Lux's Magic Blog

Lux, he/him. I reblog stuff here. For readings, go to www.luxliutarot.home.blog

[lecinemadumal]

[spellgazed]

Planetary Meanings:

☉ Sun: Your sun sign symbolizes your foundation, principle, endurance, vitality, character, triumph, exhibition, and vigor.

☾ Moon: Your moon sign exemplifies temperament, emotions, unconscious, tendencies, reflexes, perception, and compassion.

☿ Mercury: Your Mercury sign signifies intellect, expression, interaction, rationality, expertise, sensory, and education.

♀ Venus: Your Venus sign embodies love, beauty, aspiration, desire, allure, warmth, benevolence, synchronization, and artistic expression.

♂ Mars: Your Mars sign exemplifies sex, yearning, compulsion, thirst, carnality, motivation, fury, indignation, intensity, daring, and valor.

♃ Jupiter: Your Jupiter sign represents development, investments, prosperity, abundance, affluence, opportunity, optimism, righteousness, blessings, and wellbeing.

♄ Saturn: Your Saturn sign signifies Aspiration, profession route, accomplishments, independence, structure, labor ethic, principles, practicality, enterprise, capital, ideals, expansion and advancement.

♅ Uranus: Your Uranus sign signifies sudden alteration, divination, physic visions, conflict, tensions, hostility, swift change, revolution, advancement, uprising, friction.

♆ Neptune: Your Neptune sign epitomizes Idealism, Originality, Imagination, Illusion, Fantasies, occultism, eccentricity, individualism.

♇ Pluto: Your Pluto sign represents transformation, development, progress, carnality, compulsion, extremes, advancement, improvement, rebirth, and renovation.

[arjuna-vallabha]

Kumaraten (Kartikeya -Kumara) from Japan

[divinum-pacis]

A complete introduction to Filianism: the religion of God the Mother - and Daughter.

[journeytothewestresearch]

My “Five Treasures” of Monkey King Spirit-Mediums

I was running errands on Saturday in Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan, when I noticed a religious shop was selling the “Five Treasures” (wubao, 五寶). I’ve previously mentioned that this set of five weapons is used in the self-mortification rituals of Monkey King spirit-mediums (Ch: jitong, 乩童; Hokkien: tangki, 童乩), and the resulting holy blood is believed to ward evil. Well, I’m now the proud owner of my own set of Five Treasures. But these are just to admire; I’m not going to flog myself with them anytime soon. 

In November of 2020, I traveled with a small monkey god temple on a bus trip south. The resident spirit-mediums walked from one ritual fire to the next performing self-mortification with the Five Treasures. I was told that each fire represented one of five protector spirits called the “Five Camps Spirit Generals” (wuying shenjiang, 五營神將), who protect the five cardinal Chinese directions. I just learned that each weapon represents a direction. 

1. East (green dragon) - spiked mace 2. West (white tiger) - sawfish nose sword (I have a metal variant) 3. South (red pheasant) - seven-star crescent moon ax 4. north (black tortoise) - seven-star jian sword 5. Centre (yellow dragon) - spiked ball

[hinducosmos]

Saraswati on a White Lotus Artist: C.N. Venkatarao (1885-1940) Bharathi Magazine భారతి Volume 9 Issue 7 (via Internet Archive)

[vayas-witchcraft-and-spiritual]

Curses For Empathy

- Write the name of the intended victim down. Add it to a pouch with black pepper, chilli powder, and your choice of either a shard or two of glass, or rusty nails. Add a taglock if you like. Keep this pouch in one of your old shoes. “Walk a mile in my shoes” kinda deal here. But if you don’t have an old shoe of yours to spare, you can keep the pouch in the pocket or bundled up with an item of clothing you own but don’t wear. 

- Use an old blindfold, a scrap of cloth shaped like one, or a makeshift paper blindfold. Write the victim’s name on the inside. Then you can either burn the blindfold, pierce the eyes with nails, or rip it into pieces. It sounds violent, but it is meant to be symbolic for them finally seeing the pain other people face.

- Use a small token to symbolise the victim. You can add a taglock on it if you like. Put this figure into a box, along with paper with “Truth” written on it. Make sure the box is dark inside, when lidded. It may be a good idea to do this at night. The spell symbolises this person’s ignorance and how they’ll eventually learn to see the truth, which in turn may make them kinder or more empathetic. You may shake the box from time to time, to make their ignorance more unpleasant. But when done you can take of the lid in the light, or leave the box out, unlidded, in an area where it will see dawn’s sunlight. This symbolises that it may take time, but this person will eventually ‘see the light’.

(This will be added to as more ideas or suggestions come to mind.) 

