is retrograde from May 18 to June 11 in the sign of Gemini).

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Moon in Pisces

The Moon is traveling through Pisces today. You may feel disconnected. Serve others. Listen to music. Paint a picture. Daydream.

We are not inclined to want to face reality while the Moon is in dreamy, impressionable Pisces. It can be a wistful, sensitive, intuitive, and compassionate time. We are especially imaginative, and our intuition reigns under this influence. Boundaries and walls come down, as Pisces energy merges and blends. It’s a time when details are overlooked and feelings defy description.

The Moon in Pisces generally favors the following activities: Imaginative undertakings, mystical or spiritual pursuits, inner development, music and drama, going on a retreat, activities involving water.

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Daily Overview of Your Sky for Thursday, April 12th

With recent doubts and suspicions or cynicism, today’s Venus-Neptune sextile seems to come at just the right time. We are more imaginative and attuned to the world of beauty and romance today, and we tend to approach one another more gently. A “magical” time on a romantic and social level is possible now, as we are inclined to see spiritual dimensions of our relationships and to approach others with compassion. As well, the Moon is in Pisces all day, reinforcing the inclination to forgive and release.

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The sky this week for April 12 to 15

Mars and Saturn chase the Moon, the Summer Triangle returns to prominence, and a brilliant Venus takes center stage, all in the sky this week.
By Michael E. Bakich

Thursday, April 12

As you stare into tonight’s starry sky, think about the two space-related anniversaries we celebrate on this date. In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into outer space, and the first to orbit Earth. Then, in 1981, NASA launched its first space shuttle, Columbia, on a three-day mission during which it orbited Earth 36 times.

 

Friday, April 13

This could be your lucky night if you want to hunt down a galaxy. First, you’ll need to head to a dark observing site. Then, with binoculars in hand, scan about one field of view east-southeast of 2nd-magnitude Phecda (Gamma [γ] Ursae Majoris), the star that forms the southeastern corner of the Big Dipper’s bowl. You should see a triangle of 5th- and 6th-magnitude stars. The spiral galaxy M106 lies 1.7° south of 3 Canum Venaticorum, the triangle’s southern tip. The galaxy will appear as an oval blur of light glowing at magnitude 8.4.

 

Saturday, April 14

Brilliant Venus dominates the evening sky starting about half an hour after sunset. It stands 15° above the western horizon 30 minutes after the Sun goes down and doesn’t set until around 9:30 p.m. local daylight time — a full two hours after the Sun. Shining at magnitude –3.9, it lies in front of the stars of Aries the Ram and appears far brighter than any other point of light in the sky. When viewed through a telescope tonight, Venus spans only 11″ and shows a 92-percent-lit phase.

 

Sunday, April 15

Dwarf planet 1 Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter. Almost any telescope will reveal its 8th-magnitude glow. All this month it moves eastward in front of the stars of the constellation Cancer the Crab. You’ll find it tonight between magnitude 4.0 Iota Cancri and 57 Cancri, which glows at magnitude 5.4. It lies two-thirds of the way from the brighter to the fainter star. If you can’t pinpoint it exactly, sketch the area and come back one or two nights later. The point of light that’s moved will be Ceres.

Reference
Astronomy Magazine

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Your Daily Cosmic Calendar for Thursday, April 12

The cosmos gives you a free ticket to ride thanks to the absence of any challenging alignments.

Love vibrations increase in frequency — courtesy of a supportive, 60-degree alliance between Venus in Taurus and Neptune in Pisces (9:27am) and another 60-degree tie between the moon and Venus (5:58pm).

Have a field day in the fine and graphic arts. Lend a helping hand to the truly needy. Play a favorite musical instrument or improvise with a video camera during the monthly union between the moon and Neptune in Pisces (5:10pm).

Start gearing up for Mercury’s station and shift from reverse to direct on Sunday — the same day of a new moon happening within 2 degrees of Uranus, the revolutionary planet of genius, surprises and shock-waves.

[Note to readers: All times are now 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.]

Reference
Astrology.com

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The Witches Current Moon Phase for Thursday, April 12

ommorow the Moon will be in a Waning Crescent phase. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon. During this phase the Moon is getting closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing the Earth with only a small edge of the Moon being illuminated. This phase is best viewed an hour or 2 before the sunrise and can be quite beautiful if you’re willing to get up early. It can also be a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side, the craters and mountains cast long shadows making them easier to observe with a telescope or binoculars.

PHASE DETAILS FOR – THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018

Phase: Waning Crescent
Illumination: 14%
Moon Age: 25.95 days
Moon Angle: 0.50
Moon Distance: 396,671.24 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 149,989,613.22 km

Reference
MoonGiant

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Waning Crescent Moon Phase

 

What is a waning crescent moon? The waning crescent moon, sometimes called an old moon, is defined to occur when the Moon is nearly, but not precisely, on a line with the Earth and Sun. This means that part but less than one-half of the Moon is illuminated by direct sunlight, creating a crescent moon. Because the fraction of the Moon’s disk that is illuminated is decreasing, we consider the Moon to be “waning.” Each new lunar cycle is measured beginning at each new moon and the waning crescent moon occurs when the Moon is more than three-quarters of the way around the sky (i.e., along its orbit) from new moon.
Waning Crescent Moon Dates / Next Waning Crescent Moon
When is the next waning crescent moon? A waning crescent moon is seen one day to several days before a new moon. The average calendrical month, which is 1/12 of a year, is about 30.44 days, while the Moon’s phase (synodic) cycle repeats on average every 29.53 days. Therefore the timing of the Moon’s phases shifts by an average of almost one day for each successive month. To find out the waning crescent moon dates, please see the waning crescent moon calendar below.

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About the Waning Crescent Moon

The waning crescent moon, happens when the moon is between a 135 and 180 degree angle with respect to the Earth and Sun. So we are seeing less than half of the moon illuminated and more than half in shadow. The word “crescent” refers to the phases where the moon is less that half illuminated. “Waning” essentially means shrinking or decreasing in illumination. Each evening, as the moon’s orbital motion carries it away from the Earth-sun line, we see less of the moon’s day side.

Each lunar cycle begins with a new moon. As the Moon moves eastward away from the Sun in the sky, we see a bit more of the sunlit side of the Moon each night. We call this waxing. After the new moon, the sunlit portion is increasing, but less than half illuminated, so it is a waxing crescent moon. When half of the Moon’s disc is illuminated, we call it the first quarter moon. As the sunlit portion continues to increase, now more than half illuminated, it becomes waxing gibbous moon. When the Moon reaches maximum illumination, a full moon, the Moon has completed one half of the lunar month.

