Greek Paganism – Adventures of A Mage In Miami

Astrological Forecast : The Stars of the Dead

Mercury retrograde is upon us once more. We approach that time of the month again. When our divine messenger becomes a psychopomp. And leads the dead away for the mysteries of the afterlife. Let’s begin.

From Witches of the Craft,

Pretty straight forward. The usual stuff about not making concrete plans or important decisions during a retrograde. However there’s another side to it. A side that is way more positive. The way of silence.

The way of silence involves using dark energy. And dark beings also. For the healing of the mind, body, and soul. It isn’t the typical new age stuff. Not that I am against the New Age.

One of the people I admire the most was Edgar Cayce, the Father of the New Age. He was a Christian Mystic and Prophet. This man had powers that baffle even the more traditional mediums. My problem is with people who have taken the New Age and perverted. Making it into the trendy, feel good, Splenda flavored crap it has become today.

Simply, dark energy does not always mean evil. It actually doesn’t ever. All energy, such as light and dark are neutral. And can be used for evil or good accordingly. Let me show you an example of the darkness being used for good.

The Path of Silence

Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence,
Day of the Dead Shrine, at the Ceremony of Altars at SF’s Garfield Park in the Mission District on the evening of November 2.
By
Walker Dukes

This is what I call the path of silence. It’s a term I sort of self coined in my own meditations. For my own brand of shadow work. So in my shadow work, when a Retrograde comes, I try to sit still in the pain. Sit outside of my comfort zone.

Where most people don’t like to be. I think of the things I typically hold in. Like a closed fist. And I unclose that fist. I let the flood waters out.

I react in a variety of different ways. Including crying. I let myself shake even. Or sometimes I get so overwhelmed I sleep. And sleep is actually the best way to do this work.

There in the Darkness

Hermes is one of the *Theoi Khthonioi* the Gods of the Underworld

There in the darkness, I eventually quiet the voices down. Until I hear nothing. Just the empty void. As quiet as a tomb. I hear a single water drip down into a pool.

And when I open my eyes I’m in a cave. And there, walking towards me out of the infinite shadows that would drive all of us mad, is Lord Hermes. The Shadow Lord. No longer the young, clean shaven youth. But the older, darker, bearded man.

I am on the cold sandy floor crossed legged. He sits on a stone in front of me. He studies me for a long time. It makes me uncomfortable as hell. And he asks me what I wish to discuss.

And I begin my therapy with him.

Actually this is therapy and confession as well as cleansing. During this time I practice pure necromancy. I avoid anything related to the light as much as possible. And I gaze into the void we all carry within. And I try to learn more about myself.

I don’t hate myself at all. In fact it’s the opposite. I hold court with myself. Different versions of myself appear behind him. And each speak and tell me their problems.

I begin to strategize with Hermes and my guides. About what changes to make. One by one each version is purified in a ritual cleansing that is secret. Then I re-absorb them into myself. In this way I am regaining my personal power.

And doing away with negative things that only hinder me. I am also promising to myself in the name of a God, that I will at least try to be better. And to do better next time. This is a form of shadow work you can do during any retrograde. You just substitute Hermes for the whatever God of whatever planet is in Retrograde.

And of course the problems each retrograde brings out are different. Another thing to do, is perform a Necromantic Ritual. Either with your own ancestors or the God whose planet is about to enter retrograde. Asking them for a deliverance from the bad luck and other negative aspects of a retrograde.

The Shadows Grow……

but that’s not a bad thing

There’s a solar eclipse tonight. Which when combined with the New Moon and the Mercury Retrograde unleashes a lot of shadow power. When there is a solar eclipse, it’s the Sun Gods and Goddesses entering their death forms. This may sound like a contradiction right? How is it possible. How the fuck can a Sun God like Ra or Hawk Maiden or Apollon or Amaterasu be dead? Because everything dies.

Even our sun will one day die.

And then it all comes back in an endless cycle. A hoop that never breaks. The Sun Gods can and do die. In fact they appear in several funerary texts. Eternal life can also be the same as death.

