Sunday, December 29, 2013

Merry New Year Events


2014 Events

Northern Hemisphere


January

            1 New Moon / New Year

            1-5 Quadrantids Meteor Shower

            15 Full Wolf Moon / Micro Moon

            16 Religious Freedom Day

            30 Black Moon

 

February

            2 Imbolc

            14 Full Wind Moon

            * February 2014 is unique since it has no New Moon

 

March

            1 New Moon

            15 God Thor's Day

            16 Full Storm Moon

            20 Spring Equinox

            30 Black Moon
 



April

            1 April Fools Day / God Loki's Day

            15 Full Frog Moon

            22 Earth Day / Walpurgis begins

            29 New Moon / Arbor Day

 

May

            1 Beltane

            5 Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower

            11 Goddess Frigg's Day

            14 Full Flower Moon

            28 New Moon

 

June

            12 Full Sun Moon

            15 God Odin's Day

            21 Midsummer

            27 New Moon
 

July

            3 Sunna's Day

            12 Full Buck Moon

            21 Neil Armstrong first Man on the Moon

            26 New Moon

 

August

            1 Lammas

            10 Full Sturgeon Moon / Super Moon

            25 New Moon

 

September

            8 Full Harvest Moon

            22 Autumn Equinox

            24 New Moon

 

October

            8 Full Hunters Moon

            9 Leif Erikson Day

            13 Indigenous Peoples Day

            23 New Moon

            31 Samhain




November

            1 Rite of Goddess Hela

            6 Full Snow Moon

            11 Veterans Day

            22 New Moon

 

December

            5 Manni's Night

            6 Full Cold Moon

            13 Feast of Saint Lucia

            21 Yule / New Moon

            27 Day of Goddess Freya & God Freyr

            29 Goddess Skaldi's Blot Day

 

 

m A Black Moon occurs when there are two dark cycles of the moon in any given calendar month. It is believed that the second dark moon is a time of great power within the spiritual world and any magic worked during this time is especially powerful. m

 

M The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical path, with one side of the path closer to the Earth than the other. The point closest to the Earth is called the perigee, while the point farthest from the Earth is known as the apogee.  When a full moon coincides with the Moon’s position at the apogee, it is referred to as a Micro Moon or a Mini Moon. Sometimes also called an Apogee moon, a micro moon looks approximately 14 percent smaller and around 30 percent less brighter than a super moon.  The last micro full moon occurred on November 28, 2012 and the next one will occur on January 16, 2014. Old wives tales and folklore accounts suggest that full moons and micro moons affect human mental health and bring on natural disasters.  M

 

M The distance of the moon from the Earth varies throughout the month and year. The moon's position furthest away from Earth is called apogee while its closest approach to Earth is referred to as perigee. These events do not regularly coincide with the phases of the moon. However, it can happen that the moon is at perigee during the phase of full moon. This event is referred to as Super Full Moon, when the moon is the largest and brightest.  The association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the super moon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.  The next one is August 10 2014.
Supermoons
 

http://www.paganbookofhours.org/index.html

http://www.theurbanpagan.com/pagan-holidays.html

http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/

 

 

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Coming of Age


Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition.  It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies.  In the past and in some societies today, such a change is associated with the age of sexual maturity (early adolescence); in others, it is associated with an age of religious responsibility.
Particularly in western societies, modern legal conventions which stipulate points in late adolescence or early adulthood (most commonly 16-21 years old when adolescents are generally no longer considered minors and are granted the full rights of an adult) are the focus of the transition.  In either case, many cultures retain ceremonies to confirm the coming of age and significant benefits come with the change.

In Ancient Greek, the process of coming of age usually began right at child birth. The child would receive gifts, riddles and symbols of adulthood. In certain states in Ancient Greece, such as Sparta and Crete, adolescent boys were expected to enter into a mentoring relationship with an adult man, in which they would be taught skills pertaining to adult life, such as hunting, martial arts and fine arts.

Today, in the United States and in Canada, when a child reaches the age of 17 he or she is allowed to drive and sometimes receives the responsibility of owning their own car.  Girls' 16th birthdays are traditionally called Sweet Sixteen.  Depending on the family's religion or family background, there may be a ceremony signifying their coming of age.  A person 21 years of age is considered an adult in Canada and in the United States.

