© 2012 Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. Springwolf Reflections / Springs Haven, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Tag Archive | holiday
Two Wolves – Who Will Win?
Myths, Legends and Sharing Inspiration
Where do lessons of morality begin? Do they come in big packages that can’t be avoided? Or are they small gifts of opportunities to do the right thing? How small is to small when it comes to Walking Your Talk©?
There is an image circulating around Facebook sharing an old Cherokee legend and attributing the authorship to an anonymous person. Being a writer I often find it insulting when someone quotes a work, yet doesn’t give the credit to the original author. You have the Library of Alexandria at your fingertips. It doesn’t take much to look up an original artist for a picture or search for who originally said a particular quote you like. It only takes a bit of your time and a little effort.
Often times the “shared” information on social media networks are incorrect or inaccurate as well. So sometimes it really does help if you search for a legitimate source for information before you share the post or tweet and continue the process of misinformation. Such is the case with the “Cherokee Legend” also known as “Two Wolves Within“. A story that has great wisdom and many lessons within its words. Continue reading
Sun & Moon Watching On Your Phone
Sun, Planet & Moon Phase Apps
After posting my full moon picture yesterday I received a question about using apps for Sun and Moon watching on your smart phone. I recently upgraded my phone to a smart phone and had an opportunity to do some research on this subject.
Now I might be an IT Geek but I am by no means a professional cell phone / app tech or reporter. So take this for what it’s worth, it’s simply a consumer’s review and it certainly doesn’t cover all astronomical apps available on the market.
Additionally, my phone is an Android so I have no experience with iPhone apps. But I’m sure there are equivalent options available in iPhone and IPads.
I strongly suggest looking at the ratings provided to the app by other uses before you purchase an app. Read the reviews and see what others say about it. One thing I learned to look at are the number of users who rated the app. If an app has 5 gold stars and only 3 people have used it then you may not be getting what you’ve bargained for. However if the app has a 4 star rating and 600,000 users, I’d say that’s a pretty good app.
With all that said, here are a few Sun and Moon apps you might like to look into on GooglePlay. Prices listed are as of the date of this posting. Continue reading
The Last 2012 Full Moon
December 28, 2012 at 5:28am
Technically the last full moon of the year occurs early Friday morning here on the east coast of the U.S. But it sure looks good coming up over the lake in our backyard.
© 2012 Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. Springwolf Reflections / Springs Haven, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Holiday Etiquette
Happy Holidays Or Merry Yule Or Merry Christmas
This time of year is for good cheer, peace and compassion between all people. There is enough hate and anger in the world without people becoming offended by a simple holiday greeting.
In this over sensitive world many are looking for the correct greeting for a politically correct environment. Many have started a campaign to put “Christ” back into Christmas. Extending their religious preference over all others and becoming offended when someone doesn’t greet them in the manner they are accustomed.
What these religious folk seem to forget is that this time of the year comprises many holidays. It’s not only Christmas that is being celebrated. It’s also the Pagan Yule, which begins at sunset on the Winter Solstice (for 2012 that’s December 21st) and ends at sunset on January 1st. It’s also Hanukkah,which starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. This year Hanukkah begins in the evening of December 8, 2012, and ends in the evening of December 16, 2012. Kwanzaa begins December 26, 2012, and ends January 1, 2013.
Additionally, many non-religious people observe some form of winter celebration. Either because they grew up with it and like the family gathering and companionship. Or because they want to recognize some form of gift giving for their young children. Continue reading
History Of Lughnasadh
The Fire Festival Of The Summer Sun
By Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. 🐾
“Arctic Wolf Fire”
© Tom-in-Silence
This is the first of the Pagan Harvest Festivals. This is a time where we celebrate the Sun God Lugh, honor the rain and thank the magikal folk of the Tuatha Dé Danann for their help in our own gardens.
As local clans migrated, they took with them their religious and spiritual traditions. Many people believe that during these migrations, names of holidays also changed and Lughnasadh became Lammas. That’s not quite accurate however.
Lammas comes from the Old English word hlafmæsse, which literally means “loaf mass,”. It was first used in the 15th and 17th centuries by the early Catholic Churches to celebrate the grain provided by the first harvest. In other words, it was another attempt by the early church to co-opt a pagan holiday, make it their own, in order to convert pagans.
Many Anglo-Saxon pagan clans, adopted the name, but still observed the original celebrations of Lugh and the original intent of the holiday. Must pagan purests prefer to ignore the Christianized version of the festival and stick with the early Celtic name of Lughnasadh. As with most things in the world of spirituality, your preferred name should ring true with you. It’s your festival to honor the Sun, the warmth of the summer and their blessings upon the fields. Call it what you feel most connected to, Lughnasadh or Lammas.
Continue reading
Beltaine: The Fire Festival May 1st/May 6th
The Festival of Bel’s Fire
By Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. 🐾
“Arctic Wolf Fire”
By Tom-in-Silence
Tonight at Sunset marks the beginning of a Pagan Metaphysical Sabbat (holiday) called Beltaine. By the Solar Calendar, the holiday is celebrated on May 1st. But by the Lunar Calendar it’s honored on May 6th. Many modern pagans prefer celebrating the holiday by the lunar calendar as this was probably more accurate to the original festivals of the ancient pagans. In some circles, the Sabbat is honored through out the week beginning on May 1st and ending at sunset on May 7th.
The Sabbat was practiced throughout the Celtic lands. Bel is well known from Italy (Cis-Alpine Gaul), Gaul, Britain, Ireland and into northern Spain. Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of the Gaulish language (an early variety of Celtic) native to Gaul. Continue reading
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