February 2007

First House Journal

The time of daylight dramatically increases in February.  We gain more than 1 hour of daylight this month (62 minutes), or more than 2 minutes per day.

February 1 - Imbolc Eve

Full Moon at 12°59 Leo
9:46 am PST
Sabian Symbol:
An old sea captain rocking on the porch of his cottage
 

In the Wiccan calendar, this Full Moon in mid-winter begins the Month of Quickening, when the latent potential of all things begins to stir toward birth in the Spring. This is the time to set the new ideas into motion, the new things to work, and prepare for birth.
 

Ritual things to do during this moon: Give someone what your heart desires. Act as if you are the Lion King, (or Queen), for these two days. The full moon in Leo is very good energy for claiming power, increasing courage, inspiring generosity, fame, creativity, and good luck. The qualities of the moon are flashy and highly energetic. A good energy for big rituals, big projects. The energy can be used to expand oneself into the light.

Brigit, the Celtic Earth-Mother and Goddess of fire, wisdom, poetry and sacred wells is honored on this day. In Ireland, offerings of yellow flowers are made to the Goddess at sacred wells dedicated to her. In Ireland, the birds known as oyster-catchers (in Gaelic they are called Gille righde, the servants of Bride) appear on St Brigid's day and are said to bring spring with them.

At her shrine in the old Irish capitol Kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor. She was considered a Goddess of fire, patroness of smith craft, poetry and healing. Another form of the name Brigit is Bride, and from which the name for women about to be married or hand fasted appears to have originated.
 

The dandelion lights its spark
Lest Brigid find the wayside dark.
And Brother Wind comes rollicking
For joy that she has brought the spring.
Young lambs and little furry folk
Seek shelter underneath her cloak.
- W. M. Letts

A folk-custom still practiced in many countries, is to place a lighted candle in each and every window of the house, beginning at sundown on this date, and allowing them to continue burning until sunrise.

 

---

February 2 - Imbolc

Imbolc (means, literally 'in the belly' of the Mother) is celebrated by Wicca's and Witches throughout the world on this day. Imbolc (also known as Candlemas, Timely - which means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season - and Lady Day), is a fire festival and celebrates the coming of Spring. The sweeping out of the old and new beginnings are symbolized by sweeping the circle with a besom.

Ancient Europeans celebrated Imbolc with a torchlight procession to purify and fertilize fields before planting season, and to give thanks to those deities and spirits associated with agriculture.

If Candlemas Day bring snow and rain
Winter is gone and won't come again
If Candlemas Day be clear and bright
Winter will have another flight.
 

Groundhog Day

Technically it doesn't matter if the groundhog (Phil) sees his shadow on February 2 or not, there will always be six more weeks of winter.  On Groundhog Day we celebrate a "cross-quarter day" -roughly midway between the December (Winter) Solstice and the March (Spring) Equinox.  Of course Phil usually agrees since in the 108 years they've been watching, he's seen his shadow 87% of the time. 

The Irish equivalent of our groundhog can be found in this poem

This is the day of Bride,
The Queen will come from the Mound.
This is the day of Bride,
The serpent will come from the hole.

The sense of the poem is that of awakening after hibernation, rebirth after death, the Spring Maiden replacing the Cailleach of Winter.

 

---

February 4

Li-chun   The Beginning of Spring - The astronomical beginning is approximately 5 February. This is the day when you are closer to the coming spring equinox than to the preceding winter solstice, and thus, so to speak, within the gravitational field of spring. The plants on your window sill feel the returning of the light, and begin to grow. You might want to fertilize them just a little. Outside, the weather is typically cold and unpredictable, and it is of importance to know whether the spring season now beginning will be cold or mild. Hence the animal omens such as Groundhog Day (2 February), whose meaning is that clear (and thus sunny, and thus untypical) weather indicate a continuation of cold weather, whereas cloudy weather (more typical of the spring season) is an omen of a mild, "springlike" spring.  The earliest flowers, notably the plum blossom, open at about this time "amid the snows" and are celebrated by innumerable Chinese poets for doing so.

---

February 5

 This day is sacred to St Dorothy the patron of gardeners.  Use this day to go through your seed catalogues and to plan out your garden.

---

February 6

Mid-winters Day.  If you believe that Winter begins on the 21st of December then this is mid winter.  If you hold the solstice as the mid point then you'll find yourself at the first day of spring..  My own view is that it depends on where you live.  I've seen snow fall into April in New England.  So much of the traditional spring references from warmer parts of the world certainly didn't seem appropriate to the East Coast or the mid-west. As practicing Kitchen Witches I think it's important to let nature determine what dates have meaning rather than arbitrary dates on the Calendar.  Since I now live in  in the Pacific Northwest, with it's varied climate I tend to go with spring if there's no snow and mid winter if there's white stuff.

