Mercury Direct
Wednesday, April 4, 3:11 am PDT, 6:11 am EDT
Messenger Mercury shifts into forward gear to slowly start getting conversations back on track. Data will flow more freely, but facts may remain fuzzy and details elusive until April 16 when this cerebral planet leaves magical Pisces where dreams trump reality.
Venus in Gemini
Tuesday, April 3, 8:18 am PDT, 11:18 am EDT
The love planet is chatty and flirtatious in adaptable Gemini. Words can be delightful but also deceiving because it might be tempting to say whatever is necessary to amuse someone or deflect serious issues. Yet Venus is retrograde from May 15 until June 27, prolonging her stay in this sign until August 7 to add depth and complications to relationships. Clever quips are cute, but serious re-evaluations may be needed to fulfill our desires.
The Moon’s Phase
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The Moon for Mar 22, 2012 (At Midnight, US Central time, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere) Illuminated Fraction: 0.005 Sun in Aries Moon in Pisces |
Calendar of the Moon
Full Moon Night
Color: White
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a white cloth set a plate of round white cakes, a single thick white candle, a white bowl of water, and a pitcher of fresh milk from a local animal.
Offerings: Milk. Sugar. Nurturing another.
Daily Meal: White foods, such as rice, coconut, almonds. All dairy products.
Full Moon Night Invocation
In the dark of night
You are the source of light.
Our ancestors gathered at this time,
Protected by the silvery glow
That drove the demons from the dark fields.
Selene, Moon Mother of the white breast,
Milk-giver, fountain of life,
You speak to us of sustenance,
Of bringing to fruition, to climax.
Yemaya, reflection of the full moon
On the surface of the ocean,
You speak to us of inner tides,
Of feelings swelling like waves.
Thoth, writer and calculator
Who took pity on a mother’s plight,
You count the days, the moments,
You speak of trust in the universe
Proven by the lunar cycle,
Something we can always count on,
Something we will always see.
What is done under Full Moon Night
Is seen by the gods both of Darkness and Light.
(Let each come forward and be given milk to drink, and a moon-cake to eat. Then let all process in a slow spiral dance, chanting.)
Chant:
What is done under Full Moon Night
Is seen by the gods of both Darkness and Light.
We are now more than midway through the zodiacal month of Pisces, which means that the rule of the Fishes’ governing planet, Neptune
, has been well established for some time. Following its discovery in 1846, the tradition of calling the planets after Roman Gods as perpetuated through the naming of Neptune. Both the Roman Sea Deity and His Greek counterpart, Poseidon, were said to wield a fisherman’s trident, and it is this that forms the basis of Neptune’s sigil, or astrological symbol. Neptune’s influence is far from aggressive, however, for it is said to make us dreamy, intuitive, and imaginative, as well as altruistic, idealistic, and spiritual.
Water, if not transparent, typically appears gray, which is why this is usually regarded as Neptune’s shade. Affirm your connection with Neptune today by using a gray candle or cord in your rituals or by wearing gray garments.
Full Moon in Virgo
Thursday, March 8, 1:39 am PST, 4:39 am EST
The pragmatic and sometimes picky Virgo Moon’s opposition to the Sun in limitless Pisces makes it hard to buckle down and deal with details we’d rather ignore. Acerbic Mars in Virgo reinforces the lunar inclination to find fault instead of going with the flow. Criticism, though, is useful only when it’s constructive and meant to serve a higher purpose. Refining skills and engaging in self-analysis, it should be remembered, are means to an end rather than the goal itself.
On the first night of the waxing moon, gather the following items:
A square of black cloth a little larger than your hand
1 tablespoon of curry
1 tablespoon of dill
1 tablespoon of vervain
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1 consecrated black candle
Paper and black ink pen
1 black string, knotted nine times
On paper, write the full name and birth date (if known) of the person who has cursed you. Place the paper in the center of the bag. One at a time, add the herbs, covering the slip of paper. Next, take the lit candle and drip 5 – 10 drops of wax over the paper and herbs.
Visualize the person who has cursed you and say their name aloud three times while tying the bag shut with the knotted string. The final step is to bury the bag someplace on the property of the person who cursed you. The bag must remain there undisturbed until the next waxing moon. At that time, dig up the bag and burn the contents. This will weaken that person’s power (usually until the night of the full moon) and the curse.
Calendar of the Moon
3 Nion/Anthesterion
Day of Llyr
Color: Sea-blue
Element: Water
Altar: On a sea-blue cloth place a chalice of salt water, a skull, a dolphin, and a ship.
Offerings: Paper ships. Deal with fearful emotions that threaten to drown you.
Daily Meal: Fish or seafood.
Invocation to Llyr
We cross the sea at our own risk,
Be it the sea of water
Or the depths of our own
Internal tides of feeling.
We cross the sea at our own risk,
Knowing that the smooth expanse
Could at any moment become turbulent,
Degenerate into a vast whirlpool
And draw us screaming into the darkness.
We cross the sea at our own risk,
Navigating our way with signs
And symbols that have nothing
To do with the vast expanse we see,
But are just numbers, spun out of
The mind’s vast abilities,
The world of air and sky,
And sometimes they fail us.
We cross the sea at our own risk,
But if we do not cross it
We will be separated forever
By those terrible watery chasms.
Ocean god, we pray to you for mercy;
Bear us up and do not let us drown
In any ocean, within or without.
Chant:
Born of water, cleansing, powerful, flowing, healing, we are…..
(Let one who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual come forward with the bowl of salt water, and each shall dip their hands into it and mark themselves on their heart chakras and their heads. Then the salt water shall be poured out as a libation.)
