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JULY 2017 NEWSLETTER  Thank you for subscribing to Inner Circle Sanctuary's newsletter. Included is information about the month of July, links to our upcoming events sponsored by ICS, and how you can become a member.  WELCOME TO INNER CIRCLE SANCTUARY'S JULY NEWSLETTER The highest and brightest day of the sun has passed, but we are in store for hotter weather because of the phenomenon called “The Lag of Seasons.” Like a pot of water put over a high flame, it still takes time for the water to reach its boiling point, as it will take the earth to feel the effects of the Midsummer sun. It’s the same reason why January and February are colder than December when Midwinter occurs. Here, in Las Vegas, for the past few weeks, our temperatures have already surpassed our historical highs for this time of year.  Read the EPA report on how climate change will affect Las Vegas in the future. If you live in the USA, there is an EPA report for each state. Type "climate change epa + your state name” to see it. Some states put out there own reports which you might want to peruse as well. QUINTILIS  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.
 dies is believed to be derived from the Latin “from the Gods” “Tuesday comes from Tiu, or Tiw, the Anglo-Saxon name for Tyr, the Norse god of war. Tyr was one of the sons of Odin, or Woden, the supreme deity after whom Wednesday was named. Similarly, Thursday originates from Thor's-day, named in honor of Thor, the god of thunder. Friday was derived from Frigg's-day, Frigg, the wife of Odin, representing love and beauty, in Norse mythology.” ~ Encyclopedia Britannica JULY LORE July third begins the “Dog Days of Summer” that last until August 11. At this time, the sun shares the same space as Sirius, the Dog Star. Legend says the Dog Star conspired with the sun to make the days hotter. Others believed the hot weather caused dogs to go mad.  If the first of July be rainy weather, It will rain, more of less, for four weeks together. - John Ray, English Proverbs Hot July brings cooling showers, Apricots and gillyflowers. - Sara Coleridge, Pretty Lessons in Verse If ant hills are high in July, Winter will be snowy. JULY BIRTHSTONES  RUBY Red has always been the color of fiery emotion, deep passion and fury. As a gemstone, the semi-transparent nature of this red, faceted stone seems to glow with an internal fire. Many cultures saw this stone as a“Stone of Kings”, in Sanskrit, it is known as Ratnaraj, “King of precious stones”. The Hindus believed that fine rubies offered to Krishna would ensure the givers rebirth as emperors and as such bring them peace, power, wealth and protection. The soldiers of the Burmese armies would install these stones in their flesh, granting them invincibility in battle. In the more modern day, the red fluorescence power of the ruby helped build the first working laser in 1960. Rubies are fine stones when used for work relating to passion and desire, as well as used in or worn for protection working.  ONYX Long thought to be a stone that brought sadness and depression, mined in China, the workers would not “willingly touch or own this gem for fear of bad dreams, misfortune, and loss of energy”. Traditional Onyx is black in color with multi colored bands, usually of red, brown, orange and white. The bands are straight in true onyx, and can be easily confused with Agate. Onyx has long been used in jewelry; Romans used these in seals and in Victorian England, mostly used in cameos. The stone was prized for its subtle, somber nature and basic black beauty. The negativity surrounding the stone is mainly in the user’s mind and can be used handily for protection and where negativity has been directed at you. If you are fair to the advances of unwanted adoration or sexual advances, noted Wiccan Scott Cunningham, describes onyx as useful for temporarily dampening the sex drive or containing energy of any kind. JULY FLOWERS  WATER LILY When you see a water lily, it’s hard not to conjure a dainty nymph dancing upon the water. Water Lily’s Latin classification is Nymphaeaceae (nim-fuh-see) inspired by the nymphs of mythology. Whether painted by Monet or serving as the national flower of Bangladesh (white) or Sri Lanka (blue), water lilies have represented rebirth, optimism, love, life, & creation. Throughout history and in several cultures, the Water Lily symbolizes many different things from healing to transmutation to passion to chastity. In magic, find the meaning you resonate with and utilize appropriately.  