Rivros, Solmōnaþ, Snow Moon
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| Photo by Riccardo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ice-river-photography-300857/ |
GOOD NEWS! I found a web page (two actually) that has reconstructed an Anglo-Saxon calendar. The good news is that I wasn't far off with my own haphazard timing of things. This is the one I'm using. The other one is only off by a day, and seems to be depending upon whether they are starting it when the moon is dark, or just the first sliver. Either way, I can now assign those brains cells to other things.
For our month names.. The Anglo-Saxon month is Solmōnaþ, which seems to be "mud month" or "month of hearth cakes." Commentators I read seemed to think these hearth cakes were mud-like so that would be the two names? From the Gauls, it is Rivros (Riuros), which is "cold month," and the Almanac terms the full moon for this month "Snow Moon."
I sense a theme....
Kondratiev's next line from the Song of Amergin is "I am a lake on a plain." He calls this the "Moon of the Flood." Earlier, at the Moon of the Tide, we dove into the mystical waters, and the tide carried us to the House of Tethra, Fomhoire king of the sea. Not a place of terror, but a place of deep healing and rest. For this month, we are aware of these waters as they gather. At the full moon, we connect with the goddess of the land* and uncap the well, so that these deep, healing waters flow and spread out around the land (flood). As the moon wanes, the water level rises and we are lifted up towards the sky.
These themes are hard to reconcile, if you're trying to do that along with me. One obvious similarity is the role of water, whether it's snow, ice, or flood, and its mingling with the land, causing mud. We are starting to head into the warmer parts of the year where I live, and it's often a muddy mess! You could focus your lunar rites on the cold and snow, but also how that snow transforms the land and prepares it (and you) for what's to come.
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Astrologically, at the new moon we are in the Sign of Aquarius. Aquarius is a sign known for commitment to the common good, social reform, and striving for a better future, so it is a good time to assess your role in your community. It is a good time try something new and look at the big picture. Really, the song "Age of Aquarius" says it all. At the first quarter, Aquarius Sun is square Taurus Moon bringing friction between Aquarius's global focus and Taurus's practical issues of comfort and financial security. The full moon in Leo brings a tension between creative self-expression (Leo) and group expression (Aquarius), and is a good time to work on the balance between the two. The last quarter again brings friction between Aquarius's intellectual approach and Scorpio's intensely emotional approach. The lesson for the month is navigating between the heart and mind to balance group and personal needs.
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Keep in mind: The energies for community are from cruithneachd (wheat) bringing us harvest, nourishment, and abundance. For ourselves, we are tearing down what needs to be removed, or having it torn down for us with the rune hagalaz Around the full moon though, the energies shift. The community energy is garbhag an t-sléibhe (fir club moss) speaking to initiation, beginnings, and power. For us individually, Eihwaz brings us strength and connection. (See those larger discussion here and here.)
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