Z is for Zodiac

Holy fuckballs! We've actually made it to "Z". AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING! Yaaaaaaaay.


Anyway, I'd like to finish out the month with a look at the Zodiac that we use here in the United States, as well as in other parts of the world. 


Many folks know what sign they are but they don't know how the Zodiac calendar is organized. As such, a lot of people can't figure out what sign a person is by their birthdate. That's actually pretty simple. 


Western astrology is based on the idea that the astrological year begins in the spring and ends on the last day of winter. Because it's seasonal, we don't have to worry that someday we'll need to add a sign--like Vedic astrologers did a while back when they came up with the 13th sign, Opichucus. 12 is what we have and we only need twelve of them, because while they were inspired by the stars, their progression is based on our seasons. 


Each sign has a QUALITY and an ELEMENT, a unique combination! In other words, if you can remember the element and quality it will help you remember the sign and where it is located in the astrological year.


An element is a description of the characteristics of the energy put out by a particular sign. In astrology we have four elements: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. The signs are divided up equally among the elements, so we have three signs of each element. 

• Fire—Rules the spiritual body; motivation, passion, courage, excitement, stress, anger, rage, and restlessness are all part of this element

•  Earth—Rules the physical body; anything tangible is part of this element, including money/resources, job/work, practicality, reliability, work ethic, stubbornness, long-term views, and anything sensual are all a part of this element.

•  Air—Rules the mental body; anything relating to our thoughts and ideas or the functioning of our brains is a part of this element.

• Water—Rules the emotional body; anything related to feelings and emotions, how we express them and their overall effect on our lives is a part of this element. 

A quality is a description of the feel of the energy put out by a particular sign. The signs are divided into an equal number of qualities, so there are four signs of each quality. 

• Cardinal—signs that most clearly express the qualities of the sign; these are natural leadership signs and ideas people. A cardinal sign begins each season.

• Fixed—signs that are least likely to change over time; these signs are naturally inclined to take the ideas of others and develop them into something incredible. A fixed sign is in the middle of each season.

• Mutable—signs that are incredibly flexible; they can lead or follow and are much more adaptable—and less predictable—than other qualities.  But they also have short attention spans.  Each season ends with a mutable sign.

Starting with the first day of spring, the elements are always in this order: Fire, Earth, Air, Water

Starting with the first day of spring, the qualities are always in this order: Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable

Approximate dates of the astrological signs

Aries—March 20-April 19 (Beginning of spring)

Taurus—April 19th-May 20

Gemini—May 20-June 21

Cancer— June 21-July 22 (Beginning of summer)

Leo—July 22-August 23

Virgo—August 23-September 22

Libra—September 22-October 23 (Beginning of fall)

Scorpio—October 23-November 22

Sagittarius—November 22-December 21

Capricorn—December 21-January 19 (beginning of winter)

Aquarius—January 19-February 18

Pisces—February 18-March 20

Thanks again for sticking with me! See you next time. 

A TO Z BLOGGING CHALLENGE COMPLETED. :D

Y is for Yankee, Y'all

I'm a Yankee. No question about that one, folks. I'm a born-and-raised New England Yankee. I moved to what is officially the south over eight years ago. Even here in Northern Virginia, I hear people saying "Y'all". And I can't say "Y'all".

I've tried to get into it, but I just can't do it. It's not that it sounds dumb at all--where I come from it's "YA PAHK YA CAH OVAH THEYAH" so I have no leg to stand on--but I can't wrap my head around it. I feel like I'm doing something I shouldn't.

I've encountered this type of thing before. When I moved out of Massachusetts for the first time, I noticed some curious things about my home state. People were wary of folks with Massachusetts license plates. They call us "Massholes". And they think we talk funny. In Pennsylvania as a college freshman, I took a lot of flack for my accent. What they didn't know was that many of the folks back home had much thicker Mass accents than I did; I was trying to shed mine anyway to speak French more effectively.

And then they talked funny, too. They said things like, "Hey, John, we're going to the mall. You wanna come with?" I would stand there, waiting for the indirect object. With WHOM? With us? With me? With the football team? I guess it was implied. Just like "Is the cereal all?" That's another Pennsylvania question I heard. All WHAT? Turns out that it means "all GONE". I still can't use either of those phrases without feeling silly or doing it for comic effect.

