By Fire Well and Tree

It's a DOOZY too. Starts off with a solar eclipse, and then full moon around Samhain. It's also our last "moonth" of the year, as if you're following the same version of the wheel of the year that I do, Samhain is the new year, so we'll start the cycle again. I may or may not keep up with the astrology stuff, I may change my tune and emphasize something else.  So as we start, The sun is in Libra, and so is the New Moon on Saturday, October 14. Libra is about partnerships and balance, and yes, justice, but maybe not with a capital J. We can spend a lot of time trying to make sure everyone is treating us JUST RIGHT, but remember as scales balance, they sort of wobble back and forth, one side lower and the other higher. The sun and moon, our outward and inner selves, these are things we often strive to keep in balance, sometimes giving too much, and other times pulling back too far, but always returning to that equilibrium. Whatever house this is in for you m...

  Photo by Alina Vilchenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/food-people-party-winter-15574288/ "Libra-season" starts in the middle of this moonth, but we have to get ready for that with the New Moon in Virgo.   (I really like this photo I got from Pexels, and now I want to start staging my own....) We talked about Virgo last moonth, and so we can still continue on with that.  That detail oriented, planning energy is still here and it's a good thing to do at the new moon anyway (September 14), when we are setting our intentions.  This is especially true now as until a week or so again, we had SEVEN planets in retrograde (everyone BUT Mars).  Venus went direct on September 3, and Mercury goes directly TODAY (September 15) and the rest not for a while. Mercury also rules Virgo, so the fact that I am writing and posting this the day AFTER the New Moon is probably just a coincidence. Anyway... so for this New Moon in Virgo, take extra  care with your plans an...

  Photo by Erik Karits: https://www.pexels.com/photo/landscape-nature-water-blue-17590944/ When I searched for free stock photos associated with "Virgo" I got many pictures of damselflies like the above. I have no idea why, but they are beautiful.... And apologies for the less than spiffy title :)  Anyway... So for this "moonth," we are holding on to Leo for JUST a little bit longer.  The New Moon in Leo on August 16. SUPER early in the morning. My phone app said it was today!  The New Moon in Leo focuses on self-expression, creativity, and leadership. As you set your intention for this moon, it may be good to meditate on the right use of your power and personal will.  If you know what house your moon falls in that can help. Mine is in the sixth house ALL month, focusing health and habits, routines, etc. and I am SORELY in need of working on that. First Quarter moon (August 24) has the sun finally moving into Virgo, and square the Moon in Sagittarius. The fricti...

  Photo by James Wheeler: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-dock-414612/ Blue moon you saw me standing alone Without a dream in my heart Without a love of my own Time to get to the moon names this upcoming "moonth." For the Gauls, we are beginning Elembivios "the many-sided Month,"  That is one translation anyway, there are others.  One that is somewhat relevent  is the "Month of Claiming" associated with the grain harvest.  Our grove has chosen to honor Nantosuelta. Her name translates to "winding river," and those can have many sides?  Her iconography often pairs her with Sucellos, suggesting a link with fertility, and also has ravens.  Personally, I see her in a similar light as the Morrigan, mostly because of the ravens, but there's nothing in the lore; it's just my personal inpsiration.  At our Druid moon rite, we "dancing the flow," of life, of the river, of whatever.  Our grove is also sponsoring a festival during...

With this "moonth" we are becoming out of sync with the zodiac signs, which is fine, really. It happens every so often.  I haven't checked to see when it syncs up again.  So we are starting with the sun sign in Gemini and then it moves into Cancer on June 21.  We should be finishing up the intellectual, analytical energy of Gemini and then move into riding the emotional waves of Cancer. The new moon is almost exactly at midnight (12:37 to be precise) on June 18. For me, I love it when things line up this way.  For me, a new moon at midnight is an extremely powerful time and I'm going to try to take advantage of it (if I can stay awake). The sun and moon are both in Gemini, as I mentioned.  There's a fusion between external, solar pulls and internal lunar pushes to be analytical and rational about the goal you set or direction you take for this month.  Again, I recommending finding a transit chart (ask me how!) so you can see what house this takes place in f...

