I find myself looking for as many reasons to brew potions as I can, spare time depending. It can be tricky, with an odd nighttime work schedule that leaves me tired, and basic survival stresses. But I ultimately want potions to become part of my regular daily, weekly, seasonal, or moonly habits.
One way I seem to be manifesting this is via a rudimentary type of astrological alchemy (see also, Invictus: Dark Lords Ascending). There's tons to learn about astrology, with all the transits and retrogrades, trines and squares and whatever else. We all know Mercury-in-Retrograde means computer on the fritz, but what about Jupiter or Uranus? It feels like I just figure out what one cosmological do-si-do means, then those planets bypass each other and it's up to me to keep up with their next moves. What I'm hoping is that by looking into astrological sites repeatedly, I can begin to get a feel for this great dance, step by step, and how it affects my life (since surely it does).
March 1st we had a Virgo full moon, with a Sun in Pisces, and some other stuff, which I took at the time to mean a chance to lay down some practical steps in the direction of where my whole being can do its best work (Virgo), aided by some deep and keen visionary opportunities (Pisces). But clearly, my ideas were just bare bones at best.
All the same, I decided to make a potion, aided again by my pendulum, with what limited ingredients I have on hand, so that I could keep accessing the power of the full moon:
Spring Visionary Brew
Intention (programming):
Dreams, groundedness; new beginnings, gratitude, enjoyment of life, practical ways to manifest soul work; visionary, dreams, goals.
Mugwort - 1 tsp.
Catnip - 1.5 tsp.
Star Anise - 2 pods
Damiana - 3 tsp.
Subalpine Fir needles - 1/2 tsp.ish
First snow of new year water, ratio 1:3 of snowmelt to tap water - 1/4 cup : 3/4 cup
Vermouth, as preservative.
Flash boil, add herbs. Turn off heat. Steep 11 minutes, covered. Enchant or empower. Leave herbs in when placing in jar. Fill jar rest of way with vermouth to preserve it. The same mixture of herbs may also be used as incense.
Note: Lots of water-element vision herbs, here! The subalpine fir and snowmelt, obtained from Mt. Hood where I snowboard, can be seen as new beginnings --- both a source of creativity and soul work, and a thawing of the process of growth and change that happens in spring. This potion, I do still have reserves of, so I can give it another try.
Because this post is a backlog (i.e. retrospective), I can look more in depth at what happened, as related to what the planets were doing. Is there any pattern?
What happened during March?
3/2: Downloaded urban sketches and art from abroad, off Internet, while at work.
3/3: Spinning colors, home clean after viewing by realtor
3/4: Continued exploration
3/6: Timberline
3/9: Skibowl, snowmelt; Brenda, who's about to travel; Bark lichen night
3/11: Treated to dinner at Andina
3/12: Continued exploration of magick
3/14: Two Mazama articles written late into night, feeling stressed and obligated
3/17: Justine's fun space party, but I fail to get hair dyed in time for Dark Moon
3/18: Equinox ceremony with ADF Druids, Persephone theme
3/19: Bought plants, seeds, soil at nursery; great new-life vibes that day, positive, hopeful, lots of errands got done; renewed talk of bees and book; sunshine
3/23: Exploring Nagas at work; continued intense inner passions for Severus
3/24: Craft fair, teas, seeing Spider again!!!!, PaganFaire Primavera ritual; happy, but feeling very tired and "off", partly due to night shift work. Late that night: Dionysion, Part 3 -- invoking Pan, idea to travel does begin to feel like strong possibility, bone divination by Terrence.
3/25: Went to town. Spring flowers. Buying supplies, buttons, fabric, for Snape frock for Science March and other uses
3/27: Looking at Workaway sites. Snake energy, exploring planetary moons, Emoto's messages in water (for blog).
3/28: Agua Fresca, exploring recipes
3/29: Pendulum blog, work on icon
3/30: Gem elixir research, post entry (early morning), Tea Leaf reading lesson that evening; asking questions about travel, what do I need to know for next 6 months?
