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It's Time to Get Serious

There’s a New Moon in Virgo this Saturday and much weirdness afoot for Aries planetary influences. As I mentioned in my recent “Women Who Howl at the Moon” minipod, this latter development that actually occurred on August 20^th, has old fiery Mars getting comfy in Gemini for the next seven months! To give you a little better perspective on this, Mars typically only stays in one place for two months tops, which could lead to some interesting developments between now and late March of 2023.

For one thing, Gemini as we know, loves to gab, and socialize. However Gemini is also known for multi-tasking and having many irons in the fire at once. Throw Mars in the mix and you could wind up with a lot of scattered energies and distractions, if you’re not mindful. What we can do is tap into that practical, cautious, and detail-oriented energy of steadfast Virgo to help us ride this phase out. Stay the course, do an “internal inventory,” to weed out the unnecessary stuff, as suggested on nylon.com. Yes Virgo can be irksome with its nagging and nitpicking, but it also can assist in keeping us focused and patient with the tasks at hand.

Scorpio, First Half: October 23-November 6 

The soul stone for early Scorpios is ruby, a gem celebrated in many legends dating from prehistoric times to the present day. Rubies were believed to be dragons’ eggs—very fitting for Scoprios, who have a lizard aspect to their souls. Rubies were believed to give the wearers invincibility. They were also thought to warn of danger by darkening in shade to a red that was nearly black. Rubies correspond to Mars, the first ruling planet of Scorpio, also associated with red. The most valuable rubies outrank even diamonds, and in the Bible, ruby is called the most precious of the gems first created in the world. If worn by a Scorpio, a ruby can re-channel passions such as lust, jealousy, and anger into more positive emotions. By all means, wear rubies, soulful Scorpios!

Each astrological sign is associated with at least one precious gem, or soul stone; one power stone; and one heart stone. The most precious gem for each sign is another kind of birthstone, the jewel marking entry into the world—a guide for your life, if you will. Power stones are lucky omens, and heart stones are the more affordable of crystals, so we can all afford to keep them in our homes, on our desks, and in our bedrooms. I highly recommend them as altar crystals. 

Aries, First Half: March 20-April 3 

We started our as sun-worshippers on this planet, and the Sun is the center of our planetary system, as Copernicus, my birthday mate (we were both born on February 19), pointed out long ago. Composed of hydrogen and helium, our fantastic and fiery Sun is actually a midsize and rather ordinary star in the whole scheme of things. An impressive 870,331 miles in diameter, the Sun is 300,000 times the size of Earth. Its gravitational pull affects all bodies within a range of nearly 400,000 miles, which is why Earth and all the other planets circles it so loyally. The temperature at the Sun’s core has been estimated at seventeen million degrees centigrade, and at its surface, 5,5000 degrees. 

Astrologically, the Sun is linked with the sign Leo the Lion. Naturally, fire is the element of our Sun. Around old Sol, all the planets rotate, pulled by the gravitational force of the star. Each of the astrological signs and their corresponding stones has a planetary influence.

The ancient art and science of astrology conjoined with crystals comes down to us from 6,000 years ago, when the Sumerians, denizens of the cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia, began marking the metaphysical meanings of the map of the stars. Their neighbors in Ur, the Chaldeans, took this a step further when they observed certain affinities between precious gems and star seasons. At the time, their interests were primarily bounteous crops, bounteous babies, and less plentiful enemies. But the canny Chaldeans were great record-keepers, and they noticed that these recurring pattern tracked with the sky chart of the year. Their greatest minds—scholar-scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers—co-created what would become the very dense and deeply meaningful pursuit of astrology. Once they got going, they could predict the future, as evidenced by the great biblical story of Jesus Christ’s birth and the three kings—astrologers all. Six thousand years ago, learned men were at once priests, doctors, seers, astronomers, and teachers. These special men were also gemologists, cutting, polishing, and, most importantly, studying the gems, rocks, and crystals of their earthly domain. They knew which stone should accompany the dead to the underworld, which rocks portended good fortune if placed over doorways, and what crystals offered benefits to the body.

The ancient Sumerians had enormous knowledge, for example, about the Dog Star, properly referred to as Sirius A. They knew the density of the star the length of its orbit (fifty years), and since Sirius A was the brightest star in the night sky, they connected it to the beautiful blue stone they considered to be both powerful and precious—lapis lazuli. They devised a system for assigning colors to the planets, and these associations became the basis for their gem theories:

So I'm pulling out all the stops this blog and referencing every entry I've written here to date about the truly most wonderful time of year: Samhain/Halloween! I had a close group of fellow pumpkin holiday enthusiasts over last weekend and the powerful positive female energy that flowed throughout the night was incredible. We played great music, crafted tiny spell jars, decorated skull sugar cookies, and even laughed ourselves silly over a witch hat ring toss game. Whether you choose to have a small, masked gathering with your favorite zombies or perhaps honor your ancestors ala Día de los Muertos , there are a multitude of ways to celebrate this weekend. Hosting a traditional Dumb Supper for lost loved ones is a favored activity of local Milwaukee legend Stonie Rivera. Truth be told, I know in my heart I will never be able to top my October 31st spent in Dracula country on the Tours of Terror folks' Transylvania trip. That's a cherished memory that will stay with me forever, and ever, and ever...

Dreams and Tarot Tossing

Be sure to pay special attention to dreams of departed loved ones right now. Chances are good that they may be trying to communicate an important message to you via your dreams. Record the messages and feelings you're left with in your journal for further consideration and meditation. This is the ideal time of year for channeling your witchy side with some divination and imagination. I always find shuffling the tarot cards and seeing what insights they have to share enlightening. They often bring a sharp clarity to complex situations and questions on your mind. I'm still enjoying using "The Witches' Wisdom Tarot," a deck created by my first "Women Who Howl at the Moon" podcast guest, Phyllis Currott. These cards are so rich and multi-layered in their meanings, guidance, and magickal intentions.