Tag: Witchcraft Open Chats

CIRCLE MAKING THROUGH THE SEASONS

CIRCLE MAKING THROUGH THE SEASONS
By Selena Fox – Copyright 1985
Reprinted with the expressed written permission of Selena Fox/Circle
Sanctuary

Whether you celebrate the Pagan seasonal holidays indoors or outside, alone or
with others, you can enhance the beauty and effectiveness of you Sabbat
ceremonies by decorating your circle with gifts of Nature appropriate to the
season.

Marking the circle space and the four directions on the ground or floor aids in
visualizing the circle of energy that forms in a place during a ritual. Doing
this is very helpful for beginners in ritual, for new groups, and for ecumenical
workings which include people of many paths. Using seasonal decorations to mark
the circle and quarters strengthens the connection of the participants and the
ceremony with Nature and the particular energy of a holiday. For the same
reason, it also is good to have some seasonal decorations on the altar, whether
it is positioned centrally as we do or at some other place in the circle.

When possible, those taking part in a Sabbat ceremony should ritually collect
decorations for the circle from Nature themselves. When collecting plant parts,
be they dried or fresh, from gardens, parks, or the wilds, before you begin, be
sure to honor the Spirits of the Plants and the Spirit of the Place you are
visiting. Pause a few moments, commune with them through silent meditation,
state your need for circle decorations, and ask for their help. Then, let them
intuitively guide you during the gathering process. When you are done, give
thanks for the gifts you have received. Remember that the decorations you gather
are parts of other life-forms here on Planet Earth, rather than non-sentient
things for you to manipulate for your own purposes. Respect Nature Spirits and
they will become you friends and bring special blessings to your seasonal
celebrations.

Spending time in natural settings to collect decorations before a rite can
greatly help you spiritually align yourself to the season. This is especially
important for you to do if you spend a lot of your waking life inside buildings
and traveling around in heavily urbanized areas. However, if circumstances are
such that you cannot gather decorations from Nature for a holiday, you can still
ask Plant Spirits for guidance in your selection process when you shop in the
marketplace.

Once you have obtained the decorations, as you place them in and around your
circle focus on honoring the space, the plants, the season, and the ritual about
to happen. This can be done silently as a meditation or by jubilantly singing
and moving to a seasonal song. For group rituals, outlining the circle is a
wonderful way to get all participants, including children, involved in preparing
for the ritual. The shared experience of creating the space aids in attunement
and in developing a strong group spirit necessary for effective ceremonies. When
everyone is responsible for bringing a particular kind of decoration to outline
a circle, such as pine boughs for Yule, not only does the circle take form with
greater ease, but more importantly, marking out the circle with everyone’s
contributions symbolizes the blending together of the individual energies of
participants into a harmonious whole.

After a seasonal ritual is over, remove decorations from the circle with the
spirit of thanksgiving. These decorations not only embody the energy of the
Nature Spirits worked with during their gathering, but also contain the energy
of the ritual. They have served as ceremonial tools and should be taken away
with respect, not hurriedly swept up and thrown into a trash can. Often, we
return the natural decorations we have used to Mother Earth, letting wildlife
feed on fruits and grains, and mulching the plants in our gardens with flowers
and greens. Decorations also can be placed on personal altars after the ceremony
as reminders of the season or given as healing gifts to friends who were not
able to be present at the ceremony. If they have been energized for a particular
purpose during a ceremony, decorations can also serve as charms.

The suggestions I present here for each holiday are drawn primarily from my own
experiences doing Sabbats with groups of people in these Northlands, and should
be adapted to suit your own circumstances, such as local climate and vegetation
cycles, ceremonial place, number of ritual participants, and type of spiritual
path. I’ve included ideas for outlining the circle space itself, marking the
quarters and decorating a central altar.

SAMHAIN / HALLOWEEN

Outline the circle with dry colored leaves and perhaps some nuts and sprigs of
dried herbs such as curled dock flowers. At each of the four quarters, stand a
shock of dried corn stalks with a lighted carved pumpkin or jack-o-lantern at
the base. On the altar in the center, place a large jack-o-lantern to symbolize
the Spirit of the holiday and the Otherworld, and surround it with acorns,
symbols of rebirth, and with photographs and other mementos of dead friends,
relatives, and ancestors you would like to honor. You might also place a lit
votive candle by mementos of each loved one to represent their Spirit which
lives on.

YULE / WINTER SOLSTICE

Outline the circle with pine cones and freshly cut pine boughs. Set tall red
candles at the four quarters with holly at their bases. In the center, lay a
Yule wreath of evergreens, preferably one you have fashioned yourself. In the
center of the wreath, place a large red candle to represent the reborn Sun.
Place it in a small cauldron, if you have one, to symbolize the Goddess of
Rebirth. Around the outside of the wreath make another circle with sprigs of
mistletoe which can be energized during the rite and later given to participants
and friends to bring blessings to their homes in the New Solar Year. Our
community Yule altar also contains eight red ribbons representing the Wheel of
the Year, eight plates for Sabbat cakes, and personal blessing candles brought
by participants.

IMBOLC / CANDLEMAS

Outline the circle with white votive candles, symbolizing the purification
aspect of this holiday. Place large white candles at each of the quarters and at
the center. Surround the central candle with any early greens and buds that have
appeared in your area, and with sunflower seeds to represent the promise of
renewed life in coming Spring. The seeds can be later set out for wild birds.
White candles also can be set in the center by participants to symbolize self-
purification and spiritual awakening.

OSTARA / SPRING EQUINOX

Outline the circle with any greenery that has appeared already in the Spring,
such as budding willow branches, ground ivy and other herbs. If Winter snows
still abound, which often is the case here in Wisconsin, use a green cord or
green ribbons to form the circle and represent the greening of Spring. You could
also outline the circle with packets of seeds which will later be planted in
gardens. At each of the four quarters, place a green candle. In the center of
the circle, place a basket with brightly colored hard-boiled eggs in it,
representing the Spring Goddess and the resurrection of life. These eggs can be
eaten as part of the rite or later buried in gardens as fertility charms.

BELTANE / MAY DAY

Outline the circle with a variety of flowers and tree blossoms, symbolizing the
blossoming of life. For group ceremonies, have everyone exchange some of the
flowers they bring with other participants before the outlining of the circle
begins. This ancient gesture of friendship aids in group attunement, generates a
festive mood, and strengthens connection with the love energy of the holiday. At
each of the four quarters, place a basket or vase of flowers. In the center, set
a Maypole decorated with brightly colored ribbons to represent the activating
principle of Nature. The ribbons should be an even number of streamers if the
traditional Maypole dance will be done. Otherwise, each participant should tie a
bit of ribbon around the pole to symbolize wishes for personal growth in the
coming Summer. Free-form ecstatic dancing can then be done around the pole to
energize the wishes. After the rite, take flowers to gardens to bless them and
promote fertility.

LITHA / SUMMER SOLSTICE

Outline the circle with candle lanterns or candles set in earth in wide-mouthed
jars. A beautiful and powerful way to create the circle space with these lights
is to have participants carry the candles in a ritual procession at dusk to the
ceremonial spot, circle it several times clockwise, come to a standstill once a
comfortable sized circle is made, and then set them down behind them. This works
very well especially with large groups and it is a part of each year’s opening
ritual at the International Pagan Spirit Gathering we sponsor at Solstice time.
Luminarias, which are candles set in sand in small paper bags, are another
stunning way to create a ring of light for an evening Solstice ceremony.
However, the ring of light is made, torches or large candles work well in the
four quarters. In the center of the circle, kindle a large bonfire of sacred
woods and herbs, if your location permits. You might want to feed the fire as it
rises with the dried wreath from Yule as we do each year to symbolize the peak
of the Solar Year. Otherwise, set a large red candle in the center, and surround
it with oak boughs, yarrow flowers, and other sacred plants of the season
growing in the area.

