Calendar of Observances January 2005

Collated by Axiom

24th Dec to 20th Jan: NeoPagan Observances - Month of the Birch Tree (Beth)

• "I am a stag of seven tines" ~ The Song of Amergin
• Most of January falls within Robert Graves' NeoPagan Calendar month of Beth. Symbolised by the White Stag, this is a time for beginnings, self-discipline and sacrifice. Wild power (both that of nature and the subconscious) is released to rule the world, and the masculine dominates. As can be seen, this marries well with the meaning of the Roman Janus. Consider starting new projects and working on matters that require your inner strength and energy - both are strong at this time.
• Use birch twigs and deadfalls to bring healing and fertility to your life.

12th Dec to 10th Jan: Greek Observances - Month of Poseideon

• In general, Greek festivals of this time are not as concerned with the solstice as they are with the human soul and agriculture. As such, Poseideon is a month to rest, celebrate and honour Poseidon, Lord of the Earth and Husband of Demeter.

14th Dec to 12th Jan: Mesopotamian Observances - Month of Kissilimu, sacred to the god Nergal

14th Dec to 13th Jan: Northern Trad Observances - Month of Hrutmanuthr

• The Nordic month of Hrutmanuthr is the Ram's month. Modern practice uses the name Jol, for the feast of Yule. This is a good time to spend with family and friends of the heart, to celebrate the return of the sun. To feast and be very very merry.

12th Dec to 9th Jan: Modern Druidic Observances - Month of Dumannios

• The "Dark Month" - based upon the Coligny calendar. Textual evidence of the time also indicates that the Celts started their months with the new moon, and used an intercalculatory month to balance out the year when necessary.

24th Dec to 22nd Jan: Egyptian Observances - The month of Famenoth, third month of Poret

• Poret is spring time, the Season of Khepry. Khepry is the Scarab Beetle god of the Egyptians. A solar god, he pushes the sun across the sky each day, and then carries it through the Underworld overnight, in preparation for the dawn.

1st to 31st Jan: Germanic Observances - AEfterra Geola

• AEfterra Geola is the month after Yule.

1st to 31st Jan: Roman Observances - month of celebration of Janus

• The month of Janus is an ideal time to spend considering change in and the differences between innocence state and cultivated, youth and age, tranquility and disruption, mind and body.

23rd Dec to 19th Jan: Capricorn Takes the Throne

• Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign that hunts for security within the community. The 'social order' is of great importance. Moving into this star sign indicates a time ripe for focusing upon your place in acting upon the community about you.

23rd Dec to 19th Jan: Modern Druidic Observances - Gabros the Goat
This is the zodiac time of the Goat. Riuri Prinnios, the zodiacal cusp, is 'frost'. The tree sign is Olioiaccetos, the Mistletoe. (Based upon Joseph Monard's study of the Coligny Calendar).

01st:
New Year's Day

• The first day of the year is one for prophecy, vows and gifts. The Romans would toss coins as they made their vows to ensure good luck. The day has strong sympathetic magical connotations in that what you do, say and experience sets the precedence for the year. To this end, try and make the day one where you experience samples of what you hope the year will bring.

Roman Observances - Strenia's Day, The Kalends, Fortuna's Day, Sacred Day of Jupiter and Juno

• Held in honour of Strenia, the Sabine goddess of the New Year, this day is the start of six days of feasting and drinking. Strenae (little gifts) were given to friends and family. To ensure a year both sweet and fortunate, they gave jars of figs and dates in honey and branches of bay and laurel.
• At every Kalends an offering to the three Roman goddesses of fate is made: food, drink and three blades. These goddesses, the Parcae, perform a similar role to that of the Norns (Nordic), the Moirai (Greek) and the Wyrd sisters (Germanic). Parca was the original Fate, and was a goddess of abundance and motherhood. However, over time she became the three sisters, Nona, Morta and Decima.
• Fortuna is the Roman goddess of luck, earthly abundance, fate and fertility.
• Janus is the two-faced Roman god of beginnings and endings.
• Jupiter is the Roman god of the skies, master of rain, thunder and lightning, as well as the Protector of Rome.
• Juno, guardian of Rome's finances and the Matron Goddess of Rome is the goddess of marriage, homes, and childbirth.

