Whatever My Life Is

Here’s a list I’ve compiled for different types, places, and times to collect water and charged waters. I use these primarily for different energies to paint with but the information can be used in a variety of ways to fit your practice.

Types: 💧 Rain: cleansing, protection, energy (if collected during a sun shower it is also associated with balance and the first rain in the month of May (Aqua de Mayo is considered to bring good health, luck, and eliminate dark entities ) 💧 Creek/Stream: purification, harmony 💧Dew: Health, eyesight, beauty 💧 Fog/Mist: Creativity, balance, partnerships 💧 Ice: Transformation, balance, creativity💧 Pond/Lake: peace, contentment, relaxation, self reflection 💧 River: moving forward, protection 💧Sea/Ocean: health, power, goal manifestation 💧 Snow: Transformation, balance 💧 Spring Water: growth, cleansing, protection, prosperity 💧 Swamp/Waste: Banishing, binding 💧 Waterfalls: power, energy, success 💧Well: healing, wishes, intuition

💧 Tears: healing, compassion, emotional upheaval, blessings, binding, fertility/pregnancy, self reflection

☔ Seasonal Rains☔ These are specific associations for rains collected on the day or night of a solstice or equinox which make them more rare. 💧 Spring: New Ventures 💧 Summer: Growth 💧 Autumn: Gratitude 💧 Winter: Blessing

🌙 Moon Water🌙 In general water charged under the moon is considered sacred to the goddess and is associated with feminine energies and intuition. Here are some associations with the specific phases: 🌑New/Dark: curses, banishing, divination🌘Waxing Crescent: attraction, wealth, success 🌗 First Quarter: creativity, motivation 🌖 Waxing Gibbous: good health, attraction 🌕 Full Moon: Healing, cleansing, clarity 🌔 Waning Gibbous: undoing, cleansing 🌓 Last Quarter: breaking bad habits, banishing 🌒 Waning Crescent: wisdom, illness, balance

📝 Note: you can also charge your water under full moons that correspond to your intentions. Examples- full flower moon for fertility, beauty, and feminine energy or full moon in Aquarius for the added associations.

🔆 Sun Water: (Water charged from dawn til dusk) positivity, energy, power, strength, masculine energy. 🌹 Rose Water: (Either rain, dew, or snow collected from roses or condensation collected from boiling roses) love, protection, commitment, beauty, compassion 💀 Gravestones: (water collected from grave sites) ease of loss, restfulness, burying or releasing feelings. 🏛 Monuments: (water collected at monument sites) remembrance, nostalgia, patriotism, loss 🌈 Rainbow: (Water collected during a sun shower while a rainbow is present) luck, wealth, happiness, fulfillment, positivity.

I hope this helps you guys! As always, listen to your intuition about the energy of a particular water you have collected and remember to charge it with your specific intent.

Y’all asked for it so y’all gonna get it! I’mma start off with the barebones essentials and work my way to basic definitions. Sit down on something comfy and get yourself your warm beverage of choice and maybe grab a notebook because here goes.

What are runes?

Runic alphabets have been around since about 150 AD and used as a writing system by a lot of Germanic languages. These systems were eventually phased out, slowly but surely, with the progressive Christianisation that started around 700-1100 AD. The three most commonly known (and used?) Are the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark and Futhorc.

Runes aren’t, themselves, broadly meant for divination, thought there are a few passages in the Eddas that mention Odin “finding” and using them.

Alright, so which alphabet should I use?

Whichever one you want! I prefer using the Elder Futhark, because it’s the first alphabet I learned and got familiar with, but that doesn’t at all stop you from using the Younger Futhark or Futhorc. I’d heavily suggest making sure you read up on the differences in each alphabet though; Ansuz, for example, won’t look the same, mean the same or even be called the same from one alphabet to another. 

Familiarize yourself with each of them if you want/can, and choose based on your own preferences and criteria. Always work with what feels best for you!

But I’m not really familiar with Germanic traditions / I’m a baby witch, should or can I use runes for divination?

This is the concept that got my goat real good the first time. You do not, in any way, shape or form, need to be experienced to cast runes. This is a notion that is outdated and perpetuated by gatekeepers and exclusionists. No one gives a flying flip how long you’ve been practicing witchcraft, or if you even practice at all!

Divination should be seen as a tool to further yourself and/or your craft. It can be used by itself or in conjunction with other activities, practices or beliefs. I was 15 when I started learning about runes (dear god that was literally over ten years ago) and I had no idea what I was doing back then. I read up as much as I could about the system I was wanting to use and, once I was comfortable with it, I started doing small readings.

It shouldn’t matter how new or familiar you are to divination, rune casting or Germanic traditions. If rune casting feels right to you, you are more than free to use whatever divination method feels right to you.

What should I do before I start a reading?

As a Norse Pagan, I usually invoke my patron deities (Baldr and Loki, in this case), as well as Odin and Freyja, sometimes Gullveig/Heiðr because reasons. I have no idea whether or not this has any actual bearing on the reading itself, as mine were as accurate before I converted as they are now.