LUGHNASSAD / LAMMAS

Outline the circle with stalks of wheat or other grains, if available. Or, if
you prefer, make the circle with sprigs of sweet smelling herbs such as mint and
basil, and with wildflowers such as Queen Anne’s Lace and red clover blossoms.
Set baskets of herbs and Summer flowers at the four quarters and in the center,
representing the productiveness of Nature. Also on the central altar, place a
freshly-bakes loaf of bread to symbolize the Spirit of the holiday. The bread
can be shared among participants and with the Earth as a form of communion.

MABON / FALL EQUINOX

Outline the circle with gourds, apples, nuts, and other foods of the season.
Preferably, these are ones grown in your own gardens or in fields in the local
areas. Set a large gourd or pile of fruits and vegetables at each of the
quarters to represent harvest abundance. In the center, place a thanksgiving
cornucopia or cauldron filled to overflowing with offerings of harvest produce
and herbs. Ears of multi-colored Indian corn also are an excellent seasonal
altar decoration. The foods that ring the circle can later be eaten in a Harvest
feast. The central offerings should be returned to the Earth in thanksgiving.

With my thanks to Lady Abyss for this great information first posted this in January 2011

The Tools Of Ritual Magick

The Tools Of Ritual Magick

Formal ritual magick requires its own special tools. These may be real or symbolic.

The list I give here is intended only as a guide: some of these may not be relevant to your own way of working. I have listed the areas of the circle in which each tool is traditionally placed. There are many sources of magical tools and, as I mentioned in the section on spells, you may already have a number in your home. You do not need to spend a great deal of money unless you wish, but I would suggest that you take time in finding the right items. Even if you work in a group, you may like to build up a set for your own personal work.

Some people prefer to make their own magical tools and this certainly does endow them with energies. I have suggested books that tell you how to make your own candles for special ceremonies and even your own knife. Woodcarvers are an excellent source for small staves suitable as wands and will often make items to order. In time, you will build up a collection of items and by personalising and charging them, you make them not only powerful, but also your own.

Keep your magical tools in a special place, separate from your everyday household items, wrapped in a natural fabric. You can buy excellent hessian bags and may wish to keep fragile or items that will scratch in separate ones. You can also use silk. Secure your bags with three protective knots.

You may have heard various warnings about needing to destroy charged tools on the demise of the owner, and the dire consequences of their being touched by any outsider. This is real late-night-cinema stuff. But common sense dictates that you should not leave knives, sharp wands, etc. where children might harm themselves and on the whole it is better to keep magical items away from the curious and the sceptical.

There is really no reason why you should not use your kitchen knife for cutting vegetables and then, after a quick purification in water or incense, chop herbs in an impromptu spell, or open your circle with it. But on the whole it is better to keep a separate knife for your special ceremonies.

I believe that even formal tools are like electrical devices that are lying unplugged and unused: they contain the potential to help or harm only if misused. What is more, without your personal vibes, which act as your password, the power cannot flow; you have not created an independent life form.

The following tools are commonly used in formal magick.

The Athame
An athame is, quite simply, a ceremonial knife. It is one of the ritual tools that entered the tradition through the influence of magicians and witches who set out the wisdom, mainly at the beginning of the twentieth century and in the upsurge of covens during the 1950s. Gerald Gardener, one of the founding fathers of Wicca, considered ritual knives and swords of prime importance in modern formal witchcraft.

You can obtain an athame from a specialist magical shop, but as I said before, any knife – even a letter opener – will do, although it should preferably have a silver-coloured blade. Athames are traditionally double-edged and black-handled, but a single-edged blade is better if you are new to magick, to avoid unintentional cuts.

There is a vast array of scouting and craft knives available, with black wooden handles on which you can engrave magical symbols such as your zodiacal and planetary glyphs with a pyrographic set obtained from an art shop. You can also paint moons, stars, spirals, suns, or crosses with silver paint. I use a curved-bladed knife with a silver engraved scabbard, which I bought from a souvenir shop in Spain.

The athame is set in the East of the altar and represents the element of Air. Like the sword, it is traditionally used for drawing magical circles on the ground and directing magical Air energies into a symbol. When you are casting a circle, you can point your athame diagonally towards the ground, so that you do not need to stoop to draw (which is not very elegant and bad for the back). With practice, the movement becomes as graceful as with a sword.

The athame can also be used as a conductor of energy, especially in solitary rituals, being held above the head with both hands to draw down light and energy into the body. This uses the same principle as that of arching your arms over your head to create a light body as described on page 124. One method of releasing the power is then to bring the athame down with a swift, cutting movement, horizontally at waist level, then thrust it away from the body and upwards once more to release this power. If others are present, direct the athame towards the centre of the circle. After the ritual you can drain excess energies by pointing the athame to the ground.

An athame may be used to invoke the elemental Guardian Spirits by drawing a pentagram in the air and for closing down the elemental energies after the ritual. With its cutting steel of Mars, it is effective in power, matters of the mind, change, action, justice, banishing magick, protection and for cutting through inertia and stagnation. The athame is sometimes also associated with the Fire element.

If you don’t like the idea of a full-sized athame, there are some lovely paper knives in the shape of swords or with animal or birds’ heads.

Some covens give each of their members a tiny athame, to be used for drawing down energies during ceremonies. The main athame is used by the person leading the ritual who may draw the circle, open all four quarters and close them after the ritual.

An athame with a white handle is used for cutting wands, harvesting herbs for magick or healing, carving the traditional Samhain jack-o’-lantern, and etching runes and other magical or astrological symbols on candles and talismans. Some practitioners believe that you should never use metal for cutting herbs but instead pull them up, shred them and pound them in a mortar and pestle, kept for the purpose. Pearl-handled athames are considered to be especially magical.

The Sword
Like the athame, the sword stands in the East of the circle as a tool of the Air element. Swords are the suit symbol of Air in the Tarot and are also one of the Christian as well as the Celtic Grail treasures.

Each of the Tarot suits and the main elemental ritual items in magick, represented by these four suits, is associated with one of the treasures of the Celts. The treasures belonged to the Celtic Father God, Dagda, and are said to be guarded in the Otherworld by Merlin. There were 13 treasures in total, but four have come into pre-eminence in magick and Tarot reading.

These four main sacred artefacts – swords, pentacles, wands and cups, or chalices – have parallels in Christianity and were associated with the legendary quest of the knights of King Arthur, who attempted to find them. The Grail Cup was the most famous of these. The Christian sword of King David, identified in legend with Arthur’s sword Excalibur, appears in Celtic tradition as the sword of Nuada whose hand was cut off in battle.

With a new hand fashioned from silver, he went on to lead his people to victory. According to one account, the Christian treasures were brought in AD 64 to Glastonbury in England by Joseph of Arimathea, the rich merchant who caught Christ’s blood in the chalice as He was on the cross and took care of His burial after the crucifixion.

Some present-day, peace-loving witches, myself included, do not really like the concept of using swords, even though they are pretty spectacular for drawing out a circle on a forest floor, and swords are rarely used in home ritual magick. If you do want to use one, however, you can obtain reproduction ceremonial swords.

The sword is the male symbol to the female symbol of the cauldron, and plunging the swords into the waters of the cauldron can be used in love rituals and for the union of male and female, god and goddess energies as the culmination of any rite. However, the chalice and the athame, or wand, tend to be used for the same purpose, unless it is a very grand ceremony.

The Bell
The bell stands in the North of the circle and is an Earth symbol. It is an optional tool and can be made from either crystal or protective brass. Best for magick is the kind that you strike.

The bell is traditionally rung nine times at the beginning and close of each ritual; the person ringing the bell should stand in the South of the circle, facing North. (Nine is the magical number of completion and perfection.) It is also rung to invoke the protection of angels or the power of a deity and in ceremonies to welcome departed members to the circle. You can also sound the bell in each of the four elemental quadrants, before creating the invoking pentagram, to request the presence of each elemental guardian. It can also be sounded as you pass your chosen symbol around each quadrant of the circle. However, you should not use the bell to excess – it is better under-utilised.