Photo by Rok Romih: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-moon-on-a-dark-sky-3489072/ I probably should explain that I see Dark Moon and New Moon as different.  Dark moon is when the moon isn't visible at all. It is, for me, akin to Midnight, and so is neither one day or the next, but a liminal point between the two days.  Dark Moon for me is also a liminal point between two months.  The New Moon is the visible crescent, that first sliver, that indicates the new month.   Between light pollution and obscured horizons where I live, I tend to rely on apps, ephemeri, almanacs, and the like for my timing.  AS always, your mileage may vary and do what works for you. So anyway... The dark moon started Friday evening, but I honor the new moon today (Saturday), as the crescent (for me) is what counts as "new moon."  The moon had us in Taurus, but on Saturday (today) the new moon is in Gemini.   A good time for intellectual pursuits.  Gemini energ...

  Photo by Dylan Leagh: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-highland-cattle-on-grass-8954113/ At the new moon, we will actually still be in Aries, and the sun and moon will be conjunct. It is not until April 21 that both move into Taurus, and barely conjunct at that point, I think?  We also had a solar eclipse.  I know there are some who are iffy about eclipse magic, and others think it gives your magic and extra boost. Either way, you can choose to honor the Aries or Taurus.  As I (hopefully) remembered to mention last month, New Moons in Aries represent energy, enthusiasm, and new beginnings. Check your house for where.   New Moons in Taurus focus on the "seeds" planted last month to take root.  Stability, sensuality, and values are part of this sign, and Venus as its ruler brings to mind love, comfort and security. Look to your house placement and see where these seeds are to be nurtured. You could also split that difference. Raise the energy for the new...

  A little late, but not by much. I am busy getting ready for my niece's coming-of-age ritual this weekend.  More on that later. This month, and the names assigned to it, are ripe with the happenings of the season.  In the Anglo-Saxon calendar, we have  Þrimilcemōnaþ, "Month of Three Milkings."  My hunch is that this refers to the fertility of herds, where the females would be lactating a lot to support their new kids, lambs, and calves. The Gaulish calendar calls this Cutios, "Rain Month."  So far around here we are down a bit in rainfall, but I imagine that will pick up (hopefully).  And the old saying I put in the title makes the connection between this and the Almanac's name, Flower Moon. All of this points to the bursting fertility of flora and fauna, as the land basically explodes with emergent life.  I saw the first bees a week or so ago, and now they are busy pollinating. Speaking of.... yes, the spring allergies are here, which are very a...

Photo by lil artsy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-ram-on-grass-field-2397441/ Okay, finally getting the months ideas in order.  The new moon conjoined with the sun in Aries on March 21, so I'm not that late yet.  Aries is ruled by Mars and has that energy to bust through any impediments. It's a good time to be self motivated.  The new moon in Aries brings energy, enthusiasm and new beginnings, especially in the house where Aries sits on your chart.  Mine is in my first house of "self," so self improvement is my task for this month. (If you want to know where Aries is for you, maybe contact my friend Forest: her website is  https://nuicobaltdesigns.com/ or use an online astrology software site.) The first quarter moon moves from Gemini into Cancer, so square the Aries sun.  Moving from intellect to feeling and emotions, pay attention to emotions but the fiery energy of Mars can make those more intense, and we can get easily overcome. The Full mo...

