Administrator February, 2012

Legends and Lore for February

February, the second month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Winter’s rule, derives its name from Februa, the name of a Roman purification festival held on the fifteenth day of February in ancient times. The traditional birthstone amulet of February is the amethyst; and the primrose and the violet are the month’s traditional flowers.
February is shared by the astrological signs of Aquarius the Water-Bearer and Pisces the Two Fishes, and is sacred to the following pagan deities: Aradia, Brigid, Juno Februa, and the Wiccan Goddess in Her aspect as the Maiden. During the month of February, the Great Solar Wheel of the year is turned to Candlemas, one of the four Great Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world.

February Moon:

Quickening Moon

Gemstones:

Rose quartz, amethyst, jaspe

Trees:

Rowan, Myrtle

Gods:

Aphrodite, Juno, Mar, Brighid

Herbs:

Hyssop, myrrh, sage

Element:

Fire

Tags: february

• Correspondences

Administrator February, 2011

Legends and Lore for February

February, the second month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Winter’s rule, derives its name from Februa, the name of a Roman purification festival held on the fifteenth day of February in ancient times. The traditional birthstone amulet of February is the amethyst; and the primrose and the violet are the month’s traditional flowers.
February is shared by the astrological signs of Aquarius the Water-Bearer and Pisces the Two Fishes, and is sacred to the following pagan deities: Aradia, Brigid, Juno Februa, and the Wiccan Goddess in Her aspect as the Maiden. During the month of February, the Great Solar Wheel of the year is turned to Candlemas, one of the four Great Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world.

February Moon:

Quickening Moon

Gemstones:

Rose quartz, amethyst, jaspe

Trees:

Rowan, Myrtle

Gods:

Aphrodite, Juno, Mar, Brighid

Herbs:

Hyssop, myrrh, sage

Element:

Fire

Tags: Correspondences, february

• Correspondences

Administrator February, 2010

Legends and Lore for February

February, the second month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Winter’s rule, derives its name from Februa, the name of a Roman purification festival held on the fifteenth day of February in ancient times. The traditional birthstone amulet of February is the amethyst; and the primrose and the violet are the month’s traditional flowers.
February is shared by the astrological signs of Aquarius the Water-Bearer and Pisces the Two Fishes, and is sacred to the following pagan deities: Aradia, Brigid, Juno Februa, and the Wiccan Goddess in Her aspect as the Maiden. During the month of February, the Great Solar Wheel of the year is turned to Candlemas, one of the four Great Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world.

February Moon:

Quickening Moon

Gemstones:

Rose quartz, amethyst, jaspe

Trees:

Rowan, Myrtle

Gods:

Aphrodite, Juno, Mar, Brighid

Herbs:

Hyssop, myrrh, sage

Element:

Fire

Tags: Correspondences, february

• This Month

Mi Kali D. February, 2010

‘Pity me not the waning of the moon,
Or that the ebbing tide goes out to sea,
Or that a man’s desire is hushed so soon,
And you no longer look with love on me. ‘
-Edna St. Vincent Millay

February Moon Phases

Full Moon:

Feb 28  8:38 am

Full moons occur from fourteen to seventeen-and-a-half days after the new moon. Full moons are prime time for rituals for prophecy, protection, divination. Any workings that needs extra power, such as help finding a new job or healing for serious conditions, can be done now. Also, full moons aide work for love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money, divination, and dreams. It is said that full moon magic is like a white candle — all purpose.
Full moon magic can be conjured during the 3 days prior to the rise of the full moon, the night of the full moon and during the 3 days after.  .

Last Quarter:

FEB  5  3:48 pm

Between the full moon and the dark moon is the period of waning moon. The waning moon is best used for banishing and rejecting those things that influence us in a negative way. Negative emotions, diseases, ailments, and bad habits can all be let go and special spells for clearing can be performed at this time. Saging your home is a great idea during this time.

From three-and-a-half to ten-and-a-half days after the full moon.The waning moon is used for banishing magic, for ridding oneself of addictions, illness or negativity.