Egyptian Observances - Day of Het-Heru (Hathor)

• Goddess of the Underworld, Ruler of the Sky and Patron of Bodily Pleasure are some of the titles by which the Egyptian goddess Het-Heru (Hathor) is known. Her festivals are traditionally days of intoxication.

Greek Observances - Lesser Festival of Dionysius

• Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, rebirth after death, a lawgiver and the bringer of civilisation and peace. He is a god of mysteries and his main worshippers are the maenids (wild women). The festival, a rural one, takes place throughout the later half of Poseideon. This festival starts the pruning of the vines. They are then sprinkled with wine, to remind them of their task. Ritual singing and dancing, along with general merrymaking, are the order of the festival.

02nd:
Perihelion of Sun and Moon at 2:01am EST

• The Perihelion of Sun and Earth is when the Earth draws closest to the Sun. This brings the power of the sun into play in all matters, especially magical ones. The sun is a force of energy, excitement, creation, action and expression. In many ways this is in opposition to the moon phase we are moving into - one of rest with the Last Quarter Moon. However, the Sun's energy is very beneficial in helping propel us to "clean house" emotionally, mentally and physically - an important aspect of this moon phase too. Add this to the Solar magic of Perihelion and you are drawing into the mix the fire of thought-conception and thought-enaction. The sun brings life, passion and immolation - and with Perihelion these are all fighting for dominance. Take advantage of the Moon's influence to calm matters and bring control to your workings. Anything involving health, career, ambition, passion or authority is likely to be more successful. But, considering the strength of this Solar phase, if control is lost matters are capable of becoming more catastrophic.

Mesopotamian Observances - Birthday of Inanna

• Also known as Ishtar, Astarte, Asherah, and a host of other names from the region of the Fertile Crescent, Inanna is a goddess of war, fertility and love, and the most important god of the pantheon. She is known as the Queen of the Heavens.

Egyptian Observances - Advent of Isis, Day of Thoth

• The Egyptian goddess of fertility, motherhood and healing, Isis has always held a place of great power amongst humanity. Her worship spread across the globe, and she is viewed as the archetype of the Great Goddess. The Advent is the celebration of her arrival in Egypt with the Ark of Osirus.
• The Egyptian god Thoth is the wisest of gods. He wrote down the story of Reality and gave it to us.

03rd:
Last Quarter Moon at 17:46pm EST

• With the progression towards the New Moon, we prepare to transition into our sleeping state. It is important that we take this time to begin assessing our emotional and mental state, in a process of "cleaning house". Magically, this time is all about assessment or self and relationships.

05th:
Northern Trad Observances - End of Yule celebrations

• Teutonic celebrations held in honour of Freyr, Freya, and Baldor finish today. Yule is the celebration at Midwinter held to encourage the return of the sun. Freya is the Nordic goddess of love and beauty, as well as magic and eroticism.

Roman Observances - Feast of Befana, Roman Observances - the Nones of January

• The Italian witch, Befana, is tied to the Christian mythos of Christianity. However, there may be traditions beneath that of a pre-Christian deity tied to the New Year and the concepts of death, rebirth and abundance. And certainly, today, she is considered a part of the Stregheria traditions.
• The Nones were the day the Roman Rex Sacrorum announced to the people what days in the coming month would be holidays. Might be an idea to use this day to sort out your own observances for the next month.

06th:
Roman Observances - Day of Proserpina

• The Roman goddess Proserpina is a goddess of fertility, cereals and agriculture.

Celtic Observances - Sirona's festival, Day of the Three-Fold Goddess

• Sirona (or Dirona) is the Gaulish goddess of astronomy, the night sky. She also brings regeneration and fertility, and as such is tied to the spring and to physical rebirth.

Greek Observances - the Haloa Festival

• The Greek Haloa is held in honour of Demeter and Dionysus and consists of 2 portions - a women's only section followed by revelry between both sexes that often leads to physical celebrations of fertility.

Egyptian Observances - Feast of Re

• Re/Ra is the Egyptian god of the sun, and the preeminent deity of the Egyptian pantheon.

07th:
Egyptian Observances - Sekhmet's Birthday

• The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet is responsible for healing and breastfeeding.

