Tag: Chants
June 30 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.
2022 June 30

Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS)
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose J. Chambo (Cometografia)
Explanation: Imaged on June 20 2022, comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) shares this wide telescopic field of view with open star cluster IC 4665 and bright star Beta Ophiuchi, near a starry edge of the Milky Way. On its maiden voyage to the inner Solar System from the dim and distant Oort cloud, this comet PanSTARRS was initially spotted over five years ago, in May 2017. Then it was the most distant active inbound comet ever found, discovered when it was some 2.4 billion kilometers from the Sun. That put it between the orbital distances of Uranus and Saturn. Hubble Space Telescope observations indicated the comet had a large nucleus less than 18 kilometers in diameter. Now visible in small telescopes C/2017 K2 will make its closest approach to planet Earth on July 14 and closest approach to the Sun this December. Its extended coma and developing tail are seen here at a distance of some 290 million kilometers, a mere 16 light-minutes away.
June 30 Today in History
Today’s Important Historical Events
1520 Spanish conquistadors are expelled from Tenochtitlan following an Aztec revolt against their rule under Hernán Cortés during “La Noche Triste” (the Night of Sadness). Many soldiers drown in the escape, and Aztec emperor Moctezuma II dies in the struggle
1860 Famous debate on Charles Darwin‘s theory of evolution held at the Oxford University Museum and dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce
1905 In Russia, the “Potemkin” arrives at Odessa, where sailors take the bodies of dead crewman ashore; sailors join civilians in revolutionary actions of the ‘1905 Revolution’
1908 A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet flattens 80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest impact event in recorded history
1934 “Night of Long Knives” – Adolf Hitler stages a bloody purge of the Nazi party
1938 Superman 1st appears in DC Comics’ Action Comics Series issue #1
1992 South African ANC President Nelson Mandela meets with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at Dakar
1997 British lease on the New Territories in Hong Kong, established by the Second Convention of Peking, expires

Today’s Historical Events
296 St Marcellinus begins his reign as Catholic Pope
350 Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the usurper Magnentius, in Rome
833 Louis crowned King of Austria
949 Otto I the Great gives away bishopric of Utrecht “foreestrecht”
1294 Jews are expelled from Berne, Switzerland
1371 Arnold II of Horne chosen bishop of Utrecht
1377 Foundation stone laid for Ulm Minster, in Ulm, Germany. Will not be completed until 1890, when it becomes the tallest church in the world.
1397 Denmark, Norway and Sweden sign Union of Kalmar under Queen Margaretha

