Daily Meditation 12/31/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 11
Solar month - Cap 11
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 3 Ahau
Dreamspell - Blue Spectral Hand

Lunar phase --
Tarot --
I-Ching - 40 Removing Obstacles (Water below Thunder): If you want to go ahead you will have to remove the barriers that have been placed in your way. But first consider why you are being blocked before acting hastily. This is a liberating time indeed.

Daily Meditation 12/30/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 10
Solar month - Cap 10
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 2 Cauac
Dreamspell - White Planetary Worldbridger

Lunar phase --
Tarot --
I-Ching - 51 Power (Thunder below Thunder): If you had ultimate power how would you use it? Do nothing rash at this time because you have great force and could shock others unnecessarily. Consider the consequences of all your actions.

Daily Meditation 12/29/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 9
Solar month - Cap 9
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 1 Etznab 
Dreamspell - Red Solar Serpent

Lunar phase --
Tarot --
I-Ching - 16 Harmony (Earth below Thunder): When you are in harmony with the universe, all things go your way. When you aren't in harmony, everything is a struggle. Inner wealth is more rewarding. Plan for the future but you will need support from those around you.

Daily Meditation 12/28/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 8
Solar month - Cap 8
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 13 Caban
Dreamspell - Yellow Galactic Seed

Yule Day 9
Kwanzaa Day: Habari gani? Ujima / Collective work & responsibility

Lunar phase - 1st quarter in sidereal Pisces. On the Martyr's Moon, we sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. This entails giving of our energy and resources past the point of inconvenience. If it didn't make you writhe just a little, it isn't a real sacrifice.

Tarot --

I-Ching - 11 Peace (Heaven below Earth): Peace is sometimes called prosperity and that's what you have, an abundance of still, quiet calm around you. Share it with others and enjoy the peace of this time now for it won't last.

Daily Meditation 12/27/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 7
Solar month - Cap 7
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 12 Cib
Dreamspell - Blue Resonant Night

Yule Day 8
Kwanzaa Day 2: Habari gani? Kujichagulia / Self-determination

Lunar phase --
Tarot --
I-Ching - 46 Ascending (Wind below Earth): This is a time of growth, of movement upward, but you also need to pay attention to the nurturing of the growth. Seek help from others and clear away what is not necessary to your advancement.

Daily Meditation 12/26/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 6
Solar month - Cap 6
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 11 Men
Dreamspell - White Rhythmic Wind

Yule Day 7
Kwanzaa Day 1: Habari gani? Umoja / Unity

Lunar phase --
Tarot --
I-Ching - 36 Darkening of the Light (Fire below Earth): Sometimes it seems our faith has deserted us and we are thrown into darkness and confusion. Have confidence that all is well, merely a little dark. Keep going.

Daily Meditation 12/25/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 5
Solar month - Cap 5
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 10 Ix
Dreamspell - Red Overtone Dragon

Yule Day 6

Lunar phase - waxing crescent in sidereal Capricorn. On the Mountain Climber's Moon, we attempt the impossible...It is especially useful to try something that you have avoided because you were told that you, or the sort of person that people assume you are, would just never be able to handle that. Whatever you do, do it without help...Don't rely on luck - plan and prepare, train and attack.

Tarot --

I-Ching - 15 Humility (Mountain below Earth): By being tolerant you may find the help you need. Displaying humility isn't a loss of face, merely a loss of your own ego. Do all things in moderation and maintain equilibrium and harmony.

Daily Meditation 12/24/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 4
Solar month - Cap 4
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 9 Ben
Dreamspell - Yellow Self-Existing Sun

Yule Day 5

Lunar phase --
Tarot --
I-Ching - 19 Approach (Lake below Earth): You can now start to move forward, to reap the harvest of your work. Celebrate, but with caution. Winter is over but the spring is barely here. Tread softly for a while still.