[arjuna-vallabha]

Tara from Mongolia

[hinducosmos]

Brahma　(via usefulcharts.com)

[deactivated-blog]

Hello everyone! Those who’ve seen my #rootsofcraft 30-day challenge might remember that I promised to make another one. The first challenge was designed for those who consider themselves beginner witches, and was called “Roots of Your Craft.“ 

This second challenge, presented here, is designed for those who personally feel more experienced and want to get introspective about their journey in the Craft. It’s called “Fruits of your Craft!”

You can do this challenge regardless of how long you’ve been practicing, though! The only person who can judge your level of experience is you. If you feel that you’re just starting out, check out my earlier challenge, but if you feel more seasoned, this one is for you. I wanted to create this because I enjoy opportunities for self-reflection. I do plan to complete this challenge myself, and wanted to share it with others.

One important note: You do not have to do this challenge publicly! Some of the questions are the sort you might want to answer privately in your grimoire, journal, or Book of Shadows, so feel free! 

You can always skip any question you don’t want to answer. And don’t feel like you’ve got to begin this exactly on the first of a month - any thirty days is fine. You can also, of course, answer more than one at once, and take as long as you want! This is very much an informal thing!

It would be super-awesome if you tag any public posts in this challenge with #fruitssofcraft so I and other witches can read and learn more about how others practice, getting ideas and spurring further reflection. This challenge has mostly been created from questions I’ve asked myself before, and I hope you find them helpful for learning more about yourself and your magick!

I do want to apologize for not posting this sooner! When I posted the original challenge, I had planned to have this one ready to go a few days later. Here it is, and a month has passed! I just got a bit distracted and was struggling with how to word the questions. My friends, @mysterygunsgrimoire​ and @barrowmansshorts​ were immensely helpful in bringing this to fruition, so to speak! Thanks!

Fruits of Your Craft 30-Day Challenge

What has been your most influential resource in your study of the Craft?

What’s the biggest error or mistake that you feel you’ve made when working magick?

What are your views on cursing, hexing, and binding spells? Has your view changed throughout your journey? Why or why not?

What do you wish you had known as a beginner?

How long have you been practicing witchcraft and why do you think you kept at it?

What was the most intense or effective magical experience of your life?

Have you explored other magical traditions alongside witchcraft? Do these influence your practices?

Do you have a connection to a deity, pantheon, or certain aspect of the universe? How did this connection happen?

Have your views on how magick works changed in any significant way over the years?

Do you feel that practicing witchcraft has influenced your personal approach to ethics?

What are your views about the “big questions” in life, like why we’re here, where we’re going, and where we come from? Have they changed since beginning your magical practice?

Has practicing witchcraft changed your view on how the Universe works? Why or why not?

What is your primary magical focus right now? What are your favorite subjects that you’ve studied in the past?

Is there any aspect of the Craft that you considered but ultimately didn’t pursue? Why or why not?

What has been your experience with the magical community thus far? What was good about it, and what was bad?

What are your views on paranormal phenomena besides  witchcraft? How do you feel about things like ghosts, hauntings, and ESP?

What has been your experience with divination? Do you think it is accurate?

Do you keep a Book of Shadows or grimoire? What form does it take, and why?

Have there been any major turning points in your time within the Craft? What were they like?

If you could change one thing (large or small) about the way magick works, what would it be and why?

Do you have a spiritual or physical familiar? Why or why not?

Have you ever felt “stuck” or “lost” in your practice? If so, how did you overcome that?

Do you feel that your way of interacting with others has changed during your journey? If so, how?

Have you ever been unsure about continuing your practice? If so, what was it like?

Have you had any frightening or upsetting experiences while practicing witchcraft? If so, what were they like?

What kind of witch do you identify as (if anything specific)?

What kind of witch do you hope to be in the future?

What’s your favorite magical practice and why?

Do you feel as if witchcraft has significantly changed you as a person?

What advice do you have for beginner witches?

Enjoy, and I hope this, even in some small way, enriches your Craft!

[hinducosmos]

Nepali Naga Raja Poster for Nag Panchami Traditional Daphne Paper Print (via Instagram: Juno.junu)

[thepunkgreenwitch-deactivated20]

Could you give me some tips to get started?

This is gonna be a long ass post. My apologies. Anyone is more than welcome to add to this list.

