Pagan Calendar: September 16, 2016

Friday: Day of Love
Think today of love, and perform a ritual for romance. Friday is associated with magic dealing with art, fertility, love, music and pleasure.

Color of the Day: Coral
Love, friendship, reconciliation, beauty.

Deities of the Day: Aphrodite (Greek)/Venus (Roman), Eros (Greek), Freya/Frigg (Norse)
Aphrodite was the goddess of love, sexuality, and beauty among the Greeks. To the Romans, she was known as Venus. There is more to this goddess than meets the eye; are you aware that she was also a mother AND a grandmother? Aphrodite was a mother to several children by many different partners. Her most longstanding lover was Ares, the god of war. She bore three children by him. She also had a child with Dionysus, and one with Hermes. She also had liasons with mortals every now and then, and had a child or two with them also. In some mythologies, she was also the mother of Eros.

By all accounts, Aphrodite was a celebrated goddess. Her cult was popular throughout most of the Greek world. Interestingly enough, Aphrodite was not of Greek origin. Her followers came to Greece from Cyprus, where she was known as Kypris, or the Lady of Cyprus. She was described in her day as being both an awful yet lovely goddess, at whose feet grass sprang up and grew. She is a goddess of the sea and of gardens. The rose, all blue flowers, seashells, dolphins, and pearls are just a few of her many magical correspondences.

Eros is the strong and massive-winged Greek god of love and desire unlike the fabled cherub version of Cupid. Eros instead, is a handsome, sexy, virile man. No one was supposed to be immune, unaffected, or able to defend themselves against his powers of enchantment. He is a compelling and irresistible god.

Eros is married to Psyche and according to myth such is a story similar to that of “Beauty and the Beast” in many ways. There is also connection to some creation myths that Eros is thought to be one of the first deities born into this world, along with Gaia (Mother Earth) and Tartarus (the Underworld). In any case, Eros was popular with artists. He not only inspired desire in the common man but in the gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines too. Eros was believed to be held within the hearts of gods and men alike.

Freya, according to Norse myth, was a deity of fertility, love, and magic. Considered the most beautiful of the Norse goddesses, she is the patron of agriculture and battle, beauty, and sexual love. She is also associated with prophecy, rune lore, witchcraft, and magic. The lynx and domestic cat are sacred to her. She also possessed the shamanistic ability to shapeshift. Legend tells that she could transform herself into a falcon with a magical cloak made of falcon feathers. Additionally she is a goddess of war and death, and the leader of the Valkyries, claiming half of all the slain warriors for her great hall.

Frigg, her other Norse manifestation– is referred to as the “All-Mother”, as her husband, Odin is referred to as the “All-Father.” Frigg is the mother of Hermod and Baldur. She is associated with spinning and the weaving of cloth. Some of her symbols are the distaff and the spindle. She has an entourage of a dozen goddesses, including her sister, Fulla, who serve Frigg as her handmaidens and counselors. While Frigg is associated with childbirth and is a patron of married women, she is also thought of as a strong, wise hearth-and-home type of domestic goddess. It should also be pointed out that Frigg is also a goddess of wisdom– because anyone who runs a home and family will tell you, it takes a lot of effort and wisdom to keep things running happily, capably, and smoothly on the homefront. She is a hearthkeeper and the guardian of the hearth and the kin. She is a mother goddess in the best sense of meaning. She is strong and steady, and she quietly boosts what some Witches refer to as sovereignity– that is, your divine sense of self.

Goddess Focus of the Day: Rosh Hashana (Jewish)/Malkuth

Themes: Forgiveness; Cleansing; Health; Peace; Earth; Balance

Symbols: Yellow-colored items; Quartz; Cereals and grains; the Number 10

About Malkuth: Malkuth is the goddess of the tenth sephira in the Cabalistic Tree of Life. Here she reminds us of the need for positive actions on the physical plane, not simply good thoughts or lofty words, to bring about change. Malkuth also counsels us to always balance our goddess spirituality with real life and to keep peace with the earth, which she personifies.

Source: ‘365 Goddess: A daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess’, by Patricia Telesco
http://amzn.to/264lMad

On this Date: Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year is celebrated.

Source: ‘The Pagan Book of Days: A Guide to the Festivals, Traditions, and Sacred Days of the Year’, by Nigel Pennick
http://amzn.to/18QRB61

Herbals of the Day: Apple, Chamomile, Freesia, Gardenia, Geranium, Lilac, Rose, Thyme

Friday’s Spell: Anoint a pink candle with one of the above-mentioned essential oils. Cast your circle in your usual manner, then return to your altar and light your spell candle and say…

By today’s power of love and sexuality,
May my spells bring joy to my loved ones and me.
Herbs of Venus, lend your romantic powers to this charm,
Bring beauty and pleasure without causing harm.

Tarot Card Associations of the Day: The Empress (for issues regarding childbirth, fertility, pregnancy, love, and sex), the Lovers (an important emotional commitment or choice), Two of Cups (for promoting friendship, love, and marriage).

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