#Sowing of wheat

[todaymandibhav]

गेहूं की बुवाई करते समय इन बातों का रखें विशेष ध्यान, फसल उत्पादन और गुणवत्ता में होगी वृद्धि

Sowing of wheat: नवंबर का महीना शुरू होते ही किसानों ने गेहूं की बुवाई की तैयारियां तेज कर दी हैं। कृषि विशेषज्ञों का मानना है कि 1 से 15 नवंबर का समय गेहूं की बुवाई के लिए सबसे उपयुक्त होता है, क्योंकि इस दौरान तापमान 20-25 डिग्री सेल्सियस रहता है जो अंकुरण के लिए आदर्श है। समय पर बुवाई से फसल का उत्पादन बेहतर होता है, जबकि देरी से बुवाई करने पर फसल के विकास और उत्पादन पर प्रतिकूल असर पड़ सकता…

[umangharyana]

Happy Seeder Machine: पराली जलाने की समस्या का समाधान और गेहूं की बुवाई में मददगार

किसान भाई रबी सीजन में गेहूं की बुवाई के लिए खेतों की तैयारियों में जुट जाते हैं। लेकिन धान की कटाई के बाद उनका सबसे बड़ा संकट होता है खेतों में बची पराली की समस्या। पहले पराली को जलाना या उसे साफ करना किसानों के लिए एक जरूरी काम होता था, जिससे खेती की लागत बढ़ जाती थी। अब इस समस्या का समाधान है, हैप्पी सीडर मशीन (Happy Seeder Machine), जो न केवल पराली को जलाए बिना बुवाई कर देती है, बल्कि समय,…

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“TO PROPOSE FARM STRIKE,” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. November 8, 1932. Page 3. ---- Resolution Expected at U.G.G. Convention Here Wednesday --- Canadian Press. CALGARY, Nov. 8 --- Delegates to the United Grain Growers convention in Saskatoon tomorrow will present a resolution favoring a nation-wide strike of farmers, according to John McNaughton, leader of the Rumsey, Alta., movement, which urges farmers not to sow wheat in 1933 in protest against low prices and lack of government support. 

DELEGATES ARRIVING Delegates are beginning to gather today in Saskatoon for the 26th annual meeting of United Grain Growers Ltd., which opens in the Legion Hall Wednesday morning at ten o’clock. This is the first occasion in the history of the company on which an annual meeting has been held in Saskatoon. Previous meetings have for the most part alternated between Winnipeg and Calgary, but several years ago it was decided by the delegates that meetings ought also to be held in Saskatchewan, with a view to the considerable volume of business done in this province and to the thousands of shareholders who are residents of Saskatchewan. Three years ago a meeting was held in Regina, and last year, the invitation of the city council and of the board of trade to meet in this city was accepted. 

The 30,000 shareholders of United Grain Growers Ltd. are organized into 350 locals in Manitoba. Saskatchewan and Alberta, and several in British Columbia. Each local elects a delegate to the annual meeting, and in the case of some of the larger locals two delegates are elected. A full complement of delegates is expected. 

R. S. Law, president of the company and the other members of the board of directors arrived in Saskatoon this morning, and have been in session during the day. J. J. MacLellan of Purple Springs, Atla., is first vice-president, and John K. Reid, of Orcadia. Sask.. is second vice-president, other directors are F. F. Bayne of Winnipeg. Hon. D. G. McKenzie of Biandon Man., R. G. Brown of Pilot Mound, Man., John Morrison of Yellow-grass, Sask.. J. F. Collyer of Welwyn, Sask., Robt. Shannon of Grandora, Sask., G. F. Roose. Camrose. Alta., S. Sears of Nanton, Alta and C. F. Hope of Fort Langley. B.C. Wednesday at 6.30 p.m. the annual dinner of the company is to be held in the Hudson's Bay Companys dining room.

[breelandwalker]

Sturgeon Supermoon - August 19 2024

Buckle up, witches - we've got supermoons on the horizon and August begins the wild ride!

Sturgeon Supermoon - August 19, 2024

The Sturgeon Moon is the name given to the first full moon in August. The name comes from the plentiful numbers of sturgeon which appear around this time of year.

