SECTION IV - ONLINE RESOURCES
Online Shopping - Dor
The Planets Align in Taurus: May 3-5, 2000 + ©2000 Sarolta DeFaltay-Bell
Important Plant Lore - Baboo Kyra
+ The Planets Align in Taurus: May 3-5,
2000 +
©2000 Sarolta DeFaltay-Bell
(For more articles on this rare planetary alignment:
http://www.enteract.com/~deepsky/taurusplanets.html )
This Beltane, we are richly blessed with a gift from the planets; these celestial
guides help us see into ourselves through the archetypal myths of the Gods and
Goddesses after whom theplanets are named, their symbols, strengths and attributes.
The classical planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and luminaries (Sun,
Moon) will meet in the sign of Taurus May 3rd through 5th, with the New Moon on the
4th being a strong focal point (exact 11.13 PM CDT). With so many planets in one
sign, there exists an extremely strong point of focus for each of us individually,
as well as collectively, as a community.
There is much speculation about this alignment, but as we all know, "the stars
incline, they do not compel." As pagans, we know how to align ourselves magically to
a given vibration, in order to "ride the energy" and create change and growth. The
"fortune" in the planetary alignments usually don't happen without our efforts
mirroring the symbolism in some way. This alignment can give us the opportunity to
use it consciously, working with the Lord and the Lady to bring the spiritual into
form, for this is the deeper meaning of Taurus, the earth sign under the rule of
Venus.
While researching this article, I came across some very interesting data regarding the
last time we had so many planets in Taurus: May 21, 529 CE. To quote Valerie Vaughan:
"As a precedent alignment, the year 529 is a bit scary. The Fall of Rome (an empire
often compared with 20th-century America) was complete, and society retreated from
materialism into metaphysics as the first Benedictine monastery was established in
529. This was also the year that the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, motivated by the
Christian church's distrust of pagan learning, closed the universities founded by
Plato and Aristotle. This event is now regarded as archetypal victory of ignorance
over knowledge, and is considered to be the beginning of the Dark Ages in Europe...
At no other time in the last two millennia have there been such similarities of
pattern. What the repetition of this pattern suggests is that the destructive
potential of events in 2000 could trigger a second Dark Ages." *
For many in the Pagan community, this could be a call tobring the tribes together,
so to speak. Those that have diligently fought for Pagan awareness and against
ignorance know that we still have a long way to go. This alignment though, might be
a good opportunity to turn the focus inward and look within our own circles, covens
and groups, and work on internal structures rather than focusing on "the enemy".
Taurus is about personal resources,comfort and security, as well as bringing Venusian
energy to form. Taurus is a highly fertile Earth sign, but it can be stubborn and
unmoving. I'd like to propose that we look at this alignment as a metaphor for the
Pagan community: that we consciously choose to support and heal ourselves and each
other within the community, getting past "fixed" attitudes, for as we heal the issues
of the microcosm (community) we can heal the macrocosm (world). The Taurus planets
are squared by Uranus and Neptune in Aquarius, and represent new ideals, expansion
and inter-connectedness. They also mean reform. The old way of doing things may be
challenged now... let's use this opportunity to get past the way we "always"do things
and try to come together as a community, showing real support and solidarity.
What is the focal point on a personal level? By looking at your natal chart and
finding the astrological house Taurus is in, you can get a good idea regarding issues
that may be a point of focus for your personal Beltane magical work. Each planet
symbolizes specific psychological areas in a birth chart, so if you have any planets
in Taurus, the potential energies of the planet(s) will be activated as well, so you
can work on specific areas. The Taurean combination of strength and nurture can help
many overcome the blocks to self-love, prosperity, and fertility, and works to
enhance the beauty and magical energies of Beltane. May the blessings of Venus
beyours, for a prosperous season of love, creativity and joy!