LARKSPUR Larkspur has been memorialized in Greek myth as a memorial flower, as sky steps from heaven in Native American mythology, and as a patient bunny in Christian legend. For witches, larkspur is seen as a great protective ingredient for any spell regarding ‘Heroes’ like police, firemen, and soldiers or to honor them. Larkspur is said to protect against both corporeal (insects, pest invaders, etc) and non-corporeal beings (ghosts, malevolent spirits, etc.) when planted near the home or worn. JULY ZODIAC SIGNS Many of you will recognize some or all of these traits in the Cancers & Leos that come in and out of your lives. Some will have more of the positive traits and others will have more of the negative. If they are recognized, and if the person is willing, these tendencies can be changed. These prescriptions are not set in stone. And because of that, they are also, not an excuse for being a jerk. ~Atheona  CANCER If you know someone born in July before the 22, their zodiac sign is Cancer, the crab. Traits for Cancer include: tenacity and/or stubbornness emotional and/or moody sympathetic and compassionate and/or hypersensitive persuasive and/or manipulative friendly, outgoing, and talkative and/or gossipy or uncommunicative Cancers are caretakers with great nurturing abilities who love and are loyal to their close friends and family. However, they don’t often reveal much of themselves.  LEO If you know someone born in July on the 23rd or after, their zodiac sign is Leo, the Lion. Traits for Leos include: Confidence and/or arrogance ambitious and/or self-centered humorous and/or dramatic focused and/or inflexible competitive and/or a sore loser Leos are natural born leaders and love being the ‘king of the jungle’. However, if the accolades from being top boss suddenly dry up or turn, the disappointed roar of the Leo can be heard across the entire jungle. UPCOMING EVENTS WITH INNER CIRCLE SANCTUARY  Pagan Bread Making Demonstration &Tasting with ICS Saturday, July 15 at 6 PM - 9 PM Posts you may have missed from the event invite on Facebook: The Magic of Bagels The Tradition of Bread & Salt The Bread Man at Lammas Mark 'Going' or 'Interested' to get updates from the Facebook event invite
BLOG POSTS FROM INNER CIRCLE SANCTUARY YOU MAY HAVE MISSED Midsummer 2017 Newsletter Your Holy Day (Birthday) 3 Reasons To Have A Community Booth At Pagan Pride Day 7 Reasons To Be A Vendor at Pagan Pride Daniel's Magical Name  How To Become a Member of Inner Circle Sanctuary Send us a message and we'll send you a few questions to start. Then, we'll make arrangements for a full interview, possibly two. Once the interview has been completed and discussed among the elders and you are accepted, your start date will be in a couple of weeks. http://www.innercirclesanctuary.com/1st-degree-classes.html If it has been a while since you've had classes with us, please contact us and we can assess where to go from there. http://www.innercirclesanctuary.com/2nd-degree-classes.html If you would like to attend a sabbat event, please send an inquiry and we will pair you with a current member to be your sponsor. Message us on Facebook Message us via Email  Stay Tuned for Inner Circle Sanctuary's Lughnasadh & August Newsletter! ARTICLE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM:
Lord Rand Lady Gwendolyn SOURCES 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 http://www.livius.org/sources/content/plutarch/plutarchs-caesar/caesars-calendar-reform/ http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/time5.htm https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-nv.pdf http://www.gia.edu http://www.americangemsociety.com http://www.witchipedia.com/herb:larkspur http://www.flowermeaning.com/larkspur-flower-meaning/ http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-does-a-water-lily-symbolize.html http://wiccanbeauty.com/water-lily-a-beautiful-magical-water-flower-you-can-enjoy-as-a-fragrance-oil/ http://tesswhitehurst.com/the-magical-and-metaphysical-properties-of-flowers/ http://www.sacredwicca.com/language-of-flowers http://www.witchipedia.com/herb:water-lily#toc5 http://www.gemsociety.com http://www.jewelsforme.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Cunningham ‘The Crystal Bible: A definitive Guide to Crystals’ by Judy Hall Larkspur, Cunningham, Scott, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Llewellyn Publications, Second Edition, 1984, 2016, page 152 PHOTOS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphinium#/media/File:Delph_1.jpg http://www.yokota.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/941960/dog-days-of-summer/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/luigi_and_linda/5007629773 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyr-brakteaten_fr%C3%A5n_Naglum,_Trollh%C3%A4ttan_(SHM_1164)_tecknad.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Del_av_hj%C3%A4lm_vendel_vendeltid_m%C3%B6jligen_oden.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thor,_siddende,_st%C3%B8ttet_til_sin_hammer.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frigga_in_Myths_of_Northern_Lands_by_H_A_Guerber.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hot_August_Dog_In_Pool.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_History_Museum_-_Corundum_(white_marble_with_ruby),_Burma.jpg http://viola.bz/ancient-arts-of-glyptics/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae#/media/File:Victoria_cruziana_flower.jpg https://www.horoscopedates.com/zodiac-signs/cancer/ https://www.horoscopedates.com/zodiac-signs/leo/  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  Photo from http://wmea-world.org/blog/ Even if you are not a follower or believer in astrology you may still take note when that spunky little planet Mercury starts appearing to move backward in the sky. The awareness has even made its way in to somewhat main stream media. One of the articles I used for this post came from the Huffington Post. Haha. How cool is that? What is Mercury Retrograde? Mercury Retrograde is when the planet Mercury APPEARS to be moving backward in the sky. This is an optical illusion created by the varying speeds of the planets as they travel around the sun.  