Thor's Day - Celtic Reed Begins

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

22nd Day of the 11th Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Medusa
Lunar Tree Cycle of Gort/Ivy
1st Day of the Celtic Tree
Month of Ngetal/Reed
22nd Day of the Witch's 1st
Lunar Cycle - the Cycle of
Phasma Priscus - the Days
of Ancient Spirits
Moon Phase: Disseminating
Moon sets: 1:05PM EDST
Moon rises: 10:50PM EDST
Moon in the Fixed Water Sign
of Cancer
Rhiannon's Cycle of the Moon
Lunar Meditation: Memory of
places distant or no more.
Sun in Scorpio
Sunrise: 7:44AM EDST
Sunset: 6:23PM EDST
Solar Question for the Day: "Are
you in touch with your emotions?"
Lughnasadh (Gwyl Awst) Quarter
of the Year
October 28th, 2010

Thor's Day - Jupiter's Day - the Day of Vision, Spiritual Insight, and Expansion.  There are Major magickal energies today for dealing with Security issues.  Remember this transit through a Cancer Moon brings emotional security up to the surface of our lives.

Celtic Tree Month of Reed

    The cold snap in the air marks the Celtic month of Reed. Reed corresponds to the Ogham letter ngetal (nyeh-dl) and is also associated with the broom. Reed was used to thatch the roofs of homes and to sometimes sweep floors in ancient times; reed can symbolize action taken as well as hearth and home. We tend to get overwhelmed during the busy holiday season, so this is a good time to work with this month's energies. First, sweep all around your home, brushing away all negativity out the back door. Then tie a few stems of dried reed to a decorative broom (all obtained at your local craft store) and hang it in your kitchen to fend off family stress and anxiety over the holidays, visualize it filling the house with harmoniou8s energy. To charge it, repeat:

"Reed and broom direst us away from trouble,

Fill this home with harmony on the double.

Protect and bless us day and night,

Facing the oncoming winter brightly."

By Mickie Mueller in Llewellyn's

Witches' Datebook of 2010

   The Reed of the Celts has counterparts in other cultures: for the Romans it was flax, and for the Egyptians it is Papyrus.  In all cases it is very much a plant with many uses making anything from thatch to weaving, from paper to musical instruments. It was also used in making arrows and to heal wounds caused by them. It is a plant strongly linked to water, being sometimes called the Water Elder. It is also associated with the pathway between the worlds. Indeed it is thought that growing the plant in, or very close to the house was to open the door to death. The Greeks considered the Reed sacred to Pan; Pan Pipes being made from a series of Reed tubes tied together which could be played to invoke him. However, this is not something which should be done lightly as Pan is a deity who can bring mischief and the uncertain. They also considered it to be strongly linked to Hecate, and placed Reeds at her shrines.

   The Reed is associated with willpower, creativity, imagination, insight and love. Weave a circle from Reeds and keep it by you when you need help with new projects or new ideas. Wearing a ring or bracelet of Reed will help strengthen your willpower.  Whenever you gather Reeds you should ensure that you make an offering lest you offend the spirits which dwell within the Reed beds. It is also a good idea to ensure that you do not gather Reeds at times when waterfowl and other species are using the beds to raise their young.

[From: "The Real Witches' Year" by Kate West] 

How American Throws Away Nearly Half of its Food - an Environmental Issue

   OK, you lucky witchlings, you get to see me dragging out a new soap box of mine. I am adding a new blog to my Blog roll today - http://www.wastedfood.com/     I wanted to point this one out because it is not a witchy one but it is something that has become very important to me.   Being a dumpster diving advocate from way back I am glad to see this issue being brought to the forefront in a lot of areas of the media now.  Some of it has to do with the publication of new book - "American Wasteland" by Jonathan Bloom... Here is a video of him introducing the book: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RZJvX0CLZI&feature=player_embedded
 
  I used to be as guilty as many of us of wasting and throwing away food.  One of my thoughts that throwing out food is not necessarily bad for the environment because it goes back into the ground. That is not necessarily true - the food that ends up in landfills produces methane gas.  Although methane is nowhere near as common as carbon dioxide, it's much more harmful. Landfills today are made up of 19% food thrown away.  And this figure does not include food we shove down the garbage disposal, which can be up to three times what we put in the trash and has it own consequences.  The average American sends more than half a pound of food to the landfill every day. Good riddance and bon voyage, right?    Yes, except that we're stashing pockets of greenhouse gases in the ground as little surprises for the next generation. Not all surprises are welcome. Food buried in a landfill today could still be emitting gas twenty years from now. 
 
   Here are couple more links about this subject which might bring an awareness of growing problem that we keep stuffing into our garbage - and not just us but everyone who is even remotely connected with food production. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vXbae3AKNQ&feature=player_embedded#!''
 
   and tips for how we can begin to help change our views on wasting food:

http://www.salon.com/food/francis_lam/2010/10/11/how_to_cut_down_food_waste
 
  I will be posting little tips on how to not to waste food or alert you to how our society is set up
to waste food each day.