Jan 8 2023

GrannyMoons Weekly Feast : 8 Jan 2023

Thanks for reading my blog!

Life is without meaning.
You bring the meaning to it.
The meaning of life is
whatever you ascribe it to be.
Being alive is the meaning.

Joseph Campbell

Blessed Be My Little Witch. To those who came before and those who will come after, know that the Goddess is with you always. Thank you all my dear readers…be blessed. ~GrannyMoon

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Dark Moon – Time to Rest
New Moon – Time to Begin New Projects; Birth; Attraction
Waxing Moon – Time to Grow; Increase
Full Moon – Time to be Fulfilled; Abundance
Waning Moon – Time to Banish; Decrease
Last Sliver of Moon – Time to Die; Letting Go
Dark Moon – Time to Rest Again
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Light A Candle Today!
In many different traditions lighting a candle is a sacred action. It expresses more than words can express. It has to do with gratefulness. From time immemorial, people have lit candles in sacred places. You may want to begin or end your day by the sacred ritual of lighting a candle on this gratefulness. Or you may want to light a birthday candle for a friend. One single guideline is all you need: Slow down and do it with full attention.

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Current Moon Phase: WANING MOON

Time: From Full Moon To Dark Moon (approx.14 days)

Goddess Aspect: Crone

Associated Goddesses: Callieach, Banshee, Hecate, Kali, Morrigan

Magickal Attributes: Banishing, Releasing the old, removing unwanted negative energies, wisdom, psychic ability, scrying, reversing circumstances.

Workings on this day are for banishing magick, for ridding oneself of addictions, illness or negativity, physical and psychic cleansings.

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What’s Happening?!?
January

The Goddess Calendar – Month of Hestia runs from 12/26 – 1/22

Celtic Tree Calendar ~ Birch – December 24th to January 20th

JAN. 9: Festival of Isis: Mother Goddess, Great Goddess, Throne of Egypt

JAN. 16: Festival of Ganesh: God of Success

JAN. 17-18 Tu B’Shevat – Jewish Festival of Trees, celebrated with tree plantings and orchard blessings. Originally honored Old Canaanite-Hebrew Goddess Asherah.

JAN. 18: – DAY OF DANU Celtic Mother Goddess

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Face to Face Workshops with GrannyMoon at Sticks and Stones
Join us at https://www.meetup.com/Witchy-Wednesdays

The Magick of Crystals: 12 PM – 2 PM – Jan 18
WitchCrafting: 1 PM – 3PM – Feb 5
The Herbal Cauldron 1 PM – 3 PM – Feb 12

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High Priestess Training with GrannyMoon
http://GoddessSchool.com

The entire course takes 15 months to complete (four levels). Tuition covers lessons, assignments and instructor feedback. In addition, students may download guided meditation exercises and be eligible for Sabbats, Esbats and retreats with the Sisterhood. The entire fee for each level is $120 (payment plan available), sixteen lessons in each level, except the last.

Ceremonial Cords and frame-able Completion Certificates are awarded as members complete each level.
Level I – Initiate of the Sisters of the Burning Branch – White cord
Level II – Adept of the Sisters of the Burning Branch- Red cord
Level III – Priestess of the Sisters of the Burning Branch- Black cord
Level IV – High Priestess of the Sisters of the Burning Branch – Green cord

You Might Also Be Interested In:
http://goddessschool.com/Paganstudies/index.html
http://www.goddessschool.com/courses/natural/naturalwitch.html
http://goddessschool.com/Paganstudies/healingarts.html

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Learn About Herbs with GrannyMoon!

There is so much to learn about herbs! In Herbalism 101, we cover 21 herbs, and you will start your own personal Materia Medica, that we will build throughout the next levels. We will cover the basic aspects of herbs. From culinary to magickal, medicinal to ornamental. As well as the many modalities of herbs!

During this course, in addition to the on-line lessons and hands-on projects that you do at home, I will be sending you articles, and information, as well as questions about your own personal use and research.

I look forward to walking this green journey with you! I love herbs and I hope that you do too or will learn to!

There are 10 lessons in each level and there is no time limit for completion. You may study at your own pace! There are no texts to purchase.

For more info or to join my class, click here!
http://goddessschool.com/Paganstudies/healingarts.html

The cost for Level 1 is $50.00 or $150.00 the entire online Healing Arts Course (1-3) which includes a free Reiki certification course when all three are ordered at the same time!
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Natural Witchcraft with GrannyMoon

Welcome to a journey to learn about yourself and your hidden powers. Wise women and men have existed for thousands of years and still exist throughout the world. They know Mother Earth as the ultimate healer, and have learned to utilize the gifts of of nature. Inside each person is a being of wisdom, deeply connected to the phases of the moon and the tides of the sea. All we need to do is trust our innate wisdom.

This will take 13 weeks of study and hands-on practice. But it should be fun for you too! We start with the basics!

~What You Need To Know First!
~Your Inner Witch
~The Informed Witch
~Your Witchy Genealogy, Finding Your Ancestors
~Much Much More

This is not Wicca! You don’t need expensive accoutrements or other fancy trappings! All lessons are done weekly with GrannyMoon through e-mail, with personal feedback.

Course requires purchase of one text book! You may buy this new,
used or you may already have it! “Way of Natural Magick” by Nigel Pennick

All Students Welcome!
A 13 week course on-line course.
$150.00
Those completing this course will receive a certificate in Natural Magick!

Payment Plan Available
3 payments of $50.00
Payments Plan!
Contact GrannyMoon at:
GrannyMoonsMail@yahoo.com

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The Goddess School Grimoire

http://www.lulu.com/shop/sotbb-Goddess-school/the-Goddess-school-grimoire/hardcover/product-762380.html
Hardcover: $39.45
Softback: $26.95
eBook (PDF): $6.25

The Goddess School Grimoire is a collection of recipes, artwork, poetry, prose, prayers, rituals, spells, and practical Goddess wisdom put together by the teachers, students, alumni, and friends of The Sisters of the Burning Branch Goddess School. The sisterhood is dedicated to restoring spiritual balance by returning the Divine Feminine to her rightful place and by assisting women in their personal and spiritual development. Since being founded by Head and High Mother Priestess Grandmother Moon in 2000, The Goddess School (GoddessSchool.com) has grown into a large and beautiful global community of women.

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New Year, New Start

Viewing the start of the coming year as a time of rebirth allows you to focus on what you want to accomplish.

To many, the coming of a new year represents an opportunity to begin again. It is a time to step off of dead-end paths in order to create a fork in the road, disassociating from the old, and aligning with fresh possibilities. Harnessing the power of this transformative energy is a matter of truly believing that resolutions can conquer past patterns. If we believe we are capable of changing our lives, we are more apt to believe that we are capable of leaving our mistakes behind. Our dedication, which might otherwise falter, is buoyed by hope. Thus, the beginning of the new year is traditionally a popular time to tackle difficult tasks such as quitting smoking, losing weight, or fulfilling worldly ambitions. But the transition from year to year can also be an opportune occasion to pursue emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth because we no longer feel burdened by regret and disappointment.

