Are you feeling off over this weekend? Is your magic not working quite like you expected? It could be space weather and its impact on our atmosphere. Does space weather really affect us? Now is the good time to check. Observe how you are feeling and take a personal inventory of yourself. How are you feeling in body, mind and spirit? Are you feeling stronger or weaker than usual and in what respects? If you are around animals, observe them. Maybe you have an animal companion. Is it behaving differently than usual? Are you around farm animals or wildlife? This is a good time to observe their behavior. If you are not around any animals, and even if you are, ask your friends how they feel.
Let us talk a little about space weather. The sun’s energy continuously arrives to Earth via the solar wind. With that solar wind life on Earth can flourish. Sometimes solar storms can cause bursts of solar energy called plasma to race toward Earth and impact Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere. This impact creates the Northern and Southern Lights which are usually able to be viewed only in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The energy from these collisions can create trillions of watts of electricity. Wow! We are at that time in the sun’s cycle when it will soon be reaching its solar maximum. The solar cycle is about 11 years long, and this time of peak activity with a large number and intensity of solar flares is due to end sometime between the end of this year and July 2025. To learn more check out nasa.gov and The Farmers’ Almanac for fascinating information. Predictions of solar activity are available through NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
With all this electricity created in Earth’s upper atmosphere what are the best practices during a time during the times of solar mass ejections? First, practice self care. Have that special cup of herbal tea. Meditate. Take an herbal bath. Take a walk in nature if that is possible. Exercise. Smile. Use that special self care routine that works for you and suits your needs. If you are out of ideas or want to learn more about self care, Arin Murphy-Hiscock shares some wonderful ideas about self care in her book The Witch’s Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit. It is available on Audible, Kindle Unlimited and Amazon. You might find it elsewhere.
What about doing magick? First use that personal inventory of yourself to ask these questions: How is this solar activity affecting your strengths and weaknesses? Are you aligned with the sun and used to working with its energies? How will it affect the magick you do? Really only you can answer these questions. For some people these events provide a magickal burst of energy, and for others this kind of solar energy can be overwhelming. In 1859 what is known as the Carrington event occurred. Huge solar storms caused a worldwide disruption in the telegraph system. That gives you an idea of the power of this kind of energy. This energy can shift the energy in your magic. Can you compensate and control how the energies of your magick interacts with these solar energies? There may be more questions you can ask yourself that I have not covered. What is important while considering doing magick at this eventful time is to ask yourself questions like these and make an appropriate decision.
A wonderful thing to do is make some observations of this space weather. Do you still have those eclipse glasses from viewing our latest solar eclipse handy? If so you can use them to view the sun and look for the sunspots associated with these amazing solar flares. If you happen to be in a spot where the weather is clear and you are in a good viewing location to see the Northern or Southern Lights, take this opportunity to experience this wonder. As with a lot of nighttime celestial viewing, avoiding light pollution counts. Maybe even hold a “watch party.” You can use your cellphone camera to help you view these lights. The newer models have cameras that can capture more light than our eyes. Take pictures using “night mode” if your camera has it. A tripod helps keep your camera still for long exposures.
I have brought to light a few questions for you to ask yourself. The phrase, “Know thyself” springs to mind. Hopefully, these questions will help provide you with important information about you.
Take time both for self care and to enjoy the wonder of space weather and observation!
For the Moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!
Auburn Greene
My Inner Wiccan 