New Dark  Moon:

FEB 13  6:51 pm

The new moon is for starting new ventures, new beginnings. Also a good time for love and romance, health or job hunting, anything that is for personal growth, healing and blessing of new projects or ventures. The new moon is also a good time to cleanse and consecrate new tools and objects you wish to use during rituals, ceremonies or an up coming festival or something you just obtained. Some people call the new moon the dark moon and the terms are often interchangeably used.

New moon workings can be done from the day of the new moon to three-and-a-half days after.

First Quarter:

FEB 21  4:42 pm

The first quarter, called the waxing moon is best used for attraction and constructive magic, love spells, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck, and healing energy.

Between the new and full moon from seven to fourteen days is a period of the waxing moon.

Please Note:

*Moon Phases (above) are at Pacific Standard Time

*Moon in Signs (below)  are at Eastern Time

February Full Moon  Names and Traditions *

Ice Moon, Storm Moon, Horning Moon, Hunger Moon, Wild Moon, Red and Cleansing Moon, Quickening Moon, Somonath (Sun Month), Big Winter Moon

Other events in February:

Feb 1-3:  The Lesser Eleusian Mysteries of ancient Greece which is a celebration of the ‘Returning Daughter’ for Persephone.

Feb 7: Day of Selene/other Moon Goddesses

Feb 9: The Chingay Procession, the Singapore New Year, which is a celebration of Kuan Yin promising the coming Spring.

Feb 12: Festival of Diana/artemis, Divine Huntress.

Feb 13-18: The Parentalia and Feralia, a purification festival honoring the goddesses Mania and Vesta; devoted to the ancestors, peace, and love.

Feb 14-15: The Lupercalia, when women petitioned Juno-Lupa for children. Also honored the God Faunus, an aspect of Pan.

Feb 14-21: Aphrodite’s Festival of Love

Aphrodite (“Risen From Sea-foam”) is the Greek goddess of love, sexual passion, and beauty, one of the twelve Olympian gods. In the Iliad, She is the daughter of Zeus and the Titoness Dione, though the usual legend is that She was born from the blood and foam on the surface of the Sea after Ouranos was castrated by Kronos. She represents the creative powers of nature and the sea. Aphrodite is described as being the most beautiful of the Greek Goddesses, and rules over grace and beauty. In all, her realms include sex, desire, flirting, consummation of marriage, procreation, prostitution, impotence, merriment, love songs, peace, and the planet Venus. Offerings to Aphrodite include flowers and incense.

“The great and amorous sky curved over the earth, and lay upon her as a pure lover. The rain, the humid flux descending from heaven for both man and animal, for both thick and strong,  germinated teh wheat, swelled the furrows with fecund mud and brought forth the buds in the orchards. And it is I who empowered these moist espousals, I , the great Aphrodite…”- Aeschylus, The Danaides

Feb 17: Fornacalia of Feast of Ovens

Feb 20: The Day of Tacita (the silent goddess) who averts harmful gossip.

Feb 21: Lantern Festival in China and Taiwan and another celebration of Kuan Yin/Quan Yin/Kwan Yin

Kwan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, who’s name means “She Who Hears the Prayers of the World” was originally the mother goddess of China, who proved so popular She was adopted into the Buddhist pantheon as a bodhisattva,  is a person who has attained enlightenment but chooses to forgo Nirvana and remain in the world to help others attain enlightenment.Kwan Yin is known as a great healer who can cure all ills and calling her name in time of crisis is believed to grant deliverance. Kuan Yin’s role as Buddhist Madonna has been compared to that of Mary the mother of Jesus in the West. It is in truth the same soul. Devotees also invoke the bodhisattva’s power and merciful intercession with the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM– “Hail to the jewel in the lotus!” or, as it has also been interpreted, “Hail to Avalokitesvara, who is the jewel in the heart of the lotus of the devotee’s heart!” Throughout Tibet and Ladakh, Buddhists have inscribed OM MANI PADME HUM on flat prayer stones called “mani-stones” as votive offerings in praise of Avalokitesvara. Thousands of these stones have been used to build mani-walls that line the roads entering villages and monasteries.

