Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
The ancient world of the Mediterranean and Near East has a great number of interesting mythological beings. Some are related to old gods and tutelary spirits. Some are fairly accurate illustrations of the anxieties of humankind — or maybe mankind, since women didn't have much of a voice. Some are just ludicrous. One of my… Continue reading The Daily: 29 September 2024
The sun passed the ecliptic yesterday at 8:43am (EDT). This marks the autumnal equinox, the day the sun passes that imaginary equator in the sky in its annual trek through the seasons. By now, those of you who tolerate my blathering know that this event does not mark the true equinox since that day of… Continue reading The Daily: 23 September 2024
Happy Mabon? Is it possible to unselfconsciously use the Wiccan-derived names for the quarter days? Because I can’t seem to get there. For the third quarter day of the year, they chose a rather obscure deity to name this holiday. I couldn’t say what the Cymric (Welsh) Mabon, or Maponos, the perpetually young Son of… Continue reading The Daily: 22 September 2024
The Harvest Moon is full today at 10:34pm. This moon nearest the autumnal equinox, this period of rapidly shortening days, gets its name because it appears full for several days and therefore gives evening light to those who are harvesting the fields, racing against the sunset. However true this might be, at this time of… Continue reading The Daily: 17 September 2024
Friday the 13th Today is judged unlucky by many. It is the weekday named for the goddess, Frigg, mother and matron of the Norse. She is wife to Odin, the wanderer and all-father in the Nordic pantheon. She is mother to Baldur, the golden summer lord who dies from a dart of mistletoe wielded by… Continue reading The Daily: 13 September 2024
The Blueberry Moon went dark at 9:56pm last night. Today, the sickle Harvest Moon follows the sun into the western horizon. The Harvest Moon is full on 17 September at 10:34pm. Moonrise so close to the full will be a lovely sight, but at its fullest it will be dimmed. This year in North America… Continue reading The Daily: 3 September 2024
Today is Labor Day in the US. This first Monday in September is the day that our country dedicated to honoring the working classes after the powers that be decided that May Day, the original Labor Day, was too closely tied to the actual labor movement. A parade of organized laborers was held in New… Continue reading The Daily: 2 September 2024
St Giles and the Hind by the Master of St Giles (National Gallery, London) Today is the feast day of St Giles, who comes from the legendary days of Medieval Christianity. He was supposedly a 7th century prince of Athens who moved to the Rhone Valley and became a monk. He left a trail of… Continue reading The Daily: 1 September 2024
The Blueberry Moon is full at 2:26pm today. That means tonight's moonrise is closest to the full. The Moon is also rather close to Earth now, so it will seem larger than usual. The media folks, apparently feeling bereft of news that is not catastrophic, is nattering on about supermoons. I still don't know what… Continue reading The Daily: 19 August 2024
The Feast of the Assumption It is the Feast of the Assumption. In the Church calendar, this is the day Mother Mary was taken bodily up to heaven without the inconvenience of dying first. But in the older calendar of Europe, this was the time when it was recognized that the heat of summer was… Continue reading The Daily: 15 August 2024
By My Solitary Hearth 