Day: April 18, 2011

Your Daily Influences for April 18th

Your Daily Influences
April 18, 2011 
 

Tarot Influence

Rune Influence
Charm Influence
Judgement Reversed
The card represents the failure to find happiness, disenchantment, and the loss of possessions.
Dagaz
Dagaz represents the fresh light of a new day. You are close to making a breakthrough. You have the will to change whatever you deem necessary. You may see the world with absolute clarity at this time.
The Buckle of Isis
Someone will, or has told a lie about you regarding this aspect and damaged your reputation in ways that may not become apparent to you for many weeks.
Your Daily Influences represent events and challenges the current day will present for you. They may represent opportunities you should be ready to seize. Or they may forewarn you of problems you may be able to avoid or lessen. Generally it is best to use them as tips to help you manage your day and nothing more.
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Your Charm for April 18th

Your Charm for Today
 
 

Capricornus the Goat
 
Today’s Meaning:
This aspect of your life will be strongly influenced by a person who is practical, prudent, ambitious, disciplined, patient, careful, humorous and reserved. They could be someone you know in the medical field–a nurse or doctor perhaps.General Description:
Tenth sign of the Zodiac, Dec 22nd to Jan 19th. Ruling planet, Saturn; correct metal, lead. Those born under Capricornus influence were believed to be prudent, deep thinkers, prosperous in financial affairs, generous, with strong and foreible tempers. The capricorn stone is the Ruby. The Ruby was a favourite talisman in the Orient. In India it was worn to guard against attacks of enemies, foretell danger, supposed to change colour in presence of poison, and attract friends and good fortune; China and Japan health, Happiness and long life. The Romans believed that the Ruby preserved health and strength, averted danger, plauge and fevers.

Your Animal Spirit for April 18th

Your Animal Spirit for Today
April 18, 2011 
 
your daily animal spirit for today

The Crane

Cranes have been revered for centuries in many Oriental cultures, symbolizing good fortune and long life. If Crane has flown into your reading today, he brings a message of good tidings. Be prepared for something special today—emotional balance, good health, a spiritual “ah-ha!”, or simply pure joy.

Today’s Chakra Energy Levels for April 18th

The Chakras represent the seven primary energy hubs in the body. Life force energy is constantly flowing in and out of these centers. Just as the cosmos is constantly changing, so too are the levels of energy absorbed and radiated by our Chakra centers. The graph below is a representation of the quantities of Chakra energies available today.

Sahasrara:
   
10%
Ajna:
   
73%
Vishuddha:
   
69%
Anahata:
   
45%
Manipura:
   
54%
Svadhisthana:
   
41%
Muladhara:
   
87%

Legend:
Sahasrara – The Crown Chakra represents energies associated with cosmic consciousness, spirituality, knowledge, wisdom and inner peace.
Ajna – The Third Eye Chakra represents energies focused on both physical and spiritual vision. Psychic powers resonate from the Ajna Chakra, as well as your image of the Cosmos as a whole (the big picture) and the many nuances that make your journey unique.
Vishuddha – Throat Chakra is the energy center associated with communication and creativity. Your energy to express yourself verbally and creatively are derived from the Vishuddha Chakra.
Anahata – The Heart Chakra’s energy is concentrated on issues concerning your emotions. This energy fuels your power to love, feel compassion and maintain balance between disparate aspects of your being.
Manipura – The Power Chakra provides the energy that fuels our strength of will, individuality and sense of self-worth.
Svadhisthana – The Spleen or Sacral Chakra supplies the energy we use emotionally and sexually. This is the energy used to connect to others.
Muladhara – The Root or Base Chakra furnishes the energy used to create and maintain our foundation. This is the energy that keeps us on firm ground and provides us with the basic skills to uphold a place in the world.

