Dragons of the Zodiac: Cancer

Dragons of the Zodiac: Cancer

 
Note: Perform during bright noon or the hour of the Moon, and during the waxing Moon, with the Full Moon being strongest.

Color: Silver, pastels
 
Ruling Planet: Moon

Stone: Pearl

 
Flower: Larkspur
 
Description: Caring nurturing, moody, clinging, dependent, lazy, retentive memory, receptive, changeable, sensitive, pack rat, emotional, overprotective, messy, money-oriented.
 
Chant:
 
Make me caring with nuturing ways.
Receptive with good memory.
Teach me control of emotions and life.
Thank you. So mote it be.
 
Dancing with Dragon
D. J. Conway

Moon Phase for February 14 – Last Quarter (Waning/90-45 degrees)

Moon Phases By Jan Spiller:

Last Quarter (waning/90-45 degrees)

February 14, 2012 — The time of reaping is at hand. There is a feeling of completion infused into the atmosphere during the Last Quarter Moon. The opportunity opens to recognize how far you’ve come in various parts of your life. This is not a good time for new beginnings, but rather a reflective period suited to evaluating how you have been using your time and what has been accomplished. Issues of authority may arise. This Moon phase supports taking responsibility for actively tying up the loose ends of projects that are already underway.

New Moon Report for February 13 – Mercury in Pisces

New Moon Report for February 13

By Jeff Jawer

Mercury in Pisces

Monday, February 13, 5:38 pm PST, 8:38 pm EST

Minds meander with Mercury moving through Pisces, going off course to places that words cannot adequately describe. This transit serves poets, artists, healers, spiritual seekers and all those who don’t rely on objective evidence to shape reality. Facts may grow fuzzy, but conversations grow tender as intuition becomes the most valuable source of information.

Calendar of the Sun for February 10th

Calendar of the Sun
10 Solmonath

Anahita’s Day

Colors: Black and silver
Element: Air
Altar: Lay a cloth of black studded with silver stars, and on it set many white candles, and a great six-pointed silver star, a chalice of white wine, and a tray of star-shaped cookies.
Offerings: Paper stars written with reasons to hope.
Daily Meal: Star-shaped breads and cakes. Vegetables sliced into stars. Cold raw food.

Invocation to Anahita

Lady of the Morning Star
Who sings us awake
With a song of hope
For the daily road ahead,
Never let us fail
In our ability to keep faith.
Lady of the Evening Star
Who sings us to sleep
With a song of peace
For the nightly struggle,
Never let us fail
In our ability to dream.
Lady of the starry sky
Whose womb birthed the universe
That we might one day come to be,
Never let us fail
In our ability to hope
For the future of this world.

Chant: Ai ya Ai ya Anahita Anahita

(One who is chosen to do the work of the ritual comes forth with the cakes and passes them around, saying, “Taste matter and manifestation.” Then s/he comes forth with the white wine and passes it around, saying, “Taste the spirit that brings it to life.” The rest is given as a libation. Afterwards, all present place their paper stars on the altar and meditate on hope.)

The Wiccan Book of Days for Feb. 10 – Unconventional Uranus

Friday, February 10th – Unconventional Uranus

It is now midway through Uranus’s rule as the planetary governor of the zodiacal month of Aquarius, and its unpredictable, radical, eccentric, and experimental influence may therefore be both especially concentrate and evident in world events. In Roman myth, Uranus (the Greek Ouranos) was the primeval sky God who mated with Gaia (Gaea), or Mother Earth, and fathered everything on Earth, as well as the Titans. He proved a cruel father, though, and at Gaia’s bidding, was therefore eventually rendered impotent by his Titan son, Saturn. The planet Uranus was discovered by William Herschel in 1781, and its sigil is a planetary orb centered on the letter “H.”