Sturgeons are living prehistoric relics, examples of which appear in the fossil record as far back as 200 million years ago. Today, they are endangered due to overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss, but giant sturgeons growing up to 12ft (3.65m) long were once a common sight in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain in North America.

Other North American Indigenous names for this moon include Flying Up Moon (Cree), Corn Moon (Algonquin and Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), Dry Moon (Catawba), Mountain Shadows Moon (Tlingit), and Black Cherries Moon (Assiniboine). European names for this moon include Haymaking Moon (Norse), Lightning Moon (English), and Grain Moon (Anglo-Saxon).

It's also interesting to note that in China, the seventh full moon of the lunar year is called the Hungry Ghost Moon, during which spirits of departed ancestors visit their relatives and homes, and trickster spirits may cause mayhem among the living if not properly appeased. Food offerings and incense are put out for ancestor spirits, families visit gravesites to offer prayers and site maintenance, and festival dances and floating lanterns celebrate the honored dead.

What Does It Mean For Witches?

The August full moon is the first of FOUR CONSECUTIVE SUPERMOONS for the 2024 calendar year. So if you've got a lunar magic inclination and the patience for a long-term working, this a great time to start making things happen!

Peak illumination will occur at 2:26pm EST so tonight's moon will be big and bright and full of potential.

August's full moon is technically both a supermoon AND a seasonal blue moon. A blue moon is the second full moon occurring in a calendar month. A seasonal blue moon is the third full moon in a season when four full moons occur. September's full moon falls before the autumn equinox this year.

Both blue moons and supermoons are particularly advantageous times for spellwork, especially that which involves the fulfillment of goals, desires, and wishes, or the culmination of long-term plans. It's also a great time to start new projects and set new goals for the fall and winter.

Supermoons carry your magical workings forward with a little dash of extra strength and vigor, and may provide extra clarity during divination or reflection. It's also the perfect time for spells related to wishmaking and abundance, drawing in the appearance of something long-awaited or extra bit of luck or prosperity you've been needing. And with three more supermoons coming our way in September, October, and November, this is a particularly advantageous time to begin a long-term working that will culminate toward the end of the year.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

In August, we harvest one set of crops and sow another, reaping the rewards of our previous efforts and planting the seeds of future success. Look back on the magical workings you've done so far this year - how are they working out? Have any of your spells produced especially notable results? Go back and add to your notes, making sure to record anything that worked particularly well. (And also anything that DIDN'T work well. Remember that failure is a learning experience too.)

Evaluate your progress and reflect on what you want to carry forward and what you might need to put on hold or just let go for the time being. If you're partial to divination, a reading may help to provide some additional clarity on your current status, as well as some perspective on the possibilities for the near future.

Celebrate the harvest of grain and corn with your favorite recipes or a summer picnic. But don't just limit yourself to corn and wheat! Late summer fruits are also ripe and make a tasty addition to any table.

Set your intentions and your goals for the latter part of the year and start preparing for the autumn and winter. It may seem silly to prepare for the cold when the weather is still blazing hot, but it will be here before you know it. Take time for one more summer beach trip or camping excursion before the hustle and bustle of the fall sets in.

The observation of blue moons and supermoons as magical occasions are a modern addition to witchcraft, but the lack of antiquity doesn't mean there's any shortage of metaphysical potential!

Prepare for a bountiful fall season with lots of opportunities to make things happen. Set yourself up for success by making your wants and needs clear in your spellwork. Attend to practical matters to remove whatever obstacles you can and clear the way for your hard work and magical endeavors to pay off.

Set out a big jug of potable water each month to catch the light of the supermoons between now and November - it will be great for cleansing, protection, wish-making, and drinkable potion bases later! If you've got wildcrafted or garden-grown herbs with a lunar alignment, or which correspond to prosperity, success, and strength, harvest a few this evening and keep them specially labeled for future workings. And remember to put out your moon jars!

All in all, this month's full moon is supercharged with lunar energy and primed for magical workings, so make your spells count!

Happy Sturgeon Moon, witches! 🌕🐟

Further Reading:

Additional Lunar Calendar posts by Bree NicGarran

2024 Witches' Calendar post by Bree NicGarran

Supermoon in August 2024: The First of the Year!, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Hooked on the Magic of August’s Full Sturgeon Moon, The Peculiar Brunette.

