The name of the month of July was changed from it’s original Quintilus via the Roman senate in 44BC to honor Julius Caesar after his brutal and untimely death. Similarily, the month of Sextilis was changed to honor Augustus, hence the name for the month of August.

For those that know a little Latin, the terms Quintilis and Sextilis actually mean Five and Six, respectively. The Roman calendar, before Julius Caesar, only had ten months with the sixty days of winter, where there was no work in the fields, unaccounted for. The year began in March (Martius, "named after Mars, the Roman god of war, who was also regarded as a guardian of agriculture” and ended in December (decem, meaning ten). This original calendar was “determined by the cycles of the moon and the seasons of the agricultural year.” We get the name “calendar” from ‘kalends’: the first of the month which occurred on the New Moon. The ‘ides’, or mid-month, were the full moons.

Read more about how our modern calendar came into being.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/romancalendar.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendar
http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-roman.html
https://www.livescience.com/45650-calendar-history.html
 
The Romans also gave us the names of the days of the week and anyone who has any romance language experience can see this. The names of the week are based on the Sun, Moon and the names of the five planets known to the Romans. While Saturday, Sunday, and Monday made it through to today’s modern English, the Anglo-Saxons replaced the other four with the names of their gods.

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Today’s Astrology Tale: The Bull and the Scorpion

Once upon a time, in the Mojave Desert, a Bull came across a Scorpion sunning itself. And if we were to sit down and quietly listen to the conversation between the two, we might be surprised how what we learn from them can rocket us to success. The key to this interaction is to be a wise Bull; to learn, discover and grow, but to not get so carried away in the moment that you get stung. Indeed, the lessons of balance present themselves again in this astrological phase.

You may be feeling many strong influences from the last Super Blood Harvest Moon to purge and detoxify yourself socially, professionally, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically. One of the benefits of “cleaning the slate” is that you open yourself up exponentially to better things and healthy growth. Your eyes will be opened to new opportunities.

This Taurus moon makes us feel that we have the chance to have everything we could possibly ask for! The key for this phase is to positively visualize your goals while still remaining realistic about your current situation. Astrology tells us this with the following influences.

Today is a Super Moon in Taurus which is being lit by a beautiful Sun in Scorpio, hence the Bull and the Scorpion. This Super Moon will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter. Since we have had so many Super Moons this year, five to be exact, you can look back at previous posts to see how and why Super Moons occur and how the moon’s influence is equally increased during these periods.

Because this Super Moon occurs in Taurus, we feel the effects on our sub-conscious strongly through the influences of Taurus’ ruling planet Venus. Venus is a planet of feminine energy focused on love, beauty and the things that make us comfortable. Venus is currently located between Jupiter, a masculine planet of expansion, and Mars, also a masculine energy of action in the sign of Virgo. Virgo is a sign that focuses heavily on where we devote our time. Let’s put that aspect all together for a moment. The Bull, in this tale, is feeling that there is room to grow and reach an ideal state in an area that affects its feelings of comfort, love and stability.

The Scorpion, our representation of the Sun in Scorpio, is ruled by Mars and Pluto. Mars brings the influence of being active while Pluto is dealing with Fate, Destiny and the Unknown. Our conscious mind, our Ego, is also being driven to move forward to achieve our goals. The prospect of going outside our comfort zone, even if it is to get to a better place, can be very overwhelming. Especially for our beloved Bull, who prizes stability and comfort.

The other major influences that are coming in to play today are Mercury, Saturn and Neptune. Mercury is in Libra until the beginning of November. Generally, this is a positive influence allowing folks to say just the right thing at just the right time. Libra allows us to look at things from all points of view if we try. This will be important as we try to balance the needs of self, expressed by Taurus, with the needs of participating in partnerships and relationships, as expressed by Scorpio.

Neptune is in Pisces. Neptune is creative, receptive, connected to spirit. In Pisces and Sextile to the Full Moon in Taurus, this influence has a tendency to let you get carried away in your own fairy tale. Taurus is often willing to indulge in some escapism to avoid unpleasantness. This is a time to stay grounded and address things in a more direct way.

We can see this because Saturn, ever the planet of responsibility and reliability, is Quincunx to this Full Moon and square to Neptune. Saturn is keeping us on track by insisting that the Bull remember that he is in fact having interaction with a Scorpion. If you don’t “keep it real” you are going to get hurt. Avoid the frustration and confusion that can arise between reality and illusion during this phase!

I hope this helps you navigate the feelings and impulses you may be feeling during this beautiful full moon. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to post them in the comments section. Blessed Be!

At this point I just want to point out to Lady Atheona that I just used “quincunx” in a sentence correctly.
Thank you!
​
All my love,
~Lady Rowyn