Making sure you’re in a quiet and/or comfortable space is also a good idea, even if that just means popping in some earphones and listening to something that makes you focus and feel calm.

This is also a good time to mention that cleansing your runes (stone, bone, wood or otherwise) is a very good idea. I typically do this with candles, incense, a bowl of water and a point of quartz for each element. I don’t do this nearly as often as I probably should, since most people suggest cleansing them after each reading… but, whatever, being lax with that hasn’t bitten me in the ass so far. So if you’re a spoonie, don’t worry: cleanse your runes when you feel they need to be cleansed, and that’s it.

Alright, I think I’m ready; how do I start reading?

Let me start by saying that the bullshit about never reading yourself? It’s just that. Bullshit. Do readings on yourself if you want to. Who the hell is going to stop you. Do whatever you want.

On that note, there are a few ways to cast runes, though these probably aren’t close to being the only ones: 

Intuitively choosing the stones Lay the runes down on a flat surface and let your hand hover over them and pick out the ones that feel right. You can either pick them in order of the spread you’re using, or place the runes where you feel they belong on the spread.

Throwing the stones Make sure you have a large flat surface to work with (preferably the floor honestly) where you won’t drop, scatter or lose a rune. You can use a mat underneath, and read the stones that fall on the corresponding positions in the spread or circle. (You can find many of these with a quick google search, or make your own mat!) Otherwise, you can take the first stones you see facing up and lay those out according to your spread.

Picking them blindly Either you or the person you’re reading pull stones blinding out of a pouch, bag or other container, and lay them out according to the spread you’re using. Pretty straightforward.

If you can think of another method, literally nothing is stopping you from using that instead. The runes are acting as a universal translator for whatever it is you’re tapping into. They’re just a tool to receive a message. How you choose to receive that message is completely up to you!

So I’ve got my runes laid out, now what?

Now comes the fun part. I can only really give you a good run-down of the Elder Futhark, and though it’s a good starting point, I would highly advise you do your own research on whatever alphabet you want to use. Wikipedia is a great place to start, but don’t stop there: look at several different websites and lists and compare. Combine and condense the information for yourself, and get to learn the definitions and meanings for yourself!

ᚠ Fehu • catle wealth, money, hard work paying off, can represent spiritual wealth reversed: effort gone to waste, natural and/or financial loss, greed

ᚢ Uruz • ox physical strength and speed, great energy, courage, masculine reversed: physical weakness, illness, violence, misdirected aggression

ᚦ Thurisaz • thor reactive, destructive and/or defensive force, tendency towards change reversed: dangerous compulsions, betrayal and malice, lies, spite

ᚨ Ansuz • of the Æsir  revelations, intuition, signs and signals, wisdom, power of words/names reversed: misunderstandings, delusions and vanity

ᚱ Raido • chariot physical/spiritual journeys, transition, seeing the bigger picture reversed: crisis, maybe due to stagnation, unwanted disruption

ᚲ Kaunan • torch creativity and inspiration, power of transformation, power of life reversed: instability, lack of creativity, false hope revealed, disillusionment

ᚷ Gebo • gift gifts in the form of sacrifice or generosity, contracts, partnerships reversed/opposed: greed, isolation and dependence, over-sacrifice

ᚹ Wunjo • joy comfort, pleasure, companionship, possibility of going over the top reversed: sorrow and alienation, growing distance, raging frenzy

ᚺ Hagalaz • hail wrath of nature, destruction for the sake of creation, natural order reversed: natural disasters, powerlessness, suffering

ᚾ Naudiz • need strength/growth from hardships, survival, determination reversed: deprivation and emotional starvation, constraints/restraints

ᛁ Isaz • ice challenges and frustration, psychological block, anticipation reversed/opposed: can oppose other runes with malice and treachery 

ᛃ Jera • good year hard work is fruitful, peace, happiness and relief, breaking the cycle reversed: sudden setbacks and bad timing

ᛈ Pertho • vagina secrets, mysteries, undiscovered abilities, choosing your own path reversed: stagnation, isolation and loneliness

ᛇ E/ihwaz • yew tree strength, stability, endurance, trustworthiness, your goal is realistic reversed: confusion, dissatisfaction and weakness of the mind

ᛉ Algiz • elk shield, the instinct to protect yourself/others, connection to the gods reversed: hidden dangers, loss of link to the divine, turning away

ᛊ Suwilo • the sun success and goals achieved, you have the power you need to succeed reversed/opposed: deception, false goals, gullibility, divine wrath

ᛏ Tiwaz • tyr honour and leadership, authority, success in competitions reversed: artistic block, over-analysis and sacrifice, imbalance/conflict

ᛒ Berkana • birch tree fertility in a broad sense, personal/physical growth, new beginnings reversed: family/relationship issues, anxiety over loved ones, abandon

