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Written version below.Venus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — I'm keeping the price as it is. I was going to raise it, and then I listened to my intuition, which said no. Start date is October 1st, and Venus stations retrograde on October 3rd — there was a timezone error on my sales page that said the 2nd; the 3rd is correct.I've already started uploading new content to the portal — video guides, aspect breakdowns for the lead-in to the retrograde. And I want to say something I've been sitting with: I called this possibly my last run, and I don't know that's true. It's my favourite thing I do. Things are changing in my life and work, and I don't know exactly what form future iterations will take. But this one — this one — is ready, and I'm genuinely excited about it.Two tiers: the basic Journey at $397 (seven weeks, eight calls, all recorded, full course portal, pre-work videos, slides in colour and black-and-white), and the Dragon Rider add-on (an extra $500) which includes a private 30-minute one-on-one ($175 value), a year's membership in the Spiral Codex community ($600 value, beginning after the class), and a personalized gift I'll mail to you.louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026Before We Dive InComing up: Cathy and I are recording on Friday, likely looking at the Aries Full Moon chart alongside the US Sibley chart — the DC chart for the full moon has exactly the same angles as the Sibley. We'll see what that means.Subscribe free on Substack for weekly posts and everything else. Spiral Weave on my website louiseedington.com — $10/month or $90/year.The Week at a GlanceThis is a week of building intensity, heading toward the Aries Full Moon on Saturday September 26th at 12:49pm Eastern. I've done a full separate video on that — go watch it for the depth. The week is the lead-in.The cards open at the end of your tether and build to fire. The astrology opens with a grinding cardinal T-square and builds to a kite configuration pointing at justice and transformation. By Saturday, the pieces come together.Key events:* Equinox — Sun enters 0° Libra — September 22nd* Pholus stations direct at 9° Capricorn — Friday September 25th* Aries Full Moon at 3° — Saturday September 26th at 12:49pm EasternOne note to carry all week: only Venus, the Sun, and Mercury have crossed the South Node and Regulus at 0° Virgo. The rest are still coming. Mars, Jupiter, Juno, Hygieia — all heading there eventually. For now, the direction is set, but the journey is ongoing.The Cards — A First GlanceFrom the Red Seeds Tarot (Linda Hill, Etsy UK) and the Witch Oracle by Angie Sullins: Seven of Torches reversed, King of Torches, Ace of Torches reversed, She of the Invisible Ally.Three fire cards and one water card — and all of them, in their different ways, saying the same thing: the answer is within. The fire is within. The magic is within. The allies you've forgotten about are within.More at the end. But hold that thread.Day by DaySunday, September 20 — Moon in Capricorn. Cardinal T-Square. The Goddess Archetypes Are Screaming.We open the week with the Moon out of bounds in Capricorn — and Pluto also out of bounds, as it will be until early December each year through 2035. More erratic, more beyond the pale, more heightened. The usual advice: more self-care than you think you need, more boundaries, more kindness to yourself.The Moon squares Saturn retrograde (the guide for Capricorn, going back over the structures and rules) and opposes Ceres in Cancer — forming a cardinal T-square at 12°–13°. Cardinals push for action. This T-square is asking, again, loudly: how are our needs being met? How are the people's needs being met? How are the needs of the most vulnerable people being met?The outer expression of this energy keeps showing up in the news. Congress being sent home until November 9th — after the midterms, before Venus and Mercury station direct — while essential legislation is pending. A building in Gaza that had been bombed collapsed further, killing twenty people and trapping nearly a hundred. These are the literal expressions of the Moon opposing Ceres: needs not being met, structures not holding, the people saying enough.Mars in Cancer squares Vesta and Eris — both in Aries, both retrograde. Mars and Eris are siblings in the mythology, and this square is in some ways the two of them working together despite the friction. Mars (assertive drive, protective instincts, cooling its jets in Cancer) squares Eris (the truth-teller for the outsiders, sharply aware of exclusion and hierarchy). Together: there's a push to assert and claim space. And there's a deep fear of being controlled or sidelined. But the square is a cardinal square — initiating. Things have to change, and Mars is moving forward toward them.Mars then opposes Juno — now direct and heading back into Aquarius. The sacred contracts of our collective life are being confronted: none of this is working. We're seeing it everywhere.The Moon opposes Asteroid Lilith — and every goddess archetype in the chart this week seems to be screaming: we need to be heard. The Divine Feminine — not just women, but that whole energy of care, reciprocity, interconnection — needs to be heard.Black Moon Lilith at 25° Sagittarius makes a fire trine to the whole Aries retrograde cluster and to Hygieia and the South Node. The answer is to burn off the old, rise up, create the new. Tune into the spirit of fire — which I experience as the fire of inspiration. That whooshing feeling when something unlocks.The Moon closes the day by trining the Sun (last major Ptolemaic aspect before the full moon, Earth-to-Earth saying we are going to build a more meaningful world) while simultaneously squaring Chiron back in Aries. There is still work to finish. Every one of us is playing a part in building what comes next — in tight community, in broader collectives, in the most private inner work. All of it matters.Jupiter in Leo trines Pallas Athena — the expander meeting the wise strategist and pattern-seer. Strategies to rise up like phoenixes. To lead from the heart rather than from the throne.Monday, September 21 — Moon Into Aquarius. Mercury Opposes Pallas Athena. Hygieia and Hekate.The Moon finishes its Capricorn passage still carrying all those T-square themes, then enters Aquarius at 1:14pm Eastern — the sign of the people, the future, the collective. Things shift slightly: from the weight of structures collapsing to the vision of what we want to build instead.Mercury in Libra opposes Pallas Athena in Aries — big new ideas for justice. New strategies being assembled. In what feels like a surreal indicator of the astrology: Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders were reported on the same stage (not at the same time) making the same argument: the future of AI must be decided by the people, not the oligarchs. I had to read that twice. Mercury opposing Pallas Athena in the sign of justice, pulling pieces together from unexpected places, finding new strategies to challenge concentrated power.AI is part of this week's conversation. The founders are fighting amongst themselves. Companies are finding that replacing workers with AI is not delivering what was promised. The data centre heat problem remains unsolved. And amid all of it, the argument about who gets to decide the future of this technology — whether it's the few or the many — is getting louder. Hekate has her torch. The way forward is being shown.Hygieia opposes Hekate in this same cluster — holistic, preventative health in all its forms (not just physical; the health of our collective mind and leadership) facing the torchbearer at the crossroads. Which way do we go? Hekate knows. The answers are within.Mercury forms a sextile to Jupiter in Leo — big new ideas, big new plans, a real expansiveness in how we speak and think about what's possible.Tuesday, September 22 — Equinox. Sun Enters 0° Libra. The People Are Rising.The Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, Spring in the Southern — the Sun enters 0° Libra, a world point, beginning a new season and seeding new things.I took a quick look at the equinox chart set for Washington DC, and a few things caught my eye. Venus retrograde is in the 7th house of others and open enemies. The Aries retrograde cluster is in the 12th house of hidden enemies. Uranus is in the 2nd house of values, waking people up to what isn't feeding them. Ceres sits at the base of the chart — the IC, the foundation — and she is saying: this system is not working for the people's needs. Jupiter is moving into the 5th house of joy, creativity, self-expression, and the inner child — people beginning to find that.And the Aquarius Moon is on the cusp of the 11th house — the house of causes, politics, humanitarian concerns, and the collective voice. The Moon is the people. And the people are rising.Happy equinox.The Aquarius Moon meanwhile squares Haumea (regeneration at 2° Scorpio, the exact degree where Venus and the Moon met in their occultation gate), then sextiles Neptune (let go of who you thought you were; step into interconnection), then trines Uranus — ahas, pattern-shifts, those head-explodey moments of seeing things differently. We're going to have quite a few of those this week as we build toward the full moon.The Moon squares Venus in Scorpio — digging into the shared values and power relationships that Venus is about to take us through in her retrograde. Who has power over us? Who have we given our power away to? These are not rhetorical questions this week.Hygieia trines Vesta and Eris — the holistic health of the collective in flowing conversation with the inner flame and the truth-teller. The answers are within. Tune in.The Moon closes the day by conjuncting Pluto — the shadow to the light, the buried treasure beginning to emerge. Pluto and Haumea are heading toward another of their 13 squares (which run 2022–2028), and the Moon is activating that approach. Three more squares after this one. The transformation is not done.Wednesday, September 23 — Moon Opposes Jupiter. Moon Meets Hekate and Chariklo. Moon Into Pisces.The Aquarius Moon opposes Jupiter in Leo — the people looking directly at the expanded king energy and saying: your time is limited. Jupiter is heading toward the South Node in Leo. Leaders, in the astrology world and in the wider world, are being taken down or called to account. Not necessarily the ones we want yet — but the motion is real.The Moon trines Mercury (air to air: the collective mind, speaking out, ideas flowing) and then makes what I find genuinely beautiful: the Moon meets Hekate and Chariklo, both retrograde in Aquarius, both quietly holding space and weaving the new story from the pieces that are simultaneously falling apart and falling into place.The Moon opposes Hygieia — everything heading down the South Node drain that is not for our genuine holistic flourishing, individually and collectively. Circling the drain of what's not working. And the Moon conjuncts the North Node at 29° — still that eclipse charge, still that pull toward the future. Still at the threshold.Change is coming. 29°. The anaretic degree of the liminal space.And at the very end of the day, the Moon enters Pisces — things get very emotional as we build toward the full moon. But also: clouds clearing. The feeling quality of the coming days is going to be intense and also somehow clarifying.Thursday, September 24 — Quiet Build. Lightning Hitting Water.Not a huge number of aspects — a day to let things settle and integrate as the energy builds.The Pisces Moon squares Sedna (adapt; change is coming; mutable signs pressing) then trines Haumea (ready to create from our feelings and our right brain; intuition and balance coming together) and then squares Uranus — and Louise described this perfectly: lightning hitting water. Uranus in Gemini, all those electrical awakenings and flashing ideas, square the Pisces Moon's deep emotionality and flow. Shocking. Potentially beautiful. Possibly a few jarring revelations.The Moon then trines Venus — seeing clearly about values, self-worth, how power has been given away. This is Venus retrograde territory, and we're already starting to feel it from the outside in.Asteroid Lilith squares Vesta — the original equality and the inner flame in friction, both asking the same question from different angles: what are you devoted to at the deepest level of who you are? With Chiron back in Aries, this is about healing the core self — finding the medicine of genuine individuality (not rugged power-over, but power from within) and healing the inner masculine while we're at it.Mercury trines Hekate and Chariklo — the messenger in flowing conversation with the torchbearer and the cosmic doula. The mind is starting to catch up with what the soul already knows.Friday, September 25 — Venus Day. Pholus Stations Direct. The Kite Forms. Sun Enters Libra Season Fully.Pholus stations direct at 9° Capricorn. Nine — the number of endings. Pholus is the Pandora's Box centaur — the lid-comes-off energy, the things that get out that can't be put back in. He has been retrograde in Capricorn for a long time, going back over what has been out of integrity in our institutions and structures. And now he stations direct.More things are going to come out of the box. More revelations about the structures we've been living under. More things that, once seen, cannot be unseen. This station coincides directly with the full moon approaching and the Sun making exact aspects to the basket/cradle planets.The Sun trines Pluto and Uranus, and opposes Neptune exactly — forming a kite in fire and air, with the Aries retrograde cluster as the focal point and Neptune (dissolving the old, birthing the spiritual warrior) as the tail. Big ideas for justice. New people rising up. New alliances forming in unexpected places.The Sun at 3°–4° Libra is now past the equinox and building power in the sign of balance, harmony, and — often forgotten — justice. Libra is also traditionally associated with war (as the scales of battle), and the resistance to injustice is very much Libran at its highest.New lawsuits. New strategies. New coalitions. Some of them surprising.Mercury in Libra opposes Vesta and Eris — speaking up for the inner flame, speaking up for the outsiders. Mercury past 22° Libra means it's now in the territory where Venus will station direct on November 13th. The mercury mind is already walking the ground Venus will return to.Saturday, September 26 — The Aries Full Moon. 12:49pm Eastern.Go and watch the full moon video. It's all there.What I'll say here: the Moon in Pisces makes a water trine to Mars in Cancer (finally cooling its jets, the guardian energy settling into water) before entering Aries at 6:23am Eastern — and look at what it steps into. The whole retrograde Aries pileup. Chiron, Eris, Vesta, Pallas Athena, Saturn, Manwë, Neptune. The Moon as the focal point of this kite, as the people meeting all those planets going within, reviewing, reflecting.The Moon meets Neptune (spiritual warrior; releasing who we thought we were), sextiles Sedna (adapt), sextiles Pluto (transformation), sextiles Uranus (radical awakening) — the mini grand trine activated right at the full moon.Full Moon exact at 12:49pm Eastern at 3° Aries. Fulfillment. Illumination. Something completing.Right after the full moon, the Moon conjuncts Manwë — the Law of Grace. Spontaneous resolution through internal alignment and correct action. Without external intervention. This is what the class does: guide you to take that self-directed, inner journey.Then the Moon squares Pholus — facing what we see as the lid comes off, some people extending more grace to each other than before.And one date to hold: Venus and Mercury station direct on November 13th. Congress is due back on November 9th — four days before. Mars crosses the South Node the day after that, on November 14th, alongside Jupiter. Watch this space.The Cards in DetailSeven of Torches (Wands), reversed — Lacking Courage:You may start the week feeling this. A lack of faith in yourself. Like it's all too much. Like quitting would be easier. The upright Seven of Torches is I Am Courage — and the reversal doesn't remove the courage. It asks you to look within for it rather than expecting it to come from outside. The fire is in there. It always was.King of Torches — I Am Dynamic:The more you go within — even if you begin the week feeling defeated — the more this dynamism starts to build as the full moon approaches. Things are being ignited. The King of Torches doesn't wait for permission. He knows he carries his fire within him. The full moon is the ignition point.Ace of Torches, reversed — I Am Inspired (from within):The Ace reversed is still the Ace — pure creative fire, the beginning of something. Reversed, the invitation is to find the inspiration within, not to look for the external spark. This is where the three fire cards are pointing together: defeat, then dynamism, then inspiration — all sourced from the interior. This is the Red Seeds Tarot, the deck of the Eleusinian Mysteries and the descent and return. Perfectly placed for the week Venus is about to take us underground.She of the Invisible Ally (Witch Oracle):“There are unseen forces guiding you right now. They rarely let themselves be seen, but that doesn't mean they're not there. While it's true that you often name and number your resources, you forget about the unseen ones. The invisibles are available to you always, but they tend to dwell in the higher places — energies of wonder, curiosity, and hope.Petition them. A witch will reach into these energies and swim with them through the cosmos. This is a good time for dreaming and journeying. Take a walk in nature. Seek out a credible plant shaman who can help you access the gifts of the green world. Spend time in the liminal realm with active imagination. Put yourself in the way of magic. Helpful spirits are ready to guide you, and now is the time to summon them to show themselves.”We do exactly this in the Venus Retrograde class — the active imagination, the guided journeys, the liminal realm work. Not coincidentally.And: find your inner dragon.The planets don't make anything happen. Everything is happening within you. Stuff happens, challenges happen — but how you respond to them, and how you work with them, is what matters.You are the cosmos. The invisible ally is you.Summing UpA cardinal T-square pressing on the structures that aren't working. Mars and Eris, siblings, asserting and claiming space. The equinox — a new season, a world point, a chart that says the people are rising. Pholus stationing direct with more things coming out of the box. The fire and air kite forming as the Aries Full Moon approaches. Manwë, the Law of Grace, right after the full moon. And four cards — three of them fire — that move from defeat, through dynamism, to inner inspiration, held by the unseen allies that have never left.Start the week however you need to start it. Look within. Find the fire.It was always there.— LouiseVenus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — starts October 1st, Venus retrogrades October 3rd. $397 basic Journey; Dragon Rider add-on $500 extra. louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026Cathy and I are recording on Friday — check the channel. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cosmicowlastrology.substack.com/subscribe