The Planets Now for April 18th

Position of the planets based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
 
Sun:
28° 24′
in Aries
 Moon:
07° 58′
in Scorpio
 Mercury:
13° 47′
in Aries
 Venus:
27° 08′
in Pisces
 Mars:
12° 53′
in Aries
Jupiter:
19° 20′
in Aries
 Saturn:
12° 41′
in Libra
 Uranus:
02° 11′
in Aries
 Neptune:
00° 35′
in Pisces
 Pluto:
07° 12′
in Capricorn
Aspects:
Conjunction: Mars Jupiter 6º
Conjunction: Mercury Jupiter 5º
Conjunction: Mercury Mars 0º
Conjunction: Venus Uranus 5º
Opposition: Jupiter Saturn 6º
Opposition: Mars Saturn 0º
Opposition: Mercury Saturn 1º		 Semi-Sextile: Sun Venus 1º
Semi-Sextile: Uranus Neptune 1º
Sextile: Moon Pluto 0º
Sextile: Sun Neptune 2º
Square: Mars Pluto 5º
Square: Saturn Pluto 5º
Square: Uranus Pluto 5º
The Sun in Aries
Leadership qualities tend to come to the forefront. Optimism is high and challenges seem a bit easier to meet. Taking care of number one can be a main theme in this period. Aggression levels and the need for adventure are likely to rise as well. Impulsive, decisive, and courageous actions by even the meekest of souls are very possible at this time.

Sun Sextile or Trine Neptune
Artistic pursuits and mysticism may be very attractive at this time.
Moon In Scorpio
The need for privacy will be high in many. Emotions may be welled up inside instead of openly expressed. The feeling of being emotionally vulnerable will be prevalent.

Moon Sextile or Trine Pluto
Passions are likely to run high during this aspect. Exploring the world’s mysteries may be a very attractive pursuit at this time.
Mercury In Aries
Mercury in Aries is an influence that does not favor diplomacy. Many will be far more outspoken than usual. Dissension will be prevalent. Traditional approaches to handling challenges are likely to be replaced by new, more affective strategies. The need to be on the cutting edge of things will be strong.

Mercury Conjunct Mars
Debates and analytical thinking are likely. The candid words of some may be so frank that they may be seen as offensive to those on the receiving end.

Mercury Conjunct Jupiter
Seeking the “essence” of things may become a preoccupation. The need and ability to share ideas is strong.

Mercury Opposition or Square Saturn
This aspect provides a favorable window for tackling complex intellectual problems.
Venus In Pisces
Feelings are likely to run very deep. One may find themselves swelled with compassion that the need to help others becomes a major motivator. Creativity should be very strong and could lead to the development of exceptional innovations in the future.

Venus Conjunct Uranus
The need for personal freedom will be very acute in many, and may cause strain in their personal and professional relationships.
Mars In Aries
Action is the keyword at this time. Those who act quickly and decisively should be favored. Self-sufficiency and the ability to act alone are valuable assets. Many will do well by focusing on short term goals.

Mars Conjunct Jupiter
Success in all arenas is possible. Energy levels and optimism should be relatively high.

Mars Opposition or Square Saturn
This aspect favors launching projects and starting relationships that one intends to commit to for the long term. Substantial progress in ongoing projects is likely as well.

Mars Opposition or Square Pluto
This aspect favors those who put the full force of their will into reaching their goals. During this time it would be wise not to share one’s plans and ideas with a broad audience.
Jupiter In Aries
Self-reliance and optimism are favored at this time. Those who enjoy challenges and competition are favored. Adopting a never surrender attitude is a key component to attaining success.

Jupiter Opposition or Square Saturn
This aspect tends to muddle the distinction between what is real and what one wishes to be real. Setbacks can be experienced due to this nebulous vision of reality.
Saturn In Libra
Intimacy may be more of a chore than a pleasure. Some will find their progress towards strengthening intimate bonds and attaining goals muted by feelings of inadequacy.

