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Adrienne Mayor, “Mithridates of Pontus and His Universal Antidote,” in Toxicology in Antiquity (2nd ed.), 2019, 161-174. Mithridates hypothesized that tiny doses of poisons could be ingested over time in carefully increasing amounts and thus ultimately make the body capable of tolerating larger doses that would normally be fatal – a dose-dependent protective mechanism, akin to modern vaccines. (He was right, about some chemicals at least – we call it hormesis, if you’re keen to learn more.) Mithridates’ recipe for his inoculating toxin brew reportedly contained tons of things, from herbs to toxic skink skin to blood from a breed of poisonous...

  Work begins Wednesday, March 2nd, but this altar setting will be worked and available for several months, so you absolutely can jump in late as long as you see slots still available.     In addition to the usual weekly patterns of light setting and tending I do for the longer-term transit services, I will be presenting offerings with your petitions in an extra-special additional service on the 5th of March.      Jupiter will join up with the Sun a few days into the New Moon cycle and will be what we call cazimi in Pisces on March 5th – this is Jupiter in the Heart of the...

For this upcoming New Moon in Pisces and the days immediately following, there is a *hell of a lot going on.* The Sun and the Moon are conjunct Jupiter and Neptune, the co-rulers of Pisces. This is really pretty special and makes this an *excellent* New Moon for spiritual/magical work. But that’s not all – Mars, Venus, and Pluto will be conjunct in Capricorn the following day, and Mercury and Saturn will be conjunct in Aquarius. It’s a HUGE party and *everybody* is showing up (well, except Uranus – he’s too busy being conjunct the North Node in Taurus to socialize right now). As if...

While Saturn might be characterized as a stern schoolmaster and is often associated with restriction, it’s also the planet of hard work, discipline, patience, and mastery. Saturn can bring hardship, hard lessons, and insecurity. But Saturn can also bring recognition and achievement. It all depends on how attentive you’ve been to Saturn’s lessons and how diligent you’ve been with your commitments and responsibilities. What’s This For? The Sun is conjunct Saturn just once a year, and I like to think of this as an annual opportunity to take stock, reflect on how things have been going, and adjust fire if needed....

Phase 2 of the Lucky Stars Sweet Jar service for Jupiter in Pisces is now underway. There are pay-what-you-can options because, well, life has honestly just been *insane* the past couple of years, this is an amazing extended “good luck” transit, and if money’s a little tight because that’s where your luck has taken a beating lately, please feel free to book the reduced rate option; that’s what it’s there for.     February honey jars for prosperity/success and love/relationships start tonight. There are pay-what-you-can options for the prosperity/success jar, too.     Participants are invited to a private Discord server where I’ll post photos and...