[NOTE: It's bad enough that my brother deliberately mispronounced many Pennsylvania cities for that same reason. I just can't go back to the Philadelphia area and not laugh when I see the signs for "Conshohocken", which he used to pronounce "Cockanockin". A local shortening of the word, "Cunchy" sounds too dirty to say...I mean, it begins with C-U-N! But I digress.]

When I lived in New York City for a few years, I kind of had the same thing happen when it came to the accent. But New Yorkers are used to foreigners, and many of them are transplants themselves, so it wasn't a huge issue. My taste in sports teams was an entirely different kind of flying, altogether.

So let's return, y'all. Apparently there are usage rules with y'all that I was not aware of. "Y'all" sounds like it's supposed to be used on more than one person, but it's really not. It seems like it's directed at one person, or maybe perhaps at the maximum two people. It wasn't until a few months after I arrived that I found out that "all y'all" is the plural form of "y'all", used when speaking to a group of two people or more.

Nearly eight years have passed since my arrival in the South and I think overall I've assimilated pretty well. I know what sweet tea is. My tastes in barbecue have come a long way. Hell, I've even been to both Carolinas at one time or another. But I don't see "y'all" entering my vocabulary.

Anyway, hope y'all--unless more than one person is reading this screen and then it's "all y'all"--will tune in on Monday for my final post of the month with the letter "Z". Thanks for sticking it out with me.

Perhaps I should make sure all my Southern readers feel more comfortable and translate the paragraph above:

"Y'all come back now, y'hear?" ;)

X is for X-Rated Tarot Decks

Tarot decks are an amazing art form and come in all different themes. Finding one that works for you may be hard simply because of the vast number of decks out there. I've got over 130 decks myself. But you may not know that there are some decks that definitely are for adults only. 

Nudity in tarot is a topic that tarot readers discuss, and every reader is different. Some love it, others hate it, and most are in between. But I want to make the distinction here between nudity in the cards and erotic tarot decks. Many cards have some nudity, but the X-rated decks are the ones that not only show nudity but various forms of sexual acts on them.

Admittedly, it can be difficult to pay attention to what the divinatory meaning of a particular spread is if the cards are distracting. Some of them are, so for the most part I would use these as "special occasion decks". I get requests for them occasionally, and make sure that no minors are present while I use them, but they're not part of my typical deck repertoire.

Here are few you can check out:

The Decameron Tarot: By far the most erotic tarot deck I own, there are representations of the male and female sex organs on every card just by the suit markers. But many of the pictures are men and women involved in various sex acts, and full frontal nudity is on pretty much every card. I once brought this deck to the store where I read one evening, and two hours later I was asking people where it was...it had been borrowed and handed around. I'm guessing people didn't want to give it back. :)

Manara Erotic Tarot: This deck has many cards with nudity, but not as many with actual sex occurring on the cards. This one is a little more tame than the Decameron, but here, there are many more cards with people in sexy clothes and some that are totally free of both sex and nudity. 

Tarot of Sexual Magic: Lies somewhere between Decameron and Manara for me. Lots of sex happening on cards, lots of nudity, but it's not as explicit as the Decameron and hotter than Manara. Sometimes the sex is occurring in the background on this deck so it's not as much "in your face". 

If you read the tarot, what's your opinion on erotic tarot decks or nudity in the tarot? 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Tune in tomorrow for my "Y" post. 

W is for Wicca and Witchcraft

I'm a proud, out-of-the-broom-closet Witch. I'm also the Head High Priest of the Tradition of the Witches Circle, a school of Witchcraft in Occoquan, VA, and a Minister in the Ministry of Light Interfaith Church. Blessings and welcome!


Many years of searching led me to this path, and while I'm very proud of being a Witch, I understand that many people don't really know what to do with us. Some think we're merely strange because we're not a "mainstream" religion, and others may fear us because they don't know what we're all about. There are also people who just hate us, which is something that I just don't understand.


First of all, let's start with some terms. Wicca and Witchcraft are used interchangeably by many, but there's a shade of difference between the two of them. For me, Wicca is the "religious" part of the spiritual activity. These are the rituals, the holidays, and the belief system. Generally speaking, Wicca is a faith that has both a God and a Goddess, and our ways are based on patterns in nature--the cycles of the sun and moon and the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. Balancing these elements in our lives is an important part of what we practice.


What one does inside of the ritual is considered Witchcraft. In other words, if I bring my will to bear on a situation by asking for divine assistance, that's Witchcraft. It's no different than prayer or meditation--we call them spells or rituals, but the action of doing them is the same as in other spiritual paths. This isn't something we do lightly. Ideally, we do as much in the mundane (non-spiritual) world as we can before we start whipping magick around. And make no mistake: If we do something that deliberately harms another, Karma will kick our asses. So the idea that we walk around cursing people all day long is ridiculous.