Saturn Opposition or Square Pluto
This aspect may make it difficult to commit one’s self to anything beyond the moment at hand. However, those who do take on new goals will put the full force of their nature into achieving them.
Uranus In Aries
The astrological influence of Uranus is measured in increments of 7 years. What this means is that the effects of Uranus influence an entire generation. Day to day the Uranian influence may be imperceptible, but when the period is viewed as a whole the impact of Uranus is likely to be strikingly apparent.

Iconoclasm, independence and self-sufficiency are likely to be major themes during this period. Traditional values will be challenged. Those with a pioneering spirit will flourish.

Uranus Square Pluto
A mental restlessness and the need for complete personal freedom are possible influences of this aspect. In some the need for total autonomy may be so strong that they will challenge any attempt to subdue their independence.
Neptune In Pisces
Because Neptune takes approximately 14 years to move across Pisces its day to day influence may be imperceptible, but when the period is viewed as a whole the impact of Neptune in Pisces is likely to be strikingly apparent.

Gentleness, creativity, and the pursuit of spiritual truth are strong influences at this time. Many may find mysticism and unorthodox religions very attractive.

 
Pluto In Capricorn
Because Pluto takes approximately 15 years to move across Capricorn its day to day influence may be imperceptible, but when the period is viewed as a whole the impact of Pluto in Capricorn is likely to be strikingly apparent.

Strong economic gains can be made during this period. Pluto in Capricorn favors those who are able to make logical decisions and devise pragmatic solutions to the challenges before them.

Your Deck of Ancient Symbols Card for April 18th

Your Deck of Ancient Symbols Card for Today
 
 

The Magus

The Magus is the physical embodiment of decisive action based upon knowledge and aimed squarely at specific goals. Thoroughly Yang by nature and firmly set in the material world, he none-the-less has a powerful spiritual connection as well. His knowledge, wisdom and skill are all encompassing. He is complete. His power as a creator is unmatched on our earthly plane. He is self-aware and unafraid to act. His enormous strength gives him the freedom to act as he chooses. However, responsibility comes with that freedom. Because he is not bound to the restraints of others he must choose how to act. The question that always lies before him is should he act morally, or forsake ethics for personal gain.

As a daily card, The Magus suggest you currently possess a tremendous power and freedom to move your life in any direction you choose. In short, you can make things happen. Your true challenge at the moment is to move forward without trampling the dreams of others. Fortunately your moral fiber is strong as well, and will guide you down the right path.

Alternate Worlds

Alternate Worlds

Author: Crick

There are times when I pause and wonder. Why is it that we have to put forth such an effort to connect with the many realms of awareness that exist all around us?

Throughout our entire existence as a species, there have been countless tales of encounters with elves and dryads, and faeries and such. And yet many times these tales revolve around happenstance. I sometimes wonder why it is more by chance then design that we mingle with our otherworld cousins.

Granted there are some who come and go at will to these alternate realms. But such folks are in the minority. Could it be that we have done something to make our presence in general, undesirable to other- world species?

Many times those who follow the path of the shaman can be found traversing back and forth if one knows where to look for them. And yet by their very nature they are often standoffish when it comes to sharing knowledge of such journeys with members of their own species. Could they know something that the rest of humankind does not? Have they seen or been exposed to a hidden truth that defines their desire to stand separate from others of their kind?

Sometimes there will be those who discover the freedom of astral travel. But way too often their experiences are one-dimensional. They follow the same path over and over onto the spiritual highway and back while being completely unaware of the many side roads that they could be exploring. Thus they often experience but a drop of the vast ocean of astral territory that awaits them.

What is it about us as humans that inhibit our ability to throw the astral door wide open?

Life is not limited to just our earthly realm. Rather life, whether we are aware of it or not offers so many possibilities when it comes to alternate realms. Are we capable as a species of dealing with such a vast awareness?