Roman Observances - the Compitalia

• The Roman festival of the Compitalia is in honour of the Lares of the Crossroads. Lares are guardian spirits, and the ancestors of the family. The Compitalia are held at the crossroads. The Roman goddess, Trivia of the Crossroads, is held in particular honour on this day.

08th:
Roman Observances - Justitia's Day

• The Roman goddess Justitia is responsible for balanced agreement and the deliverance of justice.

Greek Observances - Day of Poseideon

• This day is set aside to honour Poseidon, Greek god of the oceans and husband of Mother Earth.

8th to 10th: Greek Observances - Worship of all Chthonian deities

• The Greeks chthonic deities are of the earth - whether Underworld or fertility/nature orientated (as some were traditionally - such as Plouton, Kore and Dememter) or in the chthonic form - Zeus Meilikhios (the Kindly) takes the form of a giant serpent. These three days are set aside to devote to all chthonic deities.

09th:
Roman Observances - The Agonalia and the Festival of Janus

• The Agonalia in January is a day Romans set aside to honour Janus. The Romans adopted Janus, the Etruscan god of gates and doorways, beginnings and endings. Two faced, he is a god of polarities, and traditionally looks in both directions at once. The older versions show a bearded face and a smooth one - maybe a hearkening to a god of both sun and moon? Janus was called upon for the start of cultivation, harvest, birth, marriage, and any other important new endeavour.

10th:
New Moon at 12:.03pm EST

• With the sun, moon and earth forming a straight line, the strength of their influence upon the world, and us, is magnified, influencing cyclic states beyond normal. Rather than rushing out to do everything, take time to sit and listen to the silence. This allows our subconscious to surface and talk to us, and our hidden face is drawn out. Magically, the New Moon is a time of judgment (both of the self and others) and retribution.

Greek Observances - Hekate's Day

• The Greeks celebrated the Day of Hekate, goddess of the crossroads. A deity of the between, Hekate rules the journies we make from one place to another. She is also a deity of the underworld, of the moon, and a guardian from evil. Leave offerings of meal, milk, and honey on pottery sherds at crossroads if you wish to gain her protection and assistance.

Egyptian Observances - Feast of Nut

• Nut is the Egyptian goddess of the sky - her body arches above us in the vault of the heavens.

10th Jan to 7th Feb: Modern Druidic Observances - Month of Riuros

• The "Frost Time" - based upon the Coligny calendar.

11th Jan - 8th Feb: Greek Observances - Month of Gamelion

• This Greek month takes its name from Marriage - as in the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera which occurs within it. This is a month suitable to focus upon the marriages within the family - in particular of matriarchs and patriarchs.

11th:
Greek Observances - Noumenia Kata Selene

• Selene is the Greek goddess of the moon, and also an alternate personification of Hekate. This day celebrates her return as the new moon - it is the time to burn frankincense.

Roman Observances - The Juturnalia

• The Juturnalia is the day Romans set aside to honour Juturna, the Roman goddess of the underworld and all water originating there.

11th to 15th: Roman Observances - Festiva Carmentalia

• The Carmentalia is the day Romans honoured Carmenta (also known as Metis, the Titan god of wisdom). She is a goddess of childbirth and prophecy.

12th:
Greek Observances - Agathos Daimon

• Agathos Daimon, the Greek god of fortune, originated as a fertility snake being. Considered a beneficial guardian of every home, offerings are made to him at each meal.

13th:
Northern Trad Observances - Midvintersblot
British Observances - Tiugunde's Day

• Midvintersblot, or Tiugunde's Day, is held 20 days after Yule in honour of the Nordic god Tyr/Teutonic god Tiu, god of war and the sky. From Tyr/Tiu, we get Tiu's Day, or Tuesday. Tyr/Tiu is also the god of justice and the rational mind, and inspires courage and heroism in battle.

Roman Observances - The Ides of January

• Jupiter is the Roman god of the skies, master of rain, thunder and lightning, as well as the Protector of Rome. The Ides are dedicated to Jupiter and were originally set on the day of the full moon, but when the calendar month lengths became fixed, the ides were assigned a set day in the month.

Greek Observances - Day of Athena

• This day is dedicated to Athena, the virginal Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare.