Before We Dive InWriting and Recording this on September 10th — the day of the new moon, in the dark. I have absolutely no get-up-and-go. The aspects this week are going to pick that up. But right now: very on-brand for the dark moon that I am recording in it.A few important things before we get to a week that is genuinely significant.Venus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — I need to say something I've been sitting with. This is the seventh time I've run this class since 2017. Seven Saturn squares, seven chakras. It feels like a completion cycle, and there's a real possibility this is the last time I run it in this form. I feel immense shifts happening within me and within my work. If you have been thinking about joining, please do not wait. This one is particularly potent. I am working on the slides right now. The last time we had a Retrograde in Scorpio was 2028. That was my second class and I remember it as life changing for me and attendees. louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026What you get: seven weeks, eight calls (all recorded), a course portal with pre-work videos, slides in color and black-and-white, materials you can keep. And the class itself is not just astrology — it's a heroine's journey, guided meditations that retrieve lost parts of yourself, a regeneration journey, healing tools. We follow the myth of Persephone, Demeter, and Hades, alongside Inanna, through the Venus cycle. This is the last Scorpio Venus Star Point in our lifetimes. We start October 1st.Dragon Rider tier adds a year's membership in my Spiral Codex community (beginning after the class), a 30-minute one-on-one session with me, and a personalized gift from Otter Spirit chosen based on your chart energy.Price stays at $397. I had been considering raising it — I'm not.For other presentations please see the end of the email. The Overall EnergyWe are in the week following the Virgo New Moon, the Venus sign change, the Mercury sign change, and Uranus stationing retrograde — all of which happened on September 10th. The nodes are still parked at 29° Leo/Aquarius until October 9th. The entire Aries stellium remains retrograde: Neptune, Manwë, Saturn, Pallas Athena, Eris, and Vesta. And Chiron — who has been visiting Taurus — returns to Aries on Thursday.Venus has passed the Star Point degree of 0° Scorpio that she will return to at the Cazimi on October 23rd. She is heading into the underworld, and this week's occultation — the last Moon-Venus gate before she goes retrograde — is the pivotal moment.The Cards — A First GlanceFrom the Red Seeds Tarot by Linda Hill (Etsy, UK) and the Witch Oracle by Angie Sullins: Death (I Am Transition), Three of Torches, Seer of Torches reversed, and Lady of Perpetual Rebirth.The Death card and the Lady of Perpetual Rebirth bookending the week, with the Three of Torches (enthusiasm picking up) and the Seer reversed (not yet feeling your inner divinity, but the reminder to look) in between. Perfect for a week whose centrepiece is a Venus occultation at 2° Scorpio conjunct Haumea. More at the end.Day by DaySunday, September 13 — Moon in Libra. Air Grand Trine. Pallas Athena and Asteroid Lilith Square Off.We open the week with the Moon in Libra — balance, justice, how we relate, the scales.The Moon sextiles Jupiter in Leo. Jupiter was occulted by the Moon just last week at 15° Leo — the king hidden behind closed doors for transformation. Now the Moon, having moved all the way to Libra, reaches back with this fire-and-air sextile. A few more leaders with overblown egos will fall. It's time to rule from the heart. Jupiter will go retrograde in Leo and pass back over that territory. The transformation of what Jupiter represents is ongoing.The Moon squares Asteroid Lilith — who is being overtaken by Mars (in Cancer, moving forward) but is not finished. She is saying clearly: we are not going back. We are starting to move into the new paradigm. Things are starting to change.The Moon opposes Pallas Athena — the pattern-seer, the wise strategist, whose grey eyes see everything and nothing escapes them. We are starting to see the patterns more clearly now. And then Pallas Athena squares Asteroid Lilith directly — these two warriors in conversation. Pallas Athena with her strategy, Asteroid Lilith with her original equality: I was created from the same dirt. Equal. And it's time we worked from that. Restore balance.The Moon squares Mars in Cancer (more things falling or collapsing, the Libra Moon pressing for action and balance through cardinal signs) and then Ceres is opposed by Black Moon Lilith — the Great Mother and the shamed, hidden, elemental feminine in tension. Ceres is saying: move within. Take care of all your needs, met and unmet. Find what genuinely feeds you. Restore wholeness. And from that wholeness, you are more able to help create the new paradigm we're moving into.The Moon then makes a beautiful air grand trine to Hekate and Chariklo in Aquarius — the torchbearer and the cosmic doula, the way-shower and the grace-spinner, both in the sign of the future, the collective, the innovative. Ideas, new patterns, communication, social interaction — all of these weaving the new story. The path forward is through integration, through the Aquarian future, through humanitarianism and genuine care for each other.The Moon squares Juno (about to station direct — more on that Wednesday) and opposes Eris and Vesta — table-flipping and inner flame in tension with the scales of balance. Flip the inner tables first. And finally: Mars in Cancer trines Nessus — a water trine, leaching out the ancestral poisons, the old toxic patterns. Like bloodletting: get rid of them. They are holding us back.Mercury in Libra trines Uranus — an air trine at degrees very close to the first basket peak in July. Innovative new ideas. New thought, new inventions, aha moments. We are having collective awakenings in multiple ways simultaneously.I've been reading Nietzsche — Thus Spoke Zarathustra. His “God is dead” was not triumphalism; he meant that we, collectively, have killed the concept. And I find I'm glad we're moving away from the monotheistic, external, patriarchal God toward finding divinity within — moving away from intercessories. Which connects directly to the Hierophant reversed we had last week. The contracting is happening at every level.Monday, September 14 — The Venus Occultation. The Last Gate. The House-Raising Party.This is the day I most want to give space to.The Moon enters Scorpio and first opposes Chiron in Taurus before Chiron returns to Aries on Thursday. Scorpio digs deep; Chiron shows where the light gets in — the wounds around greed, materialism, our severed relationship with the senses and the earth. What does it mean to restore that balance? This is an ongoing excavation.The Sun in Virgo sextiles Mars in Cancer — Earth and water together, an opportunity for the guardian energy, the protective energy, the slow-and-meaningful energy to align with the Sun's call to purposeful, humble, stewardship-oriented action.And then: the Moon occults Venus.An occultation is like an eclipse — the Moon passes directly across the face of a planet, hiding it from view. We had the Jupiter occultation last week. Now Venus. And this is the last Moon-Venus conjunction (gate) before Venus goes retrograde — the last gate of this descent cycle.It happens at 2° Scorpio. Two is the number of the divine feminine: grace, cooperation, the receptive, the relational, the most powerful intuitive energy.Venus is conjunct Haumea — the Hawaiian creatrix goddess, the handle of Barbault's Basket, pure regeneration and rebirth. The Death card arrived in the cards this week. This is why.Venus is also square Pluto — death and rebirth energy, the shadow excavated for the buried treasure — and quincunx Neptune retrograde in Aries, making an aspect of adjustment: how have we lost connection with something essential in this long Martian-dominated era?That last point matters. The last Venus Star Point was at 2° Aries. This one is at 0° Scorpio. These are both Mars signs. And after this Scorpio Star Point — the last in our lifetimes — the Venus Star Point moves into Libra for over a hundred years, and then Pisces. Both Venusian signs. We are genuinely leaving a Martian era and entering a Venusian one. This occultation is a massive reset right at that threshold.The occultation runs from approximately 9:26am to 1:42pm Universal Time — check your local time equivalent, or simply look for when Moon and Venus are conjunct in your app.The Sabian symbol for 3° Scorpio (rounding up from 2°):A house-raising party in a small village. The village gathers not for entertainment but for the practical work of creating shelter. Many hands apply themselves to a single essential task, and the structure rises through coordinated effort. The image is purposeful and warm — a portrait of community focused on something that genuinely matters.The theme of this degree is collaborative intensity. The capacity to mobilize shared energy around a genuine need. The recognition that some structures require more than one person to build. There is a maturity here — in accepting support, and in offering it — so that what gets made is sturdy enough to last.Think of that in collective terms. Think of the Venus class. Think of community and what we're building together.The Omega symbol (Sandbach): A mysterious food, a small piece of which will satisfy hunger for days. Governed by the angel Rochel — lost and found, restitution. This degree possesses innate knowledge of what is needed to sustain life, versus what may be desired based on fantasies or addictive needs. There is something highly concentrated about this energy, so that what it may seem to be at first may be quite different from how it's experienced as it unfolds over time. It's hard to get to know, hard to assimilate, but any attempts to do so are well worth the effort.The Chandra symbol: Pigs being fed. Scorpio is the sign of desire. Overeating is often an attempt to fill what has been denied in other areas. At its best, this degree revels in what is taken in — love, a beautiful painting, a sunset, a bowl of mac and cheese. If not in deep and sincere touch with its true soul desires, it may binge chronically in an attempt to get something it never quite gets.This is the invitation of this occultation: what do you truly desire? What genuinely feeds your deepest needs? Not the addictive filling, not the binge seeking what it never quite gets — but the mysterious food, a small piece of which satisfies for days.I've been speaking with a friend about integrating Internal Family Systems work with astrology. The 8 C's of the Self: compassion, creativity, curiosity, confidence, courage, calm, connectedness, and clarity. And 5 P's: presence, persistence, perspective, playfulness, and patience. All of these are about coming into the Self — understanding yourself, accepting yourself, loving yourself — and from that place, bringing a completely different energy into the world. Rather than filling the hole. Rather than seeking from the outside what can only be found inside.After the occultation: the Moon conjuncts Haumea and squares Pluto. Then Venus conjuncts Haumea directly — the goddess of love meeting the goddess of regeneration at this threshold degree, in the deep water sign.We are being reborn.Tuesday, September 15 — Moon Gaining Light. Water Grand Trine. Neptune-Pluto Sextile.The Moon in Scorpio is gaining light now — we are past the new moon and entering the action phase. The Moon makes a water trine to Ceres — feeling our deepest needs, going very deep into our emotional world. Intense, but real.Venus at 3° Scorpio squares Pluto — she is moving into the underworld journey now. This is exactly what we'll track together in the class: Venus descending, confronting the shadow, finding the inner gold.A water grand trine forms: Moon in Scorpio, Asteroid Lilith in Cancer, Mars in Cancer, and Nessus in Pisces all in flowing conversation. Step into the interconnectedness. Wash away the old toxic patterns. These inherited poisons have been holding us back, and the water is dissolving them.Neptune and Pluto perfect another exact sextile — this ongoing aspect of collective transformation toward something more spiritual and interconnected. The building of something genuinely different is happening at the largest possible timescale, whether or not it's visible from inside the noise.The Moon squares Chariklo (helping write the new story) and sextiles the Sun — the first major Moon-Sun aspect since the new moon on the 10th. Earth and water. Creative energy coming from the depths.Wednesday, September 16 — Juno Stations Direct. Moon into Sagittarius. Hekate at the Crossroads.Venus is sextiled by Black Moon Lilith — the goddess of love and desire receiving support from the energy of the shamed and hidden wild feminine. Do the shame-and-vulnerability work. Brené Brown territory. What has been hidden in you? What has been shamed? That's what we're starting to surface as Venus approaches her retrograde.The Moon in Scorpio squares Hekate — so much retrograde energy in Aries, Hekate saying: we're not quite ready yet. The path forward involves the retrogrades. Venus and Mercury are both about to go retrograde through the same territory. After that, things will start to change in a big way — next year. But this is quite the process.The Moon reaches the anaretic 29° Scorpio and squares the Nodes at 11:48am Eastern — activating both eclipse points simultaneously. Purging more of the old attachments: to rules, to people, places, things, to the way things were. We cannot create the new until we've let go of a lot of the old.And then: the Moon enters Sagittarius. You may start to feel the shift — a little more get-up-and-go, a little more vision, a little more optimism. About time. The Sagittarius Moon shoots its arrows toward the future.Right after the ingress: Mercury in Libra squares Pholus — more things being revealed, the Pandora's box of our institutions still open. All the infighting globally, all the extremes — I genuinely believe we had to see all of this before we could create the new. The new is coming up underneath. It's just not visible from inside the chaos.The Sagittarius Moon opposes Sedna in Gemini (adapt or transform; communities renegotiating how they survive), trines Neptune, sextiles Pluto — the big agents of change, activated again.Juno stations direct. Her retrograde back into Capricorn has been reviewing our contracts with man-made laws, institutions, and structures — looking at what's out of balance, what needs to change. Now she starts moving back into Aquarius. New contracts. More meaningful ones. This is actually a significant shift.Thursday, September 17 — Chiron Returns to Aries. Moon Gains Light. Few Aspects.A quieter day in terms of number of aspects — but not in weight.Asteroid Lilith activates the water grand trine that has been building through the week — still washing out, still leaching the poisons, still saying we are not going back.The Moon in Sagittarius sextiles Mercury — opportunity for new ideas, new ways of thinking and communicating. The Moon is gaining light fast now.The Moon trines Saturn retrograde in Aries — what more old structures and self-limiting beliefs need to be released?And then, at 9:52pm Eastern: Chiron goes back into Aries. He'll be there until early 2027, revisiting territory he needs to complete before returning to Taurus for the longer stay.What does Chiron in Aries re-excavate? Wounds around the individual self, around identity, around who we are in ourselves. The message we received from the culture about what strength and individuality mean — rugged, power-over, domination — and the medicine of finding what genuine individual power actually looks like: coming from within, not over. We've been starting to find it. Chiron is going back to gather whatever bits need to be dug out before Taurus calls him back.Friday, September 18 — Venus Day. Ceres Squares Saturn. First Quarter Moon. Venus at the Basket Degree.Venus Day. And it delivers.Black Moon Lilith oscillates back into Sagittarius — freedom-restriction-freedom. The oscillating tension between the institutions' grip on us and the wild elemental self.Mercury in Libra squares Ceres in Cancer — what genuinely feeds us? What are our needs, and how do we take responsibility for meeting them? Not waiting for others to do it. This is the thesis of my Ceres book.Vesta and Eris meet again — devotion and focus meeting the original table-flipper. The most important place to flip the tables first is within. Those attachments to old rules, to needing someone else to tell you what to do or what to believe. You can have support. But being told what to think is different from being helped to understand.Mercury opposes Saturn — words and thoughts facing the structures and rules. The mythology of rugged individualism, manifest destiny, the hero's journey as the only journey. Write something new. Something more harmonious for everyone.Ceres squares Saturn at 13° Aries/Cancer — and this is an echo worth noting. When Ceres was discovered on January 1st, 1801, she was square Saturn in Leo — the sign of kings. I have always felt that her discovery chart encoded the eventual fall of kings and dominant leaders: Ceres, the Great Mother, at odds with the rules of the king. Now they square each other again, in cardinal signs. Ceres in Cancer: family, home, ancestors, the needs of the people. Saturn in Aries: rugged individualism, the old rules. Cardinals square: initiating something new. You may see another fall from grace around this day. The echo aspects are potent.The Sun in Virgo trines Juno at her station point — the Virgo Sun, wanting to do the right thing, in flowing conversation with our sacred contracts. More meaningful contracts are possible. This is the energy of building something sturdy.And: Venus is at 4° Scorpio — the first peak degree of Barbault's Basket. She is exactly at the degree where all four outer planets gathered in July. Venus leading the way, as always, into what's next.The day closes with the First Quarter Moon at 25° Sagittarius, squaring the Sun in Virgo. The action phase beginning in earnest. The crossroads.The Sabian symbol (26° Sagittarius): A flag-bearer in battle. This degree represents courageous dedication to principles bigger than yourself. The flag is not a tool of devastation — it's a symbol of shared values. Immutable signs with the Sun in Virgo: what is more meaningful? What is more useful? How do we create the future together around these bigger principles? Courage under pressure. Commitment to values. And the oxygen-mask wisdom: put yours on first, then put some personal wants aside for the greater good.The Omega symbol: A candle mysteriously undisturbed by wind. Sandbach titles this degree Beyond Mind. Thoughts are like wind — they push against everything and create turbulence. When you gain the power to detach from busy mind, there is an increasing steadiness that brings you closer to spiritual clarity. This degree carries a creative vision that is impervious to the agitations of inner voices.The Chandra symbol: Climbing the steps of the Pyramid of the Sun. To ascend — not by flying, but in a more substantial way, with something solid under your feet. This is about finding meaning and purpose and following the highest and clearest vision of it. Getting beyond what is shallow, superficial, and trivial can be arduous — but this meets the challenge with steadiness and purpose.Steadiness. Solid ground. A vision impervious to wind. A commitment to something bigger than yourself.That is your First Quarter Moon.Saturday, September 19 — Moon into Capricorn. Venus Receives the Moon's Grace. The Week Closes.The Moon moves into Capricorn overnight and closes the week with its early morning aspects.After the First Quarter, the Moon makes a fire trine to Chiron in Aries — just returned. Visionary, purposeful, the Sagittarius spirit meeting the medicine. What medicine do you need to create this vision? What healing is required for the steadfast purpose beginning to form?Juno has moved exactly one minute forward from her station — barely, but she's moving. New contracts are beginning.The Moon squares Eris and Vesta early — the tables are being flipped again, the inner flame is being tended. We are creating new structures. More revelations may surface today, including possibly the Epstein files re-emerging.In Capricorn, the Moon squares Neptune (retrograde in Aries) early in the morning — Neptune saying let go of the me-first attitude, the power-over energy. Create something genuinely new from here. And then the Moon makes a lovely unbroken flow trine to Venus — the Moon and Venus in earth and water, in gentle supportive conversation. All of this moving toward the retrograde. All of it connected.The Cards in DetailDeath — I Am Transition:A time of endings. Old lives, shared and beloved, are changing or gone. There may be some loss and pain this week — personally, culturally, collectively. Death and mourning is a process. Acceptance builds slowly as we lament and grieve for what was. But transformation beckons.Soon, you will start to feel the blood in your veins, and know that you are alive and have this big life journey to complete. In these extraordinary times that we are in.The Death card arrived at the same time as the Venus occultation conjunct Haumea. Regeneration, rebirth, the creatrix goddess. One cannot be separated from the other.Three of Torches (Wands) — I Am Enthusiasm:The Sagittarius energy is coming. You can feel it building from Wednesday onward — the arrow being drawn back, the vision beginning to form. The Three of Torches is that moment: enthusiasm. Grabbing it by the horns. You may feel less like lying on the mat in a quiet room — the life force returning.Seer of Torches, reversed — Reminder of Inner Radiance:Upright, the Seer of Torches is I Am Divine — the knowing that you are a divine being having a human experience, the natural inner radiance that doesn't need external validation. Reversed this week: you're probably not quite feeling this inner selfhood yet. You're not quite there yet with that inner divinity. That's okay. This is just a reminder: it's there. Look within. Notice your inner radiance, even just briefly. It hasn't gone anywhere.Lady of Perpetual Rebirth (Witch Oracle by Angie Sullins):Death comes for all of us — but this isn't a death card. It's a rebirth card.It's an invitation to clean and clear what needs to end, in order to welcome the new. What ideas or beliefs have become weighty, overwhelming, outdated? What thoughts no longer fit you? What convictions cause exhaustion or even illness when you embody them?Our Lady of Perpetual Rebirth is here to usher out the old and midwife the new.Pay special attention to your dreams. There are signs and symbols showing themselves to you right now that will indicate what wants to be loosened and released. The new vision, new awareness, new life that is circling you will also send out strong signals. Pay attention. Listen. Watch. Observe.This is the time to let go of what no longer serves.A witch can welcome death with the same enthusiasm a moth displays when flying into fire. She hurls herself towards her own endings, knowing her next beginnings live inside the fire of her passion — the heat of longing, calling her forward.Summing UpThe last Venus Gate before the retrograde — an occultation at 2° Scorpio, the divine feminine number, conjunct Haumea the regeneratrix, square Pluto, adjustment to Neptune. A house-raising party. A mysterious food that satisfies for days. Pigs being fed, or not, depending on whether they're in touch with their true soul desires.Juno stations direct. Chiron returns to Aries. Ceres and Saturn square at the echo of her discovery chart. The First Quarter Moon at the flag-bearer degree, the candle undisturbed by wind, the climbing of the pyramid with solid ground underfoot.And four cards that say: something is ending. The enthusiasm is coming back. Your inner radiance is there, even if you can't feel it yet. And the witch hurls herself toward her own endings, because she knows her next beginnings are already inside the fire.See you at the retrograde. Join me in the Heroine's Journey. You will not regret it. https://www.louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026— LouiseAtlanta Astrology Association (MAAS) — September 17th: I'm presenting on Ceres and my book. First-time attendees can come free. Email me at louise@louiseedington.com if you'd like to attend.OPA Live — September 20th: A panel of three astrologers on the Venus retrograde. A wonderful preview if you're deciding whether to join the class.London School of Astrology Chiron Weekend — October 17th–18th: On Zoom, $99 (mostly to charity), recommended by Melanie Reinhart and Brian Clarke. I'll be covering Chariklo as part of my Chiron presentation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cosmicowlastrology.substack.com/subscribe

