Tag Archive | Calendar

What is Yuletide?

Merry Yuletide

The Time of Yule

December 21st marks the Winter Solstice for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Solstice celebrations are expected to be held all around the world, recognizing a variety of secular and non-secular events. But the Solstice also rings in the time of Yule for yet another variety of people, Pagans.

Pagan observance of Yule begin at Sunset
on December 20th, 2017.

Have you ever wondered why we call this time Yuletide? Why is there a Yuletide log? Or what about Yuletide carols? Well of course these are things that evolved overtime. Most are rooted in Paganism, some were co-opted by other religions in an effort to convert Pagans, typically to Christianity. And some have nothing to do with Pagans at all.

Yuletide is a combination word. Yule + tide. It’s the tide part people don’t generally give much thought to in our modern observances. But let’s talk about that for a moment. Continue reading →

The December 2017 Supermoon

Dec2

“Merlin In The Moon” by Springwolf 🐾

The Last Full Moon of 2017

According to my “Moon Phase: Pro” app, December’s full moon occurs at 10:47am Sunday December 3rd, 2017 Eastern US time. Thanks to modern science we can pinpoint the exact time of each moon phase. And thanks to the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Astronomical Applications Department and the internet, we don’t need an app to help us find those precise moments.

In centuries past, the folks we like to call the Ancient Pagans, didn’t have the precise tools we have today. They did have their own eyes and their early forms of astronomy to help them track the heavenly bodies in the sky. All around the world they used early methods to mark the important times of what know today as the months and the seasonal changes to honor the spirits and the natural world in their lives.

They may not have understood the concept of perigee within the celestial bodies, giving rise to some wondrous myths and legends. Today we know that Perigee occurs once a year when the moon is at its closest point to Earth during its orbit around the planet. This makes the Moon appear larger from our perspective, than we usually witness. Continue reading →

The Phases Of The Moon

Nov5

Tracking The Moon

About this time each year, I used to publish a Moon Phase Calendar. It helped me plan out rituals and observations for spiritual and magik work during every phase of the moon. With the advent of Cell phone technology, it’s much easier today for people to load up an app and set their own reminders. So I stopped creating the calendar.

I still get asked at almost every cycle of the Full Moon, why I no longer publish the calendar. I wrote about this in 2014 here on my blog: Moon Phase Calendar – Update.

f you’re like me and you like to plan ahead, I strongly suggest finding an app for this very task. Or you can visit the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Astronomical Applications Department and print off their yearly calendar.

In the 2014 article I write about the app I use and provided a link to it on GooglePlay. I’m afraid I still don’t know if it’s available on Apple devices.

Moon Phase Calendar – Update

Jan20

“In Harmony” by Collin Bogle

Following The Phases

I’ve received a lot of emails so far this month about my decision to end the Moon Phase Calendar provided on Pagan’sPath.com. I made the announcement that this is the last year we would be providing the yearly calendar and that seems to have stirred up a little discontent.

I’m thrilled so many of you have found the calendar helpful and useful in planning your rituals and gatherings. But thanks to technology, I can offer a replacement that’s better than the static calendar I offered.

I wrote a review of Android apps I’ve tested out for Sun & Moon Watching On Your Phone. I don’t have an Apple device so I don’t know an equivalent app for your iPhone, iPad or equivalent device. But I’m sure there are many out there who offer the same options as the ones I reviewed. Continue reading →

2013 Moon and Astronomical Event Calendar

Dec27

The Moon, Sun and Magik

Every practitioner of magik should know which days to work and which to take off. Which moon phases are best for what kind of casting and which are for rest.

Whither you call yourself a witch, mage, shaman or ceremonial magician, the moon is an integral part of magikal practices. Know what is happening in the skies around you and how those events are impacting the energy not only on Earth but upon the living things on the planet.

Understanding the astronomical events such as moon phase, lunar or solar eclipse, solstice and equinox dates and times will give a magikal practitioner more insight and understanding for their workings. It will also help when aligning your energies to those cosmic forces through your physical tools and your spiritual being.

Of course the guidelines to working with the Universal bodies are not cast in stone. And like most things in the pagan community where you are in the world, what culture you’re familiar with or drawn too will impact the correspondences between objects and energy. You may want to read about The Correspondence Of This And That for more information.

In magik, timing can be crucial to the success of a magikal practice. But even then, emergencies happen. Certainly if you have a friend in dire need of healing, you don’t need to wait until the next Waxing Moon to cast a healing spell or ritual. But when possible and for the best results here’s the Moon Phase Calendar for this year to help you plan your work.

Today we’re rolled out The Pagan’s Path ~ 2013 Moon Phase & Astronomical Calendar to assist in your planning for events during the coming year.

Taking Another Look At Dec. 12, 2012

Feb3

2012 The Year Of Prophesied Doom

Back in November 2009 the movie “2012” was released and it honestly scared a lot of people. Now two years later we’re coming into the Year of Prophesied Doom and no doubt the air waves are going to be overwhelmed with specials, investigative reports, secret insights and “expert” interpretations of the Mayan Calendar ‘prophecies’. I thought it might be a good idea to take another look at the claims being made by so-called professional insiders and get some real facts from actual academic and professional experts.

On a side note..Since writing the original article I’ve seen the movie that inspired the article. I’m usually critical of people who nit-pick at movies. For me, movies are designed to suspend reality for a brief time to entertain. Even movies that are designed to retell history are not wholly accurate or factual. So there’s a difference between a movie and a documentary. Continue reading →

"Believe In Yourself, Even When No One Else Does."
~ Harvey McKay ~
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“Take a chance on faith. Not religion, but faith.
Not hope, but faith.
I don’t believe in hope. Hope is a beggar.
Hope walks through the fire and Faith leaps over it.”
~ Jim Carrey ☆ 2014
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“I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk. No more, no less. And I am one of the seven billion human being. Basically we are the same… your emotion, my emotion, your mind, my mind.., same physical. So I always look [at it] that way. We are the same.”
~ Dalai Lama 2012 ~
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"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
~ Bruce Lee 1971