Tag: People

Daily Feng Shui Tip for January 4th

In the pursuit of today’s energetic associations, I found that today is ‘Trivia Day.’ So I thought I’d share some time-tested ‘lucky’ trivia and advice regarding luring luck your way. First comes the quirky way to change bad luck to good. This occurs when you pull a pocket inside out and then walk up a flight of stairs backwards. Once at the top, turn around three times in accordance with the relic of a rhyme that says, ‘I turn myself three times about and thus I put bad luck to rout.’ Traditions from New Orleans say that scrubbing the floors of your house with a concoction of wash water and a bit of citronella will bring luck to your home faster than you can say ‘fast luck.’ Then there’s an even more potent blend that’s purported to attract even bigger luck called ‘Red Fast Luck.’ The ingredients for this brew are wintergreen and oils of cinnamon and vanilla. Even though individually these ingredients are gold in color, when combined they turn a bright red, hence the name. Dab a bit on your bedposts, in your wallet or even on your pulse points to magnetize the most luck possible. These tips might be trivial, but they’re said to be pretty darn lucky, too!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for Dec. 27th is 6: Conflict

6: Conflict

Hexagram 6

General Meaning: Conflict arises when a person is convinced that he or she is entitled to something and then meets with opposition. In such cases, the wiser choice is not to push things to the bitter end, because knocking heads only perpetuates bad will. Creative solutions that meet others halfway are more valuable and longer lasting than victories achieved through force.

Conflicts in which one party is not sincere inevitably lead to subterfuge and distortions. In such situations, those of strong character keep a clear head, protect their own integrity and look out for their own interests, even while seeking compromise. Often this means finding a fair-minded mediator who can help settle matters.

In such times of conflict and turmoil, new ventures and new initiatives are to be avoided.

This is a good time to examine the sincerity of your own motives and those around you. Seek advice or arbitration from an impartial and mature advisor. Consider everything carefully before making any major decisions. It may be time to compromise. And try to clarify roles and responsibilities going forward, so as to avoid conflict in the future.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 23rd is 59: Dispersing

59: Dispersing

Hexagram 59

General Meaning: Nothing survives forever, not even rocks, not even the most rigid of structures. The erosion of that which has been solid is not necessarily bad: it can mean that something new is being created. The image is of ice floes, hardened in winter, dispersing in the warmth of spring; when the ice melts, a mighty river emerges.

Rigidity in the hearts of men and women tends to breed a separateness that can only be thawed by a greater force: typically, some strong spiritual stirring. The thawing of cold hearts always improves conditions.

The first thing to dissolve is any internal rigidity that separates you from others. Try to work more closely with your mates, concentrating on common activities which evidence your integrity and native goodwill. Sudden, strong action in support of a greater good can lift the spirit, and lead toward new possibilities in many areas. Spiritual impulses — including a strong sense of justice — should be honored, and acted upon. They can provide the initial impulse to important and constructive change.

And if you should have any lingering business or partnerships which are inactive or not working, you might consider dissolving these as well.

Daily OM for December 11th – Women’s Work

Women’s Work
Tending the Hearth

 

 

The importance of tending the hearth that nurtures all who bask in its warmth is a beautiful thing.

In the recent past, the term women’s work has come to have a derogatory connotation. Women’s work encompasses all the domestic chores that have historically been associated only with women—cooking, cleaning, and raising children. Whenever a person is limited to only certain kinds of work in a society, there is a need to break free from that work in order to inhabit a place of choice. However, when we choose to do women’s work because we enjoy it, there is nothing degrading about it. There is an honor to it, and when done alone or in a group this work can be truly meaningful and fulfilling because the home is the foundation of security for all who live in it. The importance of tending the hearth that nurtures all who bask in its warmth cannot be overstated.

In addition to being essential to the functioning of the world, women’s work offers creative fulfillment, intimate interaction, and personal satisfaction. The more we become aware of the significance of this realm of labor, the more fulfilling it will be to those who do the work and those who benefit from it. A well-set table and a delicious, healthy meal can heal us on multiple levels. Clean, crisp sheets on a bed allow us to enter a deep slumber, inspiring a sense of safety and trust. Our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health all rest upon the smooth functioning of our homes.

The gift of women’s work, which still often comes from the hands of women, now also comes from fathers, husbands, and hired help. Whatever the source, our sincere gratitude upon receiving these treasures reminds us of the profound value of what is traditionally known as women’s work. The more we acknowledge the tremendous importance of this work, the more we are able to do it with a sense of pride, never feeling for a moment that our efforts are less significant or meaningful than those working outside the home—on the contrary, it is this work that makes all other work possible.

Your Daily Number for November 17th: 6

Family matters take center stage today. It’s possible that you’ll receive some good news from an old friend. Give of yourself today; it’s quite possible that a younger person will seek you out for help or advice.

