Tag: Sun

Here Comes the Sun

Here Comes the Sun

by Michael Steward

Satirical, yet useful, home and garden article

The holidays are over. The festivities are ended. After the last decoration is alphabetically filed and boxed away for next year, and the last of the shreds of hand-stamped wrapping paper are finally in the color-coordinated recycle bin, a sense of emptiness ensues. No more extended weekends (except for those government employees who everyone else is jealous of). No more demiglace, gourmet eggnog, or cleverly decorated pagan ornaments.

Looking for that special way to shed light into your life during this dreary northwest post-holiday season weather? Here are some ideas to “Bring In The LightTM“.

Create a special illumination in your home to remind you that the sun is shining just above the clouds — and that you can reach up and pull down some of the much-needed solar warmth.

A Sun shaped talisman hanging from your window is always a good idea. Shavings of different colors of crayons make an excellent stained glass effect when ironed (on low heat) between two pieces of waxed paper. Mount this creation in a sun-shaped frame. Cut out two identical sun shapes from a piece of cardboard. Cover them in gold foil or gold leftover wrapping paper (that you made last season by hand in your basement). Add other crafty effects, such as beads, sparkling pipe cleaners, or tissue paper. Glue the stained glass in the center of the two frames, and hang in a window to remind you of those beautiful summer days not too far away.

You can also bring in the light with an easy painted effect on a boring white wall in your home. While it may seem intimidating at first, creating a feature wall in your home is actually quite easy, and the end result can freshen up any room! I think that yellow is an excellent way to brighten a boring old room. (Yes, YELLOW). Use a true bright lemon yellow. For a full wall you wont need more than a pint of paint. (You can, of course, use any color — but get the strongest version, as we will be watering down the paint in this process for a more subtle effect)

Move furniture away, and protect the baseboards and floor with masking tape and newspaper. In a roller pan mix a half-cup of yellow paint with 3 cups of warm (not hot) water. Mix it well. Keep the consistency opaque, but very viscous. Use a natural sponge with just a bit of paint on it and pat it on your wall, starting in the upper corner. Rotate the sponge continually so as not to leave identical marks on your wall. Spread the paint thin so that the

effect is subtle, yet refreshing. Work consistently from the corner in a fan shape, blending in each section as you go. Use a piece of cardboard to mask off adjacent walls.

In the garden — it’s time to get a start on spring annuals, and preparing for the seasons ahead! Here are the Monthly To-Do’s for the January Gardener:

  • Order seeds
  • Sow seeds of warm-season annuals indoors
  • Sow seeds for hardy spring-blooming annuals
  • Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
  • Move living Christmas trees outdoors
  • Plant or transplant frost-tolerant perennials
  • Plant bare-root roses
  • Apply dormant spray to bare-root roses
  • Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
  • Prune winter-blooming shrubs and vines just after bloom
  • Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
  • Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
  • Sow seeds for cool-season vegetables
  • Protect tender plants from frost

Getting your hands in the dirt is one of the best ways to keep in touch with the earth `s cycle, and connect with the winter season in preparation for spring!

Good luck to you in the coming season! And remember, it’s a Blessed Thing.

Calendar of the Sun for Jan. 22

Calendar of the Sun
22 Wolfmonath

Day of the Water Bearer – Beginning of Aquarius

Colors: Purple and electric blue
Element: Air
Altar: Set with cloth of purple and electric blue, with a tall glass vase holding carbonated water, or plain water with dry ice in it, a feather from a large bird, incense, and a Uranus symbol.
Offerings: A joke that no one has heard yet. Do something differently, or in a new way.
Daily Meal: Waterfowl such as duck or goose. Or try an entirely new and preferably foreign sort of cooking or diet for the day.

Invocation to Aquarius

Bearer of the heavenly waters
Of knowledge and inspiration,
The ebb and flow of the Apsu,
Dipped from the Milky Way,
Neither man nor woman,
Looking ahead in time,
Whose gift is Newness,
Bless us with the ability
To be ready for the future
And all it may bring,
And welcome rather than fear changes.
By the power of all inspiration,
You challenge us
To be open to new things,
And never to give in to stagnation.
May we all go forth in wonder.

Chant:
Wearing my long wing feathers as I fly
Wearing my long wing feathers as I fly
I circle around
I circle around
The boundaries of the Earth.

(Let all present hold hands and dance a simple circle dance while chanting, hands raised high between them. One who is chosen to do the work of the ritual should stand with a great fan, and fan air at the dancers as they pass, like a great wind.)