Whatever your reality, it is within your power to create the fork that allows you to walk a more conscious, grounded path. Viewing the start of the coming year as a time of rebirth allows you to focus on what you want to accomplish in the coming weeks, months, and years. Because you are a new person—in other words, a clean slate—you are free to immerse yourself in new experiences with impunity. If you feel a need to reconnect with your spirituality, consider taking up yoga, meditation, or another discipline that challenges both your mental and physical selves. Fill your newly-cleansed mind with stimulating knowledge, poignant wisdom, and useful skills. Clearing your home or workspace of clutter can improve the flow of energy in your life, giving you the momentum you need to stay true to your resolutions. And beginning a fresh journal can be a wonderful way to celebrate these developing aspects of your life.

In the ancient Babylonian, Chinese, and Celtic traditions, the period marking the transition from the old year to the new was viewed as a struggle between chaos and order, in which order always prevailed. Your belief that you, too, can banish chaos and integrate your dreams, desires, and goals more fully into your life will give you the determination and fortitude to change your life for the better.

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Llewellyn’s Spell A Day

Right Path Tarot Reading
JANUARY 08, 2023 BY ASTREA TAYLOR

New years are exciting, but the terrain can seem unfamiliar at times. This reading gives you signposts to indicate you’re on the right path. Hold a deck of tarot cards in your hands and take a deep breath. In a clear, strong voice, say:

Signs to know and signs to see.
Six months of signs, please send to me.

Draw six cards from the middle of the deck. Place them before you in a rainbow arc, starting on the left and continuing to the right. These cards represent signs for each of the six months:

Write down the information in your book of shadows, along with the symbols on the cards. Over the next six months, watch for these signs to know you’re on the right path.
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Flower Power
JANUARY 07, 2023 BY SAPPHIRE MOONBEAM

January is a cold and snowy month for many people in the Northern Hemisphere. While it is dark and cold outside, bring flowers into your home to add vibrant new life to your space. You can choose flowers based on their color meanings. Red flowers bring power, passion, and love to your space. Yellow flowers add an uplifting joy. White flowers have the energy of purity and innocence. Orange flowers represent enthusiasm.

Once you have flowers and colors in your space, this chant will evoke the energies to magnify and show gratitude for nature’s gifts:

I am grateful for the flowers
that are now in my space.
May their energies enhance my home
with their magick and grace.

This spell can be done to liven up the energy of your home and add more magick to your days at any time of the year.
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Full Moon Family Blessing
JANUARY 06, 2023 BY MAT AURYN

The Full Moon in the watery, intuitive, emotional, and nurturing sign of Cancer tonight is an ideal time to heal and strengthen family bonds, with both those who are family by birth and those who are chosen family. For this spell you will need a bowl of water and slips of paper to write down the names of those in your family you wish to bless using a pen. Then, under the Full Moon, place the name papers into the water and say:

Cancer Moon, as you do shine,
Bless those who are family of mine.
Heart to heart, our bonds are strong,
A seat of blessing to all who belong.
Be they through blood or
be they through feeling,
I bless us all through the
Moon’s power of healing.

Leave the bowl of water under the Moon until morning. The words of ink should have dissolved. Remove and dispose of the papers, and pour the water at the roots of a nearby tree.
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Abundance Talisman
JANUARY 05, 2023 BY EMBER GRANT

Prepare yourself for a prosperous new year by creating a talisman to carry with you in your purse, your backpack, or even your pocket. First, wrap a dollar bill around a small cinnamon stick. As you wrap it, chant three times:

Let my assets multiply—
all my needs be met.

Burn clove incense. Pass the bundle through the smoke several times and chant three times:

Bring abundance to my life,
as much as I can get.

As the incense burns, visualize the abundance you desire and deserve. Keep the talisman with you as often as possible. When you have more than enough, remember to share with others by giving something back.
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Double Capricorn “Boss Vibes” Oil
JANUARY 04, 2023 BY DEVIN HUNTER

Today both the Sun and Mercury are expressing peak Capricorn energy as they travel through the depths of this sign, giving us major boss vibes. By “boss vibes,” I mean that ability to manage, prioritize, and delegate the things that need to get done to achieve personal and shared goals. This is a good time to take practical steps and see things through. You can bottle this energy by creating the following ritual oil.

Into a half-ounce bottle, blend the following oils and allow to charge on your altar for forty-eight hours:

22 drops cypress essential oil
11 drops cedar essential oil

Once the oils are charged, fill the rest of the bottle with the carrier oil of your choice. (Fractionated coconut, olive, and grapeseed work well.)

Add Saturnian herbs such as comfrey, elm, and thyme to enhance this energy. Label the bottle and use the oil whenever your energy is dragging or when tackling big projects.
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Toss the Fruitcake Spell
JANUARY 03, 2023 BY JASON MANKEY

We love the holidays, but by early January we are ready to move on and embrace all the new year has to offer. Just as strange energies accumulate in late December/ early January, our refrigerators also acquire a lot of leftovers that need to be gotten rid of. Clear out both unwanted food and unwanted energy with this spell.

Peek into your refrigerator and find any items that are past their expiration date. For many of us in early January, that might include a fruitcake. Once you’ve gathered your unwanted/spoiled leftovers, take them out to the compost pile or trash can and say:

The holiday season has passed, and
I throw away all that doesn’t serve
me from that season. I shall be rid
of any negativity and bad feelings.
All will be renewed. So mote it be!

Put any lingering concerns about Yuletide out of your mind.
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A New Path
JANUARY 02, 2023 BY JAMES KAMBOS

So now we begin a new year and a new path. This meditation will help you set out on your new path with a clear vision. You’ll need one small twig or branch. Select one that has some twists and bumps. Sit with it before your altar. Hold it; feel its curves and bumps. Project your feelings and concerns about the coming year into it. When you’re ready, say:

The new year may hold
twists and turns,
But from my challenges I shall learn.
And when my road is
smooth and straight,
Then my victories I shall celebrate.

Keep the twig on your altar throughout the coming year. Now and then, hold it and think about what has happened in your life this year.

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Heartwings Love Notes 1068: Avoiding Expectations May Be Wise

Heartwings says, “The future depends on how the present proceeds.”

At our New Year’s Day gathering Stephen and I were sitting together on the sofa when a friend began taking our picture. The light was reflecting off my eyeglasses so he asked me to take them off. I heard the echo of my dad’s voice saying, “Take off your glasses and look pretty.” I laughed to myself and removed them. These days, confident in my appearance and no longer impressed by my father’s prejudice, I am happy to be photographed with them either on or off. My expectations have changed.

Expectations often dominate a new year. After all, that’s how we express our resolutions. These may or may not be realistic, fall by the wayside, or bring results. However, they may be doomed by our expectations. This failure comes about as a result of the unconscious programming behind them. Our programming is the unremembered precepts we grew up with. They are often reflected in our self talk: my weight is inherited from my mother’s side of the family or I am lazy and uncoordinated.

Do you listen to yourself? Do you hear how you respond mentally to plans? To resolutions? Here’s the thing: At the start of the new year many resolve to lose weight or exercise more. If they were listening to their inner responses, here’s what they might hear: “I’ve tried this before and failed, why bother trying.” Or, “I’ll just fail again; it’s too difficult to exercise, and anyway, I don’t want to take the time.” If the resolution involves depriving oneself of the pleasure of eating, or projects the boredom of exercise, where’s the incentive? These may be the negative expectations that arise when resolutions are expressed.