The Broom
The broom, or besom, was originally – and still is – a domestic artefact. It represents magically the union of male and female in the handle and the bristles and so is a tool of balance. Brooms have several uses in magick. A broom is sometimes rested horizontal to the altar to add protection, and couples jump over one in their handfasting ceremony. Most important, you should use your broom to cleanse the ritual area before every ritual.

Brooms are easily obtainable from any garden centre (you want one in the traditional ‘witches’ broomstick’ shape, not an ordinary brush). Brooms made with an ash handle and birch twigs bound with willow are traditionally recognised as being especially potent, being endowed with protective and healing energies. Some practitioners carve or paint a crescent moon at the top of the handle, others decorate theirs with their personal ruling planetary and birth sign glyphs entwined.

When cleansing the area for rituals, you might like to scatter dried lavender or pot pourri and sweep it in circles widdershins, saying:

Out with sorrow, out with pain,
Joyous things alone remain.

You can also sweep areas of your home such as uncarpeted floors, patio paths and yards to cleanse the home of negativity. Remember to sweep out of the front door, away from the house and eventually into the gutter, or if in you live in a flat, you can collect the lavender and dust in a pan and send it down the waste disposal unit.

You may also wish to cleanse the area further by sprinkling salt and pepper dissolved in water after sweeping. If you are working on carpet, you can use a very soft broom (some modern witches even hoover in circles widdershins and sprinkle the area with water in which a few drops of a cleansing flower essence, such as Glastonbury Thorn, has been added).

The broom is an Earth artefact.

The Cauldron
The cauldron is the one ritual tool that is positively charged by being the centre of domestic life and can replace the altar as a focus for less formal magick spells. If you can obtain a flameproof cauldron with a tripod, you can, on special occasions such as Hallowe’en, light a fire out of doors and heat up a brew of herbs and spices in the cauldron. When not in use, you can keep your cauldron filled with flowers or pot pourri.

If your circle is large enough, you can place your cauldron in the centre. Then, if you are working in a group, form your circle of power around it, so that the altar is within the outer consecrated circle and you make a human inner circle with the cauldron as the hub. If you are working alone, you can have your altar in the centre with the cauldron in front of it. Alternatively, you can have a small pot or cauldron in the centre of the altar.

Experiment with the different positions both for group and solitary work and walk or dance your way around to work out the logistics. Some practitioners do not use a cauldron at all.

In your rituals, you can light a candle in front of the cauldron, fill it with sand in which to stand candles, or surround it with a circle of red candles to represent Fire. Wishes written on paper can be burned in the candles. Water darkened with mugwort may be placed in the cauldron, especially on seasonal festivals such as Hallowe’en and May Eve, and white candle wax dripped on the surface to create divinatory images that offer insights into potential paths.

You can cast flower petals into the cauldron water to get energies flowing. For banishing, add dead leaves and tip the cauldron water into a flowing source of water. You can also burn incense in the cauldron if this is the focus of a ritual.

The cauldron is a tool of Spirit or Akasha, the fifth element.

The Chalice
The chalice, or ritual cup, used for rituals is traditionally made of silver, but you can also use crystal, glass, stainless steel or pewter. The chalice represents the Water element and is placed in the West of the altar. Like the sword, it is a sacred Grail treasure and is a source of spiritual inspiration.

The Grail cup is most usually represented as the chalice that Christ used at the Last Supper, in which His blood was collected after the crucifixion. As such, it signifies not only a source of healing and spiritual sustenance, but also offers direct access to the godhead through the sacred blood it once contained. Tradition says that the original Grail cup was incorporated by Roman craftsmen into a gold and jewelled chalice called the Marian Chalice after Mary Magdalene. In Celtic tradition, it became the Cauldron of Dagda.

In rituals, the chalice can be filled with pure or scented water with rose petals floating on top. I have also mentioned its ritual use with the athame in male/female sacred rites, as the symbolic union of god and goddess that has in many modern covens replaced an actual sexual union (that now tends to occur in privacy between established couples only).

The chalice is also central to the sacred rite of cakes and ale that occurs at the end of formal ceremonies – the pagan and much older equivalent of the Christian holy communion. The offering of the body of the Corn God is made in the honey cakes on the pentacle, or sacred dish, and the beer or wine in the chalice is fermented from the sacrificed barley wine. In primaeval times, actual blood was used to symbolise the sacrifice of the Sacred King at Lughnassadh, the festival of the first corn harvest. The rite goes back thousands of years.

The cakes and ale are consumed by the people acting as High Priestess and Priest in a dual energy rite or by those initiated in those roles. Crumbs and wine are first offered to the Earth Mother or poured into a libation dish (a small dish for offerings). Then the priestess offers the priest a tiny cake and then takes one herself and he offers her the wine before drinking himself. The dual roles work just as well in a single-sex coven. The cakes and ale are then passed round the circle and each person partakes of the body and blood of the Earth, offering a few words of thanks for blessings received.

In some groups each person has an individual chalice set before them, but everyone still drinks one after the other, offering thanks, unless there is a communal chant of blessing before drinking.

The chalice can be filled with wine or fruit juice or water, depending on the needs and preferences of the group.

The cakes and ale ceremony and the male/female chalice rite can both be easily incorporated into a solitary ritual.

The Pentacle
The pentacle is a symbol of the Earth and is familiar to users of Tarot packs. It is placed in the North of the altar.

It consists of a flat, round dish or disc, engraved with a pentagram within a circle. The pentacle has been a magical sign for thousands of years. The five-pointed star of the pentagram within it is a sacred symbol of Isis and the single top point is considered by many to represent the Triple Goddess.

You can place crystals or a symbol of the focus of the ritual or charged herbs on the pentacle to endow it with Earth energies. It can then be passed through the other elements or empowered by passing over the pentacle incense for Air, a candle for Fire and burning oils or water itself for the Water element.

The pentacle can be moved to the centre of the altar once the symbol on it has been fully charged. It is very easy to make a pentacle of clay, wood, wax or metal, and on it mark a pentagram with the single point extending upwards. This is what you might call the all-purpose pentagram – drawn this way it always has a positive influence.

You might also like to make a larger pentacle for holding the tiny cakes for the cakes and ale ceremony. You can find special recipes for these cakes in books but any tiny honey cakes will serve well.

The Wand
The wand is a symbol of Fire and should be placed in the South of the altar.

The wand is sometimes represented by a spear. Both the wand and spear, like the athame and sword, are male symbols. The spear, another Fire symbol, is not used in magick, except occasionally in the form of a sharpened stick in sacred sex rites, when it is plunged into the cauldron or the chalice as a symbol of the sacred union of Earth and Sky, Water and Fire.

The wand is traditionally a thin piece of wood about 50 centimetres (21 inches) long, preferably cut from a living tree (some conservationists disagree unless the tree is being pruned). After a strong wind or in a forest where trees are being constantly felled, it is often possible to find a suitable branch from which the wand can be cut. It should be narrowed to a point at one end and rubbed smooth.

You can make a series of wands from different woods for your ceremonies.

Ash is a magical wood, associated with healing and positive energies.

Elder wands are symbols of faerie magick and so are good for any visualisation work.

Hazel comes from the tree of wisdom and justice and is linked with the magick of the Sun. The wand should be cut from a tree that has not yet borne fruit.

Rowan is a protective wood and so is good for defensive and banishing magick.

Willow is the tree of intuition and is said to be endowed with the blessing of the Moon.

You can also use a long, clear quartz crystal, pointed at one end and rounded at the other, as a wand. In its crystalline form, especially, the wand is used for directing healing energies from the circle to wherever they are needed.

The wand is used for directing energies and for making circles of power in the air – hence the image of the faerie godmother waving her wand – deosil for energies to attract energies and widdershins for banishing. It can be used to draw pentagrams in the air at the four quarters and it can also be used for drawing an invisible circle when you are working on carpet or another fabric that cannot be physically marked.

