12th Day of the 8th Lunar Cycle

12th Day of the 8th Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Hera
Lunar Tree Cycle ~ Tinne/Holly
Moon Phase: Waxing Half
Moon rises: 4:53PM EDT
Moon sets: 1:08AM EDT
Moon enters the Mutable Fire Sign of Sagittarius at 7:36AM EDT
Waxing Moon Day 8 ~ Blessing
Solar Questions of the Day: "What challenges are on the horizon?"
Lunar Meditation: Happiness
Sage Woman Calendar notation: How many ways can you indulge your sense of taste today?
July 17th, 2005


"Isis called out to her lover:
Oh, come quickly, come to me now,
my heart is hot, it has been too long
since I have seen your face, my heart
is broken from our separation.
Do not leave me here! Do not stay away!
I yearn to feel your urgent love.
And her sister Nepthys called out too:
Oh please, come back! come back to us!
Life is not the same here without you!"
----Egyptian lamentations of Isis and Nepthys

On this night and the following in ancient Egypt, the celebration of death and re-membering of the god Osiris by his sister-wife Isis was held. The festivals coincided with the annual Nile flooding, which brought fertility and prosperity to the land. Around this yearly cycle, a great mythic story grew up in which Isis sought throughout the world to locate the body of Osiris; reviving him, she lost him once again to the savagery of their brother Set, who then dismembered the god. Once again Isis wandered the world, this time seeking all the parts of her beloved's body. Finding all but one - the generative organ - she assembled him again and, providing a golden replacement, conceived a golden child.
This was the Night of the Cradle, when Isis lamented with her sister Nepthys, weeping for the loss of Osiris. Like any woman who suffered loss, the goddess weeps and calls out to her absent love. The wisdom of the ages tells us that the depths must be experienced before rebirth is possible. It is a hard lesson, for we would rather be spared the pain of loss. But, Egyptian scriptures say, we have no choice. First, the loss; then, after we have all but given up hope, life freshens itself and begins anew.


The Prince's Truth

"Being without truth, without law, defeat in battle, famine during his
reign, dryness of cows, ruination of fruit, dearth of crops."
----Audacht Moraind in Caitlin and John Matthews, "The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom" (trans. CM)

These seven proofs of unworthy kingship rest upon the understanding that the land resonates sympathetically with the qualities of the ruler. A good ruler is known by 'winters fine and frosty, springs dry and windy, summers warm with showers, autumn dewy and fruitful ...A bad ruler brings perverse weather upon a wicked people and dries up the fruits of the earth.'
At this time of the year, when the crops are nearly fully ripe and the preparation for harvest begins, we do not look at the land with ancestral eyes and see written there the testimony of our ruler's administration. For us, the land is the land' the weather merely the weather; and the governmental upsets and lack of integrity just part of the old, old story. And yet, for us, the messages of the earth auguries of a wider issue, of a truth that is not being upheld worldwide.
Without integrity and the observance of natural laws to maintain good order, conflicts and other evils manifest across the planet. Greed, opportunism, mass production, consumerism, and other factors that satisfy personal needs have replaced the promises that rulers and their followers once made directly to the land beneath their feet. Yet to some degree, each of us shares in those promises to serve and uphold the natural laws of life that our elected representatives make on our behalf.

"What commitments and responsibilities do we have to the natural world? How can our life-style support and maintain its good order? To what degree do we contribute to its decline?"


Goddess Days #202

Axo Mama ~ 'Healing is everywhere. Chew it, digest it, breathe it, create it.'

In Peru, she is called Potato Mother, infusing the land with fertile powers for a bountiful harvest. She animates the crops with Supernatural energy for powered-up production to feed and sustain her people.
You may be familiar with one or two types of potatoes, but in Peru potatoes come in many colors. Farmers cultivate more than 3,000 varieties, from pink and blue to purple, golden yellow and orange. Some as small as grapes and others are big as balloons. Flavors vary dramatically, from nutty and sweet to starchy and tangy. What a World of agricultural wealth is the Peruvian Mother of Potatoes. Create your own Potato Goddess and prepare a hearty, rooted feast, invoking her powers of abundance and grounding energy. Get as many varieties of potatoes as you can, choosing one big one in particular to represent Axo Mama. At the store, let her call out to you.
You'll know her when you see her. Put the Big One aside. Peel and cut the rest in chunks. Do the same to one or two beets, yams, parsnips, carrots and onions. Add at least twenty whole cloves of garlic. Mix all the veggies together, adding enough olive oil to make them glisten. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne for zest. Bake all together at 350degrees F until golden. While the roots are baking, spend time with the Big Mama, creating a magnificent Potato Goddess using cloth, beads, and ribbon - or create one entirely of vegetables. Meditate on abundance.
Affirmation: "My life is abundantly rich. I infuse everything I touch with magic."


Moon In Sagittarius ~ Mutable Fire Sign ~ "I seek" ~ Moon in Sagittarius brings out our inner- Artemis; we need to roam, to explore in body and in soul. Our curiosity intensifies. Check out untraveled territory and connect with the organic world. The restless, enthusiastic Sagittarius loves adventure, change and motion. The moon in this sign is a time for philosophy, metaphysics, traveling, studying and freedom from responsibility.
Sagittarius brings the need to feel free of restrictions, and to be spontaneous. Her restless and independent nature wishes to explore, and warm and friendly vibes make it a good time for seeing new places, encountering different people and relating to a changing environment.
There is proclivity towards open, honest exchanges. Sagittarius also beings an interest in education, ethics, women's culture and seeing things from an idealistic viewpoint. With this moon transit comes the itch to travel.

Waxing Moon Day 8 ~ Blessing ~ This is a time of grace, nearing the full moon, which will help my body and the event-formations of my outer life, causing my environment to agree with me.