*quote from Valerie Vaughan and more on the alignment: http://www.astrostar.com/
alignment.htm#agri-business
©2000 Sarolta DeFaltay-Bell
ladysarolta@yahoo.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarolta is an astrologer and tarot consultant, and works with clients to create
personal rituals based on individual needs and astrological cycles. She also writes
Daily Horoscopes and New Moon Magic for every sign at http://www.i.am/deepskies ...
call 773.227.1066 for more information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+
<>+<>+<>+<>+
The Moonspells Network: FREE info on Magical Astrology
http://www.onelist.com/community/moonspells_network
Astrology News by Sarolta © 2000
http://www.i.am/deepskies
+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+
<>+<>+<>+<>+
Important Plant Lore
By Baboo Kyra
WORT WALKING
When going worts a' harvesting,
Show respect for everything.
If wood you take from living tree,
Prune it most attractively.
When you gather herbal weed,
Be sure to scatter round its seed.
And if you cut, do so with care,
Leave plant and ground in good repair.
On hunts for flower, nut or fruit,
Use caution where you plant your foot;
Small beings live in wood and lawn,
And ground which will be trod upon.
Whether you harvest leaf or root,
Show the plant your gratitude.
Always when a gift you take,
Be sure in turn a gift to make.
WILD PLANT LORE:
These are some plants which are easy to recognize in the wild and learn about. You
really should get some good plant books with color pictures. The very best one for the
beginning herbalist, in my opinion, is the Readers' Digest's Magic and Medicine of
Herbs. This book has both clear and detailed drawings and photographs, some herbal
history, and concise and accurate descriptions and usage information. For in depth
information on the healing properties of herbs, I recommend anything by Susun Weed.
Other good field identification books are found in Ranger Stations run by the Park and
Forestry services. They will have books relating to the indiginous plants and animals
in your area. For ease in identification of plants in the field, be sure to get books
which sort wild plants by flower color.
When in the woods, don't eat any berry, seed, nut or leaf unless you are sure of what
it is. Compound berries like blackberries and raspberries are the safest. Red or
white berries on large shrubs and trees are the most risky. Don't suck on any flower
just because it looks like honeysuckle; there are several toxic plants with funnel
shaped flowers in the nightshade family. Wild tobaccos fall into this catagory. Stay
away from round spiky fruited plants
Never trust any plant until you have seen the flower unless you are quite experienced
at wild crafting. There are several plants which look a lot alike, and which can be
very poisonous. Examples are wild carrot, wild celery and poison hemlock, blue and
death camas, and comfrey and foxglove. Mushrooms are to look at but not touch; even
experts wind up in the hospital with terminal liver damage!
The plants I am recommending are the easiest ones to identify I know of, both the safe
and the dangerous ones, which I call "touch-me-nots".
TOUCH-ME-NOTS
Mushrooms and Toadstools - All of them are potentially dangerous! Their
identification is extremely tricky and the poisonous ones are deadly.
The easiest one to identify is fly agaric. It looks like it was designed by Walt
Disney. It is a day glow red orange with white spots. It is hallucinogenic and looks
it.
Lately old established patches of edible mushrooms have been invaded by some of the
most dangerous mushrooms, which just happen to look exacly the same. This has led to
the death of quite a few mushroom experts in the last few years. The only time I've
ever poisoned myself was with a really good omelet.
Nightshade (Belladona) - This is a vine with small flowers that look like little
shooting stars. The petals range from white through purple, with a bright yellow
stamen in the center. The berries ripen from green to purple or white. The plant is
in the same family as datura, morning glory, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. All
these plants have toxic components. Again, putting anything in your mouth, including
fingers, while hiking, can be very dangerous.
Castor - A large pretty shrub with very large, palmate leaves. Palmate means shaped
like a hand. It can have a reddish copper color along with the green. This plant has
clusters of nuts about the size of a walnut with spikes. Through an extremely
complicated process, these are used to make castor oil and Castrol(R) motor oil.
They look like great fun to play with when they dry and are very decorative. There
are usually 3 or 4 shiny black seeds in each nut. These are extremely lethal. The
active ingredient, ricine, was used by the military for chemical warfare. There is
no antidote and no cure. The whole plant can cause a nasty reaction in sensitive
individuals and really should be only admired from a distance. Point to this plant and
say "deadly diarrhea". The kids will laugh, but they'll remember it.
