#the lunar sea

[quotesfrommyreading]

In 2013, neurobiologist Kristin Tessmar-Raible and her colleagues published some of the most compelling evidence of a molecular moon clock in an ocean creature. They studied the marine bristle worm Platynereis dumerilii, which looks like an amber centipede with tiny feathered oars running the length of its body. In the wild, the bristle worm lives on algae and rocks, spinning silk tubes for shelter. While reading studies from the 1950s and ’60s, Tessmar-Raible learned that some wild bristle worm populations achieve maximal sexual maturity just after the new moon, swimming to the ocean surface and twirling in circles in a kind of whirling dervish nuptial dance. The studies suggested that changing levels of moonlight orchestrated this mating ritual. “At first I thought this was really crazy in terms of biology,” says Tessmar-Raible, who notes that she grew up far from the ocean, “but then I started talking to colleagues in marine biology and realized that this might not be so uncommon.”

To learn more, Tessmar-Raible and her colleagues kept bristle worms in plastic boxes, feeding them spinach and fish food, and simulating typical and aberrant moon cycles with an array of standard light bulbs and LEDs. Worms raised in perpetual light or in entirely moonless day-night cycles never displayed reproductive rhythms. But worms reared with periodic nocturnal illumination synced their spawning rituals to the phases of their artificial moon. As suggested by earlier studies, Tessmar-Raible found light-sensitive neurons in the worms’ forebrains. And genetic sequencing revealed that the bristle worm has its own versions of essential molecular clock genes found in terrestrial insects and vertebrates. Tessmar-Raible’s conclusion is that the worms have a robust lunar clock analogous to the more familiar sun-synced circadian clock. “This is an endogenous oscillator,” she says. “Something in the body preserves the memory of those nocturnal illuminations.”

In similar studies, Oren Levy and his colleagues collected pieces of living corals from Heron Island reef and housed them in large outdoor aquaria, some of which were exposed to ambient sunshine and moonlight, some shaded at night to block all moonlight, and some subjected to dim artificial light from sunset to midnight and then kept in the dark until sunrise. Each day for eight days before the estimated night of mass spawning, the researchers collected bits of corals from the different aquaria and analyzed the activity of their genes. The corals in natural conditions spawned as predicted and expressed many genes only during or just before releasing their gametes. Corals subjected to artificial light and deprived of moonlight displayed anomalous gene expression and failed to release their gametes.

 —   The Lunar Sea

[oldschoolfrp]

Happy 6th anniversary of the founding of the first permanent lunar colony, to all who celebrate

[lunar-witches]

🌟 Types of Divination 🌟

🃏 Tarot Reading: Ah, the classic! Shuffle those cards, lay 'em out, and let the symbols tell your story. It's like a psychic storytime with beautifully illustrated cards.

🔮 Crystal Ball Gazing: Channel your inner fortune teller and gaze into the shimmering depths of a crystal ball. See visions, symbols, or just a really fancy paperweight – your call!

☕ Tea Leaf Reading: Sip your cuppa, but don't toss those leaves! The way they settle in your cup can unveil the mysteries of the universe. Get ready to decipher some leafy hieroglyphics.

🖐️ Palmistry (Chiromancy): Study the lines, mounts, and shapes on your palm. Each crease tells a story about your life path, personality, and potential. It's like reading a roadmap to your destiny right on your hand!

🕊️ Feather Divination: Feathers are more than just fashionable accessories for birds! They can carry messages from the spirit world. Find one, meditate on it, and decode its wisdom.

🌀 Runes Casting: Norse warriors used them, and now you can too! Grab some ancient runestones, cast them, and let the runic symbols weave tales of your destiny.

🕯️ Candle Scrying: Light a candle, focus on the flame, and let your visions come to life within the flickering glow.

🌿 Pendulum Magic: Swing that pendulum and ask it some yes-or-no questions. Allow the pendulum to swing freely and always keep your hand still to allow the energy to truly answer you questions.

🌗 Numerology: Numbers, man! They're everywhere, and they've got a lot to say. Discover your life path, destiny, and soul numbers.

🔍 Scrying Mirrors: Stare into the abyss... or, well, a special mirror! Gaze deep, and let the answers reveal themselves.

🌊 Water Scrying: Gaze into the reflective surface of water – be it a pond, a lake, or even a scrying bowl. Watch as ripples reveal the unseen.

🐚 Shell Divination: Channel your inner mermaid! Listen to the whispers of seashells and let them reveal their secrets. You can also collect a handful of different shells and cast them. Their placement, pattern, etc, can reveal important details!

🗝️ Key Casting (Cleidomancy): Gather a collection of old keys, close your eyes, and toss them onto a cloth. The position and arrangement of the keys will unveil symbolic messages or answers to your questions. It's like unlocking the secrets of the cosmos, one key at a time.