If this night's wind blow south
It betokeneth warmth and growth;
If west, much milk and fish in the sea;
If north, much cold and snow there will be;
If east, the trees will bear much fruit;
If north-east, flee it, man, woman and brute.

---

February 8

 

---

February 9

The Feast of the Kitchen God

The 23rd day of the 12th month in a year on the lunar calendar is called "off year", (Xiaonian in Chinese). It is the day on which the folk people offer sacrifices to Kitchen God.

It is said that on the 23rd day of the 12th month every lunar year, Kitchen God would go to the Heaven to report the good and evils of the family to the Jade Emperor (The Supreme Deity of Taoism) for the Jade Emperor to give his rewards and punishments. Giving Kitchen God a send-off, people offer sweets, pure water, soybeans and grass fodder and put them on the desk before the Kitchen God Idol down to the earth. It is said the water and fodder is prepared for the god's horse while going up to the celestial palace. When offering sacrifices to the god, people would melt Guangdong sugar by fine and apply it on the god's mouth so that he can't speak ill of the people in front of the Jade Emperor. According to the folk custom, "men do not worship the Moon while women do not offer sacrifices to Kitchen god." So sacrifices to Kitchen god is confined to men.

---

February 10

Last Quarter Moon Scorpio
1:51 am
 

In the dark of night the last Quarter Moon slips into Scorpio which is often an intense time for the emotions. Issues that matter deep down are likely to come up today. Scorpio rules passion and compassion and it is likely that the dark secrets of our life will be touched on in some way today. The Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio urges us to release stored up tension. This is a good time to find release for our emotions without imposing them on others. Safety conscious physical workouts may work really well for some folks. Safety consciousness of any kind is particularly important. Don't forget to keep an eye out for suspicious activity at this time and beware of thieves, smooth talkers, and the potential for violent out breaks. It may be best not to let anyone try to talk you into something that may go beyond your personal limits. Stand your ground.

 

---

February11

The day the birds begin to sing
In tenth and eleventh century England, people celebrated the festival of St Radegund on this day, which was also considered the day the birds first began to sing.

This is one holiday that can be explored is you are studying Draiochtgé (the magic of the winds).  Visit the wind of breac to learn more.

St Gobnait: An Irish saint whose name is cognate with "smith," perhaps another aspect or companion of Brigid. The occupation of blacksmith has always been a magical one, perhaps because of the smith's powers over metal and fire.

---

February12

The Narvik Sun Pageant is held annually in northern Norway on this date to honor the Sun Goddess, Sunnu. The festival  begins at first Sun and continues until evening shadows darken the sky.

Sun Rise 7:13 am   Sunset 5:32 pm

---

February 13

Parentalia was the Roman Festival of the Dead, which lasted until February 21. People visited the graves of their parents and other relatives, bringing offerings of milk, wine, honey, oil and spring water.  They decorated the graves with roses and violets and ate a ritual meal at the gravesite. As both greeting and farewell, they spoke the words, Salve, sancte parens, "Hail, holy ancestor."

This is a good time to create an altar to the ancestors or build a web page honoring those who have gone before.

Mercury turns retrograde at 10° Pisces at 8:38 pm PST

The Mercury retrogrades that are occurring this year provide the opportunities for us to make mental and emotional adjustments during the Mercury retrograde time frames, which will allow us to make major changes as we go through the NINE year of transitions of 2007

 

---

February 14

The four day Festival of Love in honor of Aphrodite also began at this time in ancient Rome.

St. Valentines Day is celebrated annually on this date. In the Middle Ages, people believed that birds chose their mates on this day. This was the time of year when the courtship flights of birds, particularly of members of the crow family, were visible. In honor of the marriage of the birds,

In 1537, King Henry VIII declared, by Royal Charter, that all England would celebrate February 14 as "Saint Valentine's Day" and with the passage of time, February 14 became the traditional date for exchanging love messages and simple gifts (such as flowers or candy), with Saint Valentine becoming the accepted Patron Saint of Lovers.

You can set out  treats for the birds on this day: One web site suggests peanut butter balls rolled in bird seed, raisins and chopped nuts, chilled in the freezer and hung in a netted produce bag.

 

---

February 15

---

February 16

Feast of Fools

Rome was divided into thirty divisions, and each section was responsible for choosing its own day in early February for performing the Fornicalia, or first fruit offering to Ceres of roasted wheat. As Rome grew larger, people grew confused about which section they belonged to, and so people were allowed to make their sacrifice on the Quirinalia, which was therefore called the Feast of Fools.

This is a great day to do a meditation on finding your place - All too often we get confused as to where we belong and where we should be heading.  Spend some time today deciding if your feet are really on the right path for your soul.

---

February 17

The new moon in Aquarius at 28°37
6:15 am PST
Sabian Symbol:
A butterfly emerging from a chrysalis

Aquarius is like a refreshing drink of cool, sweet water after the toiling energy of Capricorn. Business is taken care of, the proverbial ducks are all in a neat row, and now we can relax and celebrate a bit, with a lighter focus on fun.  Progressive Aquarius represents the potential, "the vision," the iconoclastic intrepid soul. Dream the dream, envision the future and believe you can manifest your life.

