-

Timeline Photos
"Let your nuptial hymns, your nuptial songs, greet him and his wife! 'Twas in the midst of such wedding festivities that the Moirai formerly united Olympian Hera to the King (Zeus) who governs the gods from the summit of his inaccessible throne. Oh! Hymen! oh! Hymenaios! Rosy Eros with the golden wings held the reins and guided the chariot; 'twas he, who presided over the union of Zeus and the fortunate Hera. Oh! Hymen! oh! Hymenaios!"
~ Aristophanes, Birds 1720 ffpicture: Cupid Rekindling the Torch of Hymen, a sculpture by George Rennie
-

Make a Set of Ogham Staves
paganwiccan.about.com
Named for Ogma or Ogmos, the Celtic god of eloquence and literacy, the Ogham alphabet has become known as a tool of divination for many Pagans and Wiccans. Learn how to make your own set for divination. -

Ogham Symbol Gallery
paganwiccan.about.com
Named for Ogma or Ogmos, the Celtic god of eloquence and literacy, the Ogham alphabet has become known as a tool of divination for many Pagans and Wiccans. -

Getting Rid of Unwanted Spirits
paganwiccan.about.com
Got an extra entity hanging around? Made contact with a snarky spirit during a seance? Here are some tips on how to get rid of them and send them on their way. - No rest for the Wiccan 7 day till the full moon

February 9-10, 2013NEW MOO…
No rest for the Wiccan 7 day till the full moon
February 9-10, 2013NEW MOON AQUARIUS
(21° 43' 6")
February 10:
07:21 UT, GMT
02:21 AM EST
01:21 AM CST
12:21 AM MST
February 9:
11:21 PM PST -

Timeline Photos
CIRCLES, WHY USE THEM?
By MEL WHITEThey say that the longest journey begins with a single step. So, too, the
exploration of Magickal studies begins with a single step. Though the first step
in a physical journey is often self-evident, the First Step on a Magickal
journey is often not quite so clear. While formally organized groups often have
a path of lessons to instruct newcomers, the solitary or isolated student is
often left standing in perplexity on this broad plain of knowledge, wondering
just where in the heck to begin. And wondering, too, if it's "okay" to start
just anywhere.While it's true that studies can begin in any direction that attracts you, the
necessary first step must be learning to make psychic shields. There are "Things
of the Dark" out there. There are any number of explanations for what these
things might be– ghosts, demons, or simply uncontrolled urges of the
subconscious mind. In truth, it doesn't matter what they are. What does matter
is that their effect is very real and unless they are put under your control,
they will drag you over the borders of sanity into psychosis. You are most
vulnerable to them while you're in an "open" trance or meditative state. That's
why the wise practitioner always begins by taking steps to define exactly what
will be permitted through the portals of their "psychic shields"– no matter how
simple the ritual. And this, in
a nutshell, is what "protective magic" is about.There are a number of ways to do this. The most common is to begin by drawing a
circle (around a group or yourself) and invoking the one or more protective
powers. Generally, this is done by candlelight, in front of an altar that holds
certain magical objects. The circle may be further "secured" and "cleared" by
using salt, salt water, rum, incense, or some other method. You may be wearing a
special robe and will have taken a bath (or performed a cleansing ritual)
earlier. The powers that protect you will be called on and THEN you will begin
your ritual.Is it psychological? Absolutely! Is there a reason why protection rituals always
take this form? Positively! Let's take a step back and see what you're actually
doing and how the process works– from a psychological standpoint– and how to
use this knowledge to help you refine your circles to enhance your rituals.Psychologists and psychics alike view the mind's structure as a three-part
entity: The ego (that which you think of as yourself), the superego (the "higher
self") and the Id (the child within). The Id is, in a sense, a computer. Like
most computers, it operates on the "garbage in-garbage out" principle. There's
an old superstition "as you name something, so will it become." Tell yourself
that you're very unlucky and your id will obligingly give you bad days by
enhancing any negatives in your environment. Tell yourself that you are clumsy,
and your id-computer will obligingly arrange for you to break a leg while
stepping off the sidewalk. The bad news is that the Id can't make a judgment as
to whether or not this is a good idea. It only knows that it's received these
"instructions" and must carry them out. The good news is that you can actually
program/reprogram this portion of your mind.You begin programming this Internal Servant of yours by first drawing its
attention to what you want done and then explaining what you need done in a
simple and clear manner. Repeating the instructions in a chant help fix the
goals for the Id– rhymed chants seem to be easier for it to process. Each time
you perform the ritual and repeat the chant, the programming is strengthened.
Never mind that your ego and superego understand that you're going to program
the child-like Id. It works just the same.To direct the Id's attention to the process, you first have to impress it. Using
special tools and clothing alert it that something unusual is going on and that
it must pay attention. Acquiring hard-to-obtain items, drawing symbols,
performing a symbolic sacrifice (donating money, say, to a good cause) are all
ways of reinforcing the Id's impression that this ceremony is very special and
that the result will be very powerful. Organized, meaningful symbols speak to
your subconscious mind in ways it understands, reinforcing the goals you have
set.Drawing the circle itself establishes boundaries within your environment ("The
rest of the world can do what it likes Out There. All within this circle is in
MY control!"). Purifying the circle and consecrating it (sprinkling water which
has been blessed and salt added) further enforce your territory, defining the
borders where you are "safe". Nothing can enter this area except what you invite
inside. You further tighten these borders by calling on certain Powers.You can call on any powers you like. Some use traditional Christian images.
Others call up deities from the religion they are most comfortable with. And
many people use the thought/image of a beam of light that represents either
God/Goddess (whichever one they like) OR The power of light and life and
goodness in the Universe.The number of powers called as guardians varies. You may choose to invoke one
powerful being to protect your circle. Or you might call on the Universal
Being/Light AND four guardians (one for each quarter of the compass). A third
approach is use a guardian for the four quarters of the compass and no higher
being. There is no "absolutely correct" system; the correct system is the one
that YOU are comfortable with.Take time to choose the guardians of your circle carefully. You should select
guardians (gods or animals or some form of life) which have a deeper meaning to
you and whose qualities are in harmony with your goals. For the new student,
it's best to have all your Powers and Guardians from the same belief
system/religion/mythic universe so that the symbols will be consistent and not
confuse the Id.You CAN use people– saints, movie actors, figures from favorite books as
guardians. DO, however, pick someone who's dead or non-existent. The dead can't
argue with your interpretation of them, whereas the living may be highly
offended to be approached as gods/ guardians).As your studies continue, you will find that your totems or guardians change.
This is to be expected; as you explore new realms in your studies, you may find
you need guardians who deal with very specific areas to strengthen and guide you
in these new fields.But don't make the mistake of assuming that you'll become so powerful that you
will never need the protection of the psychic shielding circle in some form. And
don't assume that you will not need a circle for "positive" magicks such as
healing. Open is open– and open is vulnerable. And circles strengthen and
protect you by defining what psychological influences will be allowed to work
with you.~*Raven*~
-