Hungry Ghost Festival, China Travel, June 20 2023.

Sturgeon, Wikipedia Article.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

Image Credit: "Leaping Gulf Sturgeon," by Dawn Witherington

(If you're enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, subscribe to my monthly show Hex Positive, or check out my published works on Amazon and in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[4dkellysworld]

Begin with just today

Some are discouraged because they cannot change the conditions at once. They forget that they have sowed and harvested for years crops of error. They expect to come to the field and sprinkle wheat over it and see an immediate fruitage: forgetting for the moment that that very field has been thickly sown with tares. But the true overcomer recognizes that the law which he is now putting into operation for good is the very one that he has been distorting and using to produce evil, and that the weeding process must now begin, and the constant planting of good thoughts, good deeds and words. This is all a glorious work to the overcomer, no matter how great the problem before him, he moves towards it, and as he does he finds plenty of proof that he is gaining each day, until he at last finds that the steep hill over which he had to go, has diminished and faded away and that after all, it was made up of countless little steps which when taken day after day, finally brought him to the height of attainment without ever tackling the thing as a whole. “Oh, ye of little faith,” why will we go on, failing to do the little things, for of them the big things are made. If we are to move a mountain we must begin by taking away some small portion of it. Every grain of dust has to be moved before the whole mountain will be put away, and it is the realizing of this that makes the work worthwhile. We can begin just where this finds us, and take away the obstacles which confront us today, perhaps this is the tendency to think discouraging thoughts about the possible outcome, maybe it is a mental laziness, or maybe it is a feeling that “My problem is greater than yours,” but anyway whatever it is, it is just a little grain of dust which must be moved away today, so that tomorrow more debris can be removed, and at last by daily cleansing and putting away, we will find the mountain has been entirely moved and that we have attained the heights of demonstration.

Abd Allah, Teacher, Healer by Walter C. Lanyon

[flowerishness]

Sonchus arvensis (perennial sow-thistle)

Round-up

A perennial sow-thistle enjoys a sunny day at the beach. This plant is native to Eurasia but is often described (by farmers) as a noxious, invasive weed, and is now 'naturalized' throughout North America, South America, Russia, New Zealand and Australia. Like it's relative the dandelion, it arrived from Europe during the Age of Exploration and it's probably been growing in North America for five hundred years. I have no doubt that the first seeds arrived on someone's muddy boot.

The Minnesota Wildflowers website reports, "This species is a rapid colonizer from deep, extensive underground root systems. Once listed as a Minnesota state noxious weed, it is now widely established throughout the state but is not as problematic agronomically as was once thought. Round-up Ready crops took care of much of the problem." '

Round-up (2,4-d) is a powerful broad-spectrum herbicide used extensively in modern agriculture. Round-up Ready crops include soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets and cotton and Round-up resistant wheat is under development. Round-up has been extensively tested and under normal concentrations it is not considered injurious to human health but this research is controversial and many lawsuits are pending. In 2023, 91% of the corn, 95% of soybeans, and 94% of cotton produced in the United States were from genetically modified, herbicide-resistant strains. For everybody's sake, I hope these safety studies are correct.

A final note: as a gardener you are advised to wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, gloves, goggles and a mask when applying Round-up, not that anybody does. Personally, I never use the stuff. I get rid of weeds the old-fashioned way - I use my hands.

[thefollow-spot]

They Call To Be Heard, They Curse My Return

|| Hunith & Merlin ● G ● WC: 500 ● Warning: MCD ||

Summary: After Arthur's death, Merlin returns to Ealdor to help with the harvest. // Written for @merlinmicrofic 2024, for the prompt 'Home'.

---

“I’m scared I shouldn’t be here,” Merlin says.

Hunith, mending a shirt by the evening fire, looks across the cottage: a bowl of light for the hearth. He’s in bed, speaking to the pillow, gaze still glazed over like he’s got everything at a distance.

“Merlin?” she says. He sounds hoarse:

“I’m putting you at risk.” His face pinches, feeling an old wound. Hunith doesn’t understand.

