The Almanac
— ✦ —
July
2026
TODAY is Tuesday, July 7th, the
188th day of 2026, and there are 178 days left in the year. The moon is in Aries and the season is Summer (element of fire - peak energy, passion, and illumination).
The next sabbat, Lughnasadh, is in 26 days. Today's moon is waning (22 days old) and 51% full. The full moon for this phase is on Wednesday, July 29th, and the new moon will be on Tuesday, July 14th.
In the Native American tradition, the July moon is named the Buck Moon. 
Mercury is currently retrograde - this shadow period runs through July 23rd (16 days remaining). Communication, intellect, and awareness are all within Mercury's domain, as are logic and reasoning, our manner of thinking, and how we create and express our thought processes. Remain flexible, allow extra time for travel, and avoid signing contracts until Mercury is direct again.
- Today's Correspondences -
- Sun Sign
- Cancer (element of water)
- Color
- red (courage and health, sexual love and lust), black (negativity and banishment), and orange (attraction and encouragement)
- Planet
- Mars (element of fire)
- Incense
- cypress, pine, tobacco, brimstone, and civet
- Herb
- nettle
- Stone
- bloodstone
- Tarot Card
- Five of Cups
- Gods
- Mars, Ares, and Tiwaz.
- Keywords
- courage, energy, physical strength, and banishing negativity.
- Rune
- ᛗ Mannaz - Humanity and the self within community - kinship, cooperation, and shared purpose.
- Today's Activity -
Your activity is to carry a bloodstone in your pocket or wear garnet-studded jewelry to reinforce your convictions. Wear the fiery colors associated with this day: scarlet, red, black, and orange. Don some of the more daring and bewitching colors of your wardrobe on Tuesdays and turn a few heads. Use Tuesday to assert yourself, make a mark and stake your claims.
- Weather Lore -
Onion skins very thin, mild winter coming in. Onion skins thick and tough, coming winter cold and rough.
- Seek the Cards -
Draw three cards and let the deck speak. Playing Card Divination — free cartomancy readings using a standard deck, with full interpretations and suit progressions.
- Also -
Mercury is currently retrograde - this shadow period runs through July 23rd (16 days remaining). Communication, intellect, and awareness are all within Mercury's domain, as are logic and reasoning, our manner of thinking, and how we create and express our thought processes. Remain flexible, allow extra time for travel, and avoid signing contracts until Mercury is direct again.