In some traditions, the wand is a tool of Air and so this and the athame, or the sword, are fairly interchangeable. However, the wand seems more effective for casting and uncasting circles, invoking quarters and closing power. It is also particularly good for directing energies in rites of love, healing, fertility, prosperity and abundance.

 

— Practical Guide to Witchcraft and Magic Spells By Cassandra Eason

With my thanks to Lady Abyss for this great information first posted in April of 2019

October 29 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 October 29

LDN 673: Dark Clouds in Aquila

Image Credit & Copyright: Frank Sackenheim, Josef Poepsel, Stefan Binnewies (Capella Observatory Team)

Explanation: Part of a dark expanse that splits the crowded plane of our Milky Way galaxy, the Aquila Rift arcs through planet Earth’s skies near bright star Altair. In eerie silhouette against the Milky Way’s faint starlight, its dusty molecular clouds likely contain raw material to form hundreds of thousands of stars and astronomers search the dark clouds for telltale signs of star birth. This telescopic close-up looks toward the region at a fragmented Aquila dark cloud complex identified as LDN 673, stretching across a field of view slightly wider than the full moon. In the scene, visible indications of energetic outflows associated with young stars include the small red tinted nebulosity RNO 109 above and right of center, and Herbig-Haro object HH32 below. These dark clouds might look scary, but they’re estimated to be some 600 light-years away. At that distance, this field of view spans about 7 light-years.

A Thought for Today

I am back to posting after 4 days that seemed to last for more than 24 hours. I took last evening to clear myself of the negativity I brought to myself with all the stuff I went through with PayPal to get money back and safeguard my account. I will be putting the donate button back up today now that I know when someone makes a donation, pays for a course fee, or readings and clearings I do that your sensitive information will be safe.

Not all the regular posts were done today. The reason for that is I want to get the tomorrow posts for both hemispheres done.

Thank you for sticking with me and for the support and kind words that helped me make it through that awful huge problem. I could not have kept my cool when talking online with PayPal customer service works who did nothing to help my situation if not for all of you. When I called PayPal a wonderful lady not only helped me get a refund for the unauthorized transactions but told me what to do to make my account safe from all hackers hopefully.

Wishing you a sensational Saturday dear Sisters, Brothers, and Honored Guests!

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 October 25

Jupiter Rotates as Moons Orbit

Video Credit & Copyright: Makrem Larnaout

Explanation: Jupiter and its moons move like our Sun and its planets. Similarly, Jupiter spins while its moons circle around. Jupiter’s rotation can be observed by tracking circulating dark belts and light zones. The Great Red Spot, the largest storm known, rotates to become visible after about 15 seconds in the 48-second time lapse video. The video is a compilation of shorts taken over several nights last month and combined into a digital recreation of how 24-continuous hours would appear. Jupiter’s brightest moons always orbit in the plane of the planet’s rotation, even as Earth’s spin makes the whole system appear to tilt. The moons Europa, Ganymede, and Io are all visible, with Europa’s shadow appearing as the icy Galilean moon crosses Jupiter’s disk. Jupiter remains near opposition this month, meaning that it is unusually bright, near to its closest to the Earth, and visible nearly all night long.

 

Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator

October 25 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1415 Battle of Agincourt: Henry V‘s forces defeat larger French army and the longbow defeats the armoured knight

1854 The infamous “Charge of the Light Brigade” during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War results in over 100 killed

1962 US Ambassador to the UN Adlai Stevenson demands USSR UN rep Valerian Zorin answer regarding Cuban missile bases saying “I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over”

1971 United Nations votes to expel the Chinese Nationalist ruled Taiwan and admit the Communist People’s Republic of China

2017 Chinese Premier Xi Jinping unveils his new ruling council in the Great Hall of the People, none of the five are young enough to succeed him

Today’s Historical Events

625 Boniface V ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1131 Crowning of Louis VII the Young, King of France

1147 King Afonso I of Portugal occupiers Lisbon

1147 Seljuk Turks defeat German crusaders under Conrad III at the Battle of Dorylaeum

1241 Goffredo Castiglioni elected as Pope Coelestinus IV (-Nov 10 1241)

1315 Adam Banastre, Henry de Lea and William Bradshaw, led an attack on Liverpool Castle

1415 Battle of Agincourt: Henry V‘s forces defeat larger French army and the longbow defeats the armoured knight

1415 John IV van Bourgondy becomes Duke of Brabant and Limburg

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1953 KIEM TV channel 3 in Eureka, CA (NBC/CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

1964 The Rolling Stones make their 1st appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”; they perform a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around & Around,” and their own hit “Time Is On My Side” [1]

1978 “Halloween”, directed by John Carpenter, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut, is released

1980 Barbra Streisand‘s “Guilty” album goes #1 for 3 weeks & her single “Woman In Love,” goes #1 for 3 weeks

1988 ABC News reports on potbellied pygmy pigs’ popularity as pets

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1577 Pope Gregory XIII asks renewal of ecclesiastical hymns

1875 The first performance of the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is given in Boston, Massachusetts with Hans von Bülow as soloist

1885 Johannes Brahms conducts the premiere of his 4th Symphony in e, Op. 98, in Meiningen, Germany

1938 American Archbishop of Dubuque (Iowa), Francis J. L. Beckman, denounces Swing music as “a degenerated musical system… turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people”, warning that it leads down a “primrose path to hell”.

1940 Vernon Duke and John Latouche’s musical “Cabin In The Sky” opens at the Martin Beck Theatre, NYC; runs for 156 performances

1947 Manning Sherwin and Harold Purcell’s musical “Under the Counter” closes at Shubert Theater, NYC, after 27 performances

1953 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 10th Symphony

1963 The Beatles begin their 1st full foreign tour in Karlstad, Sweden, performing twice at a secondary school auditorium

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1621 Governor Bradford head of the colony of American Plymouth disallows sport on Christmas Day

1884 1st “World Championship” Baseball Series, Polo Grounds, NYC: Providence Grays (NL) beat NY Mets (American Association), 12-2 in 6 innings for 3 game sweep; game abandoned because of bitter cold

1905 1st College Football Crab Bowl Classic: Navy beats Maryland 17-0 in Annapolis

1909 Australasian Championships Men’s Tennis, Perth: Anthony Wilding of New Zealand wins his 2nd Australasian title; beats Ernie Parker of Australia 6–1, 7–5, 6–2

1925 Lester Patrick takes over NY Rangers

1926 Lester Patrick becomes 1st coach & gm of NY Rangers

1937 Casey Stengel signs to manage Boston Bees

1947 Bradman scores 156 for South Australia v India, 152 mins, 22 fours

October 24, 2022 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 October 24

Clouds Around Galaxy Andromeda

Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Fryhover

Explanation: What are those red clouds surrounding the Andromeda galaxy? This galaxy, M31, is often imaged by planet Earth-based astronomers. As the nearest large spiral galaxy, it is a familiar sight with dark dust lanes, bright yellowish core, and spiral arms traced by clouds of bright blue stars. A mosaic of well-exposed broad and narrow-band image data, this deep portrait of our neighboring island universe offers strikingly unfamiliar features though, faint reddish clouds of glowing ionized hydrogen gas in the same wide field of view. Most of the ionized hydrogen clouds surely lie in the foreground of the scene, well within our Milky Way Galaxy. They are likely associated with the pervasive, dusty interstellar cirrus clouds scattered hundreds of light-years above our own galactic plane. Some of the clouds, however, occur right in the Andromeda galaxy itself, and some in M110, the small galaxy just below.

October 24 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1260 Qutuz, Mamluk Sultans of Egypt (1259-60), is assassinated by Baibars, a fellow Mamluk leader, who seizes power for himself

1648 Treaty of Westphalia ends The Thirty Years’ War in the Holy Roman Empire; Switzerland’s independence recognized

1929 “Black Thursday”, start of stock market crash, Dow Jones down 12.8%

1962 Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviet ships approach but stop short of the US blockade of Cuba

2008 “Bloody Friday” saw many of the world’s stock exchanges experienced the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices.

