Posts in category: Celebrate The Season

February, month 2 of the Gregorian year is here, and it brings with it a bundle of celebratory days.

In America we begin with Groundhog Day on the 2nd, where we consult Punxsutawney Phil, the furry marmota rodent, whether to continue bundling up or prepare for the time of transformation into Spring.

The 2nd also marks the Wiccan/Pagan day of Imbolc. Pronounced “IM-bulk” or “EM-bowlk”, this day, which is one of the four greater Sabbats, is known as the Festival of Lights, in honor of the Sun’s return. The land is now slowly thawing and getting ready for Spring.

The Quickening Full Moon on the 9th is also loaded with waves of super strong energy due to the Lunar Eclipse and planetary alignment.

Around the world, the month of January is observed and celebrated as the first month of the solar year. During this time people prepare for their journey down the list of new resolutions. There is a certain balance taking place in the world during this month, while it’s the coldest month in the Northern Hemisphere, the warm rays of the Sun hit full force in the Southern half of the planet. This balance has begun it’s shift, as the blue marble makes its way back around the sun Mother Nature gently brushes the cold towards the south and the warmth of the sun moves up north.

HISTORY

January is named for Janus (Ianuarius), the god of the doorway; the name has its beginnings in Roman mythology, coming from the Latin word for door (ianua) – January is the door to the year. Traditionally, the original Roman calendar consisted of 10 months, totalling 304 days, winter being considered a monthless period. Around 713 BC, the semi-mythical successor of Romulus, King Numa Pompilius, is supposed to have added the months of January and February, allowing the calendar to equal a standard lunar year (355 days). Although March was originally the first month in the old Roman Calendar, January became the first month of the calendar year either under Numa or under the Decemvirs about 450 BC (Roman writers differ).

Historical names for January include its original Roman designation, Ianuarius, the Saxon term Wulf-monath (meaning wolf month) and Charlemagne’s designation Wintarmanoth (winter / cold month). In Finnish, the month is called tammikuu, meaning month of the oak, but the original meaning was the month of the heart of winter, as tammi has initially meant axis or core. This month is in Czech called leden, meaning ice month.

January’s birthstone is the garnet.
Its birth flowers: carnations and snowdrops.

Source: Wikipedia.com

Let’s welcome the month of November and celebrate the season!

Earth Mother introduces the month of November with early winter chills, decorating the landline with red and orange drying leaves, and although there are still 2 full months left in this Gregorian year of 2008, the end of the cycle is present and the spirit of the holiday season has arrived. Let us embrace the season.
The month starts off with a bang as Neptune turns direct on the 1st. It’s time to wake up from our dreamy states and re-orient ourselves with our goals and ideals.
November is a time of gratitude and of reflection. We give thanks for the accomplishments during the year and also for the opportunities of growth, and we begin to prepare the list of things we wish to let go of as the year wanes. Tap into the most inner “you” and examine what thoughts and emotions you are ready to release, and get ready for the new plans you will be making in the year ahead. Reach inside and rediscover your natural self, after all, we are creatures of nature and innately flow with the wonderful ebb of life on this earthly planet. From now until Yule we collect our harvest from the year and while some of us get ready to hibernate, others of us prepare to pass the long and cold winter days by a warm burning fire drinking hot cocoa, tea or coffee, .. or cognac, .. or all! ^_^
The month also ends with a bang as Pluto re-enters ambitious Capricorn on November 26, changing everyone’s focus for the next 16 years. The maverick planet Uranus finally turns direct on November 27, ending a retrograde period that began last June 26. Change is in the air. Don’t allow yourself to feel restless if your life circumstances are not a good fit for the person you are today. Focus, and stay positive and open for change.

Between Samhain and Yule, legend says, many have heard the fearful sounds of what is commonly known as the Wild Hunt. With many names, many faces, and sometimes no face at all, this experience can be anything from the sounds of hunting dogs, marching knights or the headless horseman himself. Stories of the Wild Hunt are known in countries like Scandinavia, Germany and even the USA (Washington Irving’s “The Headless Horseman”) And while the root reason of the hunt may vary, the dark and unknown force that carries the hunt brings a terrifying chill to its witnesses.
In Germany, the Wild Hunter is the god known as Odin. With horses and dogs he runs through the cold nights collecting souls of those who have died, specially those who were evil doers in life. Other stories indicate that Odin hunts for a woman. But Odin was not the only hunter known, depending on the region there was King Arthur, Sir Francis Drake, Gwydion, and more.
The Wild Hunt held such strong belief that many people, such as field workers, would refuse to go out at night, claiming they saw burning coals floating in mid air, and were terrified at the sound of barking dogs and the hunter’s horn being blown in the cold and dark night. The stories also indicate that it was a bad omen to see the Wild Hunt, for those unfortunate to witness it are said to suffer painful illnesses and death or life-threatening ill fortune in the year to come.

The Wild Hunt is also known as the Dark Lord of Winter. It is bringer of the end of a cycle, the cycle of birth-death-rebirth. The Celtic tales of the hunt tell of the Sidhe thundering by on their horses and snatching up those who travel the roads at night. These victims were often found dead, or reappear years later not aged at all.
So remember, if you happen to be outside one cold and grey November night, sipping a hot cup of cocoa or indulging a tasty glass of brandy, and you hear the baying of hounding dogs and the sound of the hunter’s horn, raise your cup to the Wild Hunt, and then go indoors where you are safe.

I hope you enjoy the journey this month inspires you to take. And don’t forget, there are always reasons to engage in joyful celebration. The more celebratory energy you “produce” the more you send off into the air, spreading it throughout the world. This is how we heal the planet, and reduce the negative energies that dwell over it’s green and watery surface. Don’t forget that whatever you celebrate make sure you do exactly that … celebrate! Bring happiness into your life, let the joyful energy surround you, blessing your home, your path, and every choice you make.

Also read:

– Give Thanks – Thanksgiving Day Celebration

– November Full Moon – Taurus Moon

– Poem of the Month: November, Leaves

– Book of the Month