One phenomenon that I have experienced is that Wicca seems to attract many people who are disillusioned with patriarchal-based religions like Christianity. Consequently, many who discover the Goddess embrace her wholly and leave the God behind. In some sects of Wicca, the God isn't worshiped at all, and Wicca can become very "fluffy bunny", imagining the world only filled with good.


While a positive attitude is an asset to a balanced life, our tradition is about equality of both the masculine and feminine Divine. We are a rare group because we have both a Head High Priest and a Head High Priestess, so in a very tangible way we honor this duality. We also work to improve the darker parts of ourselves so that they don't prevent us from becoming the people we really want to be. In short, we want to create empowered Witches who embrace both the masculine and feminine in their lives.


I think the thing I love most about the Craft is its flexibility. I can use basically anything I want as part of my spiritual practice, and while I happen to be clergy, every Wiccan or Witch can decide what to do spiritually for themselves; we don't need an intermediary for our connection to the Divine.


I'll leave you with this final thought: Wicca is the only religion that I know that doesn't say "We are the only way" or "We are the right way". We say, "If you want to join us, welcome. If this path is not for you, may you find what you seek." That's a message of tolerance that I think a lot of people, regardless of their spirituality, can get behind.


If you want to learn more, check out our school's website at www.themagickshop.com. Classes are open to all.


Thanks for tuning in! Stop by tomorrow for my "X" post.

V is for Virgo

I have a special place in my heart for this 6th sign of the Zodiac. I've been married to a Virgo for nearly 17 years, and I'm truly fascinated by what I've learned about the sign from her.

Your typical Virgo is likely quiet, unassuming, and maybe even a little shy. Virgo folks don't usually push themselves forward, so they can be overlooked. But don't underestimate them, for behind that exterior lies the power of the planet Mercury, and they use that power to help others make things better.

Gemini is also a Mercury-ruled sign, but there's a huge difference in the way the Mercury energy manifests itself. The simple explanation is that while Gemini sends that energy outward by communicating and connecting the dots, Virgo turns that energy inward to analyze and synthesize the data to draw practical conclusions; Virgo is an earth sign, after all, and being practical is like breathing for most Virgins.

I'm not a big fan of the Virgin as the symbol of Virgo, but it does tell you a lot about the sign. Virgos are very discriminating--some might call it picky--about pretty much everything. Virgos also are about health and purity; many of them work in the health or biological sciences, or in the healing professions with humans or other living creatures. And let me debunk one myth: Virgos are not cold and "virginal" at all. They're very warm, but they are choosy about who they allow into their lives.

Then there's "the Virgo way". Generally speaking, Virgos believe there is a right way to do everything. And yes, I mean everything. The "right way"is a way that normally can only be achieved by other Virgos. I've actually seen this happen--a Virgo will explain the way they do something to another, who will smile and say, "Yes, exactly!" while the rest of us are like, "We REALLY have to do it this way? Our way was faster."

As the "Troubleshooters of the Zodiac", Virgos are excellent at poking holes in your well-laid--or not so well-laid--plans, and are fantastic at organizing ANYTHING. The way to get your Virgo person to do this is pretty simple. Stand there, looking frazzled, in the middle of your situation--like your disorganized bookshelves, for example--and say something like "I just don't know how I'm going to do this!" Usually the Virgo desire to help, and to rectify the situation so they don't have to look at it anymore, takes over and you can get out of the way as they do it for you.

This is the sign that you want as your safety person, lab scientist, proofreader, veternarian or doctor...provided you can handle the truth. If you can't, you'll want to pick another sign to help you out, but likely you'll be less successful than you would have been.

Some professions and areas ruled by Virgo include:

• The armed forces ("Service" is one of Virgo's key words)
• Health professional for any living thing
• Scientist
• Any profession that requires exceptional attention to detail
• Writer

Speaking of writers, my beloved, Jennifer Wells, has a new book coming out next month that's set in an astrology-based world. Practically Dreaming is the title, the first in a series of astrological fiction called Sabian Symbols from Crescent Moon Press. Her main character? A Virgo named Tierra. You can check out her website at www.jennifer-wells.com, or her blog at jennifer-wells.blogspot.com.

Thanks for tuning in, and for checking out Jen's website and blog! Check back tomorrow for my "W" post!