Feb 22: The Carista, a day of family peace and accord.

Feb 23: The Terminalia in honor of Terminus, god of land boundaries.

Terminus in Roman mythology, the god of boundaries, the protector of the limits both of private property and of the public territory of Rome. He was represented by a stone or post, set up in the ground. The festival called Terminalia, took place at this time in which the owners of adjacent lands assembled at the common boundary stone, and crowned their own side of the stone with garlands; an altar was set up and offerings of cakes, corn, honey and wine were made and a lamb or a sucking pig was sacrificed. The proceedings closed with songs to the god and a general merrymaking, in which all the members of the families and the servants took part.

“O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb…” -Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, 2:2:115

Moon In Signs

Moon phases are crucial to magickal workings but there is another valuable tool in the Moon’s magickal arsenal, Moon in zodiac signs. We know the Moon sets the emotional mood for the day, and using those subtle changes to your advantage can change a result from ‘fuzzy or vague’ to ‘perfect!’ To understand how this works, you need to understand how the Moon travels. Simply, it is the astrological sign the Moon travels through and it is something that should be considered when planning magickal workings, or  even mundane tasts. As the Moon’s phases gives off different energies, so too do the astrological signs she visits.  To figure out how the Moon in any particular sign will effect you, consider the nature of the sign the Moon is visiting.  For example,  if the Moon is in Virgo, it would be a great time to tend to details, tidying up, being efficient, make plans, but watch out for anxiety about what could go wrong, overthinking an issue etc.,

Elemental-Moon Magic

* EARTH *
spells should be preformed when the moon is in one of the astrological signs governed by that element: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn.

* AIR *
spells should be performed when the moon is in one of the astrological signs governed by that element: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius.

* FIRE *
spells should be performed when the moon is in one of the astrological signs governed by that element: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius.

* WATER *
spells should be performed when the moon is in one of the astrological signs governed by that element: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.

February

Last Aspect                                                           Moon Enters New Sign

Date       Time                                                        Date                                           Sign                                         Time

1                11:17 pm                                                 2                                                  Libra                                       8:42 am

4                 4:55 pm                                                   4                                                 Scorpio                                   11:56 am

6                 11:11 am                                                6                                                 Sagittarius                                7:04 pm

8                 11:58 pm                                                 9                                                 Capricorn                                  5:43 am

11               7:39 am                                                 11                                                 Aquarius                                    6:24pm

13               11:33pm                                                 14                                               Pisces                                           7:23 am

16              9:32 am                                                   16                                               Aries                                             7:30 pm

18              10:52 pm                                                 19                                                Taurus                                         5:55am

21              7:15 am                                                    21                                                Gemini                                           1:47 pm

23               12:29 pm                                                  23                                               Cancer                                       6:29 pm

25               12:48 pm                                                25                                                Leo                                               8:08 pm

27                 3:15 pm                                                 27                                                Virgo                                            7:52 pm

Moon Void-of-Course

In about 28 days the Moon circles the Earth and she moves through each zodiac sign in two and a half days as you can see from the chart above. Because she moves one degree in two-two and a half hours her influence is short lived.  Though from the point where she reaches her highest degree within a sign to the point where she is reaching the next sign, it is called ‘void-of-course.’ It’s best to think of this short time period, as ‘dead time’ because plans usually don’t work properly. These are the times when we uncharacteristically exercize poor judgement because actions initiated during this time period aren’t given the full picture. But, all is not lost, this is a good time for just reflecting, not acting. If you are a person that likes to periodically ‘put things off’ well this is a great time for that. You can think about what to do when the Moon is right for it!

February V/C times

Date       Time

1                8:17 pm

4               1:27 am

6                8:11 am

8                8:58 pm

11              4:39 am

13              8:33 pm

16              6:32 am

18              7:52 pm

21              4:15 am

23              9:29 am

25             9:48 am

27              12:15 pm

*v/c  times are set to Pacific Time Zone.