Cosmic Calendar for January 22

If you were able to move through yesterday’s celestial labyrinth without too much trouble, give yourself a pat on the back. You still have to deal with the galloping intensity of the dark-of-the-moon vibrations – when the lunar orb is nearing its monthly rendezvous with the Sun, but which is pushed back in time to 11:40PM PST tonight with the New Moon energizing 3 degrees of Aquarius. The 23+ hours before this moment sees an increasing wave that suggests the need to close down old business and projects on a high note. However, this implies that it is extra hard to utilize this morning’s Moon-Mercury union in Capricorn (4:03AM PST) in a forward-moving, assertive manner. Instead, you can sharpen some of your communication and literary skills. This is amplified several hours later when Venus forms a parallel with Saturn (1:21PM PST). This Venus-Saturn contact also gives you a partial boost with business, artistic and professional matters. Make note of the short void lunar cycle that starts at 5:39PM PST and ends at 6:54PM PST when the Moon enters service-oriented Aquarius. As mentioned earlier in this calendar entry, the moment of the New Moon – 11:40PM PST – is the key time when the dark-of-the-moon vibes dissolve and the universe recharges your electro-magnetic batteries, urging you to join others in group, team and community activities that have a ring of goodwill surrounding them.

Blessed Sunday, dear friends!

Days Of The Week Comments Well, good morning! Oops, I mean good afternoon. Would you believe I got on the net this morning at 10:00. I had intentions of actually getting the horoscopes on in the morning, like I use too. Well I will get there eventually. As you can tell I have been playing with the site. I have added a few new touches to it. I promise the layout will stay the same for a bit now. The other layout, the more I looked at it, the more it looked like a jumbled up mess. I like this layout better. Thank you for having patience with me. I love to play, lol!  

Well I hope you have a great Sunday! Kick back and relax for tomorrow comes the work week. Hate to be the bearer of bad news! Just don’t shoot the messenger, lol! 

Now On With The Magick…..  

 

Correspondences for Sunday

 
Magickal Intentions: Growth, Advancements, Enlightment, Rational Thought, Exorcism, Healing, Prosperity, Hope, Exorcism, Money
Incense: Lemon, Frankincense
Planet: Sun
Sign: Leo
Angel: Michael
Colors: Gold, Yellow, Orange and White
Herbs/Plants: Marigold, Heliotrope, Sunflower, Buttercup, Cedar, Beech, Oak
Stones: Carnelian, Citrine, Tiger’s Eye, Amber, Clear Quartz and Red Agate
Oil: (Sun) Cedar, Frankincense, Neroli, Rosemary
The first day of the week is ruled by the Sun. It is an excellent time to work efforts involving business partnerships, work promotions, business ventures, and professional success. Spells where friendships, mental or physical health, or bringing joy back into life are an issue work well on this day, too.
 
 

Spellcrafting for Sunday

 LOVE BATH SPELL TO ATTRACT FRIENDS

Need: ½ teaspoon yerba maté or sage, 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice, some bread crumbs.

Light a pink (for romance) or red (for passionate relationship) candle in your bathroom. Pour all of the ingredients in the cheesecloth and fill your bath with water bath, go inside and place the cheesecloth (tied) into the bath water and let it diffuse, visualize the kind of lover you want and what type of relationship you wish to have.

 

 Thank the goddess/gods and snuff out the candle (don’t blow out!). Do not rinse or use soap. Let this beauty/attraction bath stay on you for the rest of the night.

 

Magickal Graphics

Cosmic Calendar for Jan. 21st

turday, January 21, 2012

 

Are worries and nervous tension giving you a psychic headache that won’t seem to dissipate? You may be tuning into Monday’s upcoming Mars turnaround – where the red planet shifts from moving forward in Virgo to doing backflips for approximately 80 days. Helping you cope with the increasing martial energy-field are a Moon-Venus supportive, 60-degree tie (6:01AM PST) and a similar hook-up between the Sun and Uranus (5:22PM PST). However, these two favorable sky patterns are separated by nearly half the day and they may not be able to neutralize discordant vibes coming from the monthly Moon-Pluto union in Capricorn (4:33AM PST), Pallas making an abrasive, 45-degree tie to Pluto (7:32PM PST), an off-kilter, 150-degree link from Mars to Pallas (8:29PM PST), the Moon parallel to Pluto (10:04PM PST) and a feisty, unsettling Sun-Jupiter square from Aquarius to Taurus (10:36PM PST). The cosmos is clearly ruffling many of its feathers, and the shadowy, dark-of-the-moon monthly cycle is also gaining power as the next New Moon happens late tomorrow night. Do your best to make some breakthroughs in higher consciousness and tap into Uranian-endowed flashes of genius along the way. The Moon in Capricorn continues to stimulate your overall urge to reach loftier career milestones.