ᛖ Ehwaz • horse steady and gradual progress, teamwork/loyalty, relationships reversed: reckless haste and its consequences, restlessness

ᛗ Mannaz • mankind the self, the human race, your attitude toward others and vice-versa, social awareness, altruism reversed: mortality, self-deception, cunning and manipulation

ᛚ Laguz • water literal/metaphorical flow, imagination, the unknown, chance of loss reversed: confusion/uncertainty, may be making the wrong choice

ᛝ Ingwaz • probably freyr warmth and love in general, tying loose ends, relief, freedom to move reversed: moving without change, fruitless effort, helpelessness

ᛞ Dagaz • dawn breakthroughs and clarity, security, power to change and grow, the ideal reversed/opposed: endings and coming round full circle

ᛟ Othila • inheritance ancestral property, what is most important, spiritual heritage and safety reversed: slavery, homelessness, bad karma, what one is unwillingly bound to

Phew! What a list. These are just brief descriptions and meanings that I’ve been able to compile and condense over the years.

But, what does “opposed” mean?

I see where you’re coming from. As a baby diviner, I, also, was confused by this. But let me explain how I’ve come to understand it! 

Sometimes, if you’re doing a set spread, you’ll have a spot for things like, “what will oppose you”, or “what you need to avoid”. Things like that. If, say, a rune like Suwilo was found in something like that, you’d want to try and keep a sharp mind to avoid deceptions or letting yourself be too gullible.

When runes don’t have a reversed form, their position in your spread will usually determine what they mean. (Though really this is true for literally any rune.)

Anything else I should know?

The best advice I can ever give anyone is to always do what you feel is right. If you find yourself wondering, “Should I do this? Is this right?” If you question yourself at all, you should probably not to the thing and go with something else.

It’s also important to mention that the names I have for the runes may not be the ones that you’ve learned to know them by; a lot of runes can go by different names depending on who you ask and where you look. Do your research, and know the runes by the names you feel are best! (And preferably historically accurate.)

As always, if you have any questions regarding runes and how to read them, please ask me! My ask box is literally always open and almost always empty.

A kiss is a very powerful thing, even in fairytales and lore of the past the power of kisses are told of (true love’s kiss, siren/mermaid kiss, first kiss, etc). a kiss can be a powerful tool for any witch. Here are a few suggestions for using kisses and the power they hold.

Use a kiss to charge objects: crystals, tarot cards, charms, amulets, etc etc. Use it to send your emotions and energy into the object. Love is a good emotion, but any positive energies you wish to charge the object with can be transferred this way. Adding your love to something can really give it a boost as well! Especially if it is for another to use. (Note: do not kiss toxic stones please! Be safe and smart)

Spell Sealing: Use a kiss to magically seal spells such as jar and bottle spells or use it to strengthen a (cooled!) wax seal. Imagine placing the kiss its like placing an invisible seal upon it, stamping in energy to lock th spell inside. 

For Air and Wind spells: For all of my fellow witches who use air and wind spells, blowing a kiss after a chant or spell to summon a wind in the direction you wish it to blow is a good way to guide the wind but also show it positive reinforcement. Use it to show your gratitude for the wind’s cooperation. It is best for gentler wind spells.

Glamour and Beauty spells: Kiss the mirror after a beauty or glamour spell. Thank the mirror for its aid and seal any negativity into it. It also a wonderful way to reflect love back at yourself!

Love Spells: Kisses are great for powering up love spells! Kiss a candle before lighting it (careful if you are using essential oils be sure not to kiss where they are), kiss the written name of the one you desire, kiss a charm or amulet to help bring love into your life, and finally blow a kiss when finishing the the spell to close it.

Kitchen Magic: blow a kiss to finish a dish (don’t be too close though, don’t want to spread germs) to put a final charge of love into it before serving it to others. Good for with tea and coffee spells too!

Public Magic: Want to remain discrete while casting a spell in public? Blow a kiss! Its much subtler than pointing or hand motions, especially if it is a positive spell you are casting on another or a friend but it is also good for curses, either way its a wonderful way to send your intentions. Whisper the words or chant needed for the spell (if any) under your breath, imagine them them gathering in an orb of energy at your lips as you do so. Then do a subtle kiss motion on your lips (no hands and no ‘fish lips’, you are trying to be subtle). Then release the energy and words towards the target with a gentle blow of breath, sending the ball of energy in that direction.

Mourning/Remembrance Rituals: Ending such a ritual with a blown kiss to close it can help release your feelings in a positive manner and close the ritual with love and sincerity. 

A’s:⭐⭐⭐

Abundance - desire for independence

Accident - something unplanned

Actor//Actress - desire for recognition

Adultery - guilt

Airplane (Transportation)

Altar - self sacrifice

Anchor - stability. Sometimes a desire for a permanent home

Anniffil - the feminine aspect of the individual. Guide to the inner world. Receptive, prospective, and nurturing.

Animal - defends on your feelings for the particular animal. A helpful animal normally represents the instinctive self.

