Category: Daily Posts

13 Trivial Facts About Friday the 13th

13 Trivial Facts About Friday the 13th

Updated: Friday, 13 Jan 2012, 11:26 AM EST
Published : Friday, 13 Jan 2012, 11:26 AM EST

(EndPlay Staff Reports) – It’s Friday the 13th. If you’re superstitious, you’re likely under the impression that this is the most unlucky day on the calendar. Here are 13 facts about Friday the 13th to help keep your mind off all bad things that could happen today:

1. This is the first of three Friday the 13ths on the calendar in 2012: January, April and July all start on Sunday, which means the 13th day falls on a Friday.

2. The 1980 film “Friday the 13th” grossed nearly $40 million during its initial cinema run, according to information from the Internet Movie Database .

3. Fear of the number 13 is known as triskaidekaphobia, while fear of Friday the 13th is known as paraskavedekatriaphobia.

4. According to information from Time , the mini crash of Friday, Oct. 13, 1989 was the second largest drop of the Dow history. Even scarier? Today the crash doesn’t even rank in the top 10.

5. One psychotherapist, who specializes in the treatment of phobias, asserts that 21 million Americans fear Friday the 13th, according to information from About.com .

6. People in Spanish-speaking nations fear Tuesday the 13th, according to information from The Huffington Post .

7. NASA was almost tragically unlucky with its Apollo 13 mission. The capsule was launched at 13:13 on April 11, 1970. The explosion that ultimately destroyed the craft took place on April 13, which was a Monday.

8. The ancient Chinese regarded the number 13 as lucky, according to About.com. The ancient Egyptians also thought 13 brought good luck.

9. Looking to get inked? Tattoo parlors around the country offer specials for those who chose to commemorate the day permanently, traditionally offering tats of the number 13 for only $13. According Tattoo Artist Magazine , Dallas tattoo artist Oliver Peck started the tradition.

10. President Franklin D. Roosevelt apparently suffered from triskaidekaphobia: According to The Huffington Post, he refused to travel on the 13th day of any month and would not host a dinner party with 13 guests.

11. Worried about being in an accident on Friday the 13th? According to a recent Washington Post report, the risk of being in a car crash on any Friday is higher than other days of the week. Police attribute this fact to alcohol consumption.

12. Some people believe the fear of Friday the 13th goes back to the Garden of Eden. Supposedly Eve offered Adam the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and they were then ejected from Paradise.

13. Want to avoid bad luck on Friday the 13th? There are a number of things you can do to ward off ill fate, according to superstition: Touch wood, cross your fingers, avoid black cats, don’t look at the full moon through a pane of glass, and throw salt over each shoulder.

My Fox Atlanta

 

Calendar of the Moon for Friday, Jan. 13th

Calendar of the Moon
Beth/Poseideion II

Birch Tree Moon

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of white set the budded birch branches, a single white candle, the rune Berkana carved onto a piece of birch wood, and a bowl of clear water.
Offerings: White cakes with the Berkana rune carved upon them.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian with dairy and eggs.

Beth Invocation

Call: Now is the beginning of the year.
Response: Now is the time of stillness and cold.
Call: Now all is still and waiting upon the earth.
Response: Now the earth sleeps beneath her many blankets.
Call: Now is the time of patience.
Response: Now is the time of our longest wait.
Call: We are at peace with the Earth and with each other.
Response: We are at peace with the Earth and ready to begin.
Call: This is the month of indrawn breath.
Response: This is the time of all beginnings.
Call: May the year grow strong before us!
Response: May we grow strong before the year!
Call: For as the birch tree steps forth into the burned fields,
Response: So do we step forth into the aftermath of our own burning.
Call: For as the soft branches of the birch beat away the old year,
Response: So do we lower our heads for the strokes of the future.
Call: For as the pheasant hunts the snow for food,
Response: So do we seek through the ruins of the past.
Call: For as Frigga spins the clouds into thread,
Response: So do we circle like the spinning whorl,
Call: So do we take up the fiber of what has been,
Response: So do we bring forth the new year from our very hands.
Call: From our open hands,
Response: From our open hearts,
Call: From our open bodies,
Response: From our open souls.