Blogs I recommend: X

 Beginner Witchcraft

Old Motherredcap’s Reading List

Advice for beginner witches

Things to consider

Defining “witchcraft”

Magic and witchcraft

Research for Newbie Witches

Websites for Herbal Properties and Useage

Different Types of Witchcraft

Secular Witchcraft

Cultural Appropriation

The G word

Spells and charms for Beginners

Dispelling Spells

Lavender’s Wishing Spell

Burning Bridges Spell

Chocolate Money Spell

Spell to Ease Jealousy

Emotional Cleansing Spell

Rainbow Protection Bottle

Wreaths for Protection and Happiness

Energy Bath

Motivation Chant

Pick me up Cleansing Jar

Protection Jar

Rosemary and Lavender Smokeless Cleansing

List of Cleansing Spells

Meditation

50 Meditation Tips

An Earth Meditation

Benefits of Meditation

Breathe & Relax

Grounding, Centering, & Shielding

Grounding - Grounding Techniques - Ungrounded Symptoms

Grounding & Centering

Centering

Shielding: (1) (2)

Budgeted Witchcraft:

Tips & Tricks for Frugal Witches

Moonstone Beginning’s Frugal Pagan Resource

A Witch in a Pinch (Blog)

Budget Witch (Blog)

Witchcraft on a Budget

Being a Witch on a Budget

Budget Witchcraft (Site)

Accumulating Witch Stuff on a Budget

Ways to Practice Witchcraft with Little or No Money

Chaos Magic:

Chaos Magic in a Nutshell

What is Chaos Magick? 

Chaos Magic- The Misunderstood Path

Chaos Magick (a multitude of articles pertaining to chaos magic)

Introduction to Chaos Magic

Chaos Magic Theory

Chaoism & Chaos Magic: A Personal View

Oven-Ready Chaos; Phil Hine

Liber Null & Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic- Peter J. Carroll

Sigil Crafting:

A Beginner’s Guide to Sigil Craft

Ways to Use Sigils 

Sigils Reboot: How To Get Big Magic From Little Squiggles

An Essay On Sigil Crafting 

Practical Sigil Magic- Frater U. D.

Sigilmaking with Lee 

Sigil Magic: Making a Magical Sigil

Sigils… 

Sigil Daily: Creation & Activation

Magic/Sigil Circles 

Chaos Magic: Basic Sigil Magic

Sigils 

A Brief Overview of Sigil Magick

Sigils and Seals 101 

Sigils

Sigil Crafting Method 

Creating a Sigil

Sigil Masterpost (gif warning!)

Sigils in Theory and Practice

How Do You Make Sigils? 

On the Preparation and Usage of Sigils

Sigil Magic

Sigil 101 

Practical Sigil Magick

The Sigil Bowl 

Sigil Basics

What Are Sigils? 

Making Outdoor Sigils

Online Sigil Generator

Sigilisation

Sigil Magic

Sigil Making Process, by Rook 

Sigil Making Process, by Richtor 

Sigil Charging:

My Super-Physically-Mentally Intense Method of Charging Sigils…

How to Charge Sigils 

Firing Off Sigils

A Personal Method of Charging Sigils 

How to Charge a Sigil Playing Video Games

Charging Your Sigils- A Brief Explanation 

Charging and Firing Sigils 

How to Use Sigils 

The Fae Resources

Books

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries – W.Y. Evans-Wentz

The Secret Commonwealth: Of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies – Robert Kirk

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry – Yeats

Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore – Yeats

The Fairies in Tradition and Literature – Katherine Briggs

An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, & Other Supernatural Creatures – Katherine Briggs

The Vanishing People: Fairy Lore and Legends – Katherine Briggs

The Sidhe: Wisdom from the Celtic Otherworld – John Matthews

Through the Faerie Glass-Kenny Klein

Websites

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries (Sacred Texts)

The Secret Commonwealth: Of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies (Sacred Texts)

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland – Lady Wilde

Puck – That shrewd and knavish sprite called Robin Goodfellow

The Fairy Family: A Series of Ballads & Metrical Tales Illustrating the Fairy Mythology of Europe