It’s early summer now; hot afternoons surrender to damp nights smeared with blue. The river is yet swollen. In the long days, youth have grown to till, sow, and harvest wheat. And Hunith’s son returns from Camelot.

“You’re not,” she says, leaving her work over the stool. She goes to him and kneels by his face. His cheekbones protrude; heavy lines hang under his eyes. “Why would you say that?”

This bed—she afforded it on his money. He was rich in Camelot: the King’s dear friend. Always with gold to spare, sending it home wrapped in good leather. Her boy became a man, writing her about beasts, quests, and friends.  

“Something’ll happen,” Merlin says. “Something always happens.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think I’m being… punished.” He sounds puzzled, like the nonsense of the statement confuses even him. “And… and maybe, if I forget that I am, something will happen. To you.”

There was a war, and his king died.

Hunith barely knows what else—tries to read it in Merlin’s face. Whatever he bears, he’s hidden it too far down. Now it eats him alive.

Gaius sent for her, begging her to make the trip:

Merlin is in dreadful need, he wrote. He should see his mother.

So she arrived, and the Queen received her: dressed thunderously in black against the white courtyard stone. She took her up to the physician’s tower where Merlin was shut in his room, staring out the window. He didn’t flinch when the door opened, didn’t turn when she spoke.

“My boy,” she hushes, and touches his brow, smooths back his hair. His skin is cool. “What are you talking about, punished?”

Pain flickers across his face: cavernous, wet.

“I don’t know,” he whispers, embarrassed. His cheeks flush; Hunith barely sees in the bronze dim, but he’s pale, and the colour shows. He turns away to stare at the wall; she strokes his tangled hair.

I’d like you to come home, she said. You know we always need help with the harvest this time of year. He’s always been smart—she’s sure he saw through her.

Gwen needs me. But he gave in when she kissed his forehead and said,

Please, Merlin.

I’ll just come for the harvest.

“You should be here,” Hunith says. Nowhere else, while you’re in such a bad way. “Whether for a season or a year. I’m going to look after you.”

But she’s struck something wrong because he tenses, and trembles, and curls inward. The sun has gone down. Merlin breathes like someone heavy is laying on his chest, and begins to weep.

[witchtickles]

Cerridwen

Deity Of: Magic, wisdom, transformation, poetry, creativity, herbalism Animals: white pig, crow, hen, hare Crystals: moonstone, selenite Herbs & Trees: vervain, wheat, barley, oak, poppy Favorite Offerings: grains, acorns, pork, vervain leaves Symbols: Cauldron, white sow, grain

Cerridwen was an enchantress from Welsh legend and the mother of a beautiful daughter, Creirwy, and a hideous son, Morfran. Cerridwen knew that her son would never be accepted because of his looks, so she sought to make a potion that would make him the wisest man alive in compensation.

She began to brew a potion in her magical cauldron that would grant her son the gift of wisdom and poetic inspiration, also called Awen. The potion had to brew for a year and a day, so she set a blind man named Morda to tend the fire, and a young boy named Gwion Bach to stir the potion. Once completed, the first three drops would grant the gift of Awen and the rest was fatal poison.

On the final day of the brewing, when the potion was ready, the boy spilled three drops of it onto his thumb. Instinctively, he put his thumb in his mouth to sooth the burn, thus consuming the wisdom and inspiration meant for Morfran. Understanding what he had done, Gwion Bach fled to avoid Cerridwen's anger.

She gave chase, and using the powers of the potion, Gwion Bach attempted to elude her by transforming into a series of animals. He became a hare and Cerridwen became a greyhound. He became a salmon and jumped into the river, and she became an otter. He became a sparrow and she became a hawk. Finally, he turned into a single kernel of corn and Cerridwen turned into a hen and ate him.

Because of the potion, he was not destroyed and instead Cerridwen became pregnant. She vowed to kill him when he was born, but the baby was so beautiful that she could not bring herself to do it. Instead, she placed the baby in a coracle and pushed him out to sea. He was rescued on the Welsh shore by a prince and grew up to become the legendary bard, Taliesin.

[prolifeproliberty]

Why does God allow evil to exist?

