August 4, 5 and 6th

Crow Fair

Each August, the Crow Fair becomes a bold statement of pride for all who participate in its activities, as well as for those who witness its myriad of magickal customs. An echo of the Sun Dance ceremonies annually held by the Plains Indians, the Crow Fair takes place on the banks of the Little Big Horn River. The fair is a combination of secret rites and public performances designed to united the tribe and validate its traditions. The fair attracts Native Americans from all over North America. They come to compete in the all-Indian activities that include a rodeo, merchant tables of bead and basket work, a drum contest, and an elaborate pow-wow dance.

The Witches Correspondences for Friday, August 5th

The day of Venus, Friday takes its name from Frigga, the Goddess of Love and Transformation. She rules the spiritual aspects of people as they manifest on the physical. because of this, Friday is sometimes thought of as unpredictable.

Element : Water / Earth

Planet: Venus

Zodiac Sign : Taurus / Libra

Angel : Ariel

Metal : Tin

Incense / Perfumes : Strawberry, Sandalwood, Rose, Saffron and Vanilla

Oils : Cardamom, Palmrosa, Rose, Yarrow

Color : Green, Aqua, Rose

Stones : Emerald, Rose Quartz, Moonstone, Pink Tourmaline, Peridot, Jade

Plants/Herbs : Apple, Balm of Gilead, Bergamot, Birch, Catnip, Clematis, Damiana, Dragons Blood, Geranium, Heather, Hibiscus, Ivy, Magnolia, Mugwort, Plumeria, Rose, Rose Geranium, Sage, Strawberry, Vanilla, Vervain, Violet, Water Lilly

Magick to Work: love, friendship, beauty, sensuality, arts, attraction, healing, peace, harmony, artistic ability, creativity generally, reconciliation, beauty, female sexuality, luxury, music, pleasure, scent, sensuality, social affairs

About the Current Moon Phase

The Waxing Moon

Belonging to the Light Maiden, the Waxing Phase occurs when the Moon grows in the sky from new to full, and it’s during this period that She gains power. That means it’s a good time to perform any efforts that require an increase of sorts, or necessitate momentum. Good candidates include spells that involve a fresh start, increased productivity or efficiency, the addition of something to your life, a victory or recognition of sorts, or good health and well-being. If you need more of something, Waxing Moon energy can provide it.

Just as with the Dark Moon energy, though, things can get a bit sticky here with some practitioners as well. Why? Because they also divide the Waxing Moon phase into two separate portions: First Quarter Moon energy and Gibbous Moon energy. Luckily, this isn’t nearly as magically confusing as the Dark/ New Moon debate. Simply put, they define the First Quarter energy as that which occurs from seven to ten days after the New Moon, and they apply it to any effort that necessitates increase. While they consider Gibbous Moon energy (which occurs, incidentally, from ten to thirteen days after the New Moon) to be of major magical importance, they use it primarily with only one goal in mind: to instill the attribute of personal patience while waiting for an effort to manifest— something that a magical practitioner can never have too much of!

Reference

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living (Everyday Series)
Dorothy Morrison

The Witches Almanac for Friday, August 5th

Friday (Venus): Love, friendship, reconciliation, and beauty.

Benediction of the Sea (French)

Waxing Moon
The Waxing Moon (from the New Moon to the Full) is the ideal time for magic to draw things toward you.

Moon Phase: First Quarter

Moon Sign: Virgo
Virgo: Favors accomplishment of details and commands from higher up. Focuses on health, hygiene, and daily schedules.

Incense: Cypress

Color: Purple

The Witches Magickal Friday

Friday falls at the end of the work week for many of us, and that means we get a chance to relax for a little bit! Mark your Fridays with colors like pink and aqua, and metals such as copper. This is a day ruled by the planet Venus, so it should be no surprise that Venus and Aphrodite – goddesses of love and beauty – are associated with Fridays. This is a day named for the Norse goddess Freyja, so be sure to take a moment to honor her as well.

Gemstones associated with Friday include coral, emerald and rose quartz, and plants like strawberries, apple blossoms and feverfew are also related. This is a good day to do spellwork associated with family life and fertility, sexuality, harmony, friendship, growth. Take advantage of Friday’s correspondences and plant a seed, make something grow, and enjoy your blessings

*Note: There are a lot of disputes as to the origins of the word Friday, because there is still a great deal of discussion as to whether it was named for Freyja or Frigga, and whether they were the same deity or two separate ones. Some scholars believe that while they may have eventually become two distinctly different goddesses, they could have had their origins in a single, common Proto-Germanic deity.

 

Author

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

 

The Pagan’s Friday

 

Friday is traditionally considered the sixth day of the week, falling between Thursday and Saturday, as it does in countries that adopt a Sunday-first convention (see Days of the week for more on the different conventions). In countries adopting the Monday-first, and, in work-based conventions, it is the fifth day of the week.

