July

Haymonath                                                                            july

July is the seventh month of the year. The name of the month was changed to July in honor of Julius Caesar during the Julian calendar reform. It is considered the warmest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and coldest month in the Southern hemisphere. Dog days begin in early July, when the hot sultry weather of summer usually starts. July’s birth flowers are the Larkspur or the Water Lily. The birthstone is the ruby which symbolizes contentment. The zodiac signs for the month are Cancer (until July 22) and Leo (July 23 onwards).

It is the month for making hay. Our ancestors where in the middle of great work in the fields, with the animals, hunting, fishing, gathering and preparing for the season changes ahead. This is a time to store and prepare for the times of the year when things may be leaner then now, when things are in plenty.

Cen is the c rune (torch) c.  As in modern day, c, k and similar sounds vary in use depending on word use. Cen is the rune of the brightly burning torch that lights up the hall in the evening, whose flames represent the safe, tempered fire of the hearth.  In many cultures dragons are viewed as representing the primal forces in nature and the universe.  Iar used for io/ia (serpent), binding or encircling j.  Occasionally, serpents and dragons are used interchangeably, having similar symbolic functions.  The Ior is protective and binding in nature.

The Seventh Hall is about partnerships. This time also rules unions, lawsuits, contracts, partnerships, marriages, agreements, and open enemies with the public. This can be partnerships in business, marriage or a committed relationship. Other keywords include: business partnerships, long-term associations, open enemies, the animus (underlying passion or force), the relationship between soul and personality.

1 Althing

We know from numerous ancient accounts that our ancestors held the legislative body known as the Thing to be sacred. Tacitus wrote in The Germania, "The Assembly is competent also to hear criminal charges, especially those involving the risk of capital punishment. The mode of execution varies according to the offense. Traitors and deserters are hanged on trees; cowards, shirkers, and sodomites are pressed down under a wicker hurdle into the slimy mud of a bog."

Things were held at the local and regional level, and in Iceland the Althing was a national event.  The Althing site was considered a holy place, making it both socially unacceptable and also sacrilegious to carry weapons. These were democratic events, in which all free men who met certain conditions were permitted to speak their thoughts and to have a say in what was decided.  In Iceland, where the settlers did not want a king or other ruler, the laws agreed at the Althing were the highest authority in the land.

Normally, the Godi (chieftains) of a region held a Thing in the spring and then took wider issues to the Althing in the summer. Although any free man could be heard at the Althing, it was the Godi and their advisors who finally agreed what laws to put into place and how to apply them.

1 Full Buck Moon M

For most types of deer in modern English usage, the male is called a "buck" and the female is termed a "doe", but the terms vary with dialect, and especially according to the size of the species.  For many larger deer the male is termed a "stag", while for other larger deer the same words are used as for cattle: "bull" and "cow".  The deer serves as a bridge between the wild and the tame.  In Norse mythology, four stags eat among the branches of the World Tree Yggdrasill. 

It is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur.  It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time.  Plan a ritual to decide what you will do once your goals have been met.  

                              Surround me with calm and

                              let me rest in the glow of peace,

                              encircle me with the Moon's own light.

                              Let my concerns and tensions drain away

                              from me, pouring as water into the Earth.

4 Independence Day

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.

Interestingly, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both signers of the Declaration of Independence and presidents of the United States, died on July 4, 1826 - exactly 50 years after the adoption of the declaration. It is also important to note that Native Americans lived in the country and each tribe had its own nation and government prior to the European settlers.

5 Sunna's Day

Sunna (Sol) is the Sun personified in Norse mythology.  She is described as the sister of the personified moon, Manni, the daughter of Mundilfari and is foretold to be killed by a monstrous wolf during the events of Ragnarok. Sunna has blonde hair with golden curls that looked like rays of sunshine. Sunna like the ‘sun’ was always kind and generous to her people, brining light wherever she went.

When the world was created from the body of the dead giant Ymir by the triad Gods of Odin, Vili and Ve - the Sun, Moon and Stars were made from the gathered sparks that shot forth from Muspellsheim, the Land of Fire.  Sunna drives the chariot of the Sun across the sky every day.  Pulled by the horses Allsvinn and Arvak, the Sun chariot is pursued by the wolf Skoll.  It is said that sometimes he comes so close that he is able to take a bite out of the Sun, causing an eclipse.

Sunnundagr in Old Norse, gets its name from Sunna, or Sunne the Germanic sun Goddess. In the poetic Edda, Alvissmal says, “It is called Sol among men and Sunna among the Gods. On Sunday, embrace the higher being in yourself by meditating on the mystery of Sowilo s.”