During the second half of the lunar month, the Moon grows thinner each night. We call this waning. The waning gibbous moon phase occurs first, followed by the last quarter moon when half of the Moon’s disc is illuminated. Next is the waning crescent moon, which wanes until the illumination is completely gone; a new moon
Reference
Full Moon Phases

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Interesting Facts About The Moon

Called Luna with the Romans, Selene and Artemis with the Greeks, and many additional names in other mythologies.The Moon, of course, may be known since prehistoric times. It is the second brightest object within the sky after the Solar. As the Moon orbits round the Earth once per thirty days, the angle between the planet earth, the Moon and sunshine changes; we see this for the reason that cycle of the Moon’s periods. The time between effective new moons is twenty nine and a half days (709 hours), slightly totally different from the Moon’s orbital period (measured from the stars) since the Earth moves an important distance in its orbit round the Sun in that time period.Due to its size and composition, the Moon may also be classified as a terrestrial “planet” in addition to Mercury, Venus, Earth along with Mars.The Moon was visited by the Soviet spacecraft Luna two in 1959. It is the only extraterrestrial body to get been visited by humans. The first landing ended up being on July 20, 1969 (do you remember where you’re? ); the last is at December 1972. The Moon is additionally the only body where samples have been went back to Earth. In the summer of 1994, the Moon was very extensively mapped with the little spacecraft Clementine along with again in 1999 simply by Lunar Prospector.The gravitational forces relating to the Earth and the Moon cause some interesting results. The most obvious is the tides. The Moon’s gravitational attraction is stronger on the side of the Earth nearest to the Moon and weaker on the opposite side. Since the planet earth, and particularly the oceans, is not perfectly rigid it really is stretched out along the actual line toward the Moon. From our perspective on the Earth’s surface we notice two small bulges, one on the way to the Moon and one directly opposite. The effect is a lot stronger in the ocean water than within the solid crust so water bulges are higher. And considering that the Earth rotates much faster than the Moon moves in its orbit, the bulges maneuver around the Earth about once per day giving two high tides on a daily basis. (This is a enormously simplified model; actual tides, especially close to the coasts, are much more complicated. )But the Earth seriously isn’t completely fluid, either. The Earth’s rotation provides the Earth’s bulges slightly before point directly beneath the actual Moon. This means which the force between the Earth along with the Moon is not exactly across the line between their centers desigining a torque on the Soil and an accelerating force on the Moon. This causes a world wide web transfer of rotational energy from the Earth to the Moon, slowing down the Earth’s rotation by about 1. 5 milliseconds/century and raising the Moon in to a higher orbit by regarding 3. 8 centimeters annually. (The opposite effect occurs to satellites with unusual orbits for instance Phobos and Triton). The asymmetric nature on this gravitational interaction is also responsible for the truth that the Moon rotates synchronously, when i. e. it is locked throughout phase with its orbit so the same side is always facing toward the planet earth. Just as the Earth’s rotation is actually being slowed by the actual Moon’s influence so within the distant past the Moon’s rotation was slowed with the action of the Soil, but in that case the effect was much stronger. If your Moon’s rotation rate was slowed to match its orbital period (such which the bulge always faced toward the Earth) there is no longer an off-center torque on the Moon and a secure situation was achieved. A similar thing has happened to the vast majority of other satellites in the actual solar system. Eventually, the Earth’s rotation will likely be slowed to match the actual Moon’s period, too, as is the case with Pluto along with Charon.Actually, the Moon appears to wobble a lttle bit (due to its slightly non-circular orbit) so that a few degrees of the far side can be seen every once in awhile, but the majority of the far side (left) was completely unknown before the Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 photographed the item in 1959. (Note: there’s no “dark side” of the actual Moon; all parts of the actual Moon get sunlight half the time (except for some deep craters near the actual poles). Some uses of the term “dark side” previously may have referred to the far side as “dark” within the sense of “unknown” (eg “darkest Africa”) however even that meaning is no longer valid today! )The Moon doesn’t have atmosphere. But evidence from Clementine suggested that there could possibly be water ice in some deep craters close to the Moon’s south pole that are permanently shaded. This has been reinforced by facts from Lunar Prospector. There’s apparently ice at the north pole as well.The Moon’s crust averages 68 kilometers thick and varies by essentially 0 under Mare Crisium for you to 107 km north of the crater Korolev on the actual lunar far side. Below the crust is often a mantle and probably a tiny core (roughly 340 kilometers radius and 2% of the Moon’s mass). Unlike the planet earth, however, the Moon’s interior is no longer active. Curiously, the Moon’s center regarding mass is offset by its geometric center simply by about 2 km within the direction toward the Soil. Also, the crust is thinner on the near side.There are two primary varieties of terrain on the Moon: the heavily cratered and extremely old highlands and the actual relatively smooth and youthful maria. The maria (which comprise about 16% of the Moon’s surface) are huge impact craters which were later flooded by molten lava. A lot of the surface is covered with regolith, a mixture of great dust and rocky debris produced by meteor impacts. For many unknown reason, the maria are concentrated on the near side.Most of the craters on the in close proximity to side are named for famous figures within the history of science for instance Tycho, Copernicus, and Ptolemaeus. Features on the far side have newer references such as Apollo, Gagarin and Korolev (with any distinctly Russian bias since first images were acquired by Luna 3). Besides the familiar features on the actual near side, the Moon also offers the huge craters South Pole-Aitken on the far side which is actually 2250 km in height and 12 km deep so that it is the the largest impact basin within the solar system and Orientale on the western limb (as observed from Earth; in the biggest market of the image at left) the industry splendid example of any multi-ring crater.A total of 382 kg regarding rock samples were returned to the Earth by the Apollo along with Luna programs. These provide almost all of our detailed knowledge of the Moon. They are particularly valuable in that they may be dated. Even right now, more than 30 years as soon as the last Moon landing, people still study these cherished samples.Most rocks on the top of Moon seem to become between 4. 6 and 3 billion years. This is a fortuitous match while using the oldest terrestrial rocks that are rarely more than 3 billion years. Thus the Moon provides evidence in regards to the early history of the Solar System not available on the Earth.Prior to study of the Apollo examples, there was no consensus in regards to the origin of the Moon. There were three major theories: co-accretion which asserted which the Moon and the Earth formed concurrently from the Solar Nebula; fission which asserted which the Moon split off of the Earth; and capture which held which the Moon formed elsewhere along with was subsequently captured with the Earth. None of these work very well. But the new and detailed information from the Moon rocks led to the impact theory: that the planet earth collided with a very large object (as big because Mars or more) understanding that the Moon formed from the ejected material. There continue to be details to be exercised, but the impact theory is actually widely accepted.The Moon doesn’t have global magnetic field. But some of its surface rocks exhibit remanent magnetism indicating that there was a global magnetic field early within the Moon’s history.With no atmosphere with out magnetic field, the Moon’s surface is exposed right to the solar wind. Over its 4 million year lifetime many ions from the solar wind have become embedded within the Moon’s regolith. Thus types of regolith returned by the actual Apollo missions proved valuable in studies of the solar wind.