🎶 Music Divination (Alectryomancy): Play some tunes and let the lyrics, melodies, or even random song selections speak to you. The songs that resonate can offer messages or insights about your current situation. Let the music be your mystical DJ!

With this ever-growing list of divination methods, you'll have a magical tool for every occasion. Trust your intuition and let your inner seeker explore the mystical world of divination. Happy divining, cosmic explorers! 🔮🌠

[oracle-fae]

🍵

[astra-ravana]

Types Of Witchcraft

Note: These are general/basic explanations of different classes of magick/witchcraft. Practitioners can fall into multiple or none of these categories. Ultimately, only an individual can choose their labels.

Green: Utilizing greenery/plants/herbs/flowers in herbal/nature magick, such as creating blends of different plants or primarily using herbs in spellwork. May keep a garden and take great pride in their workings/connection to the earth and nature.

Hedge/Shamanic: A type of magick that's more oriented towards spirit work, Otherworld and astral travel, dream work, spiritual power and healing. May work with psychedelic/psychotropic/toxic plants and fungi as spiritual tools (ie: flying ointments/teas made from amanita muscaria or datura)

Sea: A type of magick derived from materials/abstract ideas involving the ocean world. Sea magick is worked using various items from as well as one's own connection to the sea and its creatures.

Storm: Magick that is worked by combining one's own energy with the energy of the weather, most commonly storms. Storm witches may have practices such as collecting storm water or snow, "whistling up" or manipulating winds, or performing rituals during severe weather.

Hearth/Kitchen: Magick performed through kitchen craft and/or mundane tasks/crafts around the home or for loved ones. Typically worked daily through food, herbal mixtures, crafting, decorating, and hobbies. May also work with the Fae/elements/nature.

Tea: Those who drink tea, make their own tea mixtures, or enjoy blending herbal remedies and often use reading tea leaves as their form of divination.

Urban: For those who live in or prefer an urban setting/lifestyle. Magick that is worked in densely populated areas and big cities, without some of the seemingly "traditional" aspects of witchcraft.

Tech: Magick that is skillfully worked through technology. A tech witch might cast spells/do divinatory readings on the internet, use magick based apps/programs, or keep a digital grimoire/library.

Elemental: Magick that is worked by honoring/acknowledging all 4/5 elements (Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and/or Spirit). Elementalists may dedicate part of their alter to each element and call upon them during rituals/spells. Conversely, they may choose to focus on only one element changing the designation to either fire, air, water or earth witchcraft.

Fae/Faerie: The magick of those who work and commune with the Fae. Faerie witches may do rituals/spells around the Fae, ask favors of them, have regular communication sessions, and leave them offerings. The Fae are very unpredictable and strong but, with time and respect, they share their magick with special individuals.

Infernal: A system of spirit work/magick that revolves around Infernal spirits/entities, such as demons, djinn, or other spirits of a chaotic alignment. This practice requires a surprising amount of shadow work and dismantling of oppressive religious systems. They may summon demons, perform rituals/spells with them, make deals, or take them up as magickal familiars.

Necromancy: The practice of seeking the assistance of, summoning, communication, and diving through the dead. Practitioners may frequent cemetaries/burial grounds/haunted locations and perform magick and spiritual/divinatory readings there. Often employ the use of pendulums, dowsing rods, talking boards, black mirrors, grave dirt, and bones.

Draconian: Draconian magick is a practice that involves engaging with dragons as powerful forces and allies in spiritual practice. It can include rituals, symbolism, and techniques to connect with dragons, and may be used for empowerment, healing, and spiritual growth.

Chaos: A type of magick utilizing new, non-traditional, and unorthodox methods. It is a highly individualistic practice that draws from many magickal disciplines (eclecticism).

Blood/Sanguine: A very potent class of magick that includes the use of one's own blood or that of another in powerful rituals/spells.

Sigil/Art: The use of sigils, symbols, glyphs, runes, or artwork infused with will and intention. This practice is vast, versatile, and diverse with each practioner producing truly unique results.

Lunar: Lunar magick is the practice of performing rituals during the different phases of the Moon to bring about physical or psychological change. They may honor/worship the Moon, do moonlight rituals, or make moon waters. Conversely, one could work with the Sun in much the same fashion.

Cosmic/Celestial: Magick that incorporates the stars and planets. Astrology is a dominant force in their lives and witchcraft and they consider the placement of celestial bodies before doing a working.

Crystal: Incorporation of crystals/stones in one's magickal practice. May make crystal grids, include them in their spells, use them in energy work, meditation, or for Reiki healing.

