Hi, folks!
The shop is open only by appointment until the COVID #s come down, and we’ll probably stay closed until 2/1.Watch here for notifications about that! For appointments contact us at 541-563-7154, anjasnihova@yahoo.com, on Facebook or here on the blog, or just leave a note on the door! Featured photo by Ken Gagne.
Clear and chilly! It’s been getting colder all evening after a nice day. It’s supposed to hit the mid-50’s this afternoon, but wow! 37F, wind at 0-1 mph, AQI 11-29, UV1. Chance of rain 2% today and tonight. Tonight shouldn’t be as cold because it’s going to be clouding up, and then a bit warmer on Wednesday with rain possible on Thursday. Friday and Saturday should be dry, still, but Sunday’s forecast has changed to 75% chance of rain and then showers in the days, after.
Yesterday was fairly quiet, but busy. I spent most of the day writing, sitting down to ease my fried back. Obviously, the sewing was right out. Tempus trotted around doing various chores, ending with cleaning out some of the stuff from the old car, a lot of which was wet.
We ended up eating leftovers from yesterday, but that was no trial! The mushroom pies turn out to actually taste better cold, and we split the last pastie at suppertime, along with the lemon chicken served as a salad. …and there’s still more in the fridge. 🙂
Today is more of the same. While my back is still complaining I’m going to be sitting a lot so I’m going to sit down with this year’s feast cookbook and a bunch of spreadsheets. What I want to do is to sort out which foods we couldn’t use for feasts, because they were too labor intensive, or had to be served piping hot after being cooked in small batches.
Photo by Ken Gagne on 1/18/17 – Seagulls hunkered down away from the storm at Yachats State Park (This is from last year….)
Today’s Plant is Evening primrose, Oenothera species, sometimes called Sundrop or Suncup in Oregon. The young roots can be eaten like a peppery-flavored vegetable and the shoots can be used in salad. It can be used in poultices for wound-healing and to ease bruises. (Sun…it’s drying) Clinical trials don’t support the traditional uses for treatment of PMS (particularly bloating and water retention) or cervical ripening in pregnancy, but one of the varieties has promise as a treatment for breast cancer. – Masculine, Sun, Fire – This herb is often called the King’s Cure-all, used by a ruler to cure scrofula. It has powers of healing, particularly for drying “wet” wounds or injuries. It can be used in sleep sachets (especialy for people who have problems with fluid in the lungs at night) , and for spells to cure (or cause) alcoholism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_primrose
Feast day of St Henry, Bishop of Uppsala (St Henry of England; Henry of Finland; Henry of Sweden; Henrik; Heikki; Piispa Henrik) Henry was the English-born bishop of Uppsala, Finland, who was martyred on January 20, 1156 by a Finnish soldier (or wealthy landowner) named Lalli whom he had just excommunicated for murdering a Swedish soldier. Legend says that Lalli had a long life – continually tormented by mice as a penance for his attack. More information here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry,_Bishop_of_Uppsala
The shop is open only by appointment until the COVID #s come down, and we’ll probably stay closed until 2/1.Watch here for notifications about that! For appointments contact us at 541-563-7154, anjasnihova@yahoo.com, on Facebook or here on the blog, or just leave a note on the door!
Love & Light,
Anja
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Today’s Astro & Calendar
Waxing Moon Magick – The waxing moon is for constructive magick, such as love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or healthy, protection, divination. Any working that needs extra power, such as help finding a new job or healings for serious conditions, can be done now. Also, love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money and dreams. Phase ends at the Tide Change on 1/28 at 11:16am. Waxing Crescent phase – Keywords for the Crescent phase are: expansion, growth, struggle, opportunity. It is the time in a cycle that you gather the wisdom learned in the new phase and communicate your intention to move forward. Light a candle. Write or read an affirmation. LISTEN & ABSORB. Commit to your goal. God/dess aspect: Maiden/Youth, energy and enthusiasm – Associated God/dess: Artemis & Apollo, Mayet/Djehuti, Freya/Frey. Phase ends at the Quarter on 1/20 at 1:02pm.
Ignore the moon in this pic
To the right of the Moon in early evening is the Great Square of Pegasus, balancing on one corner. The horizontal diagonal across the Square points left to the Moon, its own length away (for evening in North America).
Relying on the deepest visible-light images ever taken in space, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have reliably measured the age of the spherical halo of stars surrounding the neighboring Andromeda galaxy (M31). To their surprise, they have discovered that approximately one-third of the stars in Andromeda’s halo formed only 6 to 8 billion years ago. That’s a far cry from the 11-to-13 billion-year age of the stars in the Milky Way’s halo.
The constellation Andromeda holds many favorite observing targets, perhaps the greatest of which is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Visible to the naked eye on a dark night, this nearby (2.5 million light-years) galaxy is easy to find with binoculars or a telescope. If you’re star hopping to your destination, you’ll find it about 7.8° northwest of magnitude 2 Mirach and 1.5° west of magnitude 4.5 Nu (ν) Andromedae. M31 is a gorgeous galaxy worth drinking in. After you’ve enjoyed the view, scan back to Mirach and then look 12.5° northeast to reach magnitude 2 Almach. You’ll likely notice (with optical aid) that this is not one, but two stars: one brighter and yellow-gold, one fainter and blue-green. Considered one of the night sky’s best colored double stars, this pair actually hides two more stars — both visible stars are themselves binaries, making Almach a quadruple-star system.