That night: Made a Gem Elixir potion
3/31: Gem elixir, witchy surfing
4/1: Easter. Felt depressed; tired of same-old same-old, clearly wanting to do something new in life; stayed in bed. Will miss my sweet nest of a home.
So:
What I'm getting is this ---
1. Strong internal decisions dealing with knowing I'm going to have to move in a couple months.
2. Growing urge and possibility of overseas travel, perhaps long-term. Doing research. Making plans. Debbie my housemate friend gave me some online resource sites.
3. Looking at lab jobs early in month, but I could always do those later. Not wanting to commit yet.
4. Growing plan to "go nonbinary" and manifest a Severus-type or animus appearance, mentally linked to overseas travel.
5. One strong travel desire: European apothecary tour.
6. THIS IS BIG.
Knowing I'm about to get booted from my nice little nest anyway, which acted like a nourishing cocoon to heal me after the psychological crushing from life at Simpson St., I'm prepared to forsake what I originally moved to Portland for --- to simply "live and work", learn to survive alone in a city, find my direction --- in order to experience the wider world, trust my instincts, and pursue my hobbies and passions (i.e. potistry, writing) in a greater context. This is my next level of self.
Another way to look at things: Because I'm about to turn 37, my latest Year No. 9 --- a numerological completion cycle year --- is ending. A new cycle is beginning, in multiple ways. Plus, nothing is holding me back, including (for maybe the first time) money. The best thing I can do, I think, is roll with this massive energy shift!
Regarding Astrology:
One site I plan to keep up with is Astrobutterfly.com, which gives a breakdown of major monthly astrological events. (There are so many sites, I think my best bet is to find a good reputable one whose energy I vibe with, and stick to it.) Since this is a backlog, I'll have to go back and see what-all happened in March . . . and changes are imminent, for sure!
From Astrobutterfly.com:
"March is a very intense month: we have two Full Moons, a triple conjunction between Venus, Mercury and Chiron, and two planets – Mercury and Jupiter – stationing retrograde.
Imagine a room full of Aries people. There are some other signs out there as well, but Aries definitely outnumbers everyone. Ah -and there is no single Aquarian in the room.
This is what March is going to feel like – we have a lot of fire and cardinal energy, and almost no air and fixed energy. This translates into tons of passion and energy, at the expense of reason and objective, long term thinking.
This means that in March your desire to start new things, to embark in new adventures, to do what it feels right for YOU is stronger than ever. As long as you genuinely tap into your deepest longings and desires, you are going to do well. March is a good time to start solo projects as opposed to teamwork or collaborations.
March starts with a beautiful Full Moon at 11° Virgo. This Full Moon is highly romantic and will bring optimism, inspiration and creative ideas. Allow yourself to go with the flow and indulge in whatever it is that you love. Some opportunities that come to you may seem too good to be true! But consider that maybe – just maybe – this is your lucky day.
March 4th is one of the most important days of the year. By definition, whenever we have conjunctions, things start to precipitate, and events happen. On March 4th we have a record of 5 planets merging energies: Sun is conjunct Neptune at 13° Pisces and Mercury, Venus and Chiron all line up at 27° Pisces.
Something important will happen to you today – look up in which house you have Pisces to see what you can expect. No matter which area of your life comes into focus, March 4th will bring a sense of healing and closure.
Philosophically, the truth is to be found where there is a closure of conscious awareness regarding several elements. Truth ’emerges’ when several conditions fit together coherently and make sense as a whole. We know we have found the truth when there is no more gap in knowledge, when a deeper knowledge emerges by fitting all the elements together in the right order and relationship.
In the same way, some broken, some disparate, dissociated parts of yourself can finally come together and fit like a puzzle. In March 4th you can have a profound a-ha moment about who you are and what is the meaning of your existence. Something will finally make sense to you.
On March 6th Mercury enters Aries. Our mind will become more alert, and our decision-making process will become faster. Just make sure you make those big decisions in the first 22 days of the month, because on March 23rdMercury goes retrograde.