Calendar of the Moon for Jan. 21st

Calendar of the Moon
21 Beth/Poseideion

Day of the Leprous White Lady

Color: White
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a white cloth lay a skull, three white candles, a pair of white gloves. and a bowl of milk laced with clear liquor.
Offerings: Tend one who is ill.
Daily Meal: Dairy-based.

Invocation to the Leprous White Lady

(To be spoken Call And Response. The Call is spoken and the Response is whispered.)
White as the skin of a pale corpse,
White as the snow that freezes the world,
White as the owl that swoops down on its prey,
White as the maggot devouring dead flesh,
White as the belly of the worm,
White as the frosted eyes of the blind man,
White as the teeth of the predator,
White as the hame of the forgotten ghost,
White as the hair of the sacred hag,
White as the scent of soured milk,
White as the bones scattered on the earth,
White as the ashes scattered in the wind,
White as the moon that brings madness to the brain,
You walk across the twisted land
And bring illness to all that cross your path.
We accept, White Lady, that this is part of life;
That each devouring dragon in the blood
Is as dear to you are any of us.
You are the one who keeps our numbers
From carelessly overrunning the Earth.
You are cruel, yet we honor your necessity,
And ask only that you pass us by for yet one more year.
Turn your face from us, White Lady,
And do not come to our beds
Until you come partnered with a swifter death.
White as the bones scattered on the earth,
White as the ashes scattered in the wind,
White as the Leprous White Lady who walks alone.

(All blow out the candles and leave in silence.)

Calendar of the Sun for Jan. 21st

Calendar of the Sun

Carista – Day of Peace in the Family

Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.

Carista Invocation

May there be Peace in this house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Peace can be a hard mistress.
The daily round of the ordinary,
The simple turn of day and night and day
The presence of the same souls
Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,
And yet Peace still demands
That we find a way to move past
That ordinariness
And all the thousand thorns and briars
And bring Peace into the house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Take the hand of your sister, your brother,
The one who shares your roof, your table,
The ground you walk on,
Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,
And swear to find a way
To bring peace into the space between you.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)

Chant:
My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.

(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the community, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)

Lunar Almanac for Saturday, January 21

Days Of The Week Comments
Lunabar Moon Almanack for Saturday, January 21, 2012

Waning, Balsamic Moon Age: 27 ¼ days.

Ascending Node is at 11° Sagittarius.

Moon in 3rd degree of the Sign Capricorn, the Goat;

also in 7th deg. of the Constellation Sagittarius, the Archer.

Moonrise: 5:45 morn. Midheaven: 10:47 morn. Moonset: 3:54 eve.

  
Magickal Graphics

About Imbolc

About Imbolc

a guide to the Sabbat’s symbolism

by Arwynn MacFeylynnd

Date: February 1 or 2.

Alternative names: Imbolg, Candlemas, Oimelc, Brighid’s Day, Lupercus, the Feast of Lights, Groundhog’s Day

Primary meanings: The name “Imbolc” derives from the word “oimelc,” meaning sheep’s milk. It is considered a time of purification, preparation and celebration for new life stirring, anticipating spring. The holiday is also known as Candlemas; the custom of blessing candles at this time signifies awakening of life and honors the Celtic goddess Brighid, to whom fire is sacred. This Sabbat also celebrates banishing winter.

Symbols: Candle wheels, grain dollies and Sun wheels, a besom (witch’s broom), a sprig of evergreen, a bowl of snow and small Goddess statues representing her in the maiden aspect.

Colors: White, yellow, pink, light blue, light green; also, red and brown.

Gemstones: Amethyst, aquamarine, turquoise, garnet and onyx.

Herbs: Angelica, basil, bay, benzoin, clover, dill, evergreens, heather, myrrh, rosemary, willows and all yellow flowers.

Gods and goddesses: Brighid, the Celtic goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft; all virgin and maiden goddesses; all fire and flame gods, connected with the newborn Sun.