I asked for Strength...
And Goddess gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom...
And Goddess gave me problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity...
And Goddess gave me a brain and brawn to work.
I asked for Courage...
And Goddess gave me obstacles to overcome.
I asked for Love...
And Goddess gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors...
And Goddess gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted...
But I received everything I needed.
 

 The first day of the season of the Wind of T'iao: The Directing Wind.

 Direction: NE
Trigram: ken
Instrument: mouth organ
Element: latent Wood
Activity: Issue unimportant dispatches, dismissing, delaying, restraining

Chinese New Year - the year of the boar

---

February 18

Sun Enters Pisces
8:32 am PST

The sun enters Pisces, assigned by the ancients to the Syrian goddess of Derketo, who the Romans called Dea Syria and the Greeks Atargatis, possibly meaning "Great Fish."  With the Sun is in Pisces, we turn inward. Through nurturing a personal, internal peace, we are more able to empathize with others and to reach out in ways we might not often allow ourselves. Pisces, an emotional and intensely compassionate Water Sign, tunes us into the feelings of others on an intuitive level: Subtle facial expressions or turns of phrase can speak volumes during this time. It is a tolerant, patient and sometimes overly trusting energy that, because of its Mutable quality, can take the form and character of the situation in which it finds itself. Pisces urges us to open ourselves up to the experience of interpersonal connectivity, but we must be cautious that our emotional honesty and availability do not get us into trouble. This sensitive influence can be taken advantage of and causes easily bruised feelings. Our will may be more brittle at this time, for we are feeling the emotions of others more acutely than ever.

A good time for:

• Connecting on an intimate, empathetic level with others
• Cultivating your creative instincts and talents
• Daydreaming and paying attention to your subconscious

The start of the Celtic tree month - Nion
A Druid sacred tree. Druid wands were often made of ash because of its straight grain. Ash wands are good for healing, general and solar magic. Put fresh ash leaves under your pillow to stimulate psychic dreams. The Celts believed that they came from the Great Deep or the Undersea land of Tethys.  It is this reason that the Ash is associated with the sea and the Celtic God. Mannanan Mac Lyr, who possessed a magic boat.

---

February 19

In Scandinavian and in the British Isles there's an old custom of running the labyrinth to find your true love.  A young man will enter the Labyrinth while a young lady waits for him at the center. 

Finger Labryinth

---

February 20

 

 

 

---

February 21

This is the last day of the Parentalia and the temples would be opened at noon.The Feralia is a religious holiday sacred to Jupiter, whose surname was Feretrius. On this day the ongoing celebrations forming part of the dies parentalis and the tempus religiosum came to a close.
 

In Egypt, this was the Day of Nut. She was the goddess of the sky and the heavens.

---

February 22

The Carista, , was literally a family renunion, where the living, now that they had paid respect to the dead, gathered to celebrate their own family (and resolve any outstanding quarrels). It was a potluck dinner and sacrifices were made to the Lares (every family had personal gods which Romans referred to as their "Lares and Penates." If your family didn't invite you to the Carista it meant that they thought you were unkind or guilty of something pretty nasty.

---

February 23

First Quarter Moon in 5º19 Gemini

The Moon in Gemini will greatly speed up the pace of our emotional lives. We'll likely feel a quickening and restlessness at this time that will conflict with the Sun's Piscean calm and reflective mood. We may find ourselves processing a great deal of emotions at once, in addition to craving new emotional stimulation.

 

---

February 24

Feast of Ia, sacred maiden who sailed to Ireland on a leaf

---

February 25

Dances of the Known Places

This is a fairy holiday when the walls between the worlds are very thin.  There are lots of things you can do on this day.  Write a poem, make up a dance or play a little tune. 

---

February 26

In Yohoto in northern Japan, children make huts out of snow every year for the "Snow Cave Festival." They lay a straw mat on the floor, build an altar to the god of water, and light a hibachi (a charcoal stove) which keeps the hut warm and heats soup, tea, or rice wine. Candles or electric lamps light the huts, and families visit one another, leaving their boots outside. Some children even spend the night in their kamakura.

---

February 27

Terminalia
On this day, Romans honored boundary god Terminus.

A garland would be laid on this marker by all parties to the land so divided. After kindling a fire, honey-cakes, fruits and wine would be offered and shared, and songs of praise to the god called Terminus would be sung. Terminus was considered to have the appearance of stone and was often honored with the placement of a large stone at the boundaries, much as farmers do today in various countries.

A good day to honor boundaries of all sorts, from property boundaries to personal boundaries. How can you mark and define your space? What tokens will you set up to show others where your boundaries are? And how will you honor these?

 

---

February 28

Kalevala Day (Finland)