Chant: Silver tree, in your branches
White of snow, stars are dancing
Tree of clouds, like thread of silver
Time runs through our hands.

Calendar of the Sun for Friday, Jan. 13th

Calendar of the Sun
13 Wolfmonath

Compitalia Mania, Day of the Mother of Ghosts

Colors: White and Black
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of black lay many sheer cloths of white, which each person takes as they enter and places over their heads. Lay out also four white candles, incense of myrrh, many loaves of bread made in the shape of men and women, and many skeins of handspun wool.
Offerings: Woolen effigies, to be made in the ritual. Make offerings in a graveyard.
Daily Meal: Fasting today until the evening meal.

Compitalia Mania Invocation

We call upon thee, Mania, Mother of Ghosts,
On this your day when you arise to admonish us.
Let not the spirits of the Dead torment us,
For we love and remember them.
Let not the spirits of the Dead pursue us,
For we wish them peace and rest.
Let not the spirits of the Dead wail in our ears,
For we cannot give them life, or comfort,
And so we beseech thee, Mother of Ghosts,
To take them into your dark arms
And sing them to sleep until it is time
For them to come once more
Into the world of life and breath and body.
(The bread loaves are passed around. Each is named with the name of someone dead who refuses to be forgotten. They are eaten.)
Hail, Mania, Mother of Ghosts!
We take these your children into our bodies,
We make them part of our lives,
And then return them again to the Earth.
May they live again in our flesh and blood
For these few days, and share our thoughts
And hopes, and dreams, and make themselves ready
To come once again into flesh of their own.

(The wool skeins are passed around, and fashioned into the shape of men and women, the Children of Mania, the Manes. These are hung about the house, over windows and doorways, in order to honor the Manes and keep them from tormenting the living.)

Friday! Friday! Friday! Thank Goodness The Weekend Is Almost Here!

Days Of The Week Comments

 

 Hello, my dear friends! I hope you are having a fantastic Friday the 13th. Are you superstition and believe bad things happen on this day? Personally I don’t even think a thing about it. There are even occasions when I realize it was Friday the 13th after the day was over with. I know my little pup, Kiki, will think it is a very unlucky day. I have to take her to the Vet today. She was playing with Stinker and Razzy and rounded a corner and ran into the leg of a cabinet. She has hurt her shoulder. I took her to our regular Vet and he told me she just pulled a muscle and she was a drama queen. That pissed me off. He didn’t do a damn thing for her except give me four pain pills and shove us out the door. He kept talking about how she needed her shots. I told him I agreed completely and I knew she needed her shots. But first, I wanted her shoulder taken care of. He acted like he didn’t hear me. He was more concern with giving her the shots because he would make about $100.00. More concerned with a dollar than the health of an animal, some Vet. So I found another Vet, I am going to take her today. Hopefully this Vet will do something to make her better. I know you are going to think this is strange but I have heard others ask what I am getting ready to ask you. Kiki is my family. I love her to pieces and it kills me to see her in pain. I have been able to take the pain away when she hurts but it always comes back in a few days. Would you please send some healing energy to her. With you and me together perhaps we can permanently heal her shoulder and she will never be in pain again. I would appreciate it so much and I know Kiki will also.  

 

Enough with my troubles. Have a great weekend!

  

Now on with the magick…..

  

Correspondences for Friday

 

 Magickal Intentions: Love, Romance, Marriage, Sexual Matters, Physical Beauty, Friendship and Partnerships, Strangers and Heart
Incense: Strawberry, Sandalwood, Rose, Saffron and Vanilla 
Planet: Venus
Sign: Libra and Taurus 
Angel: Ariel 
Colors: Green, Pink, Aqua 
Herbs/Plants: Pink Rose, Ivy, Birch, Heather, Clematis, Sage, Violet and Water Lilly Stones: Rose Quartz, Moonstone, Pink Tourmaline, Peridot, Emerald and Jade 
Oil: (Venus) Cardamom, Palmrosa, Rose, Yarrow
Friday belongs to Venus, and its energies are warm, sensuous, and fulfilling. Efforts that involve any type of pleasure, comfort, and luxury, as well as the arts, music, or aroma (incense and perfume) works well on this day. As Venus lends its sensuous influences to the energies of this day, use it for any magical work that deals with matters of the heart.  