“Great Goddess Of Waters”

This is the feast day of the Persian War Goddess Anaitis(also called Anahita and Anat in the Near East), who was also linked with female fertility. Honor her by offering a libation of water collected from a natural flowing source.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for Thursday, Feb. 9th

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Nobels for a Strange Universe
Image Credit: High-Z Supernova Search Team, HST, NASA

 

Explanation: Thirteen years ago results were first presented indicating that most of the energy in our universe is not in stars or galaxies but is tied to space itself. In the language of cosmologists, a large cosmological constant is directly implied by new distant supernova observations. Suggestions of a cosmological constant (lambda) were not new — they have existed since the advent of modern relativistic cosmology. Such claims were not usually popular with astronomers, though, because lambda is so unlike known universe components, because lambda’s value appeared limited by other observations, and because less-strange cosmologies without lambda had previously done well in explaining the data. What is noteworthy here is the seemingly direct and reliable method of the observations and the good reputations of the scientists conducting the investigations. Over the past thirteen years, independent teams of astronomers have continued to accumulate data that appears to confirm the existence of dark energy and the unsettling result of a presently accelerating universe. This year, the team leaders were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. The above picture of a supernova that occurred in 1994 on the outskirts of a spiral galaxy was taken by one of these collaborations.

A Little Witchy Tip of the Day for Feb. 9th

Witchy Cat Graphics & Comments I am sure everyone already knows this. But just in case there are any new Witches visiting today…….The Full Moon this month was on the 7th. The powers of the Full Moon extends three days before till three days after. Right now is a fantastic time to do your house blessings and also wardings. The Full Moon gives your blessings, spells, rituals, wardings and etc., an extra boost. Personally I like doing my house blessing during the Full Moon. You can feel the energy inside your home and you feel nice, safe & cozy!

~Magickal Graphics~

New Moon Report for Feb. 7th – Venus in Aries

New Moon Report

By Jeff Jawer

 

Venus in Aries

Tuesday, February 7, 10:01 pm PST, Wednesday, February 8, 1:01 am EST

Spontaneous attractions and restless relationships are likely with the love planet in impatient Aries until March 5. The urge for immediate gratification could be downright reckless when Venus joins rebellious Uranus on February 9. However, experiencing breakthroughs in alliances, appearance and self-worth make experimentation desirable during this revelatory period.

New Moon Report for Feb. 7th – Full Moon in Leo

New Moon Report

By Jeff Jawer

 

Full Moon in Leo

Tuesday, February 7, 1:54 pm PST, 4:54 pm EST

The fiery and fiercely personal Leo Full Moon opposes the chilly Sun in objective Aquarius as egos need attention and hearts are eager for dramatic expression. Allow some room for childlike behavior; some of it may be overbearing, but the freedom to show feelings without restraint may be worth the trouble. Exaggeration can encourage creativity and also bring buried emotions to the surface where they can be addressed openly.

New Moon Report for Feb. 7th – Saturn Retrograde

New Moon Report

By Jeff Jawer

 

Saturn Retrograde

Tuesday, February 7

The planet of order’s backward period (lasting until June 25) is a time to cultivate discipline, patience and self-restraint. Making up for unmet obligations comes from hard work instead of guilt and shame. Balance in relationships is restored when individuals take responsibility for themselves instead of casting blame on others. Finding peace within is the first key to harmonious partnerships.

Storm Moon Winter Mist

Storm Moon Winter Mist

Use this mist to encourage the blessings of the Goddess as you sleep and dream. Make this magickal mist at midnight.

You will need a misting bottle, one-half cup of spring or well water, six drops of lavender essential oil, and six drops of pure vanilla extract.

Hold the bottle and pour the water in. Add the drops of lavender. Count out the drops of lavender oil and vanilla as you add them to the mist by saying:

One, two, three,
Four, five, six,
All get added
To this magickal mix.

Put the cap on the misting bottle and shake it eighteen times while chanting:

Goddess of the Storm Moon,
Bless this winter mist.

To bring the blessings of the Storm Moon Goddess into your dreams, close your eyes and spray the mist on the top of your head several times, as well as on your body and bed linens before you go to sleep. As you breathe in the mist, say:

Goddess of the Storm Moon,
Please bless my dreams tonight.

In the morning, write everything you recall from your dreams in your journal.

Beginner Witchcraft – What To Do:

Beginner Witchcraft – What To Do:
Learn some simple form of meditation, and practice it often, the idea being to master the art of a QUIET MIND. In order to be attentive to the world around you, you have to learn to let go of the inner chattering.