On March 8th Jupiter is the first planet to break the spell of the ‘almost three months with no retrograde planets’ period. Jupiter goes retrograde at 23° Scorpio – look if you have any sensitive point in your chart around this degree because if so, you are going to experience this energy stronger.
Whenever Jupiter changes sign or direction, something ‘big’ happens. Remember when Jupiter entered Scorpio and the Harvey Weinstein scandal erupted in the media? Around March 8th we can expect similar big scale (Jupiter) disclosures (Scoprio).
Look at which area of your natal chart is currently transited by Jupiter – some information related to that topic will come to your attention around March 8th. Now is time to make some adjustments or ‘dig deeper’ into this particular area of your life.
On March 17th Mars enters Capricorn. This is good news and bad news. The good news is that Mars is in exaltation in Capricorn, which means he feels good here. Mars in Capricorn is brave, bold, militaristic, determined and hard working. Even the laziest of us will find it easier than usual to bring projects to completion in the next two months.
The bad news is that Mars is joining Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn – Saturn and Pluto are not by any means easy going planets. Mars will most likely want to ignite what Saturn and Pluto have been concocting since December last year, so you can expect some very intense events and experiences in the area of your life where you have Capricorn.
On March 18th Sun is conjunct Chiron at 28° Pisces. This is your opportunity to connect with your inner shaman. You don’t have to be a healer or therapist to embrace the shaman inside you. The shaman is that part of you which can connect effortlessly with nature on all its fronts.
This is the last time we have this conjunction in Pisces – next year the conjunction will take place in Aries, and the next Sun Chiron conjunction will take place 50 years from now! Today is your final chance to embrace a part of yourself you don’t feel naturally comfortable with. Because this aspect takes place right at the end of the zodiac, it will likely bring a completion of some sort.
On March 19th Mercury is conjunct Venus at 16° Aries. This is a good day for communication or verbal expression of any kind. If you have a presentation or a performance today, you are going to be more at ease than usual with your creative expression. Conjunctions in general bring new opportunities so if you have planets or angles around 16° Aries an interesting opportunity can knock at your door.
On March 20th the Sun enters Aries and a new Solar year begins. The New Solar year, or the Equinox takes place at 0° Aries. This is undoubtedly the most potent degree of the zodiac, because this is where the zodiac starts! Anything is possible right now – at 0° we can start afresh, with no strings attached. If the rest of your natal chart further supports it, now is the best time to start something new.
On March 23rd Venus at 21° Aries is square Pluto at 21° Capricorn. This transit is going to be intense! Venus and Pluto are known to bring obsession, jealousy but also tons of passion. The key to navigating Pluto transits is not to try to ‘control’ the events in the external world. If you can do that, you will most likely be able to enjoy the passion and the dramatism of this transit, if not, Venus square Pluto can bring you pain and frustration.
In the same day, Mercury goes retrograde at 16° Aries. As always, avoid stating big projects today, unless you want them to change their course later. If you are bored and you consider breaking up the routine, going on an adventure trip when Mercury goes retrograde can be a great idea! But if this is not what you are necessarily looking for, best to postpone important projects for a few more days at least, or even better, until Mercury goes direct in mid-April.
On March 28th Venus is conjunct Uranus at 27° Aries. Venus and Uranus will aspect each other more than ever this year, especially in October / November when retrograde Venus will spend an unusual amount of time in an opposition to Uranus. If you have planets or angles in the last degrees of Libra or Aries you can expect a lot of surprises this year in the area of relationships.
March ends on the same spectacular note it had begun, with a 2nd Full Moon. The Full Moon on March 31st is at 10° Libra. This Full Moon is much more challenging than the Full Moon we had on March 1st, because it is engaged in a T-square with Mars and Saturn in Capricorn.
Mars and Capricorn are known as the ‘malefics’ in traditional astrology, and it doesn’t help that the two ‘bad guys of the zodiac’ join forces at this powerful time of manifestation. What it does help is that Mars and Saturn are in Capricorn, and both planets feel good in this sign (Saturn is in domicile in Capricorn and Mars is in exaltation).
