Hi, folks!
The shop opens at 1pm. Spring hours are Thurs-Mon. 1-6pm. Featured photo by spuntik_turista_cz .
The rain early yesterday morning was welcome, but light in most places. Apparently both Tempus and his boss hit cloudbursts and got drenched! It’s chilly out there, right now. Partly cloudy and 41F, wind at 0-3mph, AQI 12-40, UV7. Chance of rain 12% today and 11% tonight. There are 10 fire spots, but the Meadow Fire is 75% contained. Pollen High. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY for Sunday afternoon through Monday. It looks like after today’s clouds the next week ought to be partly cloudy and in the upper 50’s to 60. Right at the end of the 10-day there’s a chance of showers.
Yesterday we yawned a lot heading home. We got a snack and crashed. I had trouble dropping off again, but that meant that I slept through Tempus’ alarms on the phone. So did *he*! …so we were 1/2 an hour late, opening. We needed the snooze time, though, and it meant that we were much more productive during the day that we’ve been.
I spent a lot of time writing and in between bouts of that, picked up and put things away. Tempus ran some errands, including some shopping, and then got laundry done, which is waiting to be put away at home, now. That really feels good. We’re not dealing with makeshifts and things in totes or strange places in the back of the shop anymore. We can put clothes away! …well…. once the drawers are back in the dresser, and I buy some hangers. 🙂
We headed home in the twilight, and the colors on the river were pretty. I got a quick supper made from vegetables, kielbasa and last night’s leftovers. We ate and crashed. I was back up at 1, put a few things away and picked up the ball that I’m working on. Tempus was up at about 1:30.
I stood outside for a couple of minutes waiting for Tempus and looking up at the stars. The trees cut things off, so I can only see from mid-heaven and higher, but they were amazingly clear last night. The Big Dipper was swinging from its handle and Cygnus just peeping over the trees. Later, as we drove down-river, Cassiopeia was plain above the lighted ground mist above Newport.
I’ve been playing more than writing since I got here. I’m reading through a whole series of posts about how weird humans are to aliens. 🙂 They’re really funny. …and catching up on mail and messages. It never ends.
Today we’re supposed to be open at 1pm. There’s a set of classes that I want to check into going on all day, but they start way too early for me…. east coast. Tempus needs to work in back and I need to water plants and harvest the flowers from my calendula…. which seems to have died in full bloom. I don’t understand.
Photo “After the rain” Old Town Square Prague Credit at spuntik_turista_cz
Today’s Plant is the Large-Leaved Avens, Geum macrophyllum. They’re a beautiful plant in the woods and garden and a food for many butterflies.-Masculine, Jupiter Fire – These plants are used in exorcism mixes, whether incense, amulet or “sprinkle” and for purification, as the live plants can chase nasty influences. If you hate having traveling salesmen or evangelists at your door, plant these along with mint by the pathways. North American species are used in love blends, too. More:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geum_macrophyllum More on the family athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geum
Helston Furry Day is an event in Cornwall, similar to other customs around the British Isles. It consists of a carnival with several specific dances during the day resembling, to my mind, some of the Carnivale parades. I don’t know that they’re related, except by common human impulse. “Furry” comes from “feria” which means festival. There are several dance processions during the day. The kids have one in the morning, which the schools from the area take turns leading. There’s another mid-day, the Hal-en-Tow, which features characters from folklore. Here’s the song of that name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs9PMky7Fj0 and the mid-day dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JWd6mpR-fY and a longer one with bits from all the festivity parts, the famous “Furry Dance” starting at about 4 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yyO-VP-0nY Bonfires and hobby horses and Morris Dancers and Maying all get mixed in. Sounds like a fun party! More on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furry_Dance and a whole page of interesting May customs here: http://piereligion.org/mayday2.html#furry
The shop opens at 1pm. Spring hours are Thurs-Mon. 1-6pm. 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
Moon in Aries
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 5/11 at noon. 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 5/11 at noon.
