Tag: Chants

May 25 Today in History and a Pagan Word for Today

Today’s Important Historical Events

1720 The Ship “Le Grand St Antoine” reaches Marseille, bringing Europe’s last major plague outbreak. Kills around 100,000.

1810 In the May Revolution, citizens of Buenos Aires expel the Spanish Viceroy Cisneros during Semana de Mayo

1914 British House of Commons passes the Irish Home Rule Bill

1961 JFK announces US goal of putting a man on the Moon before the end of decade

2020 Video of African American George Floyd‘s arrest and murder while restrained in Minneapolis police custody shows he was pinned to the ground by police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, ignites widespread condemnation and nationwide protests

2021 US CDC says half of all US adults are now fully vaccinated, with 61% having had their first shot

Today’s Historical Events

1085 Alfonso VI of León and Castile captures the Muslim taifa of Toledo

1241 1st attack on Jewish community of Frankfurt am Main, Germany

1420 Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ

1521 Edict of Worms outlaws Martin Luther and his followers

1522 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V returns to Spain

1571 Pope Pius V forms The Holy League to fight the Ottomans with other Catholic maritime states including Spain, Venice, Naples and Sicily

1632 Albrecht von Wallenstein recaptures Prague on Saksen

1659 Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England, earning the nickname “Tumbledown Dick” as a result of his abrupt fall from power

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1932 Goofy, aka Dippy Dawg, 1st appears in ‘Mickey’s Revue’ by Walt Disney

1943 Agnes Moorehead appears in “Sorry, Wrong Number” on the radio program “Suspense”, her most successful appearance

1953 1st non-commercial educational television station – Houston, Texas

1964 16th Emmy Awards: “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore win

1964 Frank Gilroy’s dramatic play “The Subject Was Roses”, starring Jack Albertson and Martin Sheen, opens at Royale Theatre, NYC; runs for 832 performances; wins Pulitzer Prize, and 2 Tony Awards

1966 “Au Hasard Balthazar”, French film directed by Robert Bresson, starring Anne Wiazemsky and François Lafarge, is released

1969 “Midnight Cowboy” directed by John Schlesinger and starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1970)

1973 26th Cannes Film Festival: “The Hireling” directed by Alan Bridges and “Scarecrow” directed by Jerry Schatzberg jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1878 W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s comic opera “H.M.S. Pinafore” premieres in London, their first international success

1887 Gas lamp at Paris Opera catches fire; 200 die

1934 Béla Bartók’s “Cantata Profana – The Nine Enchanted Stags” premieres in London, England, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Wireless Chorus conducted by Aylmer Buesst

1957 “Shinbone Alley” closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 49 performances

1962 Isley Brothers release “Twist & Shout”

1963 “Hot Spot” closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 43 performances

1965 Dave Davies of The Kinks knocked unconscious in an on stage scuffle with drummer Mick Avory at Cardiff’s Capital Theatre

1967 John Lennon takes delivery of his psychedelically painted Rolls Royce

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1868 Australian Aboriginal Cricket tour of England begins v Surrey Gentlemen

1876 4th Preakness: G. Barbee aboard Shirley wins in 2:44.75

1895 20th Preakness: Fred Taral aboard Belmar wins in 1:50.5

1899 33rd Belmont: R. Clawson aboard Jean Beraud wins in 2:23

1900 Retired London fire master Eyre Massey Shaw aged 70 reputedly becomes oldest gold medalist in Olympics for sailing (disputed)

1904 38th Belmont: George Odom aboard Delhi wins in 2:06.6

1906 After 20 straight wins, Boston Pilgrims lose to Chicago White Sox 3-0

1919 Casey Stengel releases a sparrow from under his baseball cap

Pagan & Magickal Terms and Definitions

From moonlitpriestess.com

Some terms listed on this page may seem like common-sense words; however, they’re defined here as most often used in Wicca, Witchcraft, and general Paganism. Some terms have a different meaning in general society, other religions, and other sub-cultures.

Please keep this in mind when learning the terms as they’re listed here.

Did you come across a term on this site or another Wiccan/Pagan source that you’re unfamiliar with or uncertain of and can’t find it on this page? Please send us a message so we can add it to this page for you!

If you already know what term you’re looking for, you can use Ctrl-F (Windows) or Cmd-F (Mac) to search. Likewise, if you’re using a tablet or smartphone, you may use your browser’s “Find” setting to search this page.