The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries

“The Fairy Doctor” – Lady Wilde

Sacred Text: Fairy Mythology Index

Divination

Tarot

All About Tarot

All About Tarot Readings

Many Different Uses For The Tarot

Tarot Deck Outline

Choosing The Tarot Deck That Is Right For You

What To Look For In A Tarot Deck

Choosing A Tarot Deck Just For Reading Others

Connecting With Your Tarot Deck

Top 3 Beginner Tarot Books

When To Cleanse Your Tarot Deck

How To Cleanse Your Tarot Deck

Recharging Your Tarot Cards

Cleansing Your Tarot Reading Space

Purifying Your Tarot Cards

Three Ways To Shuffle Your Tarot Deck

Six Ways To Choose A Tarot Card

How To Clear Your Tarot Deck

How To Store And Care For Your Tarot Cards

Minor Arcana Keyword Chart

Tarot: Quick and Dirty Keyword Sheets

Tarot Cheat Sheets

Tarot Reversal Keyword Sheet

Major Arcana Meanings

Court Card Interpretations

The Major Arcana

Court Cards In Tarot

The Tarot Suits

Tarot Suit Info Cards

Topics You Can Use In Your Own Custom Tarot Spreads

Great Topics To Ask The Tarot With Only 1-3 Cards

Four Decks To Help You Create Your Own Tarot Spreads

How To Design A Tarot Spread For A Client

Classic Tarot Spread Positions

Interview Your New Tarot Deck

Effective Tarot Questions

How To Create Your Own Spreads

Tips When Reading Tarot For Others

New And Old Tarot Traditions

Four Myths About Fortune Telling

Fortune Teller Isn’t A Bad Word

Quirky Tarot Habits

Six Types Of Tarot Readers

4 Easy Steps to Learn Tarot

How To Read Tarot Cards

Why “Free” Tarot Readings Are Not Ever Really Free

How To Interpret Reversed Tarot Cards

What To Do With Jumper Cards

Tarot Exhaustion

Tarot Relaxation And Grounding Exercise

Four Tips On Reading “Negative” Tarot Cards

How To Deal With “Going Blank” During A Tarot Reading

Tips When Reading Tarot At A Special Event

Ideologies That Hold You Back As A Tarot Reader

Six Mistakes To Avoid When Reading Tarot For Yourself

How To Obtain The Clients Energy During a Tarot Reading Without Them Touching Your Cards

Reading Tarot With Confidence

Scrying

How to

Lithomancy

How to

Runes

Interpretations

Glamours

Glamoured Shower Disks

Goddess Glamour Bath

Witch of the Waste’s Glamour Enchanted Jewelry Spell

Blood Magic

Ethics and Safety

PSA to Blood Witches

Blood Magic 101

Starting Blood Magic

When you’re no longer a beginner

Blood Christening

How Not to Use Blood Magic

Sexual Sangomancy and Blood Bonding; Pros, Cons, and Safety

Blood and Bone Magick

Use of Blood in Folklore and Magic

Potions

Quick Guide to Potions and Lotions

Herbal Brews Introduction

Herbal How To: Infusion

Herbal How To: Tinctures and Extracts

Minerals that are NOT Suitable for Adding to Water

Magical Properties of Herbs, Roots, Flowers, Barks, and Resins

Herbs to Avoid During Pregnancy

Poisonous Herbs: Hazards

List of Poisonous Herbs (Magical Uses and Safety Warnings)

Familiars

What are they?

Is this my familiar?

The Familiar Self

Familiars and Gender

The Three Kinds of Familiars

Plants as Familiars

Working with Plants as Familiars

[servantofthefates]

How to Predict Timing with Tarot

When performing the Celtic Cross, there are three positions that can reveal when the event will happen: The Advice, The Ultimate Outcome, and The Underworld. Acknowledge all these possibilities. But your intuition will tell you which is most likely.