In Christianity, you can only gain immortality through dying and entering Heaven. And then you become one with Jesus and therefore be eternal. So it’s not a contradiction. The Solar Deities entering their deathly aspects increase the powers of the Retrograde and the New Moon. Which is the natural time of the dead.

Now to make it even stronger, today is the feast of Baron Samedi. The Vodoun Loa (God) of the dead. And it’s also the feast of Saint Expedite.

The Stars of the Dead

This is what I am calling all the astrological forces I am seeing and sensing right now. Because I view them in my mind as stars. And they are lining up in Star form. Right now it’s a Hexagon. A six pointed Star.

The New Moon in Aries. This also means Aries the God of War is in his death aspect.

And therefore he adds his own power and wrath. Barron Samedi the Vodoun Loa (God) of the Dead and Saint Expedite. Tonight’s solar eclipse. And finally, the effects of the Mercury Retrograde. Tomorrow it drops to a trio : Mercury retrograde, and the New Moon with chthonic Aries.

Then a Pentagram with those two plus Saturn’s Day (Saturday). The day for the dead. And St. George’s Eve which is the time of the dead and phantoms. But also the dark spirits.

Demons roam the skies and land. And wicked things are everywhere. Black Witches practice their rites to Satan and Lilith on this night. Mercury Retrograde takes place on Friday. Any and all kinds of magic during this time will be powerful.

For good and bad.

Some legends say that you see Will-O’-the-wisps at night. And that these are souls of the dead that guard treasures they buried before they died. So that if you see these fiery spirits, you must mark on a map where you saw them. So that you can take the treasures. Yes this is a dark night indeed.

The veil will be at its lowest this week. So what does it actually do? I’ll make it easy. It can,

• Magnify all magic by means of lowering the Veil

• Create doorways to facilitate travel between the worlds

This goes both ways. Certain witches have been known to use times of the day or night of year to enter the spirit world. During the Wild Hunt, some witches used to astral project and join the Hunt. And this is such a time. The Stars of the Dead as I call them, will begin to fade Sunday morning.

Leaving only the New Moon in Aries and Mercury Retrograde. Then the New Moon will vanish with the first quarter moon. And it will be just Mercury Retrograde (for now). But this is just for now. I haven’t consulted my calendar in a while.

Some links and info!

From Pandora Astrology

Also from Pandora Astrology

NEW MOON 29°49’ ARIES | WEDNESDAY 4/19/2023 AT 9:12 P.M. PT

The Seven Symptoms of every Solar Eclipse By The Alchemist

It makes sense when you remember all of the positive things that the Sun embodies. So the Sun dying on us spiritually would cause all that

Three Crystals for the Solar Eclipse By The Alchemist

NEW MOON APRIL, 20 2023 AND A RARE HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE

Total Solar Eclipse and New Moon in Aries By The Mage

See you all soon,

– M

The Pink Moon from Miami

I’m on my Earth and Air shrine which I use for meditation and Astrology. And the view of the moon is good here. I’m waiting for it to be 12:34 am my time to get a good sight of the moon. So I figured I would show you my pictures so far.

Yesterday before I went with my Mom to her church. For a witch, going to holy ground before a ritual is both good in the sense of grounding, and also good for soaking up spiritual powers.

I’m just here on my balcony, praying to the Gods (which includes Jesus). Enjoying the night breeze with my plants. And listening to advice from my spirit guides. Grounding with the Earth, because one does not need to be on a tree or dirt to ground. You can ground from anywhere.

If you’re on planet Earth, then you could be a thousand feet in the air and still access it.

Even while one looks up at the Moon. Here, let me entertain you with some of the links on the moon sent to me today.

A Gorgeous Ritual for Tonight’s Magic

FULL MOON IN LIBRA 2023 (also courtesy of Lady Beltane forwarding that article from Vibrational Astrology.com)

Full Moon Libra April 6th 05.34am BST – A Pause in the Mayhem

Year of the Water Rabbit 2023 – Chinese Astrology Predictions

I saw a herd of animal shaped clouds from my shrine. Weird eh?