Today’s Historical Events

79 Mt. Vesuvius erupts, burying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae and killing thousands. New research in 2018 suggests the eruption occurred at about this date, not the previously used 24 August. [1] [2]

1260 Qutuz, Mamluk Sultans of Egypt (1259-60), is assassinated by Baibars, a fellow Mamluk leader, who seizes power for himself

1260 The spectacular Cathedral of Chartres is dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France; now a UNESCO World Heritage Site

1360 The Treaty of Brétigny is ratified at Calais, marking the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War

1492 24 Jews are burned at the stake in Mecklenburg, Germany

1531 Bavaria joins Schmalkaldic League

1593 Alleged teleportation of Spanish soldier Gil Perez from the Philippines to Mexico

1596 -26] Battle at Kerestes: Ottoman beat Austria-Hungary & Germany

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1926 Harry Houdini‘s last performance, at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit, Michigan

1929 Rudy Vallee’s “The Fleishmann’s Yeast Hour” begins broadcasting on NBC radio

1948 WJBK TV channel 2 in Detroit, MI (CBS) begins broadcasting

1953 KOOL (now KTSP) TV channel 10 in Phoenix, AZ (CBS) begins broadcasting

1962 “The Manchurian Candidate”, directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, is released

1976 1st Toronto International Film Festival opens

1987 NBC technicians accept pact, end 118 day strike

2002 Wuxia film “Hero” directed by Zhang Yimou, starring Jet Li released in China (US release 2004)

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1818 Felix Mendelssohn, aged 9, performs his first public concert in Berlin

1885 Johann Strauss’ operetta “Zigeunerbaron (Gypsy Baron)” premieres in Vienna

1939 Benny Goodman records “Let’s Dance”

1948 Francis Poulenc’s “Sinfonietta” premieres

1959 US premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 1st Cello concert

1961 “Evening with Yves Montand” opens at John Golden Theatre, NYC for 55 performances

1963 “110 in the Shade” opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 330 performances

1964 “Cambridge Circus” closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 23 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1857 Recognised by FIFA as oldest existing club still playing football in the world, Sheffield FC is founded in Yorkshire, England; now based in Dronfield, Derbyshire

1885 “World Championship” Baseball Series, Cincinnati Base Ball Grounds: St. Louis Browns beat Chicago White Stockings, 13–4 in Game 7; disputed series tied at 3-3-1

1889 Softball rules adopted by Mid Winter Indoor Baseball League

1892 “World Championship” Baseball Series, South End Grounds, Boston: Boston Beaneaters beat Cleveland Spiders, 8-3 for a 5-0-1 championship victory; last of the pre-modern-era World Series

1913 Joe Tinker fired as Cincinnati Reds manager

1939 Joe DiMaggio wins AL MVP, Jimmie Foxx is runner-up

1940 Japan eliminates US terms (strike, play ball) from baseball

1954 Britain’s Mike Hawthorne wins season ending Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes; Argentine Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio takes second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from countryman José Froilán González

Some of the Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Sunday

From GypsyWolf.weebly.com

Latin: Dies Solis, “sun’s day”: a pagan Roman holiday. Also: Dominica, “the Day of God”.
French: dimanche
Italian: domenica
Spanish: domingo
German: Sonntag
Dutch: zondag

Rules: Healing, illumination, magical power, success, ambition, power, physical energy, strength and protection
Colors: Gold, Orange
Planet: Sun
Metal: Gold
Stones: Amber, Calcite (orange), Carnelian, Crystal (quartz), Diamond, Pipestone, Sulfur, Sunstone, Tiger’s Eye, Topaz, Zircon
Herbs: Acacia, Arabic Gum, Bay, Benzoin, Carnation, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Citron, Copal, Frankincense, Juniper, Mastic Gum, Oak, Orange, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Tangerine, Wood Aloe, and Mistletoe which is highly poisonous
Zodiac: Leo

A Basic Spell

From https://gypsywolf.weebly.com/a-basic-spell.html

You may dress however is traditional or feels comfortable for you. Feel free to wear colors that match your intention, if you desire. Perform your spell on a corresponding day of the week and phase of the moon for the optimum beneficial energies.

Gather all of your materials (candles, holder, matches, symbols, tools, essential oils, gemstones, herbs/flowers/seeds/fruits) and set them and yourself in front of a sturdy, flat area. Feel free to drape a cloth over your working area in a corresponding color to your intention, if you wish. This will be your altar.

Envision your altar and yourself surrounded in a large bubble of pure, white protective light. You may also sprinkle a protective circle of salt around you and your working area, in a clockwise direction.

Open your essential oil and breathe in the aroma. Drip a few drops onto your fingers. Rub the oil onto the candle from the top to the center and from the bottom to the center, all the way around until you cover the entire candle. As you anoint the candle, visualize your intentions into the candle. Place the candle in the candle holder and set it in front of you on a flat surface.

Sprinkle some of the herbs/flowers/seeds into your hand. Feel it’s energies. Breathe in it’s scent. Focus on your intentions, building the energies in your body up, as you connect with the energies of the herbs/flowers/seeds. Sprinkle them around the candle in a circular pattern. Continue with any other symbols or natural substances you are using, including any gemstones, fruits, and the like. Place them around the candle along with the herbs.

Light the candle with a match and extinguish the match with a flick of your wrist. Set the match in a fireproof dish. Continue to build your energies up as you visualize your intention. Focus on your intention and hold the image in your mind. Focus on the feeling of achieving your goal. Hold the feeling in your heart. Recite any chants, directions, or affirmations at this time. Mesh your images and your feelings with each other and release them both into the atmosphere.

When you are finished, allow your energies to calm back down. Then unbind your working area by envisioning the circle opening up and sweeping any salt and energies away in a counter-clockwise direction. Your work is done. Allow yourself to focus on other thoughts and let the magic do it’s work.

Allow your candle to burn all the way down, or extinguish the flame with a candle snuffer. Gather all of your materials and collect your natural substances. You have infused these items with your intentions and energies, so you will have to cleanse any tools for future use and dispose of any natural substances and candle stubs. You may bury your natural materials in a spot of uncultivated earth, or sprinkle them through the air in a sacred area. Remember to ground yourself and your energies when you are finished.

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 October 23

Milky Way and Zodiacal Light over Australian Pinnacles

Image Credit & Copyright: Jingyi Zhang

Explanation: What strange world is this? Earth. In the foreground of the featured image are the Pinnacles, unusual rock spires in Nambung National Park in Western Australia. Made of ancient sea shells (limestone), how these human-sized picturesque spires formed remains a topic of research. The picturesque panorama was taken in 2017 September. A ray of zodiacal light, sunlight reflected by dust grains orbiting between the planets in the Solar System, rises from the horizon near the image center. Arching across the top is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. The planets Jupiter and Saturn, as well as several famous stars are also visible in the background night sky.

October 23 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

42 BC Roman Republican civil wars: Second Battle of Philippi – Brutus‘s army is decisively defeated by Mark Antony and Octavian. Brutus commits suicide.

1911 1st aerial reconnaissance mission is flown by an Italian pilot over Turkish lines during the Italo-Turkish War

1942 During WWII, Britain launches major offensive at El Alamein, Egypt

1977 Paleontologist Elso Barghoorn announces discovery of a 3.4-billion year old one-celled fossil, one of the earliest life forms on Earth

1981 US national debt hits $1 trillion

2001 The Provisional Irish Republican Army of Northern Ireland commences disarmament after peace talks

Today’s Historical Events

42 BC Roman Republican civil wars: Second Battle of Philippi – Brutus‘s army is decisively defeated by Mark Antony and Octavian. Brutus commits suicide.

425 Valentinian III is elevated to Roman Emperor, at the age of 6

502 The Synodus Palmaris, called by Gothic king Theodoric the Great, discharges Pope Symmachus of all charges, thus ending the schism of Antipope Laurentius.

