The Solar Eclipse

An 85% solar eclipse. It certainly felt strange: dull, hazy, noticeably cold. The birds stopped singing, and the sheep gathered together in the field. It's as if the whole natural world knew something strange was afoot.
Looking through a shield, just a slim crescent of the sun remained. We now know that this results from a chance crossing of the sun's and moon's orbits, so the latter obscures our view of the former. In ancient times, however, this disruption to the natural order would have been terrifying.
Both the Mayans and Chinese put a great deal of effort into predicting eclipses. During the 14th century, the Chinese emperor executed two astronomers for failing to predict an eclipse. Many believed it heralded the end of the world. The Aztecs' infamous human sacrifices were intended to preserve the life of the sun.
Some believe this stems from an ancient race memory of a huge comet which struck earth around 10,000 years ago, and ended the ice age and nearly the human race. The sun was obscured for months, floods, fires and famine ravaged the planet, and the entire world order was rewritten. We have worshipped, prayed and sacrificed for millennia to ensure this does not happen again.
True or not, the sun is now shining fully. The birds are singing and the world has returned to normal. We have survived another eclipse.

A Night Mare

A relic of a more superstitious age, sometimes a stone is found hanging from a beam or otherwise hidden in old houses, forgotten by all for centuries. This stone, called a Dobbie Stone or Hag Stone, always has a natural hole in it, thought to represent the all-seeing eye and ward off unwanted supernatural incursions. They were also hung in stables and animal byres to prevent the sudden onset of sickness and weakness now explained by viral or bacterial infection but formerly blamed on the Devil, the Faery or witchcraft. A horse that had been 'hag-ridden' in the night would all too often die in the following days, and it is thought that the term 'nightmare' comes from the same belief.

Similarly, in the house, a resident elemental called a Boggart, Boggle or Bogie was often to be found. From this we have the 'bogie-man' and 'mind-boggling.' They were considered responsible for all the phenomena which in the 20^th century became the work of the poltergeist. They could make noises, move furniture, throw objects, tip sleeping people from their beds, curdle milk and cause all manner of chaos. Means were often taken to deter them, such as Dobbie Stones, rowan or hazel wreaths or crystals. But conversely, if treated with respect, a Boggart could perform helpful tasks, such as waking occupants in the case of fire.

Next time you have a nightmare, think of the night-hag who was hovering unseen above your sleeping form that night.

The Wolf and the Moon

Clear, cold nights are perfect for looking at the night sky. The last couple of nights, the full moon has been shining down on us in a perfect emblem of winter.
Every full moon has its own name and characteristics, something I've mentioned in a previous post. The moon of January is known as the Wolf Moon.
Wolves are traditionally said to howl at the full moon, but there is no evidence that this is the case. Wolves simply howl at night because they are nocturnal, and there is no proven link to the phases of the moon. The reason for the link with January's moon is more complex.


Wolves are typically shy creatures and stay well away from human habitation, but during the cold spell around January they would often come near to settlements to scavenge and take livestock. And the cooperative nature of the wolf pack is an ideal lesson for those communities struggling to cope with the winter hardships. These two reasons are why the moon we see at the moment is the Wolf Moon.
For an overview of the other moons of the year, my article The Lady of the Night, published this month in Goddess Pages magazine discusses this and more.
www.goddess-pages.co.uk

Related posts:
http://light-onecandle.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/once-in-blue-moon.html?m=1

Rebirth

The winter solstice. Today the sun reaches its southern most points, and begins its long journey back to its summer strength. The new year of ancient cultures.
In poetic literature, as exemplified by Robert Graves, this is represented by the replacement of the Oak King by the Holly King. The oak is the last tree to lose its leaves in winter, and now its reign is over and the evergreen holly, symbol of rebirth and eternal life, rules.
This is also seen in myth as the slaying of the wren by the new year robin. Until recent times, wrens were hunted on St Stephen's Day, 26th December, in a reenactment of this.
Both of these examples represent the Year King or Dying and Rising God , who is born, lives, dies and is reborn, representing all life which flourishes and withers in an annual cycle. The life of the God is mirrored by that of the sun, being born at the winter solstice , thriving for a year before dying and then being reborn the following year. The parallels with the Christmas story are obvious.
The king is dead. Long live the king
Happy solstice everyone.

Down the Chimney

This is the first of my seasonal posts relating to the Christmas / Yule / Solstice period.

In three weeks' time thousands of children across the world will be waiting for Father Christmas or Santa Claus to pop down their chimney with a large sack of presents for them. Santa is said to have originated from St Nicholas, a 4^th century saint who left gifts for the poor out of kindness and charity. But to find his definitive origins, we must go much further back than that.