Perhaps we are akin to the child who fears the dark or a burst of lightening and so we pretend it just isn’t so. And yet though we hide within the ignorance of our minds, reality still carries on all about us. Compared to otherworldly species we may be viewed as just children who have not come of age as of yet. And therefore are not of much interest to those who live in such otherworldly realms.

Have you ever thought about where it is that your spirit guide resides? Or where is it that faeries go when they are not playing their pranks on unsuspecting victims or stealing human babies? And for that matter why would they want to leave a changeling in exchange for a human child?

Some say it is to thin their white blood with that of human red blood in order to sneak into heaven.

What about the realm where the Gods live and thrive? And isn’t there a realm where our spirits which were once earthbound by the physical shell, return to when they are set free? Must we shed the experience of being human, or at least the human shell to experience that place where we originally came from?

Do you even believe that there are alternate realms?

Some folks do in fact journey through their mundane lives with such blinders on. Preferring to keep their eyes mentally and emotionally closed for fear that they may see or encounter something that they don’t comprehend.

Let’s face it; at one time folks insisted that the world was flat in order to maintain their comfort zone. And yet there were fascinating folks and experiences waiting just over the horizon. Ignorance of such folks did not make them non-existent, it only curtailed the experiences of those who denied or ignored their presence.

Otherworldly realms are pretty much the same way. Each world is just teeming with unique experiences and species of various existences just waiting for that hardy spiritual soul to come visiting.

Of course if you are one of those sage folks who have been able to experience such travel then you are probably sitting back and nodding your head with understanding and the knowledge of personal experiences. After all how does one explain such travels to the uninitiated? And yet isn’t this considered to be one of the primary tenets of paganism?

Is it not our responsibility and indeed our expressed desire to attain such knowledge, and thus to accept that there are in fact alternate realities and to have the insatiable curiosity to seek out those frontiers of our existence here on Mother Earth? And yet much of the conversation in the pagan community centers around questions of alternate realms, not from a position of experiences shared but rather from a bystander’s ignorance of what may be and what is assumed to be.

What will it take to turn the tables of inexperience and lack of knowledge and for more folks to actually learn and thus develop the ability to engage alternate realms?

Paganism is about spiritual growth and opening up the doors to the Great mysteries. With so much knowledge waiting just beyond our fingertips, one would think that a sincere and concentrated effort would be directed towards such endeavors. To be pagan in name only is to ignore such exciting opportunities that would allow us to grow that much more. And perhaps the knowledge gained from experiences such as engaging alternate realms could very well serve our community in a positive way.

As it is, we live in a very negative environment, where positive acts are more by concerted effort then any behavioral normality. Perhaps by traveling outside the maddening influences of our world and limited awareness, we can gain an insight as to how things could be in the human progression.

Could you imagine a world without hate or avarice or anger or wars and so forth? Perhaps by traveling to an alternate world one can actually experience such an existence. And as we all know, experience in some cases leads to wisdom, which leads to a positive example of how things can, and perhaps should be.

And so as a pagan, are you ready to take the leap into the unknown and to expand your horizon? Is not traveling to alternate realms a pagan birthright? Are you exercising your rights?

If not, why not?

A Witch In An RV

A Witch In An RV

Author: Olbec

I am a Witch and I live in an RV with my husband and our Pomeranian (my familiar) , Blayde. To clarify, I do not live in one of those big luxurious bus sized RVs but a rather a van converted by Roadtrek (think Chevy Express van + bathroom + bed + 2-burner stove + tiny refrigerator = my house) . As minimalists, my husband and I chose such a small RV in order to leave the smallest carbon footprint on our struggling earth as possible. One really learns how to conserve water when your freshwater tank holds only 30 gallons!

I didn’t start out my Pagan life as a Witch living in an RV. I acknowledged my being a Witch eight years ago while living on our ranch in Texas. I had followed the Pagan path for approximately three years prior to that time, but I held a solitary dedication ceremony on April 10, 2001, and have been spiritually growing and learning ever since.