T.S. Eliot (in “East Coker”) puts it this way: “…the mind is conscious, but conscious of nothing– I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.”

Listen to everything. Above all, listen to your body. Starhawk recommends a regular program of exercise, and I agree. Again, it quiets the mind.

Get in touch with the movements of the Earth and the Moon. Get a calender that has Moon phases, and make a point of knowing what phase you’re in, at all times. Notice the differences between the dark of the moon (empty but ready for new birth), the new moon (time for initiating things), the waxing moon (growing in power), the full moon (peak of intensity), and the waning moon (fading, turning inward, consolidating gains). If you are a woman, pay attention to your menstrual cycle, and how it matches up with the phases of the moon. If you are a man, get in touch with the cycle of a female friend or lover. Get out under the moon as much as possible. When She is full, lie in a grassy field or on a rooftop and LISTEN to her.

Pay attention to the natural world: the seasons, the plants, the insects, everything around you. If you can, go out hiking and camping as much as possible–alone, or with someone else who can be silent and observant. Even in the city, even in a very restricted urbanized environment, you can see things of nature all around you. Try to walk to work, if possible. Go out in your back yard and sit on the grass and look at the world close up. When inside, observe your pets and your fellow human beings. We are all flesh: we have smells, we have appetites. When you have sex, try to forget the cultural context (lace underwear, etc.) and focus instead on the body, the pleasures of the body. When you play music, let your body dance.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for Feb. 6th

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2012 February 6
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Dust of the Orion Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolás Villegas 

Explanation: What surrounds a hotbed of star formation? In the case of the Orion Nebula — dust. The entire Orion field, located about 1600 light years away, is inundated with intricate and picturesque filaments of dust. Opaque to visible light, dust is created in the outer atmosphere of massive cool stars and expelled by a strong outer wind of particles. The Trapezium and other forming star clusters are embedded in the nebula. The intricate filaments of dust surrounding M42 and M43 appear brown in the above image, while central glowing gas is highlighted in red. Over the next few million years much of Orion’s dust will be slowly destroyed by the very stars now being formed, or dispersed into the Galaxy.

Daily Cosmic Calendar for February 5th

Can you withstand another 24-hour time-period when the cosmos hands you a cream-puff instead of a stick of dynamite? Anytime a day happens when the celestial seasonings come down to a pinch of salt, be thankful. First of all, even though you only need to be aware of a supportive, 60-degree rapport from the Moon in Cancer to Mars in Virgo (3:02PM PST) – which can be physically and emotionally invigorating – it is still wise to get a jump on what is going to occur two days from now on Tuesday February 7 when Saturn shifts from direct to retrograde just about 8 hours before the Full Moon. In addition, February 7 will bring forth several other planetary shenanigans that will keep you on your toes for the entire day. Plus – the 48 hours before any Full Moon constitute the time-period of preparation for the enlightening spiritual vibrations that are seeking to descend into the earthly realm when the solar and lunar orbs tug at each other from either side of our beleaguered planet. Spend part of today learning important lessons from the annals of history in order that you stop making the same mistakes you made years and decades ago. Cancer Moon reminds all of us to review and reflect about our past actions in order to become more illuminated and selfless human souls. Immerse yourself in a bestselling biography or tune into some of your favorite film classics.

Chant for W.I.C.K.

Chant for W.I.C.K.       

This was writtin by Jenness for our women’s healing group. I hope you enjoy it as we have.

Women in Wicca
May we heal in love
Mother Earth at our feet
Sun and Moon above

Sister of the Craft
Lord and Lady our guides
The new moon is magick
Show us where it lies

Mother Earth and Father Sun
Grandfather Star
Grandmother Moon
May your energies be with us
As our work begins soon.

Lunar Moon Almanac for Friday, February 3rd

Moon & Witch Comments & Graphics

Lunar Moon Almanac for Friday, February 3rd
Waxing, First Quarter Moon Age: 11 ¾ days.
Ascending Node is at 11° Sagittarius.
Moon in 28th degree of the Sign Gemini, the Twins;
also in 36th deg. of the Constellation Taurus, the Bull.
Moonset: 3:45 morn. Moonrise: 1:29 eve. Midheaven: 9:05 eve.

 
~Magickal Graphics~