Before We Dive InRecording this on August 26th, and I want to say clearly at the start: I am feeling a bit low. The eclipse energy has been personally challenging in a number of ways, and also — Dolly Parton and Tim Curry have both passed, within days of each other. Both around 80 years old. I loved them both, for very different reasons, and I find their passing sitting in me in that particular way that celebrity deaths sometimes do, when someone has been part of the landscape of your whole life.I'm telling you this because it's also very much the energy of this week. This is the come-down after eclipse season. If you're feeling deflated, that's appropriate. That's the astrology. The cards are honest about it — but they end in a place of genuine hope. If you're looking for that hopeful note right now, go and watch the September 10th Virgo New Moon video I just put up. That one has more light in it.This week: do your inner work. Go into the woods. Slow your roll.Subscribe free on Substack for all posts in your inbox. Spiral Weave / Spiral Codex membership — $10/month or $90/year.Venus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — I'll decide on the final pricing when I'm back from Chicago. For now, it's still open and I'll let you know. Two tiers: the basic Venus Retrograde course, and Dragon Rider (adds a year of Spiral Codex membership, a 30-minute one-on-one with me, and a personal gift). louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026One more small thing: if you enjoy astrology AND music, Chris Brennan did an extraordinary interview with Roland Orzabal from Tears for Fears about his astrology memoir. It's worth your time. I've listened twice and bought the hard copy.The Energy of This WeekWe come off the lunar eclipse on August 28th and begin to wane. The week opens with the Moon in Aries and ends with it in Cancer, waning all the while, heading toward the September 10th new moon. We are in the shedding phase.What makes this week distinctive — and why the message keeps being the same — is the sheer number of retrograde planets in Aries: Neptune, Manwë, Saturn, Pallas Athena, Eris, and Vesta, all moving backwards. When the Aries Moon moves through them, each conjunction or activation is saying: slow down. Go in. Revisit. Review. Do not charge forward. Aries likes action and speed; the retrogrades are applying the brakes.The overall prescription for this week: radical, extraordinary self-care. More than you normally would. The whole week is a churn of inner processing. Let it do its work.Three more things to note:Pluto is out of bounds until December 5th — as it will be for a few months around this time of year until 2035. Going out of bounds to the south, which Rosie Finn's book Persephone's Revolution associates with people rising up and more peaceful collective energy. We are in that window.Sedna stations retrograde this week (Thursday) — her 11,406-year orbit is so slow that her stations are gentler than most, but she's still asking: dig deeper into your perceptions and adaptations. She was last in Gemini at the end of the Great Ice Ages.Venus is entering the shadow of her retrograde — she hits 21°50' Libra at the start of the week, which is the point she'll return to when she stations direct on November 13th. Start paying attention now to what comes up around your values, your relationships, your sense of justice and beauty, your desires. Everything that surfaces in the next few weeks will have something to say when Venus goes retrograde in October.Only Venus, Mercury, and the Sun have passed the South Node and Regulus so far. Everyone else is still coming. Gradually, one by one.The Cards — A First GlanceFrom the Red Seeds Tarot and the Witch Oracle: Two of Bees, Eight of Seeds reversed, Ten of Bees, and The Witch.Tension. Disengagement. Then: revelation. And then the Witch herself — the one in total control of herself — to close. More at the end.Day by DaySunday, August 30 — Moon in Aries. Slow Your Horses. Venus Enters Her Shadow.The Moon is freshly in Aries — and immediately hits all those retrograde planets. A sextile to Sedna (about to station), a sextile to Pluto activating the basket at 4°, then the Moon conjuncts Neptune — stop and smell the coffee. Tune in to your intuition. There is nothing to rush into right now. The Moon then sextiles Uranus — the aha question of this whole period: who am I in this new world we're building? That's worth sitting with.The Moon squares Ceres in Cancer — do your self-care. Take care of yourself first, and then you are able to care for and protect your loved ones. And squares Pholus — the lid is still coming off things.The Moon is being slowed at every turn. Neptune is particularly potent here: the retrograde Aries cluster, every one of them applying the brakes to the Aries Moon's natural preference for speed. Slow your horses. We are not at full speed ahead yet.The Moon conjuncts Pallas Athena (revisiting strategy and pattern recognition), then conjuncts Eris (tables turning, but within — going in to see what you need to overturn in your own life), then squares Juno (renegotiating contracts), sextiles Hekate (the torchbearer is saying: the path forward is through your inner truths), and finally conjuncts Vesta (inner flame — what are you devoted to, really?). Before the day closes, the Moon conjuncts Saturn — a hard stop. Reality check. Put the brakes on.Venus at 21°50' Libra directly opposes Pallas Athena retrograde — the strategist, the pattern-recognizer, looking keenly back at Venus. Slow down. Think through your relationships, your values, your sense of justice. See the patterns before you charge on. Venus is covering ground she will cover again during the retrograde. Pay attention to what surfaces.Black Moon Lilith makes a fire trine to Eris and Vesta, and sextiles Hekate — that inner feminine rage at injustice, in flowing conversation with the table-turners and the inner flame, with the way-shower lighting the path. And Mercury in Virgo trines Pholus — more information coming to light. More things being seen.Monday, August 31 — Saturn Squares Asteroid Lilith. Black Moon Lilith Enters Capricorn. Earth Grand Trine.Saturn at 13° Aries squares Asteroid Lilith in Cancer. Thirteen — the number of the goddess, the witch. Saturn in Aries retrograde is revisiting the rules, the structures, the identities we've been building. Asteroid Lilith — the talk-to-the-hand, we-were-created-equal, original divine feminine — is in the Moon's sign, looking around and asking: how are all our needs being met? How are outsiders' needs being met? It's a hard look, again, before we do anything more. Saturn can bring the “shoulds” — and this week: don't. It will still be there later.Black Moon Lilith reaches the end of Sagittarius and enters Capricorn — the sign of our institutions, structures, and the man-made rules we live under. And the moment she crosses into Capricorn, she trines Regulus at 0° Virgo and Chiron at 0° Taurus — an Earth Grand Trine. The exiled feminine energy, in flowing conversation with the Royal Star that now speaks of future stewards, and with the medicine man shining his light on wounds and healing.The way forward is this world. This experience. Being on this Earth, which is our home.Jupiter at 13° Leo trines Saturn at 13° Aries. Thirteen — the goddess number, the witch number, also a number of creation (Fibonacci, phi). This is the opening trine of the cycle that began at the Great Conjunction in December 2020 — Jupiter and Saturn at 0° Aquarius, the beginning of the Age of Air. Now Jupiter has moved into Leo and this is the first flowering of that seed. We have to change these man-made rules that are not in alignment with the natural laws of the universe. That's what this aspect is saying. In the number of the goddess, no less.The Moon in Aries moves through Pallas Athena (revisiting strategy), opposes Venus (emotions stirred around what Venus is covering in her pre-retrograde territory — feel it, don't push it away), conjuncts Eris (more inner table-turning), squares Juno, sextiles Hekate, conjuncts Vesta.Tuesday, September 1 — Moon Into Taurus. Mars Squares Saturn. Mercury Meets Circe. The Brakes.The Moon finishes its Aries passage by aspecting the Nodes (still at 29° until October 9th — eclipse energy still reverberating) before moving into Taurus at 4:01am Eastern. Immediately, the Moon conjuncts Chiron — the shaman, the medicine man, hands-on healing. Earth. Body. Values. The wound and the medicine.Venus at 23° Libra makes a lovely unbroken flow aspect to Chariklo in Aquarius — the cosmic doula, Chiron's consort, the grace-spinner, holding space for the new story we're weaving. I am here with you. I am helping you weave it.Then the aspect that defines the day: Mars in Cancer squares Saturn in Aries. Mars in Cancer is already uncomfortable — fire in water, drive dampened by sensitivity. And Saturn in Aries is retrograde, in Mars's own sign. One foot on the accelerator, one foot on the brake. Except this week: it is far more brake than accelerator.If you feel the shoulds pressing in — I should be doing this, I should be doing that — this week is not the time. What needs to be done will still be there after you've rested and gone in. The brakes are on for a reason.Mercury in Virgo meets Circe the Sorceress — Circe is also conjunct the upcoming Virgo New Moon, which feels intentional. Mercury saying: get into the details, go in and do some inner sorcery and magic. The craftsmanship here is interior. Mercury then sextiles Asteroid Lilith — she's in there too, having a very good look at what she's going to say no to. Not performing the no yet. Looking clearly.The Taurus Moon Earth-trines the Virgo Sun and Pholus at around 9-10° — a pull to earth, to the somatic, to the body, to roots. Get your bare feet on the ground. Do grounding meditations. Go into the woods. That's why I chose the Red Riding Hood image for this week — the feminine going into the woods, into the inner world, is the heroine's journey. Read those old fairy tales from a different lens.Wednesday, September 2 — Moon in Taurus. Everything Is Within.The Taurus Moon squares Jupiter at 13° Leo — the natural laws of the universe, in the sign of the heart, at the goddess number again. The pattern of all of these 13° aspects this week is unmistakable.Everything is pointing inward. Everything is saying: come into balance and harmony within your nervous system. These eclipses have been nerve-jangling. If you feel your nervous system a bit fried, that's both appropriate and fixable. You have the tools. Use them.The Moon sextiles Mars (still cooling its jets, heading toward Asteroid Lilith), and the Sun trines Black Moon Lilith — with Okyrhoe the seer joining that aspect. This is about uncovering your inner seer. Going to the depth within that knows things before the mind catches up. The inner oracle.Thursday, September 3 — Sedna Stations Retrograde. Moon Into Gemini. Basket Activated.The Taurus Moon makes an Earth trine to Juno — our sacred contracts with each other, held in the flowing earth energy that's been the backbone of this week. This Earth trine has been holding the whole week: pulling inward, pulling down to ground, pulling roots deeper.Sedna stations retrograde in Gemini. Her 11,406-year orbit means she was last in Gemini at the end of the Great Ice Ages. Her stations are slower-burning than closer-in planets, but this is still a turning point: dig deeper into your perceptions, your ideas, your words, your thinking. How do you need to shift? How do you need to adapt?Black Moon Lilith squares Saturn — now in his own sign Capricorn, pressing against the rules and structures of our institutions. More things being seen. More reality checks arriving. This is not the moment to rail at every little thing. It's the moment to take it in, to see clearly, to know what you're looking at before you act.The Taurus Moon reaches 27-29° — the Pleiades degrees. This may feel like a tender, even sad day. The Pleiades carry the grief of endings and the beauty of the in-between. With Dolly and Tim Curry's passing this week, and with so much being released in the collective, let yourself feel what's there. The Moon then squares Hekate, squares the Nodes, and begins moving toward the drain of the South Node.At 7:47am Eastern, the Moon enters Gemini and immediately meets Sedna — who just stationed retrograde, all that adapt-or-transform energy newly concentrated. The Moon then trines Pluto, sextiles Neptune, conjuncts Uranus — the basket, again. The cradle activated. The aha moment: something about letting go. Something about death and rebirth. Something about what's trying to move through.Mars is opposed by Black Moon Lilith at 2:44pm Eastern — a question not about action but about wisdom. Is the action we're taking coming from a wise place? Or are we just acting? Black Moon Lilith is a lunar point, not a physical body — she's the inner voice, the interior knowing. Are we using her wisdom to shape what we do?Friday, September 4 — Last Quarter Moon. Venus Opposes Eris. Inner Tables Turning.The Gemini Moon (out of bounds since late Wednesday or Thursday) squares the Sun — Last Quarter Moon at approximately 11:48am Eastern. Eleven: the master number, the gateway. What are we letting go of before we step through this doorway? Not one big doorway — a series of doorways. That's what this whole period is. Each week, another door. What are we releasing at this one?The Last Quarter Moon is always a crisis in consciousness — the moment of maximum tension before the letting go. In this context, coming off eclipse season, it's the inner churn before the new moon plant.Venus at 25° Libra opposes Eris — more inner tables to turn. Not out there, not yet. Going within, looking at strategy and patterns, recognizing what needs to be overturned within your own relating and your own values before you bring a new version of yourself to the world.The Moon sextiles Saturn (opportunity to let go of self-limiting beliefs, old rules we were taught to live by) and sextiles Jupiter (the curious Gemini Moon trying to make sense of it all through the lens of the natural laws).Mars meets Asteroid Lilith at 15° Cancer — the midpoint of the degree, the middle of Cancer. Mars will move ahead of her after this. But she is right there with him, saying: you are more of a protector and a guardian than you have been portrayed. Right now, at this moment — using the language of internal family systems — you are my inner protector. You are here to help me move within, do more self-care, love myself more. You are the guardian of my interior, not just the warrior taking on the external world.If your inner Mars is feeling frustrated and angry (Mars doesn't love Cancer), you can actually talk to that part of yourself: I know you're here to help me. Right now your job is to protect my inner work, not to attack everything out there.The Moon squares Mercury — information, details, adjustments, what you think. All of it inside.Venus squares Juno — we are rewriting the contracts. With each other, and with ourselves.Saturday, September 5 — Moon Into Cancer. Venus and Hekate. One Last Look at the Toxins.The Gemini Moon finishes its journey — way out of bounds — making last aspects to the retrograde planets in Aries: Pallas Athena, Eris, Vesta. Fire and air. What do I need to burn off? What ideas need to be released? What does the inner flame actually want? Intense, but passing.At 10:30am Eastern, the Moon enters Cancer — her own sign — and sextiles Chiron. The wound and the medicine. The shaman. What's the medicine I've become because of what I've been through?Venus makes a lovely unbroken flow aspect to Hekate — the way-shower, the torchbearer, the triple moon goddess at the crossroads. Venus and Hekate work together beautifully during Venus retrogrades (you'll experience this directly in the class), and this pre-retrograde aspect is a preview: pay attention to your inner voice about which paths to choose. Which direction through the woods of your inner self is being illuminated?The Cancer Moon trines Haumea — pure regeneration, the Hawaiian creatrix, the handle of the basket. She hasn't been aspected much this week, and here at the close she shows up to say: something new is being birthed from all of this. Something is regenerating. And the Moon squares Neptune — Haumea moving forward, Neptune moving back, an aspect of adjustment between the two Mars signs (Aries and Scorpio). We are moving into a more Venusian era. We cannot stay where we were.The last aspect of the week: one more look at the toxins, at what needs to be released, at what we've been carrying that belongs to the past. What more can I let go of to be a better ancestor? (If you want to go deeper on Nessus, there's a beautiful blog post from the Amalthea website — search “Amalthea Nessus” — and the author contributed to Sideways from Saturn, the book on the centaurs that I wrote the foreword for.)The Cards in DetailTwo of Bees (Swords) — I Am Tension:Proverbs: “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”This week suggests difficult choices and decisions. Your ideas and opinions may be questioned — by others and, perhaps more intensely, by yourself. You may feel mentally paralyzed as you try to navigate stress, uncertainty, and inner conflict.How do we move forward? Balance the tension of the opposites. Hold the tension of not knowing the outcome for a while. Clarity and a balanced view will make itself known. Positive choices and insightful decisions will arise from the centre of your being, once you've taken time to contemplate and listen to yourself before you act.And remember that quote when you speak to yourself this week: gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Including when you are talking inside your own head.Eight of Seeds (Pentacles), reversed — I Am Disengaged:Upright, the Eight of Seeds is productive, diligent, sowing and harvesting. Reversed this week: I feel disengaged. I feel like I've never done enough, like I'm not good enough. The inner perfectionist shows up.This is an Earth card, and its very reversal is the prescription: self-development and inner work. Not productive outer work. The shadow of Virgo — the perfectionism, the not-enoughness — can come through here. Let it be acknowledged and then gently set aside. You don't have to perform productivity right now.Ten of Bees (Swords) — I Am Revelation:Khalil Gibran: “For the bee, the flower is the fountain of life. For the flower, the bee is the messenger of love.”This is the card I was genuinely glad to see at the end of this challenging set. Here it is:We have tripped up and plummeted along the way, and now know what rock bottom feels like. It has challenged us. Self-pity, at times, has heightened our suffering.However, in reality, the rocks actually grounded us, and a relief and an understanding is starting to rise up within us. It is clear that we have been stung into waking up to some hard truths. Our ego may have been battered, and we may feel sore, vulnerable, as we reflect on what appear to be failures and endings that lie behind us.The good news is: the worst is over, for this week. The weight we have carried is finally lifting. We have survived, and our stings will heal. Our wings gently unfurl, and we start to ascend, breathing in the clear air, and dancing into a new beginning.By the end of the week, you will start to feel the call of the new moon. Not quite there yet. But coming.The Witch (Witch Oracle) — I Am Coordinating, Not Dominating:“Control. No woman alive today needs a dictionary to know what control means within a toxic patriarchy. She's experienced it a thousand different ways. It is domination and restraint.But in a balanced psyche and in a balanced culture, control can mean something else entirely.A witch experiences control through cooperation rather than competition. She is engaged with all the parts of her psyche in an attempt to coordinate rather than dominate.You are being asked right now to embrace all the inhabitants of your inner realm, because each deserves respect and a place at the table. Even the unruly, the inconvenient, the ugly. Making space for all under the banner of wild inclusion — giving voice to the shame, malice, and anger, as well as every other outlawed part of the psyche — is the way we create integrity.When your intent is to create rather than compete, you don't have to dominate. Your influence is enough. This is power with, rather than power over.Invite whatever is bothering you today into the realm of inclusion. Assert your inner authority.”Coordinate, don't dominate. Including inside yourself. This is the whole week. This is the whole work.Summing UpPost-eclipse. Waning. Brakes firmly on. The Aries retrogrades slowing everything down, saying not yet, not yet. The Earth Grand Trine pulling us down to roots and soil and body. The 13s showing up everywhere — the goddess number, the witch number — at Saturn and Jupiter and the Moon's aspects. Venus entering her pre-retrograde territory and asking us to start paying attention. Sedna stationing to dig deeper into how we adapt. The Last Quarter Moon at the gateway number, releasing before the new moon.The rocks grounded us. The wings are beginning to unfurl.Go into the woods. Slow your roll. Do the radical self-care. Talk to your inner Mars. Embrace all the inhabitants of your inner realm. And coordinate, don't dominate — inside and out.The new moon is coming on September 10th. We'll get there.— LouiseVenus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026Subscribe free on Substack. Spiral Weave / Spiral Codex — $10/month or $90/year.Code COSMICOWL20 (20% off) or COSMICOWL30 (30% off $99+) at Otter Spirit. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cosmicowlastrology.substack.com/subscribe