Datura - This is a trailing vine with large blue/gray/green leaves, huge white or
purple trumpet shaped flowers with a rather unpleasant aroma, and lemon sized spiky
green fruits which turn brown and crack when dry. It looks like a giant morning
glory. It's also called Jimson Weed, Devil's Trumpet and Thorn Apple, and many other
names. I think the most dangerous thing about this plant is its folklore and
reputation as a hallucinogenic. This is the plant that Carlos Casteneda refers to in
his books. The the problem is that the strength of the alkaloids in the plant will
vary from location to location, even by a few feet, the amount of sunlight on a given
day, and the time of day, the rainfall, and the phase of the moon. The people I have
known who have experimented with it have had very bad experiences.
There are usually several cases every year of kids and silly adults putting
themselves into a permanent coma by mixing Datura tea with other substances like
alcohol. While it has important medicinal uses, it should NEVER be ingested. This
is a very unsafe plant to play around with and should be avoided. The key words for
this plant are "permanent coma" (explain that this coma is a nap that you don't wake
up from, with nightmares!)
Foxglove - Also known as Digitalis, this plant has the ability to slow or stop your
heart. The flowers are beautiful. They are thimble shaped, and about 1 to 2 inches
in length. They are usually fucia or white with small markings on the inside. They
are very tempting to pick. If you just can't resist, then be sure to use plastic, not
cloth or leather, gloves. Be very careful in disposing of the dead plants and the
water in the vase. Never put them in your compost pile or bury them in your garden.
Keep them away from children and other animals. You will find foxglove in nurseries
all over the United States, and growing wild everywhere. It is easily confused with
comfrey, and less easily confused with mullein or plantain. It is extremely
dangerous. Admire it and move on.
Poison Hemlock - It has umbrells of small white or cream flowers, and the foliage
looks like a cross between carrot and celery greens. There are tiny purple streaks
on the stems. It grows profusely along the Pacific Coast, and can be 6 to 7 feet tall.
I've seen whole fields of densly growing hemlock. I've found it in parks along the
trails without any warning signs. When I approached a ranger, he seemed to be
surprised. He said no one ever told him about it. And he's supposed to be an
authority. This plant looks a lot like several other, safe, plants, like wild celery
and Queen Anne's Lace. The best way to identify it is by the smell - a nasty sort of
rodent odor like a dirty mouse or hamster den. When in doubt, stay away. This is
VERY DANGEROUS. I tell the kids, "if it smells like a mouse, it'll kill you dead!"
Poison Oak, Ivy and Sumac - Leaves of three, let it be, usually. These plants have
glossy leaves and smooth viney stems. The stems and branches do not have thorns. They
get their names by the shape of the leaf, but this is a terrible way to try to
identify them. They may turn reddish, especially in late summer and fall. If you are
exposed to them, a strong detergent may help ward off the worst affects. My favorite
remedy is wild plantain, which, coincidentally, usually grows right next to poison
oak. Just bruise the plantain leaves and rub them on the exposed area. Then throw
away the plantain. Some people don't react to them at all. If the leaves are furry
looking and the stems have thorns, the plant is a variety of wild berry. It may
scratch you but you won't break out.
Stinging Nettles - Stinging nettles are lovely looking herbs. They usually grow in
thickets by streams and in the woods and can stand 5-6 feet tall. The leaves can be
small as your fingernail to as large as your hand, growing in opposition up a central
stalk. They look like they were cut with pinking shears. Most of all, stinging
nettles, well, sting! They are covered with tiny hairs tipped with formic acid, and
when you brush against them, you know it! The best remedy is to have something alkali
with you. A sliced potato is excellent. Plantain, yellow dock and comfrey will also
work. These are herbs which grow along side nettles, but if you don't know what
nettles are, you'll never figure out what these look like. Best to just carry a raw
potato and be done with it. If you do get stung, don't worry. It's uncomfortable,
not lethal, and actually a rather good remedy for arthritis.
Water plants: There are several water plants which are edible, and several which are
poisonous. I advise not eating any water plant because of the toxins and
microorganisms which live in the water. These include arsenic, mercury, E Coli,
various amoebas, funguses, and Goddess' only knows what else! Wild water should
generally be boiled before drinking, as the consequences of gambling and losing can
be extremely uncomfortable, at the least, and lethal at the worst. Even wells should
be tested periodically because of pesticides and fertilizers that seep into the ground
water, but when well water is good, it's VERY good!
