Eclipse
Solar eclipses only occur at the New Moon during Her journey between the Earth and the Sun. And while it’s perfectly logical to think that we’d have an eclipse at least once per month, it just doesn’t happen that way.
Why? Because the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is more slanted than the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. And for this reason, the Moon’s shadow usually misses the Earth’s surface entirely. About twice a year, though, things line up just right and we have a solar eclipse: a brief period when at least a part of the Moon’s shadow passes over the Sun.
There are two kinds of solar eclipses, and the determining factor has to do with which shadow of the Moon is involved.
A Partial Solar Eclipse
A partial solar eclipse comes about when the Moon offers Her penumbra, or Her light, outer shadow. While I find partial eclipses a little unbalancing and prefer not to perform magickal efforts then, such may not be the case for you. In fact, you may want to experiment with the energies a bit. And if you choose to go that route, efforts that involve the personal journey or require tying up loose ends might work well.
Experiencing a partial eclipse up close and personal might be a good idea, though, before using its energies in the magickal realm. That way, you’ll know exactly how the energies affect you, and won’t have any unpleasant surprises while you’re knee-deep in ritual.
A Total Eclipse of the Sun
A total eclipse of the Sun occurs when the umbra – or the darker, inner shadow of the Moon – comes into play. The shadow of the Moon completely covers the surface of the Sun, blocking out most of His light, and causing a temporary darkness that slightly resembles the twilight period of early evening.
Only the corona of the Sun – or His halo – is visible on the outside of the Moon’s shadow, and often forms interesting patterns of light against the darkened sky. Scholars say that it’s these patterns that were the origin of many ancient Sun symbols, including the Ankh, the winged disk, and the phoenix.
Magickally Speaking
Magickally speaking, the total eclipse symbolizes a consummation of the marriage between the Sun and the Moon. This means that its energies are not only extremely balanced, but unsurpassed in strength and effectiveness. More to the point, they provide the perfect atmosphere for efforts involving relationships, matters of the heart, justice, and general, personal, or financial balance.
There’s good news and bad news about the total eclipse, though. And just for grins, I’ll give you the bad news first: not everybody can see the total eclipse when it occurs. That’s because you must be within the Moon’s path of totality – usually a distance of about a thousand miles long by a hundred miles wide – in order to view it. Which portion to the world enjoys this phenomenon depends solely upon the position of the Moon when She casts her shadow.
The good news? Solar eclipses are not only entirely predictable, but the portions of the world capable of viewing them are always listed with their time and date. And this means that you’ll have plenty of time to prepare for them magickally whenever they decide to grace you with their presence.
Note:
You can find a lot more information about The Solar Eclipse and Magick along with current information about when and where they will occur, on the Almanac page of the Pagan Calendar, and spells for both a solar and a lunar eclipse over at the Book of Shadows.
Source: Everyday Sun Magic
The powerful effects of the seasons, the weather, and even the time of day, can subtly affect your magic. Traditionally, these types of magic are performed during these times:
- SPRING:
Spring is a time for healing; purification, (spring cleaning), psychic awareness; paying bills; fertility; planting magical gardens; and ecological rituals. Air magic.
- SUMMER:
Summer is a time for love, marriage, friendship, beauty, protection, courage, magical energy, physical energy, and strength. Fire magic.
- AUTUMN:
Autumn is a time for money, employment, new possessions (including cars and homes). Water magic.
- WINTER:
A time for banishment of disease, habits and addictions, seeking past lives. This is a time for introspection, meditation, reading, and magical exercises designed to renew the magician for the coming spring. Earth magic.
- LIGHTNING STORMS:
Lightning storms are periods of intense energy. All spells cast during storms will be empowered by them, and may prove to be more effective. Protection rituals are ideal at these times.
- RAINSTORMS:
Rainstorms are fine for purification, love, compassion, friendship, beauty rituals, and releasing guilt and jealousy.