Santa famously wears red and white, has flying reindeer and enters houses via the chimney. These strange quirks offer clues as to his true roots, in a spiritual shamanic culture thousands of years old.

The red and white-spotted mushroom, Fly Agaric or Amanita muscaria, has been used since ancient times to induce shamanic experiences, chemicals in the mushroom having psychoactive properties. Many traditional cultures have their particular sacred plant which allows them access to the spirit worlds, and Fly Agaric fills this role in Northern and Central Europe. It is always the mushroom which fairies are depicted with in art – for this very reason.

It grows only under spruce and pine trees: evergreens associated with the rebirth of life after winter and the trees we adorn our houses with at Christmas. And our favourite Christmas hero always wears the colours of this mushroom.

The forests of Northern Europe where Fly Agaric is most commonly found, for example Lapland where Santa lives, are also the habitat of reindeer herds. You see the link there? The reindeer, herded by the people who revere the properties of the mushroom, also eat the mushrooms, so presumably experience the same spirit-flight as their human herdspeople. Hence the flying reindeer.

And regarding the chimney: houses in the North, where heavy snowfalls can all but bury them, often have an opening in the roof to allow access in winter. But this is not the whole story. In Europe, the chimney is believed in superstition to be the point of access for all supernatural entities. If some being was successfully warded off, it would invariably escape by hurtling up the chimney. Often charms or amulets were buried under the hearth to prevent access. Witch bottles – bottles filled with thorns, urine and nails – were commonly placed under hearthstones in the Middle Ages as a means of protection.

Every story is a celebration of an older story. Remember that this festive season.

Remember Remember The Fifth of November

Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

A night of fireworks, bonfires, burning guys and burnt sausages. Guy Fawkes' Night is a quintessentially English celebration which has spread to her colonies across the world.

On 5^th November 1605, in protest against England's persecution of the Catholic faith, thirteen men plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, hopefully killing the King - the newly-crowned James I - and the members of parliament who opposed the open practice of Catholicism.

The plot was foiled at the last minute. One of the men, Guy Fawkes, caught in the cellars with several barrels of gunpowder, was tortured and executed. The other conspirators were also rounded up and killed.

That night, in celebration of the King's deliverance, bonfires were lit across the country. The tradition has held over the last 400 years, and still we light bonfires and  burn an effigy of a man known as a 'guy.'

Although a relatively recent festival, the reason for its continued popularity through the years is thought to be linked to the festival of Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival held on 31^st October. This was a fire festival marking the coming of winter, when animals were slaughtered and feasts held.

Around the time of James I, the survivals of the old Pagan celebrations were being forcefully stamped out. It was a very dangerous time to be accused of practising any religion other than the denomination of Christianity favoured by the current monarch.

So Samhain, still stubbornly celebrated by many country folk, simply moved forward a few days, under the guise of enthusiastically and patriotically celebrating the long reign of the king.

For more about Samhain, check out this post:

http://light-onecandle.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/seven-days.html

Beware the Shadows Tonight

Samhain, the 31^st of October, now Halloween, is the Celtic cross-quarter day lying midway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.

Samhain has always been one of the most sinister dates of the calendar. It marked the final passing of summer and the arrival of the trials of winter: blizzards, famine, deathly cold. It was the time when the Earth Goddess changes from her Mother aspect to her more feared Crone aspect. Many – man and beast – would not survive to see the next spring.

Samhain had two aspects. It was the time when livestock – those old and weak and unlikely to survive the winter hardships – were slaughtered, and the meat stored to feed the community through the coming months. And secondly, after the sun was set, when darkness crept across the land, the shadows began to stir. Samhain night was a night when the veils between worlds grew thin. It was a night when creatures from the otherworld could cross to our world, a night when the faerie walked the lonely countryside, and a night when, if great care was not taken, a man could find himself transported to another realm of existence, never to find his way home. Samhain was not a night to wander.

The night wanderers were unwelcome. They drained the milk from cows' udders, terrorised animals so they broke their confines and bolted, curdled milk and stole food. To repel their attentions,  wards were placed around houses and settlements to frighten them away. This is the origin of the custom of carved pumpkins and the other pomp which comes with Halloween.

It is not just the Celts who linked this date with the nearing of other worlds. The 1^st November is All Souls' Day in Catholic tradition, the day when the dead are remembered. In Mexico the 2nd of November is the Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos,  the day when the dead return to earth. Ancestors are remembered and offerings made, both from respect and fear of vengeance if the spirits find themselves neglected. 

So remember, if you see something moving in the lonely shadows, the sense of an insubstantial being flitting unseen behind you, don't look back, and walk just that little bit faster.

Happy Samhain everyone.