Animus - the masculine aspect of the individual. Uncompromising conviction. Force.

Apple - desire

Arrow - pleasure, festivity

Auction - promise of abundance

Automobile (Transportation)

B’s: ⭐⭐⭐

Baby: Crying - frustrated plans, Laughing - plans fulfilled, Sleeping - waiting period, patience

Balloon - frustration

Basement - a place of refuge or retreat

Battle - inner conflict

Bells - fulfillment of plans, joy

Bicycle (Transportation) - hard work will bring plans to fruition

Birds - usually transcendence from one being to another

Birth - transition to new phase or new aspect of self

Bridge - overcoming difficulties, a change

Broom - the ability to sweep or clean up

Bull - animal nature, stubborness

Burial - end of a phase, time to take a new direction

C’s:⭐⭐⭐

Candle - constancy

Cane//Crutch - the need for support

Capital (City//Town) - the center

Castle - ambition

Cave - a place of retreat or refuge, a need for time to think and meditate

Circle - totality, perfection, infinity

Cities - gatherings of consciousness

Climbing - the self mastery process, rising consciousness

Clock - the passage of time, the need to take action

Clothes - attitude, personality

Coffin (Burial)

Cradle - potential for advancement

Crossing a River - a fundamental change of attitude

Crying - emotion, usually a sad event

Crystal - union of matter and spirit

Curtains - concealment, adornment

Colors🌈🌈🌈

Red - strength, health, vigor, sexual love, danger, charity

Orange - encouragement, adaptation, stimulation, attraction, plenty kindness

Yellow - persuasion, charm, confidence, jealousy, joy, comfort

Green - finance, fertility, luck, energy, charity, growth

Blue - tranquility, understanding, patience, health, truth, devotion, sincerity

Indigo - changeability, impulsiveness, depression, ambition, dignity

Violet - tension, power, sadness, piety, sentimentality

D’s:⭐⭐⭐

Darkness - the spirit world, the subconscious, turning inward

Death - the end of something, opportunity for new beginnings

Dog - loyalty, laziness, anger

E’s:⭐⭐⭐

Eating - need for new interests, stimulation

Evening - descending into the subconscious world

Eye - perception, self-examination

F’s:⭐⭐⭐

Falling - failing to live to expectations

Fish - transcendence from one state of being to another

Fire - anger, purification, abundance of energy

Flowers - contentment, pleasure

Flying (Transportation)

G’s:⭐⭐⭐

Girl - immature feminine aspect

Glass - perception, being able to see (sometimes in the future)

Graduation - initiation, completing a phase

H’s:⭐⭐⭐

Hair - thought, grey or silver hair indicates wise thought

Hammer - power to drive forward

Helpful Animal - the instinctive self

Highway - the path, the way ahead

Horse: White Horse - symbol of life, prosperity; Black Horse - change of fortunes; Wild Horse - uncontrolled instinctive urges; Winged Horse - transcendence from one state of being to another

House: The symbol of personality and conscious interest from the spiritual view. The particular room represents particular interest >> Bathroom - cleansing, elimination of the undesired; Basement - place of refuge, retreat, concealment; Bedroom - place of rest and recovery; Dining Room - place of sustenance, refortification; Kitchen - a place to prepare the sustenancen; Living Room - place of socializing

I’s: ⭐⭐⭐

Ice - coldness of character, frigidity, rigidity

Illness - boredom, delay

Individual Self - the “real” you, the inner you, the all-wise, all-powerful spiritual self

J’s:⭐⭐⭐

Jail - confinement, frustration, inability to act

Journey (Transportation)

Judge //Jury - your conscience

K’s:⭐⭐⭐

Key - the answer to a problem

Kiss - satisfaction, completion

L’s:⭐⭐⭐

Ladder - ability to climb (note the length of the ladder)

Left (as in side of direction) - the subconscious side, sometimes the wrong side of direction, the logical side, the scientific side

Light - hope

Lines: Broken lines - represents the feminine aspect; Solid lines - the masculine aspect

Lizard - transcendence

Lock - frustration, security

M’s:⭐⭐⭐

Man//Male - animus, the masculine aspect, the age indicates the maturity or lack of it in the individual

Mask - falsehood, deception, concealment

Mirror - need to reconsider

Mother - heaven, comfort

N’s:⭐⭐⭐

Nakedness - real, true, without false attitudes, exposed, natural

Night - greatest strength of the super-consciousness

Noon - the greatest clarity of consciousness

Numbers 💯💯💯

Even Number - signify balance and harmony

Odd Number - signify imbalance and discord

The beginning, the source, the ego

Duality, the male and female, positive and negative

Father, mother, and child; past, present, and future

The material universe, consciousness, reality, and law, physical power, initiative, religion and spiritual evolution

It represents materialism, expansion, change, understanding, and change

The number of cooperation and balance. It represents interaction between the material and the spiritual, mental and physical. It signifies psychism, peace