585 Burgundy king Guntram opens synod of Mâcon (Mastico)

787 Byzantine empress Irene recovers Iconoclastic cult at Nicaea

1086 Battle of az-Zallaqah: Almoravid army of Yusuf ibn Tashfin defeats the forces of Castilian King Alfonso VI

1091 Tornado (possible T8/F4) strikes the heart of London killing two and demolishing the wooden London Bridge (OS 17 Oct)

1157 The Battle of Grathe Heath ends the civil war in Denmark. King Sweyn III is killed and Valdemar I restores the country.

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1932 “Fred Allen Show” premieres on radio

1941 Walt Disney‘s animated film “Dumbo” released

1952 Charlie Chaplin‘s “Limelight”, starring himself and Claire Bloom, with an appearance by Buster Keaton, premieres in New York City; Not released in Los Angeles until 1972, winning Chaplin his only competitive Academy Award for original score

1953 WTRF TV channel 7 in Wheeling-Steubenville, WV (CBS) 1st broadcast

1954 WSAU TV channel 7 in Wausau, WI (CBS) begins broadcasting

1956 First video recording on magnetic tape televised coast-to-coast

1958 The Smurfs first appear in the story “Johan and Pirlouit” by Belgium cartoonist Peyo

1962 WCIV TV channel 4 in Charleston, South Carolina (NBC) begins broadcasting

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1919 Orchestra Hall, designed by C. Howard Crane opens in Detroit, Michigan; home of the Detroit Symphony, 1919-39 and 1989 to present, also known as The Paradise Theater, featuring top jazz performers and films, 1941-51

1919 Romberg & Atteridge’s musical “Passing Show” premieres in NYC

1921 Leos Janacek’s opera “Kat’a Kabanova” premieres in Brno

1942 All 12 passengers and crewmen aboard an American Airlines DC-3 airliner killed when it is struck by a U.S. Army Air Forces bomber near Palm Springs, California. Amongst the victims is composer Ralph Rainger (“Thanks for the Memory”)

1961 “Kwamina” opens at 54th St Theater NYC for 32 performances

1967 “Henry, Sweet Henry” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 80 performances

1968 “Maggie Flynn” opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 82 performances

1969 “Jimmy” opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 84 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1871 Replacement yacht Sappho (US) beats Livonia (UK) by 25:27 in race 5 to win 3rd America’s Cup off Newport, RI 4-1; original defender Columbia damaged so misses races 4 & 5

1886 “World Championship” Baseball Series, Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis: St.L Browns edge Chicago White Stockings, 4-3 in 10 innings in Game 6 to take series, 4-2

1903 8th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 18-6 in Montgomery

1910 World Series Baseball: Philadelphia A’s beat Chicago Cubs, 7-2 at West Side Park, Chicago to win their first Championship, 4-1

1920 Chicago grand jury indicts Abe Attell, Hal Chase, & Bill Burns as go-betweens in “Black Sox” 1919 World Series Baseball scandal

1921 Green Bay Packers play 1st APFA (forerunner to NFL) game; beat Minneapolis Marines, 7-6 at Hagemeister Park, Green Bay, WI

1923 Legendary Yankees slugger Babe Ruth makes a postseason exhibition appearance in a rival Giants uniform as NY beats Baltimore Orioles, 9-0 in a benefit game for former Giants owner John Day

1945 American baseball player Jackie Robinson signs contract with Montreal Royals, minor league farm team of Brooklyn Dodgers

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 October 22

NGC 1499: The California Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: Stephen Kennedy

Explanation: Drifting through the Orion Arm of the spiral Milky Way Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of California on the west coast of the United States. Our own Sun also lies within the Milky Way’s Orion Arm, only about 1,500 light-years from the California Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. The California Nebula shines with the telltale reddish glow characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons. The electrons have been stripped away, ionized by energetic starlight. Most likely providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot star Xi Persei just to the right of the nebula. A popular target for astrophotographers, this deep image reveals the glowing nebula, obscuring dust, and stars across a 3 degree wide field of view. The California nebula lies toward the constellation Perseus, not far from the Pleiades.

October 22 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1633 Battle of Liaoluo Bay: Dutch East India Company defeated by Chinese Ming naval forces in southern Fujian sea

1721 Tsar Peter the Great becomes “All-Russian Imperator”

1879 Thomas Edison perfects carbonized cotton filament light bulb

1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. adopts Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) worldwide, creating 24 international time zones with longitude zero at the Greenwich meridian

1907 Panic of 1907: A run on Knickerbocker Trust Company stock leads to US wide run on banks

1962 Cuban Missile Crisis: US President John F. Kennedy addresses TV about Russian missile bases in Cuba and imposes a naval blockade on Cuba, beginning the missile crisis

Today’s Historical Events

 

362 The temple of Apollo at Daphne, outside of Antioch, is destroyed in a mysterious fire

794 Emperor Kanmu relocates Japanese capital to Heiankyo (now Kyoto).

1335 Ex-emperor Hanazono (95th Emperor of Japan) became a Zen priest

1383 The 1383-85 Crisis in Portugal: A period of civil war and disorder begins after King Fernando dies without a male heir to the Portuguese throne

1575 Foundation of Aguascalientes (one of 32 Federal Entities of Mexico)

1633 Battle of Liaoluo Bay: Dutch East India Company defeated by Chinese Ming naval forces in southern Fujian sea

1707 Scilly Naval Disaster: shipwreck of four Royal navy warships and loss of 1400 men during a storm off the Scilly Isles – will prompt 1714 British Act of Parliament competition to find longitude at sea

1708 Great Alliance occupies Rijsel

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1926 J. Gordon Whitehead sucker punches magician Harry Houdini in the stomach in Montreal

1930 1st concert of BBC Symphony Orchestra, at Queen’s Hall, under Adrian Boult

1932 Film “Red Dust” directed by Victor Fleming, starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Mary Astor premieres

1939 NBC becomes first network to televise a pro football game; Brooklyn Dodgers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 23-14 at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field

1942 “Now, Voyager” film directed by Irving Rapper, and starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, premieres in New York; wins 3 Academy Awards

1955 WWNY TV channel 7 in Carthage-Watertown, NY (CBS) begins broadcasting

1957 KJAC TV channel 4 in Port Arthur-Beaumont, TX (NBC) 1st broadcast

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1868 Jacques Offenbach’s opera “Genevieve de Brabant” premieres in NYC

1881 Boston Symphony Orchestra gives its first concert

1883 New York’s original Metropolitan Opera House has its grand opening with a performance of Charles Gounod’s opera “Faust”

1922 Parsifal Place laid out in Bronx, NY, named after a knight in Wagner’s opera

1959 Bob Merrill‘s musical “Take Me Along” opens at Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 448 performances

1964 EMI rejects audition by “High Numbers”; they go on to become “The Who”

1969 Paul McCartney denies greatly exaggerated rumors of his death

1975 “Me & Bessie” opens at Ambassador Theater. NYC; runs for 453 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1878 The first rugby match under floodlights takes place in Salford, between Broughton and Swinton.

1884 Sporting Life announces that both pennant winners will meet in 3 game series Oct 23-25 at Polo Grounds NYC to determine baseball champion

1885 John Ward & several teammates secretly form Brotherhood of Prof Base Ball Players, 1st baseball union

1930 SC Genemuiden soccer team forms

1933 Italian boxer Primo Carnera beats Spanish challenger Paulino Uzcudun on points in Rome, Italy to retain the IBU heavyweight title

1935 PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Twin Hills CC: Johnny Revolta wins his only major title, defeating Tommy Armour, 5 & 4

1939 NBC becomes first network to televise a pro football game; Brooklyn Dodgers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 23-14 at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field

1950 LA Rams beat Baltimore Colts 70-27

October 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 October 21

Andromeda in Southern Skies

Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Griffin (Otago Museum)

Explanation: Looking north from southern New Zealand, the Andromeda Galaxy never gets more than about five degrees above the horizon. As spring comes to the southern hemisphere, in late September Andromeda is highest in the sky around midnight though. In a single 30 second exposure this telephoto image tracked the stars to capture the closest large spiral galaxy from Mount John Observatory as it climbed just over the rugged peaks of the south island’s Southern Alps. In the foreground, stars are reflected in the still waters of Lake Alexandrina. Also known as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy is one of the brightest objects in the Messier catalog, usually visible to the unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch. But this clear, dark sky and long exposure reveal the galaxy’s greater extent in planet Earth’s night, spanning nearly 6 full moons.

