"Witchcraft for the 21st Century"
Mars
Mars represents those qualities we commonly associate with the male/yang persona. Mars traits include raw energy, ambition, aggression, confidence, passion, and a sense of adventure. The occurrence of Mars denotes the dominating presence or need of the qualities listed above. Martian influence may have a negative impact unless it is balanced with an influence that can blunt the brashness and impulsiveness of Mars.
Today’s Meaning:
You will find you have within you the ability to resolve all conflicts and disagreements with regard to this aspect. You will find an eloquence you did not realize before.
General Description:
The staff of Mercury was given to him by Apollo in exchange for the lyre. The rod was endowed with the remarkable power of deciding all quarrels and bestowing wonderful eloquence upon its possessor. Mercury proved this when he saw two serpents fighting. Placing the rod between them and using his eloquence he reconciled the serpents, who then embraced each other, and becoming attached to the rod formed the caduceus. The pine cone is credited with health giving power, and the wings symbolize speed and the flight of thoughts between friends. This ancient talisman was supposed to be a charm for prosperity, rendering its possessor healthy, wealthy and wise.
St. Vincent, deacon and first Spanish martyr, was widely venerated during the Middle Ages. This day has long served to watch the weather and the legs, which are ruled by Aquarius.
Remember on St. Vincent’s day,
If that the Sun his beams display.
For ‘tis a token, bright and clear,
Of prosperous weather all the year.
In ancient Greece this day was dedicated to Apollo, the Sun God of light, poetry, and oracles. It was believed that if one carried his emblem good luck, light and truth would follow. Hesperides wrote “To Apollo: A Short Hymne” (1648) to honor Apollo on this day:
Thou mighty Lord, and master of the lyre,
Unshorn Apollo, come and re-inspire,
My fingers so, the Lyrick-strings to move
That I may play, and sing a Hymne of Love.
An Invitation to Comfort
Creating a Happy, Serene, and Healthy Home
Include all 5 senses while making a home, doing so provides safe haven for your evolving body and soul.
Your home is your oasis. Through your efforts, your house or apartment can become both a private sanctuary and a welcoming, serene, and healthy place to live in and visit. An organized and comfortable home can have a calming effect on you, your family, and guests, as well as be your personal escape from the rest of the world. Creating this nurturing space isn’t difficult. Even a household that includes young children or multiple animals can be a serene and peaceful place. In just a few minutes, you can make a number of changes that can turn your home into a safe and comfortable haven that you can be proud to share with your loved ones and friends.
One way to fill your house or apartment with calming energy is to imbue it with a peaceful ambiance that nurtures all five senses. Soft lighting and soothing colors like blue, purple, and green can make a space feel warm and inviting, while pleasant and calming aromas such as lavender and vanilla can positively affect moods. Peaceful sounds, such as running water in a fountain or gentle chimes can uplift and clear the space, while clearing clutter and making the most of open space can ease internal turmoil and dispel negative feelings. The physical objects in your home as well as your home itself can retain the energy of previous owners and the object’s creator. You can give your household’s energy a lift by visualizing white light surrounding our home, symbolically sweeping out residual energy, or smudging your home with cleansing sage.
The changes you make to your home can be as unique as you are and may involve utilization of space, lighting, new furniture, decorating, feng shui, or ritual. But what you do is not as important as being clear in your intention to set up your household as a soothing and refreshing place to be. Make your home a place of comfort, and you will feel nurtured and cared for whenever you are there.
Today is called ‘Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Kids.’ Even if your kids have flown the coop, you can still cosmically connect with them. Simply play some music in the ‘Children’ area of your living space (center or middle of the right-hand wall). Or you can ring a bell to activate the energies of this space as well. If you like, you can light a white candle in honor of the kids too. Activating the energies of this area will trigger timely blessings to be sent their way, whether you’re breaking bread with them tonight or not.
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.comDaily
An Invitation to Comfort
Creating a Serene Home
Include all 5 senses while making a home, doing so provides safe haven for your evolving body and soul.
Your home is your oasis. Through your efforts, your house or apartment can become both a private sanctuary and a welcoming, serene, and healthy place to live in and visit. An organized and comfortable home can have a calming effect on you, your family, and guests, as well as be your personal escape from the rest of the world. Creating this nurturing space isn’t difficult. Even a household that includes young children or multiple animals can be a serene and peaceful place. In just a few minutes, you can make a number of changes that can turn your home into a safe and comfortable haven that you can be proud to share with your loved ones and friends.
One way to fill your house or apartment with calming energy is to imbue it with a peaceful ambiance that nurtures all five senses. Soft lighting and soothing colors like blue, purple, and green can make a space feel warm and inviting, while pleasant and calming aromas such as lavender and vanilla can positively affect moods. Peaceful sounds, such as running water in a fountain or gentle chimes can uplift and clear the space, while clearing clutter and making the most of open space can ease internal turmoil and dispel negative feelings. The physical objects in your home as well as your home itself can retain the energy of previous owners or creators. You can give your household’s energy a lift by visualizing white light surrounding our home, symbolically sweeping out residual energy, or smudging your home with cleansing sage.