This means that right now they will most likely show their positive qualities. Mars and Saturn are very determined and efficient in Capricorn so you can expect to get a lot done at the time of the Full Moon (not without effort and obstacles, though). Venus, the ruler of the Full Moon enters its domicile, Taurus, just before the Full Moon so this is another positive aspect that will mitigate the effects of this dramatic Full Moon.
If you have planets or angles around 10° in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) or around 0° Taurus, you can expect important changes in your life. To see what area of your life will come into focus look in which house you have Libra and Taurus. If you have Aries ascendant for example, the areas of focus will be your relationships (Libra in the 7th house) and your finances (Taurus in your 2nd house)."
From Refinery29.com:
"Spring is around the corner, and with it, a call to get outside your comfort zone. We wake out of dreamy February into a busy month of new directions.
This March is bookended by two powerful full moons, on the 1st and 31st. Both full moons are getting amped up by selfish Mars, making for a flood of anger and some impulsive decision-making. The Virgo full moon on the 1st is a cranky one, drawing attention to the places in our relationships that are not working. The influence of confusing Neptune will incite dumb fights about whose fault it is that the there’s dishwasher scum on the drinking glasses and at least a day of moping with your head under the pillow because nothing feels right — or something along those lines.
On the 8th, big, friendly Jupiter, the planet of luck and learning, stations retrograde (he’ll stay in apparent backward motion through early July). During Jupiter’s long, annual retrograde, we turn inward to learn the difference between what we’re pursuing and what we really want. Jupiter retrograde in passionate Scorpio wants to free you up from the traps of boring safety; this period often takes away a precious achievement that’s actually holding you back. But, because Jupiter wants us to be happy, he’ll always provide an improved replacement. For example, the girl who’s been planning a tour with her constantly bickering bandmates will get a call that their management has dropped them — then a few weeks later she'll get an offer for a huge solo show.
This Jupiter retrograde is complicated by Mercury turning retrograde in Aries on the 22nd. Mercury retro’s effects show up as early as the 8th and will last through the end of April. Contrary to what the internet would have you believe, Mercury retrograde is, at worst, an inconvenience, causing us to make mistakes and overlook our errors. Expect mistakes, delays, and miscommunications in contracts, emails, your internet connect, conversations, meetings, traffic, drawing, maps, subway schedules, and airplane connections. All the same, it would be demented to avoid every Mercury activity (you would literally have to stay in your room with your eyes shut, hands tied behind your back, and not talk to anyone until May).
Mercury traveling retrograde in Aries means most oversights will happen as a result of rushing and forgetting to check in with others. Your best bet is to slow down and keep a book in your purse for when you inevitably have to wait an extra hour at the doctor’s office. In other words, prepare for surprise pockets of free time. The combined effect of Mercury and Jupiter Rx is to open interesting opportunities where we least expected them. A total babe will be peeking over your shoulder at your copy of Fire and Fury while awaiting a delayed flight or you’ll start an awesome fashion vlog while stuck in traffic in the back of your friend’s car.
Once the sun enters single-minded Aries on the 20th, it pays to pare down your schedule to only the activities that are most important. Shrug off the small losses and ask yourself what you’d do if you trusted your dreams. When beauty-making Venus connects with radical Uranus on the 28th, make the risk real by changing your look, leaving a stale romance, or finding a uniquely you way to make money.
On the 31st, the full moon in rational Libra gets a shove from decisive Mars in Capricorn, which asks what skills you have that you’re not using. Full moons are messy, but makes them a great time to experiment, since there’s zero pressure to get it right. Be like an Aries: Get out there and try something new."
"Change will be happening thick and fast and, due to the moon being in opposition to Neptune, much of the change will be surrounding deception within our intimate relationships. This will be mostly due to our intuition being out of sync, when usually a full moon heightens our intuition and psychic senses. This means that during this full moon we may feel paranoid and believe our fearful and suspicious thoughts to be true, with jealousy, insecurity, and controlling behaviours rising to the surface.