A gigantic asterism you may not know about is the Diamond of Virgo, some 50° tall and extending over five constellations. It now stands upright in the south after the stars come out. Start with Spica, its bottom. Upper left from Spica is bright Arcturus. Almost as far upper right from Arcturus is fainter Cor Caroli, 3rd magnitude. The same distance lower right from there is Denebola, the 2nd-magnitude tailtip of Leo. And then back to Spica. The bottom three of these stars, the brightest, form a nearly perfect equilateral triangle. So maybe we should call Arcturus, Spica and Denebola the “Spring Triangle” to parallel those of summer and winter?
In you have a dark sky, or binoculars, look halfway from Cor Caroli to Denebola for the very large, sparse Coma Berenices star cluster. It spans some 4°, about the size of a ping-pong ball held at arm’s length.
M106 is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs. It lies some 25 million light-years from Earth. Some astronomers think emissions from M106 indicate a vast quantity of material is falling into a supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s core. – Bill Snyder
Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs is a northern constellation drawn from just two bright stars: magnitude 3 Alpha (α) and magnitude 4 Beta (β) Canum Venaticorum. They sit below the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle, parallel to Alkaid and Mizar but about 15° southwest of that pair. The constellation is home to several relatively bright galaxies, including magnitude 8.4 M106. Measuring 20.0′ by 8.4′, many consider it one of the best galaxies in Messier’s list, but it’s also one of the least observed. You’ll find this spiral in the constellation’s northwest corner, about 6.5° northwest of Beta Canum Venaticorum and 7.5° southeast of magnitude 2.4 Phecda (Gamma [γ] Ursae Majoris). You’ll want to pull out your best scope for M106, which is tilted to our line of sight much like the more famous Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and resembles that object as well. With larger apertures, you’ll be able to make out the galaxy’s dust lanes and spiral structure. Canes Venatici is home to several other Messier objects: galaxies M94, M51, and M63, as well as the globular cluster M3.
C/2020 R4 (ATLAS) – You’ll find numerous galaxies scattered along Comet ATLAS’ path this month. – Astronomy: Roen Kelly
May is your last chance to see Comet C/2020 R4 (ATLAS) before it streaks too far from the Sun and loses its glow. It won’t return for another 1,000 years, so get your comet watching on before midmonth, when the Moon’s bright light drowns it out. ATLAS is currently gliding through Coma Berenices, just south of Canes Venatici (where we turned our gaze last night). This evening, you’ll find the magnitude 10 comet about 2.5° north of Gamma Comae Berenices; nearby are several galaxies around the same magnitude: NGC 4559, NGC 4565, NGC 4494, NGC 4631, and NGC 4395. The comet will continue toward Leo night by night, heading nearly straight for Zosma in the great cat’s haunches.
Uranus is hidden in the glow of dawn.
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.
NIGHT SKY FOR May 2021 – https://www.almanac.com/night-sky-map-may-asterisms
Sun in Taurus
Goddess Month of Maia runs from 4/18 – 5/15
Celtic Tree Month of Saille/Willow, Apr 15 – May 12
Celtic Tree Month of Huath/Hawthorn, May 13 – Jun 9
Pluto Retrograde (10/6)
Color – White
Harvest
©2021 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
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Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon
~ /Low Time Feet Sunset Visible
Sa 8 Low 5:40 AM 0.9 5:57 AM Rise 5:00 AM 14
~ 8 High 11:36 AM 6.1 8:29 PM Set 5:35 PM
~ 8 Low 5:32 PM 1.3
~ 8 High 11:41 PM 7.4
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Affirmation/Thought for the Day – I believe that talking with the heart is a political act, rather than something just “artistic and/or juvenile”.
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Journal Prompt – What if? – What would you do if you found a magic wand?