The changes you make to your home can be as unique as you are and may involve utilization of space, lighting, new furniture, decorating, feng shui, or ritual. But what you do is not as important as being clear in your intention to set up your household as a soothing and refreshing place to be. Make your home a place of comfort, and you will feel nurtured and cared for whenever you are there.
Today is ‘Chaos Never Dies’ day and I say death to that sort of sentiment! Chaos does die, especially when you help to euthanize it, and here’s how to do that. First, clean your house. This seems so simple but it’s so incredibly effective. Add some green and healthy plants to your indoor living space. Peace lily absorbs excess ammonia, acetone and formaldehyde from the environment, and bamboo and other healthy plants give out oxygen and healing. Of course, de-clutter your space once you’ve cleaned it. Clearing the clutter is the fastest and most effective way of ridding your life of chaos. It will also free up space in your mind for positive insights, ideas and inspiration. Let in more natural light and hang round and faceted crystals in the windows. Lastly, fill your living space with smoke and sound (incense and music) to cleanse any invisible energies that could contribute to disarray in your life. Chaos never dies? I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
Using crystals for protective work is very similar to sympathetic magick. It works best as a technique for permanently protecting a space and for restoring balance to energies where there has been a disturbance.
The best crystals to use are unpolished, plain white quartz. You will need four crystals, one for each point of the compass. They should be cleaned first. You can do this by leaving them out in the Sun on a windowsill for a few days, putting them in a glass and leaving them in running water for ten minutes or by smudging.
When you have your cleansed crystals, you need to charge them up to be protective. Find a safe space to sit down where you won’t be disturbed. You might like to use some of the other techniques to ensure the space is clear—the aura exercise works particularly well in this case. Or you could charge your crystals away from the area you want to protect.
When you are settled and relaxed, hold the crystals cupped in your hands. As you breathe in, imagine you are breathing in golden energy. This energy, once you’ve breathed it in, flows out down your arms and into your hands. Here it surrounds the crystals in golden light. While you’re visualizing this, imagine feelings of safety and security. It’s important to keep your thoughts positive—focus on cleanliness and purity, not on the negativity that you want to keep out. After a couple of minutes, very gently lay the crystals aside, let your breathing return to normal, and repeat the aura exercise. Have something to eat and drink, and keep the crystals in a bag made of natural material until you need to use them.
When in use, they should be hidden, either just underground, under a lifted carpet, or behind a cupboard, as near the four cardinal compass points around the edge of the area as you can. As with all protections, work in a clockwise direction with knowledge and intent of what you are doing.
Reference:
Excerpt from:
Protection While Working Magick – Crystals By Graham Miller Llewellyn’s 2012 Witches Almanac for Everyday Living
Preparing Your Space
Before you begin any ritual or ceremony, you should Clear and Cleanse the area where the work is to be done. This is especially true when you’re first consecrating your sacred space. You should re-cleanse this area each time you begin a ritual or use of this space, but these later efforts will all be affected by how you first set the intent and use of energy in this space for the first time.
Selecting A Space
Designate an area in your home or outside where your sacred space will be. This should be a place that is undisturbed by other members of your household. If you don’t have the space in your home to designate a room as your spiritual area, then set aside a corner or portion of a room. You can use curtains, an attractive room divider or just a special arrangement of furniture.
If you decide to create a space outside, the same considerations apply. You want this area to be undisturbed by other people. A place where your ritual objects will be safe if you leave them outside.
Setting Up Your Space
Before any spiritual event can occur, you should create or designate a place that can act as your “Sacred Space”. Your personal area where only spiritual work and interaction will be conducted. Once you have designated an area, inside or outside, you will need to cleanse the area, energize it and create a “gateway” for spiritual communication and work.
Decorating Your Space
Decorations add to the “essence” of your spiritual space, but they also server as symbolic reminders and tools for your work. If you have a close affinity to the energy of a particular animal, then add a statue or picture of that animal in your area. If you have a particular connection to a pentacle or medicine wheel, then give that object a prominent location in your space.
Some people like to set all natural materials in their space. A solid wood table and chair(s) with natural fiber coverings and so on. These additional practical items are entirely up to you. But if you feel that natural objects help you connect with the natural forces around you, then add these specific items to your space.
Some things you may want to consider putting in your space are:
Table and at least 1 chair.
A small table for a permanent altar.
Candles of varying color.
Crystals and stones for future rituals.
Incense for cleansing and clearing.
Don’t forget the matches.
Any other Magikal Tools you may wish to use.