)O( Moon Magic Tip:

Love To You Spell

Do this spell on a friday (ruled by Venus) night during a waxing or full moon
Things you will need:

1 sheet of lined paper

1 Red pen or marker/ dove’s blood and quill

1 letter envelope

your favorite perfume/oil of lavendar or rose

your favorite shade of red lipstick (optional)

a few Pink or Red flower petals

Write out the qualities you want in a lover on the sheet of paper using the pen/quill.

Next spritz the paper with your perfume or put a few drops of essential oil.

Fold the paper and place it in the envelope.

Now take the flower petals, hold them in your right or power hand. Envision yourself happy and in love, squeezing the petals tight in your hand. Keep envisioning this scene, with your lover having all the qualities you specified.

Drop the petals into the envelope. Seal the envelope closed and seal the whole spell with a kiss. Apply the red lipstick and kiss the envelope!! (optional)

Place in a safe place. Do not open it again, if you do this will break the spell.

*You should never use specific people in this spell as that is a binding/negative spell.

References:

http://www.griffithobs.org/skyfiles/skymoonphases2010.html

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/MoonPhase.php

http://lunaf.com/english/moon-phases/lunar-calendar-2010/01/16/

http://astrology.about.com/od/themoon/a/FollowingMoon.htm

http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/kwanyin.html

http://www.lotussculpture.com/kwan-yin-statues-kuan-yin-goddess-compassion.htm

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Terminus

http://www.everythingunderthemoon.net/

The Moon Through the Zodiac Following the Lunar Waves By Molly Hall, About.com Guide

Everyday Moon Magic by Dorothy Morrison

Moon Magick by D.J. Conway

The Book of the Moon by Tom Folley

2010 Llewellyn’s Moon Sign Book

Llewellyn’s 2010 Daily Planetary Guide

Tags: february, moon, phases

• Articles , This Month

Administrator February, 2009

Legends and Lore for February
February, the second month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Winter’s rule, derives its name from Februa, the name of a Roman purification festival held on the fifteenth day of February in ancient times. The traditional birthstone amulet of February is the amethyst; and the primrose and the violet are the month’s traditional flowers.
February is shared by the astrological signs of Aquarius the Water-Bearer and Pisces the Two Fishes, and is sacred to the following pagan deities: Aradia, Brigid, Juno Februa, and the Wiccan Goddess in Her aspect as the Maiden. During the month of February, the Great Solar Wheel of the year is turned to Candlemas, one of the four Great Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world.

February Moon:

Quickening Moon

Gemstones:

Rose quartz, amethyst, jaspe

Trees:

Rowan, Myrtle

Gods:

Aphrodite, Juno, Mar, Brighid

Herbs:

Hyssop, myrrh, sage

Element:

Fire

Tags: Correspondences, february

• This Month

Administrator February, 2009

February 1Candlemas Eve
Brigit, the Celtic Earth-Mother and goddess of fire, wisdom, poetry, and sacred wells, is honored on this day. In Ireland, offering of yellow flowers are made to the goddess at sacred wells dedicated to her. In ancient Greece, the three-day Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries began each year on this day in honor of the goddesses Ceres, Demeter, Persephone, and Proserpine.

February 2
On this day, the Candlemas sabbath is celebrated by Wiccans and Witches throughout the world. Candlemas (which is also known as Imolc, Oimelc, and Lady Day) is a fire festival that celebrates the coming of Spring. New beginnings and spiritual growth are represented by the “sweeping out of the old,” symbolized by the sweeping of the circle with a besom (a Witch’s broom). This is traditionally done by the High Priestess of the coven, who wears a brilliant crown of thirteen candles on top of her head. In ancient Europe, the Candlemas sabbath was celebrated with a torch-light procession to purify and fertilize the fields before the seed-planting season, and to honor and give thanks to the various deities and spirits associated with agriculture.

February 3
On this date, an annual ceremony called the Blessing of the Throats takes place to honor the healing powers of Saint Blaise and to magickally ward off throat ailments brought on by the winter’s cold.