Glamour: Glamour magick is an enchantment type that adjusts or changes your outward appearance, or people's perception of your outward appearance and can include the enchanting of jewelry, clothing, and even makeup for magickal purposes.

Shadow: Magick with a focus on the elements of darkness and shadow. May practice umbrakinesis (shadow manipulation), magickal subterfuge and illusion, and feel at peace, and even practice, in pitch black darkness

Are there any you feel I should have included? Please let me know! I'd love to expand this list. :)

[herballwitch]

Moon Water: How to Make it and How to Use it

Hello, My name is Alva Tauri! I am an herbalist, spirit worker, tarot and oracle reader, and lunar and herbal witch dedicated to closing the education gap when it comes to herbalism and witch practices!

Today I wanted to talk about how I make moon water, as it is an extremely common component in my spells and magic work and, as I begin sharing more of my spell work with you all here, I believe it will be extremely important for each of you to know how to make and use it.

Lets get into it:

"How do I make moon water?"

making moon water is actually a relatively easy task. all you need to make it is:

a non-plastic container: glass is recommended for this

water: many people source their water for moon water from lakes, oceans, river, etc. natural sources tend to be recommended. however, they are NOT necessary. if you do not have access to naturally sourced water or it does not align with the work you intend to do with that water (I.E. you may intend to drink it, and, in that case, you would likely not want to get naturally sourced water) that is okay! tap water works just as well.

the moon: it is best to do this during a full moon. however, as long as there is moonlight available you can make moon water.

from here you simply pour the water into the jar, place it outside or by a window where moon light will hit the container and let it sit. use this time in the moonlight to visualize the water becoming moon water. ask yourself, "what do I want this water to do?", "how do I want this water to help me?". visualize all that it will do for you and all the ways in which it will bless you. if you are making moon water for a specific spell you can be very specific with this. however, if this is not the case (despite the fact that this is usually not recommended in magic) it is okay to to be a bit vague with these visualizations, so that this moon water can be used for anything in the future.

when you feel that the water has charged, been blessed by the moon, and has taken in your visualizations, you are done and may bring it inside to be used.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: if you are not going to use your moon water right away, you must store it somewhere where the sun will not hit it. if it sits in the sunlight it is no longer powered by the moon and is no longer moon water and is now celestial water.

"What can I do with moon water?"

one of my favorite parts about moon water as an ingredient is how versatile it is. there is so much that can be done with it.

moon water is great for any spell or magic work related to cleansing, healing, and charging. it is also great to use as a booster to make spells more powerful.

moon water is also great for both sea magic and lunar magic as it has the power of both the moon and the water residing within it.

That's all for making and using moon water! I hope that you found this helpful in your spiritual journey and I hope that you are able to apply this information to your practice.

if you have any questions regarding anything discussed here or anything you feel that I have missed, please send an ask to my ask box! I appreciate all comments and questions and would be more than happy to go into more detail about spirit work!

For more information on my practice, witchcraft, herbalism, spirit work, and divination please check out the guide on my page (linked here)! Everything I have ever posted can be found there!

I wish you all a blessed day filled with peace, endless wealth, and eternal health! Until the next time we meet!

[that-fox-thing]

Lunar and Earth for Mermay!

[maidenmystic]

Which witch are you?༻¨*:·.

[jesncin]

✨⭐️YOU CAN NOW PREORDER LUNAR BOY!!🌟✨

It's Princess Kaguya meets the Little Prince with an entirely Indonesian cast of characters! A graphic novel drawn and written by yours truly!

[thecosmicpunk]

Isr*el is going to invade Rafah! Where over 1 million Palestinians are trapped.

DO NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT PALESTINE! 🇵🇸

CEASEFIRE NOW! 🇵🇸

[witchpony]

✨Witch Aesthetic✨

🌙There are different authors who classify witches into different types. 

🌙I loved these illustrations, so I decided to post them (I found them on Pinterest). But there are no rules for the path you want to follow. Follow your instincts and your tastes.

This artwork belong to: @waterofwhimsy or/and Regan Ralston. 

[quotesfrommyreading]

For other species, the moon’s light is more important as a navigational cue than as an aphrodisiac. Migrating chum salmon swim more quickly and at shallower depths during a full moon, likely because they are using its light as a lodestar. Albatrosses and streaked shearwaters often fly more frequently and for longer periods of time under a full moon, perhaps because they can travel farther with increased visual acuity, or to avoid lurking ocean predators whose eyesight is improved by moonlit water. Newborn rabbit fish seem to depend on moon phases to reach safety: on the day before or during the new moon, when the sea is darkest, rabbit fish fry born in the open sea migrate en masse to the haven of coral reefs.