Customs and myths: In Irish legends of the Tuatha De Danaan, Brighid is the name of three daughters of Dagda who over time were combined into one goddess. She was venerated in Scotland, Wales, on the Isle of Man and in the Hebrides. When celebrating Candlemas or Imbolc, spellwork for fertility, inspiration and protection are appropriate, defining and focusing on spiritual and physical desires for the future. Imbolc is a good time to get your life in order — physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Make plans, organize, clean out drawers and closets to bring in the new and clearing out the old. Make and bless candles; light one in each room in honor of the Sun’s rebirth. Carry out rites of self-purification. Burn mistletoe, holly and ivy decorations from Yule to signify the end of harsh weather and old ways.

Cosmic Calendar for Friday, Jan. 20th

Some strong changes are in the air – especially as the Sun enters Aquarius (8:11AM PST) for the next 30-day solar cycle in the zodiac. There is always an emphasis on group projects, team sports, community activities and humanitarian movements that are global in nature whenever the Sun activates this sign of the zodiac. Helping you make the most of this transition from the earth sign Capricorn is an inspirational, 72-degree rapport from Mercury to Ceres (12:26AM PST), a similar aspect from Mercury to Uranus (6:46PM PST) while Venus forms a supportive, 60-degree association with Pluto (12:33PM PST). Your productivity in arts, crafts and hobbies can rise while your emotional bonds with dear ones are strengthened. Breakthroughs in consciousness can become more the rule than the exception. Adding to your gains on the productivity front is a constructive, 60-degree alliance of the Sun with Ceres (5:49PM PST). The main challenge comes from a relatively short lunar void cycle that runs from 1:50PM PST to 2:41PM PST (when the Moon shifts from Sagittarius into Capricorn). Hopes should be able to drown out any chorus of fears as the Moon in Capricorn trines Jupiter in Taurus (5:18PM PST) – creating a strong and positive psychic backdrop to the evening hours.

Calendar of the Sun for Friday, Jan. 20

Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

Cosmic Calender for Thursday, Jan. 19th

The Moon in Sagittarius is certainly a robust, stimulating and adventurous type of energy. Weather permitting, exploring the great outdoors and enjoying favorite sports and hobbies are a delight. Meanwhile, the largest asteroid – Ceres – enters Aries (10:38AM PST) for a new round through the 12 signs of the zodiac that lasts until April 14, 2016, over four years from now. It is a good time to shift your nutritional needs on to a higher level. You can be a leader in the fields of gardening and good-food production by taking an active interest in what Mother Nature has to offer humanity. [Ceres will enter Taurus on April 9.] Later today, the Sun at the end of Capricorn forms a square to Saturn at the end of Libra (1:20PM PST). Do everything in your power to avoid getting down on yourself or accentuating a pessimistic mind-set. Hard work and perseverance are the dynamic duo that will lead to eventual worldly success. Realize that tomorrow will bring a solar shift into Aquarius whereas Saturn is slowing down in its daily motion as it will go into reverse on February 7. Uncertainty and confusion can still grip you like a vice this evening as the Sun makes a 30-degree link to Neptune (7:56PM PST) while Mercury forms a frictional, 45-degree tie to Chiron (8:22PM PST). Learn more about alternative medical and holistic healing techniques that can help to eliminate some of the wear and tear on your physical body.

Calendar of the Sun for Thursday, Jan. 19th

Calendar of the Sun
19 Wolfmonath

Thor’s Blot

Color: Blue
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a blue cloth lay a bowl of rainwater, a cup of mead, and a Thor’s hammer.
Offerings: Mead libation.
Daily Meal: Goat meat.

Invocation to Thor

Hail, Thor, Lord of the Hammer!
Lord of the Storm, rumbling chariot
That tears across the sky,
Lord who speaks plainly
And has no time for intrigue
And subtle ploys,
Protector of the common man,
Warrior beloved by farmers,
Help us to untwist our tongues
And speak the fiery truth
Hurled blazing like a hammer-bolt
Across the open sky!

Song: Hail Thor, Lord of Thunder

(The cup of mead is passed around, and each drinks for Thor, saying what first comes into his mind, like a lightning bolt of truth. The remainder of the mead, and the rainwater, is poured out as a libation. Then the Mjollnir is passed, and each lays it on their heart and swears to make their word be as a bond of iron.)

Lunar Almanac for Thursday, January 19th

 Moon & Witch Comments & Graphics 

Lunar Almanac for Thursday, January 19, 2012

Waning, Last Quarter Moon Age: 25 ¼ days.