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Quotes
~ Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant. – Horace
~ Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. – John Lubbock
~ Novels are longer than life. – Natalie Clifford Barney (1876-1972) US writer
~ China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese. – Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French general and statesman
For the May Day is the great day,
Sung along the old straight track.
And those who ancient lines did ley
Will heed this song that calls them back. – Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull
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Magick – Recipes – Black Salt How to Make and Use It for Protection – moodymoonsNovember 24, 2019Pagan Crafts –
Black salt often appears in spells for spiritual protection of the home, body and mind. Whip out a quick batch for your spell crafting pantry with this easy, customizable recipe. Then, keep it on hand and use it in a magical pinch!
What is black salt?
Bad vibrations occasionally find their way into everyone’s life from time to time. This includes ill-fated relationships, poor workplace circumstances and incompatible roommates or living situations. These things often lead to depression, low-functioning behaviors and unhealthy habits. Nip it in the bud before it gets unbearable. Metaphysically, black salt absorbs negative energy, spiritually poisonous vibes and general yuck. Use it for everything from soaking up a bad mood to driving away toxic people from your life.
Ingredients
-coarse sea or kosher salt
-any one of the following
- *fire pit ashes
- *black food coloring
- *black pepper
- *activated charcoal powder
How to Make It
- Combine salt and black additive of your choice.
- Then, consider using the energy of the dark moon to prepare this concoction, which heightens its protective properties.
- Charge it by leaving it outdoors under the dark moon or with any other charging method you prefer.
Optional Additives
Including natural additives to your black salt is kind of like making specialty butter. Of course, the plain stuff works just fine, but if you want to get fancy or more specific, an extra ingredient for added magical flavor never hurts. For extra punch or to customize your black salt for a specific purpose, consider adding any one of the following.
Rosemary Essential Oil – Add a few drops of rosemary oil for protection from harmful people or toxic relationships. Also a nice addition if you plan to use your salts for home protection or to bless the perimeter of your sacred space. Use about 8 drops for every 5 ounces of black salt.
Cayenne Powder – Add a little cayenne for black salts intended to dispel anger or toxic relationships. Perfect for dealing with difficult roommates or hard-to-handle relatives.
Lavender Essential Oil – Dark moon divination requires the practitioner to open herself up to the unseen world. So, if you’re making a batch of black salts for psychic protection, consider adding a little lavender essential oil to block invisible ickiness. Or, add it to a batch for easing emotional pain, grief or anxiety.
Cinnamon Essential Oil – Include cinnamon essential oil for protection from a broken heart or pain in a romantic relationship. Or, include cinnamon essential oil for black salts you plan to use after a paranormal investigation to clear away negative entities or settle disturbed energies. Include about 5 drops of cinnamon essential oil per 5 ounces of black salts. Caution: Do NOT allow pure, uncut cinnamon essential oil to make contact with your skin. It burns like a mother. Trust me, I learned the hard way.
Ways to Use Your Black Salts – There are an infinite number of ways to use black salts. Here are a few brainstormed for you.
- -Sprinkle it around the perimeter of your house to guard the hearth and home.
- -Add some to a car protection charm to give it a boost.
- -Place protection gemstones in a bag of black salt to cleanse and recharge them. (Be sure to rinse them thoroughly before use).
- -Are you dating? Carry a small glass jar of black salts with cinnamon oil to protection your heart from lovers with bad intentions.
- -If you’re in a toxic friendship, get a picture of the two of you together. When you’re ready to end the friendship, place the photo in a biodegradable container (a dye-free brown bag works) and bury it somewhere away from your home. Walk away and don’t look back.
- -Mark the perimeter of your outdoor sacred space when you cast a circle to protect you during ritual. (Don’t use it on an indoor circle, as it may stain carpet or flooring).
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Silliness – Silly Q&A – Question: Why do people wash their clothes in Tide? – Because it’s too cold out-tide.’
Ancient Light's Daily Stuff 
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