(And this was one long run on paragraph. Lynette)

Reference
Full Moon Phases

blessed are the witches

Good Thursday Morning To All My New Family & Friends of the WOTC!

Full Moon Magic

The Witches Gather

The forest echoes with love and laughter
As the coven of witches gather.
Clearing the circle of unwanted vibes,
The maiden, onto a candle, inscribes:

“Sacred flame of fire, glow,
Asking all impurities to go.
Cleanse this space with fire and air
So our rite is fresh and fair.”

The High Priestess holds her wand above,
And casts the circle of perfect love.
Faeries flutter to and fro,
As the energy begins to grow.

The sharing of crescent cakes and ale,
Weaving spells and healing prevail.
Luna illuminates powerful light;
Blessing the coven, the earth, and the rite.
The witches hold hands as they chant:

“Oh, great Goddess, vibrant and valiant,
Blessings upon you and your earth,
Thank you for the Sun’s rebirth.”

 

–By The Light Of The Crystal Moon: A Book of Pagan Poetry and Short Stories
Elizabeth Gardiepy

 

Children Of The Earth

Fire in the Night
Children Of The Earth

We know they feared our Pagan ways,
They tried to wipe us out,
They tortured and they burned us,
If they had the slightest doubt,
They took away our festivals,
Replaced them with their own,
But we stood strong and carried on,
We’ve flourished and we’ve grown.

They said we worshiped Satan,
Stole babies and much worse,
And if by chance someone fell ill,
They said we laid a curse,
They took us in for “questioning”,
Tortured till we confessed,
But anyone would say the words,
Under such duress.

With bodies bruised and broken,
They put us on the stand,
The priests said we’d offended God,
And the devil took our hand,
The villagers believed them,
Our guilt was their desire,
Then everybody turned out to see,
The witch burned in the fire.

They never really understood,
And some to this day still,
Do not understand our craft,
We bear no one ill will,
We live a life of peace and love,
At one with Mother Earth, S
o in secrecy the Hedgewitch lives,
Gathering berries, leaves and herbs.

I sometimes think that there are those,
Who live in those dark times still,
They do not wish to understand,
And I guess they never will,
But Pagans all around the world,
Are proud to carry on,
We practice the oldest religion,
In our deeds and in our song.

Be joyful all ye Pagans,
For the road has been so long,
Remember the innocent martyrs,
That suffered in those days gone,
Give your praise to all the Gods,
And the Goddess of rebirth,
For they can never destroy our faith,
We are the children of the Earth.

—Pagan Ways
Alan Faraway

 

 

Trying out the account to make sure it works for tomorrow.

It is Wednesday, April 11th and I have good news

I have good news and not so good news. I know Lord Myst said I wouldn’t be on this site again. He was wrong. A lot has happened in a day’s time. First, we were not on the internet because we were at the courthouse paying our tax bill. My deepest gratitude to each of you who donated and purchased merchandise to make this happen. The taxes are paid, construction can now begin on Lady A’s house and all is well on that account. Again, you have all of our deepest appreciation, gratitude and thanks.

Next good news, Lady A will be getting out of the hospital Friday. She is doing extremely well. I believe it has something to do with healer heal yourself. We were there yesterday when the doctor came in and he told her she had made tremendous progress and would be released as planned. Also, the cast on her left leg has been removed. It was removed when they placed the steins in. They put the steins in on the right side but she had been complaining of pain in the lower part of her calf on the left side. The doctor knew how much trauma that leg had been through. He made the determination that possibly a clot could have come from that leg. He consulted the orthopedic doctor during surgery and the ortho doctor told him it was time for the cast to come off anyway. It was then removed. Lady A was trying to be humorous, made a joke about thinking she went to the Summerlands because the cast was off. I am glad she can make jokes. But she is doing great and I am sure it also has to do with your thoughts and prayers.

The next is about Lord Myst and it is not that great of news. Jacob made the post the other day that all of you read. He moved several of you to action and for that we are again grateful. It also moved Lord Myst. He got angry at Jacob and insisted that he had undermined him.  He shoved Jacob into a wall and I heard it and got up to see what was going on. Jacob told me and Lord Myst didn’t have a word to say. They got into an argument about Jacob making the post and Lord Myst told him he had no business even being on the computer to start with. I asked Lord M had he lost his mind, shoving his own nephew into a wall. He told me he was going to shut down everything here and move Lady A and the boys back home with him. Well my reply was, “over my dead body.” He has no authority to do anything. He has no authority to keep me off this site and he has no authority to close anything down. Why he moved the date up on the store closing, I don’t know. But it will not be closing the 16th. More than likely it will not close at all. Lady A trained Jacob and myself on how to use WordPress and the store in case anything ever happened. She told us both we would probably have problems out of Lord Myst and we have. He told me he would go to the hospital and have a talk with Lady A about the entire situation. I have bound him from going near her. I have also bound him from our rented house, the office property and Lady A’s home’s property. I saw the man’s eyes and if looks could kill, his own nephew would have been dead. That is why I took such measures. The bull Lord M was telling you, please disregard.

As far as telling Lady A any of this, we haven’t. She would be outraged that he shoved Jacob and no telling what she would try to do. Right now, she has no business trying to do anything except heal. If she asks about him, we are going to tell her he had to go home for an emergency. And when she gets out of the hospital Friday, I will make sure this post is gone. I am getting ready to make two new user accounts for the site. One will be for Jacob and the other Lynette. Since we have had people asking for our information to continue, Lynette will be doing the daily posts for a while. She knows how to operate a computer and has been looking back on previous posts to see how we do things. Jacob is learning to become a witch perhaps he will share his new Path with us.

I owe each of you an apology. I know I am a difficult person to get along with but I am going to try my best to change for Lady A’s sake. She loves you dearly and it is apparent that you love her. I was wrong. I didn’t understand nor believe such a bond could be made over the computer such as you and her share. But there is that bond and I see it now. I hope you understand, at first I didn’t believe it but now I have seen it with my own eyes. You do love her and for that I am very, very thankful. I promise you no more harsh words or bad temper from me. I will straighten up and fly right, you have my word on that. Please accept my apologizes. I am truly sorry for my past actions.