Today’s Word is

Alchemy

An art-science hybrid that ultimately led to chemistry; concerned with the transmutation of matter, often involved attempts to convert base metals into gold or create a universal elixir.

A Thought for Today

Listen to your intuition as it can be your spirit guides or animals telling you something important.

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may you blessed be.

May 24 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 May 24

A Deep Sky Behind an Eclipsed Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Andrei Ionut Dascalu

Explanation: The plan was to capture a picturesque part of the sky that was hosting an unusual guest. The result included a bonus — an additional and unexpected guest. The beautiful background features part of the central band of our Milky Way galaxy on the far left, and the colorful clouds of Rho Ophiuchi in the image center. The unusual guest, a dimmed and reddened Moon on the right, was expected because the image was taken during last week’s total lunar eclipse. The timing had to be right because the Moon — both before and after eclipse — would be so bright it would overwhelm the background. The unexpected guest was the bright meteor across the image center. The fleeting meteor streak was captured on only one of the 10 consecutively-captured deep-field images from La Palma in the Spanish Canary Islands, while the eclipsed Moon image was taken immediately afterwards with the same camera and from the same location. The next total lunar eclipse — also quite expected — will occur in early November.

 

Notable Submissions to APOD: Total Lunar Eclipse of 2022 May

May 24 Today in History and a Pagan Word for Today

Today’s Important Historical Events

1595 Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library

1738 John Wesley is converted, launching the Methodist movement; celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day

1844 Samuel Morse taps out “What hath God wrought” in the world’s first telegraph message

1941 German battleship Bismarck sinks the British battle cruiser HMS Hood; 1,416 die, 3 survive

1988 Section 28 passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality. Repealed 2001/2004

Today’s Historical Events

1086 Abbott Dauferio/Desiderius becomes Pope Victor III

1153 Malcolm IV becomes King of Scots

1218 The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt

1276 Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral

1300 King Philip IV occupies Flanders, Earl Gwijde captured

1370 Hanzesteden signs peace treaty with Danish king Waldemar IV

1487 Imposter Lambert Simnel ceremony crowned as King Edward VI in Dublin

1595 Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1895 Henry Irving becomes the first actor to receive a knighthood

1963 Barbra Streisand performs “Happy Days Are Here Again” at White House Press Correspondents Dinner, and meets US President John F. Kennedy

1964 The Beatles’ 4th appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, features an interview and pre-recorded performance of “You Can’t Do That”

1966 Jerry Herman’s musical “Mame”, starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 1508 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards

1974 “The Dean Martin Show” last airs on NBC-TV

1974 27th Cannes Film Festival: “The Conversation” directed by Francis Ford Coppola wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1979 32nd Cannes Film Festival: “Apocalypse Now” directed by Francis Ford Coppola and “Die Biechtrommel” directed by Volker Schlondorff jointly awarded the Palme d’Or

1988 Porntip Nakhirunkanok, 19, of Thailand, crowned 37th Miss Universe

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1873 Leo Delibes’ opera “Le Roi l’a Dit” (“The King Has Spoken”) premieres at the Opéra-Comique in Paris

1873 Alexandra Palace opens on Queen Victoria‘s 54th birthday with a grand celebration including concerts, recitals and fireworks

1933 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s Preludes premieres in Moscow

1948 Benjamin Britten‘s “Beggar’s Opera” premieres at Arts Theatre, Cambridge, England

1956 1st Eurovision Song Contest: Lys Assia for Switzerland wins singing “Refrain” in Lugano

1958 “New Girl in Town” closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 432 performances

1968 Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull arrested for drug possession in England

1969 Beatles’ “Get Back” single goes #1 and stays #1 for 5 weeks

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1877 5th Preakness: C Holloway aboard Cloverbrook wins in 2:45.5

1879 7th Preakness: L Hughes aboard Harold wins in 2:40.5

1900 34th Belmont: Nash Turner aboard Ildrim wins in 2:21¼

1905 39th Belmont: Eugene Hildebrand aboard Tanya wins in 2:08

1918 Cleveland Indians Stan Coveleski sets club record for most innings pitched (19) as the Indians beat the Yankees 3-2

1926 Paavo Nurmi runs world record 3000 m (8:25.4)

1928 Record 12 future Hall of Famers take the field, as Yanks beat A’s 9-7

1929 Detroit Tigers beats Chicago White Sox, 6-5, in 21 innings

Pagan & Magickal Terms and Definitions

From moonlitpriestess.com

Some terms listed on this page may seem like common-sense words; however, they’re defined here as most often used in Wicca, Witchcraft, and general Paganism. Some terms have a different meaning in general society, other religions, and other sub-cultures.