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭24‬-‭30‬ ‭NASB

“But God is perfect and all powerful, why can’t He get rid of the evil without harming the good?”

Because the evil isn’t just “bad people” among us. The evil is in our own sinful hearts. To get rid of evil, He would have to get rid of us too.

In our Baptism, in Confession and Absolution, in hearing the Gospel, and in Holy Communion, we receive the forgiveness of our sins won for us by Christ on the cross. But while we live here on earth, we still live with our sinfulness - though we are no longer slaves to it (Romans 6).

When Christ returns on the Last Day, then we can finally be resurrected in our glorified, perfected bodies and live with Him without sin and all its consequences. That will happen - just in God’s timing, not ours.

It may feel like we are waiting a long time and suffering under the weight of evil in this world, but when we are in the world without end, this life will seem like a distant memory, a blip compared to eternity.

Almighty, everlasting God, Your Son has assured forgiveness of sins and deliverance from eternal death. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ may increase daily and that we may hold fast to the hope that on the Last Day we shall be raised in glory to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

[molkolsdal]

"Sowing Life"

Taghm (Seed Sowing) Festival.

Taghm marks the start of the spring (agriculture) season in Gojal Hunza after several months of the bone-chilling winter. People of the valley after Taghm festival formally start farming, including irrigation of agricultural lands.

The Taghm festival starts with the preparation of a local cuisine called “Semn” in a cooking procedure dubbed in the Wakhi language as “Pirkiten.” Other traditional foods prepared during the festival include “Mul” and “Bath.”

The most interesting and exciting part of the Taghm festival is the Tumang, during which members of the “Shogun Putuk” (initiators) tribe officially announce start of the cultivation season by setting fire to leaves of a plant called “Yarz” and by throwing wheat seeds on the roof of an old house from inside the house through an opening in the ceiling called “Ricin” in Wakhi language. The next big thing in the Taghm festival is a game that features a man attired and acting like a bull. He entertains the audience by performing different playful acts.

After the game, the start of farming season is demonstrated with the Shogun Putuks ploughing the field in a traditional way (with the help of bulls), and small children being introduced to farming in a process called “Sk Spunder Khack.” The festival goers then eat the dishes prepared and brought in one place from across the village.

The people of Gulmit in particular, and those of Gojal Valley in general, have perfectly preserved the Taghm festival for centuries now.

Taseer Beyg

[eulaliasims]

Shep round 1, 1/2

Shep gets to be my trial-and-error sim and go first this round. As you can see, she's super thrilled about it.

She soon spots Norweni, starting off on her usual rounds from the Seax farm next-door, and rushes to say hello. Shep has only recently set up shop in Veridia, moving out on her own from her mothers' home nearby, but Norweni's travels and younger exploits are legendary in the wider area. Shep would love to hear some stories, maybe over a cup of mead sometime--

Norweni: That's all in the past. I prefer not to talk about it. Everything good here? You need anything?

Shep: Uh, no--

Norweni: Great. Let me know if that changes.

Can we all stop standing in the decorative cart???

Okay, Norweni's kinda brusque, whatever. Shep has stuff to do anyway, like trekking over to the public well to draw water--

--and, more importantly for a Popularity sim, socialize! One of her new neighbors introduces herself as Derelei. Derelei is quick to catch Shep up on everything from the newest gossip to the recent weather.

Eisu: Ahh, I remember that stage. It'll pass, heh. You just gotta let them test their independence!

Wolfric: :(

Derelei: Here's a free sample for you to mess around with!

Is it the fucking widescreen TV

Derelei: (: (:

Of course it is.

Shep has to skedaddle home before long with her illicit TV. Seeds need sowing, and she needs to check on the skep. Her mothers insisted she take a queen cell to start a hive at her new homestead. She's not looking to start making mead like them... but the honey would be nice.

I'm having to spend a lot more time managing Shep's needs than I'm used to! That will probably be easier in the multi-sim households, where the work gets spread around more, I hope.

After a hard two days of planting, Shep treats herself to a trip to the bathhouse and Veridia's mead hall. The cook at the hall makes a mean pasty, and Shep spends some time afterward introducing herself to more locals, like Fial, Norweni's sister, and Helenet the midwife. Shep heard rumors that Helenet is some sort of witch or fae, but she doesn't see any pointy ears, and Helenet seems perfectly nice, if a little shy.