February 4
Throughout Japan the evil demons of winter are exorcised annually on this day with a festival called the Setsu-bun. Beans are placed in every corner of a family’s house, and pointed branches and sardine heads are mounted over the doors. Centuries-old purification rites are performed by priests in all temples and shrines. Prayers are written on slips of paper and then cast from bridges into the rivers below.

February 5
On this date in the year 1962, the Great conjunction of the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn occurred in the sign of Aquarius.
On this day, the annual Feast of Ia is celebrated in honor of, and to invoke the power of, the Sacred Maiden of the Pagan mythos.

February 6
Throughout northern Japan, a centuries-old winter snow festival takes place each year around this time of the month. The ancient and beneficial spirits that bring life-sustaining water are honored at special shrines erected in huts resembling Eskimo igloos.
A festival in honor of the love goddess Aphrodite was held each year on this date in ancient Greece.

February 7
On this date (approximately), the annual spring fertility festival known as Li Chum is celebrated in China. Bamboo and paper effigies of a water buffalo (an animal which symbolizes “new life”) are carried through the streets by a temple-bound procession. After reaching the temple, the effigies are set on fire in the belief that prayers for prosperity will be taken up to heaven by the rising smoke.

February 8
The annual nighttime ritual known as the Star Festival is celebrated on this date (approximately) in China. The stars that influence the fate of mankind are honored by the lighting of 108 small lanterns on a special altar, and prayers are offered to the sacred stars that governed one’s birth.

February 9
In northern Norway, the Narvik Sun Pageant is held annually on this date in honor of the ancient Pagan goddess who rules over the Sun. The festival, which has been celebrated since pre-Christian times, begins at sunrise and continues throughout the day until the shadows of evening darken the sky.

February 10
An ancient African festival marking the beginning of the fishing season and the New Year is celebrated annually on this day by members of the Kebbawa tribe of Nigeria. The ancient gods of their religion are honored and invoked, and traditional fish ivinations are performed.
In pre-Christian times, the goddess Anaitis was honored on this day in the country of Persia (now Iran). She was a deity who was said to have possessed great powers over the Moon and the seas.

February 11
Each year on this date, millions of faithful men, women, and children make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady in Lourdes. A spring in the village of Lourdes, France, is believed by many to possess curative powers. The pilgrims bathe in the water in the hope that it will heal their illnesses and disabilities.

February 12
On this date in the year 1663, the infamous clergyman Cotton Mather was born in Boston, Massachusetts. (This is certainly one birthday no Witch would ever celebrate!) His writings and sermons condemning the practice of the Old Religion contributed greatly to the hysteria of the 1692 Salem Witch-hunt. Cotton Mather died in Boston, one day after his birthday, in the year 1728.

February 13
On this date, an annual holiday called the Parentalia was observed in ancient Rome. It lasted until the twenty-first of February and was a day for families to honor and commemorate their deceased loved ones, particularly their parents. During the week of Parentalia, all temples in Rome were closed and all wedding ceremonies forbidden. Ancestral tombs were visited and offerings of wine and flowers were
made to family ghosts.

February 14
Saint Valentine’s Day. This is a day dedicated to all lovers, and the traditional time for Witches around the world to practice all forms of love magic and love divination.
This day is sacred to Juno-Lupa, the she-wolf goddess of the ancient Roman religion. In early times, she was honored annually on this day by a women’s fertility festival and the sacrifice of a female wolf.

February 15
On this date in ancient Rome, a festival known as the Lupercalia (Feast of the Wolf) was celebrated to honor the god Lupercus and to mark the beginning of Spring. The festival which was a rustic ritual of both purification and fertility magic, also included the sacrifice of goats and dogs to the god Faunus (identified by classical writers as the horned goat-god Pan). During the orgiastic festival, young men would choose their sexual partners by drawing the names of young women out of a bowl.

February 16
In the distant past, a rite called the Devil’s Dance was performed annually on this date (approximately) as part of the Tibetan New Year festival. Monks wearing grotesque masks would dance for hours as a village sorcerer exorcised demons and the evil influences of the past year with various magickal incantations.