We all deeply appreciate everything you have done for Lady A. For all the love and caring you have shown for her over the years. I know the stubborn witch, she will be right back in the mix of things before you know it. I hope she at least takes a week or two off anyway but we will have to wait and see on that one. When we told her that the tax bill had been paid, she started to cry. We all embraced and through her sobbing, she told me to tell each of you, “thank you and I love them more than they will ever know.” She is my blood sister, you are her family and you are my family now.

Thank you and my deepest gratitude to each and everyone of you,

Eleanor

After I made the two new accounts, Lynette and the ladies will resume the Daily Digest tomorrow. Things will continue as normal and as Lady A wishes. I will pick her up from the hospital Friday and you will have your daily information.

They won’t let me have an account, so Lady A said I could use hers when I wanted too

This is Jacob, I am going to have to fix my own account. Below is part of a shout-out I just got through sending out for the store. I know you heard from Lord M earlier and now I would like to say a word or two. Lady A is a wonderful woman. She took my brother and myself in after our mother was killed in the auto wreck. She treats us as her own. She has taught us how to hunt, fish, and cook. She has become our mother. As our mother, I have grown close to her. I know what she values and she values the store and this site. As far as Lord M goes, he doesn’t.  He wants to pack us all up and move us up to his place. Neither my brother or myself want to go, and I know Lady A won’t either. She means a lot to both of us and I am willing to fight for her. As mentioned below, if we reach the tax money we need by the 16th, Lord M can take a long walk off a short peer. He might be my uncle but we are not close. I grew up with Lady A and she is like a second mother to me. I barely know Lord M. I wish you know the Lady I am come to call mother. She is head-strong, she would do anything she could for anybody, she volunteers in the community, she does public speaking and on and on. Lord M was right about one thing, she is passionate. When she believes in something, she doesn’t put 100% into it, she puts 110% into it. I see nothing wrong with that. If you are going to make something a success, it requires work. She has made the WOTC a success and the store if given half a chance will be a success also. That is why Joseph and myself are willing to keep it open if we can reach the little dab we need to pay the taxes. We love our new mother, we love becoming witches, we don’t want to see it end. We don’t want to leave Western Kentucky. I am asking for your help to keep us right here where we belong.

Thank you,

Jacob

 

Going Out of Business Sale Date Changed

I don’t know if it has been explained to each of you the reason the store is going out of business. We have a $1200 tax on our property that we have tried and tried to raise the money to pay. We have not had success in doing this. We are currently only a short amount away from meeting this goal. The stress has cause Lady A to be hospitalized with chest pain and has two steins put in going to her heart. We will not only lose the office building, we will also lose her personal property. The dead line is April 16th. Due to her illness and hospitalization, we are moving the closing date up to April 16th. If we don’t meet the tax bill by then, we will need the additional time to pack things up and get out. If we should meet the bill, we would be more than happy to keep the store open for you. If you would like to make a purchase, now is the time to do so. We need your help. (It should be noted that Joseph and I are still adding merchandise to the store. We are holding out hope that something will come through for Lady A and the WOTC). Thank you!

 

Magickal Necessities

We have been adding new merchandise to the store. Holding out hope as Lord M said. If you can’t find anything you like a donation of any amount would be appreciated. Thank you again, Jacob

Up-date April 9th

Greetings Brothers & Sisters. I wanted to give you a quick up-date on Lady Abyss. She is currently in ICU. The doctor told us that was normal for individuals who had the surgery she had. She is doing well, still groggy, talking to you one minute and asleep the next. The doctor told us if she continue to do as well as she is doing, she will be moved out of the ICU unit tomorrow. She will be out on the floor for about two days then she will be able to come home.

I haven’t made up my mind yet whether I am going to take the boys and her back home with me or not. If she comes back here, she will only be under the same stress that caused this to happen in the first place. Lady A has always had a problem when she gets involved in anything, she jumps head first. She gives 100% of herself to the project and this time it almost killed her. I believe she has been through enough and time has come for her to have some peace and quiet. There is no way we are going to save the property and she does not need to be in the area when the property is auctioned off. More than likely, I will take them back with me.

We have discussed it and have decided the store will close on the 16th instead of the 27th. Why Lady A picked the 27th, I don’t know. We will need the extra time to pack everything up and get out. I know Jacob and Joseph both have been putting new merchandise on the site. They are holding out hope that we will be able to meet the tax bill. I am not so optimistic.

As of now, the store will close April 16th. Lady A is doing fine and I will keep you up-dated on her condition.

Thank you,

Lord of the Myst

Magickal Necessities

is now closing April 16th

Hail & Well Met! It is Sunday, April 8th

We did not come back on the internet yesterday because we had to take Lady A to the hospital. She was in the middle of doing the taxes and started having chest pains. Immediately, I picked her up and took her to the hospital. The doctors evaluated her and she had two blockage going to her heart. They immediately performed a surgery where they put in two stints to open up the arteries. She won’t be in there long. The doctors told us, she was otherwise healthy. She should be out of the hospital within 3 to four days.

Undue stress over losing our property, the letter from the sheriff’s office and the taxes did not help matters. She has made up her mind that we are going to lose our property. I sincerely hope that is not the case. The weather is beginning to clear up and we can begin construction on her old home site. I know she will be glad to get back home. But as it stands now, she won’t be going home. We are still short on meeting the taxes on the property. She has kept this bottled up and it has nearly killed her. If my property would sell I would gladly give her the money but the economy is bad and it is not selling.

Since this is the case, I am turning to you to help raise the rest of the tax money. You have bought and bought but we don’t make that much profit from the sales of the merchandise. That does not mean, we do not appreciate your purchases because we do. We have also received numerous donations, which we also appreciate. We are so close to raising the money that is would be ashame to lose the property now. I will appeal to those who have now made a purchase or donation to please do so. This has almost killed our Lady.

In the meantime, when she is out of the hospital, I will be running the WOTC as usual. Eleanor will not touch a computer due to her previous behavior on this site. We will keep you up-dated on Lady A’s condition and when she is out of the hospital.

Thank you,

Lord of the Myst

 

Magickal Necessities

 

 

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Good Saturday Morning To All Our Dear Family & Friends!

