The Daily: 31 January 2026

Tonight is St Brigid's Eve. Tomorrow is the feast day of St Brigid, arguably the central idea of deity for most of the ancient Celts and one of the most widely venerated Christian saints. St Brigid is patron of Ireland, alongside Patrick. She is also patron of babies, children whose parents are not married, dairy… Continue reading The Daily: 31 January 2026

The Daily: 30 January 2026

If you live in the US, then today is the day to stand up. Today, we strike back where it hurts them the most — on the balance books. Today is a general strike, a National Shutdown. No shopping. No entertainment. No travel. No spending money. If you are able to stay home from work… Continue reading The Daily: 30 January 2026

The Daily: 21 January 2026

We're deep in winter's grip now... in so many ways... I am trying to remain hopeful. For me, that means remaining grounded and present in my small corner of the world. But the large world insists on intruding. I'm not sure that there is anything I can do except hold up my protest sign against… Continue reading The Daily: 21 January 2026

The Daily: 20 January 2026

Today is National Cheese Lovers Day. I don't know if that means much to most of you. I love cheese, so I feel it's a day to celebrate this amazing invention. But that's not what I want to talk about today... We've entered a new lunation. The Cold Moon went dark on Sunday (2:52pm, my… Continue reading The Daily: 20 January 2026

The Daily: 15 January 2026

True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.— Martin Luther King Jr Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr who was born on 15 January 1929 (we're just three years shy of the 100th anniversary of his birth...). The country observes his birthday on the Monday… Continue reading The Daily: 15 January 2026

The Daily: 7 January 2026

Today is Distaff Day, the day of resumption of women’s work. Those who remember this date at all — pretty much just me and sometimes the Old Farmer’s Almanac folks — have a choice of observing it on January 7th, the day after Epiphany, or on the first Tuesday after Epiphany. My grandmother was in the latter… Continue reading The Daily: 7 January 2026

The Daily: 6 January 2026

It is Epiphany, 6 January, the close of the Christmas season and the beginning of mundane time, a shift to Imbolg and the hope of spring — after we, hopefully, survive the worst of the winter weather. This is the date the Catholic Church assigned to the arrival of the Magi and also, later, the… Continue reading The Daily: 6 January 2026

The Daily: 24 December 2025

There are many ways to divide up the year. We all use several different calendars — one based on months, one based on seasons, perhaps a school calendar or a business calendar. Some cultures emphasize the moon, with varying degrees of correspondence to the solar year. Some cultures don’t bother with a framework and base… Continue reading The Daily: 24 December 2025

The Daily: 17 December 2025

Saturnalia Saturnalia begins today. Time for feasting and merriment. No time for work, it's all play for the next many days. Too much wine. Not enough sleep. All frenetic fun. Much like with Mardi Gras, this holiday is not particularly my thing. But I do relish a breakdown of order... and Saturnalia is time to… Continue reading The Daily: 17 December 2025

The Daily: 16 December 2025

Las Posadas begins today. In this Latin American Christmas novena, the community acts out the Holy Family's search for a place to sleep upon coming to Bethlehem for the Roman tax census. Starting nine days before Christmas Eve, a Mary and Joseph, with an entourage of angels and shepherds and others, walk door-to-door begging for… Continue reading The Daily: 16 December 2025