February 17
On this day, according to Hindu religion and mythology, the fearsome goddess known as Kali was born and the world entered into the Kali Yuga (the “Evil Age”). Kali, the destroyer-goddess, was depicted with black skin, a hideous face, and four arms. In ancient times, human sacrifices were made to appease her and to satisfy her thirst for blood.

February 18
On this day, a festival of women known as the Spenta Armaiti was held annually throughout the country of Persia. Ancient fertility rites were performed by temple priestesses in honor of the goddess Spandarmat, and the goddess who dwells within all women was honored and invoked with special prayers and meditations.

February 19
On this date (approximately), the Sun enters the astrological sign of Pisces. Persons born under the sign of the Two Fishes are said to be telepathic, tolerant, sensitive, artistic, and often prone to daydreaming. Pisces is a water sign and is ruled by the planet Neptune.
According to mythology, the goddess Minerva was born on this day (which is sacred to the Pagan deities Nammu and Nina).

February 20
On this date in the year 1882, the Society for Psychical Research was founded in London, England, by a group of prominent philosophers and physicists. It became Britain’s leading organization for research into the world of supernatural phenomena and the paranormal.

February 21
In ancient Rome, an All Soul’s Day ceremony known as the Feralia was held annually on this date at the close of the Parentalia festival. Family reunions were held and Lares (ancestral guardian spirits) were honored with prayers and offerings.

February 22
On this day in the year 1917, Sybil Leek was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England. She achieved fame and success as a modern Witch, astrologer, and occult author. Her psychic predictions of the Kennedy assassinations and the election of Richard M. Nixon as president of the United States are documented. She passed away on October 26, 1982 in Melbourne, Florida.

February 23
On this date, the last festival of the ancient Roman year (the Terminalia) was celebrated annually in honor of the god Terminus, a deity who ruled over boundaries and frontiers. During the Terminalia, neighbors whose lands were divided and protected by Terminus would gather together an pour libations of wine, honey, and the blood of sacrificed pigs on their stone boundary-markers.

February 24
Shiva, the multifaceted Hindu god of destruction and renewal, is honored annually on this date (approximately) by a day of fasting, followed by an oil-lamp vigil known as the Shivaratri (Shiva’s Night) which takes place at shrines dedicated to him.

February 25
In many parts of the Christian world, a joyous pre-Lenten celebration known as Carnival takes place annually on or around this date. In ancient days, orgiastic fertility rites and sacrifices of humans and animals to herald the arrival of Spring were common at this time of the year in many parts of the world.

February 26
Pentagram Night. As a symbolic gesture to reaffirm your dedication to the Craft of the Wise, dip your fingertip into a small cauldron pot filled with Yule-log ashes and then use it to draw the sacred symbol of the Witches’ Pentagram (five pointed star within a circle) over your heart at the first stroke of midnight.

February 27
On this day in the year 1861, famous psychic and spiritual philosopher Rudolf Steiner was born in Kraljevic (which was part of Hungary at that time). He possessed clairvoyant powers and communicated often with nonphysical entities. In 1902, he was appointed general secretary of the German Section of the Theosophical Society, and in 1913, he established his own school for esoteric research. He died on March 30, 1925.

February 28
In ancient times, a Chaldean sabbath known as the Sabbatu was celebrated each year on this date.
On this day of the year, the Earth-Goddesses Ceres, Demeter, Gaia, Ge, and Mauri are honored by many Pagans and Wiccans around the world.
Also honored annually on this day is the ancient Pagan deity Zamyaz, who was worshipped and offered sacrifices by the ancient Chaldeans and Persians.

February 29
On this date in the year 1692, Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam, two young girls from Salem Village, Massachusetts, accused three local women of using the black arts of Witchcraft to torment and bewitch them. On the following day, Sarah Good, Sarah Osburne, and a West African slave named Tituba were arrested, marking the beginning of the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. By the end of the year, when the trials were finally brought to a close, over 200 women and men had been arrested and jailed, 19 had been hanged at Gallows Hill, and one man had been pressed to death.
According to folklore, this is a very unlucky day to have a love letter postmarked. It will lead to the breakup of your love affair or engagement.

Tags: Correspondences, days, february

• This Month