Mesopotamian Observances - Unaam

• Unaam is the day the New Moon becomes visible. One of the three days of the monthly Essesu festival, it is described in the Atrahasis myth: "On the first, seventh, and fifteenth of the month, I shall make a purification by washing." Later accounts reiterate the importance of observing these three days. t this time a ritual cleansing in water is the minimal requirement - immersion within the sacred waters of life. The full observance should include tending the cult statues, sacrifice and offerings of incense and food, ritual, prayer, and song. The meal served to the deity is thus blessed by the god and may later be consumed by the worshipper. To obtain sacred water for blessings, wash the cult statue's fingers in water after the ritual meal.

13th to 11th Feb: Mesopotamian Observances - Month of Tebetu, sacred to the God Anu

14th:
Greek Observances - Day of Aphrodite, Eros, Hermes and Herakles

• This day is dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She is in all likelihood one of the oldest of the Greek gods. It is also holy to Eros, the Greek god of love and passion, and to Hermes, Greek god of light and truth - otherwise known as the messenger. Herakles, the demi-god famous for his miraculous achievements, is also honoured on this day.

14th Jan to 13th Feb: Northern Trad Observances - Month of Thorri

• The Nordic month of Thorri is named for one of the Frost giants.

15th:
Egyptian Observances - Feast of Horus

• The Egyptian god, Horus, has many faces, the most common being that of later years - the son of Isis and Osirus. God of wisdom, he is often represented with a falcon's head. During his feast offerings are made for the dead.

16th:
Roman Observances - The Concordia

• A day set aside by the Romans to honour Concordia, goddess of harmony and concord.

Greek Observances - Feast of Artemis

• The Greek Goddess Artemis is known as the virgin moon-goddess. She is the midwife to all mothers (human and otherwise) and the guardian of the young. She is also a huntress - both of animals and men.

17th:
First Quarter Moon at 6:57am EST

• During this time, the physical effects of the sun, moon and earth's gravity upon us is such that our blood begins to surge and we become "twitchy", filled with the burgeoning urge to create and engage in activities. We are also more inclined to make errors based upon our impatience with waiting, taking time to follow all the steps. From a magical viewpoint, this is a time to work with the scales - not of justice, but of something much more basic.

Roman Observances - the Festival of Felicitas

• Felicitas is the Roman goddess of good fortune and happiness.

Greek Observances - Feast Day of Apollo

• Apollo is the Greek god of animal husbandry and crops, archery, music and healing, among other things. This festival celebrates the returning sunlight.

Mesopotamian Observances - First Quarter Moon Rites

• The second of the three days of the monthly Essesu festival, it is described in the Atrahasis myth: "On the first, seventh, and fifteenth of the month, I shall make a purification by washing." Later accounts reiterate the importance of observing these three days. t this time a ritual cleansing in water is the minimal requirement - immersion within the sacred waters of life. The full observance should include tending the cult statues, sacrifice and offerings of incense and food, ritual, prayer, and song. The meal served to the deity is thus blessed by the god and may later be consumed by the worshipper. To obtain sacred water for blessings, wash the cult statue's fingers in water after the ritual meal.

18th:

Greek Observances - Day of Poseideon

• This day is set aside to honour Poseidon, Greek god of the oceans and husband of Mother Earth.

19th:
Northern Trad Observances - Festival of Thor (Thorrablottar or Husband's Day)

• Sacred to Thor, the Thorrablottar is a day set aside to welcome Thor into the home. Thor is the Nordic god of Thunder.

20th:
Egyptian Observances - Feast of Osirus

• Osirus is both the Egyptian god of vegetation and the Underworld.

20th Jan - 19th Feb: Aquarius Takes the Throne

• Aquarius is the fixed air sign that focuses upon securing intellectual ideas in place - this runs the risk of encouraging a rigid mind set, along with the benefits gained from working to secure the validity of an ideal within the community. Aquarius is about our relationship with other people and how this impacts upon us intellectually. So this is a good month to ponder the meaning of intellectual freedom.

20th Jan - 19th Feb: Modern Druidic Observances - Duprosopos the Water-Bearer
This is the zodiac time of the Water-Bearer. Anaganti Prinnios, the zodiacal cusp, is 'inactivity'. The tree sign is Aballos, the Apple Tree.