The wheat is coming along nicely; the weeds are also coming along nicely. Gardening works up quite an appetite; Shep has to admit, she misses having Mama's fresh bread and cheese ready and waiting at noontime.

Shep has a much less awkward chat with Norweni at the well when Norweni inquires about how the garden is going. Apparently she just really isn't interested in talking about past things.

Also at the well is Shep's new friend, Derelei! She's so easy and fun to talk to.

[cakerybakery]

20 minutes until I lose cell reception!

Uhhhhhhhhhh

Adam farmer on Earth, his crops are failing. A neighbour tells him to make a sacrifice to the devil cause that’s what he does.

Adam feels bad about sacrificing a lamb and can’t do it so he burns some wheat.

Lucifer shows up anyways. Thinks it’s sweet that this guy couldn’t sacrifice an animal so he asked for a date in exchange for a good harvest.

Next spring Adam does it again and goes on another date in exchange for a good harvest.

Slowly Adam falls for Lucifer. Having dates once a year. As he gets older he asks why the devil still asks for a date, Adam is elderly and doesn’t feel attractive anymore. Lucifer still looks young and tells him he’s been around since the beginning of time, he fell for the good person Adam is, not his body.

Adam doesn’t bother to till the land or sow seeds. He’s not long for this world anymore. He goes to the store and buys some apples. He sacrifices them and asks to join Lucifer in hell.

Lucifer agrees and to the living world Adam just disappeared one day.

In hell Adam’s youth is returned and they live happily ever after.

Made it!

[notthesomefather]

Prayer to Sif

[[original work]]

Lady of the meadow, hear us as we praise you in the summer's dawn. She of the dancing barley and wheat, join us as we celebrate the harvest of our labors. May we hear your voice, luminous and fair.

Lady of radiant metamorphosis, help us tend the seeds of our own growth. She whose kisses calm the thundering storms, bless us with serenity when rest is needed. May you inspire in us light as golden as your hair.

Lady of the parting clouds, guide us as we reach towards our potential. She who nourishes the grains we sow, show us the way when our paths need tending. May we show ourselves and others patience and care.

Lady of life-giving crops, teach us how we too can mature and benefit our communities. She of the glittering crown, remind us to reflect on the gifts we've been given. May you accept our offerings and thanks and this humble prayer.

Hail Sibb!

[breelandwalker]

Sturgeon Moon - August 1, 2023

Buckle up, witches - with two supermoons in store, August is gonna be a wild ride!

Sturgeon Supermoon - August 1, 2023

The Sturgeon Moon is the name given to the first full moon in August. The name comes from the plentiful numbers of sturgeon which appear around this time of year.

Sturgeons are living prehistoric relics, examples of which appear in the fossil record as far back as 200 million years ago. Today, they are endangered due to overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss, but giant sturgeons growing up to 12ft (3.65m) long were once a common sight in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain in North America.

Other North American Indigenous names for this moon include Flying Up Moon (Cree), Corn Moon (Algonquin and Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), Dry Moon (Catawba), Mountain Shadows Moon (Tlingit), and Black Cherries Moon (Assiniboine). European names for this moon include Haymaking Moon (Norse), Lightning Moon (English), and Grain Moon (Anglo-Saxon).

It's also interesting to note that in China, the seventh full moon of the lunar year is called the Hungry Ghost Moon, during which spirits of departed ancestors visit their relatives and homes, and trickster spirits may cause mayhem among the living if not properly appeased. Food offerings and incense are put out for ancestor spirits, families visit gravesites to offer prayers and site maintenance, and festival dances and floating lanterns celebrate the honored dead. In 2023, the Hungry Ghost Moon month will take place from August 16th to September 14th, beginning and ending on the new moons.

Blue Supermoon - August 30, 2023

Blue moons can occur when a full moon appears twice in a calendar month or four times in a season, as opposed to the usual three. August's Blue Supermoon is an example of the former, falling on the night of August 30-31 and peaking around 9:36pm EST.