THE MAJOR ARCANA

The Fool – Whenever you are ready

The Magician – It has already begun

The High Priestess – You know exactly when

The Empress – During harvest season

The Emperor – It is almost done

The Hierophant – It is finished

The Lovers – As soon as you make the choice

The Chariot – In just a few moments

Strength – The minute you accept it

The Hermit – Only after you meditate on it

The Wheel of Fortune – During your first or next Saturn Return

Justice – When you least expect it

The Hanged Man – When the circumstances change

Death – Whenever it is ready

Temperance – After the storm

The Devil – It is happening right now

The Tower – Soon, unexpectedly and suddenly

The Star – The more you believe, the sooner it will happen

The Moon – It cannot be determined at the moment

The Sun – In the summer or by sunrise

Judgement – Soon and inevitably

The World – In divine timing

THE MINOR ARCANA

THE SUIT OF WANDS

Ace of Wands – One day

Two of Wands – Two days

Three of Wands – Three days

Four of Wands – Four days

Five of Wands – Five days

Six of Wands – Six days

Seven of Wands – Seven days

Eight of Wands – Eight days

Nine of Wands – Nine days

Ten of Wands – Ten days

Page of Wands – As we speak

Knight of Wands – End of November to most of December

Queen of Wands – End of March to most of April

King of Wands – End of July to most of August

THE SUIT OF CUPS

Ace of Cups – One month

Two of Cups – Two months

Three of Cups – Three months

Four of Cups – Four months

Five of Cups – Five months

Six of Cups – Six months

Seven of Cups – Seven months

Eight of Cups – Eight months

Nine of Cups – Nine months

Ten of Cups – Ten months

Page of Cups – Very soon

Knight of Cups – End of February to most of March

Queen of Cups – End of June to most of July

King of Cups – End of October to most of November

THE SUIT OF SWORDS

Ace of Swords – One week

Two of Swords – Two weeks

Three of Swords – Three weeks

Four of Swords – Four weeks

Five of Swords – Five weeks

Six of Swords – Six weeks

Seven of Swords – Seven weeks

Eight of Swords – Eight weeks

Nine of Swords – Nine weeks

Ten of Swords – Ten weeks

Page of Swords – Now, behind the scenes

Knight of Swords – End of May to most of June

Queen of Swords – End of September to most of October

King of Swords – End of January to most of February

THE SUIT OF PENTACLES

Ace of Pentacles – One year or one season (3 months)

Two of Pentacles – Two years or two seasons (6 months)

Three of Pentacles – Three years or three seasons (9 months)

Four of Pentacles – Four years or four seasons (one year)

Five of Pentacles – Five years or five seasons (15 months)

Six of Pentacles – Six years or six seasons (18 months)

Seven of Pentacles – Seven years or seven seasons (21 months)

Eight of Pentacles – Eight years or eight seasons (2 years)

Nine of Pentacles – Nine years or nine seasons (2 years and 3 months)

Ten of Pentacles – Ten years or ten seasons (2 years and 6 months)

Page of Pentacles – It will take quite a while

Knight of Pentacles – End of August to most of September

Queen of Pentacles – End of December to most of January

King of Pentacles – End of April to most of May

To Help You Remember:

Wands are days, because they are fire, and fire moves fast.

Swords are weeks, because while a sword is quick to cut, it first requires some thinking on the warrior’s part.

Cups are months, because they are water, and water flows with the moon, which completes a cycle in roughly a month.

Pentacles are seasons to years, because they are seeds, and some seeds only require a season to grow while others need a year.

The timings for the Major Arcana and the Pages are related to the cards’ meanings. Once you know the meanings, you know the timings.

The Kings, Queens and Knights are the Zodiac signs’ birthdays:

King of Wands – Leo (Fixed Fire)

Queen of Wands – Aries (Cardinal Fire)

Knight of Wands – Sagittarius (Mutable Fire)

King of Cups – Scorpio (Fixed Water)

Queen of Cups – Cancer (Cardinal Water)

Knight of Cups – Pisces (Mutable Water)

King of Swords – Aquarius (Fixed Air)

Queen of Swords – Libra (Cardinal Air)

Knight of Swords – Gemini (Mutable Air)

King of Pentacles – Taurus (Fixed Earth)

Queen of Pentacles – Capricorn (Cardinal Earth)

Knight of Pentacles – Virgo (Mutable Earth)

[monkeymagyks]

i’ve been seeing a lot of shitty divination advice going around on witchblr, especially concerning alternative tarot and cartomancy reading techniques. fuck that. anyways, here is the cartomancy system that i use lmao. it’s based heavily (but not exactly) on the minor arcana of the thoth tarot deck. there are a ton of playing card divination systems that often conflict or rely on really niche esoteric folk symbolism, so i just use this system. it works for me, it can work for you. great for if you dont have any tarot cards on hand, even better for parties. give a reading with the cards they were just playing with! never fails to impress haha. the absence of the major arcana also keeps the mood light without losing any of the details.

this system uses words that are collectively idealized. it’s a system to work with the ego. remember, with truth comes burden and with pleasure comes pain. 

magic = power, force, unseen nature, divine will

compassion = love in all it’s forms (storge, philia, eros, and agape)

understanding = knowledge and application of human machination(s)

opportunity = a moment in space/time for new manifestations

the court cards represent people, objects, events and otherwise tangible focal points of any readings they appear in

i’ll also mark the jokers, one as The Fool and another as The World. if there is a 3rd joker, i toss it. but marking it as The Devil or even as The Lover would be good options imho. 

hope this is helpful to someone out there <3

[3amastrology]

🎠The Planetary Aspects🎠

♡♤♧♡♤♧♡♤♧♡♤♧♡♤♧♡

The Personal/Inner Planets ~

Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars🌟

The personal planets are also the inner planets as their orbit cycle is closest to earth causing the most effect in our behavior & personality.

The Social/Barrier Planets ~

Jupiter and Saturn💫

The social/barrier planets are the middle in between the inner & generations planets. They're outer planets too as they're outside the asteroid belt, however they represent the transition from personal feelings and experience into transcendence and outside knowledge. This is why I also view these two planets as our teachers. Because, they give us challenges and benefits helping us grow from our first phases onto the next.