Good morning

I hope everyone is having a fantastic, relaxing Saturday morning. It is hard to believe it is April around here. It is snowing this morning, yeah in April. I can’t believe this weather. Anyway, I wanted to let you know we are taking the morning off. I have put off and put off doing our taxes and I guess it is finally time to do them. To add to everything else, we got a nasty letter yesterday from the sheriff. It informed us when our taxes was due (like we didn’t know) and if not paid by that day, they would be transferred over to some clerk. This clerk would arrange the auction time of our property. If that don’t depress you, I don’t know what would. Anyway, we are only $200.00 away from being able to pay them. We still have time to collect this money and pay our taxes. I have added a few new things to the store. I got to think, how can you sell anything if there is nothing there? So I added a few new things, you might take a look if you are interested in making a purchase. If not, a donation would be greatly appreciated. Right now, $200 seems like it ought to be $200,000. But anyway, that’s the story now.

We will be back on this afternoon to put some information on and also a few spells. But for right now, I am off to do taxes.

Have a great Saturday,

Love,

Lady A

 

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THe Studay of Pagan Gods & Goddesses: Rhiannon

Rhiannon

Horse Goddess of Wales

In Welsh mythology, Rhiannon is a horse goddess depicted in the Mabinogion. She is similar in many aspects to the Gaulish Epona, and later evolved into a goddess of sovereignty who protected the king from treachery.

Rhiannon in the Mabinogion
Rhiannon was married to Pwyll, the Lord of Dyfed. When Pwyll first saw her, she appeared as a golden goddess upon a magnificent white horse. Rhiannon managed to outrun Pwyll for three days, and then allowed him to catch up, at which point she told him she’d be happy to marry him, because it would keep her from marrying Gwawl, who had tricked her into an engagement.

Rhiannon and Pwyll conspired together to fool Gwawl in return, and thus Pwyll won her as his bride. Most of the conspiring was likely Rhiannon’s, as Pwyll didn’t appear to be the cleverest of men. In the Mabinogion, Rhiannon says of her husband, “Never was there a man who made feebler use of his wits.”

A few years after marrying Pwyll, Rhiannon gave birth to their son, but the infant disappeared one night while under the care of his nursemaids. Frightened that they would be charged for a crime, the nursemaids killed a puppy and smeared its blood on the face of their sleeping queen. When she awoke, Rhiannon was accused of killing and eating her son. As penance, Rhiannon was made to sit outside the castle walls, and tell passersby what she had done. Pwyll, however, stood by her, and many years later the infant was returned to his parents by a lord who had rescued him from a monster and raised him as his own son.

Author Miranda Jane Green draws comparisons to this story and that of the archetypical “wronged wife,” accused of a horrible crime.

Rhiannon and the Horse
The goddess’ name, Rhiannon, derives from a Proto-Celtic root which means “great queen,” and by taking a man as her spouse, she grants him sovereignty as king of the land.

In addition, Rhiannon possesses a set of magical birds, who can soothe the living into a deep slumber, or wake the dead from their eternal sleep.

Her story features prominently in the Fleetwood Mac hit song, although songwriter Stevie Nicks says she didn’t know it at the time. Later, Nicks said she “was struck by the story’s emotional resonance with that of her song: the goddess, or possibly witch, given her ability with spells, was impossible to catch by horse and was also closely identified with birds — especially significant since the song claims she “takes to the sky like a bird in flight,” “rules her life like a fine skylark,” and is ultimately “taken by the wind.”

Primarily, though, Rhiannon is associated with the horse, which appears prominently in much of Welsh and Irish mythology. Many parts of the Celtic world — Gaul in particular — used horses in warfare, and so it is no surprise that these animals turn up in the myths and legends or Ireland and Wales. Scholars have learned that horse racing was a popular sport, especially at fairs and gatherings, and for centuries Ireland has been known as the center of horse breeding and training.

Judith Shaw, at Feminism and Religion, says, “Rhiannon, reminding us of our own divinity, helps us to identify with our sovereign wholeness.

She enables us to cast out the role of victim from our lives forever. Her presence calls us to practice patience and forgiveness. She lights our way to the ability to transcend injustice and maintain compassion for our accusers.”

Symbols and items that are sacred to Rhiannon in modern Pagan practice include horses and horseshoes, the moon, birds, and the wind itself.

An Iowa Pagan named Callista says, “I raise horses, and have worked with them since I was a child. I first encountered Rhiannon when I was a teenager, and I keep an altar to her near my stables. It’s got horsey things on it, like a horseshoe, a horse figurine, and even braids from the manes of horses I’ve lost over the years. I make an offering to her before horse shows, and I invoke her when one of my mares is about to give birth.

She seems to like offerings of sweetgrass and hay, milk, and even music – I sometimes sit by my altar and play my guitar, just singing a prayer to her, and the results are always good. I know she’s watching over me and my horses.”

————————————-

Rhiannon

Rhiannon is a major figure in the Mabinogi, the medieval Welsh story collection. She appears mainly in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, and again in the Third Branch. She is a strong minded Otherworld woman, who chooses Pwyll, prince of Dyfed (west Wales), as her consort, in preference to another man to whom she has already been betrothed. She is intelligent, politically strategic, and famed for her wealth and generosity. With Pwyll she has a son, the hero Pryderi, who later inherits the lordship of Dyfed. She endures tragedy when her newborn child is abducted, and she is accused of infanticide. As a widow she marries Manawydan of the British royal family, and has further adventures involving enchantments.

Like some other figures of British/Welsh literary tradition, Rhiannon may be a reflex of an earlier Celtic deity. Her name appears to derive from the reconstructed Brittonic form *Rīgantonā, a derivative of *rīgan- “queen”. In the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is strongly associated with horses, and so is her son Pryderi. She is often considered to be related to the Gaulish horse goddess Epona. She and her son are often depicted as mare and foal. Like Epona, she sometimes sits on her horse in a calm, static way. While this connection with Epona is generally accepted among scholars of the Mabinogi and Celtic studies, Ronald Hutton, a general historian, is skeptical.

Rhiannon’s story
Y Mabinogi: First Branch
Rhiannon first appears at Gorsedd Arberth an ancestral mound near one of the chief courts of Dyfed. Pwyll, the prince of Dyfed, has accepted the challenge of the mound’s magical tradition to show a marvel or deal out blows. Rhiannon appears to him and his court as the promised marvel. She is a beautiful woman arrayed in gold silk brocade, riding a shining white horse. Pwyll sends his best horsemen after her two days running, but she always remains ahead of them, though her horse never does more than amble. On the third day he finally follows her himself and does no better, until he finally appeals to her to stop for him.

Rhiannon characteristically rebukes him for not considering this course before, then explains she has sought him out to marry him, in preference to her current betrothed, Gwawl ap Clud. Pwyll gladly agrees, but at their wedding feast at her father’s court, an unknown man requests Pwyll grant a request; which he does without asking what it is. The man is Gwawl, and he requests Rhiannon.