Edited Transcript Below for Readers on Substack. A pivotal astrological week centered on the Lunar Eclipse on August 28 and a rare sequence of personal planets (Sun, Mercury, Venus) crossing the South Node and Regulus at 0° Virgo — a pattern Louise frames as accelerating the "fall of kings" and a long-term paradigm shift toward humility, stewardship, and inner work. The overarching theme is surrender, self-care, and transformation amid heightened emotional intensity.Venus Retrograde Heroine's Journey 2026 https://www.louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026Features and Press ReleasesUSA Today! https://www.usatoday.com/press-release/story/39476/louise-edington-launches-landmark-venus-retrograde-program-as-she-approaches-15-years-in-business/https://www.womansworld.com/contributors/louise-edington-fear-astrologyhttps://feedvoice.com/louise-edington-on-why-midlife-women-are-turning-to-astrology-for-self-trust-instead-of-self-improvement/International Business Times https://www.ibtimes.com/louise-edington-reclaiming-language-stars-through-intuition-embodiment-matrifocal-wisdom-3803596Wellness Voice https://wellnessvoice.com/louise-edington-on-reclaiming-the-language-of-the-stars-through-intuition-embodiment-and-matrifocal-wisdom/Red Seeds Tarot https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheRedSeedsW.I.T.C.H. Oracle Deck https://a.co/d/0bOgiJsrBefore We Dive InA few things before we get into what is — still — an extraordinary week.AstroTheoros has been adding features since I last mentioned them on the lunar eclipse video: chart import (from nearly any source) and export (to CSV), chart folders, chart notes with a timeline, and lovely PDF print options. More is in the works. If you're looking for affordable, cloud-based astrology software that works on any device, go and check it out. Code COSMICOWL at astrotheoros.com — one free month on the monthly plan, or one extra month off the yearly plan.Venus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — we now have 50 people enrolled. First call is October 1st. The price is holding through the end of August, so this week is your last chance at the current rate. And — this matters, so I'm saying it clearly — I offer partial scholarships. If you genuinely cannot afford the class, please email me at louise@louiseedington.com with a “pay what you can” offer. I do believe in some form of exchange, but I believe even more in this work reaching the people who need it. Please be in integrity — you don't need to give me your life story. Just be honest. louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026My article — “Can We Let Evolutionary Astrology Evolve?” — is on Substack now. I'm not calling for anyone to cancel evolutionary astrology as a whole. I'm calling for patience, grace, and recognition that the practice itself is already evolving — which is rather fitting. I've had people come out of the woodwork in response to it, in good ways, and there will be follow-ups. Subscribe free on Substack to get it in your inbox.Spiral Weave / Spiral Codex membership — $10/month or $90/year — is where we go deeper together. Live calls, community, and the monthly Ask Me Almost Anything. Link below. Membership is OFF Substack going forward.The Big Picture: Three Planets Cross RegulusBefore we move into the week, I want to give you the context that has been building for months — because it reaches a significant milestone this week.Regulus — the Royal Star, one of the four great fixed stars of the ancient sky — moved from Leo into Virgo from our perspective in late 2011. Before Virgo, it spent approximately 2,160 years in Leo. Before that, 2,160 years in Cancer. And before that, Gemini.The astrologer Michael Lutin — rest in peace, a truly lovely man — apparently wrote about Regulus's ingress into Virgo in practically every post after it happened. His words, which I keep coming back to: “Long after this foolish war is over, Regulus in Virgo will produce beings — the future stewards of the Earth and planets. The goddesses.” And he also said: kings in rags.Now here is where we are this week: the three most personal solar system bodies — Venus, the Sun, and Mercury — are all crossing the South Node and then Regulus, one after another, for the first time since the South Node met Regulus at 0° Virgo.Venus crossed first. The Sun crossed last week. And this Tuesday: Mercury crosses the South Node and then meets Regulus.These are the three bodies closest to the Sun — the inner solar system, our most personal planetary energies. In order from Sun outward: Mercury, Venus, Earth. All three crossing that symbolic drain and meeting Regulus in its new sign. Not kings. Something different. Something more humble, more curious, more meaningful, more Virgo.I also want to mention the larger wheel. I believe the turning of the ages began in 1781, when Uranus was discovered — that moment of collective breakthrough also marked the start of the Industrial Revolution. It takes a very long time to turn the great wheel. We are roughly three ages back from when the descent began — Gemini to Cancer to Leo — and now, with Regulus in Virgo, we are at the point between the descent and the return. Beginning to push back up. That is where we are.Three Out-of-Bounds Bodies — and a PrescriptionThis week, the Moon, Mars, and Pluto are all out of bounds simultaneously. That is not nothing.The Moon out of bounds means our emotions are running beyond the normal range — heightened, eccentric, more extreme in some direction.Mars out of bounds (since August 3rd) means protective instincts and defensive reactions have been especially reactive. Mars in Cancer is already sensitive and protective; out of bounds, it's been operating well beyond convention. The good news: Mars comes back in bounds on Friday the 28th, the eclipse day.Pluto out of bounds happens for about three months around this time of year, and will continue until 2035 — after which Pluto never goes out of bounds again in any of our lifetimes. Rosie Finn's book Persephone's Revolution documents the pattern: Pluto out of bounds to the south has historically coincided with people rising up, more peaceful collective energy. Pluto out of bounds to the north coincided with the Second World War. We are in the south-running period. That is, in Rosie's words, the revolution.The prescription for all of this: radical self-care. Not the usual amount. More than you'd normally think necessary. Out-of-bounds planets go beyond the norm — so your self-care needs to go beyond your norm too. Keep your boundaries. Retreat when you need to. Do what genuinely restores you.The Cards — A First GlanceFrom the Red Seeds Tarot and the Witch Oracle: The Hanged Goddess (upright!), Two of Bees reversed, Queen of Seeds reversed, and The Companion.Pause. Inner turmoil. Inner pillars. And your body as the cauldron. Every single card is pointing in the same direction: inward. More at the end.Day by DaySunday, August 23 — Sun Meets Regulus. The Third Great Crossing Begins.The Moon in Capricorn, out of bounds, opens the week by opposing Ceres — the Great Mother, the one I wrote my book on. Self-care first. What are your needs right now, really? Then the Moon squares Neptune — forming a mutable T-square that forces change and says: surrender. Let go. Trust the flow.At 3:12am Eastern, the Sun meets Regulus exactly at 0°11' Virgo. Venus is already past this point, heading ahead. Now the Sun has joined her. Two personal planets past the drain, past Regulus, heading toward what comes next — including the Venus Star Point, the Cazimi in Scorpio, on October 23rd. (That Star Point, incidentally, squares 20° Aquarius — a potent point I'll speak to more in the Venus class.)Venus is now falling in the sky — every morning in the east she rises closer and closer to the rising Sun, descending back toward conjunction. We are in the falling phase of her cycle. The invitation: more humility, more curiosity, more meaning, more Virgo. Less performance, less pedestal energy. Let it go.Happy birthday, Virgo humans. Your season is carrying something remarkable.Mercury in Leo trines Eris — the messenger meeting the original table-turner. Eris does not like artifice. She does not like the glitz and vanity and pedestal energy of shadow Leo. She is the one who says I was created equal and I will not submit — and she says it again now through Mercury. Expect more news of people falling from pedestals. More truth being spoken. More of the old guard losing its grip.The Moon opposes Mars (both out of bounds — very heightened), then conjuncts Asteroid Lilith (talk to the hand, enough) and Pholus (Pandora's box wide open). We've had enough. The lid is coming off more things. There is grief in all of this. There is loss. People are going to be feeling it this week — whether it's playing out in their personal lives or in the collective. Both are real.The Sun in Virgo trines Chiron — an Earth trine. Healing the wounds around being human. Around how we've treated each other. Around our severed relationship with the Earth itself. This is an ongoing theme for the Chiron-in-Taurus years, and the Sun newly in Virgo is making it tangible.The out-of-bounds Moon squares Saturn retrograde — initiating, letting go of old institutions, old rules, old self-limiting beliefs. The structures that are stagnant. They are going.Monday, August 24 — Capricorn Moon. Radical Self-Care. The Inner Crossroads.The Moon is still out of bounds in Capricorn all day — and Capricorn Moons can feel a bit cold, emotionally blunt. With everything going on right now, you or people around you may seem more shut down than usual. That's self-protection, not coldness. Give yourself and others some latitude.The prescription is clear: more self-care than you normally think you need. Out-of-bounds planets go beyond the norm. Match that.The Moon squares Venus — both out of bounds, both in their own way asking: what do we value? What are we creating? What relationships, contracts, and connections need new boundaries? Where are we letting go of the old and building something genuinely different?Mercury trines Vesta — the messenger in conversation with the inner flame. This isn't coming from outside. The flame is within. The article I wrote on evolutionary astrology (link below) speaks to this — the turning of astrology toward helping people explore their interior landscape, rather than telling them what it means.The Moon sextiles Nessus — seeing the toxins within and without. Bloodletting the inherited poisons, the patterns that have been running. Then the Moon squares Pallas Athena — wise strategy, wise justice. How are we going to fight for this? And how do we find the strategy within ourselves first?Mercury opposes Hecate at 28°57' Aquarius. Hecate — the torchbearer at the crossroads, the triple moon goddess — is in the sign of the future, the collective, the Aquarian North Node. Mercury opposing her says: the crossroads is within. The way forward is through the interior, not through the external drama. Tune in.The Moon squares Eris to close the day — tables still turning, within and without.Tuesday, August 25 — Mercury Crosses the South Node. Mercury Meets Regulus. Vesta Stations Retrograde.Three major events. One day.At 5:01am Eastern, the Moon enters Aquarius — back in bounds, or very close to it, stepping into the sign of the future.At 5:04am Eastern, Mercury conjuncts the South Node. The drain. The third major personal planet to cross this threshold since the South Node met Regulus at 0° Virgo.First Venus crossed — love, values, our relationship to all things, our social and material world. Then the Sun — the very core of our solar system, our identity, the ego and the heart simultaneously. Now Mercury — the mind, the voice, communication, the messenger between worlds.Three, in succession. All releasing through the drain. All letting go of old ideas, old beliefs, old ways of thinking about leadership and hierarchy and who gets to be on a pedestal.And then: at 7:04am, Mercury enters Virgo. Crossing from Leo (the voice of the heart) into Virgo (the meaningful, discerning, humble voice). Mercury is strong in Virgo — curious, detail-oriented, wanting to find the meaning, wanting to get it right not for praise but because doing the right thing matters.At 9:26am, Mercury conjuncts Regulus at 0° Virgo.Three planets. Venus. Sun. Mercury. All having now crossed Regulus in Virgo for the first time since the South Node met it. All going down the drain of the age of kings, and emerging — more humble, more curious, more Virgo. Kings in rags. Future stewards of the Earth and planets. The goddesses.I am just like... I love astrology. And I love Michael Lutin for seeing this.The Moon in Aquarius then squares Haumea, trines Sedna (adapt or die, but also — so many kinds of death), and conjuncts Pluto — the basket activation again. The Moon carries the collective emotional energy through the 4° basket degree, four legs of stability, and we are held.At 2:01pm Eastern, Vesta stations retrograde. Vesta — the inner flame, focus, commitment, sacred devotion — goes retrograde. And look at the Aries cluster now: Neptune retrograde, Manwë retrograde, Saturn retrograde, Pallas Athena retrograde, Eris retrograde, and now Vesta retrograde. All those Aries energies — the new beginning, the identity in the emerging aeon — going back, reviewing, revisiting. We are not finished with what Aries has been teaching us about who we are becoming. The retrograde does not cancel the flame. It turns it inward to assess what it's actually devoted to.Mercury in Virgo trines Chiron — and I want to sit with this one. Virgo, in the older traditions, was the healer, the witch, the medicine carrier, the one with the pouch of herbs who knew how to tend bodies and communities. Chiron is the wounded healer, the shaman, the one who becomes medicine through the wound. Together: be the medicine. Not just know about healing. Embody it.The Moon then trines Uranus — the basket activates again, and we are held in it. Still. Despite everything.Wednesday, August 26 — Moon Opposes Jupiter. The Pedestal Shadow.The Aquarius Moon opposes Jupiter and Hygieia in Leo — and I find this potent. Jupiter in Leo is the expander in the sign of kings, of leaders, of the performer. And now the Moon — the people, the collective emotions — is directly across from it, in the sign of the future.What we're starting to see, I think, is not just the fall of individual gurus and leaders. We're starting to see the shadow of how we've participated in putting them there. Not just in them, but in us. The energy of wanting someone to tell us the answers. The hunger for authority figures. The guru culture, the cult-of-personality culture, the tendency to surrender our inner judge to someone else's version of truth. Jupiter expanded all of that. Now we're looking at it clearly.Jupiter will go retrograde at some point soon, which means it will turn back to review that Leo territory more carefully. Watch that.The Moon sextiles Saturn — self-limiting beliefs, old structures. Let them go. And Mercury sextiles Haumea — the Great Mother of regeneration. All three personal planets are now moving toward Scorpio, toward the Venus Star Point, toward the Venus and Mercury retrogrades. It is going to be intentional. The Venus class exists to help you work with this from the inside out — the meditations are channeled, not scripted, so each journey is genuinely different.Thursday, August 27 — Moon Into Pisces. Mercury Cazimi at 4° Virgo. Moon Conjuncts North Node.The Moon moves through Aquarius — sextiling Pallas Athena (strategy), conjuncting Chariklo (the cosmic doula is holding space for the story we're weaving), sextiling Eris and Vesta (burn things off, from devotion and inner flame) — and then meets Hecate at the crossroads. Always. She is always there.And then the Mercury Cazimi — the Sun and Mercury meet exactly, in a superior (exterior) conjunction at 4° Virgo. Mercury is behind the Sun from our perspective, meaning it's on the far side — gathering information from outer space, which it then channels through the solar core. These exterior Cazimis are often moments of receiving rather than transmitting: something is coming in that Mercury will carry forward toward the coming retrograde.4° Virgo. The basket degree, again. Four legs of the table. When the basket peaked in July, the Moon at 4° of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn each activated the whole configuration in turn. Now Mercury and the Sun meet at 4° Virgo. The messenger is filled with what it needs to carry toward the Venus retrograde and then into its own retrograde in Scorpio. Information from the far side, encoded in the cauldron, to be distilled in the descent to come.At 3:03pm Eastern, the Moon enters Pisces — and the emotional waters deepen as we move toward the eclipse tomorrow. The Moon sextiles Chiron and trines Haumea — a water grand trine still operational, eroding, regenerating. The Moon squares Sedna — adapt, or be changed. The Moon conjuncts the North Node — the Aquarian future, the care-for-each-other energy, the people rising up. Forget the labels. Just vote for the person who genuinely wants to care for people. They are human. They will not be perfect. But listen to what they say.Friday, August 28 — Venus Day. The Lunar Eclipse. Mars Back in Bounds.The full lunar eclipse post and video cover all the detail — please do go and read/watch those. But here's what matters from this forecast's perspective.The eclipse is at 4° Pisces/Virgo — the basket degree, the number of stability. Four legs. We are held.Mars moves back in bounds on this day. He's been out of bounds since August 3rd — erratic, sensitive, defensive, more extreme than usual. Now, at last, he comes back within the established range. You may notice a very slight settling of some of that reactive, overly self-protective energy. Mars in Cancer at its highest is the fierce guardian — protective of home and family, yes, but from love rather than fear.Mercury square Uranus exactly at 5° — number of change. Radical shift in perceptions. Could come as shocking news, shocking falls, or shocking good news. The Uranian energy doesn't telegraph which. Stay awake.The Moon in Pisces trines Ceres — amid eclipse energy, Ceres in Cancer says: meet your needs. Take care of yourself. Your family and community. There may be grief around ancestors, around family, around inheritance. Let the water move through.The Sun in Virgo sextiles Ceres and squares Uranus — more eclipse activation, more radical change in the practical, meaningful sign of Virgo. This is the call to do things differently in the everyday, the ordinary, the somatic. Virgo is the medicine carrier. Be the medicine.The Moon trines Mars (now back in bounds) — water to water, Cancer and Pisces. The guardian and the depths. The eclipse is very emotional. Let it be. Surrender. The Hanged Goddess is upright this week precisely because we need her permission to pause.The Moon also trines Asteroid Lilith — talk to the hand. We are not going back to the old way.Saturday, August 29 — Quiet Close. Moon Into Aries.The Moon in Pisces closes the week quietly — meeting Nessus (the poisons, the inherited patterns, a last look at what we're releasing in this eclipse), then sextiling Juno (contracts, the renegotiating continues).And then, at 10:37pm Eastern, the Moon enters Aries — and we end the week with the Moon about to move through that entire retrograde cluster: Neptune, Manwë, Saturn, Pallas Athena, Eris, and Vesta, all revisiting, reflecting, reviewing, in the sign of new beginnings.As the week closes: Venus, the Sun, and Mercury are the only major planetary bodies on the Virgo side of Regulus and the South Node. All the rest are still coming. It will take a while. This is a turning of a great wheel, not the flipping of a switch.But the three most personal planets are leading the way. Be more meaningful. Be more curious. Be more humble. Be the medicine.The Cards in DetailThe Hanged Goddess — I Am Paused (upright this time):In the Red Seeds Tarot by Linda Hill (find her on Etsy, UK), the Hanged Goddess is Demeter — the Great Mother who, in the myth, became weary of both mortals and gods and withdrew to her newly built temple, closing the door to everyone. She knew that to invoke the powers of healing, she would need silence and isolation. And so she paused.“A change of perspective is much needed. The complexity of life can imbalance us at times, leaving us feeling lost, drained, exhausted. Confusion surrounds us, and we can't see the wood for the trees. Have we forgotten who we are? What has brought us to this point? Is it time to stop and pause? Old cycles, habits, poor self-care may have blocked our way. It's time to surrender to the self and allow the depths of our being to open gently. It is not necessary to hurry or try to direct what should happen next. There is really nothing for us to do but wait. Such a position helps us to see things in a very different light. New perspectives will arise. There is much to come from this.”Herman Hesse: “Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”This is Demeter closing the temple door. This is the invitation: close the door. Just for a while. Let the silence in. Let the new perspective arise.Two of Bees (Swords), reversed — Inner Turmoil:This week there may be anxiety, inner turmoil, indecision. Everything feels tense inside. Reversed, this card asks for all the inner work — going within rather than pushing outward, balancing the nervous system, retreating, doing the self-care. The Hanged Goddess gave you the permission. Take it.This is strong energy. The eclipses are strong. You do not have to perform having it together right now.Queen of Seeds (Pentacles), reversed — Inner Pillars:In this deck there are two Queens of Seeds, and they both came out this week. They embrace the Divine Feminine — nurture, healing, generosity, intuition, stability, and service. Like the Caryatids — the sculpted figures from the Eleusinian Mysteries who literally held up the sanctuary — these queens hold things up.“We can be supportive and in service of those in need, whilst always remembering to nurture, support, and stabilize ourselves first. This feminine energy has agency: self-sufficient, strong, kind, empowered, and belonging to no gender. These queens held up the Eleusinian sanctuary for many years, on many levels. These queens hold us up. Know that we are supported and always cared for.”Reversed this week, I read these Queens as pointing you toward the inner pillars of support — the ones that don't require anyone else's permission or presence. And to remember Michael Lutin's words: future stewards of the Earth and planets, the goddesses. That doesn't mean only women. It means the goddess energy — the nurturing, supportive, reciprocal, holding energy — within all of us.The Companion (Witch Oracle):Your body. The cauldron. It has appeared before and it keeps appearing because the message keeps being needed.“Your body, like a cauldron, holds the energy of what you put into it. Are you putting shame, diminishment, or rejection into it? Or acceptance, appreciation, adoration?Science would have you believe your body is an experiment. Religion would have you believe your body is a sin. A witch would have you believe your body is a marvel — a cauldron of celebration, home to spells of delight, healing, and wonder.Your body is a sacred companion. She is the one entity that will never leave you during your journey as a human. She is always working on your behalf to restore, heal, and create the balance that allows you to participate in this life. This kind of loyalty deserves devotion, not diminishment.Shed the weight of expectations. Trim down the thoughts of too much and not enough. Dance like your hips move mountains. Put some magic of unabashed self-approval in your cauldron, and witness how the steam of that self-esteem wafts out into the world — passing on permission for others to feel the same about their unique shape.A witch understands that liking and loving herself, her body, just as it is, in a toxic patriarchy, is an act of rebellion.Be the rebel.”And here is what I want to add: your body is also the cradle. It is the basket. It is the cauldron that is being held in the larger cauldron of these four great outer planets at 4°. You are held. Your body is held. The transformation is happening inside it, and through it, and because of it.Summing UpMercury crosses the South Node and meets Regulus. Vesta stations retrograde, joining the entire Aries cluster in reflection. The Mercury Cazimi at the basket degree of 4° Virgo brings through what needs to be carried toward the Venus and Mercury retrogrades. Mars comes back in bounds on eclipse day. The lunar eclipse arrives at 4° Pisces — held, stable, held.And four cards all pointing inward: pause. The turmoil is real, and it belongs inside where you can work with it. The inner pillars of support are there. Your body is the cauldron, the companion, the sacred rebel.Three planets have now crossed Regulus in Virgo. Kings in rags. Future stewards of the Earth and planets. The goddesses.We are in the birth canal, and we are pushing.Go close the temple door for a while. Let the new perspective arrive.— LouiseVenus Retrograde: Heroine's Journey — price holds through end of August. Partial scholarships available: louise@louiseedington.com. louiseedington.com/VenusRetrograde2026“Can We Let Evolutionary Astrology Evolve?” — now on Substack. Subscribe free for all posts.AstroTheoros — chart import/export, folders, notes, PDF printing, and growing asteroid support. Code COSMICOWL at astrotheoros.com.Code COSMICOWL20 (20% off) or COSMICOWL30 (30% off $99+) at Otter Spirit.Spiral Weave / Spiral Codex membership — $10/month or $90/year. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cosmicowlastrology.substack.com/subscribe