You wouldn’t see it very well from this picture. But in real life it looked like the Fiji Mermaid.

Part way through I realized I would not be able to see the moon from my shrine. As it moved, it got into place above my roof. So I had to go downstairs just to see it get to it’s peak. But I waited until the appropriate time so that I could enjoy being with my plants and spirits. Just a little while longer.

A cloud cover started to come in at the last minute.

So I decided to hurry my ass down and hope for a good image.

Look at how it shines like a beacon in the darkness

So I took out my wallet as is the custom among the old witches of England and I opened it up. And I prayed to the man in the moon to fill it up with money. And any and other forms of prosperity. I already had my Moon water prepared when the Moon began to show how big it was on Tuesday. This time I prayed also for my other charms to be blessed as well.

I also uttered a secret wish.

And I left. Oh by the way the ritual I did for protection worked. For those who are wondering. I will write that post up soon enough. But for now, I’m going to take my moon bath.

And pray some more. Good night everyone,

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A post shared by Paradise Found | Santa Barbara (@paradisefoundsb)

– M

Astrological Forecast for April : The Divine Twins, Mars and Venus hookup, The Pink Moon, Paschal Moon, Egg Moon, Peony Moon, Moon of Windbreak, Awakening Moon, and a few other things

Castor and Pollux the divine twins of the Greek religion by Baby Girl

First things first, as of tonight, we will see the Dioscuri or divine twins in the sky. They are the origin of the Star sign of Gemini ♊️. So tonight is a night of power for Geminis. As well as any and all twin spirits, Gods, or people who have any sort of duality. Apart from that, we also see that they are joined by Mars and Venus.

Mars and Venus are lovers. So the combination of love and war is in the air. Mars was also seen as a bringer of fertility to the land. Most people think of him only as a God of War. But he’s actually got a lot to do with the nature of growing and sustaining plants as well.

So when you know this, you realize that there isn’t much of a difference here after all. Virility and Fertility combined to help nature. Combine that with the nature of Castor and Pollux as Horse Demi Gods. And Demi Gods of Sailors and we have a lot of nature energy on the rise. In fact they complete the energy of Venus and Mars.

Venus is associated with water, and Mars with fire and earth. The two Demi Gods control both water and earth. And they are associated with electrical fire. Specifically, the phenomenon of St. Elmo’s fire. Plus they also have a great familial love.

So another aspect of love apart from erotic love.

St. Elmo’s Fire also known as Ball Lightning

So anything having to do with love (of any kind), fertility, or just growing your garden etc.. tonight is the night to do it.

The Pink Moon

The name comes from the sweet peas and the Wild Ground Phlox, the pink flowers that bloom in April. Although Daisies are the other flower for this month. This is the moon of Spring, when the flowers truly rise up in their full splendor. The forces of growth and nature are at their height. And with it, the life force of all living beings.

Now is the time of the Nymphs and other nature spirits as they frolic through the glades. Now is the time for not being introspective. We need to dance our asses off. To drink and be merry. I’m sure somewhere Dionysus will be throwing us a party anyways.

And in keeping with the Astrological influences of the twins, Venus, and Mars, we also have the influences of the Pink Moon. That of manifestation of dreams. Faith and positive energy in general. Now is a time for taking chances even if you fail. Doing things that scare you in order to feel alive.

For living not just surviving or existing.

The other influences including transformation. Changes of all sorts. Making new plans. Changing up everything basically. Also a time for grounding in nature.

This is also the first full moon after the spring equinox. Because of this, the Christian version of Easter falls on April 9th. Which means the Pink Moon is also the Paschal Moon. The Easter Moon of the Christians. So this is a good moon for all sorts of Christian, Jewish, or Christo Pagan magic.

Painting by Johfra Bosschart, here we see Christo Pagan imagery as the God Hermes, is holding the moon over an Angel

Or any holy magic from any holy faith in general. Marking this as an Ecclesiastical full moon.