The Collective/Generational Planets ~

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto✨

The Generational Planets effect an entire generation and take around 7 - 30 years depending on which generational planet and their motion. Uranus is around 7 years, Neptune is around 14 years & Pluto can be from 14 - 30 years. Because their influence is on an entire generation most people will have Pluto in scorpio and sagittarius right now. However their influence is still very important as they can make aspects to our personal/inner planets that impact us heavily.

The Outer Planets ~

Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto🌠

The Outer Planets are the Gas Giants and Pluto because they lie outside the asteroid belt. The social/barrier planets (Jupiter/Saturn) can be considered outer planets however are NOT generational planets.

Types of Aspects ~

Aspects are from 0 - 9° because that's when they can "activate" each other and make an actual aspect. Any degree further and the planets won't be touching or activating each other🪐

When an aspect is referred to as tight it's 0-4° & when an aspect is exact it's 0-1°🎠

Harmonious Aspects : Conjunctions, Trines & Sextiles🥀

Harmonious Aspects are two planets who work well together blending their abilities & energies together for beneficial results. They tend to have similar energies and often enhance each others qualities.

Conjunction : This is the most concentrated harmonious aspect as the two planets are joined together and merging their energies. However, this aspect isn't always pleasant if harsher planets make conjunctions to themselves or other planets, "(Mars,Saturn,Uranus,Pluto)". And, as a result could cause more tension in the house it's placed in. However, you will be aware of the energies these planets form in your chart as it's the strongest harmonious aspect you can have. However, depending on the degree between the planets a trine could have a stronger effect in your chart❤

Trines : These are considered the luckiest aspects as they bring the positive qualities from the two planets involved and we are aware of how to use them. However, because the talents and gifts of this aspect comes so easily it can cause laziness and ignorance to further develop the talents gifted from this aspect. It is characterized by the two planets being in the same element forming a 120° triangular aspect. Think of it as Taurus-Virgo-Capricorn trine each other. Although, it's two planets aspecting withing the degrees 0 - 9° and could be in different elements/signs depending on the planets degrees💖

Sextiles : This is the most gentle aspect. Often we are unaware/unconscious of the planets effects through this aspect into our behavior and talents. The sextile is a very nice aspect as it is characterized by a 60° aspect between similar elements (Fire & Air/Water & Earth). Again this may not always be the case as degrees play an important part and if a planet is at 29° in an earth sign it could sextile a planet at 2° in an Air sign. Because of this aspects influence on us that goes unaware, I have noticed we tend to have certain things we're just good at or talented in that feels like daily life to us without giving it a second thought. Where as a Trine we are gifted with a positive quality yet we're aware of it and use it. A sextiles qualities will naturally flow through and translate into small things within our daily life🔮

Hard Aspects : Oppositions & Squares⛓

Hard Aspects are what drive us to improve ourselves through the challenges imposed on us by the two planets involved. These aspects tend to cause the most amount of tension in our chart and motivate us to develop ourselves and the planetary traits. However a common misconception is that Hard aspects are scary and seen as awful in chart, this is extremely wrong!!! Hard aspects are what push us to achieve our dreams and become better people! We are forced to face these challenges through these aspects🖤

Oppositions : Although this is the most concentrated hard aspect I personally don't believe hard aspects can be prioritized the same as Harmonious aspects due to the intense tension within hard aspects and the degrees. But this aspect is known as the strongest hard aspect because it's characterized by two planets at a 180° opposition from each other where two planets and their energies are heavily clashing against each other. This creates unbalance as the planets energies are working against each other and creating a push & pull effect where you may internally feel at odds not knowing which direction to choose when it comes to expressing the planets energy. This is why balancing and developing these qualities is very important for an opposition💜

Square : The reason why I think personally squares and oppositions can't be compared in terms of being stronger and worse, is because the squares effect is much more immediate & tense creating a very decisive and immediate decision to go one way or another expressing the planets energies. The square is characterized by a 90° angle between two planets which results in problems feeling never ending and blockages when it comes to expressing the energy🌵

Prioritizing The Aspects ~

First of all I don't believe we should necessarily prioritize the aspects in our chart as each can play a significant role. However, there are some aspects that show up stronger than others and you will notice to have a bigger impact in your life🪐

The tightness of the degrees matter so so much!! A square could easily be felt stronger than a conjunction if the square is at a 0° orb and the conjunction is at a 7° orb. Therefore, before I show the list, the degrees definitely have a huge impact! However, I wouldn't say the same applies to minor aspects & asteroids such as Lilith and Quintiles🐅