číta: Boris Farkaš Legenda o páde Gondolinu hovorí o boji dvoch najväčších mocností sveta. Zlo predstavuje Morgoth, najhorší zo všetkých, vodca obrovských armád, ktoré riadi zo svojej železnej pevnosti. Proti nemu stojí Ulmo, druhý najmocnejší hneď po Manwëm, najvyššom z Valarov. Uprostred súboja sa nachádza dokonale skrytá posledná elfská pevnosť Gondolin. Tá dlho úspešne odolávala temnote, no zrada a nenávisť ju teraz vystavujú útoku najhoršej zo zlých síl. Pád Gondolinu je strhujúci príbeh J. R. R. Tolkiena, ktorý z autorovej literárnej pozostalosti zostavil a vydal jeho syn Christopher Tolkien.

Some people believe that “Gandalf” was the last appearance of Manwë; Alan is convinced Shawn is the last appearance of Oromë. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark as they conclude their three-episode walk through the chapter on The Istari from Unfinished Tales. The lore of the wizards is given in alliterative verse; the “north” is defined very, very broadly; and where did Gandalf go, really? We find that a Philology Faire can get Shawn in trouble, wonder what Sindarin might be for ‘burning man', and discover it's 106 miles to Chicago. Also, silver badger?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On monarchy, through the lens of Aragorn as king.

This week, we see the fall of Fingolfin and a new war in Beleriand in Chapter XVIII of the Quenta Silmarillion in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. How do we understand Tolkien's perspective on race? How much direct intervention can we credit to Manwë? What is Maeglin's problem with Men?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we discuss the most important story in Tolkien's legendarium, Beren and Lúthien in chapter XIX of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 1st at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgDr. Dimitra FimiJoseph Fink (@planetoffinks.bsky.social‬)J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment (Michael D.C. Drout)Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Man of the West moves on from the names of the Valar and begins an in-depth look at the names of some of the Maiar, including the handmaid of Varda and the herald of Manwë. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gandalf, Sauron, Saruman. Csak pár példa A Gyűrűk Ura szellemi lényei közül. A szilmarilok történeteiben pedig ott van Morgoth, Manwë, Ulmo és még sorolhatnánk.

X2M.197 Manwë אֲנָשִׁים by

After Morgoth is defeated and captured, Sauron repents of his deeds, but upon facing a sentence from Manwë flees into Middle-earth and returns to his evil ways. After the War of Wrath, Beleriand is destroyed and swallowed by the sea up to Ered Luin. Gil-galad rules Lindon by the Gulf of Lhûn just east of Ered Luin. Teleri elves from Doriath and Ossiriand move inland and dwell among Silvan Elves. The remaining Noldor dwell in Eregion near Khazad-dûm and prosper in friendship with the Dwarves. Sauron seeks to gain influence over the Noldori Elves. He wins them over by insisting that he desires to make Middle-earth a great land. He calls himself Lord of Gifts and shares his knowledge and lore with them. The Elves create several Rings of Power. Sauron creates his One Ring in order to control the wearers of the other rings. Due to their might, he is forced to put much of his strength into the One Ring, but he is able to see all that is done by the wearers of the Rings of Power. The Elves sense him and remove their rings. In anger, Sauron makes open war on them and demands that they give over the rings since they were made with his lore. The Elves flee and are able to save the greatest Three Rings: Narya, the Ring of Fire; Nenya, the Ring of Water; and Vilya, the Ring of Air. 01:19 Dan reads pages 285-288 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 13:19 Summary 14:59 Discussion ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch this Episode on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com Follow us as we follow Tolkien: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TWITTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DISCORD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grab a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/support

The Man of the West returns to the story of Aldarion and Erendis for another set of Second Age Saturdays. In today's episode, we look over the shoulder of King Meneldur as he reads a very important letter from Gil-galad.

The men of Númenor begin to question the Ban that prevents them from sailing into the West. When Manwë hears of this, he sends messengers who explain that death is not a punishment but rather a gift from Ilúvatar. King Tar-Atanamir is displeased with the counsel of the Messengers. Under the rule of Tar-Atanamir's son, Tar Ancalimon, two factions of men develop. 01:39 Greg reads pages 263-267 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 14:53 Summary 16:13 Discussion "For it is not the land of Manwë that makes its people deathless, but the Deathless that dwell therein have hallowed the land; and there you would but wither and grow weary the sooner, as moths in a light too strong and steadfast. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch this Episode on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com Follow us as we follow Tolkien: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TWITTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DISCORD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grab a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/support

The Ballad of John D. Cort continues with an episode of Baywatch called "Old Friends." Mitch, Craig, and Garner take a few days off to hang glide in the Santa Monica mountains. Well, Garner is more interested in reading and dozing. But when Mitch crashes into a tree, gets bit by a snake, and subsequently falls into a quarry, it's up to Craig and Garner to get him out of the wilderness. Meanwhile, Cort is reminded of a friend who died a year earlier. But when he visits the widow, he gets the sense things may not be as it seems. Will it turn out he was a patsy all along? Erik and Justin realize Baywatch's time has passed. They also call for the return of Geocities and webrings. Colonial Marine Trevor Wierzbowski becomes an unlikely mascot. Mitch's fall down the cliff becomes the lynch pin of the entire outing. The love fest for John Allen Nelson continues. Captain Thorpe makes a very special appearance. David Hasselhoff's ego gets examined. Manwë joins the pantheon. A brief guest turn by Hope Marie Carlton leads well into the weeds. Garner's glamping is praised. Mitch ends up being the worst character and a snake turns out to be the hero.

The Valar discuss Eärendil's fate, and Manwë decrees that Eärendil, Elwing, and their sons will decide to join their fate to Men or Elves. Eärendil and Elwing choose the fate of the Elves. Vingilot, Eärendil's ship, is hallowed, and Eärendil is able to sail through the heavens and beyond the confines of the world. Meanwhile the hosts of the Valar, along with the Vanyar, the Noldor under Finarfin, and the Teleri prepare to wage war on Morgoth. 01:48 Greg reads pages 249-251 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 10:21 Summary 11:40 Discussion "For its glory is seen now by many, and is yet secure from all evil." ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch this Episode on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com Follow us as we follow Tolkien: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TWITTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DISCORD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grab a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/support

Morgoth sets his will on Gondolin. Maeglin wanders beyond the Encircling Mountains and is captured by Orcs and taken to Angband. He reveals the location of Gondolin to Morgoth and is sent back. On the day of a great feast, Morgoth attacks with his Balrogs and Orcs and dragons and wolves. Ecthelion faces Gothmog. 01:47 Cameron reads pages 241-245 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 15:09 Summary 16:48 Discussion "The oath of Fëanor perhaps even Manwë could not loose, until it found its end, and the sons of Fëanor relinquished the Silmarils, upon with they had laid their ruthless claim." ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch this Episode on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com Follow us as we follow Tolkien: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TWITTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DISCORD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grab a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/support

Podcaster and entomologist Aaron Irber of “I Might Believe in Faeries” rejoins Richard to continue his extended deep-read of the Silmarillion. They finish up the Quenta Silmarillion proper. If this series has passed from the high and the beautiful to darkness and ruin, that was of old the fate of Arda Marred; and if any change shall come and the Marring be amended, Manwë and Varda may know; but they have not revealed it, and it is not declared in the dooms of Mandos

Podcaster and entomologist Aaron Irber of “I Might Believe in Faeries” rejoins Richard to continue his extended deep-read of the Silmarillion. They finish up the Quenta Silmarillion proper. If this series has passed from the high and the beautiful to darkness and ruin, that was of old the fate of Arda Marred; and if any change shall come and the Marring be amended, Manwë and Varda may know; but they have not revealed it, and it is not declared in the dooms of Mandos

Podcaster and entomologist Aaron Irber of “I Might Believe in Faeries” rejoins Richard to continue his extended deep-read of the Silmarillion. They finish up the Quenta Silmarillion proper. If this series has passed from the high and the beautiful to darkness and ruin, that was of old the fate of Arda Marred; and if any change shall come and the Marring be amended, Manwë and Varda may know; but they have not revealed it, and it is not declared in the dooms of Mandos

Il ciclo di puntate a tema Valar riprende con un episodio dedicato a Manwë, ai personaggi e agli avvenimenti ad esso legati. Riflessioni sulla figura del Vala e approfondimenti su tematiche affini. Conducono la puntata Simone Claudiani e Alessandra Olivieri. Ospiti della serata: Ilenia Tredici, Giulia Bernardini, Nicola Camerlengo, Fina Ciaravella.

Tom and Styder something something podcast!

A study of heavenly bodies begins with the aftermath of Fëanor storming out of the house, slamming the door, stealing the neighbor's car, and peeling out of the driveway. Also, Manwë borrows a page from Nienna's playbook and needs a tissue.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5854727/advertisement

EL SILMARILLION: 12. DE LOS HOMBRES Voz narración: María Larralde Los Valar estaban ahora en paz detrás de sus montañas; y habiendo dado luz a la Tierra Media, la desatendieron durante mucho tiempo, y el señorío de Morgoth no era discutido, excepto por el valor de los Noldor. Quien más tenía en cuenta a los exiliados era Ulmo, que recogía nuevas de la Tierra desde todas las aguas. Desde este tiempo en adelante se contaron los Años del Sol. Más rápidos son y más breves que los largos Años de los Árboles de Valinor. En ese tiempo el aire de la Tierra Media se espesó con el aliento del crecimiento y la mortalidad, y el cambio y el envejecimiento de todas las cosas se apresuró con exceso; la vida rebosaba en las tierras y aguas en la Segunda Primavera de Arda, y los Eldar se incrementaron, y bajo el nuevo Sol, Beleriand lució verde y hermosa. Cuando por primera vez se elevó el Sol, los Hijos Menores de Ilúvatar despertaron en la tierra de Hildórien, en las regiones orientales de la Tierra Media; pero el primer Sol se elevó en el oeste, y los ojos de los hombres se abrieron vueltos hacia allí, y cuando anduvieron por la Tierra, hacia allí fueron casi siempre. Los Eldar llamaron a los Atani el Segundo Pueblo, pero también Hildor, los Seguidores, y muchos otros nombres: Apanónar los Nacidos Después, Engwar los Enfermizos, y Fírimar los Mortales; y además los llamaron los Usurpadores, los Forasteros y los Inescrutables, los Malditos, los de Mano Torpe, los Temerosos de la Noche y los Hijos del Sol. Poco se dice de los Hombres en estos cuentos, que se refieren a los Días Antiguos, antes del medro de los mortales y la mengua de los Elfos, salvo de esos Padres de los Hombres, los Atanatári, que en los primeros años del Sol y la Luna se mudaron al norte del mundo. Ningún Vala fue a Hildórien para guiar a los Hombres o llamarlos a Valinor; y los Hombres les han tenido siempre a los Valar más miedo que afecto, y no han comprendido los propósitos de los Poderes, pues les parecen ajenos y contrarios a la naturaleza del mundo. Ulmo, no obstante, pensó en ellos y apoyó el consejo y la voluntad de Manwë; y sus mensajeros a menudo llegaron a ellos por corrientes e inundaciones. Pero los Hombres no eran capaces entonces de manejar tales asuntos, y menos en esos días, antes de que se mezclaran con los Elfos. Por tanto, amaban las aguas y se les estrujaba el corazón, pero no comprendían los mensajes. No obstante, se dice que antes que transcurriera mucho tiempo, se toparon con los Elfos Oscuros en diversos sitios, y tuvieron amistad con ellos; y los Hombres, aún en la niñez, se convirtieron en los compañeros y los discípulos de este pueblo antiguo, vagabundos de la raza élfica que nunca tomaron el camino de Valinor, y que sólo habían oído noticias vagas de los Valar y no los conocían más que como un nombre distante. Música: Canción Élfica

