Gold is said to purify and energize the physical body, improves circulation, and strengthens the nervous system. It can balance and develop the heart chakra, along with the hemispheres of brain. It can also act as an aid to tissue regeneration, attract positive energy into aura, amplify thought forms, and aids personal illumination.
Color: White to tan with a milky sheen Magical Properties: The energy is balancing, introspective and lunar. It is a stone for hoping and wishing. Alleviates emotional tension and enhances positive attributes of creativity and self expression. Stimulates confidence and composure. Brings calmness and awareness. Eliminates insomnia. Eases PMS and the change-of-life. Helps with dieting.
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7 Haymonath
Tanabata
Colors: Black and silver
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a cloth of black place two Japanese figures, one man and one woman, separated by a scarf of black studded with silver stars. Have also small strips of paper of many colors, colored string, and pens, nearby. One tree should be selected outside to be the Tanabata tree, and hung with silver stars.
Offerings: Wishes.
Daily Meal: Japanese food.
Tanabata Invocation
Two lovers stand on opposite sides
Of the Milky Way, the River of Heaven,
And wait for one night a year
When they can meet yet again
And part in the morning.
To all the world, this is a sad story.
But I say unto you:
There is no love without parting,
Be it time or death or sorrow
Or the turning of the heart.
And time apart can fix a bond
As strongly as it can tear one apart
If those who love are strong enough of heart.
May we be so strong
And love so fiercely
As to have a love that lasts a thousand years
That have only touched for a thousand days.
Lovers of the Milky Way, grant us our wishes
As we would, if we could,
Grant you yours.
(Each comes forth and writes their wish upon a piece of paper, rolls it up and ties it to the tree, and exits. )
Some of us have kindred souls that understand what we feel, what we think, and what we need. These special people seldom bother with a lot of talk – but their quiet companionship is balm to the spirit and enough without words. Wherever we are on the pathway – the Cherokee calls it ga lo hi s di – one of these special persons has known loneliness, felt the solitary hours, heard the empty echoes, and is there to mark the way for us. We are assured of company, told that we will make it – that we are almost there now. Suddenly there is a corner to turn, a light to shine, hope and a hand to support us. Then, in quiet communication, we reach back and take someone else’s hand.
~ They were kind to me, those old men, when I was working hard to learn from them these sacred songs. ~
PLAYFUL CALF
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2012 June 19
NuSTAR X-Ray Telescope Launched Illustration
Credit & Copyright: Fiona Harrison et al., Caltech, NASA
Explanation: What’s left after a star explodes? To help find out, NASA launched the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) satellite into Earth orbit last week. NuSTAR’s ability to focus hard X-rays emitted from the nuclei of atoms will be used, among other things, to inspect the surroundings of supernova remnants so as to better understand why these supernovas occurred, what types of objects resulted, and what mechanisms make their surroundings glow so hot. NuSTAR will also give humanity unprecedented looks at the hot corona of our Sun, hot gasses in clusters of galaxies, and the supermassive black hole in the center of our Galaxy. Pictured above is an artist’s illustration depicting how NuSTAR works. X-rays similar to those used in your dentist’s office enter the telescope on the right and skip off two sets of parallel mirrors that focus them onto the detectors on the left. A long but low-weight mast separates the two, and the whole thing is powered by solar panels on the upper left. Part of the excitement involving NuSTAR is not only what things it is expected to see, but by looking at the universe in a new way, what things that are completely unknown that might be discovered. NuSTAR has a planned two year lifetime.
Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2012 June 18
Milky Way Above Easter Island
Image Credit & Copyright: Manel Soria
Explanation: Why were the statues on Easter Island built? No one is sure. What is sure is that over 800 large stone statues exist there. The Easter Island statues, stand, on the average, over twice as tall as a person and have over 200 times as much mass. Few specifics are known about the history or meaning of the unusual statues, but many believe that they were created about 500 years ago in the images of local leaders of a lost civilization. Pictured above, some of the stone giants were illuminated in 2009 under the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2012 June 15
M65 and M66
Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Snyder (Heavens Mirror Observatory)
Explanation: Nearby and bright, spiral galaxies M65 (top) and M66 stand out in this engaging cosmic snapshot. The pair are just 35 million light-years distant and around 100,000 light-years across, about the size of our own spiral Milky Way. While both exhibit prominent dust lanes sweeping along their broad spiral arms, M66 in particular is a striking contrast in red and blue hues; the telltale pinkish glow of hydrogen gas in star forming regions and young blue star clusters. M65 and M66 make up two thirds of the well-known Leo Triplet of galaxies with warps and tidal tails that offer evidence of the group’s past close encounters. The larger M66 has been host to four supernovae discovered since 1973.
Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2012 February 16
NGC 5965 and NGC 5963 in Draco
Image Credit & Copyright: Stephen Leshin
Explanation: These two spiral galaxies make a photogenic pair, found within the boundaries of the northern constellation Draco. Contrasting in color and orientation, NGC 5965 is nearly edge-on to our line of sight and dominated by yellow hues, while bluish NGC 5963 is closer to face-on. Of course, even in this well-framed cosmic snapshot the scene is invaded by other galaxies, including small elliptical NGC 5969 at the lower left. Brighter, spiky stars in our own Milky Way are scattered through the foreground. Though they seem to be close and of similar size, galaxies NGC 5965 and NGC 5963 are far apart and unrelated, by chance appearing close on the sky. NGC 5965 is about 150 million light-years distant and over 200,000 light-years across. Much smaller, NGC 5963 is a mere 40 million light-years away and so is not associated with the edge-on spiral. Difficult to follow, NGC 5963’s extraordinarily faint blue spiral arms mark it as a low surface brightness galaxy.
By Terri Roessler
The Lord and Lady stood before the Celestial Altar,
Facing the High Priestess, who was seen but not seen,
heard but not heard,
the stars were Her gown, a nebula was Her cloak, and the Milky Way Her headdress,
swirling around Her head.
The Lord and Lady, were smiling shyly, for this was Imbolc,
The Sacred day,
The Joyous day,
The day that They would become one.
Around them in the circle
Stood Their children.
Witnessing Their wedding day.
Men, Women and Children,
Birds and Beasts,
Creatures imagined, and some unimagined,
Spirits and Angels,
Creatures of the Land and of the Sea,
The Fey in their multitude of Form,
And creatures of the Otherworld.
All happy to witness the handfasting of their Lord and Lady.
The children looked at the Lady in awe, Her bright face turned up to the Lord,
Multitudes of flowers in Her hair, faeries and butterflies daintily holding the ribbons away from Her face.
And at the Laughing God, decked in greenery, bearded and horned, smiling down on His Lady love.
The High Priestess, Her Awe-inspiring voice heard with the heart,
not with the ears,
did say to the children:
“Do any say nay?”
The hush was instant,
Breath indrawn.
She gazed at the children with Her terrible eyes,
The children looked down with respect and no little fear, not meeting Her eyes.
She turned back to the Lord and Lady,
at the beautiful eyes and the handsome face,
Her smile returned.
Suddenly, She held a cord.
The children’s breath let out, almost a sigh.
The Lord and Lady proffered Their wrists.
Wrapped around them almost instantly,
Was a cord, sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow, the Moon and the Sun.
“Then as the entire Universe as witness”
She said in a voice suddenly loud,
“I proclaim you Husband and Wife!”
The crowd cheered, throwing rose petals into the air.
The petals fell to the ground to be stepped on and release their pungent smell.
The Laughing God bent His Horned Head to the Lady’s mouth, eager to taste the sweetness there.
The Lady’s Eyes opened wide, His Passion a surprise.
The Laughing God’s eyes danced in response.
The Kiss ended.
They turned to the altar,
The Star Woman was gone, as They knew she would be.
They laughed happily and turned to the crowd,
Their sparkling eyes, taking in the sight of Their Children.
Smiling Their blessings to the crowd,
They too were gone.
The children turned their eyes towards the bright heavens,
And beheld the Laughing God and their Lady,
Dancing in the stars.
Somewhere in a nebula far, far away, the Star Woman laughed happily.
The Children danced too,
In joy, on the earth, in the sea, and in the skies. their faces aglow,
As the stardust fell down…..
Poem copyright © 1997 Terri Roessler
The Witchcraft Chronicles 
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