Rhiannon rebukes Pwyll a second time for his stupid words, but provides the means and the plan to salvage the situation. She holds a second wedding feast for Gwawl, where she deploys Pwyll’s men outside in the orchard. She instructs Pwyll to enter the hall dressed as a beggar and humbly request Gwawl fill a certain ‘small bag’ with food. But she has enchanted the ‘small bag’ so it cannot ever be filled by normal means. Gwawl is persuaded to step in it to control its magic, which means Pwyll can trap him in it. Pwyll’s men rush in and surround the hall, then beat and kick Gwawl as the Badger-in-the-Bag game. To save his life Gwawl is forced to relinquish Rhiannon completely, and also his revenge. Rhiannon marries Pwyll, then journeys to Dyfed as its queen.

After a happy two years Pwyll comes under pressure from his nobles, to provide an heir. He refuses to set Rhiannon aside as barren, and in the third year their son is born. However, on the night of his birth, the newborn disappears while in the care of Rhiannon’s six sleepy maids. Terrified of being put to death, the women kill a puppy and smear its blood on Rhiannon’s sleeping face. In the morning they accuse her of infanticide and cannibalism. Rhiannon takes counsel with her own advisers, and offers to undergo a penance. Pwyll is again urged to set her aside, but refuses, and sets her penance instead. She must sit every day by the gate of the castle at the horse block, to tell her story to travelers. She must also offer to carry them on her back as a beast of burden, though few accept this. However, as the end of the story shows, Pwyll maintains her state as his queen, as she still sits at his side in the hall at feasting time.

The newborn child is discovered by Teyrnon, the lord of Gwent-Is-Coed (South-Eastern Wales). He is a horse lord whose fine mare foals every May Eve, but the foals go missing each year. He takes the mare into his house and sits vigil with her. After her foal is born he sees a monstrous claw trying to take the newborn foal through the window, so he slashes at the monster with his sword. Rushing outside he finds the monster gone, and a human baby left by the door. He and his wife claim the boy as their own naming him Gwri Wallt Euryn (Gwri of the Golden Hair), for “all the hair on his head was as yellow as gold”. The child grows at a superhuman pace with a great affinity for horses. Teyrnon who once served Pwyll as a courtier, recognises the boy’s resemblance to his father. As an honourable man he returns the boy to the Dyfed royal house.

Reunited with Rhiannon the child is formally named in the traditional way via his mother’s first direct words to him Pryderi a wordplay on “delivered” and “worry”, “care”, or “loss”. In due course Pwyll dies, and Pryderi rules Dyfed, marrying Cigfa of Gloucester, and amalgamating the seven cantrefs of Morgannwg to his kingdom.

Y Mabinogi: Third Branch
Pryderi returns from the disastrous Irish wars as one of the only Seven Survivors. Manawydan is another Survivor, and his good comrade and friend. They perform their duty of burying the dead king of Britain’s head in London (Bran the Blessed) to protect Britain from invasion. But in their long time away, the kingship of Britain has been usurped by Manawydan’s nephew Caswallon.

Manawydan declines to make more war to reclaim his rights. Pryderi recompenses him generously by giving him the use of the land of Dyfed, though he retains the sovereignty. Pryderi also arranges a marriage between the widowed Rhiannon and Manawydan, who take to each other with affection and respect. Pryderi is careful to pay homage for Dyfed to the usurper Caswallon to avert his hostility.

Manawydan now becomes the lead character in the Third Branch, and it is commonly named after him. With Rhiannon, Pryderi and Cigfa, he sits on the Gorsedd Arberth as Pwyll had once done. But this time disaster ensues. Thunder and magical mist descend on the land leaving it empty of all domesticated animals and all humans apart from the four protagonists.

After a period of living by hunting the four travel to borderland regions (now in England) and make a living at skilled crafts. In three different cities they build successful businesses making saddles, shields, then shoes. But vicious competition puts their lives at risk. Rather than fight as Pryderi wishes, Manawydan opts to quietly move on. Returning to Dyfed, Manawydan and Pryderi go hunting and follow a magical white boar, to a newly built tower. Against Manawydan’s advice, Pryderi enters it to fetch his hounds. He is trapped by a beautiful golden bowl. Manawydan returns to Rhiannon who rebukes him sharply for failing to even try to rescue his good friend. But her attempt to rescue her son suffers the same fate as he did. In a “blanket of mist”, Rhiannon, Pryderi and the tower vanish.

Manawydan eventually redeems himself by achieving restitution for Rhiannon, Pryderi, and the land of Dyfed. This involves a quasi-comical set of magical negotiations about a pregnant mouse. The magician Llwyd ap Cilcoed is forced to release both land and family from his enchantments, and never attack Dyfed again. His motive is revealed as vengeance for his friend Gwawl, Rhiannon’s rejected suitor. All ends happily with the family reunited, and Dyfed restored.

Interpretation as a goddess

Rhiannon is often associated with Epona
When Rhiannon first appears she is a mysterious figure arriving as part of the Otherworld tradition of Gorsedd Arberth. Her paradoxical style of riding slowly, yet unreachably, is strange and magical, though the paradox also occurs in mediaeval love poetry as an erotic metaphor. Rhiannon produces her “small bag” which is also a magical paradox for it cannot be filled by any ordinary means. When undergoing her penance, Rhiannon demonstrates the powers of a giantess, or the strength of a horse, by carrying travellers on her back.

Rhiannon is connected to three mystical birds. The Birds of Rhiannon (Adar Rhiannon) appear in the Second Branch, in the Triads of Britain, and in Culhwch ac Olwen. In the latter, the giant Ysbaddaden demands them as part of the bride price of his daughter. They are described as “they that wake the dead and lull the living to sleep.” This possibly suggests Rhiannon is based on an earlier goddess of Celtic polytheism.

W.J. Gruffydd’s book Rhiannon (1953) was an attempt to reconstruct the original story. It is mainly focused on the relationship between the males in the story, and rearranges the story elements too liberally for other scholars’ preference, though his research is otherwise detailed and helpful. Patrick Ford suggests that the Third Branch “preserves the detritus of a myth wherein the Sea God mated with the Horse Goddess.” He suggests “the mythic significance may well have been understood in a general way by an eleventh century audience.” Similar euhemerisms of pre-Christian deities can be found in other medieval Celtic literature, when Christian scribes and redactors reworked older deities as more acceptable giants, heroes or saints. In the Táin Bó Cúailnge, Macha and The Morrígan similarly appear as larger-than-life figures, yet never described as goddesses.