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV
1925 Charles Jenkins is granted the U.S. patent for Transmitting Pictures over Wireless (early television)
1940 “Brenda Starr, Reporter”, 1st cartoon strip by a woman, Dale [Dalia] Messick, begins as a comic-book supplement to Chicago’s Sunday Tribune
1951 “Victor Borge Show” last airs on NBC-TV
1952 “Guiding Light” soap opera moves from radio to TV
1955 “Johnny Carson Show” debuts on CBS-TV
1973 “Burns & Schreiber Comedy Hour” TV Variety; debut on ABC
1979 johnny rotten and Joan Collins appear together on BBC TV’s “Juke Box Jury”
1982 “Lena Horne: Lady, Music” closes at Nederlander NYC after 333 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Music
1956 “Pipe Dream” closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 245 performances
1956 “Shangri-La” closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 21 performances
1958 “No Chemise, Please” by Gerry Grenahan peaks at #24
1966 The Beatles land in Tokyo for a concert tour
1977 Marvel Comics publish “Kiss book” tributing rock group Kiss
1979 “Got To Go Disco” closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 8 performances
1979 “Good Times” single released by Chic (Billboard Song of the Year 1979)
1985 Revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “The King & I” closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 191 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports
1897 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: R.F. Doherty beats Harold Mahony 6-4 6-4 6-3 for the first of 4 titles
1899 Spin bowler Jack Hearne takes England cricket’s first Test hat-trick vs Australia in drawn 3rd Test at Headingley; dismisses champion middle order trio Clem Hill, Syd Gregory and Monty Noble
1902 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Laurence Doherty wins his first Wimbledon singles title beating defending champion Arthur Gore 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
1903 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Dorothea Chambers beats Ethel Larcombe 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, the first of 7 titles
1903 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Laurence Doherty beats Frank Riseley 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 for his second consecutive title
1908 At 41 years, 3 months future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young becomes oldest player to record a third career no-hitter as Boston Red Sox beat NY Highlanders, 8-0
1908 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Charlotte Cooper Sterry wins her 5th and final Wimbledon title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Agnes Morton
1908 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Arthur Gore takes his 2nd of 3 Wimbledon titles beating Herbert Roper-Barrett 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4
Let’s Talk Witch – 13 Meditations for a Short Attention Span
Ultimately, meditation has only one rule: you must turn communication within yourself. For most people, this means not communicating with others during meditative time. Even if you can only cut off the world for fifteen seconds, do it— outside input is NOT meditation. While the meditation may come in stolen moments, it is a cumulative skill, and even those tiny meditations make you better at it.
There are, ultimately, many reasons why traditional deep meditation might not work. People with jobs and families just don’t have much time to meditate. Others suffer from ADHD or other neurological dysfunctions, and between corporate life and traditional schooling, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of the “more, better, faster” mentality.
For people in these situations who want to use meditation to break out of them, small present-moment techniques work best. You may not be able to step entirely out of the flow of life, but you can take a single moment and make it yours. A moment as tiny as pushing the off button on your computer monitor to savor a sip of coffee can count as an act of meditation.
The following thirteen techniques are indeed meditation methods; each one can, with practice, train your brain to reach a meditative state. For beginners, it’s more important that you know how to get to that state than it is that you stay in it for any particular amount of time.
Count to two, and repeat. Seriously, that’s it. You don’t need to count slowly. Count at the natural speed of your own mind. Do so without timing it to your breath for as long as you can stand it. It’s about directing your attention and giving your mind something to do at a time when it might fight you with excessive boredom or stress signals. You may also try counting to 100 at any natural speed. This is a popular and effective technique in anger management, too.
Find your achy body parts and breathe into them. Identify an area that has tension and picture every breath you inhale entering through your pores where the ache is, and each exhalation as the pain leaving. If your attention shifts, move on to a different spot on your body, or stop— you’ve worked your attention as far as it can go for the time being.
Pick an image and see how long you can hold it in your mind. For example, you could choose a tarot card and continue to picture it as you go about other business. At the end of the day, you can stop to evaluate what you learned. You may receive insights into the card, object, or person that you can write about.
Walk. The simple act of walking alone is a type of meditation. You are not communicating with others, but you are paying attention to the world around you. To advance the walking meditation, walk and count. You can count the steps to a tree ahead of you on the path. Count how many steps to your car from your doorway. Count how many steps to the coffee maker from your desk. It keeps you focused entirely on what you are doing— and that is in itself a meditative state.
Stack or line up some items, and then deliberately scatter them. The act of clearing space and positioning items like pencils, paperclips, or shoes, is actually a meditative practice. You can find yourself engaged with making things line up just right, and just as Buddhist monks scatter their sand mandalas when finished, you scatter your tidy stacks in an exercise of nonattachment/ enjoying mild chaos. You will still need to sweep up. Playful meditation has as much value as serious meditation— perhaps even more, as it can stimulate creativity in ways that gigantic revelations rarely can.
Close your eyes and listen to all ambient noise. Meditation does not require you to ignore everyone and everything around you— it requires you to focus your attention on specific things without engaging with them. Rather than trying to shut out the noises of traffic, chatty neighbors, or the children, close your eyes and simply listen as though they are static or other low-meaning noise.
Name objects in front of you. You can do this anywhere— at work, during a long car ride, even at home. Look at one object, and say its name to yourself: “book,” “wall art,” “carpet,” and so on. Simply name every item immediately before you.
Keep a small bottle of a favorite fragrance on hand. Sniff every so often— this alters your mood, and brings your attention fully to one thing in your environment. Clary sage and lemongrass are both wonderful fragrances for meditative clarity.
Use your sense of touch. Comparing the textures of your clothing can give you a brief meditative timeout. Run your hands over your legs and over your abdomen. Notice the differences in how the fabric of different pieces of clothing feels.
Try stretching your hands. Touch each one of your fingers to the thumb on the same hand. Press down with each connection. In some cases, it may take some practice stretching your fingers.
Visualize as many colors as you can in one sitting. This pulls together the right and left hemispheres of your brain and is a key skill for most chakra work. Notice which colors you dwell on, and which you have trouble picturing.
Tell yourself a story. If you are alone, speak that story aloud. It can be about something as simple as a chicken crossing the road, or involve monks and dragons. The point is to engage yourself on your own power, not with the input of a book or television. Do not write these stories down— they are for you in your moment. They need not be long— two or three sentences, maybe even just one sentence.
Practice the slow version of what dancers call spotting. Turn your head and focus on one point of the wall. Stay there for two to three seconds, then look up and focus on the ceiling for two to three seconds. Then focus on another spot on the wall, then the carpet, etc. This is all about directing attention and only takes seconds to practice.
Source: 13 Meditations for a Short Attention Span Author: Diana Rajchel Llewellyn’s 2014 Magical Almanac: Practical Magic for Everyday LivingA Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!
Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions
Today’s Word is
Godspouse
From moonlitpriestess.com
Term generally found in Heathen communities; individuals possessing strong, deep, and intimate relationship with the deities they work with. Unlike similar concepts, such as Christian nuns, godspouses aren’t necessarily romantically or sexually celibate. The subject of godspouses is controversial and sometimes rejected even in the Heathen communities in which the practice is found.
June 29 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.
2022 June 29

