The Book of Shadows of a Broom Closet Dweller *EDITING*

When to Avoid Magic

You should be aware of certain times when magic should be avoided, if possible. Spells can have an unexpected or undesired result when the moon is void of course or if a planet is in retrograde.

Mood Void of Course

The moon travels through the astrological signs. The time when it is between signs is known as void of course. While mostly they last 2-3 hours, they can last anywhere between a minute and a whole day. Emergency spells can be cast, but in general try to avoid casting spells when the moon is VOC.

Planetary Retrograde

A planet is in retrograde when it appears to move backwards in the sky due to its orbit around the sun from the earth's perspective. The effects of planetary retrograde begin when a planet's movement appears to slow down, peak when the planet moves backwards, and subside when the planet continues its regular motion once again.

As Mercury has the shortest orbit, it goes into retrograde multiple times throughout the year (the other planets only tend to retrograde once a year). Mercury retrogrades tend to have the most adverse effects, but thankfully they are much shorter in length compared to other planetary retrogrades (2 - 3 weeks as opposed to several months).

The Mercury retrograde is the most likely to have unexpected effects on spells. These periods are rife with interpersonal tension, disrupted communications, disrupted travel, traffic jams and electronic breakdowns.

Planetary retrogrades can be tracked easily from this website: www.findyourfate.com/astrology/year2020/2020-planetretrogrades.html

(I've added that link as the External Link for this part)

I also recommend downloading the free, open-source program 'Stellarium' which allows you to track the motion of all objects in space, including the moon and planets.