The Desert Path

The Dusty Ramblings of a Desert Pagan

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 16, 2020

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 16, 2020

Good Morning Beautiful Souls, grab a cup of your favorite morning brew and start things off with “Today’s Inspirations”. I hope you find something here that will make you feel good or help you on your path today.

Blessings, Cat

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A moon-flooded prairie; a straying
Of leal-hearted lovers; a baying
Of far away watching dogs; a dreaming
Of brown-fisted farmers; a gleaming
Of fireflies eddying nigh, –
And that is July!
-James N. Matthews (1852-1910)

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July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

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Spirit Library: State of Grace (a message from Kate Spreckley)

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The Magic of Mugwort

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ThoughtCo: Hold a Lammas Harvest Ritual

In some Pagan traditions, Lammas is the time of year when the Goddess takes on the aspects of the Harvest Mother. The earth is fruitful and abundant, crops are bountiful, and livestock are fattening up for winter.

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MBG: The Meaning Behind The Om Symbol & Sound, Plus How To Use It Respectfully

For a simple-looking symbol, Om packs a whole lot of meaning. With roots in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, the Om can now be seen and heard in spiritual spaces around the world. But what does it mean, and how can we use it in a way that’s respectful to its roots? Here’s what Om stands for, plus how to integrate it into your spiritual practice.

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Daily Good: Big Picture Competition: Celebrating Earth’s Diversity

Now in its seventh year, BigPicture encourages photographers from around the world to contribute their work to a competition that both celebrates and illustrates the rich diversity of life on Earth, and inspires action to protect and conserve it through the power of imagery. Take a look at the gallery of stunning images from this year’s winners, and learn more about the photographers here. { read more }

Be The Change

Look for a big picture “snapshot” as you walk through your day. Maybe you will take an actual picture, maybe it will be a mental one — either way, look for a frame that lifts you into a larger perspective– and see what extraordinary things you discover even within the “ordinary” setting of the familiar.

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Today’s DIY: Purification Balm || Simple Spell for Self Healing

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Elephant Journal: A 2-Minute Journaling Exercise to show us Where we’re Directing our Energy (& how to Change Course).

There’s an old Cherokee parable that goes like this:
An old man was teaching his grandson about the meaning of life.

He told his grandson that inside each of us there is a fight going on.

This fight is between two wolves

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Treehugger: 11 of the Loudest Animals on Earth

The world’s loudest animals call, roar, snap, and howl when they’re looking for food, mates, or just trying to find their way home. There’s a whale that’s louder than a jet engine, a shrimp that can stun prey with its sound, and a monkey that can be heard a remarkable three miles away.

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EarthSky News: Altair and Aquila the Eagle

In the east after dark on these July evenings, look near the horizon for Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. This is the bottom star of the Summer Triangle; that is, it’s the last of these three bright stars to ascend over the horizon. This star is 16.7 light-years from our sun and is one of the closest stars visible to the unaided eye..

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Patheos-Pagan: Gathering the Godds: Who’s a Part of Your Pandemic Pod?

We’re still in the no-touch pandemic times. Likely for a while to come. And I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. And starved. I crave the brush ups against friends, the long deep hugs, the laying in each other’s arms in the sunshine.

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Pagan Playlist: Magpie – The Unthanks – LYRICS

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Inner Journey:

LIVE NOW

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
— Annie Dillard

We lose the power of the moment because we’re so rarely in it. We’re reliving the past or speculating about the future. We continue to believe that tomorrow’s the day when I’ll be more capable, more wealthy, more fit and more loving. Meanwhile, I’m just putting in time, dreaming of better things but not making any concrete move to realize them.

When you find yourself thinking of the future or the past, bring your awareness into the present moment. Really experience how you feel and what’s happening around you, without judgment. If we can treasure each moment, our lives will be rich, no matter what we have accomplished.

“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever.”
— Horace Mann

“If, before going to bed every night, you will tear a page from the calendar, and remark, ‘there goes another day of my life, never to return,’ you will become time conscious.”
— A. B. Zu Tavern

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe

The perfection of your every “issue” is beyond human comprehension. Don’t be fooled. You’ve made no mistakes. The territory behind you and the challenges at hand were precisely crafted to deliver the wisdom and insights that’ll make possible the most joyful time of your life, so far.

You didn’t come here to face hurdle after hurdle after hurdle. It’s not as if by mastering your issues today, more issues will be added tomorrow. That only happens when you deny them today. Master your issues, today, and be free.

Get through what you must get through, today. Understand what troubles you, today. Do what you can, today. And all the rest will be made easy.

So little can yield so much. A new perspective, an admission, a surrender to truth — however painful — changes everything.

You are so deserving of everything you now want…

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: On-the-Farm Scrambled Eggs

Creamy scrambled eggs with chives and goat cheese create an earthy flavor that will bring you to the farm. A dash of sriracha is your bus ticket home if you need it. Serve with your favorite toast, and since you are there, a slice or two of bacon.

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Magical Correspondences for Thursday

Thursday (masculine)

Magickal Intentions: Luck, Happiness, Health, Legal Matters, Male Fertility, Treasure and Wealth, Honor, Riches, Desires, Leadership, Public Activity, Power and Success

Element: Earth

Incense: Cinnamon, Musk, Nutmeg and Sage

Planet: Jupiter
Star Signs: Sagittarius and Pisces
Angel: Sachiel
Power Colors: Purple, Royal Blue and Indigo
Herbs & Plants: Cinnamon, Beech, Buttercup, Coltsfoot, Oak, Dill, Borage, Patchouli
Sacred Stones: Sugilite, Amethyst, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire
Oil: (Jupiter) Clove, Lemon Balm, Oakmoss, Star Anise

Deities include Juno, Jupiter,Thor, Zeus

Thursday is ruled by Jupiter. Today’s energies influence all matters involving material gain and spell work for general success, accomplishment, honors and awards, legal issues, luck, gambling, and prosperity.

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Daily Wisdom
July 16, 2020

Helping
“We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.”

-Ben Sweetland
We’re all connected. By helping another, we’re helping ourselves! And for that reason, we need to be able to ask for help when we need it, too. By allowing someone to help us, we are actually giving that person the opportunity to learn and grow! It’s good to help out, and it’s good to seek help when we need it, too. We’re all in this together!

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The Tower

Your emotions and instincts are working overtime today and this can distract you from doing the simplest of things. Whatever difficulties you encounter today – and they should be small ones – you will create more problems for yourself by being too psychically overactive. If someone is preoccupied with you and wishing you to have a rough day, you’ll know it but maybe not know who it is.

astrology.com

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About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 15, 2020

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 15, 2020

Blessings, Cat

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When the heat like a mist veil floats,
And poppies flame in the rye,
And the silver note in the streamlet’s throat
Has softened almost to a sigh. It is July.
-Susan Hartley Swett (1860-1907)

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July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

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Spirit Library: State of Grace (a message from Kate Spreckley)

As the energetic matrix of our new reality becomes more energetically active dormant areas within us are awakening. Ancient knowledge, which has been stored within the cells of our body is being released. As a result, we will encounter a range of different experiences that will shift, align and rebalance our entire being.

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Spiritual Unite: LYRAN STARSEEDS – ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

Lyran starseeds are the oldest souls in our whole galaxy. They are fourth dimensional and perfect in their star, but on earth, they are a bit different from what they would have been if they were on their home ground.

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ThoughtCo: Lammas Customs and Traditions

The early harvest and the threshing of grain has been celebrated for thousands of years. Here are just a few of the customs and legends surrounding the Lammas season.

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MBG: 4 Natural Mosquito Bite Relievers: Science-Backed & Derm-Approved

Come summer, most of the skin care conversation zeroes in on SPF, which is absolutely necessary—proper sun care is nonnegotiable any time of year but especially under some scorching rays. But among peeling sunburns and hyperpigmentation, we can’t forget about another seasonal skin care gripe: mosquito bites.

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Plentiful Earth: How to Make Sage Spray

It’s incredibly easy to make a DIY sage spray! With just 5 ingredients, you can spray the bad energy away! Simply add everything to a spray bottle, shake, and spray! If you can’t burn sage smudge sticks to sage cleanse your home, this spray is a great way to create your sacred space!

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Today’s DIY: DIY Intention Candles – For Witches in the Broom Closet

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Elephant Journal: 12 Things Introverts Do Best.

I am an introvert, and it’s okay.
Some things are inherent in us, and we may or may not be able to change those personality traits. Well, we may or may not even want to change those things.

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Treehugger: These Sea Wolves Swim for Miles and Live Off the Watery Wilds

Wolves have forever had a storied place in the minds and hearts of humans; and whether seen as threatening or predatory or magical or mysterious, most people think they know wolves. But then there are the sea wolves.

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EarthSky News: Moon, Venus beautiful before sunrise

Before daybreak these next several mornings – July 16, 17, 18 and 19, 2020 – look eastward to enjoy an eyeful of the waning crescent moon and the dazzling planet Venus. These two brilliant worlds will be hard to miss, as the moon and Venus rank as the 2nd-brightest and 3rd-brightest celestial bodies, respectively, after the sun. Some people might even see Venus after sunrise.

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Patheos-Pagan: What Is Shadow Work And Why Is It Crucial To Spiritual Practice?

Shadow work is a term that is frequently used in various spiritual traditions, including pagan and witch communities.

But what is it really?

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/teaaddictedwitch/2020/07/what-is-shadow-work/

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Pagan Playlist: Fantasy Elven Music – The Voice of the Forest

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Inner Journey:

Willingness to change

“At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it.”
— Thich Nhat Hahn

How are you feeling in this moment? If you are not feeling great, are you willing to make the effort right now to shift your focus so you feel better? Finding something to appreciate will do it.

If you are not willing, that’s okay. Don’t judge yourself. Just be aware that you are choosing to stay where you are.

“Choice of attention… is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences, whatever they may be.”
— W.H. Auden

higherawareness.com
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A Note f rom the Universe
It isn’t easy at first, but one of the greatest gifts you could ever give someone who makes your heart soar is the freedom to learn their own lessons, at their own pace.

Even trickier is discovering that one of the greatest gifts you could ever give someone who gets on your nerves is the freedom to learn their own lessons, at their own pace.

And perhaps most challenging of all is understanding that one of the greatest gifts you could ever give yourself is the realization that your heart soaring and your nerves fraying have never been dependent upon other people and their lessons.

Tallyho,

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

One really delicious and really unhealthy Sunday coffee cake. I have no idea where I got this recipe from but it was about thirty years ago and has been a family favorite since. The bake time is a bit longer if you’re using frozen berries.

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Magical Correspondences for Wednesday

Wednesday (masculine)

Magickal Intentions: Communication, Divination, Writing, Knowledge, Business Transactions, Debt, Fear, Loss, Travel and Money Matters

Element: Air

Incense: Jasmine, Lavender, Sweet Pea
Planets: Mercury and Chiron (though this is a moon of Pluto)
Star Sign: Virgo
Angel: Raphael
Power Colors: Orange, Light Blue, Grey, Yellow and Violet
Herbs & Plants: Fern, Lavender, Hazel, Cherry, Periwinkle
Sacred Stones: Aventurine, Bloodstone, Hematite, Moss Agate and Sodalite
Oil: (Mercury) Benzoin, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Lavender

Deities include Athena, Hermes, Lugh, Mercury, Odin

Wednesday is ruled by Mercury. Wednesday’s vibration adds power to spell work involving inspiration, communication, writers, poets, the written and spoken word, and all matters of study, learning, and teaching. This day also provides a good time to begin efforts involving self-improvement or understanding.

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Daily Wisdom
July 15, 2020

Helping
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.”

-Herman Melville
When we help one person, we’re helping all people – and we’re helping ourselves. Because of our intricate connection with each other – we feel it on some deep primordial level. And it works the other way, too. When one of us is hurt, all of us are hurt. Because of technology and advances in communications, we can understand better how something like a war, way on the other side of the world affects each one of us. We see the war; we feel the emotions. People we love are far away from us, and our hearts are with them, and their families. We can help them with our thoughts and prayers.

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The Emperor

Kindness will take you very far today. It’s not a show of weakness or inferiority to engage in that random act of kindness. Think of it as acting out of generosity of spirit. The bigger your heart today, the more respect and cooperation will come your way. Make sure your kindness is genuine and from a genuine place. Then you’re virtually unassailable

astrology.com

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About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 14, 2020

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 14, 2020

Blessings, Cat

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The luminous grasses, and the merry sun
In the grave sky; the sparkle far and wide,
Laughter of unseen children, cheerful chirp
Of crickets, and low lisp of rippling tide.
-Emma Lazarus (1849-87)

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July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

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Spirit Library: Internal Expansion (a message from Kate Spreckley)

For most of us this year feels like it has been an all consuming cycle of change, clearing, releasing and healing, and it seems like these coming months hold only more of what we are now intimately familiar with. The unfolding of our awakening journey has shifted our energy and expanded our awareness to the point where we are now able to process and integrate vast amounts of cosmic energy.

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A Simple Way to Add Witchcraft to Your Everyday

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ThoughtCo: Lammas Craft Projects

Looking for some fun and inexpensive ways to decorate your home for Lammas? Make an easy grapevine pentacle, apple candleholders, a cornhusk chain and Lammas incense as a way to celebrate the season.

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MBG: Meaning & History Behind 9 Common Yoga Symbols, Plus How To Use Them

If you’re beginning to dip your toes into a yoga practice, you may have noticed a few symbols pop up again and again: the Om symbol, a chakra chart, a lotus flower. So, what do they all represent? Here’s an overview of the meanings and history of some of the most common yoga symbols to help you integrate them into your practice meaningfully and respectfully.

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Simple & Effective Truth Spell || Spell work

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Elephant Journal: 10 Ways to be a Little Bit Kinder to Yourself Every Day.

When the subject of kindness comes up, perhaps our first thoughts are on whether we are kind enough to others—but do we ever reflect on whether we are kind enough to ourselves?

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Treehugger: 8 Unexpected Animals That Sing

Everyone knows that birds and insects sing with abandon, and humans clearly enjoy singing. But what about other animals? A study on musicality explored the role of music in human and non-human animals, and suggests “links to language, music, and animal vocalization.”

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EarthSky News: Deneb and Cygnus the Swan

Tonight’s chart has you looking eastward at the famous Summer Triangle. Today, notice the star Deneb, the northernmost star in the Summer Triangle. Its constellation is Cygnus the Swan. In a dark country sky, you can see that Cygnus is flying along the starlit trail of the summer Milky Way.

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Patheos-Pagan: Easy Alternatives to White Sage for Smoke Cleansing

If you are here reading this article, I am going to assume that you do not need me to explain to you why you should be using alternatives to white sage, unless you are a part of one of the traditions where the practice of smudging originated.

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Pagan Playlist: Gaelic Song – Fear a Bhàta

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Inner Journey:

WHAT IS YOUR BODY SAYING?

“Many people treat their bodies as if they were rented from Hertz — something they are using to get around in but nothing they genuinely care about understanding.”
— Chungliang Al Huang

“As we explore the extraordinary interplay of energies between the many aspects of our personality — our needs, unconscious reactions, repressed emotions, aspirations, and fears — with the functioning of our physical system and its capacity to maintain itself, we soon realize how very wise the body is. With its intricately detailed systems and operations, it portrays infinite intelligence and compassion, constantly giving us the means to understand ourselves further, to confront issues we are not looking at, and to go beyond that which is holding us back.”
— Deb Shapiro

Scan your body with your awareness. Are you experiencing any aches and pains? Any stiffness?

What might your body be trying to tell you about how you are living your life?

“Your body is the ground and metaphor of your life, the expression of your existence. It is your Bible, your encyclopedia, your life story. Everything that happens to you is stored and reflected in your body. In the marriage of flesh and spirit divorce is impossible.”
— Gabrielle Roth

“What is always speaking silently is the body.”
— Norman Brown

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe

Using your physical senses to assess your options is kind of like driving while looking in the rearview mirror. Not so swift, unless you want to go backward.

Mostly the physical senses show what has been, not what will be. For direction, look within.

Er-r-r-r-k!

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: Strawberry Shortbread Bars

Fresh strawberries sit atop a buttery shortbread crust for a tasty springtime (or anytime) dessert! These bars taste great even after being refrigerated–and are maybe even better the next day!

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Magical Correspondences for Tuesday

Tuesday (masculine)

Magickal Intentions: Courage, Physical Strength, Revenge, Military Honors, Surgery and the Breaking of Negative Spells, Matrimony, War, Enemies, Prison, Vitality and Assertiveness

Element: Fire

Incense: Dragon’s Blood, Patchouli
Planet: Mars
Star Signs: Aries and Scorpio
Angel: Samuel
Power Colors: Red and Orange
Herbs & Plants: Red Rose, Cock’s Comb, Pine, Daisy, Thyme and Pepper
Sacred Stones: Carnelian, Bloodstone, Ruby, Garnet and Pink Tourmaline
Oil: (Mars) Basil, Coriander, Ginger

Deities include Ares, Lilith, The Morrigan, Tiwaz, Tyr

Tuesday is ruled by Mars. Today’s energies align with all things masculine such as conflict, physical endurance and strength, lust, hunting, sports, and all types of competition. It can also be used for rituals involving surgical procedures or political ventures.

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Daily Wisdom
July 14, 2020

Helping
“The service we render others is the rent we pay for our room on earth.”

-Wilfred Grenfell
Helping other is not just an obligation; it’s a responsibility. Are we making a difference in the world, or are we just taking up space? There are opportunities for service presented to us every day, and these are also opportunities for our own learning and growth. It can be something simple, or something grand, and when we rise to the occasion we know we’ve done something good, because we feel good.

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The Lovers

Indecision is not necessarily a bad thing, but taken to extremes it can make you pessimistic and defeatist. Take the time you need to make the choices you need but don’t get bogged down and grind to a halt. Take yourself in hand and refuse to feel helpless in the face of a challenging (or tempting) situation. Refuse to be rushed by anyone, too.

astrology.com

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About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 13, 2020

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 13, 2020

Blessings, Cat

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The dawn was apple-green,
The sky was green wine held up in the Sun,
The Moon was a golden petal between.

-D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930)

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July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

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Spirit Library: Seesaw Experience (a message from Kate Spreckley)

This is a time of great intensity where we are completing an important evolutionary cycle. With the ending of this last eclipse season we are being exposed to new and different energies.

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Daily Good: Non-Violent Communication: A Language of Life

In 2002 Thom Bond was a successful environmental engineer, passionate about designing smart buildings that used alternative energy. Then he chanced upon Marshall Rosenberg’s landmark book Non-Violent Communication: A Language of Life. “By the time I read Chapter 1, it hit me that I had found what I was looking for…A set of concepts and ideas to be able to move through conflict.” Thom realized instinctively that he’d found a new technology — one that was human-oriented as opposed to building-oriented that would allow for more effective and harmonious use of energy.{ read more }

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Today’s DIY: DIY Fairy Lantern / fairy glow jars

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Elephant Journal: Writing the Emotional Wave into the Sunset—How Journalling Untangles the Knots.

On this ride of untangling the knots I’ve accumulated along the way, conditioned and then self-perpetuated, I’m learning to work with my emotional swells with a lot more clarity and calm than ever before.

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Treehugger: How to Make Dehydrated Banana Chips

You can make delicious dehydrated banana chips in your oven, in the great outdoors, or with a food dehydrator. Depending on your technique and your patience, these dried fruit treats can be ready in a few hours or a week.

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EarthSky News: Jupiter reaches opposition July 13-14

On the night of July 13-14, 2020, our planet Earth flies between the sun and the outer planet Jupiter. Our faster motion places Jupiter – largest world in our solar system, and an exceedingly bright planet in our sky – opposite the sun about once each year. In other words, Jupiter is now rising in the east as the sun is setting below the western horizon. Astronomers call this event an opposition of Jupiter.

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Patheos-Pagan: The Basics: Candle Magic

Candle magic is one of the most popular methods of working magic. It can be as simple as lighting a white candle and putting your intent into it or going the whole hog and tying in the correct colour of the candle, adding corresponding herbs, anointing with oil, carving runes or sigils, chanting a spell to go with it – or anywhere in between.

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Pagan Playlist: The Earth, The Air, The Fire, The Water, Return

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Inner Journey:

5 STEPS TO SELF-ACTUALIZATION

“Every human action, whether it has become positive or negative, must depend on motivation.”
— Dalai Lama

Monitoring what motivates me has helped me see how I am growing. I do things for different reasons now than I did 10 years ago. As we pay ongoing attention to our motives, we can see how both our conscious and unconscious attitudes are changing.

Here are some ways that our motives can shift with rising consciousness:
• I desire
• I want to collect things
• I want to know
• I want to serve
• I want to be

What are your motives as you participate in life?

“There are three kinds of people and three kinds of richness:
• people who want to have, to collect
• people who want action, work and labor
• people who want to be

“The real richness is in be-ness. People can take all that you have, all that you collected. People can stop your labor, or an accident can stop you. When you are, you never lose what you are.”
— Torkom Saraydarian

“You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!”
— Bob Richards

“A good intention clothes itself with power.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe
Let’s see, last time I checked you were still a forever being with as many second chances and new romances saved up as there are stars in the night sky; whose thoughts fly on wings, whose dreams become things, and for whom all the elements bow.

In case you were wondering.

Moonbeams,

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: Pesto-Stuffed Grilled Portobellos

Pesto-stuffed grilled portobellos make for the perfect summer outdoor meal. It stands alone as vegetarian fare if you serve it with fresh fruit (such as watermelon chunks and blueberries); I love it with cedar-plank grilled salmon as well. You will think you’ve died and gone to heaven.

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Magical Correspondences for Monday

Monday (feminine)

Magickal Intentions: Psychic Sensitivity, Women’s Mysteries, Tides, Waters, Emotional Issues, Agriculture, Animals, Female Fertility, Messages, Theft, Reconciliations, Voyages, Dreams and Merchandise

Element: Water

Incense: African Violet, Honeysuckle, Myrtle, Willow, Wormwood
Planet: Moon
Star Sign: Cancer
Angel: Gabriel
Power Colors: Silver, White and Gray
Herbs& Plants: Night Blooming Flowers, Willow Root, Orris Root, Birch, Motherwort, Vervain, White Rose and White Iris
Sacred Stones: Carnelian, Moonstone, Aquamarine, Pearl, Clear Quartz, Flourite, Geodes
Oil: (Moon) Jasmine, Lemon, Sandalwood

Deities include Artemis, Diana, Luna, Selene, Thoth

Monday is ruled the Moon. Today’s energy best align with spell work that deals with women, home and hearth, the family, the garden, travel, and medicine. It also boosts rituals involving psychic development and prophetic dreaming.

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Daily Wisdom
July 13, 2020
Helping
“What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other?”

-George Eliot
When we look for our dharma, our purpose in life, we recognize it when we can affirmatively answer the following questions: Is this something I love to do? Is this something that helps others? Of course there is a huge range of things that qualify as helpful, and we can’t all be Mother Teresa. But we can each contribute to making the world a better place, and spreading some light, love and laughter in our own unique way.

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The World

You may not expect or even want it, but today you will be properly acknowledged and even honored for a skill, talent, or accomplishment. Your big heart will also be appreciated. Some sort of public reward is possible, if only in the form of praise, which can be transformed into something more tangible later. If not seeking validation or kudos, be on the alert because it’s coming. You’ve earned it!

astrology.com

___________________________
About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 10, 2020

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 10, 2020

Blessings, Cat

_________________________

I question not if thrushes sing,
If roses load the air;
Beyond my heart I need not reach
When all is summer there.

-John Vance Cheney (1848-1922)

_________________________

** Mercury Retrograde from June 18- July 12

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July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

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Spirit Library: The End of a Cycle of Transformation

The old destructive patterns of the world are failing and disintegrating. At the same time new energetic structures, which are in harmony with universal laws and principles, are being established. As we experience the destruction of the old patriarchal structures the imbalance in ourselves and the world is revealed.

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Daily Good: Empathy vs Sympathy

Empathy and sympathy are not just two different approaches to confronting the emotional challenges of others; they are diametrically opposite responses in many important ways. Sympathy places another’s problems at a distance from us, places us in a position of superiority, and “drives separation”, says the film’s narrator, Dr. Bren Brown. Empathy, on the other hand, requires that one internalize the feelings of another. That shared experience drives interpersonal connection, she says. “What makes things better is connection.” { read more }

Be The Change

The next time you find yourself feeling sorry for someone, try to shift your reaction from sympathy to empathy.

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Today’s DIY: How to Make BLACK SALT and Why it Matters

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Elephant Journal: 3 Types of Meditation Everyone can Practice (& One Powerful Benefit we All Crave).

Chances are you’ve heard that meditation is good for you.
Everyone from Oprah to Russell Brand have talked about the benefits of their meditation practice.

Maybe you’re wondering how and why to start.

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Treehugger: Listen to Woodlands Around the World With This Forest Soundmap

In a stretch of forest in Papua New Guinea, the trees ring with a hauntingly beautiful opera sung by birds; a superb fruit dove, a cinnamon-browed honeyeater, a bird of paradise, and a Huon bowerbird among the avian chanteuses.

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EarthSky News: Moon and Mars from midnight until dawn

The bright planets Jupiter and Saturn light the eastern half of the sky in early evening now. An even brighter planet, Venus, shines in the east at dawn. Meanwhile, in July 2020, Mars is the bright planet ascending in the east in the middle of the night. Mars isn’t as bright as Jupiter or Venus.

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Patheos-Pagan: Books Aging Poorly: Scott Cunningham’s “Wicca”

Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner is now over thirty years old, and parts of it have aged poorly. It’s certainly not a bad book by any means, but it’s very much a product of its time (1989)

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Pagan Playlist: Loreena McKennit – Dante’s Prayer(original-HD + lyrics)

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Inner Journey:

FEEL YOUR EMOTIONS

“The key is to not resist or rebel against emotions or to try to get around them by devising all sorts of tricks; but to accept them directly, as they are.”
— Takahisa Kora

Emotions are energy in motion. They bring us information if we are willing to experience them. Unfortunately, many of us are afraid of the energy of emotions and so we automatically resist them. And when we refuse to experience our emotions, we block them up. They become trapped and that entrapment drains our energy and brings continuing discomfort.

Don’t let emotions push you into action or reaction. Just STOP and PAY ATTENTION. Allow them to be and to speak to you. Once they are acknowledged, their energy is released.

“Instead of resisting any emotion, the best way to dispel it is to enter it fully, embrace it and see through your resistance.”
— Deepak Chopra

“We have to become more conscious of our feeling-world. By learning to identify the ‘emotional baggage’ and manage our feeling-world reactions, we can view life based on current information instead of being held captive by our past.”
— Doc Childre

“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.”
— Audre Lorde

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe
For just a moment can you imagine that on the day the earth was created, I’d want to experience her in every imaginable form?

Good.

Now, can you imagine that when it came to creating the animals, I couldn’t just pick one — but would want to soar through her skies, swim in her oceans, and burrow in her fields?

Excellent. I had to be all of her animals, to experience all of their secrets.

So, when it came to having dominion over all things, it must now be just as obvious that I had to be everyone.

The Universe

tut.com

_________________________
Today’s Recipe: Butter Swim Biscuits

These biscuits are literally swimming in butter prior to baking, hence the name. No need to butter them since they are buttery and fluffy. Perfect for breakfast or for dinner. Great use of pantry items during this stay-at-home order during the Coronavirus pandemic.

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Magical Correspondences for Friday

Friday (feminine)

Magickal Intentions: Love, Romance, Marriage, Sexual Matters, Physical Beauty, Friendship and Partnerships, Strangers and Matters of the Heart

Element: Earth

Incense: Strawberry, Sandalwood, Rose, Saffron and Vanilla
Planet: Venus
Star Signs: Libra and Taurus
Angel: Ariel
Power Colors: Green, Pink, Aqua
Herbs & Plants: Pink Rose, Ivy, Birch, Heather, Clematis, Sage, Violet and Water Lilly

Sacred Stones: Rose Quartz, Moonstone, Pink Tourmaline, Peridot, Emerald and Jade
Oil: (Venus) Cardamom, Palmarosa, Rose, Yarrow

Deities include Aphrodite, Eros, Freya, Venus

Friday is ruled by Venus. It’s energies are warm, sensuous, and fulfilling. Efforts that involve any type of pleasure, comfort, and luxury, as well as the arts, music, or aroma (incense and perfume) can be done on this day. As Venus lends its sensuous influences to the energies of this day, use it for any magical work that deals with matters of the heart.

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Daily Wisdom
July 10, 2020

Promises
“A contract is a mutual promise.”

-William Paley (1743-1805)
The world has gotten complicated. What did we ever do before contracts and attorneys and negotiations? There was a time when we simply made a promise, and that was good enough. Deals were sealed on handshakes. A promise implies trust, and integrity. It can be very simple

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The High Priestess

There may be a moment or two when you feel responsible for everything in the world and like it’s your duty to take care of everyone. Relax, let this wash over you, and let it go. It’s not a burden so much as a demonstration of how connected you are to the people and things in your own life, and how much you care. That’s a good thing.

astrology.com

___________________________
About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 9, 2020

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Cat

KODAK Digital Still Camera

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 9, 2020

Blessings, Cat

_________________________

Light and wind are running
over the headed grass
as though the hill had
melted and now flowed.
-Wendell Berry (b. 1934)

_________________________

** Mercury Retrograde from June 18- July 12

_________________________

July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

___________________________

Spirit Library: Disruption (a message from Kate Spreckley)

There is a definite increase in the frequency of the incoming energies and the pace shows no sign of slowing down. Life is mirroring back to us our deepest fears, our most hardened beliefs and the patterns we have developed to cope in the world.

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ThoughtCo: The Different Types of Pagan Deities

Many Pagan deities are associated with various aspects of the human experience – love, death, marriage, fertility, and so forth. Still others are connected to different phases of the agricultural cycle, the moon, and the sun

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Green Earth Witch: When Chicken Spirit Calls I Answer

As I worked in my kitchen, saving chicken meat from leftover bones after dinner, Chicken Spirit decided to give me an interesting experience. Holding a cleaned up piece of wing bone in my hand, I received a strong sense of “keep this.” Surprising but not unwelcome. So, after holding the small bone a moment longer I set it aside.

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Color Pink
Color is a vital part of a visual symbol and the Color Pink has deep significance. It is used in symbols all over the world to represent emotions, politics, religion, gender, science, art and mythology.

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Anilah – Medicine Chant

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Elephant Journal: Hawaiian Values to help us get through a COVID-19 Summer.

With travel, outings, and events being cancelled this summer due to the global pandemic, it can put a dampener on things.
Recent events have also caused a lot of fear, uncertainty, and guilt.

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Treehugger: Don’t Buy Birdseed — Grow It

Have you priced birdseed lately? It’s expensive.

A family could enjoy some nice dinners for what it costs to fill backyard bird feeders.

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EarthSky News: Venus brightest, near Aldebaran, around July 10

On July 10, 2020, the dazzling planet Venus reaches a big milestone in the morning sky, as this world displays its greatest illuminated extent. It’s around this time that Venus beams most brilliantly in our sky. What’s more, Venus is near a bright star now, Aldebaran, the fiery Eye of the Bull in the constellation Taurus. So right now is a great time to look for Venus in the east before sunrise!

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Patheos-Pagan: Tarot Poetry of Venus Retrograde Revelations

The recent period of Venus retrograde helped me find my back from the brink. This poem emerged as a revelation, refocusing, and re-dedication, as I’d gotten quite lost along my spiritual journey these last years.

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Pagan Playlist: Japanese Music – Shakuhachi flute The Art of blowing Zen by Rodrigo Rodriguez

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Inner Journey:

CREATE CONSCIOUSLY

“No man has a chance to enjoy permanent success until he begins to look in a mirror for the real cause of all his mistakes.”
— Napoleon Hill

The law of karma is the law of cause and effect. It works unavoidably when there is no consciousness — when we are not present in the moment. When there is no consciousness, the past creates the future.

The law of Love supersedes the law of karma. It intervenes in the process by focusing in the present. In fact, one could say that Love is being fully present. When anything is initiated in Love in the present, the future of that reality will be purposeful, meaningful, loving and powerful.

“He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and will find the flaw when he may have forgotten its cause.”
— Henry Ward Beecher

“In my beginning is my end.”
— T.S. Eliot

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe

Best I can figure the reason some get down-and-out, lose motivation, and watch too much TV is that they’ve somehow forgotten just how fast things can change, and they’ve yet to discover just how good they can get.

Even you are going to be surprised.

Cool, huh?

The Universe

tut.com

_________________________
Today’s Recipe: Summer Special Shrimp and Fruit Fried Rice

This light and easy recipe is ideal for a weeknight meal, or anytime you have leftover rice. Serve hot with a chilled cucumber and tomato salad.

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Magical Correspondences for Thursday

Thursday (masculine)

Magickal Intentions: Luck, Happiness, Health, Legal Matters, Male Fertility, Treasure and Wealth, Honor, Riches, Desires, Leadership, Public Activity, Power and Success

Element: Earth

Incense: Cinnamon, Musk, Nutmeg and Sage

Deities include Juno, Jupiter,Thor, Zeus

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Daily Wisdom
July 9, 2020
Promises
“An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.”

-Mae West (1893-1980)
This has been said a dozen different ways: “The proof is in the pudding,” “Talk is cheap,” and “Show me the money!” among them. It’s the follow-through that really matters. Otherwise our words are meaningless. We’ve got to “walk the talk” and demonstrate our honesty and integrity

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: Temperance

Patience is your secret weapon to face down all obstacles today. Take your good old time to make sure you understand what needs to be done, for whom, why, and how. This methodical approach may not be your natural or favorite one, and it might annoy someone who has a different opinion of how urgent the issue is. Nonetheless, patience will get you through the day with fewer, if any, mishaps.

astrology.com

___________________________
About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 8, 2020

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 8, 2020

Blessings, Cat

_________________________

Ten o’clock: the broken moon
Hangs not yet a half hour high,
Yellow as a shield of brass,
In the dewy air of June,
Poised between the vaulted sky
And the ocean’s liquid glass.
-Emma Lazarus (1849-87)

________________________

** Mercury Retrograde from June 18- July 12

_________________________

July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

___________________________

Spirit Library: Light & Shadows (a message from Kate Spreckley)

The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse over the weekend has brought a different kind of intensity to the incoming energies of this time. Our capacity to change and adjust to the new circumstances in our world is being tested.

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Mulling over Mullein | Benefits and Uses with Yarrow Willard (Herbal Jedi)

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ThoughtCo: Recipes for the Lammas Sabbat

Lammas, or Lughnasadh, is the time of year when the gardens are in full bloom. From root vegetables to fresh herbs, so much of what you need is right there in your own back yard or at the local farmer’s market. Let’s take advantage of the gifts of the garden, and cook up a feast to celebrate the first harvest at Lammas.

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MBG: The Real Reason We Judge Others Without Knowing It + How To Exit The Cycle

It’s no secret that judgment is deeply embedded in us as human beings. Think about it: We judge ourselves—our thoughts, appearances, and feelings (and then we judge ourselves for having those feelings). We judge others—their decisions, experiences, and backgrounds. We’re constantly analyzing and criticizing every action to make sense of the world.

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Spell for an Upcoming Difficult Conversation || Spellwork

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Today’s DIY: Learn how to make incense

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Elephant Journal: 3 Ways to Practice Real Happiness (& Stop being Miserable A-holes).

Are you happy?
It’s a question that is rarely asked. Maybe because we are all too scared of how we would answer it.

A psychologist and professor at the University of California, Sonja Lyubomirsky, researched happiness extensively and came up with a famous formula. It argued that 50% of our happiness was dependent on genetics.

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Treehugger: Dreamlike Abandoned Settings Being Reclaimed by Nature

There’s a strange and undeniable draw towards abandoned places. Ghost towns, forsaken movie palaces, swank shipwrecks, crumbling castles and the like all lure in adventurers with their promise of poignancy and a special brand of voyeurism.

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EarthSky News: Vega and its constellation Lyra

Tonight, look eastward during the evening hours, and it’s hard to miss the season’s signature star formation, called the Summer Triangle. Its stars – Vega, Deneb and Altair – are the first three to light up the eastern half of sky after sunset, and their bright and sparkling radiance is even visible from light-polluted cities or on a moonlit night.

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Patheos-Pagan: Tarot: History, Practice, Spiritual Art

Not long ago, a meme shared in our 3Paac Facebook group put forth the idea that the Tarot is a “closed practice.” An assumption that in my experience is false. Divination is ancient.

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Pagan Playlist: Peia “Machi” from Four Great Winds

This song speaks of healing power and medicine of Woman, the Moon and the Earth Herself. “Machi” is a word that comes from the Mapuche people of Chile and Argentina. A Machi is a medicine woman and sometimes also refers to a medicine man.

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Inner Journey:

WE PROJECT OUR STRENGTHS

“Any situation that you find yourself in, is an outward reflection of your inner state of beingness.”
— El Morya

We have discussed that OUR WORLD MIRRORS WHO WE ARE BACK TO US. When we get upset by something outside of us, our reaction shows us that we have an inner wound to be healed.

Just as we can be unconscious of our wounds, we can also be unconscious of our strengths. If you are really drawn to the positive qualities in another person, you are being invited to own those same qualities in yourself.

“The people we are in relationship with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors reflecting their beliefs. So relationship is one of the most powerful tools for growth… if we look honestly at our relationships we can see so much about how we have created them.”
— Shakti Gawain

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
— Henry Ward Beecher

higherawareness.com
_____________________________

A Note from the Universe

Do you have any idea how thoroughly, utterly, and completely I want the very things you now want?

Well, let’s just say that after visualizing, and expecting, and acting with faith, then came you.

We’re in this together.

Banzai –

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: Make Ice Cream in 5 Minutes With 1 Ingredient

Did you know that all you need to have sweet, thick, creamy ice cream in five minutes is a blender and a single ingredient? Frozen bananas.

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Magical Correspondences for Wednesday

Wednesday (masculine)

Magickal Intentions: Communication, Divination, Writing, Knowledge, Business Transactions, Debt, Fear, Loss, Travel and Money Matters

Element: Air

Deities include Athena, Hermes, Lugh, Mercury, Odin

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Daily Wisdom
July 8, 2020

Promises
“Don’t ever promise more than you can deliver, but always deliver more than you promise.”

-Lou Holtz, 1993

This is good advice for business, athletics, school, for just about every area of our lives! It’s always good to give our “all” to a project, to do our best, to go that “extra mile” to make it work. When we do that, it shows, and we feel good about our accomplishments.

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The Star

You can make today memorable purely by the strength of your unfailing hope for all things to work out for the best. No matter how muddled the events of the day, how confused or how many mixed messages people give you, especially at work, your innate hopeful spirit will cut through most of the mist and give you good results. Look forward to many satisfying encounters, however little or much gets done.

astrology.com

___________________________
About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 7, 2020

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 7, 2020

Blessings, Cat

_________________________

‘Tis the middle watch of a summer night–
The earth is dark, but the heavens are bright;
Naught is seen in the vault on high
But the moon, and the stars, and the cloudless sky.
-Joseph Rodman Drake (1795-1820)

_________________________

** Mercury Retrograde from June 18- July 12

_________________________

July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

___________________________

Spirit Library: Navigating With Clarity (a message from Kate Spreckley)

All around us life is shifting and changing paving the way for a new way of living and being. As a result, we are being urged to reassess and review our life and the choices we are faced with at this time.

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ThoughtCo: Lugh, Master of Skills

Similar to the Roman god Mercury, Lugh was known as a god of both skill and the distribution of talent. There are countless inscriptions and statues dedicated to Lugh, and Julius Caesar himself commented on this god’s importance to the Celtic people.

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Starlight Witch: The Allure of the Swamp Witch

A few years ago, I started calling myself a swamp witch when a certain mood swept over me. It could only be described as complete and utter disdain for modern society and its expectations.

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Today’s DIY: Make pigment from flower petals!

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Elephant Journal: 3 Steps to help us Lose the Lack Mindset & Manifest Abundance.

Many of us carry unhealed trauma like open wounds.
We feed our trauma, keeping it alive in our current reality, via our emotions. These emotions can create energy blocks that cause us to both lose money in our business, and a sense of success in our everyday lives.

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Treehugger: 11 Wondrous Facts About Praying Mantises

From extreme camouflage to sexual cannibalism, these pious-looking carnivores are as exquisite as they are fearsome.
Named for their prominent front legs that fold together in a supine gesture suggesting an act of devotion, the praying mantis comes off as serene and soulful.

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EarthSky News: Vega and its constellation Lyra

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Patheos-Pagan: Irish-American Witchcraft: Spiritual Titles, Terms, and Identity

Identity is an often tricky thing and something which shifts and changes during our lives, but paradoxically helps us to define who we are within ourselves and our communities. Across paganism there are a multitude of titles and terms we see applied by people and to people and these labels can both clarify and confuse our understanding of each other.

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Pagan Playlist: Fluyendo – with Joshua Wenzl – LIVE by the river in Brasil

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Inner Journey:

You are complete

“Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way to someplace else.”
— Wayne Dyer

Close your eyes and imagine that everything you are is enough. You don’t need to be better or different — you’re great just as you are. Can you experience the peace and contentment that owning that perspective brings?

Moving into such total acceptance does not mean that we stop growing. When we can accept who we are now, we open the doors to our own inspiration to do and be even more!

“Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are.”
— Julia Cameron

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe
Pssst… Hey, gorgeous!

Want to know a secret?

Everything in your life is a symbol.

A reflection. A clue. A reminder.

Of what you understand, and of what you don’t, made manifest.

Look to the beauty for truth. And to what hurts, for its beauty.

Your biggest fan

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: Upgrade Your Holiday Fruit Salad With This Grilled Watermelon & Pineapple

Summer barbecue tables aren’t complete without a fruit salad, and though we’ve no problem with a classic bowl of chopped fresh fruit—you can do better than that.

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Magical Correspondences for Tuesday

Tuesday (masculine)

Magickal Intentions: Courage, Physical Strength, Revenge, Military Honors, Surgery and the Breaking of Negative Spells, Matrimony, War, Enemies, Prison, Vitality and Assertiveness

Element: Fire

Deities include Ares, Lilith, The Morrigan, Tiwaz, Tyr

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Daily Wisdom
July 7, 2020

Promises
“An honest man’s word is as good as his bond.”

-Cervantes (1547-1616)

When we make a promise, it is important that we keep it. When we do, then we are being true to the person we made the promise to, and also true to ourselves. Our words carry weight. And our actions have consequences. It we want to be trusted, we must be trustworthy

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The World

Embrace now as a joyful day. At the start, look in the mirror and see the joy that’s already in your eyes. Work with contentment, spend quality time with friends and family, and share your love of life with every stranger you meet. You don’t have to be overbearing and surprise people with your happiness. What you truly feel will shine on its own. The little things may bring you the most joy.

astrology.com

___________________________
About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 6, 2020

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Cat

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 6, 2020

Blessings, Cat

_________________________

** Mercury Retrograde from June 18- July 12

_________________________

July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

___________________________

Spirit Library: Navigating With Clarity (a message from Kate Spreckley)

____________________________

It is a sultry day; the sun has drunk
The dew that lay upon the morning grass;
There is no rustling in the lofty elm
That canopies my dwelling
-William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)

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ThoughtCo: Setting Up Your Lammas (Lughnasadh) Altar

It’s Lammas, or Lughnasadh, the Sabbat where many Pagans choose to celebrate the beginnings of the harvest. This Sabbat is about the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth—the grain god dies, but will be reborn again in the spring.

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MBG: A Guide To The 4 Most Common Types Of Introverts

When you hear the word introvert, you might think of someone who’s painfully shy and avoids human interaction at all costs. You might even immediately identify with the word because you prefer staying in with a good book rather than going out. But those associations tend to be a rather simplistic view of introversion.

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Daily Good: The Dynamic Mystery of Relationships

“The more open, present and awake we are, the less objective our relationships become. So-called relationship becomes simple relating. The noun transforms into a verb — an apparent thing opens up into an alive process. If I no longer take myself as an object, I also cannot make you into one. Nor can I create what is happening between us into something. We may call it friendship but it is really a dynamic mystery, a lively, unfolding, open-ended process of listening, sharing, and discovery.” John Prendergast shares more in this excerpt from his book, “In Touch: How to Tune in to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself”. { read more }

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Today’s DIY: How I Design my Book of Shadows Pages

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3 Pagans And A Cat: Green Earth Witch: Honoring Earth Mother In Nature-Based Witchcraft

So, it’s always interesting to have a spiritual epiphany. My moment is now, writing out who I am as a Witch and the path that most accurately defines my practice. And while I have devotional relationships with several goddesses, I have come to realize my witchcraft centers around one deity.

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Treehugger: Moon Gardening Is a Heavenly Thing

Upon first hearing the phrase “moon gardening,” images of gardeners in goddess garb sowing seeds by the light of the moon may come to mind. Which would be really fun, come to think of it, but in fact, moon gardening is much more than that.

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EarthSky News: Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris

Tonight, use the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear to find the sky’s northern pole star, Polaris. This is the star around which the whole northern celestial sphere appears to turn throughout the night. That’s because this star is located nearly above Earth’s northern axis. In times past, wanderers on the northern face of Earth used Polaris to stay on course.

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Pagan Playlist: Goddess of Earth, Love and Beauty – She by Peruquois

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Inner Journey:

How aware are you?

“The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.”
— Julie Cameron

How aware are you of:
– your senses?
– your body — its condition, needs and wisdom?
– your fears?
– your defences – how you hide what you’re really feeling?
– your self talk?
– your beliefs and their power to create your reality?
– your passions?
– your purpose?

Go on a treasure hunt to discover your authentic self and the truth of life in and around you!

“Relative to the level of awareness that is possible for us, our ordinary state of consciousness is as far from a direct experience of reality as sleep is from waking consciousness.”
— Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe
Just a word from you, just a word — and I’m there.

No matter where “there” is. No matter what you want. No matter what you need. No matter where you’ve been. No matter where you’re headed. No matter when you ask. No matter how you ask. No matter who’s there with you. No matter who else you’re thinking of. No matter what, no matter what, no matter what.

Please, believe me –

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Sweet and delicious buttermilk pancakes with a butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon swirl filling. These are great any time of the day and less time consuming than making real cinnamon rolls!

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 1, 2020

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Cat

KODAK Digital Still Camera

Cat’s Morning Bits for July 1, 2020

Blessings, Cat

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** Mercury Retrograde from June 18- July 12

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July Events & Holidays

July 1 Canada Day

July 4 Independence Day

July 4 Full “Buck Moon” at 9:44 pm PST / 10:44 pm MST

July 5 Full “Buck Moon” at 12:44 am EST

July 8 Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

July 12 Mercury goes direct

July 20 New Moon at 10:32 am PST/ 11:32 am MST/ 1:32pm EST

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Spirit Library: Our Collective Awakening (a message from Kate Spreckley)

We are living in the most remarkable time as the Earth moves through a planetary shift, generating a period of great purification and transformation. This is a cataclysmic time with dramatic events occurring and revealing that every system and structure that upholds our world must evolve and change.

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Witch Indeed: Pagan Gratitude: Rituals and Ideas

When waking up each day feels like you end up scrolling through endless damage reports, a bit of relief is needed. I found myself feeling increasingly cycling through feeling grouchy, irritated, full of despair and worse.

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ThoughtCo: Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron

The Crone of Wisdom
In Welsh legend, Cerridwen represents the crone, which is the darker aspect of the goddess. She has powers of prophecy, and is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge and inspiration in the Underworld. As typical of Celtic goddesses, she has two children: daughter Crearwy is fair and light, but son Afagddu (also called Morfran) is dark, ugly and malevolent.

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MBG: These 5 Mosquito-Repelling Plants Are Easy To Grow In Any Garden

Love being outside but prone to bug bites? When it comes to choosing plants for your backyard or garden, going for ones that can help ward off mosquitoes isn’t a bad idea. And the good news is there are a handful of low-maintenance species that are effective mosquito repellers. Here are five plants you’ll want to have around this summer, plus how they work to keep the bugs at bay.

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Daily Good: Hard Times Require Furious Dancing

“I am the youngest of eight siblings. Five of us have died. I share losses, health concerns, and other challenges common to the human condition, especially in these times of war, poverty, environmental devastation, and greed that are quite beyond the most creative imagination. Sometimes it all feels a bit too much to bear. Once a person of periodic deep depressions, a sign of mental suffering in my family that affected each sibling differently, I have matured into someone I never dreamed I would become: an unbridled optimist who sees the glass as always full of something. It may be half full of water, precious in itself, but in the other half there’s a rainbow that could exist only in the vacant space.” More from Alice Walker in this short and powerful passage. { read more }

Be The Change

What does learning to dance mean to you? Is there a personal story of a time when you held the line of beauty, form and beat through grief and troubles? What helps you stay aware of your balance so you can maintain it?

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Today’s DIY: How to Make Your Own Smudge Sticks!

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Elephant Journal: The Best Way to Cope with Fear when it feels Unbearable.

My heart was pulsating through my chest, as my frail body felt a nudge with each slight of the wind.
The next time the wind began to blow, my body leaned into it almost willingly.

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EarthSky News: Moon and Antares in early July

These next few evenings – July 1 and 2, 2020 – let the moon introduce you to Antares. It’s a red star and the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Look first for the moon, and the nearby bright star will be Antares.

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Patheos-Pagan: The Significance of Naming as a Magickal Practice

But you said your last assignment was to memorize the names of all of them.’

I did. All the stars in all the galaxies. And that’s a great many.’

But how many?’

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Pagan Playlist: The Circle

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Inner Journey:

WISDOM

“…we need to abandon the idea that wisdom is knowing everything-the whys, the wherefores, the how-tos. Wisdom is often more subtle, both far simpler and exceedingly more complex. For wisdom requires the discerning, the listening to, the acknowledgment of nudges and notions, of senses and sensations, of the minute and what we often mistakenly assume is the mundane. Wisdom means listening to the still, small voice, the whisper that can be easily lost in the whirlwind of busyness, expectations, and conventions of the world….”
— Jean M. Blomquist

“Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find somebody’s hand and squeeze it, while there’s time.”
— Dale Dauten

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

higherawareness.com
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A Note from the Universe

Do you remember way back when, on the day you first earned your wings, how you worried about whether or not you’d be able to use them to lift yourself, and thereby the entire planet, higher?

And so I reminded you that the reason you earned them was because you already had?

You’ve already earned all that your heart desires.

Tallyho,

The Universe

tut.com

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Today’s Recipe: Delicious Cilantro Chicken Salad

This delicious and tasty chicken salad is seasoned with fresh chopped cilantro, lime juice, and poultry seasoning.

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Magical Correspondences for Wednesday

Wednesday (masculine)

Magickal Intentions: Communication, Divination, Writing, Knowledge, Business Transactions, Debt, Fear, Loss, Travel and Money Matters

Element: Air
Incense: Jasmine, Lavender, Sweet Pea
Planets: Mercury and Chiron (though this is a moon of Pluto)
Star Sign: Virgo
Angel: Raphael
Power Colors: Orange, Light Blue, Grey, Yellow and Violet
Herbs & Plants: Fern, Lavender, Hazel, Cherry, Periwinkle
Sacred Stones: Aventurine, Bloodstone, Hematite, Moss Agate and Sodalite
Oil: (Mercury) Benzoin, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Lavender

Deities include Athena, Hermes, Lugh, Mercury, Odin
Wednesday is ruled by Mercury. Wednesday’s vibration adds power to spell work involving inspiration, communication, writers, poets, the written and spoken word, and all matters of study, learning, and teaching. This day also provides a good time to begin efforts involving self-improvement or understanding.

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Daily Wisdom
July 1, 2020

Gardening
“When I used to pick the berries for dinner on the East Quarter hills I did not eat one till I had done, for going a-berrying implies more than eating the berries. They at home got only the pudding: I got the forenoon out of doors and the appetite for the pudding.”

-Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Here’s an example of how the journey can be more important than the destination! Thoreau is known as a naturalist. He had a great affinity for nature, and loved to write about it. Sure, the pudding must have been a nice treat, but I can see where Thoreau felt that the adventures that led up to the pudding made it all the more delicious!

-Lissa Coffey

coffeytalk.com

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Daily Tarot: The Tower

People may be expecting or needing you to be laid-back and easy to deal with but your own inclinations may make you seem more difficult and demanding. You may see yourself as just being direct while others consider you as being tactless. Save yourself a lot of grief and use extra care with your words and actions. If someone gets bent out of shape, try to catch it instantly and stop it as soon as you can.

astrology.com

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About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.

I invite you to check out my websites!

The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/

Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/

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