With spring we welcome greener days ahead while plants seem to wake up from their winter slumber with emerging buds and blossoms as symbols of new growth. The energies are more active as animals and humans seem to awaken into more activity, and even the bees return to their pollination cycle. While we have not yet arrived at the heat of Summer, instead we can enjoy the balanced energies of Equinox as the Sun seems to suspend in time.
Since fire was first domesticated about one million years ago, humans have attempted to harness its power in any way possible, often with disastrous consequences. Fire is simultaneously transformative, destructive, fearsome, beautiful, and hypnotic. It is no wonder that its awesome presence has been a central component of worship since time immemorial. Fire and candle worship are ubiquitous in world religions, both ancient and modern. In the fifth century BCE, the Athenians would hold a procession to the sanctuary of the goddess Artemis Mounichia, and offer her round cakes with a candle in the middle- which some have hypothesized is the origin
Every Full Moon is an exchange between the masculine Sun and the feminine Moon, illuminating the sky and shining a light on certain subjects. This particular illumination is at a 0 degree, suggesting this is both a new beginning (zero) and a completion. This matchup on the Virgo Pisces axis is a reflection of the balance between tending to our responsibilities while being sure we aren’t taking on more than we can manage. A major epiphany may surface that you are taking on the energy or responsibility of those around you. This may be both physically ...
There are a few things you should consider before starting your ritual. How does the ritual fulfill your intentions? How does it aid in discovering your intentions? Magic, especially modern magic, tends to be unifying rather than dualistic. The goal is to unify the higher (mind/divine) and lower (physical/experiential). Magicians do this by making things happen through uniting themselves with the universe at-large, by spell-casting (magic) and/or being mindful (mysticism). Lastly, it is crucial to record every step in a journal along with all external factors that affect you and the operation. This is one of the only ways to observe and adjust your practice as you develop.
Rebecca Farrar of Wild Witch of the West has her M.A. in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness, and has worked with many renowned astrologists and cosmologists. Read her bio here, and catch more of her work on Witch of the West.
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Read more on astrology, horoscopes, occultism, magick & ritual on our blog, Esoteric Insights!
Officially celebrated on February 1 at sunset, Imbolc, or Imbolg, signals the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Its name derives from Celtic meaning "in the belly,” as it refers to the “just-showing” pregnancy or a stirring of new life that has just begun. At its core, this Pagan holiday is a clearing and cleansing preparing us for rebirth. Imbolc focuses on fertility and the promise of returning light in the spring season. However, Imbolc’s claim to fame is the Irish Goddess Brigid, also spelled Brigit, Bride, or Brighid. She was considered a triple goddess or triune representing maiden, mother, and crone. In this way she had several facets to her symbolism of fire, hearth, poetry, and smithcraft. Brigit was believed..
The lunar eclipse/super moon/full moon in Leo (phew, that is a lot of descriptors!) on January 20 PT and January 21 ET continues the accelerated astrological energies of 2019. This second eclipse in the series from the solar eclipse on January 5, will be visible from North and South America, Europe, and Western Africa. Though Earth casts its shadow on the moon for several hours, the maximum eclipse hour is 9:12 p.m. on Saturday for Pacific Coast and 12:12 a.m. for East Coast. The moon is “super” because it is closest to the Earth and looks magnified or larger than usual. Like all signs, Leo has both its shadow (insert eclipse joke here) and elevated expressions, though with a full moon and eclipse we often tap into the...