The name Friday comes from the Old English frigedæg, meaning the day of Frige the Anglo-Saxon form of Frigg, the Germanic goddess of beauty. In most Germanic languages it is named after Freyja—such as Freitag in Modern German, vrijdag in Dutch, fredag in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish—but Freyja and Frigg are frequently identified with each other. The word for Friday in most Romance languages is derived from the name of Venus such as vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian, viernes in Spanish, and vineri in Romanian. In Hindi, Friday is Shukravar, named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus. Russian uses an ordinal number for this day of the week– piatnítsa, meaning “fifth.” Similarly, the Portuguese is sexta-feira.

In most countries with a five-day work week, Friday is the last workday before the weekend and is, therefore, viewed as a cause for celebration or relief. In some offices, employees are allowed to wear less formal attire on Fridays, known as Casual Friday or Dress-Down Friday. In Israel, however, Friday is the first day of the weekend, and Sunday is the first workday.

In Thailand, the color associated with Friday is blue, see Thai solar calendar.

The modern reason why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky is said to come from Friday October the 13th, 1307. On this date, the Pope of the church in Rome in conjunction with the King of France, carried out a secret death warrant Against “the Knights Templar”. The Templars were terminated as heretics, never again to hold the power that they had held for so long. The Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, was arrested and before he was killed, was tortured and crucified. The destruction of the Templar Knights was so complete and terrible that it will always be remembered as an unlucky day.

Astrology
In astrology Friday is connected with the planet Venus. This associates Friday with love, peace, and relaxation, as well as, with emotional intensity and quashed dreams. And also is connected with the Astrological sign Libra.

 

Reference

Pagan Calendar

 

Friday, August 5th, We Celebrate….

Fairhope Jubilee (Alabama)
DORIS

Themes: Abundance; Providence; Water

Symbols: Seawater, Plants, and Animals (especially fish)

About Doris: The daughter of Oceanus, this Grecian sea goddess is associated with the sea’s gifts and its wealth. She joins in today’s festivities by bringing an abundance of seafood to nourish the body, as well as spiritual sustenance to fulfill our souls.

To Do Today: The Fairhope Jubilee takes place in Mobile Bay, Alabama, sometime in August when there’s an overcast sky, an easterly wind, and a rising tide. When these three factors are in place an odd phenomenon occurs: bottom-dwelling fish get trapped between the shore and low-oxygen water. So people rush out with any containers they can find and gather up Doris’s plenty! For us, this equates to gathering up the sea’s plenty figuratively, perhaps by having fish for dinner. Remember to thank Doris as you eat so that you internalize her providence.

To make a Doris charm that will draw abundance into any area of your life in need, find a seashell, a tumbled sea stone, or something similar that comes from the ocean. Place the token in seawater for three hours by a waxing moon so that abundance will grow like the moon. Bless it, saying,

Doris, by this gift from your seas,
draw abundance and wealth to me.
Like a wave upon high tide,
let your blessings here abide.

Carry the token regularly.

Reference:

365 Goddess: A Daily Guide To the Magic and Inspiration of the goddess
Patricia Telesco

 

The Goddess Book of Days for August 5th

Feast Day of St. Agatha (Malta), patroness of fire fighters. Originated as Isis, also Agnes, Ana, Cat Anna, Anu, Danu, Don, Yngona. The fifth day of the Moon/ month belongs to Maat, Egyptian Goddess of Wisdom and Truth, and to the Erinyes or Eumenides. Maat is Sophia, the Shekinah, Anath, Athena, Minerva, Anaitis,Chokrnah, Yemaya, Kista, female wisdom.

Reference

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

The Pagan Book of Days for August 5th

St. Oswald/Celtic tree month of Coll commences

Coll, the hazel is symbolic of wisdom and druidry. It signifies the art of regeneration through the use of words, the power of meditation, and-through its use by water dowsers–divination of hidden or lost things.

 

Reference

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Friday, August 5th

Friday is the day of Venus. It takes it name from Frigg, the Goddess of love and transformation. She rules the spiritual side of a person that manifests in the physical. Because of this, Friday is often thought of as dangerously unpredictable. This is expressed in an old East Anglian adage:

Friday’s day will have its trick
The fairest or foulest day of the week.

Deity: Frigg

Zodiac Sign: Taurus/Libra

Planet: Venus

Tree: Apple

Herb: Vervain

Stone: Sapphire/Chrsolite

Animal: Bull/Serpent

Element: Earth

Color: Yellow/Violet

Number: 7

Rune: Peorth(P)

Celtic Tree Month of Coll (Hazel) – August 4 – September 1

Runic Half-Month of Thorn (defense) – July 29 – August 12

Goddess of the Month of Kerea – July 11 – August 8

Reference

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

 

Friday’s Conjuring

Friday – is associated with Venus

Candle colors – Green, Red, Blue, White, Purple

Spellcrafting Associations: Love, Marriage, Money, Attraction, Luck, Healing, Prosperity, Change, Road Opening work, Bring Peace, Relationships.

 

Reference:

 

Old Style Conjure Wisdoms, Workings and Remedies
Starr Casas

 

Cosmic Weather Report for Friday, August 5th

by Jane Lyle

Venus enters Virgo: Maiden Voyage

Venus in Virgo is stylish, witty, and a cautious, yet chatty flirt. Venus here knows how to hold back, sometimes out of shyness and sometimes out of a need for mental space. She’s a harvest queen, and a domestic goddess.

