Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
I was thinking about the symbols of Lughnasadh and how to short-hand the description of time and seasonal energy. The idea set that best works is that of the elements, but I’m reluctant to use that language because it carries such woo-woo magickal baggage that it puts up walls in the mind of any practical… Continue reading The Daily: 31 July 2026
Today at 10:35am the Hay Moon is full, so tonight's moonrise is the closest to full. This ninth moon of the year is also called the Corn Moon or the Mead Moon, for the meadows that are cut for hay at this time of year. The Hay Moon brings the shift of Midsummer, the Dog… Continue reading The Daily: 29 July 2026
Crom Dubh Sunday In many northern communities, July is a hungry month. The spring flush of greens and quick-growing roots like radishes and beets may still be trickling out of the garden, but most have bolted and run to seed. However, those that remain are long on fiber and short on calories, and little of… Continue reading The Daily: 26 July 26
The Romans had concerns about drought at this time of year. Three very old festivals were grouped together at the end of July to honor deities who presided over watery things. The first was the Lucaria, the clearing of the groves. This was an ancient observance even in Varro's time (116-27 BCE), and little is… Continue reading The Daily: 25 July 2026
It is the 250th Independence Day... I did try to get into the spirit of this milestone anniversary. But the Trumpies are doing their level best to quash any patriotic fervor. Have you seen what they consider celebratory? I've lost count of the insults and affronts — from a cage fight on the White House… Continue reading The Daily: 4 July 2026
The Dog Days begin today. This is when Sol and Sirius shine together all day long, creating blast-furnace heat. Or maybe that's just carbon... Canada is on fire again. More than 130 active blazes are darkening the skies and sending smoke trailing southeast (so... here...), with the vast majority of the fires listed as "out… Continue reading The Daily: 3 July 2026
Today is St John's Day and Midsummer's Day. Last night, the faeries ran amok. Tomorrow is the last day with over 15 1/2 hours of sunlight. The waxing Strawberry Moon is in its second quarter and will be full on the 29th. It may seem like summer has hardly begun, but we are halfway through… Continue reading The Daily: 24 June 2026
Tonight is the night that Shakespeare had faeries running amok in the woods around Athens. This is Midsummer's Night, tomorrow being Midsummer's Day. Folklore has it that this is the best time to go find the Good Folk, though lore also makes it pretty clear that you may be in for trouble if you do.… Continue reading The Daily: 23 June 2026
June 22nd is the feast day of St Alban, one of the first British martyrs to the Christian faith, a sort of protomartyr, in fact. It is said that Alban was beheaded by Roman authorities on this date, though the year this happened may be any time between 209 and 304. Stained-glass portrait of St… Continue reading The Daily: 22 June 2026
Summer Solstice Today is the solstice; today, the sun stands still. Well, actually, it's been standing still for a few days now, and it will continue to do so for a few more days. In my part of the world, from 17 June to 25 June, day length is 15 hours, 30 minutes, and a… Continue reading The Daily: 21 June 2026
By My Solitary Hearth 