Solar System Family Portrait
Image Credit & Copyright: Alexis Trigo
Explanation: Yes, but have you ever seen all of the planets at once? A rare roll-call of planets has been occurring in the morning sky for much of June. The featured fisheye all-sky image, taken a few mornings ago near the town of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, caught not only the entire planet parade, but the Moon between Mars and Venus. In order, left to right along the ecliptic plane, members of this Solar System family portrait are Earth, Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Venus, Mercury, and Earth. To emphasize their locations, Neptune and Uranus have been artificially enhanced. The volcano just below Mercury is Licancabur. In July, Mercury will move into the Sun’s glare but reappear a few days later on the evening side. Then, in August, Saturn will drift past the direction opposite the Sun and so become visible at dusk instead of dawn. The next time that all eight planets will be simultaneously visible in a morning sky will be in 2122.
Notable Submissions to APOD: Morning Planet Parade 2022 June
June 29 Today in History
Today’s Important Historical Events
1613 Shakespeare‘s Globe Theatre in London, burns down during a performance of “Henry VIII”
1900 The Imperial Chinese Court issues what is essentially a declaration of war against foreigners in China blaming them for hostilities and giving license to the Boxers for even greater ferocity
1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes after an 83-day filibuster in the US Senate
1966 Vietnam War: US planes bomb the North Vietnamese capital Hanoi and the port city of Haiphong for the first time
1994 US reopens Guantanamo Naval Base to process refugees

Today’s Historical Events
512 A solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland
922 Kingdom of the West Franks crowns Robert I as King of West Francia, after deposing Charles the Simple (Charles III)
1072 Former Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes blinded by rivals and exiled
1149 Raymond of Antioch is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din.
1194 Sverre is crowned King of Norway
1312 Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII crowned
1377 French raid at Rye, England
1428 Jacoba of Bavaria signs cease fire with Philip the Good

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV
1936 George M. Cohan is the first artist to be presented with a US Congressional Gold Medal, by Franklin D. Roosevelt (for raising war morale)
1940 Batman Comics, mobsters rubbed out a circus highwire team known as the Flying Graysons, leaving their son Dick (Robin) an orphan
1953 XETV TV channel 6 in Tijuana-San Diego, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
1964 1st draft of Star Trek’s pilot “Cage” released
1966 KBSC (now KVEA) TV channel 52 in Corona-Los Angeles, CA begins
1988 Emmy 15th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 9th time
1989 Emmy 16th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 10th time
1990 Marla Maples father sues National Enquirer for $12M

Today’s Historical Events in Music
1888 First (known) recording of classical music made, Handel’s “Israel in Egypt” on wax cylinder
1946 “Are You with It?” closes at Century Theater NYC after 264 performances
1946 “Billion Dollar Baby” closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 219 performances
1963 “Little Me” closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 257 performances
1963 Beatles’ 1st song “From Me to You” hits UK charts
1967 Keith Richards is sentenced to 1 year in jail on drugs charge
1968 “Tip-Toe Thru’ The Tulips With Me” by Tiny Tim peaks at #17
1971 Rolling Stones Mick Jagger & Keith Richards sentenced on drug offense