A Virgo Venus is often great company, and can be a very kind and helpful friend. There’s often something very sexy about this earthy Venus, even though traditional astrology emphasises its modesty and tendency towards sexual inhibitions and anti-bacterial hand gel. Yet when this maiden goddess lets her hair down, she reveals a wild imagination.

Virgo is a discriminating sign, giving this Venus an eye for precise detail in clothes, art, music and finances. Sometimes that discriminating tendency goes too far, and Virgo Venus criticizes and analyses their friends and partners more than they realise.

Financially, Venus in Virgo is risk-averse, careful, and at worst parsimonious. Usually, Venus in Virgo is practical, and sometimes possesses a real gift for making money.

You may have Venus in Virgo if your Sun sign is Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, or Scorpio, depending on the year you were born.

Who’s got Venus in Virgo?

Sun in Cancer, Venus in Virgo: Robin Williams, 21st July, 1951; Angela Merkel, 17th July, 1954; Jack White, 9th July, 1975.

Sun in Leo, Venus in Virgo: Robert Redford, 18th August, 1936; Mick Jagger, 26th July, 1943; Charlize Theron, 7th August, 1975; J. K. Rowling, 31st July, 1965; Cara Delevigne, 12th August, 1992

Sun in Virgo, Venus in Virgo: Leonard Cohen, 21st September, 1934; Sophia Loren, 20th September, 1934

Sun in Libra, Venus in Virgo: I found a big group of celebrities with this lively, sometimes challenging combination. Here’s some of them:

Kim Kardashian, 21st October, 1980; Catherine Zeta-Jones, 25th September, 1969; Eminem, 17th October, 1972; Simon Cowell, 7th October, 1959; Gwen Stefani, 3rd October, 1969; John Lennon, 9th October, 1940; Kate Winslet, 5th October, 1975

Sun in Scorpio, Venus in Virgo: Julia Roberts, 28th October, 1967

 

Reference:

The Astrology Room

 

Sky This Week for August 5 to August 7, 2016

By Richard Talcott

 

Friday, August 5

A slightly fatter crescent Moon stands 1° below Jupiter in this evening’s sky. Look for the soft glow of earthshine — sunlight that has reflected off our planet to the Moon and then back to our eyes — on the 90 percent of Luna that the Sun is not illuminating directly. Jupiter shines brilliantly at magnitude –1.7 and remains a beacon in the western sky after sunset all week. When viewed through a telescope, the giant planet shows a disk that measures 32″ across and features two dark equatorial cloud belts.

Saturday, August 6

The variable star Algol in Perseus reaches minimum brightness at 5:33 a.m. EDT. If you start watching it late yesterday evening (it rises in the northeast around 10 p.m. local daylight time), you can see its brightness diminish by 70 percent over the course of about five hours as its magnitude drops from 2.1 to 3.4. This eclipsing binary star runs through a cycle from minimum to maximum and back every 2.87 days.

Sunday, August 7

Although Saturn reached its peak about two months ago, it remains a lovely sight. You can find the planet nearly due south around 9 p.m. local daylight time. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.4 and appears far brighter than any of the surrounding stars in southwestern Ophiuchus. When viewed through a telescope, the planet measures 17″ across while its dramatic ring system spans 39″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

 

Reference:

 

The Astronomy Magazine

 

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Friday, August 5, 2016

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 101.87° ESE
Sun Altitude: 42.69°
Sun Distance: 94.291 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 6:03 AM↑ 68° East
Sunset Today: 7:57 PM↑ 292° Northwest
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 53 minutes

 

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 92.42° E
Moon Altitude: 11.68°
Moon Distance: 244715 mi
Next Full Moon: Aug 18, 20164:26 AM
Next New Moon: Sep 1, 20164:03 AM
Next Moonset: Today9:39 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 8.1%

Reference:

timeanddate.com

 

Good Friday Morning, my sweets! Can you believe it, two days in a row now, gee! We might tired from working so much and need to take a vacation to get over working so hard. Sure, right, we are so rested now, you ought to hear the place. It is a madhouse.

 

Anyway, you didn’t come here to hear that, you came here to see who won the raffle. We had the drawing first thing this morning. We now have a winner. I have tried to come up with a way to announce the winner without giving too much personal information. I should have told everyone to put your I.D.’s on the PayPal comment section but I didn’t. When the winner is announced, if we do not give enough info, we will contact you tomorrow by email. If you do recognize yourself, then please contact us sometime today. You do this by using our email, witches_of_the_craft@outlook.com. Again, if we do not hear from you today, we will be in touch tomorrow. And now for the winner of our Winter Survival Raffle…..

 

Congratulations,

S. McCutcheon
Email starting with: Dracdauter

 

I am a security freak these days. You can never be too careful. I think this is enough information that this individual will recognize themselves. If you recognize yourself now and are here, let us know. I should add, please let us know which item you would like and your complete address. When we receive this, we will contact you with a confirmation email.

 

Thanks to all of you, Winter is no longer a problem. I can’t say it enough, we love you all. We are very proud to call each of you our brothers and sisters!

 

Thank you again,

We Love You!

Lady A