Or it may be possible to avoid expectations, both positive and negative altogether. There is a way to do this. It comes from the practice of Buddhism and is called beginner’s mind. I once had a yoga class with a teacher who said his mantra-a saying to help one grow spiritually, was “I know nothing, I want to learn.” This is an excellent way to express beginner’s mind. Back when I first heard this I scoffed, thinking that I was creating an affirmation of stupidity. This was incorrect. By affirming I know nothing,, as I later realized, I was clearing the slate of the expectations, definitions, or prejudices I might carry in my mind.

Now when I look at the New Year I see it through a lens of confidence, sure I approach it without any idea what will happen. However, regardless what does, I know I will grow from the experience because I wish to. My life may or may not go in a direction I am prepared for, That’s not important. What is, is that I greet any and all happenstance without prejudice but with the confidence that I will benefit if only by learning not to do something or else to do what is needed. That way a new year is truly a blank slate I can look forward to writing on, just to see what happens next.

May your new year of life be filled with blessings of all sorts, known and unknown,

Blessings and best regards Tasha Halpert

P.S. Did you make any resolutions? How are you doing with them? I always enjoy your comments so much. Write me on my blog or at this email: tashahal@gmail.com.

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Birds Fly in a V

Like birds flying in a “V,” when we feel the presence of others moving along side of us, there is little we cannot accomplish.

As they swoop, drift, and glide, inscribing magnificent patterns across the sky, birds are serene displays of grace and beauty. Long a source of inspiration, birds can be messengers from the spirit realm, or a symbol of the human soul, as they cast off their earthly mooring and soar heavenward. An upturned wing, a graceful flutter, all so effortless and free… More magnificent still is the inspiring sight of birds migrating, progressing steadily across the horizon in a solid V formation that is a singular pattern too unique to be mere chance.

Pushing steadily forward, this aerodynamic V reduces air resistance for the whole flock. With wings moving in harmony, the feathered group continues its course across the sky, covering more ground together in community than as individuals. When the bird at the front gets tired, she will move to the rear of the formation where the wind drag is lowest, and a more rested bird can take her place.

By learning from the example of our winged guides, all of us can feel empowered to take on daring challenges as we chart adventurous courses. Feel the strength of others moving alongside you, as their presence lends power to your wings during this journey across the sky of life. When buffeted by unexpected gusts, we can choose to find refuge in the loving shelter of friends and family. We may even marvel as an otherwise difficult day passes by like a swift wind, as a kindred spirit charts a way for us through the clouds and rain ahead. If your wings begin to ache on your journey, look around for somebody else to fly at the front for a while. All of us move faster when we move together. Let your ego drop earthwards as we all soar ever higher.

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Haunted Houses Have Nothing on Lighthouses
BY SARAH DURN

From drowning to murders to the mental toll of isolation, these stoic towers carry a full share of tragedy.

THOUGH THEY SHARED A NAME, it’s said the two lighthouse keepers, the towering Thomas Griffith and the middle-aged Thomas Howell, didn’t get along, and could empty pubs with one of their heated arguments. In the winter of 1800 to 1801, the two men were stuck on the most remote island in Wales, 20 miles from shore, operating Smalls Lighthouse. The brutal winter weather turned what should’ve been a month-long stay into a grueling, almost five-month exile. Then, four months into their stay, things got worse. Griffith took ill, according to Ivor Emlyn’s 1858 account, or perhaps he fell, as Christopher P. Nicholson writes in Rock Lighthouses of Britain. Howell hoisted up a distress flag (likely an inverted Union Jack), but no help came. After weeks of suffering, Griffith died.

For the next three weeks, Howell’s only companion was Griffith’s rotting corpse. He feared that casting the body into the sea would implicate him in Griffith’s death. After all, everyone knew they didn’t get along. So Howell, trained as a woodworker, assembled a makeshift coffin for his departed colleague and secured it to the lighthouse’s railings. After three weeks, a massive sea swell tore the coffin apart, scattering Griffith’s remains across the beach. Howell again secured Griffith’s body the best he could, this time to the outside gallery.

Ship after ship attempted to land on the island to relieve the desperate keepers, with no knowledge that only one remained. According to Nicholson, one ship managed to get close enough to see “a man leaning motionless on the gallery next to the flag of distress, his hand waving freely as if trying to attract attention.” Unable to dock, the ship took home the news that the keepers were managing. The light was still lit, after all. The ship’s captain didn’t realize the hand flopping in the wind belonged to a dead man.

During a brief reprieve from the storms, a boat from nearby Milford made another attempt. When it successfully arrived, the sailors were overtaken by the smell of rot. Then Howell emerged, seemingly more dead than alive, an unrecognizable shell of a man.

Lighthouses are full of stories like Howell and Griffith’s—death, isolation, madness, and in some cases actual murder. While their light can be a beacon of hope to lost sailors, darkness has often haunted them. Almost every one seems to have a few ghostly inhabitants. As Dick Moehl, former president of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, told Dianna Stampfler in her book, Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses, “every lighthouse worth a grain of salt has a good ghost story.” Old Victorian mansions have nothing on them.

The earliest known lighthouse was one of the wonders of the ancient world, Pharos of Alexandria. Construction began some time before 270 B.C., and Pharos lit the Mediterranean for almost a millennium. With a 300-square-foot base, it is estimated to have been 400 feet tall. The Roman Empire would go on to build something like 30 lighthouses around the Mediterranean and Europe’s Atlantic Coast. But after the fifth century or so, lighthouses disappeared from the architectural record until the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance. One of the earliest of these was the Meloria lighthouse, off the coast of Tuscany, built in 1157. Soon other coastal countries—Spain, France, Portugal, England—started constructing lighthouses, too.

The century between 1840 and 1940 is largely considered to be the golden age of the modern lighthouse. In the United States alone, the number of lighthouses went from 16 to roughly 1,500 during this time. The rest of the world, especially Europe and its colonies, also went through a lighthouse-building frenzy, but nowhere else reached the heights that America did.

Kevin Blake, a geographer at Kansas State University who has written about lighthouses, says that the buildings appeal to Americans’ “rugged individualism” and “pioneer spirit.” They represent a frontier and the spirit of survival—one keeper facing the odds, weathering the seas and storms, with self-sufficiency and grit. Keepers were often veterans, which added to the heroic air the job carried, according to Blake.

There’s also an aura of “mystery associated with lighthouses,” he says. As superior navigation equipment began to replace lighthouses and automated lighting systems began to replace the keepers for the ones that remained, “this slow loss of change, this sense that America was losing something unique, is when ghost stories came in.”

Michigan, with 129, has more lighthouses than any other state. Many of those lighthouses, says Stampfler, have a ghost story or two. A lighthouse is like a “safety port” for ghosts, she says, and spirits of “keepers, ship captains, sailors—they all can become residual spirits,” drawn, as you might expect, to the light.

One tragic story that has always fascinated Stampfler comes from South Manitou Island Lighthouse, on a small, sleepy island about 45 miles northwest of Traverse City. Between 1866 and 1878, Civil War veteran Aaron Sheridan and his new bride Julia operated the lighthouse. Julia was officially recognized as the lighthouse’s assistant keeper in 1871 (along with many other women who worked both as keepers and assistant keepers—even today). Over the course of 12 years there, the couple had six sons.