Completion, old age, endurance, evolution and wisdom. The seven stages of spiritual transformation

The number of dissolution and separation. The law of cyclic evolution and invention

Rebirth and reformation. Intuition, travel, karma

0. The circle, infinity, the universe

O’s:⭐⭐⭐

Ocean - opportunity, spirituality

Owl - wisdom, need for further evaluation

P’s:⭐⭐⭐

Pearl - joy; Broken string of pearls - misunderstanding

Pirate - suspicion

Pyramid - thirst for knowledge, seeking

R’s:⭐⭐⭐

Railroad - a set path to follow

Rainbow - great happiness, opportunity

Reading - learning, gaining in knowledge, perceiving

Riding (Transportation)

Right - the consciousness, correctness, the artistic side

Ring - completion, loyalty

River - spirituality, a boundary

Rocket (Transportation)

Rocks - the unchanging self

Rodents - transcendence or a less-than-nice person, distrust, betrayal

Roller Skates (Transportation)

Roses (Flowers)

Ruins - failure of plans

S’s:⭐⭐⭐

Sacrifice - overcoming pride

School - a need to learn

Scissors - distrust

Sea (Ocean)

Self-image - the inner or spiritual self

Shadow - the subconscious, insubstantiality

Ship (Transportation)

Skeleton - the basics, the root of a problem

Snake - spiritual wisdom, transcendence into a state of wisdom

Snake-bites - infusion of wisdom

Soldiers - force, power, regeneration

Spade - cutting, tough work lies ahead

Sunrise - clearing of consciousness, awakening

Sunset - need to protect assets

Swan - beauty, comfort, satisfaction

Sword - conflict

T’s:⭐⭐⭐

Table - support, a platform for presentation

Telescope - need to get closer to a subject

Thief - loss or fear of loss, insecurity

Thunder - anger

Touching - healing. On rare occasions it may mean a curse. Can be comfort, security. The manner of touch and your feeling about it is important

Trains (Transportation)

Transcendence - achieving full realization of the individual self

Transformation (Transcendence)

Transportation - spiritual advancement. The more efficient the mode, the more effective and rapid is the advancement

Tree - the life principle, psychic growth and development, progress

Tunnel - hiding, being afraid

Turning - changing or developing. Turning in a circle represents lack of progress

Twins - ego and alter ego

U’s & V’s:⭐⭐⭐

Umbrella - shelter

Veil - insecurity

Volcano - emotions

W’s:⭐⭐⭐

Wall - frustration, inability

Water - spirituality, emotion

Wedding - culmination of plans, happiness, success

Witch - supernatural ability, wisdom

Throughout history, the Moon has been wondered about, studied, deified, and honored. Ancient societies essentially gave her the reputation of being primal and untamed. She became known as the goddess who ruled over the night. Keeping in mind that back in ancient times, much less knowledge was accessible, and so, like most things that humans don’t understand, they began to fear the Moon and her ever changing surface. The Moon reflects the Sun’s light and is a very feminine luminary, and it’s not a secret that she has become associated with women’s menstrual cycles. The Sun is very masculine, as it represents your basic self and your ego. The Sun is very active & assertive. It’s nocturnal counterpart, on the other hand, is very receptive, passive, and represents what makes you feel comfortable. Astrologically, the Moon has come to represent your mother, what makes you feel nurtured & how you nurture others. The Moon’s changing phases and appearance is a gentle reminder that it’s okay to retreat into safety & privacy during her waning phase, whereas during her waxing phase, she’s a reminder to extend some of your nurturing energy to others. The Sun is your Yang energy; The Moon is your Yin. The Moon is ruled by Cancer and exalted in Taurus, putting her in detriment in Capricorn and in fall in Scorpio.

The crescent that we use to symbolize the Moon (☽) is the alchemy symbol for silver. The crescent element in an astrological glyph represents human spirituality. It represents the pieces of us that are put on display and illuminated through the energy of others, and the pieces that we keep to ourselves (emotions, memories, etc. that we keep below the surface). It represents the subconscious mind.

Rulership/Exaltation/Detriment/Fall

The Moon is ruled by Cancer and is exalted in Taurus. Cancer represents the Moon’s watery, nurturing, and receptive nature. Cancer is ruled and is driven by emotion, they’re notoriously moody and the sign has a natural connection to the maternal figure. Taurus represents the Moon’s predictable and routine patterns. Both Cancer and Taurus seek security and safety in family, money, and material goods. They both have strong connections to their families, most notably their mothers, and neither of them allow their lives to become too chaotic. They both retreat at any inkling of conflict or chaos. Both Taurus and Cancer know how to create steady lives for themselves and others. They also provide for and nurture others, which is a key aspect of what the Moon offers. The Moon is also very introverted, which can be said for both Cancer and Taurus. Cancer, in particular, needs time to recharge their energy after being around people for a while because they’re so empathetic and can feel other peoples’ vibrations. If you think about that, that is a direct correlation of the Moon’s phases, because she serves as a reminder that you cannot shine your light all the time, that you need to retreat every so often to recharge and come back shining brighter than before.