Daily Meditation 12/23/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 3
Solar month - Cap 3
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 8 Eb
Dreamspell - Blue Electric Storm

Yule Day 4
Festivus
HumanLight

Lunar phase --
Tarot --
I-Ching - 7  The Army (Water below Earth): An army isn't just for war; it can be a peace keeper as well. You need a lot of support around you at this time, and you need to lead as well. Who will follow? No one if you aren't absolutely sure of your motives.

Daily Meditation 12/22/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 2
Solar month - Cap 2
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 7 Chuen
Dreamspell - White Lunar Mirror

Yule Day 3

Lunar phase --

Tarot - 2 of Pentacles (Saturn / Uranus in Capricorn). Change. Cycles. What changes do you need to make to continue the success of the previous day, to ensure success for the year? Balance is needed. Life is continuous; if you make a mistake you can't stop. Go with the flow and make necessary corrections.

I-Ching - 24 Returning (Thunder below Earth): Everything has a cycle, and this one, for you, is starting again. This time it has renewed vigor and enthusiasm. It is a new beginning and you have learnt a lot from the past.

Daily Meditation 12/21/14

Lunar month - Shef Bedet 1
Solar month - Cap 1
Metonic - Year 1, Lunation 1

Tzolk'in - 6 Oc
Dreamspell - Red Magnetic Earth

Winter Solstice / Yule
Yule Day 2

Lunar phase - New moon in sidereal Sag. On the Gypsy's Moon, we go outside and experience new cultures. Ideally we should be experiencing cultures that stretch our ability to accept, that force us to confront ourselves and our own biases...Don't succumb to the temptation to just read about something - actually go breathe air you've never breathed on ground you've never put your feet on.

Tarot - Ace of Pentacles. Earth (Capricorn) of Earth (Winter). Internal and external wealth and success. Manifestation in the physical sense. Increase in material things.

I-Ching - 2 Earth (Earth below Earth): This is a card of acceptance. Bide your time and wait for others to make their move. You need to be strong but devoted. Success is certain if you follow your heart and don't try to force things.

And so the longest night begins...

Important times for Solstice

All are Eastern Standard Time.

12/21 4:47 pm sunset - longest night begins
12/21 6:03 pm solstice proper
12/21 8:36 pm new moon
12/21 12:03 am mid-night
12/22 7:23 am sunrise - longest night ends

Durin's Day 2014

According to the dwarves in The Hobbit, Durin's Day occurs when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky at the same time. The secret door will only open with the last light of Durin's Day, or right at sunset.

First let's define the seasons. Contrary to popular belief, what we think of as the seasons are actually the midpoints. Spring equinox is mid-spring, summer solstice is mid-summer (Shakespeare had this right!), fall equinox is mid-fall, and winter solstice is mid-winter. The cross-quarter days are very minor holidays in our modern times: Groundhog's Day is beginning of spring, May Day is beginning of summer, Aug 1 is beginning of fall, and Halloween is beginning of winter. I'm pretty anal about this so I use the astronomical cross-quarter days which are Feb 3/4, May 6/7, Aug 6/7, and Nov 6/7 depending on leap year. This year fall began on Aug 7 and will end on 11/7 (in the North Hemisphere).

I use this site from NASA to get the exact time of the seasons and cross-quarter days:

Next, head on over to one of my favorite sites, Time and Date. Look up the moon phases to find the last new moon before 11/7 which is 10/23. The moon is not visible in the sky during new moon. While you're here, take note of the 1st quarter which is 10/30; we'll come back to that.

From The Hobbit:

Soon, [Bilbo] saw the orange ball of the sun sinking towards the level of his eyes. He went to the opening and there pale and faint was a thin new moon above the rim of Earth...The sun sank lower and lower...The little moon was dipping to the horizon.

We need to find out when the moon is first visible after the new moon. This will vary from area to area. So we need a more universal way of setting this day. The best I can do is narrow it down. New moon is too soon and 1st quarter moon is too late. Split the difference and I come up with the day when the moon is exactly waxing crescent*, when the sun and moon is at a 45 deg angle. This puts Durin's Day at 10/27 this year. Purists may want to celebrate 2 days after the new moon on 10/25. At least this gives us a window.