As children grow older, those of the old spirituality are reclaiming ceremonies that acknowledge and celebrate the children's growth towards adulthood. This is an area fraught with indecision for some parents, however.  How do you celebrate a Wiccan ritual for a child coming of age?

For girls, the coming of age comes at their first menstruation. For some that could be as early as 9 or as late as 15.  But during the old days, this was a celebration of life. Today and when I was young, it was something to be hidden, spoken about in hushed tones giving a young girl a feeling of shame.  Many Pagan mothers are trying to bring back some of the old customs which celebrate this coming into womanhood. The daughter is taken to dinner, thrown a party or given a special piece of jewelry to commemorate the occasion.

With boys, the timing of celebrating sexual maturity is less defined. It can be at the time of a boy's first wet dream, of the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics like beard and pubic hair or his conscious assuming the responsibilities of a man such as hunting or protecting.

Rites in Nordic cultures to prove one was finally a man were just as important as the naming rites.  A known coming of age ceremony was the slaying of the auroch, a primitive buffalo-like beast that roamed ancient Europe.  A lone individual would be required to slay this beast and bring back its horns as a token of his victory.  Sometimes, these horns might be attached to a special helm for ritual use.  A trophy of sorts to remind others that this person is a man. 

The children today are entering puberty at earlier and earlier ages. For example, it's not unusual to find a girl beginning to menstruate at 8 or 9 years old. Children barely into their early teen years, are having children of their own. The physical development our children's bodies have raced light years ahead of their emotional development.  Some of the old tribal ways don't work in today's modern society.
 

One common coming of age is 13 years old.  To some it represents the '1' individual person stepping onto the divine path of the '3' Goddesses.  The child should be told that every year, from now till 17, on their birthday, they will be given both new privileges and new responsibilities.  Each privilege, each responsibility, will train and define them as adults. At 18, they will be a legal adult -- all responsibilities, all privileges theirs.  But it won't be until the 20th birthday that there will be a ritual to officially end the journey as a child.  They will now be expected to act like an adult. 

Types of privileges and responsibilities might include: getting the child their own phone line or give them their own clothing budget.  A responsibility might be for you to tell them that from now on, they're responsible for doing their own laundry or, when they're older, for paying their own bills (including the phone bill).  Every year build on their adult like responsibilities of cleaning, budgeting, cooking, driving or other items.  It could also be a spiritual duty such as a pagan name, joining a coven or exploring other paths and religions.  And as you give them these privileges and responsibilities, treat them a little differently, more like an adult; to be respected, considered an equal, consulted in family matters, etc.

The journey could be started with some alone time to reflex on this path.  There should be an adult nearby, but otherwise the child should be on their own for the night, either camping out in the wilderness or alone in the house.  If necessary, you can put the them out in a tent in the back yard for the night or in a room at someone else's house.
Tell the child, some weeks in advance, that they're going to spend a night alone. Encourage them to have a theme or a focus.  On the night of their 13th birthday, have them take with them any and all items they want to their alone area.  In some traditions the first Full Moon after the girl's first period or the boy's wet dream is also an appropriate time for the ritual.  They could have a journal, a box of crafts, music, blanket or a book.  Modern electronics and other items such as smart phones, computer, flashy photos, outside noises and TV should be removed from the area.

Tell them that they will also, this night, search for their spirit guide, totem, guardian angel, whatever; a force, spirit or deity to help them on their journey.  You should gift the child with the tools that their Goddess-Mother, God-Father made for them at their naming ritual; these are for their use now, so that they can use them in the ritual they will do tonight.

You should have a brief sending off ritual with parents, family, friends and the child’s Goddess-Mother and God-Father.  Ask the Gods to bless the child and help them on the first step of their journey!  Say good night and leave them to find themselves!  Have a vigil going nearby, so that if any trouble develops, he or she can call out.

In the morning, go get them.  Celebrate at breakfast and give the child their first new privileges or new responsibilities.  Answer any questions they developed.  You should encourage your child to set up their own altar in their own room or change their altar now that they have new tools and a new guardian.  Help them find other tools to compliment the two new ones and a figure or symbol to represent their new found spiritual guide, deity or totem.  They can have a birthday party that following weekend to celebrate socially. 
 






