It’s cloudy and cool. There was at least one sucker hole in the grey sky and it’s bright enough for shadows, but everything is wet. 53F and no wind, which is low temp for the area (most registering 55) and only a couple of spots register any wind at all. It’s supposed to be dry now through Tuesday.
Yesterday started with a lot of paperwork, then computer clean-up, then checking in books. If you haven’t been in for awhile, we’ve filling up and over-filled the used book shelves on witchy things and herbly things!
We went to watch a launch during the afternoon and it was scrubbed…. so later today….
I went to start the cheese and we ran around in circles trying to figure out what happened to the colander… <sigh> …and then found it under the stuff from the day when it was last used and cleaned! …at least the cheese cloth was clean and the rest of the stuff was found.
So I got the heating done and then set it to drain. I’m not completely sure I even needed to heat it, honestly. By 5pm that was done and hung and mostly dripped out. I had even started to put pieces away.
Tempus had been working on the tinkle loom, doing the pegs.
We left at 6pm for a Chamber of Commerce get-together. It was supposed to be a mixer, but we got there late enough that we only had a few minutes to chat and then they ran past the end of the time with a lot of rah-rah-join-the-chamber stuff, so Tempus and I headed out.
He helped me get set up for the evening and headed for Newport. I slept for several hours and then called him as he was getting finished bagging the papers. He was on the road at a bit past 11:15, and didn’t have much trouble all night, running really early, and got home at 5:30. The only problem was that he single-bagged and it ended up raining.
I embroidered most of the evening and sewed a little.
Today I have to finish the cheese, adding the spices and mixing. We also have to decide what we’re going to set up for the Great Garage Sale tomorrow. There’s class tonight, as well, and Tempus has to run errands in Newport.
Pacific Aster, Symphyotrichum chilense, is one form of aster that grows in the PNW. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphyotrichum_chilense China Asters are the ones grown in gardens and are the common garden aster that Cunningham references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callistephus_chinensis in his Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. – Feminine, Venus, Water – The aster was sacred to the gods and used on altars in many religious paths. It is often used in love sachets or carry the bloom to win love. You can also grow them in your garden to draw love to you! …and here is an article on the whole family which includes sunflowers, chrysanthemums, yarrow and cone-flower!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteraceae
Today’s Feast is that of the Ice Saints, the Eisheilige, St. Mamertus (or, in some countries, St. Boniface of Tarsus), St. Pancras, and St. Servatius, who supposedly brought bad weather on their three consecutive feast days, May 11-13 in Central Europe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Saints and some odd weather lore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather
The shop is open 11-6pm Thursday through Monday, although we’re there a lot later most nights. (Going to summer hours soon.) Need something off hours? Give us a call at 541-563-7154 or Facebook or email at ancientlight@peak.org If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open! In case of bad weather, check here at the blog for updates, on our Facebook as Ancient Light, or call the shop.
Love & Light,
Anja
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Today’s Astro & Calendar
Waning Moon Magick – From the Full Moon to the New is a time for study, meditation, and magic designed to banish harmful energies and habits, for ridding oneself of addictions, illness or negativity. Remember: what goes up must come down. Phase ends at the Tide Change on 5/15 at 4:48am. Hecate’s Brooch – 3-5 days before New Moon – Best time for Releasing Rituals. It’s the last few days before the new moon, the time of Hecate’s Brooch. This is the time that if you’re going to throw something out, or sweep the floors, or take stuff to Good Will, do it! Rid yourself of negativity and work on the letting go process. Release the old, removing unwanted negative energies, addictions, or illness. Do physical and psychic cleansings. Good for wisdom & psychic ability. Goddess Aspect: Crone – Associated God/desses: Callieach, Banshee, Hecate, Baba Yaga, Ereshkigal, Thoth. Phase ends at the Dark on 5/13 at 7:48pm.
Located about 600 light-years away, the Beehive star cluster (M44) is one of the closest open clusters to Earth. theilr on Flickr
One of the spring sky’s finest deep-sky objects, the Beehive star cluster (M44) in the constellation Cancer the Crab, lies high in the west once evening twilight fades away. The 3rd-magnitude cluster lies approximately 40 percent of the way from 1st-magnitude Pollux in Gemini to the similarly bright star Regulus in Leo. With naked eyes under a dark sky, you should be able to spot the Beehive as a faint cloud. But this star group explodes into dozens of stars through binoculars or a small telescope at low power.
Arch of Spring 2014 (ignore the planets)
The Arch of Spring spans the western sky in late twilight. Pollux and Castor form its top: they’re lined up roughly horizontally in the west-northwest, about three finger-widths at arm’s length apart. Look far to their lower left for Procyon, and farther to their lower right for Menkalinan and then bright Capella. Venus glares below the Arch. Two fists at arm’s length left or lower left from Venus, look for Betelgeuse twinkling on its way out.
Uranus is hidden in the glow of dawn.
Old Farmer’s Almanac Sky Map for May 2018 https://www.almanac.com/content/sky-map-star-chart-may-2018
Goddess Month of Maia runs from 4/18 – 5/15
Goddess Month of Hera runs from 5/16 – 6/12
Celtic Tree Month of Saille/Willow, Apr 15 – May 12
Celtic Tree Month of Huath/Hawthorn, May 13 – Jun 9
Runic half-month of Laguz/ Lagu, 4/29-5/13 Representing the flowing and mutable forces of water, Lagu symbolizes life, growth and waxing power of this time of year. Runic half-month of Inguz/Ing, 5/14-5/28 – Male consort of Nerthus, the Earth Mother, Ing is god of the hearth. This time of year expresses potential for abundant growth. Nigel Pennick, The Pagan Book of Days, Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont, USA, 1992, p. 70.