The Pink Moon will be this Thursday, April 6th at 12:34am EST. The following is a list of names for the Pink Moon. The moon peaks at 12:12 a.m. EST on April 20th. And Sunday the 9th will be the Christian Easter. Remember that the Easter for Christians is always the Sunday after the full moon in April.

That’s how you calculate it.

The Downside

The downside to this is that you could burn yourself out. Especially if you’re one of those over achievers. As Peculiar Brunette says in her own article,

For those who are really sensitive to energy, you might feel overwhelmed. Like things are going too fast. Or perhaps you’re soaking up energy like a sponge and it will be harder to ground. In which case I suggest picking a rock from the ground, cleansing it, and then charming it as an amulet. Place it in your pocket as an anchor.

And ground on the go. Or any kind of metal will do the job as well. Hematite also does the job really well. As well as Smoky Quartz and Tiger’s Eye. Or even just a stick.

After all, it’s a piece of a tree. Besides a rock, what else grounds well?

You may need things to slow down. So you can ask your guides and Gods to slow things for a while. Or to help you catch up. Peculiar Brunette gives us links to other Native American names for the moon here and here.

From Old Farmer’s Almanac we have more alternative names,

And

Now the moon will start being seen the day before. On April 5th (Wednesday). And for many spiritual people, this is where the real power is at. Because the full moon’s power is felt three days before the actual event. And three days afterwards.

So any rituals you do, should be done the day before at sunset. For the ancients, sunset was their version of midnight. The days began and ended with sunset. This is the first full moon of the spring season. So all of the fertility and power of spring will be captured during the full moon rituals.

The folklore according to the almanac says one of two forms of weather can appear. A full Moon in April brings frost. But if the full Moon rises pale, expect rain.

Other information

There’s also a Solar Eclipse on April 20th. But it will only be seen in Australia, Asia, Antarctica, and the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Some links

FULL MOON IN LIBRA | WEDNESDAY 4/5/23 AT 9:34 P.M. PT

April 2023 – Gardening by the Moon, Biodynamic Planting Guide

“The Ultimate Resource To Creatures Of Myths And Legends”: This Page Is Sharing How Mythical Creatures Actually Look, And They’re Both Fascinating And Spine-Chilling

The Pink Moon, London Bridge, and Mummy Jars!

Dream Interpretation and Symbolism

What Planets Will Be Retrograde April 2023?

Ancient Egyptian Zodiac Symbols were Found in a Temple After Archaeologists Cleared Away 2,000 Years’ Worth of Grime

Full Moon: Her magic and correspondences

Full Moon Symbolism & Meaning

Full Pink Moon: Spell & Ritual (April)

A Moon Water Recipe for Every Phase: Boost Your Magic Powers

Moon Water – Part 2

FULL MOON IN LIBRA 2023

Cheers everyone,

– M

Praises be to they who answer Prayers!

“Praises to you O Lords and Ladies, blessings to you who answer prayers! Thank you for lifting me up high when I was low, for putting a smile on your child’s face once more!

If you remember yesterday’s post, I was in the middle of a Greek ritual. And for some reason I started spontaneously praying to the Gods for something other than my usual requests. In fact it was almost like my subconscious was coming out. Usually on Noumenia I ask for cleansing and purification with Apollon Noumenious. Or I ask Selene and Endymion for money since the moon and the Stars are associated with money.

And I work with Zeus Ktesios and Hestia on bringing prosperity to the Household. But I ended up asking for the original cold weather of my early childhood. Of waking up one morning and feeling the brisk chill. And seeing cirrus clouds in all of their feathery splendor. So I just went with it.

And this morning it was a beautiful grey day! When I was a child I loved days like this. When it would rain I used to pretend I was Captain Nemo. And I played with my maternal grandmother. Usually with a Nick Jr. cartoon or puppet show. My favorite was Eureka’s Castle.

The Tuatha de Dannan have recently been making their way back into my life. When I started out doing magic, like many I fell into Wicca. During this time, I was exposed to the many Gods and spirits of the people in the United Kingdom. And the Greek Gods. My Master even says the pantheon there is more like a “UK Pantheon”.