Proinsias Mac Cana’s position is that “[Rhiannon] reincarnates the goddess of sovereignty who, in taking to her a spouse, thereby ordained him legitimate king of the territory which she personified.” Miranda Jane Green draws in the international folklore motif of the calumniated wife, saying “Rhiannon conforms to two archetypes of myth … a gracious, bountiful queen-goddess; and … the ‘wronged wife’, falsely accused of killing her son.”

Modern interpretations
Rhiannon appears in many retellings and performances of the Mabinogi (Mabinogion) today. There is also a vigorous culture of modern fantasy novels.

An example of a modern Rhiannon inspiration is the Fleetwood Mac song “Rhiannon”. Stevie Nicks was inspired to create the song after reading Triad: A Novel of the Supernatural, a novel by Mary Bartlet Leader. There is mention of the Welsh legend in the novel, but the Rhiannon in the novel bears little resemblance to her original Welsh namesake. Nevertheless, despite having little accurate knowledge of the original Rhiannon, Nicks’ song does not conflict with the canon, and quickly became a musical legend.

In artworks, Rhiannon has inspired some entrancing images. A notable example is Alan Lee 1987, and 2001, who illustrated two major translations of the Mabinogi, and his pictures have attracted their own following.

Rhiannon is included in various Celtic neopaganism traditions since the 1970s, with varying degrees of accuracy in respect to the original literary sources.

In the fantasy world of Poul Anderson’s Three Hearts and Three Lions, there is a “University of Rhiannon”, where Magic is taught.

 

 

Reference

Patti Wigington, Published on ThoughtCo
Wikipedia 

The Witches Divination Journal for Friday, April 6th

The Witches Divination Journal for Friday, April 6th

Tarot Card of the Day

Three of Wands

This suit, most often called “Wands” and sometimes called “Rods” or “Staves,” represents initiative, ambition, drive and desire. This is the suit of enterprise and risk-taking.

A Three in this suit symbolizes an inner balance that allows you to feel more optimistic about new endeavors you are committed to, or want to commit to. In the illustrated Tarots, the human character is standing on his balcony, watching ships leave the harbor, loaded with his goods for far-off ports, dreaming of the fortune he will reap if all goes well. Summon the optimism within you.

This energy must be patient and trusting, because he or she will have to wait some time to find out how the ships have fared. Meanwhile, a lot of resources are tied up until they return with the bounty. Only those truly confident in their ideas and abilities would undertake such a risk. This card represents the energy a person needs to take on great adventures and accomplish noble (and remunerative) deeds.

A detail that sometimes appears in the more esoteric Tarots is a winged wand with two snakes twining around it, called the Caduceus, which is Mercury’s wand. This is an ancient symbol of the healer or shaman, one who can travel between the worlds to rescue souls from death or possession. Perhaps the feeling of empowerment this card represents points to the internal mechanisms of self-healing. Perhaps it refers to the courage it takes to be an entrepreneur or an inventor, which is in itself a magical process — bringing not only opportunity for success, but also an awakening to higher potentials.

Tarot.com is Part of the Daily Insight Group ©2018
 

Love Tarot Card of the Day

The Wheel of Fortune

Today, the truth is told and clears up a situation that has hung on and on. Take direct action now to clear up something that should have been handled long ago. The Wheel of Fortune selected you because you need to know that some parts of the conditions were out of your control. Some events are not the result of something you did. You do have control over how you deal with matters now.

Erotic Tarot Card of the Day

The Chariot

The Chariot shows that you’re rolling toward a major sexual goal today, willing to forego just about anything and everything else to have that one big O! The thing is, who are you willing to trample over to get there? This card can be a sign to slow down just a bit, because while sex is fun, it shouldn’t be your number one focus right now. You don’t have to come to a complete stop, but pulling back on the reins just a bit will give you the clarity you need to make sure you’re making wise sexual decisions.

Your Influences for the Weekend of

Element Influence

 

 

Earth Reversed

Earth reversed denotes a lack of positive connection with the life spirit–a lost soul. If you are not careful you may miss much of what life has to offer you
 

 

 

 

 

 

Astrological Influence

Pisces Reversed

Pisces reversed signifies a lack of positive thinking and creativity at this time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Element Influence

Earth Reversed

Earth reversed denotes a lack of positive connection with the life spirit–a lost soul. If you are not careful you may miss much of what life has to offer you

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psychic Tip of the Day

TAKE IT AS REAL

Saying and doing are often two different things, but today they are welded together. A lover’s confirmation of something is a real as it gets. Do you really want to know?

Tarot.com is Part of the Daily Insight Group ©2018

Your Daily Rune for

Nauthiz

“Not-this” – Literally: “Need-fire” or “Necessity” – Esoteric: Constraint, Friction

Key Concepts: Need, resistance, constraint, conflict, drama, effort, necessity, urgency, hard work, need-fire, life lessons, creative friction, distress, force of growth, the consequence of past action, short term pain for long term gain

Psi: resistance, need, effort

Energy: necessity, coming forth into being, urgency

Mundane: doing what must be done, chores, hard work

Divinations: Resistance (leading to strength), recognition of örlög (ultimate law, primal truth), innovation, need-fire (self-reliance), personal development and life lessons, achievement through effort; or constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity, warnings, worry, guilt, moral cowardice, unfulfilled or unrecognized needs.

Your Animal Spirit for Today

 

 

Crack the Cookie

 

 

The Wisdom of Buddha

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

 

 

 

A Little Humor for Your Day

Snipe Sorcery

Invocation of Baboo

In the great tradition of `Wombat Wicca’ and Witchduck, we present the following as the second in a series of “Ceremonials” Asst. Ed.

As promised, in this edition of Snipe Sorcery, we present the two major invokations used in the Snipe rituals…

Invokation to Baboo

O beautiful, bright Baboo, the banshee ballerina, the baroque bawd, the bedazzling, buxom bombshell, we pray to thee, our bumptious bulwark of burlesque, and beg you to bless our bacchanal with the bonbon of your bright presence.

Light our lewd labors with the lascivious laughter of your leering legacy. Endorse each word of our earnest entertainment for the enlightenment of the entranced masses, huddled in the darkness of their prudery and inhibitions.

Grant us the power to dispell the gloom of puritan despondency which looms over their eternal labors and help them take their heavy load and shove it. So Mote it Be

Invokation to Bacchus

Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis Boom Bah! If we can’t have Bacchus, we’ll have no god at all!

Gimme a “P” Gimme an “A” Gimme an “R” Gimme a “T” Gimme a “Y”

What’s that spell? What’s that spell? What’s that spell?

Repeat as necessary.