Moon at Ascending Node.

Moon in 5th degree of the Sign Sagittarius, the Bowman;

also in 5th deg. of the Constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion.

Moonrise: 3:51 morn. Midheaven: 8:50 morn. Moonset: 1:47 eve.

 
~Magickal Graphics~

Daily Cosmic Calendar for Jan. 17th

There’s a definite uptick on the relationship front and it comes from a Sun-Juno 60-degree alliance (12:00PM PST) linking Capricorn and Scorpio. The Sun and Juno don’t always make this kind of favorable aspect and your job is to be extra sensitive to dear ones. Be a good listener and don’t just dump your burdens of the shoulders of a significant other. Some confusion may pop up on the artistic horizon and in dealing with investment matters due to Mercury forming a caustic, 45-degree tie to Neptune (1:57PM PST) while the Sun makes the same kind of challenging alignment with Vesta (4:39PM PST). Assisting you in making sure your business affairs are on solid ground is a subtle and yet still uplifting, 30-degree rapport from Jupiter to Uranus (4:14PM PST). This mentally expansive alignment also works on your behalf if you are engaged in advanced studies in all fields of knowledge and wisdom. The love boat travels to exotic ports of call this evening as the Moon forms a supportive, 60-degree link with passionate Mars (11:25PM PST) while the Moon also makes its approach to a monthly union with Juno in Scorpio (happening exactly at 6:56AM PST tomorrow).

Calendar of the Sun for Januaury 17th

Calendar of the Sun
17 Wolfmonath

Ogoun’s Day

Colors: Green and black
Element: Earth
Altar: On cloth of green and black set many tools and weapons of iron and steel, an anvil, large green candles, and the figure of a leopard.
Offerings: Red meat from four-legged animals. Work hard and focused at a difficult task.
Daily Meal: Red meat from four-legged animals.

Invocation to Ogoun

Papa Ogoun
You of the unflinching leopard stare
You whose eyes bore into us
As you look up from the work
You are doomed to do eternally.
You know the darknesses within us,
The beasts caged by such flimsy bars;
The silent round of toil,
The dedication,
The rhythm of hammer on anvil
Forging one’s own chains
To free the hands of others.
Hunt our laziness down like
Frightened antelope
And do not rest
Until you have borne us to the ground
Which is where we belong.

(The Ogoun chant should be accompanied with a drum circle. It is wordless harmonies sung over the pounding drums. Each person who is not drumming should take a turn pounding on the anvil with a metal hammer, in honor of Ogoun the smith.)

Pagan Studies – Moon Miscellany

Pagan Studies – Moon Miscellany

 
New Moon – White Goddess of birth and growth.
Full Moon – Red Goddess of love and battle.
Old Moon – Black Goddess of death and divination.
 
All hail to thee, Queen of heaven!
Thou showest two horns to mark six days,
And on the seventh will divide thy crown in two.
On the fourteenth day, turn thy full face unto us.
 
Seven is the Moon’s mystic number, because each one of its four phases is completed in seven days.
 
Nineteen is a sacred number in Old Irish and Celtic lore, for the sequence of Moon phases within a single zodiac sign is repeated every 19 years.
 
The Mansions of the Moon, abodes of the soul, refer to the position of the Moon at noon on each of the 28 days in a lunar month.
 
Bow to the new Moon, especially the first new Moon of the year, as a sign of respect. It is courting disaster to point at the Moon at any time. Turn a silver coin in your purse or pocket at the first sight of the new Moon to gain luck.
It is bad luck to see the new Moon for the first time on your left, or behind you, or through the branches of a tree. A new Moon on Saturday means foul weather. A full Moon on Sunday brings bad luck and toilers of the sea should not set sail.
 
The Roman astrologers of classical times considered the Moon sign of a horoscope to be of far greater significance than the Sun sign.
 
Marsilioi Ficino, the Florentine philosopher of the Renaissance, defined the planetary image of the spirit of the Moon as an archer riding a doe, a huntress with bows and arrows, a little boy, a goose, or a single arrow.
 
Diana, Goddess of the Moon and patroness of witches, was regarded as a demon by the early Christians.
 
Waxing: as the size of the Moon increases, its form takes the shape of the capital letter D: D for Daring. This marks a time for creativity, expansion, and development. You may glance up at the sky in the late afternoon to see the pale waxing half Moon beckoning. Later on as darkness falls, it shines like a beacon of hope in the west, raising your spirits and assuring the success of your ventures.
 