February 2012 ends with a flourish as revolutionary vibrations associated with the first of the three outer planets – Uranus – strike humanity with intensity. Mercury makes a contra-parallel (1:04AM PST) with this planet of radical change, intuitive awareness and a vast arsenal of innovative ideas. Tomorrow – as Mercury shifts from south declination to north declination above the Celestial Equator – Mercury and Uranus will form a parallel. Therefore, mental excitement is at a feverish pitch as February ends and March begins, and many souls may be feeling far more nervous than usual. In the meantime, you have other fish to fry since the challenging vibes of the First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase (energizing 11 degrees of Pisces and Gemini) arrive on the scene at 5:23PM PST. The power and significance of quarter moons are often ignored by students of astrology because the emphasis is always placed on New and Full Moons. Every time we reach a First Quarter Sun-Moon Phase, the two lights are separated by 90-degrees of arc and the Moon is waxing in illumination. However, the key is to cut through obstacles along your physical and emotional pathways, and to manage your business affairs with greater finesse. Accomplish these objectives today and you are well on your way to taking a symbolic victory lap of psychological success tonight. Immerse yourself in a biography, bestseller or literary classic under the glowing literary spotlight of Gemini Moon.
Dragons of the Zodiac: Gemini
Dragons of the Zodiac: Cancer
Stone: Pearl
Dragons of the Planets
The dragons representing the planets are used basically for performing ceremonies or rituals on certain days and in certain hours, to acquire certain physical or personality traits. If this is to be part of your ritual methods, I suggest you carefully read a chart for both day and night planetary hours. Remember to adjust for daylight savings time.
Some magicians feels that planetary dragons are only elemental energies and not specific beings of any kind. That has not been my experience. That is like saying there are only gnomes and no faeries. I suppose it is all in one’s perception of other levels of being.
The idea behind using planetary days and hours is that you are connecting with a stronger energy for use in your rituals. As the elements are the substance of the universe, the planets are more concerned with action and process. Only seven astrological bodies were used by the ancients: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These correspond to the days of the week and the hours of each day. To use this system find the planet that correspond to the type of ritual you plan to do . Then select the proper day and hour in which to do it.
The waxing or increasing Moon is the time for spells of increase, building and growth, while the waning or decreasing Moon is the time for decrease, destruction, removal, and binding. For the Sun the bright daylight hours are used for increasing magick, with noon being strongest. For decreasing magick, perform during the evening hours, with midnight being strongest. Each planet has a dragon ritual chant for the physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual aspects of growth. These chants are to be used in conjunction with candles of the appropriate color. Consider carefully the reason behind your choice of planet characteristics before you do these rituals. And never go to extremes by constantly performing the same rituals for the same characteristics. You can get overloaded and create worse problems for yourself if you do. An example would be using the planet Mars too much; this would eventually produce negative aspects, such as an explosive temper and impatience.
Carve your desire into the candle with your ritual dagger. Anoint the candle with a planetary oil, from the wick to the bottom to bring something to you, from the bottom to the wick to move something away from you.
Also part of each ritual should be the choosing of planetary herbs as an offering to the dragon of that planet. You can enhances the power more by surrounding the candle with stones chosen for their specific energies. All planetary candles should be left on the altar to burn completely out.
Use the Basic Dragon Ritual as a foundation ritual and insert the chant for your chosen planet in the proper places. Invite the dragons of that planet to join you in dance and ritual; if you do not extend an invitation, why should they bother to join you? Chose music that reflects what you feel about the chosen planet. Let your feelings be sensitive to the atmosphere around you so that you will be aware of the dragons’ arrival and participation.
When you reach the part of the ritual where you insert specific spell workings, carve your desire into the candle; anoint it with the oil. Light the candle and surround it with stones. Say the planetary chant. Finish by chanting the Charm of Making:
“By the glow of Sun the power’s begun, by Moonbeam’s light the spell is right, to create desire by Earth and Fire, Water, Air, make magick fair. Powerful Charm of Making, Creative magick undertaking. Be Formed!”
When finished with the spell working, complete the Basic Dragon Ritual.
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.
The Moon’s Phase for Feb. 10, 2012
(At Midnight, US Central time, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere)
Illuminated Fraction: 0.849
3.4 days before last quarter
It is now midway through Uranus’s rule as the planetary governor of the zodiacal month of Aquarius, and its unpredictable, radical, ecce
ntric, 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.
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.
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.
Love vibrations are increasing in frequency – courtesy of a Moon-Venus
flowing trine in water signs (1:29AM PST). While romance appears to be promising, surprises and shock waves can easily pop up due to a frictional, 45-degree connection from the Sun to radical-change agent Uranus (2:05AM PST). Expecting the unexpected is more the rule now than the exception. A short void lunar cycle from 4:32AM PST to 5:25AM PST is a reminder to finish old projects on a high note. Once the clock strikes 5:25AM PST, the Moon enters warmhearted and outgoing Leo for a change of pace. Advances on the cutting edge of science and metaphysics can suddenly show up as the Moon trines Uranus (9:01AM PST). Become more familiar with new technological marvels entering the marketplace and be fearless about exploring the ever-expanding online universe. However, more topsy-turvy conditions are likely to spontaneously manifest around the time that Mercury makes an abrasive, 45-degree link to its higher-octave planet Uranus (12:03PM PST). When Uranus begins to throw its erratic, iconoclastic and revolutionary weight around, stability and comfort are hard to find. Instead, you need to periodically check in with your intuitive awareness and fly more by the seat of your pants. Keep preparing for tomorrow’s enlightening Full Moon energy-field and Saturn turnaround in motion.
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.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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