This blue supermoon is especially notable, since it's the closest that our beloved satellite has been so far this year. The next time the moon will be this close to Earth again will be November 5, 2025, and we won't see another Blue Moon until August 19, 2024.

What Does It Mean For Witches?

Both blue moons and supermoons are particularly advantageous times for spellwork, especially that which involves the fulfillment of goals, desires, and wishes, or the culmination of long-term plans. It's also a great time to start new projects and set new goals for the fall and winter.

Blue moons carry your magical workings forward with a little dash of extra strength and vigor, and may provide extra clarity during divination or reflection. It's also the perfect time for spells related to second chances and abundance, drawing in that much-needed do-over or extra bit of luck or prosperity you've been needing.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

In August, we harvest one set of crops and sow another, reaping the rewards of our previous efforts and planting the seeds of future success. Look back on the magical workings you've done so far this year - how are they working out? Have any of your spells manifested in especially notable results? Go back and add to your notes, making sure to record anything that worked particularly well.

Evaluate your progress and reflect on what you want to carry forward and what you might need to put on hold or just let go for the time being. If you're partial to divination, a reading may help to provide some additional clarity on your current status, as well as some perspective on the possibilities for the near future.

Celebrate the harvest of grain and corn with your favorite recipes or a summer picnic. This year's August moon falls on Lughnasadh, also called Lammas, and the baking of bread and corn cakes are traditional for this occasion. But don't just limit yourself to corn and wheat! Late summer fruits are also ripe and make a tasty addition to any table.

Set your intentions and your goals for the latter part of the year and start preparing for the autumn and winter. It may seem silly to prepare for the cold when the weather is still blazing hot, but it will be here before you know it. Take time for one more summer beach trip or camping excursion before the hustle and bustle of the fall sets in.

The observation of the blue moon as a magical occasion is a modern addition to witchcraft, but the lack of antiquity doesn't mean there's any shortage of metaphysical potential!

Dive into your stash of blue clothes and accessories for some color magic. (Blue is generally associated with peace, harmony, understanding, clarity, and truth.) Set out a big jug of potable water to catch the light of these double supermoons - it will be great for cleansing, protection, wish-making, and drinkable potion bases later!

All in all, August is supercharged with lunar energy and primed for magical workings, so make your spells count!

Happy Sturgeon Moon, witches! 🌕🐟

Further Reading:

Additional Lunar Calendar posts by Bree NicGarran

Sturgeon Full and Blue Moon: August 2023, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Sturgeon Moon 2023: The Unique Supermoon Meaning of August, The Peculiar Brunette.

Blue Moon Meaning and Astonishing Spiritual Secrets in 2023, The Peculiar Brunette.

Hungry Ghost Festival, China Travel, June 20 2023.

Sturgeon, Wikipedia Article.

Lughnasadh, Wikipedia Article.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

Image Credit: "Leaping Gulf Sturgeon," by Dawn Witherington

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[artist-issues]

Halloween is coming!

Imagine what it must've been like to see the first autumn. Everything changes color, and you get to harvest what you've been working so hard at—but maybe you discover that in some places you did it wrong, or poorly, and you don't get to harvest as much. And then, horror of horrors, those plants you worked so hard on appear to die. They drop all those beautiful leaves or their brilliant colors start to turn to brown.

And it gets colder, and the nights come faster. Imagine being a person seeing that change for the first time, and going, "this is it. This is the curse. This is horrible." And you cling to like your wheat or your corn that you harvested as it gets colder and you wonder if you have enough, because the plants are dead, there's no more to get, and it's only getting darker and colder.

Makes the first (second?) spring even more wonderful!

I don't know theologically if that's how it happened. But no wonder Autumn comes around and you have this dichotomy in the human response: celebration and thankfulness for what you have, versus fear and awareness of death as everything around you fades into winter and darkness. Did you make the most of your time? Did you make the right choices and sow the right seeds? Any little slip up is life or death, and death is everywhere, inescapable like the consequences of your actions—but actually, not inescapable. Not undefeatable. Because there's such a thing called grace. It's not all down to you. There is a God who gives gifts you didn't sow, didn't deserve, in the darkest time of year. (Hello, Christmastime!) So when the monsters come out you can go, "yeah but you won't win!"

Something something Halloween.