Tag: wonder

Posted on

Samhain – Betwixt and Between

Certain times in our lives are filled with potency and magic. Twilight is such a time, as is dawn. These are magical moments when it is neither day nor night. Birth is another potent in-between time, along with death. These special times mark borders and transition zones. The in-between is a sacred time when magic is afoot.

Here in the northern hemisphere, we find ourselves betwixt and between light and dark. The light is slowly fading away as our Sun drops lower and lower in the sky and our nights grow longer. The ancient Celtic people would celebrate Samhain (Sow-in) at this time of year. Some tribes chose to celebrate at the 1st new moon after late harvest. Other tribes celebrated at the 1st full moon after harvest which falls on November 5th this year.

The veils between the worlds grow very thin during this sacred in-between time. Loved ones who have departed this Earth are believed to be nearby. Many people in Mexico honor this by celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) this week.

Samhain is a beautiful way to honor the cyclic transition of moving out of the light half of the year into the dark of winter. It is also the perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate the sacred cycles of birth – growth – death – rebirth that are an integral part of Nature’s magic.

Light a candle tonight. Spend a few moments honoring this sacred time of transition.

———————

Photo: Aspens at Twilight
by Nancy Lankston

Posted on

Moon Time

The Laussel Relief, stone carving of woman holding horn with 28 marks. Southern France.. 27,000 BCE

Before the Catholic Church created its own calendar, Europeans followed one based on the moon rather than the sun. This ancient calendar lays out a year with 13 months. Each month is 28 days long, the length of the human menstrual cycle.

13×28 = 364, plus one holy day = 365 days in a year.

The lunar calendar has exactly 4 weeks each month that coincide with the 4 phases of the moon: new, waxing, full, and waning.

In Gaelic, the words for menstruation and calendar come from the same root: miosach and miosachan. The Chinese divided the sky into 28 lunar mansions that Earth cycled through. Maya women say their calendar originated from menstruation as well. Cultures around the world honored the lunar calendar.

The Church erased the lunar calendar, focusing instead on 12 solar months. The number 13 became unlucky, tied to witchcraft. And menstruation was declared unclean and taboo.

But women around the world continue to cycle with the moon, physically and emotionally.

#moontime #lunarwisdom #herstorymatters
#navigatingbymoonlight

🌙

Posted on

New Moon in Gemini

New moon in airy Gemini, the creative trickster.

Time to think out of the box. What can you add to your days to spark joy?

Commune with the dark of the moon. Perhaps she has wisdom to share with you.

🌙

#gemini
#moon
#create
#joy

Posted on

Imbolc Has Arrived

Here in the northern hemisphere, we are halfway to spring.

“…beneath the surface of winter, the miracle of spring is already in preparation; the cold is relenting; seeds are wakening up. Colors are beginning to imagine how they will return. Then, imperceptibly, somewhere one bud opens and the symphony of renewal is no longer reversible. From the black heart of winter a miraculous, breathing plenitude of color emerges.”

John O’Donohue

🌱
#Imbolc
#wheeloftheyear
#cyclesandseasons
🌱

Art: The Maiden Awakens
by Annie Louvaine