Timeline Photos
Stonehenge builders had geometry skills to rival PythagorasStone Age Britons had a sophisticated knowledge of geometry to rival Pythagoras – 2,000 years before the Greek "father of numbers" was born, according to a new study of Stonehenge.
Five years of detailed research, carried out by the Oxford University landscape archaeologist Anthony Johnson, claims that Stonehenge was designed and built using advanced geometry.
The discovery has immense implications for understanding the monument – and the people who built it. It also suggests it is more rooted in the study of geometry than early astronomy – as is often speculated.
Mr Johnson believes the geometrical knowledge eventually used to plan, pre-fabricate and erect Stonehenge was learnt empirically hundreds of years earlier through the construction of much simpler monuments.
He also argues that this knowledge was regarded as a form of arcane wisdom or magic that conferred a privileged status on the elite who possessed it, as it also featured on gold artifacts found in prehistoric graves.
The most complex geometrical achievement at Stonehenge is an 87-metre diameter circle of chalk-cut pits which mark the points of a 56-sided polygon, created immediately within the monument's perimeter earthwork.
Mr Johnson used computer analysis and experimental archaeology to demonstrate that this outer polygon was laid out using square and circle geometry. He believes the surveyors started by using a rope to create a circle, then laid out the four corners of a square on its circumference, before laying out a second similar square, thus creating an inner octagon. The points of the octagon were then utilised as anchors for a surveyor's rope which was used to "draw" arcs which intersected the circumference so as to progressively create the sides of a vast polygon.
Indeed, his work has demonstrated that a 56-sided polygon is the most complex that can easily be created purely through square and circle geometry using a single piece of rope.
It is likely that this basic limitation determined the number of sides of Stonehenge's outer polygon – and may also have led to the 56-sided polygon concept becoming important within wider European religious belief. Ancient Greek classical mythology associated just such a 56-sided polygon with Zeus's great rival for divine supremacy, the weather god Typhon.
Johnson's research, published as a book this week, shows that Stonehenge derived its design from geometrical knowledge and features no less than six concentric polygons – a 56-sided outer one built around 2950BC; a regular octagon built around 2500BC) inside that; two concentric (though partly inaccurate) 30-sided polygons built around 1650BC, which were based on a series of hexagons; a 30-sided inner polygon (the sarsen stone ring which was built around 2500BC) also based on hexagonal geometry; and two probable 40-sided concentric polygons (probable former blue stone positions built around 2600BC) that were later modified to 30-sided ones. They also created the famous central stone "horseshoe" utilizing the survey markers used to create the thirty-sided sarsen polygon.
The experimental archaeology demonstrates that most of the monument was pre-planned and that the great stones were pre-fabricated off-site and then installed by surveyor-engineers.
"For years people have speculated that Stonehenge was built as a complex astronomical observatory. My research suggests that, apart from mid-summer and mid-winter solar alignments, this was not the case," said Mr. Johnson. "It strongly suggests that it was the knowledge of geometry and symmetry which was an important component of the Neolithic belief system."
"It shows the builders of Stonehenge had a sophisticated yet empirically derived knowledge of Pythagorean geometry 2000 years before Pythagoras," he said. A leading British prehistorian, Sir Barry Cunliffe, from Oxford University, believes that Anthony Johnson's research is "a major step forward in solving the puzzle of Stonehenge".
The Golden Rectangle and the StonehengeA golden rectangle is a rectangle whose side lengths are in the golden ratio, one-to-phi, that is, approximately 1:1.618. A distinctive feature of this shape is that when a square section is removed, the remainder is another golden rectangle, that is, with the same proportions as the first. Square removal can be repeated infinitely, which leads to an approximation of the golden or Fibonacci spiral.
Fibonacci numbers (0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34…) are a sequence of numbers named after Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci. The first number of the sequence is 0, the second number is 1, and each subsequent number is equal to the sum of the previous two numbers of the sequence itself.
Source: Independent.co.uk – by David Keys
- 23rd Moon Day info:
Symbols: Alligator.
Characteristics: The energy is dark, he…23rd Moon Day info:Symbols: Alligator.
Characteristics: The energy is dark, heavy, unfavorable, aggressive, violent. Day of challenge and test.Recommendations: Practice restraint and humility, forgiveness, moderation in everything. Take care of health. Good for cleaning and protecting house. Burning of incense and candles is recommended. Physical activity, sports are recommended.
Precautions: Avoid negative emotions, vengeance, anger, use of force, which may turn against you. Avoid being in large crowds, provocation. Overeating is dangerous, meat is not recommended. Sex is not recommended.
- Moon Day 23
Most traditions consider this day as fairly good and active. The Eur…Moon Day 23
Most traditions consider this day as fairly good and active. The European tradition portends fame and honours to matters which come to a head on this day, but it doesn't recommend starting anything new. The Vedic tradition promises success in many affairs and also does recommend starting something new. For Globa, it is a day of penitence when vampires rage… - Sunday — Sun's day
Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day
Old English sunnand…Sunday — Sun's day
Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day
Old English sunnandæg "day of the sun"
Germanic sunnon-dagaz "day of the sun"
Latin dies solis "day of the sun"
Ancient Greek hemera heli(o)u, "day of the sun" - Sunrise: 7:43 AM GMT
Sunset: 5:02 PM GMT
Length of Day: 9h 19m
Tomorrow will be…Sunrise: 7:43 AM GMT
Sunset: 5:02 PM GMT
Length of Day: 9h 19m
Tomorrow will be 3m 26s longer.
Moon Rise: 12:54 AM GMT
Moon Set: 10:27 AM GMT
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous 53% Illuminated -

