Countdown to the Spring Equinox II - Full Snow Moon

Full Snow Moon 2019

Although Tuesday's date is given as being this years Full Snow Moon, for any practical purposes it will occur "Monday evening."


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'Incantation for the Foreboding'

Now when Aradia had been taught,
taught to work all witchcraft,
how to destroy the evil race of oppressors,
she imparted it to her pupils and said to them:

"When I have departed from this world,
Whenever you have need of anything,
Once in the month when the moon is full,
You shall assemble in some deserted place,
Or in a forest all together join
and adore the potent spirit of my mother, Diana,
and whoever desires to learn all witchcraft
but has not won its deepest secrets,
my mother will teach all things as yet unknown.
And you shall all be free from bondage,
And so you shall be free in everything."

[from 'The Book of the Holy Strega' and Aradia's words] 


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During moments of foreboding, the Christians have the famous prayers of 'Hail Mary' or the 'Prayer to Saint Michael'; what do Neopagans have to this end? After viewing the short Latin prayer of the Scots before the first battle in the film 'Braveheart', I asked myself this question. I would like to encourage Asatruar and other Neopagan traditions to think about this from their point of view. For those of the tradition of Stregheria and/or European witchcraft, I would offer the above prayer-spell. 'Incantation for the Foreboding' essentially means "prayer-spell for fearful apprehension." In other words, a rite summoning courage and strength prior to any explicit or potential danger, conflict, or battle. Also, for hope anytime during a challenging period in the life of an individual, family, or clan. 


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Antiquity of Witchcraft

"The Craft is an underground spring which has existed for centuries and predates the Judeo-Christian and Muslim faiths, and occasionally rises to the surface in small streams and lakes. The modern craft movement reflects a worldwide rising of this underground spring coming with such force that it cannot be dammed by our enemies. The force behind this tidal wave is the murdered souls of the Witches condemned by the Inquisition! We are back and are going to stay to guide people to truly know what peace and respect for humanity is. Hail to our Goddess and God."

-- Leo Martello


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[Above: The Twin Peaks or Dragon House, also know as the Ranch House to the owners, the National Park Service]


'A WALK THROUGH DRUID HEIGHTS'

Author: Michael Toivonen, Co-founder, Save Druid Heights - Medium.com - March 4, 2018

I gathered a selection of my photographs and wrote what follows with this goal in mind: to make you feel the same fascination for an amazing place, Druid Heights, that I did after my visit there on November 16, 2016. For all of you, and especialy those viewing on your phone, there are 70 photos coming up mixed in with my decriptive text, once you (hopefully!) read through the intro. Enjoy! Of course“Claps” and “Follows” are much appreciated and consider joining the Save Druid Heights Facebook group to fully show your support for preserving the amazing place you are about to pay a “virtual” visit to.

8/29/18 Update: I have put several briefer stories about Druid Heights online since this first one. This is the most complete view. The others can be found by searching Medium using Druid Heights or my name, Michael Toivonen , as your search term.

This is how it began for me: One day in early 2016, by mere chance, I recalled a long forgotten name, Druid Heights. It had been 40 years since I first heard it while at high school in nearby Mill Valley, California in the 1970’s. Beyond the name all I knew at that time was that a writer on eastern religion that I had been reading, Alan Watts, was living there when he died and that a woman named Elsa Gidlow who was, maybe, a poet, still lived there. I had been intrigued but I had never learned more.

When that unusual place name popped into my head one rainy day 40 years later I had my laptop ready to launch a query. I found some newspaper articles and some images. It seemed there was quite a bit more to Druid Heights than what I had vaguely imagined….

con't....


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Druid Heights (Wikipedia)


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The Sunstone: Secret of Viking Navigation

Terra Incognita

For almost five hundred years, the Vikings navigated across unimaginable distances. How did they do it?

Follow Terra Incognita:
https://twitter.com/terra
https://www.facebook.com/terraincognitavideo/
https://www.instagram.com/terra/

Links:
'On the trail of Vikings with polarized skylight'
'A depolarizer as a possible precise sunstone for Viking navigation by polarized skylight'
'The sixteenth century Alderney crystal: a calcite as an efficient reference optical compass?'

Book:
'Secrets of the Viking Navigators'


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St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 - Chorus: 'Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder' by Bach

bubblykings

Hungarian Festival Choir Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Géza Oberfrank


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St Matthew Passion (Wikipedia)


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