Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'lunar calendar'.
Found 3 results
-
"When the moon rises in hue of strawberry, then has come the hour of the flower faerie. On beams of moonlight, they paint and dance, a springtime eve to enchant!" Excerpt from the folktale of the Wildblossom Faeries When the Crystal Moon has set, the druids of the Mother Circle pay homage to the arrival of true spring by observing one the season's more prominent faerie tales. After the Fae Queen Cerridwen emerges from her winter chrysalis, the Springmother breathes the first warm winds onto the land and blesses the dormant ground with life. Upon the perfumed breezes of moonlit nights come the Wildblossom Faeries, thought to act as the paintbrushes of the Aspect herself. The vibrant hues of spring, nearly endless in color and shape, make the living world not just a vessel of life from the Aspect, but also a reflection of her eternal beauty. Sometimes depicted as riders of springtime birds such as cardinals, robins, or hummingbirds, the faeries are believed to serve as the helpers of the Mani Kholibrii until the arrival of the next moon. _______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ During the passing of the Painted Moon, the Mother Circle celebrates the lunar month as one of creation and artistry. Wine and liqour is bottled with essence of spring, new clothing is sewn, performances are entertained, and the colors of the wilds are welcomed into the grove. Great care is taken to foster the growth of the blooms brought by the passing of the Painted Moon, avoiding harvest of the flowers until the time of the faeries' crossing has passed. In folklore, it is thought that those who have earned favor with the Fae Queen will discover many blooms around their house, and find their family blessed with prosperity and health. Some devout druids may choose to cultivate a certain color of flower during the season in hopes to provide their space with some living air of inspiration, such as red blooms for courage or white flowers for peace. While the Mother Circle celebrates the Painted Moon and awaits the arrival of the next, the druids offer a creation of their own to Cerridwen in hopes that when the fruits and berries of summer come, the Aspect promises a good harvest for the druids in return for their faith.
-
“Then the world was dark and silent. Long and lonely are the nights of deep winter. Rejoice! The wind, Cerridwen’s Breath Has come to melt away the bitter cold!” ____________________________________ A painter's depiction of Cerridwen's springtime rebirth As the previous moon wanes to a sliver, the folklore of the Mother Circle stories the great rebirth of Cerridwen from her deep winter sleep. In her slumber she is veiled in the crystalline ice of the coldest nights of the year and her court empties. The turning of the seasonal wheel comes to a quiet halt; the longest night of the year swallows the realm. Then, as ever faithfully as spring comes to winter, the hand of time turns backwards. From her chrysalis, Cerridwen reawakens. The faerie tale of the Springmother is celebrated during the Crystal Moon, the first phase of the new lunar year of the Mother Circle. Through traditions and rites, the Mother Circle honors the end of the Wild Hunts of Cernunnos and embraces the Breath of the Springmother: the very wind of life that paints with bright green in a cold, grey realm. During the days of early spring, artisans set to work carving with traditional faerie stones: carved gemstones or kuila. The Crystal Moon was rumored to be so named after the phenomenon of naturally growing cave quartz or minerals, seeming to grow and bloom as a flower might. In likeness to the Fae Queen's chrysalis, the minerals are made into offerings to Cerridwen or placed around the grove to pray for a prosperous spring. ________________________________________________ The Jackelope Faerie Told alongside the rebirth of Cerridwen is the curious faerie tale of the rare Jackelope; a horned rabbit thought to be a Herald of Spring. Emerging to bring news of the Fae Queen's revival, they The rabbit of folklore breaks stubborn ice with jagged horns, leaping great bounds over the ground, the thunderous thumping of rabbits foot in the brush sowing the seeds of berries and flowers that will soon bloom and grow. A sighting is considered very rare, and is believed as a symbol of luck. While depicted as soft, innocent creatures, they are rumored to bare a voracious appetite without discretion, including prey. To see the jackelope and escape certain devouring is to embody luck itself. Particularly paranoid followers of the faerie culture might craft a rabbit's foot talisman in hopes to sway luck in their favor, and keep the Jackelopes at bay.
-
"And then comes the kiss of winter, pure and silent. They come as flurries, frozen tears of the Faerie Queen, beautiful and deadly; and the soul is ferried onto the next rebirth." Excerpt from the druidic Faerie Tale of the MoonMoth Midwinter marks the rise of the Night Moon for the Mother Circle, and the arrival of the first snows that blanket the realm in frosted, shimmering powder blankets. The days become short, and long nights of cold darkness arrive in which the Night Moon is named. As the third Moon of Decay and the third cycle of the Wild Hunts of Cernunnos, the MoonMoth faeries are storied to cross into our realm and enact the Horned Lord's will of death. They are depicted as pristine white-winged moths of winter majesty, as small as mice. Disguised as an alluring, shimmering flurry of snow, they swarm the dying and sick in numbers uncountable and freeze the soul in silence. Then, the faeries steal away the dead upon winter winds and back to Cerridwen, where life is reborn during the Moons of Birth. A painting depicting Cerridwen, the Faerie Queen with a cloak of MoonMoth Faeries For the druids of the Mother Circle, the mythology of the MoonMoth faeries parallels with the yuletide tale of Cerridwen's winter slumber. When the Centaur King's hunts reach their crescendo, the Faerie Queen falls into a deep sleep to prepare for the Moons of Birth. It is during this time in the lunar calendar that the Mother Circle exchanges gifts and festive greetings, for the completion of the Lunar Cycle is as revered as the start. It is thought that to be selfless and generous even during a time of scarcity earns the favor of the Aspects, and ensures prosperity and rebirth when the snows eventually melt. Paramount above all is the acceptance of death, however, and the druids will often leave offerings to their dead within the garden of memories.