The tight degrees often enhance the effects of the planets and create more concentrated energy into our lives. Therefore, the strongest degree would be 0° as the alignment between the two planets are exact! The next strongest degrees would be 1 - 4° this is where the planets energy is still tightly aligned aspecting one another, however they aren't isn't exact like 0°. I have noticed 4° to be of significant importance however. This is an observation and not a fact but I personally have found super noticeable/strong aspects usually being 0 or 4° and I believe it's because 4° orb is a tight orb yet in the middle causing tension almost like a 90° angle if that makes sense. I'm still trying to dig into this LOL so I will update yall on that but for know I've listed the universal facts above🍧

Finally the type of aspects!! The strongest aspects are 1. Conjunctions & Oppositions, 2. Squares & Trines, 3. Sextiles. This is ordered due to how directly the planets energies are affecting one another and how concentrated the energies are🧚‍♀️

Movements of the Planets ~

🌟Sun : Moves through each zodiac sign around 30 days each.

🌙Moon : Moves through each zodiac sign around two and a half days each.

🧚‍♀️Mercury : Moves through each zodiac sign around 14 - 30 days each depending on if its direct or retrograde.

💖Venus : Moves through each zodiac sign around 28 days - 2 months each.

🔥Mars : Moves through each zodiac sign around 1 and a half months each.

🎉Jupiter : Moves through each zodiac sign around 1 year each.

🪐Saturn : Moves through each zodiac sign around 2 and a half years each.

🌩Uranus : Moves through each zodiac sign around 7 years each.

🔮Neptune : Moves through each zodiac sign around 14 years each.

🌑Pluto : Moves through each zodiac sign around 14 - 30 years each.

Soft & Harsh Planets ~

Soft planets : Moon, Venus & Jupiter

These planets tend to bring out the soft, nurturing & caring side in us💖

Harsh planets : Mars, Saturn & Pluto

These planets tend to bring out the harsh, challenging & stressful side in us☄

Neutral planets : Sun, Mercury, Uranus & Neptune

These planets can swing between being soft or harsh as they can embody both qualities. Although, I will note Uranus leans more on the Harsh side. And Neptune leans more on the Soft side⚖

Aspects that don't exist ~

Sun opposite/square/trine/sextile Mercury : This is because Mercury can't be more than 28° away from the sun sign. Therefore, the only big aspect it can make is conjuncting the sun.

Sun opposite/square/trine/sextile Venus : The Venus sign is within 48° of the Sun sign therefore the only big aspect it can make is a conjunction.

Mercury opposite/square/trine Venus : Because Venus has to be within 48° of the sun sign & Mercury has to be within 28° the only possible aspects to form with one another are the conjuction and sextile.

🌟Main Masterlist

🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀🎠🥀

[divinum-pacis]

Essential Taoism: Laozi, the Founder of Taoism

Laozi, also known as Lao Tzu, is a Chinese legendary and historical figure who is considered to be the founder of Taoism. The Tao Te Ching, Taoism’s most sacred text, is believed to have been written by Laozi.

Many historians consider Laozi to be a mythical figure rather than a historical one. His existence is widely contested, as even the literal translation of his name (Laozi, meaning Old Master) indicates a deity rather than a man.

Regardless of historical perspectives on his existence, Laozi and the Tao Te Ching helped to shape modern China and had a lasting impact on the country and its cultural practices.

Who Was Laozi?

Laozi, or the “Old Master,” is said to have been born and died sometime during the 6th Century B.C., though some historical accounts place him in China closer to the 4th Century B.C. The most commonly accepted records indicate that Laozi was a contemporary of Confucius, which would place him in China at the end of the pre-Imperial era during the Zhou Dynasty. The most common biographical account of his life is recorded in Sima Qian’s Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian, which is believed to have been written around 100 B.C.

Above image: An artist’s rendering of the Taoist sage Laozi (Lao Tzu).

The mystery surrounding the life of Laozi starts with his conception. Traditional accounts indicate that Laozi’s mother gazed upon a falling star, and as a result, Laozi was conceived. He spent as many as 80 years in his mother’s womb before emerging as a fully grown man with a grey beard, a symbol of wisdom in ancient China. He was born in the village of Chu Jen in the state of Chu.

Laozi became a shi or an archivist and historian for the emperor during the Zhou Dynasty. As a shi, Laozi would have been an authority on astronomy, astrology, and divination as well as a keeper of sacred texts.

Some biographical accounts state the Laozi never married, while others say he married and had a son from whom he was separated when the boy was young. The son, called Zong, became a celebrated soldier who triumphed over enemies and left their bodies unburied to be consumed by animals and the elements. Laozi apparently came across Zong during his travels throughout China and was dismayed by his son’s treatment of bodies and lack of respect for the dead. He revealed himself as Zong’s father and showed him the way of respect and mourning, even in victory.