21st - 17th Feb: NeoPagan Observances - Month of the Rowan Tree (Luis)

• "I am a wide flood on a plain" ~ The Song of Amergin
• The Robert Graves' NeoPagan Calendar month of Luis is symbolised by the horse and the ocean. This month is the time for rebirth from death - spring emerging from the grip of winter. Divination, a way of seeing through the veil between worlds, is especially strong at this time, and the older stages of life are dominant (seers and crones). This is a good time to cultivate those projects started in Beth. It is also a time more suited to major acts of divination.Use rowan to create wands and runes of protection, divination and good luck.

22nd to 25th: Greek Observances - Lenaia Festival - held under the first full moon (25th) after the Winter Solstice

• The Greek festival, the Lenaia, is held in honour of Dionysis Lenaios, celebrating his birth from the thigh of Zeus. It is the time when the wine is brought out of storage where it has been fermenting. This is the Festival of the Wild Women, involving animal sacrifice, dancing and orgiastic rites.

23rd Jan - 21st Feb: Egyptian Observances - The month of Parmuthy, fourth month of Poret

• Poret is spring time, the Season of Khepry. Khepry is the Scarab Beetle god of the Egyptians. A solar god, he pushes the sun across the sky each day, and then carries it through the Underworld overnight, in preparation for the dawn.

23rd:
Egyptian Observances - Feast of Re

• Re/Ra is the Egyptian god of the sun, and the preeminent deity of the Egyptian pantheon.

24th - 26th: Roman Observances - Paganalia/Sementivae Feria

• The Roman Paganalia is a festival honouring Tellus (Terra Mater, Mother Earth) and Ceres, the goddess of grain. Offer spelt cakes, milk and a sow on the first day, and pray to them for protection of the farmers, and also of the crops against birds.

25th:
Full Moon at 10:32am EST - also known as the Nordic Disting Moon (being the full moon between Yule and the 25th of January)

• We are confronted by the full face of the moon, revealed in all her glory as we stand between the moon and the sun. This creates opposing pulls upon our natures as the masculine and feminine within us are both stimulated and drawn in opposite directions. Magically, the Full Moon is a time of great energy - it is the counterpart to the New Moon. Decisions made are powerful, and should be made with the understanding that they probably cannot be deflected or reversed once set in motion.

Wiccan Observances - Wolf Moon/Winter Moon/Snow Moon

• This moon brings strength and protection to us at a time of death and barrenness. The Wolf Moon marks the ending and the beginning of a cycle.

Mesopotamian Observances - Full Moon Rites

• The last of the three days of the monthly Essesu festival, it is described in the Atrahasis myth: "On the first, seventh, and fifteenth of the month, I shall make a purification by washing." Later accounts reiterate the importance of observing these three days. t this time a ritual cleansing in water is the minimal requirement - immersion within the sacred waters of life. The full observance should include tending the cult statues, sacrifice and offerings of incense and food, ritual, prayer, and song. The meal served to the deity is thus blessed by the god and may later be consumed by the worshipper. To obtain sacred water for blessings, wash the cult statue's fingers in water after the ritual meal.

27th:

Egyptian Observances - Harvest Festival

• The Egyptian Harvest Festival is held in honour of Menu (Min), a god of vegetation and fertility.

28th:
Egyptian Observances - Feast of Bast

• Bast is the Egyptian goddess of the sun, cats, women and secrets. Like the cat, Bast is untamed, unpredicatble and capable of great affection.

29th:
Egyptian Observances - Feast of Menu (Min)

• Menu (Min) is one of the oldest Egyptian gods. He is a god of fertility, of power and of the desert.

30th:
Roman Observances - Festival of Pax

• Pax is the Roman goddess of peace, and symbolises the highest ideals of civilisation.

Egyptian Observances - Feast of Re

• Re/Ra is the Egyptian god of the sun, and the preeminent deity of the Egyptian pantheon.

31st:
Roman Observances - the Day of Diana Lucifera

• Diana, Roman tripartite goddess, manifested as the moon (Luna in the Heavens), the Huntress on earth (Diana), and Diana Lucifera (Diana in Hades, the Light Bringer). This day celebrated her as the Bringer of Light, a counterpart to the Greek Hekate.

Northern Trad Observances - Disablot/Disfest

• The Nordic Disir are Valkyrjur, Nornir, Fylgjur and even gods. Commonly, they are the female ancestor spirits.