Then, on March 15, 1878, Aaron, Julia, and their youngest son Robert were returning from the Michigan mainland with the help of a local sailor named Christ Ancharson. The waters were calm until they neared the lighthouse and “the wind went down and one of the old seas capsized the boat,” Ancharson said later. The minutes ticked by as Christ, Aaron, Julia, and little Robert clung to the overturned boat, screaming for help. Baby Robert was the first to go, dying in Julia’s arms. Then, Aaron and Julia, too, slipped beneath the waves. Only Ancharson survived, after four and a half hours holding on to the slippery hull.

The bodies of the family never washed ashore, but their ghosts, according to legend, still haunt the remote lighthouse. “Visitors have reported hearing the echo of voices, the sounds of footsteps and other unexplained noises coming from the causeway, which connects the boarded-up keeper’s residence to the light tower,” writes Stampfler. Stampfler herself even visited the lighthouse and spent “time slowly climbing the tower and listening for the cries of the Sheridans,” without success, she says.

Julia and Aaron Sheridan died, with their young son Robert, just off the coast of the lighthouse they operated.

The deaths of Julia, Aaron, and Robert isn’t the end of the Sheridan family’s tragic tale. In 1893, the eldest son Levi, or “Fisk,” as he liked to be called, died during the collapse of the “Big Four” railroad bridge near Louisville, Kentucky. George, the next oldest, spent months trying to recover Levi’s body, but his brother was never found. George, following in his parents’ footsteps, became a lighthouse keeper. For decades, he struggled with depression, often leaving his keeper duties to his wife Sarah. In early spring 1915, George was visiting his uncle, another keeper, at Grosse Point Lighthouse in Illinois. Several days later, on March 24, 1915, George’s body was found hanging from the rafters, an apparent suicide.

There’s a duality to lighthouses, says Stampfler, because “Here you have a light full of darkness.” Stampfler sees many similar examples in lighthouse histories. She can cite numerous lighthouses that bear the weight of unexplained death, suicide, madness, or murder.

In 1960, a well-reported murder took place at Little Ross Island Lighthouse off the southwest coast of Scotland. It all began with a father and son’s day trip to the island. It was a trip the Collins had made many times before, but when they arrived on the small island on Thursday, August 18, things straight away felt weird. Usually, the keepers would greet them as they disembarked, but that day the island was eerily quiet. After hearing a phone call go unanswered, “my father eventually plucked up courage and went into one of the houses,” David Collin, an architecture student at the time, told the BBC. “He quickly came running out and said, ‘Get help if you can, there is a man ill in his bed.’” After the authorities arrived, it became clear that the middle-aged lighthouse keeper Hugh Clark had been shot at close range with a .22 rifle. There was only one man the evidence pointed to, Robert Dickson, the assistant keeper. Having fled the island, Dickson was the subject of a manhunt before he was arrested in Yorkshire. The trial captured national headlines and Dickson was sentenced to death (later reduced to life in prison). He didn’t stay incarcerated long. Two years into his sentence, Dickson killed himself.

For Blake, there’s always been something “sublime” and “dangerous” about lighthouses. “When you climb a lighthouse and you step onto that parapet or gallery that may be 110, 160, 200 feet above the Earth’s surface, it’s practically a death-defying experience.” Indeed, there are stories of keepers “throwing themselves off lighthouses,” says Blake, isolation having driven them to madness.

When people think of a haunted house, a towering lighthouse on some rocky coastal bluff might not be the first thing that comes to mind. And yet it seems that almost every lighthouse bears the weight of some tragic tale. The isolation, harsh conditions, and constant work were too much for many of the people charged with keeping those lights glowing, through listless nights and unrelenting storms. Perhaps it’s time crumbling Victorian mansions made way for a different kind of haunted house, one that has always lighted the way for both the living and the dead.

Atlas Obscura

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Vacations

An aware traveler sees each new journey as an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of humanity.

As the technology of travel grows ever more refined, the world grows smaller. Whereas a journey of a hundred miles once took many days, we can now travel across the globe in mere hours. The four corners of the earth are accessible by plane, train, and ship, and there are few pleasures in life as soul-stirring and transformative as travel. In a new land, the simplest of joys can be profound—meditation takes on a new quality because the energy in which we are immersed is unfamiliar. Our sensory experiences are entirely novel. Yet the relative ease with which we can step out of our own culture in order to explore another means that we are ambassadors representing not only our own way of life but also the culture of the traveler. As a conscious citizen of the world, you can add value to the locales you visit while simultaneously broadening your own perspective.

A truly aware traveler sees each new journey as an opportunity to improve international relations, spread goodness, and gain a greater understanding of humanity. To immerse yourself in foreign cultures is to open your mind to fresh ways of being. Your natural curiosity can help you navigate the subtleties that define a culture. While you may not agree with all the traditions or laws of a country, abiding by them demonstrates that you understand and respect their value. Staying centered in another culture is often simply a matter of learning about your destination, being patient with yourself and others, and accepting that people may treat you as an example of your country’s attitudes. New worlds will open to you when you take part in the everyday life of a locale—the reality of a destination is in its markets, its streets, and its people.

Traveling presents a wonderful opportunity to practice being open-minded and grounded. The voyages you make help cultivate a worldwide community in which we as humans can acknowledge and appreciate our differences as much as we recognize and appreciate our similarities. Though you will eventually return home, the positive impression you leave behind will remain as a testament to the respect and amicability that marked your intercultural interactions.

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How to Grow and Care for a Money Tree Plant
By: Julie Martens Forney

Money may not grow on trees, but the money tree plant delivers good fortune and positive energy — or so the legend goes. Learn how to care for this easy-growing beauty.

Ever dreamed of owning a money tree? Make your dream come true by getting a money tree plant! It may not produce dollar bills, but this tropical beauty is easy to find at local garden centers or online. It’s even easier to grow, thriving indoors and out.

Money tree plant goes by a host of names, including Malabar chestnut, saba nut, Bombax glabrum, monguba and French peanut. It’s said to bring good luck and is a popular plant for using with feng shui principles. From shiny, hand-shaped leaves to pretty braided trunks, the money tree is a can’t-miss indoor plant. It delivers lush good looks in any setting. Learn what you need to know to help your money tree plant thrive.

Basic Money Tree Plant Care
Money tree plant is tropical, native to Central and South America. It typically grows in marshy wetlands where there’s plenty of moisture and high humidity. Indoors, you’ll see the best results if you can mimic those natural growing conditions.

Sunlight. In a typical indoor setting, place your money tree plant in a spot with bright, indirect light. That means near a sunny window, where there’s plenty of ambient light for your plant. Too much sunlight can burn leaves, leading to brown patches. Too little light, and leaves tend to turn yellow. Remember to rotate your plant a little each time you water to keep growth even and not leaning toward the light.

Temperature. Ideal growing temps for a money tree are between 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Indoors, locate your plant away from drafts — that means away from an exterior door or heating/cooling vent. If you’re growing your plant outdoors, it’s hardy in Zones 10 to 11. When air temperatures fall into the upper 40s, it’s time to bring your plant indoors or protect it as best you can from the chill.