Toward the end of his life, Laozi saw that the Zhou Dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven, and the dynasty was devolving into chaos. Laozi became dismayed and traveled west toward undiscovered territories. When he reached the gates at Xiangu Pass, the guard of the gates, Yinxi, recognized Laozi. Yinxi would not let Laozi pass without giving him wisdom, so Laozi wrote down what he knew. This writing became the Tao Te Ching, or the central doctrine of Taoism.

Above image: Wikimedia Commons

Tao Te Ching and Taoism

Taoism is the belief that the universe and everything it encompasses follows a harmony, regardless of human influence, and the harmony is made up of goodness, integrity, and simplicity. This flow of harmony is called Tao, or “the way.” In the 81 poetic verses that make up the Tao Te Ching, Laozi outlined the Tao for individual lives as well as leaders and ways of governance.

The Tao Te Ching repeats the importance of benevolence and respect. Passages frequently use symbolism to explain the natural harmony of existence. 

Laozi and Confucius

Though the dates of his birth and death are unknown, Laozi is believed to have been a contemporary of Confucius. By some accounts, the two historic figures were actually the same person.

According to Sima Qian, the two figures either met or were discussed in conjunction with one another several times. Once, Confucius went to Laozi to ask about rites and rituals. He returned home and remained silent for three days before proclaiming to his students that Laozi was a dragon, flying amongst the clouds.

On another occasion, Laozi declared that Confucius was confined and limited by his pride and ambition. According to Laozi, Confucius did not understand that life and death were equal.

Both Confucianism and Taoism became pillars of Chinese culture and religion, although in different ways. Confucianism, with its rites, rituals, ceremonies, and prescribed hierarchies, became the outline or physical construction of Chinese society. By contrast, Taoism emphasized the spirituality, harmony, and duality present in nature and existence, especially as it grew to encompass more religious aspects during the Imperial Era.

Both Confucianism and Taoism maintain influence over Chinese culture as well as many societies across the Asian continent.

Above image: Confucius Presenting the Young Gautama Buddha to Laozi. Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

[Source]

Reninger, Elizabeth. “Laozi, the Founder of Taoism.” Learn Religions, Aug. 28, 2020, learnreligions.com/laozi-the-founder-of-taoism-3182933.

[divinum-pacis]

Essential Taoism: Later Heaven Deities

Immortal Lu Tung-pin

He is probably the most popular immortal in Chinese culture. Regarded as the patriarch of many Taoist sects, he symbolizes the wisdom that cuts through the illusion of the material world. Lu Tung-pin was a historical figure. He lived in  the T’ang dynasty. Legends tell us that when he was on his way to the capital to take the qualifying examinations for service in the government, he met the immortal Chung-li Ch’uan, who gave him a pillow to sleep on. That night, Lu had dreams that showed him the futility of politics, fame, and power. He dreamed that after a brief success in court politics, he was drawn into intrigues that brought him exile and death far from his home. The next day, Lu realized the illusions of fame, fortune, and temporal power, and followed Chung-li Ch’uan into the mountains to learn the arts of immortality.

In icons, Immortal Lu is often shown with a whisk or a sword. The sword cuts through the illusion of impermanence and the whisk sweeps away the dust that covers the reality of the Tao. There are many legends of Immortal Lu returning to the moral realm to heal the sick, deliver people from suffering, and help others attain immortality.

Immortal Lu is especially honored by internal-alchemical sects. Many founders of internal-alchemical sects, such as Wang Ch-ung-yang, Liu Hai-ch’an, and Chen Hsi-yi, were taught by Lu Tung-pin.

Emperor Kuan (Kuan-ti)

He is another historical figure who was elevated to the status of deity. A general of Shu of the Three Kingdoms, Kuan Yu was skilled in the military arts and was uncompromising in his integrity and sense of honor. Killed in the war against Ts’ao-ts’ao the unscrupulous master, Kuan Yu stood for everything that was virtuous, honest, and honorable in the eyes of the Chinese people. Initially a folk hero, he was elevated to the status of deity when he was made the patron of the military arts, and given the name Kuan-ti, or Emperor Kuan. In his role as General of the Celestial Armies, Emperor Kuan accumulated many heroic deeds fighting demons and monsters. His accomplishments were acknowledged by the Great Deities, and in a series of promotions he was given the titles Kuan the Sacred Emperor (Kuan Hsing-ti) and Emperor of the Golden Tower (Chin-chu’ueh Ti-chun). Some sects believe that he eventually became the Jade Emperor. Today, the Emperor Kuan is revered as the patron of the military arts, the keeper of virtue, and the embodiment of all that is upright and honorable.

Source: Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong. 1997. Print. Pgs.156-7.