Fourth Day of the 13th Lunar Cycle

"I'm one with the Goddess
and open to Her Wisdom."

4th Day of the 13th Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Artemis
Lunar Tree Cycle ~ Ruis/Elder
Celtic Tree Cycle ~ Ruis/Elder
Moon Phase: waxing New
Moon rises: 9:51AM EST
Moon sets: 6:00PM EST
Moon enters the Fixed Air
Sign of Aquarius at 5:38AM EST
Blodeuwedd's Cycle of the Moon
Lunar Meditation: The wonder
of life.
Sun in Sagittarius
Sunrise: 7:38AM EST
Sunset: 4:55PM EST
Solar Question for the Day: ""What prejudices are you holding on to?"
Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) Quarter of the Year
December 19th, 2009

    So here I am marking time in the 13th lunar cycle for this year - the cycle of Elder - and because of the I follow a lunar cycle based system of time keeping I will only be in this cycle till Monday when the Winter Solstice falls.  Then the day after the Solstice is the Nameless Day in the Celtic traditions, and the day after that will begin the Beith/Birch lunar cycle.  This is lunar cycle that will not begin with a New Moon necessarily, just like the Ruis/Elder lunar cycle will not end with a Dark Moon.  OK, so it is confusing but I have become used to it.  We witches can tend to have our idiosyncratic ways which can make us very individualistic at times.

   Elder Month:

  Its flowers can be eaten and made into wine. A tea or syrup made from the flowers is good for coughs and sore throats. The berries, which are high in vitamin C, can be eaten in a variety of ways and also make a fine wine. The berries and leaves, also high in Vitamin C, can be made into jam. The leaves can be boiled and cooled and used as a dressing to relieve earache. Elderflower water is excellent for the skin, cleansing, soothing and, for those with pale skins, whitening it. It also helps to reduce acne and prevent it from scarring. The bark was boiled to make a laxative tea. Its wood can easily be hollowed out to make whistles and, for children, pop-guns.

  The Elder is a tree of wisdom and knowledge associated with the Crone. It used to be thought of as a tree of death and sorrow. It is said that to cut the tree, or to burn its wood, is to invite ill luck. In Northern Europe it is said that the Elder-tree Mother inhabits the tree and if any wood is cut she follows the wood and haunts the owner. Even fallen wood should only be taken with permission. Elder leaves were thought to keep off Witches and were hung on doors to protect all within. The pith of the branches were supposed to make a wick which, when lit, would reveal all the Witches in the neighborhood. Meditate under a fruiting Elder if you seek answers from those who have gone before.
[From: "The Real Witches' Year" by Kate West]