Water. If you tend to overwater houseplants, a money tree plant is a good choice for you, because it does like soil on the moist side. The botanical name is Pachira aquatica. The species name “aquatica” gives a hint about the kind of moisture this plant prefers. But when you’re growing it indoors, you need to avoid overwatering, which can kill the plant. Don’t let it sit in water, especially overnight. The best way to water a money tree plant indoors is to let the soil dry before you water again.

Humidity. Money tree plants benefit from high humidity. Indoors, use a humidifier, a pebble tray filled with water or misting to help raise the humidity around your plant.

Fertilizer. Choose a typical houseplant fertilizer to feed your money tree. Follow fertilizer instructions for the right dose of plant food. You can feed your money tree plant as little as twice a year — once at the start of spring and again in midsummer. In all but the warmest zones, skip fertilizing in winter.

Braided Trunks
It’s very common to find several money tree plants in the same pot with the trunks braided together. This does not hurt the plants. Some growers say that the braid helps to “lock in” money tree’s good fortune. After trunks are braided, they continue to grow in that formation. You can always prune away any branches that sprout or threaten to deform the braid. As the tree ages, the trunks grow fatter and fuse, creating a striking plant.

Design Ideas
With a braided trunk, money tree plant easily commands attention in any setting. To add your own signature style to your plant, consider covering the soil surface with items that relate to the plant’s native wetland setting, such as polished river rock, glass fishing floats or sea glass.

Or you can cover the soil with a living ground cover, like calathea or baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii). Be sure to choose houseplant ground covers that need the same growing conditions as the money tree plant for best results.

You can also create a grouping of potted plants with leaves that provide a textural contrast to your money tree. Good candidates include peace lily, snake plant (Sansevieria), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema) or fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata).

Common Problems
For the most part, you probably won’t experience challenges growing money tree plant. It really is easy to grow. But if you do have issues, it will likely have to do with the leaves.

Yellow leaves occur when a plant is overwatered or underfed. If leaves start to yellow, check the soil to see how wet it is. If it feels like a saturated sponge, you should stop watering until it dries out. You might even want to repot your money tree into fresh potting mix, using a blend that drains quickly (like a cactus mix). If leaves turn yellow and the soil is dry, you may need to fertilize your money tree plant.
Brown leaves that are crispy on the edges usually happen when there’s not enough humidity. To raise humidity around the plant, group it with other indoor plants. Or place the pot on a pebble tray that’s partially filled with water. You can also mist your plant or run a humidifier to increase moisture in the air.
Dropping leaves typically occur if the plant is overwatered or exposed to cold temperatures. Plants usually recover from either condition once the problem is fixed.

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Should Your Cat Hunt For Food?
By Sassafras Lowrey

Cats are natural hunters and in need of daily exercise. A simple way to increase the amount of activity in your cat’s day is to stop feeding your cat in a bowl and allow your cat to “hunt” for their meals.

Instead of just putting your cat’s meals into a bowl or on a dish, you can channel your cat’s natural hunting instinct by purchasing or creating feeding puzzles. This turns mealtime into an interactive game adding enrichment to your cat’s day.

How to feed a cat with puzzle feeders
Dr. Jamie Richardson, DVM with Small Door Veterinary, recommends providing puzzle toys and interactive toys for your cat to play with on their own.

Dr. Richardson specifically recommends the: Nina Ottosson puzzle toys and Doc & Phoebe’s Indoor Hunting Feeder.” Another option is the KONG Cat Treat Dispensing Ball. Although designed for treats depending on the side/shape of your cat’s kibble, you can also use this for dispensing dry cat food as part of mealtime. These toys allow your cat to “work” for their food by figuring out how to interact with the puzzles/treat dispensers to release the food.

How to have your cat hunt for food using DIY puzzles
You can easily create puzzles for your cat to hunt treats in by repurposing boxes that get delivered. Take empty boxes and either leave them open or cut holes into them that your cat can “fish” with her paws into. Then put all or a portion of your cat’s kibble for a meal into the boxes. By spreading the meal through multiple boxes of different sizes and different-shaped holes, your cat will have an interactive meal that provides mental exercise and stimulation.

You can feed your cat wet food and still make mealtime interactive
If your cat eats wet food for some or all of his meals, it’s still possible to add enrichment to your feeding routine. The Doc & Phoebe Wet Feeder is designed to increase enrichment while your cat eats and slow your cat down to prevent him from scarfing his meal. You can also create slow feeders for wet food by utilizing food-safe use of silicone plates, cupcakes and cake molds. Purchase them in various shapes in the baking or cooking section of most stores. By spreading wet food around, the silicone’s shapes and texture give your cat something interesting to lick, and she will have to work to get all the food out of the different cervices. Most of these molds are dishwasher safe making them easy to clean and sterilize after feeding.

Use search opportunities to feed your cat
In addition to using or making puzzles for feeding your cat, you can create more of a hunting experience for your cats by using the cat furniture you already have in your house. Take your cat’s pre-measured kibble and scatter it into cat tunnels, cat trees, or other climbing areas. This is a great way to increase your cat’s overall physical activity level as he will have to go in search of his meal instead of just eating from a dish.

How to add challenges
Adding enrichment to feeding time is fun for most cats. The more practice your cat gets, the better she will get at “hunting” for her food. Over time you can begin to expand the search/puzzles you provide to make them more complicated. You can also combine multiple boxes into puzzle structures to make the hunt more complicated.

Supervision
Be sure to monitor your cat as they are “hunting” for their meal to ensure that your cat finds all of its food and gets enough to eat.

If you have multiple cats, it’s generally best to keep your cats separated during mealtime. This is especially true if you are hiding food for your cat to search for. This will ensure that each cat is getting its appropriate serving of food for each meal. It will also prevent conflict or bullying between the cats as they hunt for their meals.

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Georgia Nicols Weekly Horoscope : Sunday, Sunday, January 08, 2023

All Signs
This year Hanukkah took place from December 18 to 26. Yule culminated its celebration on December 21, on the Winter Solstice. Yesterday, January 7, was Christmas in Ukraine and for others who observe the orthodox calendar. On January 15, it will be World Religion Day. And for many of us, Christmas was celebrated on December 25th at home or in airports. But to my way of thinking, the Romans knew what most of us are facing this week; hence, their famous phrase: Veni vidi vacus. I came, I saw, I vacuumed.

Aries (March 21-April 19)
This is the perfect week to gear up and reach out to others and socialize! Make contact with people you have not seen or talked to for a while. In particular, you will enjoy interacting with creative, talented individuals. Furthermore, everyone will be glad to see you because with the Sun at the top of your chart, you look fabulous! Plus, lucky Jupiter is now in your sign, which also hypes you popularity and increases your good fortune! By Thursday, you’re raring to go. This is when Mars turns direct in your House of Schmooze. By the end of the week, you’re sailing on steroids!

Taurus (April 20-May 20)
This week, you are full of ways to explore opportunities in publishing, the media, medicine, the law and taking courses perhaps, or working in higher education. These are all things that will expand your horizons. However, what will most titillate you, will be an opportunity to travel! This is why many of you are travelling or making travel plans for the future. Meanwhile, relations with bosses, parents and VIPs are warm and mutually supportive. (A romance with a boss will flourish for some.) By Thursday, financial matters will get the green light, which means you will be excited about moneymaking ideas. You will also be spending fast and furious! Ka-ching!