Fast Facts

About the Number 6

Theme: Family and Social Responsibility, Service, Healing
Astro Association: Gemini
Tarot Association: Lovers

Today’s Runes for Tuesday, October 25th is Thurisaz

Today’s Runes

Gold Runes are most commonly used for questions about business, career, and property. Thurisaz represents a thorn, the most basic of barriers to our boon or our bane. In the case of hedges, thorns protect our encampments from that which skulks towards us from the outlands. In the case of rosebushes, thorns keep us from beauty. Though thorns are passive and have no thoughts, they puncture, tear, and may even be poisonous. Hence, this rune may also represent irrational violence and anger.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for October 20th is 59: Dispersing

59: Dispersing

Hexagram 59

General Meaning: Nothing survives forever, not even rocks, not even the most rigid of structures. The erosion of that which has been solid is not necessarily bad: it can mean that something new is being created. The image is of ice floes, hardened in winter, dispersing in the warmth of spring; when the ice melts, a mighty river emerges.

Rigidity in the hearts of men and women tends to breed a separateness that can only be thawed by a greater force: typically, some strong spiritual stirring. The thawing of cold hearts always improves conditions.

The first thing to dissolve is any internal rigidity that separates you from others. Try to work more closely with your mates, concentrating on common activities which evidence your integrity and native goodwill. Sudden, strong action in support of a greater good can lift the spirit, and lead toward new possibilities in many areas. Spiritual impulses — including a strong sense of justice — should be honored, and acted upon. They can provide the initial impulse to important and constructive change.

And if you should have any lingering business or partnerships which are inactive or not working, you might consider dissolving these as well.

September 29 – Daily Feast

September 29 – Daily Feast

 

On rare occasions you may have felt a word drop into your heart that you knew meant something because it never faded and always stood as a reminder that something profound happened. You may not have understood then, but your mind has gone back to it numerous times, wondering what it meant. Years can pass between an event and the understanding of it. It may be we have to grow up to it, or our minds and spirits have to mature enough to see how it is to play out in our lives. It is little different from building a house, you can see the structure going up, but you know it can’t be used until it is finished. Sometimes ideas and visions need time to firm up before we can use them.

~ The designs of Providence, in the course of events, are mysterious…. ~

JOHN ROSS – CHEROKEE CHIEF

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September 28 – Daily Feast

September 28 – Daily Feast

 

On rare occasions you may have felt a word drop into your heart that you knew meant something because it never faded and always stood as a reminder that something profound happened. You may not have understood then, but your mind has gone back to it numerous times, wondering what it meant. Years can pass between an event and the understanding of it. It may be we have to grow up to it, or our minds and spirits have to mature enough to see how it is to play out in our lives. It is little different from building a house, you can see the structure going up, but you know it can’t be used until it is finished. Sometimes ideas and visions need time to firm up before we can use them.

~ The designs of Providence, in the course of events, are mysterious…. ~

JOHN ROSS – CHEROKEE CHIEF

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September 19 – Daily Feast

September 19 – Daily Feast

 

Eagles soar more surely than we walk – but even so we are eagles in spirit. Physical wings are not so important to us if we can free our spirits to soar. As a symbol of freedom, the eagle builds its nest higher than any other nests and its eyes have vision that can survey anything moving far below. It sets its wings to catch the wind and its flight is graceful and beautiful. Unlike us, it takes time to renew and restore – even its beak is renewed and its old feathers replaced with new ones. When we set our minds and spirits to do something, nothing can bring us down. But rest and renewal are necessary – and never just luxuries to be avoided.

~ I am here by the will of the Great Spirit, and by His will I am chief. ~

SITTING BULL – SIOUX

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Casting a Formal Circle for a Group or Solitary

Casting a Formal Circle for a Group or Solitary

If there is a limited amount of space within the circle, it is often easier to cast the circle and admit the participants after creating the space. There are pros and cons of doing it this way, mainly having to do with making the participants feel excluded from part of the ritual. In order to avoid this, it is important to have them focus on the people or person casting the circle and adding their energy to what is going on. If you choose to have them within the circle, it is best to have them kneel at the boundary and cast the circle just behind them and over their heads, having them focus on the casting.

With this particular method, you can have one, two, or three people cast the circle, splitting the parts up as you desire. In a large group, splitting up the jobs in this manner helps everyone to participate when there are a limited number of things to do. Any of the parts of the ritual can be split up this way, but some will work better than others. Having more than one person cast the circle is a nice way for a group to maintain the bonds of working together.

When everyone is prepared and quiet, the person casting the circle should move to the altar and touch the pentacle with his or her athame. If the altar is set in the north, all that they need to do now is to visualize energy coming from the pentacle and walk the edge of the circle until they return to the starting point again. Once the caster is there, they should touch the pentacle with the athame again to seal the circle and then visualize pulling the edges of the boundary around to form a sphere above and below. This can also be done by actually using the athame to cast by starting at the pentacle and pushing the energy up over the heads of everyone, around, down through the floor, and back to the pentacle.

If the altar is elsewhere in the circle, the person touches the athame to the pentacle to perform a connection to it and then walks to the east to begin casting. They proceed to the south and then the west and then finally to the north before returning to the east. At that point, they can return to the altar and finish sealing the circle.