Today’s Historical Events in Sports
1895 US National Championship Women’s Tennis: Juliette Atkinson beats defending champion Helen Hellwig 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
1897 Chicago Colts establish MLB record for most runs scored in a game by one team as they maul Louisville Colonels, 36 – 7 at the West Side Grounds, Chicago
1901 US National Championship Women’s Tennis, Philadelphia CC: Elisabeth Moore beats defending champion Myrtle McAteer 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 for her second of 4 US singles titles
1903 US Open Men’s Golf, Baltusrol GC: Willie Anderson of Scotland first to win the Open twice; beats countryman David Brown by 2 strokes in an 18-hole playoff
1906 US Open Men’s Golf, Onwentsia GC: Scotsman Alex Smith wins first of his 2 Open titles, 7 strokes ahead of runner-up and younger brother Willie Smith
1910 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: In an all-British final, Dorothea Chambers beats Dora Boothby 6-2, 6-2 for her 4th of 7 Wimbledon singles titles
1933 Italian boxer Primo Carnera KOs American defending champion Jack Sharkey in round 6 at Madison Square Garden, NYC to become third European to win the lineal world heavyweight title
1934 British Open Men’s Golf, Royal St. George’s GC: Henry Cotton of England wins wire-to-wire by 5 shots from South African Sid Brews
June New Moon 2022 Insider – Anne Ribley

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The June 2022 new moon will bring intense, overwhelming emotions
Let’s get emotional!
A new moon in Cancer will put you in your feels beginning June 28, 2022. New moons open a door to you that had been previously locked, encouraging you to venture forth into new territory.
New moons also offer new beginnings and a chance to look at things from a different perspective, depending on where they fall in the sky. Cancer is a Cardinal Water sign, which means that we are encouraged to assess our emotional stability and security, as well as the foundation our lives stand upon.
We can initiate new emotional journeys now as we also reflect on where we have been and how our ancestors led us to be where we now stand. New moons occur usually once a month and are always tied to fresh starts, new cycles and unique journeys. Depending on where they fall for your Rising and Sun signs, you’ll see an opportunity to seize the day and create actions that will ultimately culminate within the coming year ahead.
Read how your zodiac sign will be affected here and for more information on the new moon, check out the information after the horoscopes. Follow me for daily insight or read 2022 predictions for your zodiac sign or your 2022 love life and relationship horoscopes now!
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A Laugh for Today

You guys too!
We can all fly by the dark of the Moon and wonder at the stars and planet all around us in our vast universe. Just have to be careful of all the sky rise buildings or splat we will go.
A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!
Spell for Today – Printable Protection Spell

Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions
Today’s Word is
Covenstead
From moonlitpriestess.com
An area of power or energy where a coven meets.

From Spells8.com
A meeting space for witches to gather as a Coven.
June 28 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.
2022 June 28

Mercury from Passing BepiColombo
Image Credit & License: ESA, JAXA, BepiColombo, MTM
Explanation: Which part of the Moon is this? No part — because this is the planet Mercury. Mercury’s old surface is heavily cratered like that of Earth’s Moon. Mercury, while only slightly larger than Luna, is much denser and more massive than any Solar System moon because it is made mostly of iron. In fact, our Earth is the only planet more dense. Because Mercury rotates exactly three times for every two orbits around the Sun, and because Mercury’s orbit is so elliptical, visitors on Mercury could see the Sun rise, stop in the sky, go back toward the rising horizon, stop again, and then set quickly over the other horizon. From Earth, Mercury’s proximity to the Sun causes it to be visible only for a short time just after sunset or just before sunrise. The featured image was captured last week by ESA and JAXA‘s passing BepiColombo spacecraft as it sheds energy and prepares to orbit the innermost planet starting in 2025.
June 28 Today in History
Today’s Important Historical Events
1389 Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe
1519 King Carlos I elected Holy Roman Catholic Emperor Charles V
1838 Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, London
1919 Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI and establishing the League of Nations, is signed in France
2021 Tigray Defense Forces retake Tigray’s regional capital of Mekelle in Ethiopia’s Tigray War. The Ethiopian government declares a unilateral ceasefire to save face but neither side sticks to it. [1]