From Earth it looks like Mercury travels the route shown above during a retrograde period. Follow the arrows as Mercury appears to be moving forward, then stops at the red dot (which is called stationing), appears to move backward, then stops again at the brown dot, and then continues forward on its usual course. Now, many posts and people will tell you that the Mercury Retrograde starts and ends at the stationing points. And when considering the actual position of the planet, technically that is correct. For the purposes of understanding the INFLUENCE on the Earth and its people then we need to look a little deeper. The influence of a Mercury Retrograde cycle actually begins slightly at or slightly before the blue dot on the graphic above, identified as when Mercury enters the pre-shadow. This is because the influence of Mercury on Earth will not return to “normal” until the planet travels through its retrograde phase, stations and then has continued to move forward again on what appears to be its usual course. See how the brown dot indicating Mercury Direct Station lines up with the blue dot indicating Mercury Retrograde enters Pre-Shadow? When Mercury gets back to where it “went off track” and resumes its normal course and “duties,” that is when the positive guidance of Mercury has resumed. Mercury, the deity, was said to watch over and essentially bless and help the mortals with activities involving communication, technology, travel, commerce, financial gain, eloquence and trickery & thieves. So when Mercury is in retrograde those things that He helped with are left without that positive guidance. Therefore, it has been noted that when Mercury is Retrograde all kinds of chaos ensues in all of those areas. It doesn’t end there! The Sun sign in which Mercury goes retrograde does add an additional influence to what may be affected. Usually, Mercury goes retrograde in one sign (let’s say Leo) and then goes direct in another sign (let’s say Virgo). For those who don’t know, Leo is associated with Fire and Virgo is associated with Earth. Meaning that the focus of Mercury’s ill effects is a bit spread around, lessening the load so to speak. This cycle however is fairly unique. Mercury goes retrograde in Libra and direct also in Libra, which is an Air sign. This is the third cycle this year where Mercury has been retrograde in only the Air element.
Mercury going retrograde and direct in the same sign is a powerful combination which intensifies the focus of ill effects. This happens about once every seven years or so. Let’s take a look back. The last time Mercury went Retrograde and Direct in only the Air sign three times was in 2008. Anyone remember the financial disaster of that year? And then seven years before that in 2001 when the dot com bubble burst. So this Mercury Retrograde cycle comes with some pretty dire predictions.  Lady Rowyn's Mercury candle: photo by Lady Sistterwolf All we can really do is be aware, prepare, research, refrain and be confident. Being aware is easily done by finding a reliable astrological calendar that will tell you when Mercury enters the pre-shadow phase. Because remember that is when we start feeling that influence! If you wait to action until Mercury is actually Retrograde, chances are you are feeling late. Research! Before making any decisions regarding financial gain, commerce, travel, etc, make sure to research thoroughly. There may be dangers, setbacks, important information that is currently hidden from you or other hiccups that could be avoided if you just refrain from taking action until the Mercury Retrograde phase has passed. Be confident! Just remember that you are a powerful being. Just because Mercury has gone on a bit of a vacation does not mean that you cannot safely succeed in all endeavors. When something sounds wrong to you, simply investigate. Forgive lovers and coworkers because their communication skills are being messed with too. Be kind. Give the benefit of the doubt to those you love. Take extra time to maintain your vehicles and other technology. And just know that this too shall pass. I highly recommend reading the following articles. Much of my information comes from these sources and I left out A LOT of really good stuff! Inner Circle Sanctuary does teach a simple candle spell to its students to help reverse away the negative effects of Mercury Retrograde. If you haven’t received it yet, please ask your instructor. Please feel free to add insights in the comments and ask questions. If you have corrections, I would love to see them! Be safe and be well! -Lady Rowyn Huffington Post article on Mercury Retrograde The Mercury Retrograde Calendar 2020 All images used in this article belong to their respective owners and copyright holders. Clicking on the photos will take you to their original page.
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