This would put the Moon in detriment in Capricorn, falling off in Scorpio. Capricorn and Scorpio are two very emotionally volatile and chaotic signs by nature. Capricorn intellectualizes emotions, and Scorpio bottles them all up until they explode and weaponize them. Capricorn may be sentimental and nostalgic, but this Moon placement comes with a resentment towards their childhood, probably because natives of this placement never really got to experience childhood. Capricorn is also very detached by nature. However, because their emotions, deep down, are so strong, they bottle everything up and they need an escape. This normally happens for Capricorn through workaholism or some other self-destructive vice. Scorpio, on the other hand (oh boy), is a water sign that is very aware of their volcanic emotions. All Scorpio placements are afraid of what happens if they allow their emotions to show because of the catastrophic damage they may or may not cause, however, Moon in Scorpio particularly keeps everything below the surface and tries to push their emotions out the back door. Both signs find themselves in recurring cycles of resentment for their roots, bottling up their bitterness, and exploding. They try to push their emotions away and control them. They also hate change. However, emotions can’t be controlled. Both signs need to heal themselves, forgive, and let go. They need to find productive means to pour their emotions out for catharsis for their own sanity.

Astrological Meaning

In Astrology, the Moon represents your emotional nature. It’s indicative of what you naturally gravitate to in order to feel safe & secure. She is intuitive, receptive, and empathetic. The Moon represents your instinctual immediate reactions to things and what you involuntarily/subconsciously gravitate towards if you want to feel safe. The Moon is everchanging, but the changes are predictable. Your emotions come in cycles and are heavily influenced by experiences, memories, and traumas. Your earliest emotional experiences and memories all stem from your birth when you exited the womb crying and were entirely dependent upon your mother. In many ways, your Moon sign determines if your mother was nurturing, loving, caring, and warm or if she was the complete opposite; detached, uncaring, or entirely not there. Regardless, we all need to feel cared for and protected. We all yearn for something that makes us feel protected; for some, this manifests as a yearning for family, a home, material goods, etc. For others, this yearning manifests as a need for lovers or friends. Your Moon represents your fight or flight response, how you deal with sadness, loneliness, anger, or how you express your happiness.

The Moon needs to be healthy. When your Moon feels nurtured and safe, she’s stable and you’re at your best. You feel relaxed, calm, and secure. You have a thick skin and find security in the fact that you always have something or someone to fall back on for comfort. When the Moon is at her healthiest, she’s loyal and receptive. Positive attitudes are easy to maintain and you’re confident and optimistic. A healthy Moon means no grudges, stress, or rage. All your emotional baggage has been healed, and you find it easy to forgive and release.

The unhealthy Moon is chaotic and primal. This Moon is paranoid, vindictive, weak, and vulnerable. This is when you’re essentially either at rock bottom or you feel as if you’re falling into a pit of despair. Your emotions are wrecked with stress, rage, and you’re holding onto grudges. Unhealthy coping mechanisms rear their ugly head and you’re essentially spiraling.  You become unpredictable, angry, and childish. This Moon comes out when you feel your most threatened and insecure. This is when you become irrational. This Moon ultimately comes out after you’ve bottled up your emotions for far too long, and the aftermath is the volcanic eruption that I described above. The only way that you can have a healthy Moon is by feeling all of your emotions, understanding them, and coming to terms with them so that they can be released with ease. Emotions can’t be repressed, fought with, controlled, or ignored. Eventually, they’ll come out. Society has conditioned us to think that emotions are weakness and that they’re an issue that needs to be resolved, but the reality is that they’re energies that need to be honored.

Correspondences:

Signs: Cancer, Taurus

Colors: Silver, Grey

Element: Water

Crystals: Selenite, Moonstone, Opal

Day of the week: Monday

Deities: Selene, Artemis, Hekate, Cerridwen, Diana, Thoth

Moon through the Signs:

Aries: independent, impulsive, impatient, defensive, easily bored, the line between “needs” and “wants” are often blurred

Taurus: needs familiarity, materialistic, lazy, rooted in their own ways, steady, avoids chaos and conflict, romantic, reliable, serene

Gemini: witty, loves inside jokes, nervous, prone to anxiety, always changing their environment, intellectualizes their emotions, open to new ideas, can be really snappy when irritated

Cancer: fighters, in touch with their feelings, empathetic, receptive, intuitive, calming presence, can dwell in the past, holds grudges, hilarious, can be crabby

Leo: surprisingly not as outgoing as you might think, can be controlling over their families, wants to be center of attention, ulterior motives, needs to feel special/valued, a nonconformist, fair, dramatic display of emotions

Virgo: finds security in the mundane day-to-day responsibilities of life, naggers, complains like no other, can be underachievers, low self-confidence, content with “boring” lives, needs a steady job, organized, practical displays of affection, probably loves marijuana