October 21 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1805 Battle of Trafalgar: British Admiral Horatio Nelson defeats combined French and Spanish fleet. Nelson shot and killed during battle.

1854 Florence Nightingale with a staff of 38 nurses is sent to the Crimean War

1944 World War II: US troops capture Aachen, 1st large German city to fall

1948 UN rejects Russian proposal to destroy atomic weapons

1950 Chinese forces occupy Tibet

1993 Failed military coup in Burundi, led by ex-President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, includes assassination President Ndadaye; 525,000 Hutus flee

Today’s Historical Events

310 St Eusebius ends his reign as Catholic Pope

335 Roman Emperor Constantine the Great rules that Jews are not allowed to purchase and circumcise Christian slaves

686 Conon begins his reign as Catholic Pope

1096 Sultan Kilidj Arslan of Nicea defeats The People’s Crusade at the Battle of Civetot, only about 3,000 out of 20,000 Crusaders survive

1187 Alberto de Morra elected as Pope Gregorius VIII (12/17/1187)

1512 Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg.

1520 Explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet reach Cape Virgenes and become the first Europeans to sail into the Pacific Ocean

1555 Emperor Charles V makes Erard of Pallandt earl of Culemborg

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1921 “The Sheik”, a silent film starring Rudolph Valentino, premieres in Los Angeles

1961 Barbra Streisand opens in “Another Evening with Harry Stones”

1964 Film version of “My Fair Lady” directed by George Cukor and starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1965)

1965 KTWU TV channel 11 in Topeka, KS (PBS) begins broadcasting

1975 Elton John is given a star in Hollywood

1988 Bat*21, an American war film, is released

2005 52nd National Film Awards (India): “Page 3” wins the Golden Lotus

2009 55th National Film Awards (India): “Kanchivaram” wins the Golden Lotus

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1858 Jacques Offenbach’s operetta ” Orpheus in the Underworld” (Orphée aux Enfers) premieres in Paris, includes “Infernal Galop” (can-can tune)

1944 Walter Piston‘s “Fugue for a Victory Tune” premieres in NYC

1971 “To Live Another Summer” opens at Helen Hayes NYC for 173 performances

1972 “Dude” closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 16 performances

1972 “Man of La Mancha” closes at Beaumont Theater NYC after 140 performances

1972 “Pacific Paradise” closes at Palace Theater NYC after 5 performances

1975 “Treemonisha” opens at Uris Theater NYC for 64 performances

1980 “Banjo Dancing” opens at Century Theater NYC for 38 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1905 In early promotion of soccer in America, England Pilgrim Association XI beats All New York XI, 7-1 at the Polo Grounds, NY

1911 Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Alberta Unions form Western Canada Rugby Football Union

1964 Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia runs a world record 2:12:11.2 to beat Briton Basil Heatley by more than 4 minutes and win the men’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympics; first athlete to win Olympic marathon twice

1964 American men’s 4×400m relay team beats Great Britain by 0.9s to set world record 3:00.7 and win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics; Ollan Cassell, Mike Larrabee, Ulis Williams & Henry Carr

1964 Braves ask NL to allow them to leave Milwaukee for Atlanta

1964 New Zealand athlete Peter Snell wins the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics; his second gold medal of the Games (800m); 3rd career gold

1964 Polish 4×100m women’s relay team runs a world record 43.6 to beat the US by 0.3s and win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics; Teresa Ciepły, Irena Kirszenstein, Halina Górecka & Ewa Kłobukowska

1964 US 4 x 100m men’s relay team of Paul Drayton, Gerry Ashworth, Richard Stebbins & Bob Hayes run world record 39.0s to beat Poland by 0.3s and win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics

October 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 October 20

Pillars of Creation

Image Credit: Science – NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam
Processing – Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Explanation: A now famous picture from the Hubble Space Telescope featured these star forming columns of cold gas and dust light-years long inside M16, the Eagle Nebula, dubbed the Pillars of Creation. This James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam image expands Hubble’s exploration of that region in greater detail and depth inside the iconic stellar nursery. Particularly stunning in Webb’s near infrared view is the telltale reddish emission from knots of material undergoing gravitational collapse to form stars within the natal clouds. The Eagle Nebula is some 6,500 light-years distant. The larger bright emission nebula is itself an easy target for binoculars or small telescopes. M16 lies along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy in a nebula rich part of the sky, toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the snake).

October 20 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1097 1st Crusaders arrive in Antioch during the First Crusade

1603 Chinese uprising in the Philippines fails after 23,000 killed

1803 US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase

1917 US suffragette Alice Paul begins a 7 month jail sentence for peacefully picketing in support of the women’s Suffrage (right to vote) Amendment at the White House in Washington, D.C.

1935 Communist forces end their Long March at Yan’an, in Shaanxi, China, bringing Mao Zedong to prominence

1944 US forces under General Douglas MacArthur return to the Philippines with the landing of the US 6th army on Leyte

2020 US Justice Department sues Google for illegal monopoly over search and search advertising

Today’s Historical Events

1097 1st Crusaders arrive in Antioch during the First Crusade

1528 Treaty of Gorinchem signed between Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Duke Charles of Guelders

1536 King Christian III of Denmark & Norway leads reform in Catholic possessions

1576 Spanish troops occupy & plunder Maastricht

1587 Battle at Coultras: Henri van Navarra beats Catholic League

1600 Battle of Sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan’s rulers (shoguns)

1603 Chinese uprising in the Philippines fails after 23,000 killed

1634 British King Charles I disbands new “Ship Money” tax

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1911 Helen Hayes Theater (Folies Bergere) opens at 210W 46th St, NYC

1930 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, premieres on NBC radio

1932 Journalist Robert Trout joins CBS

1947 HUAC opens hearings into alleged Communist influence in Hollywood

1953 WRAU (now WHOI) TV channel 19 in Peoria, IL (ABC) begins broadcasting

1954 Leigh, Charlap, Styne, Comden and Green’s musical “Peter Pan”, starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard, opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC; runs for 152 performances

1955 “No Time for Sergeants” opens on Broadway, starring Andy Griffith

1955 Publication of “The Return of the King”, the 3rd and final volume of “The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien by George Allen and Unwin in London

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1877 Franz Schubert‘s 2nd Symphony in B premieres

1934 Richard Strauss completes his opera “Die Schweigsame Frau”

1939 “All the Things You Are” recorded by Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

1955 Harry Belafonte records “Day-O” (Banana Boat Song)

1962 Musical “Mr President” opens at St James Theater New York for 265 performances

1962 Peter, Paul and Mary‘s debut folk album “Peter, Paul and Mary” reaches No. 1 on US album charts

1964 “Golden Boy” opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 569 performances

1964 Riot at Rolling Stones show in Paris leads to 150 arrests

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1888 Chicago and All America baseball teams play exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand

1899 American yacht Columbia beats the Shamrock challenge from Royal Ulster Yacht Club in 11th America’s Cup

1910 1st appearance of cork centered baseball in World Series

1910 Soccer team KFC forms in Alkmaar

1912 Hannes Kolehmainen runs world record marathon (2:29:39.2)

1924 1st Negro League World Series: KC Monarchs shuts out Hilldales, 5-0

1934 MLB All-Star team led by Connie Mack and including Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig sails to Japan for 18-game series against Big-Six University League

1935 Detroit Tigers future Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Hank Greenberg is named AL MVP by the BWAA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Wes Ferrell is runner-up

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 October 19

A Galaxy Beyond Stars, Gas, Dust

Image Credit & Copyright: Howard Trottier; Text: Emily Rice

Explanation: Do we dare believe our eyes? When we look at images of space, we often wonder whether they are “real”, and just as often the best answer varies. In this case, the scene appears much as our eyes would see it, because it was obtained using RGB (Red, Green, Blue) filters like the cone cells in our eyes, except collecting light for 19 hours, not a fraction of a second. The featured image was captured over six nights, using a 24-inch diameter telescope in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in California, USA. The bright spiral galaxy at the center (NGC 7497) looks like it is being grasped by an eerie tendril of a space ghost, and therein lies the trick. The galaxy is actually 59 million light years away, while the nebulosity is MBM 54, less than one thousand light years away, making it one of the nearest cool clouds of gas and dust — galactic cirrus — within our own Milky Way Galaxy. Both are in the constellation of Pegasus, which can be seen high overhead from northern latitudes in the autumn.

