Astrological Matters and Other Questions
Hello Readers!
This time around, inquiring minds want to know:
Dear Witch Hazel,
I enjoy occasionally reading my horoscope, and my sign is Sagittarius. But recently, I was told this is my sun sign and that my “rising sign” is Leo. What is a “rising sign” and how does this influence my horoscope?
The rising sign, also known as the ascendant, is the sign that appears on the cusp of the first house on an astrological chart. The rising sign is a person’s identity, a person’s sense of self and is the “I am” position on the chart. To a good extent, it’s the point at which a person’s inner world makes contact with the outside world. Since many of the qualities of an individual’s self is defined by the rising sign, its influence is often carried into the rest of the chart when the rest of the chart’s dynamics is set into motion.
The rising sign is also associated with the first impression a person makes on others. Many astrologers associate the rising sign with the body build of an individual. Other astrologers think that a person’s body build is determined by the sun sign, the rising sign and its planetary ruler, or a combination of the the rising sign, its planetary ruler and
the sun sign (which is what I think).
Dear Witch Hazel,
My birthday is on April 20th, which I was told is the cusp of Aries and Taurus. What is a cusp and how should I read my horoscope? Do I go with Aries or Taurus?
–Cerena
A cusp is the location where one sign ends and the next one begins. On a
birth chart, the dividing line between the houses are referred to as house
cusps. In your case, in order to determine whether to go with Aries or
Taurus you will also need the exact birth time and place. As an example,
if you were born in NYC on April 20th, 1974, at 4:25 P.M., your sun sign
would be 0 degrees 22 minutes in the sign of Taurus. However, if you were
born in NYC on April 20th, 1974, at 4:25 A.M., your sun sign would be 29
degrees 52 minutes in the sign of Aries. Note that these placements vary
from year to year. So if you were born in NYC on April 20th, 1984, at
4:25 A.M., your sun sign would be 0 degrees 28 minutes in the sign of
Taurus.
Greetings, Witch Hazel.
Firstly, I adore your column, I’m too afraid to dabble in herbs and healing myself, but it’s still nice to
learn something new. Here’s my question: I have extremely pale skin... my curse. I change colors by the slightest thing. Always pink... horrid “Sunshine State”... at any rate, how might I get rid of post-zit redness?
’Anouk
Anouk, you must get yourself a good exfoliant scrub that is gentle enough for you skin type. Then, use a cotton ball and swab good old fashioned witch hazel over your face as a toner. Once you start taking away the dead skin cells with the exfoliant and then tighten the pores with the witch hazel lotion, you will begin to see a bit of a difference in your complexion. Please write back and let us know how this has helped!
Hello, my name is Erin and I have been a Wiccan for 4 years or so. I’ve read cover to cover of many different books but can’t really find anything about Dragon’s Blood accept for making ink. Is there any other crafty use for Dragon’s Blood? I have some and I am quite eager to use it in something. Any suggestions?
Sincerely, Erin
Blessed Be
Dragon’s Blood traditionally comes as a hard reddish-colored resin. So hard in fact, that some may misconstrue it to be a soft rock. In most cases, it has been liquified to make a red ink. In its solid form, it makes a wonderful incense. To find other ways to work with this ingredient, refer to any number of books related to incense or do a web search for Dragon’s Blood Incense blends.
Grandpa’s General Store states that Dragon’s Blood incense is good for when you “Need protection. Widely used in magical endeavors, it is used for love, protection, exorcism, and for sexual potency. Dragon’s Blood is often added to other incenses to increase their power.” You could also check out what’s written about Dragon’s Blood at botanical.com
Thanks for reading. Feel free to
drop me a line with your comments, suggestions and questions. |