Gemini (May 21-June 20)
This is a lovely and energetic week! Travel for pleasure will appeal. Some of you will strike up a romance with someone who is “different.” You look attractive to others, which is why you are starting to be more popular. This is also why some of you are increasing your involvement in clubs, groups and organizations. Sharpen your focus on shared property, inheritances, debt and taxes to clean up loose ends because you can do this with skill, planning and attention to detail. Meanwhile, Mars has been retrograde in your sign since late October, creating snafus and delays! This week on Thursday, Mars turns direct, which means from here on, you’ll be all systems go!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
This week you will be friendly and sociable with everyone including members of the general public. In particular, you will have a stronger focus on partners and close friends. In fact, physical intimacy will be particularly affectionate and meaningful at this time because fair Venus is hyping your romantic desires. Your reputation will shine now and in the coming year, because Jupiter is at the top of your chart making you look successful to everyone. This week gifts, goodies and money from others might come your way. Meanwhile on Thursday, when Mars stops being retrograde, you will feel that “behind-the-scenes difficulties” are over. And the rain fell and the crops grew and there was peace in the land.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
This will be a productive week for you – no question. The timing is right. You’re ready to swing into action. For starters, relations with others, especially partners and close friends, are mutually supportive, friendly and agreeable. Meanwhile, the position of the Sun and Mercury in your chart will make you want to work efficiently and be as productive as possible. In fact, you will pay attention to detail and be willing to do routine work to get it out of the way. Meanwhile, on Thursday when Mars stations direct, you will find that interactions with groups and organizations, as well as contacts with friends will suddenly spring to life! People will contact you. You will contact them. Busy, busy. “Shops must be visited. Money must be spent.”

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
This is a glorious, lovely week for you! Grab every chance you can find to enjoy fun, social outings with others. A power breakfast? A long lunch? Fun with the gang at Happy Hour. Meet a friend for dinner? Grab a movie. See Avatar in 3-D (something I have yet to do). Enjoy sports events and playful activities with children. Of course, romance will flourish! Meanwhile, work colleagues will be supportive and friendly. You might see ways to boost your income through your work. On Thursday, Mars will start moving forward at the top of your chart, which will arouse your ambition as never before! Enjoy good times. Expect success.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
I’m sure you can resonate with the Roman phrase in All Signs above because this week, you want to pull your act together at home and where you live. This makes sense because more than any other sign, you are affected by your immediate environment. Lighting, smells, sounds, colours and the general ambience of the world around you will affect your mood. On Thursday, when Mars stations direct and starts to move forward, you will be keen to travel and explore opportunities in publishing, legal matters and medical issues. However, you will also feel ambitious and very hands-on about straightening up where you live and making everything look wonderful. Begin this new year in lovely surroundings. You deserve this!

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Your daily pace is accelerated now because you have a busier than usual schedule due to appointments, errands and short trips. Fortunately, it’s a “happy busy” time so you won’t mind hustling. This is an excellent time to study and learn something new. It’s also a great time to converse with siblings, relatives and neighbours. Meanwhile, you will enjoy redecorating your digs and making them look better because this will please you. Since this is a year when you will improve your health and improve your job, it’s important to make sure that your home base is covered and you don’t have to worry about that too much. Give yourself this luxury.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Your focus on money, earnings and cash flow continues. You have moneymaking ideas, which are worth your consideration. (You often like to dream up ideas about how to get rich quick.) In this vein of thinking, many of you will make money in the coming year related to the entertainment world, the hospitality industry, resorts, golf courses, and anything to do with sports. This also includes the education and involvement of children. This is because financial speculation looks good for you in 2023. This week, communications with others will be sweet and supportive. You’ll find that you have a greater appreciation of your daily surroundings. Certainly, from Thursday on, relations with partners and close friends will improve. Thank heavens!

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
This is a powerful week for you! For starters, the Sun and Mercury are in your sign, which attracts favourable situations to you as well as people. In turn, Mercury will promote your ability to reach out and connect with others. This is an excellent time for example to give a public talk or to teach. People want to hear you. Meanwhile, you can attract money to you at this time! This is also why you are spending money on beautiful things for yourself and loved ones. This is not surprising because this year, you will improve where you live by fixing up your current home or moving to someplace better. On Thursday, when Mars finally goes forward after being retrograde for the last few months – you will be keen to work and be as productive as possible!

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
This continues to be another week when you are happy to keep a low profile. With all the recent hoopla, you welcome a chance to catch up on things by working alone or working behind the scenes. In fact, you will make great strides doing any kind of research, or the study of the past, or the study of history. Despite your desire to be low-key, with Venus in your sign, you find it easy to schmooze with others now because you are so charming and diplomatic. Those of you who are involved in sports, the entertainment world, the hospitality industry and working or educating children will be happy to know that the delays you have suffered in the last few months are over as of Thursday. You can move forward now with confidence!

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
This is a popular time for you. In particular, you are enjoying the company of younger people and sharing ideas as well as goals for the future with others to get their feedback. This week is an excellent time to reach out and make contact with others. Make social plans. Make an effort to see others. Invite people home to your own digs because all these interactions with others will please you. On Thursday, when Mars finally moves forward after being retrograde since late October, you will feel a strong energy to revitalize your home and do whatever you can to fix repairs and make things better. This same positive energy will encourage you to interact in a positive way with family. Yay!2023 Annual Forecasts are now available.
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Weekly Horoscopes Beginning Sunday, 08 January 2023

If you’re born within a cusp period (16 to 26 of any month); you’re advised to read horoscopes of both signs covered by that period. You’re on the border; you may have influences from houses within those signs.

Outlines are longer versions; consist of every possible detail of everyday and are based on three parts of each sign: 1st, 2nd & 3rd Decan; that is, any of three divisions of 10° within a sign of the zodiac. Even if you know or don’t know your Decan; I recommend, please read all three Decan.

Aries
Personal theme: I am!!
Fire & cardinal sign: March 21 — April 19

Your horoscope for this week:

You begin the week conscious you must ‘go with the flow’, something out of character for you, as a single-minded Aries. However, in a range of unsettling situations, others are better informed than you are. The trick? Reflect on what’s truly important to you. Think those details through in depth, enough that when you’re discussing this with others, the facts and your feelings are crystal clear.

Control the urge to splash out on items you do not need. If you spot a bargain on an online auction or at a car boot sale, ask yourself whether you might find a better alternative from a more reputable source. If you’re having a hard time getting back into your usual routines, don’t take it out on your credit card. If you must buy something, invest in something useful or some home gym equipment. When you feel restless, taking regular exercise is strongly advised.

As Mars, your ruling planet, comes to its station mid-week, anticipate that you will come to a decision. Given that this happens as Venus and Mars form excellent aspect, partnership matters will surely be to the fore. Yes, Mercury is still retrograde – and in the career zone of your solar chart – so yes, you might also be faced with knowledge that at least one project has not been completed to satisfaction. Yet progress can still be made – and the seeds of a commercial idea that have been developing in recent weeks could move to the next stage of development by Friday. It appears that a partnership you’d never imagine working will gather momentum.