Jupiter (magnitude –1.9) is finally vanishing from sight in the glare of sunset. See the scene at the top of this page. The earlier in the week you look the better your chance, and bring binoculars. On Friday the 15th Jupiter is still only 6° lower right of Mercury, but the gap between them widens by 1° per day.
Old Farmer’s Almanac NIGHT SKY MAP FOR JANUARY 2021: THE BRIGHTEST SKY OF THE YEAR – https://www.almanac.com/night-sky-map-january-brightest-sky
Runic half-month of Perdhro/ Peorth, 1/12-1/27. – Feast of Brewing, Druidic, Source: The Phoenix and Arabeth 1992 Calendar.
Sun in Capricorn enters Aquarius at 12:40pm.
Moon in Aries
Goddess Month of Hestia runs from 12/26 – 1/22
Celtic Tree Month of Beth/Birch, Dec 24 – Jan 20
Celtic Tree Month of Luis/Rowan, Jan 21-Feb 17
Color – Black
©2021 M. Bartlett, Some parts separately copyright
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Celtic Tree Month of Beth/Birch, Dec 24 – Jan 20, Beith – (BEH), birch – The silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) is the most common tree birch in much of Europe. It grows up to 30 m (100 feet) high, but is more often found in spreading clumps on sandy soils. It is one of the first trees to colonize an area after a mature forest is cut; this is probably a large part of its symbolic connection with new beginnings. It is cultivated in North America, often under the name of weeping birch. The three trees in my front yard form root sprouts that would take over the bed where they are planted if I didn’t cut them back. The common birch (B. pubescens Ehrh.) is almost as widespread as the silver birch, but grows primarily on acid or peaty soils. It can reach 20 m (65 feet) in height. Birches are members of the Birch family (Betulaceae). Curtis Clark
Beth – Birch – Ogam letter correspondences –
Month: November
Color: White
Class: Peasant
Letter: B
Meaning: New Beginnings; Changes; Purification.
Phagos – Beech Ogam letter correspondences to study this month
Month: None
Color: Orange-brown
Class: Chieftain
Letter: PH, IO
Meaning: New experiences and information coming
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Tides for Alsea Bay
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Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon
~ /Low Time Feet Sunset Visible
Tu 19 High 4:58 AM 7.2 7:46 AM Rise 11:22 AM 30
~ 19 Low 11:18 AM 2.6 5:08 PM
~ 19 High 4:48 PM 5.9
~ 19 Low 11:01 PM 1.9
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Affirmation/Thought for the Day – Maturity comes with experience, not age.
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Journal Prompt – I wish… – I wish trees could….. because….
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Quotes
~ We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone. Freedom is like that. It’s like air. When you have it, you don’t notice it. – Boris Yeltsin, 1995
~ When you cannot make up your mind which of two evenly balanced courses of action you should take – choose the bolder. – W.J. Slim
~ Why did I do it? Because at the end of my days, I’m going to be lying in my bed looking at my toes, and I’m going to ask my toes questions like ‘Have I really enjoyed life? Have I done everything I’ve wanted to do?’ And if the answer is no, I’m going to be really pissed off. – Chay Blyth, Atlantic rower
~ One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody. – Mother Teresa
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening – Robert Frost – 1874-1963
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
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Imbolc Magick – Prayers
Blessed be this season of Imbolc
Mother Earth stirs from Her long sleep.
Everything is waiting for spring.
This is the season of purification, a renewing of life.
At this time and in this place between the worlds,
I come to the Lady that I may gain counsel.
I know my path is within your keeping.
Guide me in the year to come
As there is a renewal within the plants and animals,
so shall there be renewal in my life.
Great Goddess give my life good health, happiness, prosperity
And magical power.
I honor you. – By Amber Rain
Prayer for Imbolc
On this Imbolc day, as I kindle the flame upon my hearth,
I pray that the flame of Brigid may burn in my soul,
and the souls of all I meet today.
I pray that no envy and malice,
no hatred or fear, may smother the flame.
I pray that indifference and apathy,
contempt and pride,
may not pour like cold water on the flame.
Instead, may the spark of Brigid light the love in my soul,
that it may burn brightly through this season.
And may I warm those that are lonely,
whose hearts are cold and lifeless,
so that all may know the comfort of Brigid’s love. – Morgana West
Source: The Wheel of the Year, Copyright © 2001 Morgana West
TAGS: compassion, Guidance, holidays, New Age, pagan, Peace
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Prayer/Prayer-of-the-Day.aspx?d=20090202&source=NEWSLETTER
Candlemas carol, sung by singers who processed from house to house.
Hail reign a fair maid with gold upon your chin,
Open up the East Gate and let the New year in;
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Silliness – Silly Q&A – Question: What-s the leading cause of dry skin? Answer: Towels.
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