Please keep this in mind when learning the terms as they’re listed here.

Did you come across a term on this site or another Wiccan/Pagan source that you’re unfamiliar with or uncertain of and can’t find it on this page? Please send us a message so we can add it to this page for you!

If you already know what term you’re looking for, you can use Ctrl-F (Windows) or Cmd-F (Mac) to search. Likewise, if you’re using a tablet or smartphone, you may use your browser’s “Find” setting to search this page.

Today’s Word is

Aisling

a dream vision

A Laugh for Today

and this week just keeps moving closer to a day off.

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may you blessed be.

May 23 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 May 23

The Once and Future Stars of Andromeda

Image Credit: NASA, NSF, NOAJ, Hubble, Subaru, Mayall, DSS, Spitzer; Processing & Copyright: Robert Gendler & Russell Croman

Explanation: This picture of Andromeda shows not only where stars are now, but where stars will soon be. Of course, the big, beautiful Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is a spiral galaxy — and a mere 2.5 million light-years away. Both space-based and ground-based observatories have been here combined to produce this intriguing composite image of Andromeda, at wavelengths both inside and outside normally visible light. The visible light shows where M31’s stars are now — as highlighted in white and blue hues and imaged by the Hubble, Subaru, and Mayall telescopes. The infrared light shows where M31’s future stars will soon form — as highlighted in orange hues and imaged by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared light tracks enormous lanes of dust, warmed by stars, sweeping along Andromeda’s spiral arms. This dust is a tracer of the galaxy’s vast interstellar gas — the raw material for future star formation. These new stars will likely form over the next hundred million years, surely well before Andromeda merges with our Milky Way Galaxy in about 5 billion years.

May 23 Today in History and a Pagan Word for Today

Today’s Important Historical Events

1618 Second Defenestration of Prague: Two Catholic Lords Regent and their secretary are thrown out of a window and amazingly are not seriously injured by the 70 foot (21m) fall. Triggers the Thirty Years’ War.

1785 Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals

1813 South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (“The Liberator”)

1949 Federal Republic of [West] Germany created out of the American, British and French occupation zones

1958 Mao Zedong starts the “Great Leap Forward” movement in China

1998 The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes.

Today’s Historical Events

1040 Battle of Dandanaqan: Tughril‘s Seljuk army defeats Ghaznavid force, near Merv (present-day Turkmenistan), brings about the fall of the Ghaznavid Empire

1059 Henri I crowns his son King Philip I (called the Amorous) of France

1275 King Edward I of England orders cessation of persecution of French Jews

1420 Jews of Syria and Austria expelled

1421 Jews of Austria imprisoned & expelled

1430 Joan of Arc is captured at Compiegne and sold to the English

1493 King Charles VIII & Maximilian I of Austria sign Peace of Senlis

1536 Pope Paul III installs Portuguese inquisition

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1922 Walt Disney incorporates his 1st film company Laugh-O-Gram Films

1953 WHIZ TV channel 18 in Zanesville, OH (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1960 WGTV TV channel 8 in Athens-Atlanta, GA (PBS) begins broadcasting

1960 WRCA radio changes call letters back to WNBC (NYC)

1962 15th Cannes Film Festival: “Keeper of Promises” directed by Anselmo Duarte wins the Palme d’Or

1963 NBC purchases 1963 AFL championship game TV rights for $926,000

1963 16th Cannes Film Festival: “The Leopard” directed by Luchino Visconti wins the Palme d’Or

1969 BBC orders 13 episodes of Monty Python‘s Flying Circus

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1921 Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake’s musical “Shuffle Along” premieres on Broadway at Daly’s 63rd Street Theatre, New York City [1]

1922 Comedic play “Abie’s Irish Rose” premieres at Fulton Theatre, NYC; runs for 2,327 performances (longest run at the time)

1939 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed professor at conservatory of Leningrad

1959 “Party with Comden & Green” closes at John Golden NYC after 44 performances

1960 “Finian’s Rainbow” opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 12 performances

1960 “Got A Girl” by The Four Preps hits #24

1968 Beatles open 2nd Apple Boutique at 161 New Kings Road, London

1969 The Who release rock opera “Tommy”

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1873 1st Preakness Stakes: G. Barbee aboard Survivor wins in 2:43 at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland

1883 9th Kentucky Derby: William Donohue aboard Leonatus wins in 2:43

1884 12th Preakness: S Fisher aboard Knight of Ellerslie wins in 2:39.5

1901 35th Belmont: H Spencer aboard Commando wins in 2:21

1922 Future World Heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney suffers his only professional defeat in 15-round unanimous points decision against Harry Greb at Madison Square Garden, NY

1926 Chicago Cub’s Hack Wilson is 1st to hit a home run off Wrigley Field scoreboard

1932 Australian cyclist Hubert Opperman sets paced world records 1,384km in 24 hours, and 1,609km (1,000 miles) in 28 hours, 55 minutes, 39 seconds at Melbourne Motordrome

1941 In his 20th World Heavyweight Boxing title defence Joe Louis knocks out Buddy Baer in round 1 at New York’s Madison Square Garden

Pagan & Magickal Terms and Definitions

From moonlitpriestess.com

Some terms listed on this page may seem like common-sense words; however, they’re defined here as most often used in Wicca, Witchcraft, and general Paganism. Some terms have a different meaning in general society, other religions, and other sub-cultures.

Please keep this in mind when learning the terms as they’re listed here.

Did you come across a term on this site or another Wiccan/Pagan source that you’re unfamiliar with or uncertain of and can’t find it on this page? Please send us a message so we can add it to this page for you!

If you already know what term you’re looking for, you can use Ctrl-F (Windows) or Cmd-F (Mac) to search. Likewise, if you’re using a tablet or smartphone, you may use your browser’s “Find” setting to search this page.

Today’s Word is

Acolyte:

a novice; person in training or apprenticeship.

A Laugh for Today

Wishing you an unhurried Monday!

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may you blessed be.

May 22 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 May 22

A Large Tsunami Shock Wave on the Sun

Image Credit: NSO/AURA/NSF and USAF Research Laboratory

Explanation: Tsunamis this large don’t happen on Earth. During 2006, a large solar flare from an Earth-sized sunspot produced a tsunami-type shock wave that was spectacular even for the Sun. Pictured here, the tsunami wave was captured moving out from active region AR 10930 by the Optical Solar Patrol Network (OSPAN) telescope in New Mexico, USA. The resulting shock wave, known technically as a Moreton wave, compressed and heated up gasses including hydrogen in the photosphere of the Sun, causing a momentarily brighter glow. The featured image was taken in a very specific red color emitted exclusively by hydrogen gas. The rampaging tsunami took out some active filaments on the Sun, although many re-established themselves later. The solar tsunami spread at nearly one million kilometers per hour, and circled the entire Sun in a matter of minutes.

A Laugh for Today

I hope your weekend was fun, relaxing, and full of positive energy!

A Thought for Today

I hope to see you at today’s open chat!! For all the information you need see the post “OPEN CHAT TODAY”

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may you blessed be.

May 21 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 May 21

Planetary Nebula Abell 7

Image Credit & Copyright: Donald Waid, Ron Dilulio

Explanation: Very faint planetary nebula Abell 7 is some 1,800 light-years distant, just south of Orion in planet Earth’s skies in the constellation Lepus, The Hare. Surrounded by Milky Way stars and near the line-of-sight to distant background galaxies, its generally simple spherical shape, about 8 light-years in diameter, is outlined in this deep telescopic image. Within its confines are beautiful, more complex details enhanced by the use of narrowband filters. Emission from hydrogen is shown in reddish hues with oxygen emission mapped to green and blue colors, giving Abell 7 a natural appearance that would otherwise be much too faint to be appreciated by eye. A planetary nebula represents a very brief final phase in stellar evolution that our own Sun will experience 5 billion years hence, as the nebula’s central, once sun-like star shrugs off its outer layers. Abell 7 itself is estimated to be 20,000 years old. Its central star is seen here as a fading white dwarf some 10 billion years old.

