Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
October 4th is the feast day of St Francis of Assisi. You might know him as the irreverent but apt moniker, St Francis of the Birdbath, because that is where many of us encounter him. Bare-headed with the monk's tonsure, dressed in rough robes and coarse rope belting, he stands with one palm out, feeding… Continue reading The Daily: 4 October 2024
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 2025
I read quite a lot of folklore, mostly tied to the ritual year in temperate climates, mostly those regions where I understand the languages and cultures, mostly places I have lived or have personally known through family and friends. So, mostly those places influenced or reshaped (as in my own country) by EuroWestern colonial culture.… Continue reading The Daily: 28 September 2025
The sun passed the ecliptic on Monday. That marked 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 equal length… Continue reading The Daily: 25 September 25
The Nutting Moon went dark at 3:54pm yesterday, September 21. The Harvest Moon is new today. Today, Mabon, also ushers in the autumnal equinox at 2:19pm in my part of the world. With the skies aligned as they are, this is the season of Harvest Home. It's the most wonderful time of the year! The… Continue reading The Daily: 22 September 2025
The Nutting Moon goes dark today. Tomorrow, the Harvest Moon is new. It is also the autumn equinox. So it's a full week of festivity. Today, I am putting away the garden so that next week I can celebrate Harvest Home, my Thanksgiving, on the weekend closest to Michaelmas. So I don't have much time… Continue reading The Daily: 21 September 2025
The Nutting Moon goes dark tomorrow. Monday, the new Harvest Moon will be a thin crescent over the setting sun, which, in my part of the world, will be setting about due west after passing the ecliptic on its journey south at 2:19 in the afternoon. On Tuesday, the sun rises and sets at true… Continue reading The Daily: 20 September 2025
Today is the Feast Day of Hildegard of Bingen, one of the greatest influencers in medieval Europe. Her works were read and promulgated by bishops, kings, and popes. She led the western world in matters ranging from medicine to music, and her unique philosophy of life is still fresh and inspirational. This essay was inspired… Continue reading The Daily: 17 September 2025
Moon in total eclipse The Nutting Moon is full at 2:09pm my time. This moon comes with a dramatic total lunar eclipse visible in Australia, Asia, and the eastern parts of Africa and Europe. Western Australia and Southeast Asia get the best seats. But, as with all eclipses, there will be plenty of live-streams for… Continue reading The Daily: 7 September 2025
The Blueberry Moon went dark yesterday at 2:06am. Today begins the eleventh moon of the year, the Nutting Moon. The Nutting Moon is new between 17 August and 14 September and full between 31 August and 28 September. It is one of two moons that may be dropped to accommodate the wandering Harvest Moon, which… Continue reading The Daily: 24 August 2025
By My Solitary Hearth 