Magickal waters

Sun: 03'Cancer
Moon: 26'Capricorn
Just Past Full

All right.  I admit, a big part of my practice is astrology.  But I also like the hands-on witchy work as well, and I am a biiiiig fan of charging water by the Sun, Moon, element or astrological aspect in effect for practical work.  (By "water" I mean actual dihydrogen monoxide, not oils or tinctures, those are for another topic.)

You see, while it's nice to be able to set your tools, talismans, crystals, self, etc. out under the Full Moon overnight for cleansing and recharging, that's not always possible or practical.  (People do steal, and not everyone has the privacy necessary for a skyclad Esbat - the neighbors probably mind, even if you don't!)  Charging waters, or the herbs to go into them, provides a standalone tool, a storage battery already tuned to the frequency you want that can be pulled out at any time.  You can make it as elaborate or as simple as you want: what you put into the water will catch the energies to which it is closest and radiate it into the water to hold.  It can be as easy as setting out a jar and a funnel during thunder snow (and use that water cautiously!), or as complicated as charting out the entire heavens at the specific planetary day and hour you want to capture.

The Cult of the American Flag?

Sun: 28'Gemini
Moon: 00'Scorpio
Sun Trine Moon - Waxing Gibbous

I will make no friends with this post, I am sure.  It is a mix of both theological thought and politics, fair warning, but it should be said despite the common convention.  (After all, you came here, and it's your choice to keep reading or not.)  And there's no better time to explore the deep-seated psychological thoughts and urges than under a Scorpio Moon.

What defines "sacred?"

This question came to my mind after noting the incident in which rapper Lil' Wayne stepped on, or was perceived to be stepping on, the American flag. 

Now, I normally don't give a flying rat's ass about what goes on in popular culture, and the rap "scene" is just really not my thing at all.  However, this caught my eye as both a Pagan and an active servicemember.  And my thoughts are not precisely what one might expect from either perspective. 

May's Supermoon (Tales of Alohi)

Sun: 03'Gemini
Moon: 27'Scorpio
Full Moon

My sister Fyre, who owns and maintains her own blog at Tales of Alohi, just put up a new post of some interest with regards to the May 2013 Full Moon.

Not only is it a Lunar Eclipse, but it is also a "supermoon," and as the Sun is in Gemini and a Full Moon is always a Sun-Moon opposition, the precise Full Moon is at 04'Sagittarius.  (Sabian symbol: An Old Owl Sits Alone On The Branch Of A Large Tree.)  Excellent time to set your ritual tools out for a night or two to bathe in the light of Luna, or to charge some climbing vine seeds for late planting.  (Vines?  I saw my tiny little lemon tree sapling - barely more than four leaves on it right now, still in its starter pot, double its height overnight last night!)

I've noticed a horde of fairly significant earthquakes within the last 24 hours all around the Pacific Ring of Fire.  The Tsunami Warning Center usually doesn't say a word for weeks at a time, but they've pinged my phone more than a dozen times in the last 24 hours for over half a dozen earthquakes, none smaller than a 5.0 - the largest so far being an 8.3 in the Sea of Okhotsk.

While unrelated to the eclipse/supermoon, it should also be worth noting that there has been also significant solar activity over the last several days, culminating in a CME event (coronal mass ejection). 

No wonder my dog has been so on edge and protective of me during the last twelve hours or so!

 - Starlight