Taurus
Personal theme: I have!!
Earth & fixed sign: April 20 — May 20

Your horoscope for this week:

As a practical Taurus and an earth sign, you’re well aware certain longstanding arrangements need to change, as do more recent plans. While, mostly, that’s a relief, you’re tempted to battle to keep some things as they are. If you feel you must, do so; but focus more on what you’re learning than simply getting your way. That ensures whatever the outcome, you benefit, and handsomely.

Keep your wits about you if you are hoping to impress a senior colleague. They will listen to your ideas but you need proof to back what you say. Unless you can show your suggestions are realistic, you will leave yourself open to misinterpretation. Are you single? You could miss the boat of love if you hide yourself away from the world. There are social invitations coming your way. Take advantage.

Think back to late August. It’s likely that since then it’s been come increasingly difficult to get a handle on financial matters. With Mars having turned retrograde at the end of October, turmoil in this area and even disappointment, is likely. Yet mid- week, not only does Mars reach its direct station, but it does so just after making a sublime aspect to Venus (your ruling planet). There should now be cooperation. Your accomplishments and expertise have real value. Before the end of what could be a week of high drama, your abilities should be noticed. If applying for jobs, your qualities should be noticed. Equally, even if you’re not looking for work, it may be that jobs are offered.

Gemini
Personal theme: I think!!
Air sign: May 21 — June 20

Your horoscope for this week:

Everybody has views about your ruler, Mercury’s, retrograde cycle, which began on 29 December and continues until next week, 18 January. While the resulting confusion is universal, you’ve already benefitted from the unexpected but thrilling shifts in existing arrangements and, even more, in your options. The secret? Forget about complex commitments. Explore every idea or option, ensuring others know you’re doing exactly that, exploring. Commitments can wait.

You will not have been previously aware of a family-related problem even though someone will accuse you of having deliberately ignored this issue. Now you have been told about it, you will want to get to the root of the matter. Encouraging people to talk will be difficult when someone obviously has something they are trying to hide. Find a way to get more freedom even if this means leaving your watch at home so you can lose all sense of time and responsibility.

Mars stations in your sign mid-week and does so just after it makes a fabulous aspect with Venus. This could bring a real turning point when it comes to relationships – romantic or otherwise. Bearing in mind that Uranus is coming to its station next week, a strong possibility is that an institution or organisation that you feel has been anything but supportive in recent weeks, will have arrived at the conclusion that your side of an argument is the correct one. By the end of what could yet be a crucial week, you may find you have far more support than you imagined. The art then is not to self-sabotage by putting forward yet another point of view.

Cancer
Personal theme: I feel!!
Water & cardinal sign: June 21 — July 22

Your horoscope for this week:

Although the Cancer Full Moon is on Friday, 6 January, you’ll have been aware of its pivotal influence for the week before and will be juggling decisions about the range of changes it triggers long afterward. The secret? Forget about organising things perfectly but, instead, focus on ensuring both plans and your own objectives are flexible enough to accommodate this period’s thrilling, if often unexpected, changes.

The main benefit of doing a job thoroughly will be that it will not have to be repeated. For this reason, resist the temptation to cut corners and rush things. If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Someone you normally trust will give advice that does not sound right to you. Trust your intuition. You might welcome a talk with an older relative when what they have to say will help you make an important decision.

Feelings continue to run high as Mars moves towards its direct station mid-week. It achieves this position shortly after making fabulous aspect to Venus. Whilst clearly all cannot be good for every sign and every person, it would appear (especially since Jupiter is moving across one of your career points), that this week will see major developments in your working life. Opportunities should abound with strong possibility of international connection. If not that, then you may be in touch with those working in higher education. Either way, this week should find you negotiating with a large organisation that has at least two head offices. It would appear that they need you every bit as much as you need them.

Leo
Personal theme: I will!!
Fire & fixed sign: July 23 — August 22

Your horoscope for this week:

While ordinarily you’d be bored by the details you’re currently facing, recent events have cast them in a new light, one that’s got you thinking about options that previously were out of reach. True, the path to achieving them will involve tedious details and numerous twists and turns. Yet, as you’re already discovering, these are as exciting as they are complex. Get involved. It’s unlikely you’ll regret it.

A studious friend or someone from a large organisation is having a great influence on a person you are close to. You might feel a little concerned and you will want to encourage your loved one to start thinking for themselves. Keep a low profile and keep our thoughts secret from the world at large. As long as you are careful you should get through this week’s challenges without too much difficulty.

Venus is moving through your opposite sign and, before Mars reaches its direct station mid-week, makes good contact with that planet. If relationships have been difficult – particularly in the working scene, – it should be possible to iron out any differences. Note that Jupiter is travelling through another of the Fire signs. Others will presumably want to get decisions made and quickly. Resolving all disputes ought not to be a problem. The art is likely to listen to what the other party has to say. Leos have a bad reputation for being too fixed and unwilling to do precisely that. Yet mid-week you could arrive at good understanding with a Gemini, Libra or Aquarius. By Friday there might even be something to celebrate.

Virgo
Personal theme: I analyse!!
Earth sign: August 23 — September 22

Your horoscope for this week:

Uranus is the planet of breakthroughs, and with both the Sun and your ruler Mercury forming powerful links with it, life’s been full of twists and turns. While some are clearcut, as many are bewildering. That’s the point. These are leading to thrilling events, often into territory as exciting as it is unfamiliar. Forget about analysis. Leap in, knowing experience is your best teacher.

A strong urge to purge your household will be hard to ignore. Divide unwanted gifts and items into three piles: sell, donate and throw-away. Just be certain you aren’t being too quick to rid yourself of rubbish. There could be something you would hate to lose hidden amongst the clutter. A spur of the moment opportunity to travel will make for a refreshing change later in the week. You could do with a change of scenery.

Mid-week, Mars arrives at its direct station and the apex of your solar chart. If you’ve had a finger in too many pies, then perhaps it’s time to consider which one is worthy of more focus. Mars’ station comes just after it makes a fabulous aspect with Venus. It’s likely that you already have strong rapport with a Gemini Libra or Aquarius, and someone from one of these signs could help you through muddle or chaos. Yes, it’s likely that communications have been fraught with Mercury, your ruling planet still retrograde and that there are still issues to resolve. Yet all of this can should be achieved by Friday when another strong aspect suggests that a working partnership with international flavour, will veer off in fresh and exciting direction.

Libra
Personal theme: I balance!!
Air & cardinal sign: September 23 — October 22

Your horoscope for this week:

With so much going on around you, in terms of unsettled circumstances and, equally, others’ dramas, you’re exhausted. Yet you’re also thrilled with certain changes, enough you’re happy to ride out the resulting ups and downs. The problem? Others’ complaints. Ignore them. This may seem unkind, but many deal with even welcome changes that way. Be sympathetic, but then busy yourself with matters elsewhere.

Steer clear of subjects you know very little about during important meetings and interviews. Find a way to move conversations onto topics you know inside and out. Someone you hardly know will be treating you as if you’ve been friends for years. It won’t surprise you when they ask for a favour or two as the week ends. You have always been perceptive and you will have had a feeling they were up to something.