EL SILMARILLION: 11. DEL SOL DE LA LUNA Y DEL OCULTAMIENTO DE VALINOR Se cuenta que después de la huida de Melkor, los Valar se quedaron largo tiempo inmóviles, sentados en los tronos del Anillo del Juicio; pero no estuvieron ociosos, como declaró Fëanor en la locura de su corazón. Porque los Valar pueden obrar muchas cosas con el pensamiento antes que con las manos, y hablar en silencio entre ellos. Así se mantuvieron en vela en la noche de Valinor, y fueron con el pensamiento más allá de Eä y llegaron hasta el Fin; no obstante, ni el poder ni la sabiduría amortiguaron el dolor y el conocimiento del mal que se manifestaría más tarde. Y no lamentaron más la muerte de los Árboles que la enajenación de Fëanor: de las obras de Melkor, una de las peores. Porque Fëanor, entre todos los Hijos de Ilúvatar, era el más poderoso, en cuerpo y mente, en valor, resistencia, belleza, comprensión, habilidad, fuerza y sutileza, y una llama resplandeciente ardía en él. Sólo Manwë alcanzaba a concebir en alguna medida las obras maravillosas que para gloria de Arda podría haber llevado a cabo en otras circunstancias. Y dijeron los Vanyar, que vigilaron junto con los Valar, que cuando los mensajeros comunicaron las respuestas de Fëanor a los heraldos, Manwë lloró y agachó la cabeza. Pero ante las últimas palabras de Fëanor: que cuando menos las proezas de los Noldor vivirían por siempre en canciones, levantó la cabeza como quien escucha una voz lejana y dijo: —¡Así sea! Caras se pagarán esas canciones, pero buena será la compra. Pues no hay otro precio. Así, pues, como Eru dijo, no antes de concebida llegará a Eä la belleza, y bueno será que haya habido mal. Sin embargo, Mandos dijo: —Con todo, seguirá siendo el mal. Fëanor no tardará mucho en comparecer ante mí. Pero cuando por fin los Valar se enteraron de que los Noldor habían abandonado realmente Aman y habían vuelto a la Tierra Media, se incorporaron y trabajaron en los remedios que habían pensado y que enderezarían los males de Melkor. Entonces Manwë les pidió a Yavanna y a Nienna que manifestaran todos sus poderes de crecimiento y curación, y ellas aplicaron esos poderes a los Árboles. Pero las lágrimas de Nienna de nada le valieron para curar sus propias y mortales heridas; y por un largo tiempo cantó Yavanna sola en las sombras. No obstante, aun cuando vacilara la esperanza y se quebrara la canción, Telperion dio por fin en una rama sin hojas una gran flor de plata, y Laurelin una fruta de oro. A éstas recogió Yavanna; y entonces los Árboles murieron, y los troncos sin vida se levantan todavía en Valinor, como en memoria de las alegrías de antaño. Pero la flor y la fruta las dio Yavanna a Aulë, y Manwë las consagró, y el pueblo de Aulë construyó las naves que las llevarían y preservarían el esplendor de aquellos dones, como se cuenta en la Narsilion, la Canción del Sol y la Luna. Los Valar dieron estas naves a Varda para que se convirtieran en lámparas del cielo, con un fulgor mayor que el de las estrellas por estar más cerca de Arda; y ella les otorgó el poder de trasladarse por las regiones inferiores de limen, y las hizo viajar en cursos establecidos sobre el cinturón de la Tierra, desde el oeste hacia el este y de vuelta. Estas cosas hicieron los Valar, recordando en el crepúsculo la oscuridad de las tierras de Arda; y resolvieron entonces iluminar la Tierra Media, y estorbar con luz las acciones de Melkor. Porque se acordaron de los Avari que habían permanecido junto a las aguas en que despertaron, y no querían abandonar por completo a los Noldor en exilio; y Manwë sabía también que se acercaba la hora de los Hombres. Y se dice que así como los Valar le hicieron la guerra a Melkor por el bien de los Quendi, así ahora la evitaban por el bien de los Hildor, los Nacidos Después, los Hijos Menores de Ilúvatar. Porque tan graves habían sido las heridas abiertas en la Tierra Media durante la guerra contra Utumno, que los Valar temían que aún ocurriera algo peor; por cuanto los Hildor serían gente mortal, y menos aptos que los Quendi para enfrentar el temor y los tumultos. Además, no le estaba revelado a Manwë dónde aparecerían los Hombres: al norte, al sur o al este. Por tanto, los Valar lanzaron la luz, pero fortalecieron la tierra en que morarían los Hombres. VOZ: MARÍA LARRALDE MÚSICA: CANCIÓN ÉLFICA

EL SILMARILLION: CAPÍTULO 9 DE LA HUIDA DE LOS NOLDOR VOZ: MARÍA LARRALDE Al cabo de un tiempo una gran concurrencia se reunió en el Anillo del Juicio; y los Valar se sentaron en la sombra, porque era de noche. Pero las estrellas de Varda brillaban en lo alto y el aire estaba claro; pues los vientos de Manwë habían barrido los vapores de muerte y habían devuelto las sombras al mar. Entonces Yavanna se incorporó y se irguió sobre Ezellohar, el Montículo Verde, pero estaba desnudo ahora, y negro; y puso las manos sobre los árboles, pero éstos estaban muertos y oscuros, y cada rama que tocaba se quebraba y caía marchita a sus pies. Entonces muchas voces se alzaron en lamentaciones; y les pareció a los que se apesadumbraban que habían bebido hasta las heces la copa de dolor que Melkor había escanciado para ellos. Pero no era así. Yavanna habló ante los Valar, diciendo: —La Luz de los Árboles se ha ido, y ahora vive sólo en los Silmarils de Fëanor. ¡Previsor ha sido! Aun para los más poderosos bajo la égida de Ilúvatar hay una obra que sólo pueden llevar a cabo una única vez. Di ser a la Luz de los Árboles, y en los confines de Eä nunca más podré hacerlo. Sin embargo, si yo dispusiese de un poco de esa luz, podría devolver la vida a los Árboles antes de que las raíces se corrompieran; y entonces nuestras heridas tendrían remedio, y la malicia de Melkor quedaría confundida. Entonces intervino Manwë y dijo: —¿Oyes, Fëanor hijo de Finwë, las palabras de Yavanna? ¿Concederás lo que pide? Hubo un largo silencio, pero Fëanor no respondió. Tulkas gritó entonces: — ¡Di, oh, Noldo, sí o no! Pero ¿quién ha de negarse a Yavanna? Y ¿no vino de su obra en un principio la luz de los Silmarils? Pero Aulë el Hacedor dijo: —¡No tengas prisa! Pedimos algo más grande que nada que tú conozcas. Concédele paz por un instante. Pero Fëanor habló entonces y gritó amargamente: —Para los pequeños, como para los mayores, hay siempre algo que sólo pueden hacer una vez; y luego el corazón ha de reposar. Puede que sea posible abrir mis joyas, pero nunca otra vez haré otras parecidas; y si he de romperlas, se me romperá el corazón y moriré; el primero de entre todos los El—dar en Aman. —No el primero —dijo Mandos, pero nadie entendió estas palabras; y una vez más hubo silencio mientras Fëanor meditaba en la oscuridad. Le parecía estar engarzado en un anillo de enemigos, y le volvieron a Ya memoria las palabras de Melkor: los Silmarils no estarían seguros en manos de los Valar. "¿Y no es él Vala como ellos?" le decía el corazón. "¿Y no entiende acaso lo que ellos sienten? ¡Sí, es un ladrón el que delata a los ladrones!" Entonces vociferó: —No lo haré de propia voluntad. Pero si los Valar me obligan, sabré entonces con seguridad que Melkor es como ellos. Entonces Mandos dijo: —Has hablado—. Y Nienna se puso en pie y fue a Ezellohar, y echó atrás la capucha gris y lavó con lágrimas las inmundicias de Úngoliant; y cantó doliéndose de la amargura del mundo y la Injuria de Arda. Pero mientras Nienna aún se lamentaba, llegaron mensajeros de Fórmenos, y eran gente de los Noldor que traían nuevas de infortunio. Porque contaron cómo una ciega Oscuridad había avanzado hacia el norte, y en medio de ella se movía cierto poder para el que no había nombre, y la Oscuridad salía de él mismo. Pero Melkor también estaba allí, y fue a la casa de Fëanor, y mató a Finwë, Rey de los Noldor, delante de las puertas, y derramó la primera sangre en el Reino Bendecido; porque sólo Finwë no había huido del horror de lo Oscuro. Y contaron que Melkor había quebrantado la fortaleza de Fórmenos y se había apoderado de todas las joyas de los Noldor que allí estaban guardadas; y los Silmarils habían desaparecido. Música bajo Licencias Creative Commons

Ahora los Tres Pueblos de los Eldar estaban reunidos por fin en Valinor, y Melkor había sido encadenado. Era éste el Mediodía del Reino Bendecido, en la plenitud de su gloria y bienaventuranza, larga en cómputo de años, pero demasiado breve en el recuerdo. En esos días los Eldar alcanzaron la plena madurez de cuerpo y mente, y los Noldor continuaron progresando en habilidades y conocimientos; y pasaban los largos años entretenidos en gozosos trabajos de los que nacieron muchas cosas nuevas, hermosas y maravillosas. Ocurrió en ese entonces que los Noldor concibieron por vez primera las letras, y el maestro Rúmil de Tirion fue el primero en idear unos signos adecuados para el registro del discurso y las canciones; algunos para ser grabados en metal o en piedra, otros para ser dibujados con pluma o pincel. En ese tiempo nació en Eldamar, en la morada del Rey de Tirion, en la cima de Tuna, el mayor de los hijos de Finwë, y el más amado. Curufinwë fue su nombre, pero su madre lo llamó Fëanor, Espíritu de Fuego; y así se lo recuerda en todos los cuentos de los Noldor. Míriel fue el nombre de su madre, a quien llamaban Serindë, por su suprema habilidad en el tejido y el bordado; pues no había manos más diestras que las de ella entre todos los Noldor. El amor entre Finwë y Míriel era grande y dichoso, porque empezó en el Reino Bendecido en los Días de Bienaventuranza. Pero el alumbramiento del hijo consumió el espíritu Y el cuerpo de Míriel; que deseó entonces librarse de los cuidados de la vida. Y después de darle nombre, le dijo a Finwë: —Nunca volveré a concebir un hijo; porque la fuerza que habría nutrido a muchos se ha agotado toda en Fëanor. Se apenó entonces Finwë, porque los Noldor estaban en la juventud de sus días y él deseaba traer muchos hijos a la beatitud de Aman; y dijo: —Sin duda hay cura en Aman. Aquí toda fatiga encuentra reposo—. Pero como Míriel continuaba languideciendo, Finwë buscó el consejo de Manwë, y Manwë la entregó a los cuidados de Irmo, en Lorien. Cuando se despidieron (por corto tiempo, creyó él), Finwë estaba triste, porque le parecía una desdicha que la madre tuviera que partir y no acompañara a su hijo al menos en los primeros días de infancia. —Es por cierto una desdicha —dijo Míriel—, y lloraría si no estuviera tan cansada. Pero considérame inocente en esto y en todo lo que pueda acaecer en adelante. Fue entonces a los jardines de Lorien y se tendió a dormir; pero aunque parecía dormida, en verdad el espíritu se le separó del cuerpo, y se trasladó en silencio a las estancias de Mandos. Las doncellas de Esté cuidaron del cuerpo de Míriel, que permaneció incorrupto; pero ella ya no volvió. Entonces Finwë vivió atormentado; y fue a menudo a los jardines de Lorien, y sentado bajo los sauces de plata junto al cuerpo de Míriel, la llamaba por todos los nombres que ella tenía, pero siempre en vano; y en todo el Reino Bendecido sólo Finwë no tenía alegría alguna. Al cabo de un tiempo, ya no volvió a Lorien. VOZ: MARÍA LARRALDE

Nan epizod sa, nou wè 5 fason ke yon moun kapab gen yon konvèzasyon ki difisil swa avèk ekip li, manm fanmil oswa patwonl sanl pa rive kreye plis konfli. Youn nan egzanp nou site nan epizod sa nan sa ki gen wè ap dirije avèk konpasyon se egzanp Jeff Weiner te pataje nan konvèzasyon li avèk Oprah; kote lap esplike move entèpretesayon anpil moun fè sou sa ki gen pou wè ak lè yon moun ap dirije avèk konpasyon ak kisa konpasyon pa ye. Nou rete kwè gen plis fason toujou ke moun ki nan pozisyon pou dirije oswa moun yap dirije yo kapab rive diskiste sou sa ki pa fè yo byen oswa kap mal mache antouraj yo nan sousi pou jwenn solisyon san yo pa kreye plis konfli men pito rive pote chanjman radikal sa ke tout moun swete wè a anndan òganizasyon oswa kominote sa. Jan nou repete souvan nan podkas sa, "Lidèship se Disiplin" e tout moun ki nan pozisyon pou lid lòt moun si pa gen disiplin ap toujou gen konfli ki pa nesesè. Epitou Lidè yo sipoze ap fòme tèt yo san kanpe paske se youn nan pi meyè fason pouw pi byen oryante moun sa yo ke wap lid yo. Sonje sa byen, se pa tout konfli kew paka evite men lesansyèl se koman ou abòde sityasyon an kap baw yon rezilta diferan. Nou swetew jwenn fason paw lan kap edew gen konvèzasyon difisil sa epi rive fè chanjman radikal sa nan kilti òganizasyon oswa kominote wap evolye. Sonje pataje epizod ou sot koute a ak yon lot moun ou pa janm konnen ki diferan li ka fè nan lavi pal. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/davidson-jules/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/davidson-jules/support

The Witch-king arrives on the battlefield; Alan and Shawn also arrive, presumably with less stink. Join us as we finally arrive at the moment that we've been waiting for for more than seven years as we begin The Battle of the Pelennor Fields! Merry vomits from terror, the Witch-king mansplains the prophecy to Éowyn, and she stabs him in his invisible face. What do meat that comes in a drum, Manwë's birthday cake, and Wormtongue in a sequined teddy have in common? We don't know either. Thankfully, we're also joined once again by Dr. Bret Deveraux who helps us get a handle on the hostility's happenings.

Fingon hears that his old friend Maedhros is captured, he goes alone to rescue him. He reaches the base of the precipice from which Maedhros hangs, and Maedhros begs him to kill him with an arrow. Fingon prays to Manwë to guide his arrow to put Maedhros out of his misery... Three friends read and react to the greatest story you've never heard — the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. 00:58 Greg reads pages 108-111 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 10:30 Recap 11:24 Discussion "Fingon had been close in friendship with Maedhros; and though he knew not yet that Maedhros had not forgotten him at the burning of the ships, the thought of their ancient friendship stung his heart. Therefore he dared a deed which is Justly renowned among the feats of the princes of the Noldor: alone, and without the counsel of any, he set forth in search of Maedhros; and aided by the very darkness that Morgoth had made he came unseen into the fastness of his foes. High upon the shoulders of Thangorodrim he climbed, and looked in despair upon the desolation of the land; but no passage or crevice could he find through which he might come within Morgoth's stronghold." Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠WATCH this Episode on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us as we follow Tolkien: ⁠⁠⁠⁠TWITTER⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DISCORD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grad a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beforethefellowship/support

In the wake of Melkor's devastation and the death of Finwë, Fëanor declares himself king of the Noldor. Fëanor rallies the Noldor to forsake the Valar and return to Middle-Earth. He makes a terrible oath to pursue any who possess the Silmarils. But a messenger of Manwë bids the Noldor not to leave, foretelling that evil and sorrow await them. Three friends read and react to the greatest story you've never heard — the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. 00:44 Dan reads pages 82-85 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 15:28 Recap 16:18 Discussion "Then Fëanor swore a terrible oath. His seven sons leapt straightway to his side and took the selfsame vow together, and red as blood shone their drawn swords in the glare of the torches. They swore an oath which none shall break, and none should take, by the name even of Ilúvatar, calling the Everlasting Dark upon them if they kept it not; and Manwë they named in witness, and Varda, and the hallowed mountain of Taniquetil, vowing to pursue with vengeance and hatred to the ends of the World Vala, Demon, Elf or Man as yet unborn, or any creature, great or small, good or evil, that time should bring forth unto the end of days, whoso should hold or take or keep a Silmaril from their possession." Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com WATCH this Episode on YouTube Follow us as we follow Tolkien: TWITTER DISCORD The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grad a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/support

David and John discuss Of the Beginning of Days, Tolkien's mythology on the beginning of light and time in Arda. After discussing the war with Melkor and the marring of Middle-earth, David and John begin their case against the leadership of Manwë. Finally, they answer listener feedback. Contact Us Deep lore questions, comments and/or thoughts to share? Send us an email at lotr@thelorehounds.com  Early and ad-free versions of all our podcasts are available on our Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thelorehounds Find us on twitter @thelorehounds or join us for further discussion of all things Tolkien over on the Bald Move Discord server: https://discord.gg/baldmove Silmarillion Stories Reading Schedule November 2022 - Ainulindalë December 2022 - Valaquenta January 2023 - Of the Beginning of Days February 2023 - Of Aule and Yavanna March 2023 - Of the Coming of Elves and the Captivity of Melkor April 2023 - Of Thingol and Melian May 2023 - Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Edalië June 2023 - Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manwë decrees the most glorious feast. Fëanor and Fingolfin are reconciled, and Fingolfin vows to follow Fëanor wherever he leads. Suddenly, Melkor and Ungoliant ambush the feast. Melkor delivers deadly blows to both trees with his spear, and Ungoliant feeds on the light, leaving the world in darkness. Three friends read and react to the greatest story you've never heard — the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. 00:48 Dan (tries to) read pages 74-77 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 12:09 Recap 13:16 Discussion "And in that very hour Melkor and Ungoliant came hastening over the fields of Valinor, as the shadow of a black cloud upon the wind fleets over the sunlit earth; and they came before the green mound Ezellohar. Then the Unlight of Ungoliant rose up even to the roots of the Trees, and Melkor sprang upon the mound; and with his black spear he smote each Tree to its core, wounded them deep, and their sap poured forth as it were their blood, and was spilled upon the ground. But Ungoliant sucked it up, and going then from Tree to Tree she set her black beak to their wounds, till they were drained; and the poison of Death that was in her went into their tissues and withered them, root, branch, and leaf; and they died." Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com WATCH this Episode on YouTube Follow us as we follow Tolkien: TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grad a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/support

Oromë and Tulkas pursue Melkor who goes south to the dark region of Avathar, where lived Ungoliant, a lustful being in the form of a monstrous spider. Ungoliant feeds on light and weaves black webs. Melkor makes a deal with Ungoliant, for revenge on the Valar he will let her feed on the eternal city. Three friends read and react to the greatest story you've never heard — the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. 00:51 Cameron reads pages 73-74 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 6:52 Recap 7:36 Discussion "Now Melkor came to Avathar and sought her out; and he put on again the form that he had worn as the tyrant of Utumno: a dark Lord, tall and terrible. In that form he remained ever after. There in the black shadows, beyond the sight even of Manwë in his highest halls, Melkor with Ungoliant plotted his revenge. But when Ungoliant understood the purpose of Melkor, she was torn between lust and great fear; for she was loath to dare the perils of Aman and the power of the dreadful Lords, and she would not stir from her hiding." Send feedback to beforethefellowship@gmail.com WATCH this Episode on YouTube Follow us as we follow Tolkien: TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grad a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/support

#guidedmeditation #newmoonmeditation #december #newmoon #meditation #meditate Welcome to the last New Moon of the Year! Every new moon, The Moon starts a new cycle. As we emulate the cosmos, so do we! The December Super New Moon is the 2nd of 5 New Moons; all in 1 degree of their astrological sign. Meaning we are all cosmically going through cycles of brand new chapters personally and collectively. Only when a chapter ends can a new one begin. New Moons are also designed to supercharge our manifesting and this being a Super Moon it's even more powerful to help us activate our intentions. This final new moon of the year is the turning point of our divine intentions. Our words are spells and we have the power to create our lives with every beat of our hearts. With every word, thought, dream and emotion. The December Super New Moon is here, waiting for our intentions. The December Super New Moon is connected to a nurturing Earth Element; the astrological sign Capricorn. Which gently helps us ground into our inner and outer selves. Reminding us that each one of us has a special place within the Universe and on planet Earth. Our footprint is so very important whether we are aware of it or not. The dwarf planet Manwë, is active with the December New Moon. Manwë is said to be the Highest ArchAngel closest to Source Energy. He and his partner Varda are said to have birthed the Universe! Manwë can provide us the grace that cancels out karma for all lifetimes, ancestral & genetic lines. Essentially readjusting quantum law to match the new vibration here on Earth and within ourselves. This is the ultimate renewal energy. Manwë is guiding us towards new beginnings of renewal; within ourselves and also the worlds renewal. Helping us to move from the darkness and into the light. Beyond the dimensions of time and space. Within this meditation, I'll guide you to clear old karma from this past year, lifetime and within your ancestral and genetic lines. Next, setting intentions under this December Super New Moon, is a manifestation activator for your long term plans! I'll guide you to create your long term New Moon intentions and send them into the stream of consciousness to be manifested and anchored here on Earth. The background music is set to 55 Hz Frequency; Delta frequency and just listening to that alone, helps us access our subconscious mind and acts as a gateway to our spiritual being. Here are some helpful affirmations for this new moon:

Melkor (Morgoth) delves a fortress called Angband and makes some Balrogs. The Valar hold counsel. Should they intervene or wait for him to reveal himself? Three friends read and react to the greatest story you've never heard — the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. 00:30 Greg reads pages 47-49 from the Silmarillion, 2nd Edition 09:35 Discussion "Yavanna spoke before the Valar, saying: 'Ye mighty of Arda, the Vision of Ilúvatar was brief and soon taken away, so that maybe we cannot guess within a narrow count of days the hour appointed. Yet be sure of this: the hour approaches, and within this age our hope shall be revealed, and the Children shall awake. Shall we then leave the lands of their dwelling desolate and full of evil? Shall they walk in darkness while we have light? Shall they call Melkor lord while Manwë sits upon Taniquetil?" WATCH this Episode on YouTube Follow us as we follow Tolkien: TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK The Rings of Power comes to Amazon, but nothing compares to the real story JRR Tolkien wrote. Is the Silmarillion his masterpiece? The Silmarillion is a book everyone should read, but it can be intimidating. Go on a journey with us. Witness the creation of Tolkien's universe, meet the villain that's bigger and badder than Sauron, and hear a love story that will leave you in tears. We are not experts, we're just fans like you. And we're having a blast going through this masterpiece of fiction, 15 minutes at a time. Grad a cup of tea or your favorite scotch (or your steering wheel!) and join us every week! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beforethefellowship/support

Sara and James join Alan as the new co-hosts of The Rings of PowerWrap-up, just in time to spend hours discussing the two-episode premiereof the Amazon adaptation! From the destruction of little Galadriel'spaper boat (we see you, sons of Fëanor!) to her waking up next to astrange man on a raft, we cover it all. Loremasters, not gatekeepers, wetalk about what's great, what's not, and what's next!