October 19, 2022 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

Historical Events

202 BC Battle of Zama: Hannibal Barca and the Carthaginian army are defeated by Roman legions under Scipio Africanus, ending 2nd Punic War

1781 British forces under General Charles Cornwallis sign terms of surrender to George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown at 2 pm, ending the US Revolutionary War

1926 Russian Politburo throws out Leon Trotsky and his followers

1943 Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University in Pistcaway, New Jersey

1987 Black Monday: Stock markets around the world crash, including the Dow Jones stock index, which falls 508.32 points (22%), 4½ times the previous daily record

2015 US scientists from University of California find evidence life on earth may have begun 4.1 billion years ago, 300 million earlier than previously thought

Today’s Historical Events

202 BC Battle of Zama: Hannibal Barca and the Carthaginian army are defeated by Roman legions under Scipio Africanus, ending 2nd Punic War

439 The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa

615 Pope Deusdedit [Adeodatus I] elected to succeed Boniface IV as Catholic Pope

1031 Abbot Humbertus van Echternach opens grave of Saint Willibrord

1216 King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry III

1298 Rindfleisch-140 Jews of Heilbron Germany are murdered

1330 17-year-old English King Edward III captures his mother’s lover and the country’s de facto ruler Roger Mortimer at Nottingham Castle (later has him hanged)

1453 French retake Bordeaux following the Battle of Castillon

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1943 Theater Guild presentation of Shakespeare’s “Othello”, starring Paul Robeson, opens at the Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 296 performances

1953 Singer Julius LaRosa is fired on TV by Arthur Godfrey

1954 KAKE TV channel 10 in Wichita, KS (ABC) begins broadcasting

1960 KWCS (now KOOG) TV channel 30 in Ogden, UT (IND) begins broadcasting

1973 Ringo Starr releases music single “Photograph” in the UK

1988 US Senate passes bill curbing ads during children’s TV shows

1990 “Dances with Wolves” directed by Kevin Costner and starring Kevin Costner and Mary McDonnell premieres in Washington, D.C. (Academy Awards Best Picture 1991)

2018 “Halloween” film reboot starring Jamie Curtis makes a record $77m for a horror film with a female lead, biggest debut any film with female lead over 55 in US

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1845 Richard Wagner‘s opera “Tannhäuser” premieres in Dresden

1901 Edward Elgar‘s “Pomp & Circumstance March” premieres in Liverpool, England

1948 “My Romance” opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 95 performances

1957 “Damn Yankees” closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 1,022 performances

1969 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s musical “The Rothschilds”, starring Halden, Jill Clayburgh, and Robby Benson opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC; runs for 505 performances, winning 2 Tony Awards

1972 “Mother Earth” opens at Belasco Theater NYC for 12 performances

1975 “A Chorus Line”, held record longest-running Broadway show (6,137 performances), premieres on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in New York

1986 Joe Raposa’s musical “Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure”, starring Ivy Austin, closes at Nederlander Theater, NYC, after 5 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1923 Ban Johnson persuades AL owners to prohibit boxing in their parks

1932 Jimmie Foxx wins AL MVP and Chuck Klein wins NL MVP

1933 Berlin Olympic Committee vote to introduce basketball in 1936

1941 1st woman jockey in North America, Anna Lee Wiley in Mexico

1943 New York Yankee 2nd baseman Joe Gordon announces his retirement

1949 A’s trade 2nd baseman Nellie Fox to White Sox for Joe Tipton

1957 Montreal Canadien Maurice “Rocket” Richard, becomes the 1st NHLer to score 500 goals

1958 Stirling Moss wins season ending Moroccan Grand Prix at Ain-Diab but fellow Brit Mike Hawthorn takes World Drivers Championship from Moss by just 1 point by finishing second; first British world champion

October 18 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1009 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church’s foundations down to bedrock

1685 French King Louis XIV revokes Edict of Nantes cancelling rights of French Protestants

1867 Alaska Purchase: US takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia, having paid $7.2 million

1931 American gangster Al Capone convicted of tax evasion

1962 James Watson (US), Francis Crick (UK) and Maurice Wilkins (UK) win the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work in determining the structure of DNA [1]

Today’s Historical Events

707 John VII ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1009 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church’s foundations down to bedrock

1016 Danes defeat Saxons at Battle of Assandun (Ashingdon)

1081 Battle of Dyrrhachium: Southern Italian Normans under Robert Guiscard defeat Byzantine army under Alexios I Komnenos (modern Durrës, Albania)

1240 Ukrainian city of Chernigov surrenders, despite this still sacked and pillaged by Mongolian army of Batu

1267 Battle at Marienholz: Henry III, Otto II van Gelre beat Keuls archbishop Engelbert III

1356 Basel earthquake, the most significant historic seismological event north of the Alps, destroys Basel in Switzerland.

1386 Opening of the University of Heidelberg

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1922 British Broadcasting Company (BBC) founded, later called British Broadcasting Corporation

1953 WLJT TV channel 11 in Lexington, TN (PBS) begins broadcasting

1953 WTVK TV channel 26 in Knoxville, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting

1954 WBTW TV channel 13 in Florence, SC (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

1954 WNBC radio changes call letters to WRCA (NYC)

1961 Film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical “West Side Story“, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, and starring Natalie Wood, debuts (Academy Award – Best Picture, 1962)

1966 “Persona”, Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann, is released

1967 Walt Disney’s animated musical adaptation of Rudyard Kipling‘s “The Jungle Book” film is released; cast featured Phil Harris, Louis Prima, Sterling Holloway, and Sebastian Cabot

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1752 Premiere of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s opera “Le Devin du Village” (The Village Soothsayer), before the royal court at Fontainebleau, France

1855 Franz Liszt‘s symphonic poem “Prometheus” premieres

1904 Gustav Mahler’s 5th symphony premieres in Cologne, Germany

1939 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart‘s musical “Too Many Girls” premieres in NYC

1945 Paul Robeson wins Spingarn Medal for singing & acting achievements

1946 Aaron Copland‘s 3rd Symphony premieres

1952 “Buttrio Square” closes at New Century Theater NYC after 7 performances

1962 Tony Sheridan & Beat Brothers record “Let’s Dance”

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1889 First all-NYC “World Championship” Baseball Series; New York Giants (NL) play Brooklyn Bridegrooms (AA); Giants go on to win series, 6-3

1902 7th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 23-0 in Birmingham

1912 Black boxer Jack Johnson arrested for violating the Mann Act for “transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes” due to his relationship with white woman Lucille Cameron, allegedly a prostitute. Later convicted by an all-white jury and sentenced to a year in prison.

1918 NHL’s Quebec Bulldogs sold to a Toronto businessman P. J. Quinn

1924 Harold “Red” Grange, finest collegiate football game (4 long TD runs)

1925 Salt Lake City (PCL) Tony Lazzeri hits his 60th HR of the season

1930 Joseph Sylvester becomes 1st jockey to win 7 races in 1 day

1953 Willie Thrower becomes 1st black NFL quarterback in modern times