Though not your ruling planet, Mars’ movements are still important. That planet’s motion is presently barely perceptible. It arrives at its station next Friday. Before it does, it makes fantastic aspect with Venus and yes, relationship -wise this could prove really memorable period (when stars align). Friendships and working partnerships should benefit. As the Sun and Jupiter come to one of their better aspects, it’s probable that others will view you as a star. Yours is one of the Air signs of the zodiac and you ‘do’ ideas really well. What you present could be inspired. Yes, a thought may have been incubating since the end of August or early September last year. Now others may be ready to listen to you. Meetings taking place on Friday (Venus’ day of the week), should prove particularly rewarding.

Scorpio & Ophiuchus
Personal theme: I desire!!
Water & fixed signs: October 23 — November 21

Your horoscope for this week:

Very few are aware that you think through even the simplest of changes, in everything from your lifestyle to future plans. However, the pivotal insights, if not revelations, triggered by the Sun’s link with your ruler Pluto on the 18th, could surprise even you. The secret? Instead of retreating to reflect, discuss events with others; and be bold. The more forthright you are, the better.

A family project will be gaining in momentum. This is all because of the enthusiasm you are all putting into this work. You are being trusted with jobs normally carried out by others who are more qualified. Even if you are learning as you go, you will be thoroughly enjoying this challenge. A job you are doing on someone else’s behalf will go more smoothly than expected. You are starting to realise you are capable of so much more than you imagined.

Mars, your ruling planet, arrives at its station next Friday. Before it does, it makes fantastic aspect with Venus (still passing over the base of your solar chart). If things have been rocky (and it’s probable that they have been relationship -wise), anticipate a sense that the tide is turning. Following on from last Friday’s Full Moon, you could come to new understanding. A strong possibility is that you will feel more at home with a project that began in late August or early September last year but, for a variety of reasons, has stalled. You won’t be the only sign in this position but could arguably be one of the best to sort out the mess and do the project planning necessary for the next stage. This could be the wisest investment of your time. Prior to Pluto’s arrival at the base of your solar chart in March, it’s almost certain that you need others to know you have gifts and talents yet to explore.

Sagittarius
Personal theme: I see!!
Fire sign: November 22 — December 21

Your horoscope for this week:

For ages you’ve managed to sidestep certain tedious practical or financial issues. While, initially, this seemed a victory, you’ve become increasingly aware these can’t be ignored much longer. The secret? Get involved, but first get help from somebody who understands both the matters in question and you. Then ask them to explain issues, step by step. Soon you’ll learn enough to begin handling these yourself.

Financial problems will cause tension between you and a romantic partner. This does not mean your relationship is doomed to fail. Stop thinking it is destined for the scrap heap and instead look for ways to improve things between you. Remember all the good times you have shared and let this help you through the bad. Extending a hand to a neighbour who admits to being lonely will make you feel you are doing something meaningful with your time.

Mars arrives at its station in your opposite sign next Friday. Before doing so, it makes fabulous aspect with Venus and yes, it is likely that relationship issues will be at the top of your agenda. Legal matters could reach a turning point. With the Sun making very special aspect to your ruling planet, Jupiter, there’s high probability of you being the centre of attention and winning a debate. The art is ensuring that you have facts at your fingertips. Gathering facts together should suit you well as the Moon passes over the apex of your solar chart over Wednesday and Thursday. You could yet amaze someone with your detailed knowledge and understanding of the complexity and history of a situation.

Capricorn
Personal theme: I use!!
Earth & cardinal sign: December 22 — January 19

Your horoscope for this week:

Between late December’s Capricorn New Moon and the ideas planet, Mercury, going retrograde in your sign on December 28th, you’ve experienced breakthroughs, often in situations you hadn’t recognised as holding you back. Between now and next week, this process of recognising, then rethinking, restrictive arrangements continue. Be bold. What you say farewell to is clearing the way for a range of thrilling new developments.

You’re in a determined mood and it doesn’t matter if other people aren’t keen on doing anything serious, you are ready to work hard to get results. This will keep you one step ahead of competitors. Just think of the pleasure you will get out of reaching a self-set goal. If you’re looking for work, this is a good time to attend interviews and auditions. You will impress others by your strong work ethic and the high value you place on professional success.

It’s probable that a storm is brewing at work. Tasks that ought to have been attended to in the latter half of 2022 might still be unfinished and resentment growing. There are astro-clues that suggest you might put your foot down and make clear that certain schedules must be adhered to. With Jupiter passing through another of the Cardinal signs you should be in action mode. As Mars arrives at its station next Friday, it might suit you to make clear just how irritated you’ve been, what needs to be done and your revised expectations and even yes, perhaps a threat of what you might do if others don’t take essential steps.

Aquarius
Personal theme: I know!!
Air & fixed sign: January 20 — February 18

Your horoscope for this week:

You don’t think of yourself as a control freak and, mostly, you’re not. However, mid-January’s thrilling planetary activity, which climaxes with the Aquarius New Moon, on January 21st, accents breakthroughs. Some involve existing plans; but those that are most important are about ideas, offers or events as timely as they are unexpected. Explore them all. You be thrilled what you learn and who you meet.

It will be with some relief to find there is nothing too bothersome or demanding waiting for you. You aren’t in the mood for work and would rather fill your calendar with events that are fun and relaxing. Everyone deserves to have some time to spend with friends and family. If you need some time off work, take it. You might find a use for a housemate’s unwanted items by adapting something in a way that makes it more attractive or useful.

Just how much knowledge do you really have? It might be worthwhile listing what you feel you’ve gained since late August 2022. You may now have reason to question the validity of information received and need to position yourself to collate new facts before gathering a small defence army around you. Mars stations in another of the Air signs next Friday, but before doing so makes splendid aspect to Venus travelling through your sign. True, this could bring developments in your romantic life. At work however it should be clear that you are well qualified and a key team member. You may then be asked to head up a subcommittee to develop a project projected to launch in March.

Pisces
Personal theme: I believe!!
Water sign: February 19 — March 20

Your horoscope for this week:

Finding a balance between looking after your own needs, interests and passions and being there for others, when their dramas arise isn’t easy. Especially now. The problem isn’t who should come first. Certain elements of your life are thrilling and deserve attention, yours and, where others can be helpful, theirs’. Your challenge? Asking them. Once you do, you’ll realise how thrilled they are to help.

You won’t be in the mood for work and responsibility. Be doubly cautious in all that you do. Remember that tension and tiredness make for absent mindedness and this can lead to careless mistakes. To get the most out of all relationships you should be prepared and willing to spend as much time listening to others, as you do talking. You will become completely absorbed in a creative challenge as the week ends.

Plans to improve your domestic conditions may have developed since late August 2022. Now you know precisely what it is that you want to have done and importantly, why. Shelving for books could be prime consideration. There may be other ways in which you want to build up your information or knowledge base and unsurprising if you invited others into your home – perhaps as a book club or development of a small research committee. Careerwise, this could be the start of a second revenue stream that gathers momentum. A further possibility is determining an event that you want to host within the next couple of years and choosing the team members you would like to work with you. This week is all about laying foundations.
https://groups.io/g/CelestialPrognostication

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