This article is excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal. Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by High Plains Arts and Sciences; P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co., 80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original author.!

 

If You Were Born Today, April 6

Happy Birthday CatWithoutaName, from:The Challenge Group

If You Were Born Today, April 6

You are security-minded overall yet do act on impulse from time to time. Your friends are especially important to you, and you will go out on a limb for someone you care about. You are a great worker with a good eye for detail. Good at leading, you do enjoy being in control! You are a passionate and strong person with a big heart. Famous people born today: Lowell Thomas, Merle Haggard, Marilu Henner, Paul Stephen Rudd, Eliza Coupe.

Your Birthday Year Forecast:

With the Sun and Moon in harmony in your Solar Return chart, the year ahead should be satisfying and balanced overall. You are in comfortable demand and personally popular, and you are able to achieve a decent balance between work and play; personal and professional life. For the most part, you are on top of your game this year, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there is less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you!

Personal magnetism is tremendous this year. You are playfully competitive and might win a major competition, if applicable. This is a good period for creative projects and joining with others in pursuing a common goal.

Certain elements of your social life and financial life are stabilized, secured, and more reliable this year. You may solidify a romantic relationship or become involved with a mature partner. Circumstances may be such that you need to handle money more carefully this year, or this may simply come naturally to you now. Support from older people or authority figures may come by way of solid advice or more tangible help. Renewed ties to old friends are possible, or a new sense of responsibility in existing friendships, are also highly likely.

Saturn transits square to your Sun from February 2019 forward and this can encourage you to straighten out neglected areas of your life. You’ll be working hard at disciplining yourself. You are likely to have new or increased responsibilities, and it might take some time to get adjusted to them. The need to re-structure and re-organize your life will be apparent at some point during this period. Much can be accomplished. Although you may not always see immediate results for your efforts, important groundwork can be laid for the future.

The year ahead can be an ambitious time and a supportive period for reaching your goals. You might solve a long-standing problem, or capitalize upon a resource that was previously hidden.

This is an excellent year in which to advance projects revolving around communications – writing, speaking, selling, and so forth. Your reputation may be enhanced through word of mouth. Making new contacts through learning and mental pursuits figures strongly as well.

With Mars conjunct Saturn in your Solar Return chart, you are more determined and hard-working than usual. This is an excellent time to get organized and to stick with projects through to the end. When you face obstacles to your goals, which is a likely scenario this year, you are likely to just keep on pushing. Progress may be slow, but it’s steady and solid. What you accomplish now will benefit you for years to come. You may be called to task for a responsibility that you’ve avoided in the past.

Jupiter forms a trine to your Sun from January 2019 forward, and you have a stronger than usual desire to improve, grow, and learn. This is a fortunate aspect that helps boost optimism and confidence, and you are able to attract fortunate circumstances into your life as a result. Problems are easier to resolve. Matters related to universities, higher education, religion, publishing, legal affairs, and/or foreign interests can be especially strong. It’s an excellent time to further your education. You are likely to enjoy a larger perspective on matters that keeps you from getting lost in details or overly frustrated by everyday stresses during the course of the month.

This is a year for solving problems and getting your life in order in significant ways. You receive plenty of cosmic support for making big improvements or lifestyle changes, although hard work is necessary. This can be a wonderful time for meeting new people or more thoroughly enjoying your current friendships.

2018 is a Number Three year for you. Ruled by Jupiter. This is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time when you find it natural and easy to enjoy life and other people. The focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for adventure than you are in other years. It’s likely to be a rather lighthearted year when opportunities for “play” time are greater than usual. It’s also a favorable year for expressing your creativity. Advice – reach out and connect but avoid scattering your energies.

2019 will be a Number Four year for you. Ruled by Uranus. This is a year of work and development. It’s “nose to the grindstone” time. It’s a time to pay special attention to practical matters, and it’s not a time to be lazy or especially gregarious. Sometimes, it can be a year that feels hard, monotonous and routine, and/or lonely. Positive new relationships are often not formed in a Four personal year. However, it can be a wonderful year for building, development, and laying a solid foundation for future successes. Advice – get yourself organized, work to build your resources, keep busy.

 

Cafe Astrology

This Weekend’s Love Horoscope for April 6 – 8: A Love that Lasts

This Weekend’s Love Horoscope: A Love that Lasts

Love horoscopes for the weekend of April 6-8

By Tarot.com Staff

Love, Horoscopes, Astrology

After a rough week in love, things start to smooth out this weekend…

Earlier in the week, Mars and Saturn met up in the cosmos, which could have caused a good deal of frustration in your love life or long-term relationship. Normally you’d be able to talk through any setbacks, but retrograde Mercury’s tense aspects to both Mars and Saturn put the kibosh on any productive communication. Harsh words and angry feelings were probably thrown around instead, driving a temporary wedge into your happiness.

Thankfully, this weekend brings a bit of reprieve, and gifts you with the stable love energy you’ve needed to get beyond the problems of the week and shift your sights forward. On Saturday the love planet Venus makes a nice aspect to Saturn, helping you and your partner look at things with a more realistic mindset and a greater desire to build something lasting together. Instead of letting your emotions rise and come between you, you have the ability to keep things calm and focus on what’s best for your relationship. If you’re single or newly dating, this steady energy helps get things off on the right foot with a potential lover, and provides the staying power needed to turn a first date into a second or third, or even a committed relationship.

What’s more, the Moon will be in Capricorn all weekend. While this isn’t the most lovey-dovey place for the emotional Moon to be, it totally supports this consistency and practicality that Venus and Saturn are already delivering. The sincere and secure feelings you have this weekend can help you build a stronger relationship that can overcome future obstacles and bring you the comfort of a lasting, stable partnership.

 

Tarot.com is Part of the Daily Insight Group ©2018

Before We Get Started, I would like to apologize for the other day….

I'm Sorry

I wanted to apologize for Wednesday. I think I over did it on the donations or purchases from Magickal Necessities. I know that was one of tricks Mystie always used and perhaps she was channeling through me. Since she know how much everything we have means to me. You know the situation we are in and right now we are not going to meet our tax bill. Lord M and Lynette have went to gather boxes so we can pack up the office when time comes closer. You will not see a countdown or my throwing myself on the mercy of the world today, except now. That’s it!

 

If you would like to make a purchase, we would appreciate it. Our inventory is starting to run low, so if you need something you better grab it now.

Magickal Necessities 

Or

If you would like to make a donation, which would also be greatly appreciated, the link is below

donate

We have been in this business for over 18 years. I hate to go out like this but if it comes to that, then so be. Can’t say we didn’t try.  Now on to work,

Love ya,

Lady A