Libra: strong yearning for partnership, codependent habits, sympathetic, deeply concerned with fairness/justice/the law, addicted to retail therapy, points out flaws in others/the environment, idealistic

Scorpio: seeks out emotional intensity, sees directly through peoples’ bullshit, nihilistic, uses dark humor as a band-aid for the inner chaos, prone to paranormal experiences, wants a deep relationship but probably uses sex to fill a void, fear of abandonment, chaotic upbringing, probably doesn’t remember much from their past other than trauma, intelligent, have huge hearts

Sagittarius: needs adventure, personal freedom is essential, friendly, enjoys travelling, sometimes annoyingly optimistic, finds peace outdoors, blind faith, free spirited, can be extremely gullible

Capricorn: needs to feel useful and productive, needs to provide for others, turbulent & extreme emotions below the surface, harbors bitterness/resentment for their roots, respectful of authority, hates risk taking, finds comfort in having a strong finance to fall back on, entrepreneurial, doesn’t let go easily

Aquarius: observant, always studying human nature, philosophical, detached, outcasted, progressive, can be emotionally blocked/distant, have a strong need to do things just for shock and awe, probably crazy children, humanitarian, focused

Let’s just start a series of crash courses in witchcraft, since sometimes we need to learn things the quick and dirty way. Today, let’s talk about wards.

What are wards? Wards are protective energy barriers. They keep things out. You can place them around your home, certain rooms, even on certain objects. With practice and clear intentions, you can focus the wards to block out everything or only certain things. We’ll get to that in a bit.

Why should I ward my space and my things? Wards can keep out all sorts of things you don’t want in your home. They can block out negative entities, wayward spirits, mischievous entities, demons, and (if you’re really good at what you’re doing) even gods. Some people ward their divination tools so they know there are no spirits tampering with the results.

So what do I need to do first? Cleanse. This is very important. Wards are kind of like walls, or perhaps more accurately, bubbles. If you don’t clean the space first, you might trap things inside your ward bubble. You do not want that. There are lots of methods of cleansing, from burning sage to spritzing oil-infused water. Find a method you’re comfortable with and cleanse everything you’re going to be warding.

I’ve cleansed my home/item. Now what? Now we ward. I’m going to give you a couple methods. Let’s start with my favorite, incense warding.

Incense warding can also be done with spritzes of water/essential oil blends or herb-infused water if you can’t have smoke in your space. Whichever you’re using, you want to have a blend of protective herbs. Bay leaves, cinnamon, ginger, mustard seed, and salt are some great options that you can find in the grocery store, no fancy witch shop necessary. If you’re using incense, make sure you’re using natural incense and not super cheap stuff that’s artificially scented. The magic is in the herbs, and you won’t get that from fake scents.

How to Incense/Spritz Ward an Item

Smoke or spray item.

Visualize the smoke or spray clinging to the item and wrapping around it like a tight blanket, protecting it from anything that would cause harm (or interference, etc.).

How to Incense/Spritz Ward Your Space

Pick a place to start. I always start at my altar, but it’s up to you. If you’re doing multiple floors, start either at the top or bottom floor.

Moving continuously to your right, smoke or spray along the walls and door frames. As you go, imagine a barrier being formed around the walls, ceiling, and floor, pushing outwards to fill the room. Visualize the smoke or spray forming the barrier to keep out anything that will do you harm. [If you have a hard time with visualization, you can simply focus on the intent of the smoke or spray keeping things out.]

Keep moving right, following the layout of your home, making sure you get all the closet spaces. You basically want to outline the entire area you’re protecting, whether it’s you’re room or your whole house.

For multiple floors, repeat on each level.

For big layouts where there are rooms in the middle, go around those rooms as well.

I like to reinforce the wards over outside doors, windows, and mirrors. These are all passages of sorts, and when I reach them, I use the incense to draw a pentagram in the air over them. This is entirely up to you.

You’re done when you’ve reached the point where you began.

So why do we go to the right? Is that important? Kind of. Going to the right is like going clockwise. It’s about making things and progression, where going to the left or counter-clockwise is about deconstruction or reversal. [I read this idea in a witchy book a long time ago and will try to find a source when I can. If you honestly don’t feel it makes a difference, do whatever you’re comfortable with.]

Can I place wards that keep out certain things but not others? Sure. When you’re going around your space/warding your item, your intent is what’s important. I like to ward out entities that mean harm - it’s nice and general and doesn’t keep the fae out. Some people might want certain spirits and not others. Have your intentions clear in your mind as you place your wards.

That’s neat and all, but what are some other ways to ward? Let’s list a few.

Symbol/Sigil Wards

Choose (or make) a symbol or sigil that has protective properties. I’ve done this with Pluto’s astrological symbol because I worship him and it’s my way of being like, “Hey, Pluto. Please protect me, kthanxbai.” Pentagrams are nice and basic witchy/pagan symbols if you like them.

Draw the symbol over doors and windows. You do not literally have to draw it. It can be in water, incense smoke, or just your finger against the surface if you want.