Waning: rising later night after night, the Moon diminishes in size, now assuming the form of the letter C: C for Caring. The time has come to relax, restore energy, and quietly dispel negative influences in your life. Banish fear, unworthy desires, and selfish motivations as the Moon wanes.
.
Excerpted From Elizabeth Pepper, The Witches’ Almanac, Ltd.

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Calendar of the Sun for Jan. 16th

Calendar of the Sun
16 Wolfmonath

Muspellheim Day: Surt’s Blot

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon cloth of red set a great burning brazier of fire, many red candles, and a bottle of high-proof hard liquor.
Offerings: Bring fire to sacred places. The windows should be opened for the hour before Sponde, allowing cold to penetrate into the House. Then at Sponde, the sacred fire should be lit.
Daily Meal: Hot spicy food, of any kind.

Muspellheim Invocation

In the beginning there was Ginnungagap,
The darkness ever-stretching in every direction.
Then came forth two worlds out of that darkness,
And one was the world of Fire, home to Surt the Black.
And the World of Fire touched the World of Ice,
And from that touch came the life of all the Worlds.
Hail, Master of Muspellheim,
Guardian of the Wand of Light,
Eldest of the elders, first upon the World Tree,
Primal Flame that shines in the dark,
Your soul is of the power that births universes,
Your heart is the power of the fire beneath the earth,
Your flesh is the molten stone pouring forth,
Your hands are the flame that leaps forth,
The smoke of your hair is as dark
As your sight is bright and blinding.
Hail, Master of Muspellheim,
Keeper of the Eternal Flame,
Bringer of the first red light
Into the darkness of Ginnungagap,
Bringer of the first red warmth
Into the frozen cold of Niflheim,
Melter of ice, destroyer of worlds,
Spark of hope that begins life again.
Bless us, Surt the Black, Obsidian Lord,
From birthing coals to funeral pyre.

(The liquor is poured into the fire as a libation. All come forth and take candles, and light them from the flame. Then the fire is carried into each room of the house, and the windows are closed, and the heat resumed, and all hearths relit. Fires should be fed well and burn high on this day.)

Cosmic Calendar for Sunday, Jan. 15th

Learning from esteemed mentors and teachers is one way to get moving this morning as the Moon is parallel Saturn (1:24AM PST) followed some 7+ hours later by an inspirational, 72-degree link from Mercury to Saturn (9:15AM PST). Focusing attention on key business or professional matters also makes sense. Money-making ventures could appear on the scene later on as Venus parallels Neptune (1:50PM PST), Mercury makes a supportive, 60-degree link with Vesta (2:26PM PST), and the Moon parallels Venus (6:00PM PST). The emphasis on Venus, Vesta and Neptune suggests that your highest ideals and dreams can come true with enough self-assurance. Working with the right artistic media is necessary since the Moon continues its march through creative and affable Libra. Some confusion on the partnership front may develop as the Moon parallels Neptune (6:24PM PST) followed by Mercury making a frictional, 45-degree tie to Juno (6:52PM PST). Be prepared for an intense day on Spaceship Earth tomorrow as several planetary pranksters try to mutiny and disrupt the proceedings.

Calendar of the Moon For January 15th

Calendar of the Moon
15 Beth Poseideion

Dionysia Agrous I: Phallikon

Color: Purple
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a purple cloth set a five purple candles, a wreath of grapevines, a jar of wine, a basket of raisins, the figure of a goat, and the figure of an erect phallus, wound with ivy.
Offerings: Wine libations. Ritual sex is appropriate on this day.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian, with wine and cheese.

Phallikon Invocation

Hail the Phallus of Earth,
Living even beneath the cold ground!
May its joy and excitement spring forth
In all of us, male and female,
May we remember that even
When we are closed to the fire of the loins
It is still the fire that brings forth life,
Sustains life,
Embodies life,
And so we also need that life.
Help us to revere that force,
O Dionysius who sacrificed yours
That the vines might grow,
That fruit might spring from the trees.
Even when the fruit is withered,
It still sustains us.
Even when your manhood was taken,
It still sustains us.
Even when the fire of life is diverted,
It still sustains us.
May we never forget the leaping flame,
The leaping phallus of Earth,
The leaping joy of Life.

Chant: Io Dionysos Io Dionysos

(The basket of raisins is passed, and eaten. The jug of wine is passed, and toasts made to Dionysos. The rest is poured out one by one in libations.)