- SNOWSTORMS:
Snowstorms are the time for gentle magic, purification, and stilling emotions. Also a good time to release unrequited love.
- HEAVY WINDS:
Heavy winds empower rites designed to break addictions, assist study, and travel spells.
- SEARING HOT DAY:
A searing hot day is an excellent time to charge rites of protection, courage, and energy.
- SOLAR and LUNAR ECLIPSES:
Eclipses (both solar and lunar) are dramatic moments both for their observers as well as for magicians. In the past, magicians were urged not to perform magic during eclipses. Today, many natural magicians use the suggestive power of an eclipse to fuel spells involving banishment, including the destruction of disease.
- SUNRISE:
Day begins as light stretches out from the eastern horizon. This is an excellent time to perform rituals involving purification, business success, study, employment, breaking addictions of all kinds, travel, releasing guilt and jealousy, healing diseases, and the conscious mind.
- NOON:
The sun shines far above at full strength. This is fine for all sunrise ritual purposes, as well as those that involve magical energy, physical energy and strength, protection, money and courage.
- SUNSET:
The sun slips below the western horizon, signaling the time for breaking addictions, weight-loss, banishing misery and pain, transforming anguish and negative habits.
- NIGHT:
The sun is out of sight. This is the drowsy time for beauty, dreams, psychic dreams, psychic awareness, spirituality, sleep, sex, purification, love, friendships, peace, releasing stress, healing wounds.
- WAXING MOON:
From the new moon to the full moon is a time when the Moon is waxing, becoming full. It is a time for beginnings, health and healing, psychic awareness, beauty, fertility and all positive magical workings.
- FULL MOON:
All positive magical spells are performed beneath the potent glow of the Full Moon, including protection, love, healing, purification, psychic awareness, money and travel.
- WANING MOON:
From the full moon to the new moon is a time when the Moon is waning, and darkening. This is the time for banishment of habits, addictions, disease and negative thoughts. jealousy, guilt, and hurts are released under the waning Moon. The old is swept away to make room for the new.
- NEW MOON:
The New Moon is a time when the Moon is dark. Also known as the Dark Moon, it is as powerful in its own way as the Full Moon. It is a time for taking stock. It is a phase of hibernation, retreat, and contemplation. The dark moon is a time for dealing with attackers, for exploring our darkest recesses and understanding our angers and passions. Also bringing justice to bear.
Important note:
This does not mean that spells must only be cast during those specific times. These are simply guidelines for optimal times, a spell can be cast whenever it is needed.
Source unknown
Each month the moon waxes and wanes through its cycle, touching each star sign for a few days. As it changes rapidly, so can the emotional states of those people who have strong lunar alliances in their natal charts, hence the moons name, lunar, came from the word lunatic!
Waning:
When the moon is waning, it’s on the cycle of diminishing; therefore, it’s a good time to end anything that isn’t working, which allows something new to enter your life. It’s also a prime time for clearing and cleaning.
Waxing:
When the moon is waxing, it’s on the cycle of becoming fuller, and thought to be a more prosperous time. This is the time for gathering up, for bringing in, for growing and adding to.
Full moon:
The strongest period for the full moon is the period either side of the full moon, 1-3 days. However, the period just before the full moon, keep in mind that the moon is still in its waxing cycle still becoming fuller, and directly after the full moon it then begins its waning diminishing cycle.
New moon:
The new moon period is known to be a magic wish time, with its strongest time 1 to 3 days after the new moon and also just before the full moon. The time just before the full moon begins to diminish is a very powerful time to cast your dreams, goals and wishes to the universe for creation. This is one of the intense energy times to do spells, rituals, prayers and re-in force your positive thoughts.
Eclipse:
An Eclipse signifies an intense time of energy, which can spark the beginning or end of relationships and situations, and can have an effect before and for months after the eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs on the new moon and a lunar eclipse occurs on the full moon.
Read more: NY Daily News Horoscopes
I think it's time to go shopping... maybe even buy some really cool stuff at one of my online shops!!