Sun in Taurus
Moon in Pisces enters Aries 5:40am.
Jupiter (7/10), Vesta (8/1), Saturn (9/6), Pluto (9/30) Retrograde
Color – Rose
Harvest 5/11-13
©2018 M. Bartlett, Some parts separately copyright
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Celtic Tree Month of Saille/Willow, Apr 15 – May 12 – The Willow in the Tree alphabet stands for the female and lunar rhythms of life. She is water-seeking, thriving from preference on the damp margins of lakes and streams or across the low-lying water meadows. Water and the tidal movements of the sea are governed by the pull of the moon. The moon in its monthly rhythms is female, contrasting with the male sun’s daily and yearly turnings. In several ways, the Celts held women in higher regard than we do today. On the material level, women were property owners, and whoever controlled the property controlled the marriage. Women of all types and ages appeared in the Celtic pantheon, the spiritual strength and life-giving qualities given by both female and male recognized equally. There were colleges of Druidesses – learned women and teachers – respected equally for their gifts of see-ship, often expressed through dreams, or night visions.
Magical Associations: Romantic love, healing, protection, fertility, magic for women.
Saille – Willow Ogam letter correspondences
Month: February
Color: listed only as bright
Class: Peasant
Letter: S
Meaning: Gaining balance in your life
to study this month – Ohn – Furze Ogam letter correspondences
Month: None
Color: Yellow Gold
Class: Chieftain
Letter: O
Meaning: Information that could change your life
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Tides for Alsea Bay
*
Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon
~ /Low Time Feet Sunset Visible
F 11 Low 4:34 AM 1.6 5:53 AM Rise 4:18 AM 24
~ 11 High 10:18 AM 5.9 8:32 PM Set 4:19 PM
~ 11 Low 4:29 PM 1.2
~ 11 High 10:47 PM 7.1
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Affirmation/Thought for the Day – Long ago…… The children of May marriages were often called Jackson, Hodson or Robinson since they were the children of the Jack in the Green, Hod (a woodland sprite) or Robin Goodfellow (or Robin Hood,another form of the Green Man)….
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Journal Prompt – Expository – Write about the most beautiful or unusual or animal you have ever seen. What made it so special or unique?
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Quotes
~ Life is simple, it’s just not easy. – Anonymous
~ Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is. – Albert Camus
~ Music is the melody whose text is the world. – Schopenhauer
~ My mom always said all things in moderation, including moderation. Meaning, sometimes you have to indulge….but just a bit. LOL – Tabatha Cherry
May is bee in blossom,
May is birds a-nesting,
May is picking violets on a hill;
May is young and twenty,
May is Sunday-besting,
May is eager Jack and willing Jill. – The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1961
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Magick – Songs
I sing to the Mother Gaia
I sing to the Father Sun
I sing to the living in the garden where
The Mother and the Father are One
Garden Song, “Inch by Inch”- Lyrics – Songwriters: MALLETT, DAVID
[Chorus ]
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
And inch by inch, and row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumblin’ down
And pullin’ weeds and pickin’ stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
‘Cause the time is close at hand
And rain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature’s chain
And tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land
[Chorus ]
Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
And mother earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care
An old crow watchin’ hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
And in my garden I’m as free
As that feathered thief up there
[Chorus ]
A Tree Song – Rudyard Kipling
Of all the trees that grow so fair,
Old England to adorn,
Greater are none beneath the Sun,
Than Oak, and Ash, and Thorn.
Sing Oak, and Ash, and Thorn, good sirs,
(All of a Midsummer morn!)
Surely we sing no little thing,
In Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Oak of the Clay lived many a day,
Or ever AEneas began.
Ash of the Loam was a lady at home,
When Brut was an outlaw man.
Thorn of the Down saw New Troy Town
(From which was London born);
Witness hereby the ancientry
Of Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Yew that is old in churchyard-mould,
He breedeth a mighty bow.
Alder for shoes do wise men choose,
And beech for cups also.
But when ye have killed, and your bowl is spilled,
And your shoes are clean outworn,
Back ye must speed for all that ye need,
To Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Ellum she hateth mankind, and waiteth
Till every gust be laid,
To drop a limb on the head of him
That anyway trusts her shade:
But whether a lad be sober or sad,
Or mellow with ale from the horn,
He will take no wrong when he lieth along
‘Neath Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But–we have been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring Summer in!
And we bring you news by word of mouth-
Good news for cattle and corn–
Now is the Sun come up from the South,
With Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
Sing Oak, and Ash, and Thorn, good sirs
(All of a Midsummer morn):
England shall bide till Judgment Tide,
By Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
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Silliness – Silent Treatment
Mike and Joan were having some problems at home and were giving each other the “silent treatment.” But then Mike realized that he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 am for an early morning drive with some pals to go golfing.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and so lose the ‘war’), he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please wake me at 5:00am.”
The next morning, Mike woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 am and that his friends had left for the golf course without him. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn’t awakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said, “It’s 5:00 am. Wake up.”
Men simply are not equipped for these kinds of contests…