They said it would be over quickly, but the war to re-read the Silmarillion for the nth time lasted centuries... Yes that's right, it's time to get into the nitty-gritty of Amazon Prime Video's the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. We are only going into episode 01 here, and in the next episode you'll hear our rundown of episode 02. We've got all the facts about who Finrod was, how Elrond's lineage both makes him important and hinders him, where exactly Tirharad is, and why in Manwë's name all those Elves broke out into a well-rehearsed musical number! Wanna see get more information about what we discussed, including quotes and character info? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

#newmoon #august #augustnewmoon #august2022 #AugustNewMoon2022 #guidedmeditation #newmoonmeditation Meet you in the Mooniverse

Jonathan is gobsmacked that the dwarves are ACTUALLY the firstborn! The guys also discuss the ins and outs of Aulē's relationship with Yavanna, and how Yavanna's hopes for eagles in her trees is dashed by Manwë.

Jonathan is gobsmacked that the dwarves are ACTUALLY the firstborn! The guys also discuss the ins and outs of Aulē's relationship with Yavanna, and how Yavanna's hopes for eagles in her trees is dashed by Manwë.

Having arrived to Beleriand, Fëanor wastes no time in confronting Morgoth.WATCH THE VIDEO» https://youtu.be/NfTQcLXGQHYEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS » Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien, John R, Jacob LockhamQUOTE OF THE WEEK: "His prayer was answered swiftly. For Manwë to whom all birds are dear, and to whom they bring news upon Taniquetil from Middle-earth, had sent forth the race of Eagles, commanding them to dwell in the crags of the North, and to keep watch upon Morgoth; for Manwë still had pity for the exiled Elves."CONTENTS- Timeline » YT1497 - YS260- Fëanor's Fate » 6:00- Maedhros, Fingon, Manwë, and Thorondor » 16:40- Thingol & the Noldor » 27:30- Turgon, Finrod, Ulmo » 39:20- The Glorious Battle + Glaurung » 43:30LINKS & MATHOMS:- listen to The Silmarillion for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5- buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa- buy Tolkien's Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/- buy Tolkien's Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/- Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda- Episode 44 » Silmarillion 2015 » Ch 13 » Of the Return of the Noldor » https://youtu.be/wIRZf0LYzKQSPECIAL THANKS:- John R- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien- Jacob Lockham- Ms. Anonymous- Andrew T- Redhawk- Shannon S- Brian O- Emilio P- Zeke F- James A- James L- Chris L- Chuck F- Asya V- Ish of the Hammer- Teresa C- David of Pints with Jack- Jonathan D- Eric S- Joey S- Eric B- Johanna T- Mike M- Robert H- Paul D- Julia- Werty- Matthew W- JoeBagelMan- Chris K- Jacob S- Dawn JAS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (MAY OF 2022): Malcolm C, Ms. Anonymous

Chapter 8 brings us to the great catastrophe of the Blessed Realm. What happens in this chapter sets in motion tidal waves of tragedies whose effects are felt, for good and for ill, down to the years of Frodo's journey.WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/1JbIgPaPkM0 The audio of this episode was released 2 days early and ad-free for our amazing patrons!Support us on Patreon » https://patreon.com/tolkienroadEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS » Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien, John R, Jacob LockhamQUOTE OF THE WEEK » “There in the black shadows, beyond the sight even of Manwë in his highest halls, Melkor with Ungoliant plotted his revenge.”In Chapter 8, we'll learn: Of Melkor's Revenge Plot Of the Mysterious Origins of Ungoliant, the Predecessor of Shelob Of the Undoing of the Bliss of ValinorCONTENTS:- Chapter Summary » 3:40- Timeline » 5:50- Melkor To Avathar » 7:40- Concerning Ungoliant & Her Origins (& Shelob) » 10:00- A Festival to Eru in Valmar » 26:45- The Destruction of the Two Trees » 39:30- Haiku » 48:53HELPFUL LINKS:- listen to The Silmarillion for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5- buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa- buy Tolkien's Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/- buy Tolkien's Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/- Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda- Episode 17 » Silmarillion 2015 » Ch 8 » Of the Darkening of Valinor » https://youtu.be/elQnzQ44wCA SPECIAL THANKS:- John R- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien- Jacob Lockham- Ms. Anonymous- Andrew T- Redhawk- Shannon S- Brian O- Emilio P- Zeke F- James A- James L- Chris L- Chuck F- Asya V- Ish of the Hammer- Teresa C- David of Pints with Jack- Jonathan D- Eric S- Joey S- Eric B- Johanna T- Mike M- Robert H- Paul D- Julia- Werty- Matthew W- JoeBagelMan- Chris K- Jacob S- Dawn JAS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (APRIL OF 2022): Julia, Rebecca R, Jonathan D, Ty M

With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/JlOJNE0mBE0 The audio of this episode was released 2 days early and ad-free for our amazing patrons!EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS » Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien, John R, Jacob LockhamQUOTE OF THE WEEK » "But they obeyed the judgement of Manwë; for those who will defend authority against rebellion must not themselves rebel."In Chapter 6, we'll learn:- Of the birth of Fëanor, the creator of the Silmarils- Of the “death” of his mother Miriel, and the consequences thereof- Of Finwë's remarriage, and the birth of Fëanor's half-brothers- Of Melkor's release from captivity after 3 long ages.CONTENTS- Quote of the Week » 8:10- The Noontide of the Blessed Realm » 12:36- How Long Was Melkor Imprisoned? » 13:30- Birth of Fëanor / Passing of Miriel » 18:40- Fëanor Weds Nerdanel » 31:45- Finwë Remarries, Birth of Fingolfin and Finarfin » 33:15- Was Manwë Right To Pardon Melkor? » 41:10- Haiku » 58:00HELPFUL LINKS:- listen to The Silmarillion for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5- buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa- buy Tolkien's Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/- buy Tolkien's Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/- Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda- Episode 13 » Silmarillion 2015 » Ch 6 » Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor » https://youtu.be/ST_UANjteJs- Episode 211 » Concerning the White Trees » https://www.tolkienroad.com/0211-the-white-trees-of-gondor/SPECIAL THANKS:- John R- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien- Jacob Lockham- Ms. Anonymous- Andrew T- Redhawk- Shannon S- Brian O- Emilio P- Zeke F- James A- James L- Chris L- Chuck F- Asya V- Ish of the Hammer- Teresa C- David of Pints with Jack- Jonathan D- Eric S- Joey S- Eric B- Johanna T- Mike M- Robert H- Paul D- Julia- Werty- Matthew W- JoeBagelMan- Chris K- Jacob SAS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (MARCH OF 2022): Kaitlyn of Tea WithTolkien, Paul D, Daria, Stephen S, Jay Z, Andrew T, Bethany E, Daniel Delaney

Jared, Oriana and Ned talk about Jared's choice of topic: the Valar. For a legendarium that is clearly monotheistic at base, down to the opening lines of The Silmarillion essentially being a variant of the Book of Genesis, Tolkien's creation – and account of creation – has a class of similarly immortal beings present from the beginning as well, and while you can call them a version of angels, in many ways they are absolutely not like such beings as theologically understood. Indeed, for all that they are termed as ‘the Powers' in Arda, much of what we know about them seems to derive from the limits of their power or their inability to comprehend deeper truths – a question that Tolkien himself felt needed explaining at a certain point. What does it say that Varda aka Elbereth is regarded by the Elves with more reverence and love than her partner Manwë? Why is it that beings with an essentially plastic form of existence, not bound by physical form, take on certain specific forms and identities even before the Children of Ilúvatar first awoke in Middle-earth? Is there something to be said for the fact that so much of what the Valar do over time turns more and more into outsourcing of a kind? What's with the moment of bemusing domestic snark between Aüle and Yavanna like it's a sitcom? And – separate from all this, but it took up half the episode – what do the three of us think about all the news and trailer and more about a certain Amazon series that finally dropped? Oh, we have thoughts…SHOW NOTES.Jared's doodle. Nienna really does have a lot to feel sad about the more time goes on…Thanks, Princess Quill!The teaser trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, if for some odd reason you haven't seen it yet. (The initial Jackson Fellowship of the Ring teaser trailer if you'd like to compare, plus the overall three movie teaser.)The various character posters are kinda scattered over the LOTR on Prime Twitter account. Not one, not two, but three Vanity Fair stories! They say…a lot. And yet.The Origo Gentis Langobardorum, with the women-with-beards story.The new news about the anime The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim film.TheOneRing.net's case for the mûmakil hanging around in Rohan.The initial Variety report and follow-up regarding the rumored plan of Saul Zaentz's company selling their adaptation rights.Our episode on the Rankin-Bass Hobbit, if you missed it last year!The Valar, in sum.Our The Nature of Middle-earth episode. The book really does give us a lot more to think about the Valar. (Separately, regarding Manwë's emissaries, our eagles episode.)Support By-The-Bywater on Patreon.

In episode 274, we explore Valaquenta, the pantheon of Middle-earth's gods! "Valaquenta" introduces us to the Valar, the Maiar, and the main Enemies of Middle-earth. We get to know a few about figures like Manwë, Varda, Ulmo, and Yavanna, and this really helps when you're diving into The Silmarillion. Join us!WATCH THIS EPISODE » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtRxezDytYoEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: John R, Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd.” - Tolkien, 1951CONTENTS:- Quote of the Week » 3:54- Textual History of Valaquenta » 11:18- Valaquenta » What it means » 14:40- The Valar » 17:40- Manwë & Varda (Elbereth) »21:10- Melkor » 22:38- Ulmo » 31:00- Aulë & Yavanna » 32:17- Mandos & Vairë » 37:00- Lórien & Estë » 39:40- Nienna » 40:09- Tulkas & Nessa » 47:55- Oromë & Vána » 49:28- The Maiar » 51:20- Ilmarë » 51:56- Eönwë » 52:53- Ossë & Uinen » 53:00- Melian » 56:03- Olórin (Gandalf / Mithrandir) » 56:27- Gandalf in LOTR on Prime? » 59:40- Other Maiar? (Saruman / Radagast / Mermaids / Dryads / Eagles) » 1:00:30- Melkor » 1:02:15- Valaraukar (Balrogs) » 1:02:45- Sauron (Gorthaur the Cruel / Mairon) » 1:03:10- Haiku » 1:04:30HELPFUL LINKS- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5- Valaquenta 2015 » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxKN8C6V1pY&t=0s- Etymology of Valaquenta » http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Valaquenta#Etymology- The Eagles Are Maiar (Nature of Middle-earth) » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGub_7-s_I0&t=1570s SPECIAL THANKS:- John R- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien- Ms. Anonymous- Andrew T- Redhawk- Shannon S- Brian O- Emilio P- Zeke F- James A- James L- Chris L- Chuck F- Asya V- Ish of the Hammer- Teresa C- David of Pints with Jack- Jonathan D- Eric S- Joey S- Eric B- Johanna T- Mike M- Robert H- Paul D- Julia- Werty- Matthew W- JoeBagelManAS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (JANUARY OF 2022) » Tyler W, Mike M, Elina V, Richard K, Melanie, Scott W, Jason T, David G, John R

Estamos de vuelta con un nuevo capítulo desde nuestro rincón particular del Bosque Viejo. Esta vez, presentamos un episodio más clásico con varias secciones. En este episodio cubriremos las próximas publicaciones anunciadas en el juego así como una sección de creación de mazos y de lore, ambas basadas en las maravillosas Águilas. Sin más, pasamos a detallar que vais a encontrar en este episodio: 00:01:41 - Análisis de la caja básica: Charlaremos sobre el contenido de la edición revisada de la caja básica enfocándolo desde el punto de vista del atractivo que tendrá tanto para el jugador novel como el veterano 00:33:52 - Análisis de mazos preconstruidos : Haremos un primer análisis de los 4 mazos preconstruidos que se han anunciado. 01:06:56 -Comentario y creación de mazos: Retomamos esta sección, donde Wehehe nos presentará un mazo de Águilas al más puro estilo vieja escuela. 01:30:24 - Buscando a Tolkien: Vuelven Dieter y Guillem con su sección de Lore, donde en esta ocasión, como no podía ser de otra forma, nos hablarán sobre las Águilas. Esperamos que los oyentes disfruten tanto de este podcast como nosotros llevándolo a cabo. Y una vez más, sentíos libres de dar vuestras opiniones en los comentarios del episodio. Un abrazo!

Dr. Cyril Jenkins, Richard and Fr. Andrew get together to look at three passages from The Nature of Middle-earth: “Beauty and Goodness,” “Mind Pictures / Knowledge and Memory,” and “Manwë's Ban.” But first they discuss two listener comments -- on how Tolkien's works inform one's Christian faith and whether Tolkien risks being “canonized,” thus stifling further mythopoeic creativity.

Dr. Cyril Jenkins, Richard and Fr. Andrew get together to look at three passages from The Nature of Middle-earth: “Beauty and Goodness,” “Mind Pictures / Knowledge and Memory,” and “Manwë's Ban.” But first they discuss two listener comments -- on how Tolkien's works inform one's Christian faith and whether Tolkien risks being “canonized,” thus stifling further mythopoeic creativity.

Dr. Cyril Jenkins, Richard and Fr. Andrew get together to look at three passages from The Nature of Middle-earth: “Beauty and Goodness,” “Mind Pictures / Knowledge and Memory,” and “Manwë's Ban.” But first they discuss two listener comments -- on how Tolkien's works inform one's Christian faith and whether Tolkien risks being “canonized,” thus stifling further mythopoeic creativity.

Dr. Cyril Jenkins, Richard and Fr. Andrew get together to look at three passages from The Nature of Middle-earth: “Beauty and Goodness,” “Mind Pictures / Knowledge and Memory,” and “Manwë's Ban.” But first they discuss two listener comments -- on how Tolkien's works inform one's Christian faith and whether Tolkien risks being “canonized,” thus stifling further mythopoeic creativity.