As you’re drawing, make sure you have your intentions in mind - that nothing harmful can pass through this door, that the windows remain closed against entities, etc.

Energy Bubbles (if you have control over your energy)

Pick an item - any item.

Get your warding intentions in mind.

Channel lots of energy into the item. Visualize it emanating from the item in a bubble to fill your space.

If you’ve got mad skillz, you can form the bubble to the walls and be super exact with where its barriers are.

Vocal Wards

If you like spoken (or thought) spells, come up with a small chant to protect your space.

You can repeat this chant as you focus on your item being protected or as you walk around your home, protecting every room.

This is really great to incorporate into basically any other form of warding and gives your magic an extra bit of oomph.

I’ve heard wards can “fade” over time. True or false? Wards are just energy. Like all energies, they can disperse and weaken over time, or if something particularly nasty puts effort into destroying them. Redo your wards every so often (I do mine every few months, but it’s up to you), and especially before spiritual interactions. I also like to do mine after I’ve had lots of company, to kind of clear out family’s lingering energies and reinforce what I don’t want in my house.

IN THESE TIMES

You’ve been fired. According to your employer’s data, your facial expressions showed you were insubordinate and not trustworthy. You also move your hands at a rate that is considered substandard. Other companies you may want to work for could receive this data, making it difficult for you to find other work in this field.

That may sound like a scenario straight out of a George Orwell novel, but it’s the future many American workers could soon be facing.

In early February, media outlets reported that Amazon had received a patent for ultrasonic wristbands that could track the movement of warehouse workers’ hands during their shifts. If workers’ hands began moving in the wrong direction, the wristband would buzz, issuing an electronic corrective. If employed, this technology could easily be used to further surveil employees who already work under intense supervision.

Whole Foods, which is now owned by Amazon, recently instituted a complex and punitive inventory system where employees are graded based on everything from how quickly and effectively they stock shelves to how they report theft. The system is so harsh it reportedly causes employees enough stress to bring them to tears on a regular basis.

UPS drivers, who often operate individually on the road, are now becoming increasingly surveilled. Sensors in every UPS truck track when drivers’ seatbelts are put on, when doors open and close and when the engines start in order to monitor employee productivity at all times.

The technology company Steelcase has experimented with monitoring employees’ faces to judge their expressions. The company claims that this innovation, which monitors and analyzes workers’ facial movements throughout the work day, is being used for research and to inform best practices on the job. Other companies are also taking interest in this kind of mood-observing technology, from Bank of America to Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc.

These developments are part of a larger trend of workers being watched and judged—often at jobs that offer low pay and demand long hours. Beyond simply tracking worker performance, it is becoming more common for companies to monitor the emails and phone calls their employees make, analyzing personal traits along with output.

Some companies are now using monitoring techniques—referred to as “people analytics”—to learn as much as they can about you, from your communication patterns to what types of websites you visit to how often you use the bathroom. This type of privacy invasion can cause employees immense stress, as they work with the constant knowledge that their boss is aware of their every behavior—and able to use that against them as they see fit.

Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute at Cornell University, tells In These Times that the level of surveillance workers are facing is increasing exponentially.

“If you look at what some people call ‘people analytics,’ it’s positively frightening,” Maltby says. “People analytics devices get how often you talk, the tone of your voice, where you are every single second you’re at work, your body language, your facial expressions and something called ‘patterns of interaction.’” He explains that some of these devices even record what employees say at work.

The other day I saw a story where a woman was asking why her dogs had suddenly started growling at her boyfriend whenever he was in the same room as her son.

And my immediate thought was ‘that boyfriend has hurt the kid somehow.’

Spoilers: that was exactly the case.

Fast forward about six months when I went north to visit my family. My sister walked into my parents’ house and pupper ran to greet my sister. Stopped dead in her tracks and started growling and barking. Hackles raised, full protection mode. My sisters husband had just walked in behind her.

My precious puppy wanted NOTHING to do with him. She barked, growled, ran away, and sat between him and my sister. Y'all my dog had spent maybe a weekend a half around my sister but protected her like this was her flesh and blood.

Eventually, my sister filed for divorce on grounds of “Extreme and repeated mental, emotional, and sexual abuse.” Divorce was final in less than a month because her claims were substantiated.

There was this one horse I worked with named Tonto. He was a doll. He followed me like a puppy, snuck treats out of my pocket, he was the sweetest thing. We were practically inseparable.

A guy I was considering dating came to visit me one day, and Tonto wanted NOTHING to do with him. Normally well behaved, he shoved himself between us and would NOT let this guy near me. He was stomping, acting really aggressive, and tried to bite the guy. This horse was practically dragging me back toward the barn. At that moment, despite being like, 17, I knew something was up, and ultimately things didn’t pan out for guy and me.

A year later I found out he had lied about his age (he said he was 18 but he was actually 27) he was arrested for sexually assaulting an 11 year old girl.