*Since there are 8 points to the solar year, there should be 8 points to the lunar month.

A couple of new projects

I haven't been posting the Pagan Blog Project this year. Working nights make it seem like there's never enough time. Maybe I'll catch up one day. I want to study the tarot more. No one has put together a decent schedule for going through it. 78 doesn't divide into 365 or 384 evenly. I decided to create my own schedule using the tropical zodiac so my study will coincide with the seasons.

I also want to go through the I-Ching. There are 64 hexagrams which goes into 384 nicely. If I follow both at the same time, there will be the balance of the solar and lunar cycles.

Which the fall equinox coming up, this makes a great time to get back in balance.

Happy Virgo

The sun is in Virgo until September 23. Being born in Virgo season is not the same as being born under Virgo's stars. I happen to be both.

Midsummer

National Library Week

This week (April 13-19) is National Library Week. Visit your local library. Make sure that your library card is valid. If you don't have a library card, get one. You can borrow more than just books. Libraries have CDs, DVDs, ebooks, video games, and audiobooks. Your library probably maintains at least one social media account. Follow it/them to keep abreast of events.

Fun Facts
Did you know that many libraries have interlibrary loan agreements? This is a way to borrow books outside of your local system.

The proprietary Dewey Decimal System is still used to classify library materials. First published in 1876, its last revision was issued in 2011. DDS caters to an Anglo-American view which prompted some libraries to adapt the Book Indusry Standards and Communications (BISAC) system used by commercial bookstores.

The Library of Congress, housed in 4 buildings, is opened to the public but only high-ranking government officials may check out materials. It is also the world's largest library.

You can get a degree in Library Science / Library Technology.

Maryland Day

The Ark & the Dove, the two ships that
brought Maryland's first settlers

Today marks the 380th anniversary of the first time that settlers landed on what we now know as Maryland (Terra Mariae). Maryland was named for Queen Henrietta Maria was the wife of Charles I and a devout Catholic. The reason for Maryland's establishment as a colony was freedom for Catholics to practice their religion without persecution. Charles I of England granted the charter in 1632 to George Calvert but his son Cecil Calvert executed it after his father's death.

Maryland Flag Day

Maryland's state flag was officially adopted on March 9, 1904. The black and gold quadrants are the coat of arms for the Calvert family. The red and white quadrants are the coat of arms for George Calvert's maternal family, the Crosslands.

The protocols for the state flag are here.

What do Unitarian Universalists believe?

This post is a sort of answer to Adrian's post, a fellow UU. So you may want to read his before reading mine.

What do Unitarian Universalists believe? Before I started on my path of searching I had never heard of UU. The simple answer lies the 7 principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association; all non/beliefs are welcome. Historically, the two separate parts of UU are part of liberal Christianity. Since the merge in 1961, UUs who express Christianity as their primary belief system are a minority*. Note that there are some Unitarians and Universalists who are separate from Unitarian Universalists.

Adrian says on his blog:

If I could believe in whatever I wanted, I would believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father Almighty up in Heaven, that He is my Lord and Savior, and that He came to Earth, suffered, died for my sins, and rose from the dead to offer me eternal sanctuary with Him now and at the end of days. Why would I want to believe these things? Because that's what most of my family believes; and because I don't like conflict, I don't always enjoy being on the outside of the in-group (it gets lonesome here), and life in the United States of America might just be a little less rife with tension if I believed as many others claim to believe.

Amen!! Sometimes I think for a millisecond of trying to be a Jehovah's Witness again. But I can't. I've eaten from the tree of knowledge. I cannot unlearn what I've learn. I believe what I must. If my current beliefs have flaws, then I will change them. I'm sure there are Christian UUs but they accept me and I accept them.

For a time I was reluctant to consider myself a UU. After 30+ years in the JW cult, I was reluctant to identify as part of a group. However, I craved fellowship. UU is the best of both worlds. It is so important for me to retain my own beliefs, to search for God/dess (or not) on my own terms.