Today’s Historical Events
683 Leo II ends his reign as Catholic Pope
767 St Paul I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1098 Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul
1119 Battle of Sarmada – Emir Ilghazi defeats French Crusaders
1245 1st Council of Lyon (13th ecumenical council) opens
1389 Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe
1461 Edward IV crowned king of England
1485 Gent/Brugge/Ieper recognize Maximilian of Austria as regent of Netherlands

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV
1951 “Amos ‘n’ Andy” premieres on CBS TV
1984 17th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Hotel San Diego
1990 Emmy 17th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 11th time
1992 Ra Lewis’ dramatic play “Chinese Coffee”, starring Al Pacino, opens at the Circle in Square Theater, NYC; runs for 18 performances
1993 NCRV shows last “Cheers” in Netherlands
1996 “Nutty Professor” starring Eddie Murphy opens in theaters in the USA
2003 “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, premieres at Disneyland
2017 “Spider-man: Homecoming” directed by Jon Watts starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr. premieres in Los Angeles

Today’s Historical Events in Music
1846 Saxophone is patented by Antoine-Joseph “Adolfe” Sax
1928 Louis Armstrong makes 78 recording of “West End Blues”
1947 “Temptation” (Tim-Tayshun) by Red Ingle with Jo Stafford hits #1
1950 “Michael Todd’s Peep Show” opens at Winter Garden NYC for 278 performances
1967 George Harrison is fined £6 for speeding
1973 Black Sports Hall of Fame forms: Paul Robeson, Elgin Baylor, Jesse Owens, Jim Brown, Wilma Rudolph, Joe Louis and Althea Gibson elected

Today’s Historical Events in Sports
1887 Phillies most lopsided shut-out beating Indianapolis 24-0
1892 Phillies tie club record of 16 straight victories
1897 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: England’s Blanche Bingley-Hillyard wins her 4th title beating Charlotte Cooper 5-7, 7-5, 6-2
1904 Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Reigning champion Dorothea Chambers beats Charlotte Cooper 6-0, 6-3
1907 Nationals steal a record 13 bases off catcher Branch Rickey
1919 Boston Red Sox Carl Mays pitches a complete doubleheader against NY Yankees, winning 1st game, 2-0, losing 2nd game, 4-1 (Polo Grounds, NYC)
1923 Dodgers lost 7-0 lead, as Phillies score 8 in bottom of 9th
1924 Test cricket umpire debut for Frank Chester, v South Africa at Lord’s
A Laugh for Today

If I had only remembered to get creamer 😥
A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may your life be filled with all things positive!
Spell for Today – Herbal Witches Cleansing Bottle
To make an herbal cleansing bottle, pour a layer of sand in a large clear bottle.
Add layers of dried herbs, one at a time: first rosemary; then lemon peel, sage, cedar, black peppercorns, lavender, dill, bay leaf, and rowan.
When the bottle is full, focus cleansing protective energy into the herbs and sand, and see a golden light radiating from the bottle. Visualize the herbs driving away negative influences.
Cork and seal the bottle with white wax (or another color of your choice).
Using a permanent marker, draw the Algiz rune on one side of the bottle, and on the other side draw a pentagram.
Set the bottle near your front or back door, and every six months, uncap, pour the herbs out into the woods or your compost heap, and thoroughly wash and dry the bottle before filling it with a new round of herbs.
Pagan and Magickal Terms and Definitions
Today’s Word is
Coven
From moonlitpriestess.com
A group of Witches; can be all male, all female, or a mix of both. The traditional number of coven members is 13, however, the exact number of members and the purposes of the coven typically differ between traditions. Differentiated from other Witch group types in that covens function as a sort of family unit for the purpose of magickal practice and/or worship with structured set of rules, traditions, training, and hierarchy. Within Wicca, coven entry is by initiation only and following required training (usually up to a year and a day in length) into the particular coven’s tradition.
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From Spells8.com
A group of witches is called a Coven. A witch’s magickal family may be considered their coven if they have formed a group to perform magick alongside each other.
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