Because the cultures and peoples are so mixed in this area that no one culture can describe it. From the Welsh and the Irish, to the people of the Isle of Man and the West Country. I had worked as an eclectic witch for years. Then I decided that while I am very good at eclectic magic, I wanted to study and officially serve the Gods. In each of their cultures.

I had already initiated into Greek Polytheism/Paganism. But I still hadn’t reconnected to my Celtic roots. And I began to look around for a person to teach me. Properly. For a while that was a bust.

Until one day I found out that in my Greek Temple there was a Druid. And not just any Druid, but an elder in her tradition. I couldn’t believe my luck. Here she was. My Master.

Fast forward to the present. I have been studying them. And lately they have been very vocal. Besides the totem pole that I shared yesterday, I also have been giving them libations. And food.

And for some reason I thought of them when praying to Selene. The Tuatha are Faerie Gods. And many of the Fair Folk work with the moon. Maybe that’s why they entered my working. But I prayed with all my might.

Prayed for that chilly weather that makes me relive the happiest times of my early life. And the next day, they answered,

Some shots from the Balcony

My Balcony Garden

The Sun partially came out near the end but that was okay

Now I’m sure some idiot somewhere is going to come on here and say, this proves nothing. Or it’s coincidence. Let me say this : normally I would agree that it isn’t enough to be evidence. But lately our “spring” in Miami is more like Summer. Even for Florida, we have had historically high temperatures.

Courtesy of Global Warming. Some of the heat we have experienced hasn’t been seen since past centuries.

In fact, whenever the meteorologists claim a cold front will come, we don’t bat an eye anymore. Almost all cold fronts before this one have failed miserably. And they were stronger and had more of a chance of becoming cold weather than this meek little front. But instead we all saw a grey and cool day. With heavy clouds.

A good cool wind, and a gigantic smile on my face.

Selene and Endymion from Animation Journey

Praise be to the Gods, for the Shining Ones have answered prayer

– M

“Please O Shining Ones, bring to us the cold,” Reflections of a Noumenia in Miami

Cue all the disgruntled people in the more Northern states and countries. Coming here to tell me that I’m lucky that I live in a place that has the same temperature as Dante’s inferno. But I will say something of this place, the clouds tend to be beautiful.

Doesn’t he look like a Great White to you?

I was celebrating the second day of the Noumenia here. And as I went through the litany of prayers that I have been doing today, I suddenly looked up. And I began to think. Was it thinking? No, I think I was praying again without being aware of it.

The Tuatha de Dannan often appear as mist

I was partially thinking of another group of Gods I worship, the Tuatha de Dannan. Not only the Gods and Faeries of Ireland, but one of the most ancient pre-human races that lived there once. Maybe it was because of the clouds. Both they and the Theoi and Theaia are called “the Shining Ones”. And in my mind I prayed in my own way,

“Please bring back the cool, the gentle winds with their fresh air. Please bring back the cool weather. Bring back those beautiful clouds I used to get up and see in the mornings in Miami. That fresh cold air when we did have cold here. One of the only good things I remember from my childhood.

Please bring back the morning mists. The damp dew of the early mornings. Bring back those sweet cold mornings with the frost of the old winter, which still rides the new spring air, bring back that which brings light to my life,”

I stopped, realizing I had accidentally said this in the middle of my official prayers. Or maybe it isn’t a mistake. Nothing done during ritual is ever a mistake. That’s what one of the Priests at my Hellenic temple always tells me. Maybe the ritual brought out what was in my heart.

So I went back to saying the words with an open mind.

“Let me relive the wonderful feelings of joy I had in school when I woke up on a cold morning. One of the few joys I had as a child. Let me feel alive again with these wonderful clouds and allow my soul to soar. Grant me what I ask. Please I beg of you.

Please O Shining Ones, bring to us the cold,”

My Totem Pole of the Celtic Gods, not just the Tuatha de Dannan but also other Celtic Gods

For my Druid Master Nicole and my Hellenic Priest Tim, thanks for always being sources of knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration.

– M