Is UUism for you? That depends. If you are looking for instruction from the pulpit, then no, UUism may not be for you. UU caters to the searcher, to the open-minded, to the ones who want to learn. Some folks want to be told what to do; they need clear directions and an instruction manual. Keep in mind that each congregation is autonomous. UUA has ideas for religious education, sermons, dedications, holiday celebrations, etc., but congregations are under no obligation to follow them. Each congregation chooses its own order of service. One of my tweeps wrote that he visited a UU congregation and although everyone was nice, he was turned off by the prayers. My congregation sings hymns, plays secular music, and doesn't do prayers.

Collectively, Unitarian Universalists believe all sorts of things. Maybe that's why I still say I'm Pagan if asked about my religion. It's somewhat easier to explain Paganism than UUism. I'm definitely not embarrassed about being a UU like I was when I was a Jehovah's Witness.

If you are UU, do you identify as such or do you identify as your primary belief system? How would you answer the question, what do UUs believe?


*For the life of me, I can't remember where I read this. If you can help me out or if my statement is incorrect, please let me know.

Happy Winnie-the-Pooh Day!

Happy Winnie-the-Pooh Day! I celebrated by watching A Very Merry Pooh Year and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Here are the words to the WTP theme song:

Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood,
Where Christopher Robin plays.
You'll find the enchanted neighborhood,
of Christopher's childhood days.

A donkey named Eeyore is his friend.
And Kanga and Little Roo.
There's Rabbit and Piglet.
And there's Owl.
But most of all Winnie the Pooh!

Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh,
A tubby, little cubby all stuffed with fluff.
He's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh,
A willy, nilly, silly old bear.

Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh,
A tubby, little cubby, all stuffed with fluff.
He's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh.
A willy, nilly silly old bear.

Pagan Blog Project - Birthday

The first birthday I celebrated was my thirty-somethingth. I told my husband that I was really disappointed at not having a Sweet Sixteen so he got me a cake with 16 candles. Jehovah's Witnesses are quite hypocritical about birthdays. They celebrate wedding anniversaries yet the anniversary of one's birth is frowned upon. The reasons they cite have to do the Pagan trappings and the only two birthday celebrations mentioned in the bible, both of which called for beheadings. Many Christian sites tell of the Pagan origins of birthdays. Since Pagan is an umbrella term, it is difficult to tell just where these origins actually came from.

So for a long while I never cared much for my birthday. Not celebrating it was just a habit. A passage in the Satanic Bible changed my mind.

Aren’t you happier about the fact that you were born than you are about the birth of someone you have never even met? Or for that matter, aside from religious holidays, why pay higher tribute to the birthday of a president or to a date in history than we do to the day we were brought into this greatest of all worlds?

Despite the fact that some of us may not have been wanted, or at least were not particularly planned, we’re glad, even if no one else is, that we’re here! You should give yourself a pat on the back, buy yourself whatever you want, treat yourself like the king (or god) that you are, and generally celebrate your birthday with as much pomp and ceremony as possible.

Wow, how profound! Yes, it's okay to be selfish that one day out of a year. Do you, boo! 

Traditional birthdays usual consist of cake, candles, and gifts. The number of candles is equal to the age of the person. However, if Great Grand-Nana is turning 95, you may want to get number candles. After the birthday person is sung to, the candles on the cake are blown out. The birthday person makes a silent wish first. If she tells the wish or if all the candles aren't blown out on the first try, the wish may not come true.

Since we measure the tropical year by the sun, one's solar return is the correct marker to increment one's age. Solar return is when the sun appears at the same place in the sky at one's birth. This would solve the problem of when leap year babies should celebrate their birthdays.

How can you make your birthday more magical?

• Gift yourself some jewelry with your birthstone.
• Go to www.astro.com and generate a chart for your solar return.
• Create a special ritual to use only on your birthday.
• Every 19 years the sun and moon are in (roughly) the same place as they were at your birth. This birthday should be super special!