 

Spellcrafting for Friday

 

CAST A WITCH’S LUCKY CANDLE SPELL

Take an orange candle anointed with cinnamon oil, clove, or lotus oil.
Light the candle and say 3 times:
“brimstone, moon, and witch’s fire,
candlelights bright spell,
good luck shall I now acquire,
work thy magic well.
Midnight twelve, the witching hour,
bring the luck I seek.
By wax and wick now work thy power
as these words I speak.
Harming none, this spell is done.
By law of three, so mote it be!”
Do this spell at midnight.

 

CHANT FOR GOOD LUCK AND WELL BEING

To the moon. To the sun.
To the skies. To the waters.
Stars, let your fire burn.
Winds let your strength grow.
Let us unite. Let me shine bright.

 

SPELL FOR LUCK

A small package of Alfalfa kept in a cupboard to bring good luck to the home.

 

LUCK JAR

If you are unlucky enough to break a mirror, collect all the pieces, put in a glass jar and stand on you window sill, the shards deflect all the bad luck away from the house.

 

CHARMS FOR LUCK

Place dried seaweed under the busiest portion of the house to draw luck and prosperity to you.
To change your luck, add one tablespoon of nutmeg to six cups of boiling water.
Steep for three hours. Use for body anointing or add to a ritual bath.

 

LUCK AND WISHES CHARM

Supplies: a Tiger’s eye (gemstone), nutmeg, allspice, and a charm (e.g. rabbits foot)
Cast the circle. Hold the tiger’s eye in one hand and the charm in your other hand.
Meditate for a few moments, see yourself and see what your luck could bring.
Now sprinkle the nutmeg and the allspice on the charm.
Say these words, filling the blanks with what your charm is:
“_________, _________ bring me good luck.
May my luck change from this day forward.
_________, _________ bring me good luck.”
Close the circle. Now be sure to keep your charm on you at all times.
If your luck doesn’t change after a few weeks, recharge the charm again with this spell.

 

Magickal Graphics

Choosing Happiness, It’s actually your choice

Nature Comments & Graphics
Choosing Happiness

It’s actually your choice

From Jaelin K. Reece,

Did you know that happiness is up to you?

It’s actually your choice.

You can choose to be happy instead of waiting around for it to suddenly appear out of nowhere one day and land in your lap. Happiness is called upon and cultivated.

I am the Creator of My Own Thoughts

Now keep in mind, this is my personal perspective of happiness. You might have a different view. Everyone has a unique view point, especially where emotion is concerned. But, nonetheless, I like my outlook on happiness. It helps me to see that I am the creator of my own thoughts and state of mind. It is my choice what feeling I choose to have on any given day. This does not mean I don’t go with the flow of feelings, but that I can choose at any given moment to change what it is I desire.

For example, if I am having a hectic day, and I do have my share, I can choose to be breathless with activity or I can remind myself to stop and choose to be calm. I can go out for a walk and embrace the beauty that surrounds me and choose to experience that aesthetic as appreciation, gratitude, joy or numbness. I can choose to vacate and disconnect from my feelings, I can space out and be oblivious, or I can call upon the grace of the moment and be one with the beauty. These are all options.

We Have the Power to Choose

I think we as a society, collectively lose sight of how power-full we really are. I mean really full of power. We have the power to choose. It is something we are born with. No one has the power to take that away from us. It is our birthright.

The key to owning that power fully, is to accept that you are a rightful heir to it. Knowing that you are empowered within to choose your emotion, to choose how you respond or react to something, is all up to you. It is all choice.