Giringiya seredana serokê Frensa Êmanwêl Makron ji bo Herêma Kurdistanê

This episode is a recording of a talk I gave recently on JRR Tolkien's "Silmarillion". Begun even before the Great War, this work was considered by Tolkien to be the work the closest to his heart; his magnum opus. Yet the work wasn't even published until 1977, four years after Tolkien's death. Why is it a significant work? Would it be significant without the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings? What is Tolkien saying about the nature of evil? Hope? Friendship? and the power of words to convey a vision of the world? The Oath of the Silmarils, as given in Morgoth's Ring: “Be he foe or friend, be he foul or clean Brood of Morgoth or bright Vala, Elda or Maia or Aftercomer, Man yet unborn upon Middle-earth, Neither law, nor love, nor league of swords, Dread nor danger, not Doom itself Shall defend him from Fëanáro, and Fëanáro's kin, Whoso hideth or hoardeth, or in hand taketh, Finding keepeth or afar casteth A Silmaril. This swear we all… Death we will deal him ere Day's ending, Woe unto world's end! Our word hear thou, Eru Allfather! To the everlasting Darkness doom us if our deed faileth… On the holy mountain hear in witness and our vow remember, Manwë and Varda!" Thus spoke Maedhros and Maglor and Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir, Amrod and Amras, princes of the Noldor; and many quailed to hear the dread words. The inscription inside the Ring of Power: "Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie." — The Lord of the Rings Hail, Earendil! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3wuI-bOSo8

Tuor, filho de Huor, sobrinho de Húrin e primo de Túrin tem uma missão. Ulmo, “o mais poderoso dos Deuses com exceção apenas de Manwë”, confiou a este mortal a tarefa de chegar a Gondolin e alertar o rei Turgon sobre o perigo que se aproximava com as investidas de Morgoth. A Queda de Gondolin é mais uma obra organizada por Christopher Tolkien em que ele traz informações importantes a respeito do processo de escrita do seu pai e esclarece a cronologia dos acontecimentos da primeira era da Terra Média. Aperte o play e venha acompanhar mais um aspecto desse mundo impressionante! A Rádio Caractere é Associada Amazon.com.br! A Queda de Gondolin: https://amzn.to/3oXX2gu Nossos links: http://www.caracterebooks.com.br/links Receba os podcasts da Rádio Caractere no seu app favorito, no Spotify ou no YouTube! Direção e Conteúdo: Suzane Madruga Produção e Edição: Glenio Madruga --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radio-caractere/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/radio-caractere/support

From the very beginning of its history, it is clear that Middle-earth is brimming with great spiritual powers. From the kingship of Manwë to the Elvish love of Elbereth, Tolkien constructs a world where god-like figures seem to govern its affairs. Was Tolkien promoting a pagan religious outlook? Does his construction of Middle-earth betray his Catholic faith? Join us, as we explore the relationship of Middle-earth and paganism. Please patronize The Tolkien Road: https://patreon.com/tolkienroad For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. This episode is executive produced by Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien and Liis U. Special thanks to the following patrons: Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien Liis U Shannon S Brian O Emilio P Zeke F James A James L Chris L Chuck F Asya V Ish of the Hammer Teresa C David of Pints with Jack Jonathan D Eric S Joey S Eric B Matt L Johanna T Ms. Anonymous Sam N

Back in Ilmarin, Celebrimbor and Fëanor present Feredir with the black, sister swords reforged into Angwedel, or "Iron of the Bound Star." Mor-lomin experiences the true power of the Flame of Arnor using his staff. Ezellendur is donning all three silmarils in the crown, Angrî. Okrin learns that the Mallet of Tombo, that they rescued from Angband, is essential in making the prophecy of Mandos come to fruition. And Burin learns that he is heading home to Gundabad to find the second binding chain, Angainor.

Second Age Deep Dive - can't get enough!  Yes, we know, we've already read "Akallabêth" on this podcast, BUT why not read it again, especially in light of LOTR on Prime being focused on the Second Age! Lots of good stuff in this episode... Topics of discussion... "The lot of men was unhappy..." "They did not escape the doom of death..." Meneltarma » Pillar of Heaven » Hallowed to Eru Ilúvatar Manwë did not want them to seek for immortality "A shadow fell upon them..." The dialogue of Manwë and the King Men of Middle-earth laid under tribute by Númenor "Thus the bliss of Westernesse was diminished..." "The fear of death grew ever darker upon them..." If you like The Tolkien Road, you can support us for only $1 per episode via Patreon! For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad.

Jared, Oriana and Ned discuss Jared’s choice of topic: Melian. The wife of one of the three original Elves in the legendarium, she herself is not an elf but a Maia, one of the divine figures in that universe. So what exactly does that make her? An emo kid with a fondness for dark forests? An alien figure looking around at all the Children of Iluvatar that surround her? Or does she really just like nightingales a lot?

We are back in Rivendell this week in order to welcome another very special ringbearer into our fellowship. Please find a seat by our fire and pack your pipe because this episode is as twisty and turny as the road to the last Homely House. In this show, May, Ads and James all agree to agree that Manwë is both terrific and terrible. We look into and assess Bilbo's payment for burglary services rendered. And we take the risk and look into a seeing stone... Special thanks to Jeff (& Sebastian) LaSala from Tor.com *Check out his Silmarillion Primer series!! Intro music: Concerning Hobbits Medley by Nathan Mills @beyondtheguitar on YouTube Outro music: Rohan Medely by Harry Murrell @HarryMurrell on YouTube

In this episode, we talk about the Istari, perhaps better known as the wizards! That's right, we're talking about Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and yes, a couple more. Who are they? Why are they in Middle-Earth? What about Sauron, does he count? In other news, Dan defends Peter Jackson. Kind of. He can't believe it either. In other other news, there are going to be 3 episodes on the Istari because we talked so much about it. Enjoy!   1:26 What’s an Istari? Who are they? How were they chosen? 1:37 They appeared in Middle the third age when Sauron arrived in Mirkwood 1:58 The Valar decided to get off their butts and do something. 2:15 Manwë called everyone together to decide who to send. 2:23 Aulë knows a guy Curunír (Curumo/Saruman) 3:00 Yavanna sends a chaperone… Radagast! 3:50 Aulë is out of control! 4:18 Entwives are the chaperones of the chaperones? 4:41 Yavanna doesn’t trust Aulë’s servants… Can you blame her? 4:55 Saruman got caught up in creating stuff and Radagast got so distracted by nature that he just gave up. 5:15 Curunír is “the one of cunning devices” in Sindarin, Curumo is his Quenya name and Saruman is “man of skill” in the languages of men. Radagast/Aiwendil is Lover of birds… he sure is. 7:51 Saruman resents his boss’ wife sending a lame babysitter. 8:42 The three other Istari, starting with Alatar and Pallando 9:11 Pallando’s finger guns - Erica was actually doing finger guns right then. You can’t see it but it’s awesome! 9:25 Making up definitions for Alatar and Pallando’s names. In Elvish, Palan means afar, like the palantir, that which sees afar. -Do is a masculine suffix, so Pallando is Afarman. Tar is a modifier meaning lord and ala is a verb that means to grow or to plant. So Alatar is Growlord? 10:05 Alatar and Pallando are the blue istari 10:37 Saruman is the head of the order, Alatar is next most powerful and they both brought someone. 11:28 Manwë was looking for Olórin because he’s the wisest. 11:37 Lórien vs Lothlórien 12:08 Willow reference! 12:23 Shut up Dan! 12:26 Lórien/Irmo Dreams and visions 12:48 Olórin = true/clear vision/dream 13:04 Spoiler alert! Olórin is Gandalf 13:19 Gandalf fears Sauron and doesn’t think he can help. He’s afraid of him. 13:50 3 istari or 5? 14:05 Hey Varda, is Gandalf 5th, 3rd, or 1st? 14:20 Judging Saruman and putting words in his mouth. 14:55 Varda/Elbereth is the queen of stars 15:43 What are Istari? - maia, spirits that can take form 16:15 Could a balrog look Elvish? Corruption, evil things lose their ability to hide their true form. The way Morgoth and Sauron did. 16:33 Balrogs are spirits of fire and death, what do you want from them? Nothing. We want nothing more from balrogs. They are cool. 17:00 Maia hanging out. Erica says they weren’t Istari before they were chosen. That’s not really true and we will come back to it in a later part of this episode. Istari is a type of maia. 17:36 Why are Istari? 17:50 Vala council 17:59 Manwë decides to send emissaries because Sauron is out of control. 18:37 Avatars vs. emissaries. Not, like, in an epic fight or anything, just the distinction. 19:03 Bang! Out of the canon! Talkin’ bout Unfinished Tales! 19:20 What’s an avatar? Not an Istari, I can tell ya that! 19:40 More about emissaries. 20:00 Erica did her research this time! But she still hasn’t read Norse mythology. More on that later… 20:10 We

C'est le premier témoignage d'un voyage en bateau dans ce podcast. Je suis vraiment très heureux de partager le témoignage d'Anaïs car c'est un style de voyage dont on parle trop peu. Voyager en bateau paraît souvent inaccessible ou trop compliqué, pourtant Anaïs nous raconte le tour du monde quils sont entrain de faire elle et son chéri avec le voilier qu'ils ont acheté !  Leur Blog : Manweodyssey.com   Pour suivre leur aventure en direct : Facebook - Instagram - Youtube   Ce n'est pas expliqué dans le podcast mais pour la petite anecdote, Manwë c'est le nom de leur voilier. C'est cool, on peut nommer son bateau comme on veut ! Comme ils sont un peu geek, ils l'ont appelé du nom du Dieu du Vent dans le Seigneur des Anneaux...   >> AVANT DE PARTIR, ÇA ME FERAIT PLAISIR si tu prenais 1min pour LAISSER UNE NOTE & COMMENTAIRE sur le podcast ! MERCI d'avance Suis mes aventures sur les réseaux @ALEXVIZEO > mon Instagram , Facebook , Youtube , Twitter , Snapchat Retrouve tous mes conseils & astuces de voyage sur mon blog : Vizeo.net Si tu as voyagé après avoir vu mes vidéos (ou si tu prévois de le faire) Laisse ton témoignage sur mon site :  https://www.vizeo.net/livre-or-voyage

In this weeks episode of So, You Want to Read Tolkien, Rachel and Emily and Caitlin read Chapter 4: Of Thingol and Melian, and Chapter 5: Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië   Chapter 4 Characters Thingol – Discussed in the previous chapter as Elwë. One of the 3 ambassadors that went to […]

Today we will look at Tolkiens villain Sauron and then a comic book called I kill giants, finally we will look a great free audio book app. Plus stick around for the giveaway you can win.  ----more---- Soul of Sauron: Is anyone beyond redemption? That’s a question I thought of when I read a passage from of the Rings of power and the third age at the end of the Silmarillion about Sauron. Which we will get too in a minute but first let’s take a brief look at Saurons early origins. Sauron has far more history than what the LOTR films tell, and we will explore some of his history before the trilogy. Despite being the title character of The Lord of the Rings, Sauron is notable in that he never directly appears during the events of the trilogy. Nowhere is any detailed description given of what he looks like, other than in vague terms. He is one of the Maiar spirits originally named Mairon, meaning "the admirable, the same “race” as Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast. However he is by far the most powerful of Maiar spirits. Thousands of years before the events of the LOTR Sauron was corrupted to evil by Morgoth the brother of Manwe king of the Valar. Sauron liked order and perfection which made him the best candidate to be in charge of the army of Morgoth which included the Balrogs Orcs and Dragons to name a few. In The Silmarillion, Sauron is described as being a shape changer, and took many forms, including that of a serpent, a vampire, and a great wolf. After Morgoth's fall, Sauron appeared in fair form as "Annatar", the Lord of Gifts, and maintained this appearance until the Fall of Númenor, in which he was unable to ever take fair form ever again. The History of Middle-earth includes a passage vaguely describing how the Númenoreans saw him: "Upon that ship which was cast highest and stood dry upon a hill there was a man, but greater than any even of the race of Numenor in stature...And it seemed to men that Sauron was great; though they feared the light of his eyes. To many he appeared fair, to others terrible; but to some evil." In addition to his physical appearance, Sauron also apparently had an aura of incredible malevolence. A passage in The Silmarillion describes him as having a "dreadful presence," and daunting eyes. Furthermore, his mere presence could bend all but the strongest wills. Mentioning his eyes again …And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented…, …Therefore when Eönwë departed he hid himself in Middle-earth; and he fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong.” After the fall of Morgoth it is said in the Silmarillion, Sauron came before Eönwë who was a Maia serving Manwë, Eönwë was referred to as the "greatest of arms in Arda," meaning that he was the best with weapons. Sauron renounced his evil deeds, but it was not in Eonwe powers to forgive another Maia, he would have to petition to Manwe himself. Sauron was unwilling to do this. After the fall of Morgoth Sauron hit rock bottom and hid for centuries in Middle Earth. I found this fascinating, why? Because it shows a human side of Sauron and no one is beyond redemption. Tolkien gave us glimpse into the soul of Sauron. Even though Sauron ultimately chose to stay evil, for a brief moment he did consider the move to good. However he didn’t want to face judgement and rehabilitation Manwe would bestow upon him. Maybe because of his love for perfection he couldn’t face his own imperfection. Like I said for brief moment there could have been redemption. A glimpse at the world which could have been if Sauron would have repented. But this didn’t happen and the dark lord spend many millennia causing chaos and death try to force order upon middle earth. Regarding Sauron's personality, Tolkien had this to say from his letters:In my story Sauron represents as near an approach to the wholly evil will as is possible. He had gone the way of all tyrants: beginning well, at least on the level that while desiring to order all things according to his own wisdom he still at first considered the (economic) well-being of other inhabitants of the Earth. But he went further than human tyrants in pride and the lust for domination, being in origin an immortal (angelic) spirit. Sauron desired to be a God-King, and was held to be this by his servants, by a triple treachery: 1. Because of his admiration of Strength he had become a follower of Morgoth and fell with him down into the depths of evil, becoming his chief agent in Middle-earth. 2. when Morgoth was defeated by the Valar finally he forsook his allegiance; but out of fear only; he did not present himself to the Valar or sue for pardon, and remained in Middle-earth. 3. When he found how greatly his knowledge was admired by all other rational creatures and how easy it was to influence them, his pride became boundless.—J.R.R. Tolkien Among Sauron's chief powers were deception and disguise: he trick the elves into making the rings of power and he trick the Numenorians to take on the Valar There is more to Sauron that I haven’t touched on here, maybe another episode we can dive deeper. If you have watched the movies, but haven’t read the books I encourage you to do say if you don’t like to read try audio books, which leads to my next section With Amazon buying the rights to Tolkien literature I hope they explore each main character like Sauron and tell their stories. Maybe a 12 episode series on Sauron exploring his origin and early years. Up until the fall of Morgoth. Who would you like to see them do a series on?   Application Station: Hoopla is free at most public libraries. Sometimes it’s easier to listen, that’s why you are here now. With driving or running or working around the house audio is easier to help pass the time.Most public libraries give you access to these, the selection is mediocre IMO. Audible is going to give you a much bigger selection. Along with the audio books you also get access to ebooks and comic books too. This is how I found the Mark Milar Jupiter series. Avaiable for IOS and Android.   Comic Book Image comics I kill Giants comic book Barbara Thorson, a girl struggling with life by escaping into a fantasy life of magic and monsters. Released July 2008. Barbara is a confused girl dealing with trauma in her life. This causes her to be overly blunt with people in her life even people who want to be her friends. This may be a bit foreign to readers, but for me being around kids who have been traumatized I can understand the confusion, maybe you can too. However Barbara does have some witty comebacks to the mean people in her life and she’s obsessed with DND. At first it is difficult to tell if Barbara is out of touch with reality or not. She dresses weird with bunny ears. Many readers can relate as we all want to escape real lifes struggles and stress even if it’s only for a short time. However eventually you have to face them and you find out you find out you are stronger than you think. It’s a B/W comic book and the writer scribbled the entire story line in less than an hour on a yellow legal pad while his dad was going through physical therapy. To find the perfect giant the writer Joe Kelly asked Jim the artist for about 50 versions of giants before he settled on the one he wanted. The entire story is great, it shows as nerds we like escapism, and like Barbara we can be a bit snarky and crass.   Podcast shout out: Day Dream instruction Manual Eddie and company look at all things nerdy and not so nerdy.   Contest: We will be giving away a copy of the game Mintworks a cool game by five24labs. Mint Works is a light and straightforward worker placement game. Its compact size makes it easy to put in your pocket and take it anywhere. Its simple rules make it easy to introduce new players to the genre of worker placement. The reason I wanted to give this away because it’s a simple compact game and I know the creator personally. To enter in the drawing email me cn@covertnerd.net, put in the subject line mintworks, then include your full name in the body. Or on Instagram DM me with mintworks and you full name. Either method will get an entry into the contest. Please only one entry per person. Find me on twitter @thecovert_nerd or Instagram and Facebook at covertnerd website covertnerd.net

One Episode to Rule Them All!!! Having completed a chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of The Silmarillion (which spans over 30 hours of content), we decided to do an episode where we cover the whole of The Silmarillion in less than an hour. With this one episode, you get the whole enchilada, from "Ainulindalë" to "Eärendil" to the end of the Third Age. If you've always wanted to read The Silmarillion but have never succeeded, then this is the episode for you! You can also find some helpful resources for The Silmarillion at TrueMyths.org/Silm.    

In Chapter 12 of The Silmarillion, the Second Children of Ilúvatar - the Atani, or Men - awake, and we quickly learn precisely what the Elves think of them. We revisit the differences that Tolkien created between Elves and Men in both life and death, along with the ominous portent this new race holds for the Firstborn. Plus, the monotony of Manwë’s wardrobe.

Doom falls on Valinor in Chapter 8 of The Silmarillion. Manwë hosts a feast to reconcile the estranged sons of Finwë, but Melkor chooses that moment to get his revenge with a little help from the mother of all evil spiders (literally), Ungoliant. We bring back the 'Tolkien Fun Facts' segment with a young Professor's trek through the Swiss Alps, and wonder about Valarin bug spray.

Manwé has a Tolkien connection. Follow @profilesnyc on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We're back! We apologize for our absence; it's time to move on down the road... On this episode of The Tolkien Road, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with Chapter 11, Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor. We cover topics ranging from the "Happy Fault" philosophy of Manwë to the creation of the Sun and Moon to the curious inaction of the Valar. Poems 4:00 The Death of Fëanor & “Evil Shall Be Good to Have Been" 13:00 The Fruits of the Two Trees 24:00 The Laziness of the Valinorians 29:00 The Consequences of the Sun and Moon 36:00 Morgoth Assails the Moon 41:50 Fortifying & Hiding Valinor 43:15 Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history and background of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The Tolkien Road is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. You can learn more by following @tolkienwisdom on Twitter and following TrueMyths.org on Facebook at Facebook.com/TrueMyths.

David and John discuss Of the Coming of Elves and the Captivity of Melkor, the story of the awakening of the elves in Middle-earth, the wars between the Valar and Melkor, and the Great Journey of the elves. After adding more evidence to the case against Manwë, they give a breakdown of all the factions of elves present in the First Age. Finally, they answer listener feedback.SourceElf Faction Flow ChartContact UsDeep lore questions, comments and/or thoughts to share? Send us an email at lotr@thelorehounds.comEarly and ad-free versions of all our podcasts are available on our Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thelorehoundsFind us on Twitter @thelorehounds, on Twitch at twitch.tv/thelorehounds, or join us for further discussion of all things Tolkien over on our Discord Server.Silmarillion Stories Reading ScheduleNovember 2022 - AinulindalëDecember 2022 - ValaquentaJanuary 2023 - Of the Beginning of Days February 2023 - Of Aule and YavannaMarch 2023 - Of the Coming of Elves and the Captivity of MelkorApril 2023 - Of Thingol and MelianMay 2023 - Of Eldamar and the Princes of the EdaliëJune 2023 - Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of MelkorAny opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy