The Super Moon

I happen to be super excited about the 'Super Moon'. I have read and heard that some astrologers think it will bring disasters. One astrologer has said that "huge storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters can be expected to wreak havoc on Earth." Now from what I have read I understand the science of their opinion even if I think its overly cryptic. Remember Y2K? Oh wait, no one does. There was a ton of hoopla about that and nothing happened. When it comes to the moon and all that it does that effects the earth I might have a easier time finding something to worry about. One scientist was quoted as saying "When you have a low tide, there's less water, so the pressure on the seafloor is smaller. That pressure is clamping the fault together, so when it's not there, it makes it easier for the fault to slip." Yup I can see how that would be a issue. But Im not sure that the Super Moon is going to do much and become a catastrophic event. I think its Y2K all over again. I happen to be super excited about the Super Moon. It's going to be full and Im hoping we arent cloudy here so I can atleast say I got to view it. AND not to mention that its happening on the 19th, the night before Ostara. I mean I thought it was bad ass that last year we had a lunar eclipse during Winter Solstice. I look forward to the Moons close visit and hope that none of the things scientists are worried about come to pass. I highly doubt that it will. Anyone have any thoughts or feelings on the Super Moon?

Your Ostara traditions

For some reason Ostara seems to be the only sabbat that I treat like 'that other holiday' I used to celebrate. Only now I call it Ostara and not easter. I never celebrated the religious aspect of easter so I didn't really have much to change. Except for the change within myself where I have a different view on that day and a much greater respect for it. Well that and the fact that now I make bread in the shape of genitalia. It is lip smackin delicious if I do say so myself. Slathered in some homemade honey butter and Im one happy camper.I also go natural when I dye my eggs now.Onion peels,beets and spinach work great.I will try some others this year and see how they work as well.
So basically the only thing thats different for me between Ostara and easter is the way I do those things and the intent in which I do them. Well that and the ritual I do but since Im solitary its short and sweet most often.
I am wondering what others do to praise the day and how their family celebrates it.My children are older and not much fun anymore :( Plus they do not share the same spiritual views that I do really, but they don't look at easter as a religious holiday either. So they are pretty much game for anything, as long as a chocolate bunny is involved at some point. But I want a way to pull my family together and make it a special day for us all.
I would love to hear from others on their family celebrations and traditions for Ostara.
Any input would be great.Thanks!

Happy Mabon!!! How do you celebrate?

Reading LJ's post this morning got me thinking.
What do you do for Mabon? What traditions do you have? What rituals do you perform? Do you have any Mabon recipes that you would like to share? Do you have any links about Mabon that you would like to pass along? Along with the spirit of Mabon I am in much need of gathering info and feasting on it lol Since I have no set traditions or rituals I would love to hear all of yours, maybe even adopt one or two ;) Help a newbie out people! LOL

Tonights full moon : Harvest moon

September brings us the Harvest Moon, sometimes referred to as the Wine Moon or the Singing Moon. This is the time of year when the last of the crops are being gathered from the fields and stored for the winter. There's a chill in the air, and the earth is slowly beginning its move towards dormancy as the sun pulls away from us.

Correspondences:

• Colors: Browns and greens, earth tones
• Gemstones: Citrine, chrysolite, peridot, bloodstone
• Trees: Bay, larch, hawthorn
• Gods: Demeter, Brighid, Freyja, Vesta
• Herbs: Wheat, valerian, witch hazel, skullcap
• Element: Earth

This is a month of hearth and home. Spend some time preparing your environment for the upcoming chilly months. If you don't already have one, set up a hearth or kitchen alter for those times when you're cooking, baking and canning. Use this time to clear out clutter -- both physical and emotional -- before you have to spend the long winter days inside.

Also Known As: Wine Moon, Singing Moon

Is anyone planning on doing anything special tonight?

I have been out of it the past few days and I didnt have time to write up a post about this months full moon.I found this info here.I might come back and post something else later.

My eyes are about to pop out

I have been thinking about Halloween/Samhain alot lately.I want to get started as soon as possible.Halloween has a bit of a special meaning to me and I might share that on another post.Also my friend got married on Halloween which is beyond kickass.Well tonight I was in the spirit and I erroneously thought to myself 'Hey I think I will see if I can make up a blog background/header, it shouldn't take too long'
0_0
ummm I have been at it for hours! The program I use for digital editing is free so its a bit limited.I try to stretch its possibilities as far as I can, but to do the simplest things it takes so much time.I tried Photoshop once and I couldn't figure it out.I think that I will have to unlearn everything I already know about my program and then try to relearn photoshop.I just don't have it in me to do that so I use what I'm familiar with.
So anyway... here I was, it was about 1am, I just got done watching a old episode of American Gladiator ( You have no idea how ashamed I am to admit that) and I thought to myself that it was chilly tonight and it reminded me of fall and then I got Halloween on the brain.So I decided to mess around with a Halloween idea for this here blog.
Now my eyes are rebelling, my back hates me and I feel like a loser for not being able to quite pull off what I wanted to.So Lucky for you all I thought I would come on here and whine about it lol All I know is I could totally use one (or 3) of those candy corn cocktails Mrs.B was talking about.
I will probably end up switching my layout tomorrow sometime.I hate that I put this much time into it so I have to use it.I'm so scared it wont work and I did all that for nothing.


Maybe it wont look so gloomy in the morning, right?? :)

July Full Moon - Blessing Moon

July's Full Moon falls on Tuesday, July 7th and is known several names - Blessing Moon, Thunder Moon and Meadow Moon, just to name a few.

The July 2009 Full Moon distinguishes itself from other 2009 Full Moons, because it’s the smallest, farthest full moon of the year.

Farthest and closest full moons recur in regular cycles. The closest full moon comes 7 lunar months – full moons – after the farthest full moon. And the farthest full moon comes 7 lunar months – full moons – after the closest full moon.

For the next 7 lunar months, the full moon will come progressively closer to Earth. Seven full moons after tomorrow’s July full moon, the closest full moon of the cycle will fall on January 30, 2010. On that date, the full moon will be closer than 222,000 miles. Then 7 full moons after the January 30, 2010 full moon, it’ll be the farthest full moon again on August 24, 2010!

Correspondences:

* Colors: Green, silver, blue-gray
* Gemstones: Moonstone, white agate, opals or pearls
* Trees: Ash and oak
* Gods: Juno, Venus, Cerridwen, Athena, Nephthys, Lugh
* Herbs: Mugwort, hyssop, lemon balm
* Element: Water

This is a great time to do divination and dreamwork. Find a way to incorporate the watery energy of the Blessing Moon into your spell crafting and ritual.

This article was written and used with permission by Witchy Mama.Check her blog out, it's AMAZING!

Litha-The Summer Solstice ☼

This Sunday, the 21st ,it will be Litha.Also known as Summer Solstice,Midsummer Night, Midsummer Night's Eve, Gathering Day and on.It is the longest day of the year and also has the shortest night.It is a time to celebrate the beginning of summer, when the sun is at its most powerful position in the sky.The earth is flourishing beneath it and crops are being nurtured by its warm glow.They are starting to show promise of a full harvest.It is also believed that this is the time when fearies are in a most playful mood ( Even Shakespeare celebrated this in " A midsummer night's dream").It's been said that if you soak thyme in olive oil and then lightly anoint you eyelids with it you will be able to see the faerie folk at night!! So however you plan to celebrate the day please take the time to get outside, appreciate the sun and the green world around you.I plan on waking up before the sun that day to greet her and thank her.Im not really sure what else I will do since quite honestly I did not even know what Litha was just 6 months ago lol I am a single ( and sole) parent so Father's Day is not celebrated in my house.This will make a nice edition to what we celebrate already.I hope you all enjoy Litha and don't forget to say hello to the sun !!☼

Strong Sun Moon - June 7th

On June 7th the Strong Sun Moon, also known as ' The lovers moon', will shine.It signifies the time where the sun has made its bold appearance and is shining down on the earth.Flowers are in bloom,crops are starting to show promise and people are seeing the fruits of their early spring labor.With the sun so strong the days are getting longer and longer.( I put my daughter to bed last night at 9:15pm and there was still a bit of light left in the sky) With the days getting longer this is the perfect time for connecting with others as well as nature.More daylight hours mean you have more time to spend on your relationships and gardens.This is a time to bond, nurture and cultivate your connections with others as well as the natural world around you.Enjoy what you have, take this time to make improvements on all the good things planted in your life.This is a time for us to bloom!