After we sold our ranch, and gave away most of our earthly belongings, we chose to live in an RV in January of 2008. If you are on a Pagan path, and considering the RV lifestyle as a full-time living option, you should know that there are both unique challenges and advantages to being a Witch living in an RV full-time. Allow me share just a few of these…

One of my biggest challenges is trying to keep an altar in a space barely big enough for the essentials of living. Aside from the fact that there are no open surfaces, which are not currently used for meal preparation, the bouncing and jiggling as we drive down the road would be most detrimental to items placed loosely upon an altar. Because of not having space in our van for a permanent altar I find myself setting up temporary altars at our various stops during our travels.

A temporary altar can present unique challenges, too. If we are staying in an RV park the neighbors are often very curious about, and can even be intolerant of, “the hippie woman” with incense, candles and sacred items chanting and casting a circle around the picnic table at the RV site next to them. I’ve experienced onlookers stopping, staring, and “tutt-tutting” while I was trying to concentrate on ritual… this can be very disruptive to the concentration required in many spells.

If we are staying in the wilderness, as opposed to an RV park, such steps as the preparatory bath prior to ritual can become a challenge all its own, too. (Remember that 30-gallon water tank is also used for washing dishes, flushing the toilet, cooking, etc.) Allow me share the fact that, in all honesty, bathing in a mountain stream (as spiritual as it may sound) is a very cold and tense experience. Depending on what kind of magick you have in mind to do a freezing stream bath may not be the best preparation.

Another challenge in being a Witch living the RV lifestyle in a small RV such as ours is that along with our personal items (clothing, dishes, etc.) I must carry all my incense, herbs, books and divination tools with me. I have no other house or storage area to keep all my goodies. This requires learning spells that require minimal provisions and not having many “extra” supplies on hand.

My familiar, Blayde, has also had to face challenges in adapting to ritual in varying locales. Where once we lived in the confines of a house and fenced yard in which he could enter the circle, lie down near the altar, and watch with his expressive eyes all that happened, he now finds himself needing to be leashed during many of our rituals. Whether because of RV park rules or the risk of harm in the wilderness his harness and leash now invade his life much more often.

Of course, as with all things, there is balance between “the good and the bad” when considering this lifestyle. I believe the advantages of living in an RV balance out the disadvantages very well.

I have the freedom to travel anywhere we want to drive to. This means that I have worshipped the Lady and Lord on the rocky shores of Maine, on the beaches of Florida, amidst the highest peaks of Colorado, and in the serenity of the Arizona desert. I have mediated while leaning with my back against an oak tree in Texas and watched the moon rise over a bayou in Louisiana.

During my travels I have seen both the fragility and the strength of Gaia. All this has combined to help deepen my confidence and understanding of my Pagan path and my magickal practices.
I enjoy the option of attending Pagan festivals anywhere in North America I want to go without worrying about time off from a job or needing a house sitter to care for my material possessions.

I keep a list of Pagan shops from all across the country and can visit them whenever I drive through their area, thus enjoying a wider range of viewpoints and outlooks than if I was anchored to one locale.

Although I wouldn’t recommend my footloose lifestyle to all Witches I do appreciate being able to live my life like this. To those who are considering living in an RV full-time (and this number is ever increasing) I recommend you do it with your eyes and mind wide open.

I gave up my closed in “wall space”, where I once hung various tributes to the Lord and Lady, for open “nature space” where I now see Their handiwork spread out before me. I gave up my lovely wooden altar for makeshift altars such as picnic tables, boulders, tree stumps, or a cloth spread on the grass.

I gave up my pantry full of herbs, candles and magickal supplies for a box of basic supplies that fits under our bed.

I gave up my comfortable routine of an herb-infused candlelit bath prior to ritual for a “sponge bath” under a tree, behind a cactus, or in the cramped quarters of our van.

But best of all, I gave up the concern of house payments, property taxes, and yard maintenance and am now free to concentrate on my family, my spirituality, my health.