Choosing Powerlessness

Many times, our childhood experiences and life learning gear us away from our power. We learned to give it all away, to quietly accept whatever happens to us, without question, without standing up and saying ‘No!’ We have become a passive society of powerless and uninspired automatons, going along with the crowd. It’s a sad state of affairs that we have been raised in. Somewhere along the line, a standard was laid out and we are ‘expected’ to magically meet this invisible ‘standard’ by compromising and living according to someone else’s perspectives. Where is the happiness in that?

I guess that leads me back to my original statement.

Choosing happiness is a choice.

Anytime you choose, you are making a decision. You are engaging your power.

Think about how you are feeling right now. How long has it been since you chose what you wanted to feel?

I am not suggesting that you go into a state of denial if you are in trauma, but I am suggesting that you insert a new option for yourself. Instead of sitting in pain, decide for 10 minutes that you will focus on happiness.

How does it make you feel? Are you lighter? Was a burden lifted? Even if it was a mere 10 minutes, it was a starting point. It was a choice. Would you rather go through life choosing happiness and drawing happy experiences to you, or by sitting in pain and expecting the worst, thereby feeling the worst?

It is still a choice.

It is your choice.

Why Not Choose to Experience Happiness?

I ask only that this stirs a thought within you. It is my hope that you will look at the power you possess and carpe diem – seize the day! Make a choice! Choose to experience happiness in your life.

It’s all up to you.

Enjoy – or not- it’s your choice.

    
~Magickal Graphics~

Today We Honor Branwen

Branwen

by Karen Davis
 
Branwen (“white raven”) a daughter of Llyr and Penarddun, and sister of Bran, and Manawydan, and half-sister of Nisien and Efnisien. Matholwch of Ireland sued for her hand, and gave horses to Bran. Efnisien mutilated the horses, nearly precipitating warfare, but Matholwch was appeased by the gift of a cauldron that could resurrect the dead. Branwen wed him, and went to Ireland, where she bore him a son, Gwern. But the Irish began to complain about their foreign queen, and she was banished to the kitchen, where she was a slave and boxed on the ears by the butcher daily. This lasted three years, during which Branwen trained a starling to speak and sent it to Wales, where it told Bran of her plight, and he sailed to rescue her.Matholwch was terrified at the sight of a forest approaching Ireland across the sea: no one could make it out, until he called for Branwen, who explained it as Bran’s navy, and Bran himself wading through the water. He sued for peace, they built a house big enough for Bran, and Matholwch agreed to settle the kingdom on Gwern.
 
 
Some Irish lords objected, and hid themselves in flour bags to attack the Welsh. But Efnisien, scenting Irish treachery, cast them into the fire, and then cast Gwern himself in (avoiding the geas against shedding kinsmen’s blood thereby). A war broke out, and the Irish replenished themselves through the cauldron. Efnisien, repenting, sacrificed himself by feigning death and being thrown into the cauldron, which he then broke, dying in the process. Only seven Welshmen survived, and Bran was fatally wounded. His head, which remained alive and talking, was returned to Wales and buried, and soon afterwards Branwen sailed to Aber Alaw and died. She is one of the three “matriarchs of Britain”, along with (probably) Rhiannon and Arianrhod.

 Encyclopedia Mythica

Daily Feng Shui Tip for January 12th

I’ve discovered that today’s energies celebrate the ‘Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day.’ Now, in the case that you’re a single gal and not experiencing your own feast of fabulously wild men, it’s time to take matters into your own hands so that one of them will soon be holding yours. First, some Feng Shui basics. Paint the walls of your bedroom a shade of pink, coral or salmon. For single women looking to partner up, using these colors in the bedroom is believed to quickly reel in those fabulous men. Wearing two rose quartz bracelets on the left arm will do the same thing. Lastly, put an image of two pink peonies immediately outside and to the left your bedroom door (as you’re looking into the room) in order to plant strong intentions for love to bring a bloom to your cheeks. Any one of these fast Feng Shui cures can shift energies over to the engaging side, but doing all of them will have them rolling in the aisles, or at very least, watching you walking down one!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com