Similar rituals can be done at 16, 20 or 21 years old depending on your path and culture.  There are many ways to honor a child coming of age into adulthood.  Today, celebrating this coming of age can change an awkward, scary or unpleasant experience into a joyous event that makes a young person feel special.  Include the child into what they would like to do.  Mix in what you or your parents had for a ritual.  It can be a group or individual ritual.  Or it can be a general social party.  Or even a mix of events, like a weeklong trip somewhere.  Don't worry about a small detail that does not go exactly right.  Just recognize the changes and celebrate your child growing up.

 

Though now I am an adult,
I am still your child.
No matter where I go
and no matter who I become
I will always be your child.
I will not forget what I have learned here.

 

 

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Scandinavian Stars


Scandinavian Stars

by Hyndla Or

“The Tree is topped with a shining symbol, either a representation of the Polar star (Tyr’s Nail) or of the Irminsul (the World axis, appropriate for Yggdrassil)” ~Acorn Hollow Yule

 
Do you need a star for your tree? Or just need some lovely straw stars for your tree? Keeping with the traditional straw crafts of Scandinavia, the star below is simple enough for kids, yet complex in their lovely design.

1.     Choose straw dependant on the size of the star. Pick 10 of the nicest pieces. Gather in the center with some twine or craft wire. (Illustration 1)

2.     Gather 5 sets of the straw and tie with more twine or craft wire. (Ill. 2)

3.     Above that gathering separate a piece of straw on both sides, and tie the remaining straw sticking up with craft wire. (Ill. 3)

4.     Create the points of the stars by gathering the separated strands of straw from adjacent gathered sets of straw. (Ill. 4)

5.     Use a string to tie on the top and add to your tree! Depending on the size you can use it for the top of your tree. You can embellish it with clear glue and glitter, too!
 




Merry Yule!

 





Yule


13 Ways to Celebrate Yuletide

by Selena Fox
1.     Create a Pagan Winter Solstice framework for the entire holidays season - understand that Christmas Eve and Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day have their origins in Winter Solstice celebrations of a variety of Pagan cultures through the ages.

2.     Decorate your home with sacred plants connected with Winter Solstice: evergreen wreaths & boughs, mistletoe, holly, and ivy. Learn about the Pagan symbolism of each.

3.     Harvest a Yule tree in a sacred way from a tree farm that practices sustainable agriculture, if you can, or intuitively select a tree, cut or symbolic, from a shop in your area. Set up the Yule tree in your home and decorate it with lights, sun symbols, and other images. Reflect on blessings of joy, renewal, and well-wishes as you decorate the tree.

4.     Kindle lights to represent the Sun. Decorate with electric lights and candles. On one of the nights of Solstice, turn off all lights, experience the longest night, reflect on renewal and peace, and turn the lights back on to symbolize the birth of the New Solar Year.

5.     Recognize Santa as a multi-cultural, multi-religious character - learn about the Pagan roots of Santa and other Winter Solstice sacred gift bringers, including the Goddess Holda.

6.     Learn about holidays foods, symbols, customs, and/or lore from an ancestral ethnicity and incorporate something you have learned into your celebration of Yuletide.

7.     Listen to Pagan Yuletide music. Create a Yuletide chant, poem, or song.

8.     Burn a Yule Log in a hearth, in a bonfire, or by burning candles on, in, or near a log of Oak on an altar. Learn about Yule Log traditions and create your own.
9.     Meditate on the rising and/or setting of the Solstice Sun. Note its position on the horizon at this time of year and observe its change in position on the horizon as the days start lengthening again.

10.  Join with others in celebrating Pagan Yuletide. Attend a ritual, be part of a festival, join an on-line discussion, host a party, listen to a Yuletide show on internet radio (I will be doing 3 podcasts this Yule!)

11.  Contribute to a charity of your choice. Spread the joy of Yuletide.

12.  Learn about sacred sites aligned with the Winter Solstice. Envision your own celebrations of Winter Solstice being part of a vast network of Solstice celebrations happening around the planet (Winter in the Northern hemisphere & Summer in the South). Watch live video of Winter Solstice at New Grange or other sacred site with coverage.

13.  Focus on world peace and planetary well-being in your rituals, meditations, prayers, and other workings. Peace-making was part of Winter Solstice among many peoples in the past. Keep this tradition alive in the present and future.

 

Blessed Be!