NOTE: Circles may be cast in either direction, depending on the work being done. Clockwise (N, E, S, W) tends to be the most common. This sunwise direction is used to invoke and bless. It is useful when the ritual has an outward focus. Moonwise circles (N, W, S, and E) tend to be used for banishing or rituals that focus inward or on the self.

Once the circle is cast, the next person should bless the salt and water to use for purification. Tip three pinches of salt into the water and stir it three times moonwise saying, “By the powers of Life, Death, and Rebirth.” Take this water and go to the east, sprinkling it around the edges of the circle, walking in the opposite direction of the circle caster. Once you have moved all the way around the circle, and if the people are within the circle, sprinkle each of them saying “Be washed clean.” (Make certain that you have someone do this for you, as well.) If they are not in the circle, place the salt water on the altar for later use.

The third person (Or the first, if you are only having two perform this) will bless the incense to consecrate and fill the circle. Place some of the loose powder incense on the hot coal (or light a stick incense) and draw a pentagram over the burning saying, “Blessed be the union of fire and air, the breath of the Gods.” Walk around the edge of the circle with the incense in the direction that it was cast in, slowly, and call the Ancestors to come and witness your circle.

Finally, the fourth person (or number two) moves to the center of the circle and declares that this is sacred time and sacred space. The circle exists outside of our normal time and reality. The shift from mundane to sacred should now be complete and should be a tangible feeling for everyone. The air may look or feel different, or the people may experience a shift in consciousness.

At this point, if you have cast the circle with the people outside, it is time to let them into the circle. The person who cast the circle will take their athame and cut a doorway into the boundary. This is done by inserting the tip of the athame into the circle at the level of the floor and cutting along it to make a wide enough entry for people to pass through. Then they cut upwards to the height of the people outside the circle. They should arch the top and then cut down the other side and across to meet the original point on the floor.

The person who blessed the salt water will switch places with the caster and stand in the doorway before each person as they enter, sprinkling to cleanse them. The caster will hug the person and pull or spin them over the threshold of the circle, bringing them in as a part of the company that will perform the ritual.

Once everyone is inside the circle, the caster will “erase” the doorway by placing the tip of the knife to the floor again and move it upwards, “sealing” the circle again. The “door” should be removed exactly opposite of how it was placed. When you are finished, there should be no trace of a break left in the circle wall. If you can see one, mend it with your own energy and close the break.

Copyright © 2000, Jet Blackthorn

Elijah the Prophet Water

Although this is known as Elijah the Prophet Water, it has little to do with the biblical prophet.

In Russian tradition, Elijah is syncretized to the thunder spirit, Perun. His feast days are July 20th and July 30th, known as “thunder days.” Rain falling on these days is believed to have tremendous therapeutic and magickal value. Bottle it, refrigerate it and reserve for magickal emergency. Elijah the Prophet Water protects against the Evil Eye, general serious illness, and malevolent magick.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to you and yours!

Freedom Is Not Free

– Kelly Strong
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He’d stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many pilots’ planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves?
No, freedom isn’t free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant “Amen,”
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn’t free.

Did you know…

Did you know…

From Wikipedia’s newest articles:

Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in the United States Congress

  • … that the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is named for the only Holocaust survivor (pictured) ever to serve in the United States Congress?
  • … that 19th-century shipwright Thomas Morton invented the widely used patent slip because he couldn’t afford a dry dock?
  • … that the first settlers of Tell Halula brought fully domesticated forms of wheat, barley and flax from somewhere else, circa 7750 BC?
  • … that father and son Augustyn and Roman Träger were Polish intelligence agents who provided the Allies with crucial information about German testing of the V-1 and V-2 rockets during World War II?
  • … that Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler wrote the script for the episode “The Fight“, the filming for which she called “the most fun I’ve ever had”?
  • … that Tom Sullivan is only the second head coach in UMBC Retrievers men’s basketball history to amass 100 career wins?
  • … that “unruly” diplomat Henry Labouchère was the first person to publish Truth in Britain?

Deity of the Day for May 23rd is TALIESIN

Deity of the Day

 

TALIESIN: Clever Wizardy God.

Do you remember the witchy Goddess CERIDWEN and her cauldron of knowledge, and her servant lad GWION-BACH? Well this is him after he got thrown into the sea. He was clever enough to get himself caught in a fish trap and thereby rescued.

Delighted with his cleverness, he decided to re-name himself TALIESIN or ‘Shining Brow’. He went on to become Wizard, Bard and Prophet — now there’s clever.

www.Godchecker.com

TGIF! It’s Friday People, Wake Up!

First of all please let me apologize for yesterday. The No Posting Thing, you know! Well it had been eating at me for a while to redo the graphics. So I said what the heck, go for it. I didn’t honestly expect it to take that long but the graphics didn’t want to cooperate and I still have some left to do.

I don’t seldom make request from you, reader. But now I need to ask for your help. My hubby is going to retire. He is not old enough to draw his full pension and also I can’t get him to a damn thing around. This is broke and it needs fixing or something else is tore up and it needs fixing. I can’t get the man to do anything. I would deeply appreciate it, if you could say a prayer and light a candle for us. It would be deeply appreciate.

Thank you so much,

Lady A