Understand why the s rune represents both a guide and a goal sought after by the runester. Make plans for the coming week and concentrate on your primary goals. If you feel you are stuck in a frozen situation, the light of the archetypal sun can melt even the thickest ice and set you free. The holy solar wheel spins and keeps things in dynamic motion. Follow the path of the serpent on Sunday and you will find many a Hidden thing.

                              Sunna, Lady of the sky

                              As your sun rises in the east

                              Bless my feet as I enter into the day

                              So that every step I take is divinely led.

                              May my mind be blessed with your wisdom,

                              So that my decisions are sound and pure.

                              Help those I love to enter into this day with hope and joy

                              And be at their side as they need you.

                              Sunna, ruler of the dark and unknown

                              Give me faith and strength when I reside in shadows

                              And may the negativity of others leave me unaffected as your sun

                              sets in the west.  Keep me and mine safe as the Moon rules the

                              sky.  Blessed be.

8 Wane Moon T

Waning Moon means the moon is decreasing in size, moving from the Full Moon towards the New Moon. This is a time for spells that banish, release and reverse. Gaze at the Moon and offer your love.

                              O beautiful Moon waning in light,

                              nothing compares to your beauty this night,

                              I ask thee fair crone to take away

                              things that do not serve me in a positive way.

                              Take the things that stop my growth,

                              so I can serve thee, it is my oath.

                              Remove the things I no longer need,

                              so I can prepare anew, for this I plead.

                              Make me new for the dark Moon phase.

                              I ask this great crone for the coming days.

13 Frank Chimes Wulfmann Birthday

Frank Chimes, aka Wulfmann, (1955-2011) was an Anglo Saxon Heathen and mystic.  He was a mover and shaker in the Angelseaxisce Ealdriht, Hlaford of Ǣrest Mæþel, and a founding member of  'A Heathen Thing.'  He had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about ancient Heathenry, the Anglo-Saxon Way and the Anglican language.

15 New Moon

New Moon or Dark Moon is when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun and therefore hidden. This is a time of new beginnings and new undertakings.

                              May this new Moon be the start of good

                              things for you, small or big,

                              near or far, now is the time

                              to plan for the good times ahead.

15 Bragi's Day

Bragi is the God of poetry in Norse mythology.  Bragi is generally associated with bragr, the Norse word for poetry.  He is occasionally known as the "long-bearded one".  He is renowned for wisdom and most of all for fluency of speech and skill with words.  Bragi is regarded as a son of Odin and Frigg and his wife is Idunn.

Bragi is one of the few Gods who is welcome in any world by any type.  Rather than being a warrior, he is a speaker for peace and a diplomat.  He wanders the Nine Worlds, welcomed joyfully into the halls of Aesir, Vanir, Jotun, Duergar, Alfar both light and dark, and sometimes that of unwitting humans.

                              Bragi Odinson

                              Best of the wordsmiths

                              And first of the skalds,

                              You with the tongue of gold,

                              Whose words are like the finest mead,

                              We ask you best of bards

                              To inspire us

                              And make our words mix well.

                              Bragi, let your inspiration flow!

21 Neil Armstrong first Man on the Moon

Commemorates historic landing of humans on the Moon.  Neil Armstrong is best known as being the first man to step on the moon (fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin arrived at the moon at the same time, but was the second man to actually set foot on the lunar surface). Since Armstrong was the mission’s pilot, it’s also said that he was the first person to land a craft on the moon. He was also an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot and university professor. 'There can be no great accomplishment without risk.'

24 Wax Moon

Waxing Moon means the moon is getting larger in the sky, moving from the New Moon towards the Full Moon. This is a time for spells that attract, that bring positive change, spells for love, good luck and growth.

                              Oh Manni, now hear my plea:

                              hearken unto me!

                              As you grow, my spell enhanced

                              and power its magic with your dance.

31 Blue Moon

When a single month has two full Moons, the second full Moon is called a Blue Moon.  Most years have twelve full Moons that occur approximately monthly.  Every two or three years, there is an extra full Moon.  The Blue Moon, in Wiccan religious belief, is used for setting goals for the future ahead.  Since the times between the Blue Moons are variable, it gives the Witch plenty of time to master or achieve his/her goals before the next Blue Moon occurs.  The next blue will be July 31, 2015.

Because Blue Moons happen “once in a blue moon”, it’s a good time to take  advantage of their valued energy for doing special magic, ceremony and ritual. The energy of the Blue Moon lends itself nicely for setting goals and  intentions. The goals and intentions chosen should be ones that are big,  important and lofty – not the average goals. Deciding how to focus the Blue Moon  energy can be made by choosing the life area or areas that seem the most  significant, such as love and happiness, physical health, prosperity, protection  and healing.

                              God of the moon, king of the night,

                              keeper of mysteries, mister of the tides,

                              you who are ever changing and yet always constant,

                              I ask that you guide me with your wisdom,

                              help me grow with your knowledge,

                              and hold me in your arms.