Timeline Photos
~ Lady Moon
THings we love. Feel free to share any thing we have. We are family and community. We are alll ONe!!!! -

Timeline Photos
Fairy Faery and Fae by Name and Description
ChangelingChangeling's in fairy lore there are stories told of changelings. These were often sick fairy children left in place when a human infant was taken. As time goes on the baby becomes ill and becomes thinner and thinner before dying. The grief stricken parents are left believing their child died.
Most likely the story came about to explain why some infants did not do well and died with no reason that could be seen. Now that medicine has advanced most of these babies have a good chance of survival. It probably made it easier for a parent to believe that their beloved baby was taken by a fairy and a changeling left behind.
Sometimes the human child was returned if it could be proven the child was indeed a changeling. The methods used were often more harmful than anything. Fire was the most effective method known. It was said to lay the child on the fire. If of Satan it would burn, if of God's pureness than the child would be safe and not be burned. As you can imagine this was not a very safe method for the child's sake. What of the poor child taken.
Well those that were not returned lived their life with the fairy. The fairy often used human children to strengthen the fairy stock. While most lived happily some were taken by evil fae and forced to live their life as a slave. So if you don't want your baby carried off put an iron nail under the child's mattress to ward off fairy.
Posted By Lady Abigail
Digest powered by RSS Digest






















