From this we see that Aries, Taurus and Pisces "match" their classifications, while Libra, Scorpio and Virgo "oppose" their classifications. Looking closer, Gemini, Aquarius and Cancer seem to "match" their classifications and Sagittarius, Leo and Capricorn seem to "oppose" their classifications as well.

Here are some examples-

Aries being a Fire sign matches the definition of Cardinal, Taurus being Earth matches the definition of Fixed and Pisces being Water matches the definition of Mutable. Libra being an Air sign is not the best suited for being Cardinal, Air is effected by other things, events or circumstances and does not move on it’s own volition. Scorpio being Water is not the best suited for the classification of Fixed in that it is not good to have water standing still for any period of time. Virgo being an Earth sign is in opposition to the definition of Mutable, because Earth is not mutable - it is constant.

All of the signs shown as ‘opposing’ line up in the later or dark half of the year and the "matches’ line up in the first or light half of the year, therefore the sign is also defined as light or dark. The signs listed in the yellow sections are defined as being light. The signs listed in the black section are defined as being dark. The light is for bringing in what we desire, the dark is for releasing or banishing things. The astrological signs are cycled through the Sun as well as the Moon.

"What do I do with this information?" you may ask. Magically, we need to use all of the correspondences we have to best advantage. This information is providing us with yet another level of correspondence to aid in our magickal workings. Proper timing can bolster the effectiveness of any working.

Think of the Sun cycle in terms of the waxing and waning moons. You want to do workings for gain and fruition during the waxing periods or light half and workings for release and banishing during the waning periods or dark half of the year.

The Moon moves through each sign during its cycle from full to new and back to full but on a smaller scale than the sun. The Moon also has a waxing period or light half and a waning period or dark half. Again, you want to do workings for gain and fruition during the waxing periods or light half and workings for release and banishing during the waning periods or dark half of the Moon cycle. Some systems of magick work with the Full Moon during the light half of the year and the New Moon during the dark half of the year.

From the previous chart , we can see that October (Libra to Scorpio) occurs in the dark half of the year.

There are several cycles we are looking at:

• The Sun has its cycle from light to dark involving the seasons.
• The Moon has its cycle of waxing and waning.
• The Sun and Moon each also have a cycle of astrological signs they travel through that we previously defined as light and dark.

From these two graphics we can see that the best time to do a working in October 2003 is from October 18^th through the 25^th. The best working will be those that release or banish because we have the sun, the moon and the astrological signs of both working in the same direction. Workings during other times or for other things will have to have added energy from other sources or correspondences to make up for the fact that the Sun and Moon are working against it. Further we can look at the specific signs the Moon is in.

During this time period the Sun is in Scorpio, a water sign and the Moon is moving from Leo which is Fire, then to Virgo which is Earth on to Libra which is Air and finally Scorpio which again is Water. Workings on any of these days that relate properly to the Moon sign, the Sun sign and the astrological sign will be more effective. On October 25^th we have the Sun and Moon in Scorpio and the fact that it is the New Moon. This is a great day to do a working releasing negative or excess emotion, getting out of an emotional rut, working past psychic blockages etc.

The 1^st through 10^th we have the Moon and the astrological signs in light and the Sun in dark. With the 12^th through the 17^th the Sun and Moon are dark but the astrological signs are light. With the 26^th through 31^st the Sun is dark and the astrological signs are dark but the Moon is light. Again, workings during these times will have to have added energy from other sources or correspondences to make up for the fact that the Sun, Moon or astrological signs are working against it.

The Moon cycles can easily be charted at home using nothing more than an astrological calendar and pen and paper.

To take this yet another step or two further we need to look at the individual days and the effect of the Sun and the Moon and the planets in each part of the day. For some people this is taking it too far, of course for some people simply the correct Moon phase is all they wish to deal with. This is all up to the individual of course. A very simple way to establish the planetary hours is available. We know what time of the day the Sun and Moon are at their highest and lowest, the day of the week and the planetary hour simply gives the added influence of a particular planet.

To use this chart simply change the sunrise time column to see what hour has what planetary influence for each day of the week. Here we can see that if sunrise on a Sunday was indeed at 6:00 AM, and we wanted the Sun’s planetary influence then the times we have available to do a working would be 6:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 8:00 PM and 3:00 AM. The Sun’s influence is best on a Sunday but it can be brought in on a Tuesday as well. The times for the Sun’s influence on a Tuesday if the sun rose at 6:00 AM would be 7:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 9:00 PM or 4:00 AM although we would also be working with the Tuesday influence of Mars. Which day of the week which planet rules is shown in the top two rows of the Magickal Timing chart. Sunday is the Sun, Monday the Moon etc.

Finally here is a very simple planetary influences chart to help round out the planning of a working.

By looking at the Sun, Moon, Astrological signs, day of the week and hour of the day in a very simple, common sense way we can add to the effectiveness of our workings. Planning is important and any ritual or working that is well thought out and planned has the added energy to be successful. Workings and rituals all involve levels of correspondences, you would no more use a gray candle for your prosperity working than you would call on Zeus to aid a love spell. So why not think about the timing of a working a little more to find the best time possible?

Here's to good casting!

Earthmystry