This may all sound like we’re in for a terrible, tumultuous full moon, but, as with everything moon-phase related, it is all for our higher good, and necessary to clear out our shadow emotions and beliefs so that we can work through our unhealed emotional wounds and wipe out karmic energies that have been holding us back and causing us to feel triggered. The turbulent energy won’t last for long; however, the lasting effects of what happens throughout this phase may cause our perspectives to permanently shift, as we awaken and open our eyes to the actual state of our love lives."
"Virgo Full Moon Ritual March 2018
The March 1st-2nd Full Moon falls at 11 degrees Virgo and is going to bring a grounding energy that will help us to know where we need to focus our attention.
Since the start of the year we have been experiencing a lot of transformative energy with the potent Eclipses, and now that the energy is starting to simmer, we are perhaps starting to feel a little more directed.
If you have felt uncertain about where to focus your energy, or you have been unsure on how to proceed, this Virgo Full Moon is going to light your way, and will be a guiding hand to point you in the right direction.
This ritual is designed to help you tune in and welcome this energy into your life. This ritual will help to gently open you up so you can feel guided and confident about the path ahead. This is a great ritual to do to help you get on the right track with your life.
Virgo Full Moon Ritual for Getting on Track
This ritual is best done between March 1st- 9th, 2018.
You will need:
Your favourite smudging tool
Candle (purple, blue or white is preferable but you can use whatever you have)
3 of your favourite crystals (see below)
Pen and 3 pieces of paper
Directions:
1.) To choose your crystals, close your eyes and ask yourself what crystal would be most beneficial to you right now. Open your eyes and pick the three crystal that you gravitate towards.
2.) Start by smudging your aura and surroundings using sage or whatever smudging tool you prefer. For more instructions on how to do this, read this. As you cleanse your aura, recite the following mantra or write your own-
“I cleanse and release all old and heavy weight from the past. I cleanse and release all that is weighing me down and stopping me from moving forward. I release all self-doubt and worries, and I replace them with love, confidence, and motivation to move forward. All the heaviness has melted away, I am now reset, I am now on track with my life, I am now being guided towards my highest path.”
3.) Light your candle and place it on a table or altar. Put your crystals around your candle in a triangle shape. (If you don’t have crystals you can substitute using natural rocks from the garden or flowers/leaves)
4.) Lay down, sit cross-legged, or sit on chair with you feet on the ground. Close your eyes and take 11 deep breaths in and out. As you breathe, imagine filling your body with a beautiful white light on every inhale, and exhaling out any heaviness as a black smoke.
5.) Pick up one of your crystals and hold it for a moment. Holding the crystal, close your eyes and ask yourself- “I feel most on track in my life when…” notice any thoughts or feelings that arise, or notice the first words that your hear/feel/think. Repeat this for all three crystals.
6.) Once you have the three responses, write each of them down on a separate piece of paper. Fold the paper and place it under each crystal. Arrange your crystals and the papers back into the triangle configuration around the candle.
7.) Now take another 11 deep breaths to calm and settle yourself. Close your eyes, and placing your hand over your heart, make a promise to yourself that you are going to do the best you can to listen to the wisdom you received today so you can feel more on track with your life.
Here is a mantra to help but you can definitely write your own or run with it in the moment. (It is best if this is said out loud)-
“I am going to do my best to bring (insert here) into my life so I can feel on track. I know I am supported and guided on this mission, and I know that I am always on track as long as I am listening to and loving myself. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
8.) Leave the candle burning for as long as you are around to attend to it. When you are ready, snuff out the candle but leave the crystals and papers out overnight. In the morning you can keep the papers in a safe space or burn/discard them if you wish.
9.) For the next 3 nights sleep next to and meditate with your crystals in order to keep receiving their guiding/Full Moon energy.
Happy Full Moon!
Tanaaz"
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