Even plankton move differently beneath the moon. Every day, in oceans around the world, plankton sink to greater depths, and rise again at night, most likely to avoid predation and feed in shallower waters under the cover of dark. Scientists are still not sure what drives this daily rhythm, but a biochemical clock synced to the sun is one of the primary hypotheses. During the Arctic winter, however, sunlight never reaches some regions of the ocean. A recent study suggests that plankton living in this frigid continuous dusk rely instead on the moon.

Some animals do not just change beneath the moon; they change into the moon. During the day, bobtail squid—speckled, peanut-sized cephalopods related to cuttlefish—bury themselves in sand to rest and hide from predators. At night, they emerge to feed on shrimp and worms. Having abandoned the seafloor and exposed themselves to potential danger, the tiny mollusks cloak themselves in an entirely different kind of camouflage. Bobtail squid have evolved one of the most magical symbioses on the planet. Bioluminescent bacteria live within the folds of a chambered sac in the squid’s mantle, generating light that spills from the squid’s underside. A lens and color filter attached to this internal lantern—known as the light organ— modulate the microbial glow to mimic the light of the moon and stars filtering down through the water. In this way, bobtail squid erase their own shadow. Instead of seeing a conspicuous squid-shaped silhouette, any predator gazing up from below sees only more moonlit sea. Several other species—including deepwater fish, crustaceans, and true squid—use similar counter-illumination strategies.

 —   The Lunar Sea

[morethansalad]

Vegan Napa Cabbage Dumplings for Lunar New Year

[draconesmundi]

Happy Dracones Monday! Lunar Eclipse!

In Phillippino mythology, there were once seven moons in the sky. A great serpent from the sea, Bakunawa, ate six of them, but luckily the people of the Phillippines bashed pots and pans to disturb the dragon before she could eat the final moon. Every now and again, she will try to eat the final moon - as revenge for a lover being killed, as revenge for her sister a giant sea turtle being killed, or because she's angry at the gods or simply because she is an eater of moons.

This Dracones Monday coincides with a Lunar Eclipse on the 25th of March, when Bakunawa will try to eat the moon again, so have the pots and pans ready!!!

In my project, Dracones Mundi, the Pacific Sea Serpent eats dragons that fly over the sea. The dramatic leaps from the water used to catch airborn prey are awe-inspiring and, for all intents and purposes, look like a gigantic sea serpent flinging it's way upwards to eat the sky itself - for this reason the scientific name for the Pacific Sea Serpent is Mareserpens lunaphagous, the moon-eating sea serpent, in honour of Bakunawa.

[su-momswaup]

Lunar sea spire aftermath

[star-struck-sea-lestial]

The Harvest Moon - September’s Partial Lunar Eclipse Full Super Moon •🌝•

─ ⊹ ⊱꒰☆꒱⊰ ⊹ ─

Today the Harvest Moon, or Corn Moon (and I believe for some the Barley Moon) will take place! Its energies are going to be incredibly powerful and “chaotic” however, due to the partial lunar eclipse. Manifestations and rituals will be affected far more emotionally and intensely than a typical full moon, so be careful! Here is a link to help you find out when the eclipse will be visible in your location! Autumn is here, and it’s important to take this time to find gratitude for what we are able to love and access in our present lives (and for most of us I’m sure this time may be a very busy one indeed!). This allows us to celebrate our own version of a bountiful harvest, but this would also be a good time for

• Cleaning and tidying, find something to touch up just a bit that will bring you some clarity or joy or simply cleanse your spaces energetically

• Dancing by a fire would be incredible, but you could also listen to some of your current favorite tunes and allow yourself to get in touch with your physical being as one under the light of the full moon! (You can also do this in other ways and I always like to let myself feel the energy of the celestial body from wherever I am throughout the day)

• Celebrate with someone/others! Share a meal together and maybe catch a glimpse of the eclipse, express thanks to the Earth for nourishment :)

• Go for a walk or watch the sky for some time, let it be a reminder of the interconnectedness between humans and nature

• Let your creativity and imagination flow, if there is a space of creativity that you find much joy in then there is no better way to celebrate the event! Maybe even try some moon-inspired crafts

• Indulge a bit! Whether it be your favorite TV show, a good book, or a delicious treat, let yourself take pleasure in this existence and bask in the harvest!

• Journaling! It’s always a great way to find some time to understand yourself, your wants and needs, and just releasing yourself into a medium that is thankfully very accessible🙏✏️

• Meditation and release, perform a you-specific ritual to release energies in your life that may be hurting you or find some time to meditate

There is also so much more! And while there are many cultures and traditions whose mythos or rituals have revolved around the Harvest Moon for a long long time, it is all up to you to determine how you want to celebrate it :)

(Please leave some comments and criticisms! I hope you enjoyed!)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･