Time to get ready for the next moonth!  (Oops, this was supposed to out early... I need to figure out auto-posts more!) As always, these should be seen as only ideas for focusing in meditation, ritual, or just random deep thoughts throughout the month. Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/rain-drops-459451/ The Farmer's Almanac has named this Worm Moon.  The Full Moon is usually in the calendar month of March and around here that means late winter/early spring rains, bringing the worms to the surface.  The Coligny Calendar calls this "Anagantios," which in our grove we call 'stay at home month.'  Our priests come around on the sixth night of the moon to do house blessings.  From the Anglo-Saxons, we have Hreþmonaþ, the month of the Goddess Hreþe or Rheda.  This is the only reference to this goddess we know of, from Bede's Reckoning of Time.  This is when there were sacrifices to her, although who "her" is, is a mystery.   Accor...

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...

   Photo by Manuel Torres Garcia: https://www.pexels.com/photo/trees-covered-with-christmas-lights-at-night-10664540/ Since I started keeping track of time this way, I've been also trying to pin down how the ancient groups would have done so.  I had been assuming that the 'new moon = new month' formula, as seems to be the case for the Coligny Calendar and other Celtic sources, would be the same for other groups.  But then I came upon an Anglo-Saxon calendar listing, which quoted Bede's  Reckoning of Time   as indicating the month of  Wynterfylleth  as beginning on the full moon ( "because winter began on the first full moon of that month [of October]."   So I asked my friend  Alaric Albertsson . He usually posts on his Facebook page about which Anglo-Saxon month it is... and I noticed he also goes full-moon to full-moon. The upshot (and Alaric, PLEASE correct me if I misinterpreted) is that the Anglo-Saxons likely didn't have calend...

For many Neopagans the new year starts on Samhain on October 31.  Because I'm trying to follow a more lunar calendar, my "new year" is going to arrive at the New Moon on October 25 (at 6:49 in the morning).   Moon and month names My usual caveats apply.  This is my interpretations of what I try to focus on in my life, and I hope it's useful. Even though some names may get connected with other moon phases, I start to work with the energies at the new moon, and go throughout to the next. Your mileage will almost certainly vary, and that is as it should be. The Coligny Calendar of the Gauls (and Three Cranes Grove) identifies this month, and this Druid Moon as "Cantlos."  "Cantlos" translates as "Song Month." We have celebrated this many ways, all having to do with singing. From the Farmer's Almanac, we are also entering Beaver Moon.  According to the  Almanac , this the time when beavers were seen to head into their lodges to take shelt...

I always have notes... Every so often I Google stuff to see if there's either any new research (something translated or found in an archaeological site) or new UPG on things I'm interested in. One of those things I look around for is "Celtic Moon God."  I have the opinion that the Celts were like the Norse in that way, that the Moon was seen as male. Eventually I got a hit on Elatha a king of the Fomhoire, father of Bres (from Tuatha De Danann's Eriu), among others.  He comes to Eriu over the sea on a silver boat, wearing all gold.  The Wikipedia link I just went back to has replaced "Moon" with "Sun". Maybe someone has never heard of Mani.  Anyway, I don't care.  I had started working with Elatha as a moon god, with good results, so I'm going to stick with it. Likewise, I refer to the Sun in Winter as Grianne (in Summer she is Ainne). So we are here tonight and I have my bowl of water out on the deck, rose and smoky quartz within. I am...

 Oops, I missed last night. Stormy the cat was INSISTENT that I put my tablet away for some laptime.  So I am doubling up. Prayer #1 is for last night's new moon.  I like to merge ideas from a variety of sources for my lunar rites (when I do them....that's another post...). I look to 1) the moon names from various indigenous tribes.  I am on their land. I am living with their spirits, ancestral and otherwise.  When I go to someone's house, I like to follow their rules and customs, and frankly I see this as no different. (If you want a lecture on what the term "appropriation" ACTUALLY means, the tl;dr is...this isn't it, but I'm happy to go on at length in the comments if anyone wants to go there...) So first, this is the Beaver Moon, attributed in one source to the Algonquin. Technically they lived north of here (side project...figuring out those that are more locally specific).  The Almanacs that have adopted these talk about the full moon, but I'ma t...