May 21 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1792 Mount Unzen on Japan’s Shimabara Peninsula, erupts creating a tsunami, killing about 15,000; Japan’s deadliest volcanic eruption

1832 1st US Democratic National Convention held in Baltimore

1871 -July 28] French regular troops attack Commune of Paris; 17,000 die

1927 Aviator Charles Lindbergh, in the Spirit of St Louis, lands in Paris after the first solo air crossing of Atlantic

1932 After flying for 17 hours from Newfoundland, Amelia Earhart lands near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, becoming the 1st transatlantic solo flight by a woman

Today’s Historical Events

878 Syracuse is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily

879 Pope John VIII gives blessings to duke Branimir and to Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state

996 Pope Gregory V crowns his cousin Otto III as Holy Roman Emperor in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome

1040 King Henry III gives Utrecht the Groninger currency

1216 French crown prince Louis enters England, having been invited by barons at war with King John

1260 Hao Jing, envoy of Mongol leader Kublai Khan imprisoned by order of the high Chancellor of China, Jia Sidao at the Song Dynasty court of Emperor Lizong while attempting to negotiate with the Song

1281 Kublai Khan‘s second invasion of Japan begins with an attack on Tsushima Island but meets fierce resistance; his troops are forced to withdraw

1382 Earthquake centered on Dover Straits with estimated magnitude of 6.0 causes widespread damage, including to Canterbury Cathedral

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1908 1st American horror movie silent film “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” premieres in Chicago

1922 Rollin Kirby’s “On the Road to Moscow” is the 1st cartoon to receive a Pulitzer Prize

1955 WFRV TV channel 5 in Green Bay, Wisconsin (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting

1956 WITI TV channel 6 in Milwaukee, WI (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

1968 Paul McCartney and girlfriend Jane Asher attend an Andy Williams concert

1968 WEKW TV channel 52 in Keene, NH (PBS) begins broadcasting

1980 “Star Wars Episode V – Empire Strikes Back”, produced by George Lucas opens in cinemas in UK and North America

1981 Kim Seelbrede, (Ohio), crowned 30th Miss USA

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1892 Ruggero Leoncavallo’s opera “I Pagliacci” premieres in Milan

1941 Singer Johan Heesters visits Dachau concentration camp

1955 Harold Arlen and Truman Capote‘ musical “House of Flowers” closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 165 performances

1959 “Gypsy” opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 702 performances

1960 Leontyne Price becomes the first African American to sing the lead at Teatro alla Scala in Milan in “Aida”

1966 “Downtown” by Mrs Miller hits #82

1966 “Time for Singing” opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 41 performances

1966 Louie Louie by The Kingsmen reentered the chart & hits #97

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1819 1st bicycles (swift walkers) in US introduced in NYC

1866 1st-class debut of cricketer Fred Grace aged 15 years 159 days at the Magdalen Ground, Oxford

1878 4th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Carter aboard Day Star wins in 2:37.25

1881 US National Lawn Tennis Association is established in NYC, New York

1886 14th Preakness: S Fisher aboard Bard wins in 2:45

1891 Australian boxer Peter Jackson and future world heavyweight champion Jim Corbett fight a No Contest in 61 rounds at California Athletic Club, San Francisco

1904 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) forms in Paris

1907 32nd Preakness: G Mountain aboard Don Enrique wins in 1:45.4

Today’s Word is

Namby-pamby

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Namby-pamby / adjective / nam·by-pam·by

Namby-pamby is the word we use to describe people believed to be lacking in strength or courage. We see someone described as “namby-pamby” as feeble or spineless in response to situations that call for a stronger behavior response.

People often associate the word “namby-pamby” with a male who is behaving in an “effeminate” fashion. Being called a “namby-pamby” is not a compliment. It is a sign that whomever is doing the name-calling lacks respect for the person who is the subject of their verbal attacks.

Etymology

The English word namby-pamby entered language in the mid-1700s around 1745. We derived it from early Ambrose and adopted it into popular use in the mid-18th century. Etymologists say the word was initially used to describe the characteristics of an English writer ridiculed by the public and leading officials of the time. We use namby-pamby as both an adjective and a noun with its original meaning.

In a Sentence

The namby-pamby just stood by and watched while his family was in danger.

The employees all secretly called their boss a namby-pamby behind his back.

Stop acting like such a namby-pamby and step up to the plate!

Synonym

Effeminate, Spineless

Antonym

Backboned, Strong

A Laugh for Today

Join us TODAY for an online pagan open chat. For all the information you will need see one of the post “OPEN CHAT TODAY” I hope to see you there 🌛🌝🌜

A Thought for Today

Until we meet again dear sisters, brothers, and honored guests may you blessed be.

Spell for Today – Contact Your Spirit Guide

Items needed:

Altar Candle

Day candle (whichever color for the day you be will doing your spell)
(Monday-white Tuesday-red Wednesday-purple Thursday-blue Friday-green Saturday-black Sunday-yellow)

Offertory Candles – 3 Violet candles, 3 White candles

Tools: Athame, Exacto Knife, or needle to inscribe candles

Props: Crystal ball or clear glass of water

Incense: anise, cardamon, and coriander

Oil: jasmine, lemon, rose, and sandalwood

Bathing Herbs

Cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, and sandalwood

Timing:

Best done during the Mercury hour of the day, although any hour should work. Any moon phase is appropriate.

Preparation:

Breathe deeply and build a ball of protective light around you. While soaking in your ritual bath, meditate on the whole ritual: the steps you will take and what you wish to say to your spirit guide when you make contact.

Ritual:

Enter the circle in the Hour of Mercury. Light the incense. With the oil, dress the Altar Candle and the Day Candle while concentrating on the purpose of the ritual. Light your Altar candle and your Day candle and state your intent:

“I am here to make contact with my Spirit Guide, and to acknowledge him or her”

With your Athame, inscribe Violet Candle #1 with the word “Spirit”. Dress it with oil.
Light the Violet candle #1, direct your energies into it, and say:

“Here do I light the first Lamp of Spirit. May its light reach out across the barriers from this world to the next. May it make contact with that World of Spirit into which we will eventually enter”

Take your censer or incense wand and swing in around censing the whole area around the altar, while rhythmically repeating the word “Merge” and building up energy to focus.

Replace the censer and pick up Violet candle #2. Inscribe it with the word “Spirit” and dress it with the oil. Put it back on the altar, light it, direct your energy into it, and say:

“Here do I light the second Lamp of Spirit. May it’s light also reach out across the barriers from this world to the next. May it make contact with that World of Spirit and help spread the light, illuminating the passageway between our worlds.”

Again, take the censer or incense wand and cense the entire area around the altar while chanting the word “Merge” Build up your energy to focus. Take violet candle #3, inscribe with the word “Spirit”, dress with oil, charge with your energy, light it and say:

“Here do I light the third Lamp of Spirit.
May its light also reach out across the barriers from this world to the next. May the light from these three lamps blend and grow, dispelling all darkness and lighting the way that my Spirit Guide may come to me and speak with me here today.”

Inscribe the 3 white candles with the word “Truth” and anoint each candle with oil. Light the 3 white candles in order of 1, 2, 3, and say:

“Here do I build Truth. As these candles burn throughout this ritual, their power generates nothing but truth in all that transpires between this world and the next. Through these candles there is truth in all communications that come to me”.

Again, cense the entire altar area while chanting the word “Merge”.

Replace the censer and continue chanting. Sit comfortably while chanting, and gaze into the crystal ball, or the clear glass of water. Continue chanting until you feel it is right to let the chant taper off. Continue to quietly look into the crystal ball or glass, not trying to picture anything. Keep your mind blank, so whatever comes will appear will come in it’s own free will. Gaze into the center of the crystal, there is no need to try not to blink. Look into the crystal and blink naturally. Try not to notice anything in your peripheral vision, just the center of the crystal. Eventually a face or figure will appear. This may take a long time, or it may appear almost immediately. If it doesn’t come at all within approximately 20 minutes, abandon this attempt, extinguish the candles in the order in which they were lit, leave the altar set up, and try this ritual again in three days. You should have results within a month at most.

When a figure does appear, ask if he/she is your Spirit Guide. You will hear an answer. You may not hear it out loud, or even see the figures lips move, but you will be aware of the answer. This is how most of your conversation will proceed. You will ask your questions mentally (or out loud) and the answers will be clear inside your mind.

Ask if you have more than one spirit guide. If yes, ask them to appear also. You may ask anything you wish to know, but it is suggested to establish a connection first where your Spirit Guide may appear to you at any time, or at specific times, so that you can converse with other spirits through him/her. When you have finished speaking with your Guide, thank him/her, then sit for a moment with your eyes closed, meditating on all that you have learned. Extinguish the candles in reverse order to clear the circle.

May 20 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 May 20

A View from Earth’s Shadow

Image Credit & Copyright: Maxime Oudoux

Explanation: This serene sand and skyscape finds the Dune of Pilat on the coast of France still in Earth’s shadow during the early morning hours of May 16. Extending into space, the planet’s dark umbral shadow covered the Moon on that date. From that location the total phase of a lunar eclipse had begun before moonset. Still in sunlight though, the International Space Station crossed from the western horizon and Earth’s largest artificial moon traced the bright flat arc through the sky over 400 km above. Simply constructed, the well-planned panoramic scene was captured over a 5 minutes in a series of consecutive images.

May 20 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India becoming the first European to reach India by sea

1609 Shakespeare‘s Sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by publisher Thomas Thorpe

1862 US President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for the settlement of the American West (80 million acres by 1900)

1864 Spotsylvania campaign in US Civil War ends after 10,920 killed or injured

1927 At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris, aboard Spirit of St Louis in the 1st solo nonstop transatlantic flight

1927 Treaty of Jeddah is signed between the United Kingdom and Ibn Saud recognizing the independence of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd

1990 Hubble Space Telescope sends its 1st photographs from space

Today’s Historical Events

325 First Council of Nicaea – 1st ecumenical council of Christian bishops at Nicaea, Asia Minor

685 Battle of Nechtansmere/Dun Nechtain: Picts led by Brude MacBeli beat Northumbrians led by their king Ecgfrith in Scotland

1217 Second Battle of Lincoln fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke

1293 Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed

1293 King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Study of General Schools of Alcalá

1303 Treaty of Paris restores Gascony to the English and arranges marriage of English Prince Edward to French Princess Isabella

1310 Shoes were made for both right & left feet

1347 Rienzo calls Rome for people’s tribunal

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1891 1st public display of Thomas Edison‘s prototype kinetoscope to members of the National Federation of Women’s Club

1895 1st commercial movie performance (153 Broadway, NYC)

1926 Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies

1960 13th Cannes Film Festival: “The Sweet Life” directed by Federico Fellini wins the Palme d’Or

1966 19th Cannes Film Festival: “A Man and a Woman” directed by Claude Lelouch and “The Birds, the Bees and the Italians” directed by Pietro Germi jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1967 BBC bans the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” because of drug references

1970 Beatles’ “Let it Be” movie premieres in UK

1973 25th Emmy Awards: Waltons, All in the Family & Mary Tyler Moore win

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1896 The six ton chandelier of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris falls on the crowd resulting in the death of one and the injury of many others

1961 Henzes opera “Elegy for Young Lovers,” premieres in Schwetzingen

1972 “Different Times” closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 24 performances

1972 “Hard Job Being God” closes at Edison Theater NYC after 6 performances

1973 “2 Gentlemen of Verona” closes at St James Theater NYC after 613 performances

1979 “I Love My Wife” closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 864 performances

1979 Elton John is the 1st western pop star to tour USSR

1980 Drummer Peter Criss quits rock band Kiss

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1734 1st Jockey Club forms in South Carolina

1879 5th Kentucky Derby: Charlie Shauer aboard Lord Murphy wins in 2:37

1897 British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Liverpool GC: English amateur Harold Hilton wins 2nd Open title by 1 stroke from Scot James Braid

1900 Second modern Summer Olympics (Games of the II Olympiad) opens in Paris and continues for 5 months

1913 38th Preakness: James Butwell aboard Buskin wins in 1:53.4

1920 Policemen raid the Cubs’ bleachers & arrest 24 fans for gambling

1922 Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel, previously suspended by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, return to the NY lineup and go hitless

1930 University of California dedicates $1,500 to research on prevention & cure of athlete’s foot

Today’s Word is

Hygge

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Hygge / noun/ hyoo·guh

Danish speakers use the word “hygge” to represent a relaxed, laid-back, and comfortable vibe created by enjoying the simpler things in life. We use hygge to represent the feeling invoked by engaging in simple activities that relieve stress and provide opportunities for having pleasing conversations and making genuine connections with others. Hygge relates to comfort, well-being, coziness, and contentment, with a warm atmosphere filled with pleasant people.

In a Sentence

The woman felt an incredible sense of hygge upon entering the sacred temple.

Denmark is famous for spreading the love and hygge for visitors and countrymen.

Doing yoga within a group gives some people a pleasurable sense of hygge.

Etymology

Although we most recognize “hygge” in the Danish language, the word actually entered the language as Norwegian. “Hygge” entered the language carrying the same meaning as ‘well-being.’ Danish adopted the word into their language system around the end of the 18th century. They’ve been using “hygge” to represent contentment, well-being, and the best of Denmark for residents and tourists since the late 1800s.

Synonyms

Comfortable, Comfy

Antonyms

Rude, Hard