First, a public service message on the night skies... Look for the Quadrantids tomorrow morning before dawn. This shower has meteors falling at rates of up to 25 per hour. If you must be abroad in the darkness and happen to look north, it's likely you'll see something beautiful blazing a trail to Earth. wes… Continue reading The Daily: 3 January 2024
Category: Parables & Stories
The Daily: 27 December 2023
The longest nights have ended in my part of the world. Today we have racked up a minute's worth of change from the solstice. Granted, this is imperceptible... but still... the changes will begin to speed up now. By January 5th, we'll be adding over a minute to every day. By January 22, sunlight will… Continue reading The Daily: 27 December 2023
The Daily: 26 December 2023
The Midwinter Moon is full tonight at 7:33pm. December 26th is also several other significant dates. It's the first night of Kwanzaa. I like this holiday though I don't do anything with it. I applaud Maulana Karenga for working out a holiday that is rooted in reality and celebrates neglected cultures. You'll not be surprised… Continue reading The Daily: 26 December 2023
The Daily: 20 December 2023
Tomorrow is the solstice. I don't often celebrate the exact day of the sun's reversal. There are plenty of long nights. I don't need to tax myself just for the sake of observing the very longest. I'm also more traditional. I tend to celebrate Midsummer's Day on the 24th, the day that most of my… Continue reading The Daily: 20 December 2023
The Daily: 29 November 2023
In this culture, holidays are exhausting. Even when there isn't a grand production of a gathering, there is still a decided lack of sleep. There is often travel as well, since few of us get to live near our loved ones. And then there are all the tasks that needed to happen for the week… Continue reading The Daily: 29 November 2023
The Daily: 27 November 2023
The Winter Sleep Moon, also known as the Beaver Moon (Old Farmer's Almanac), is full today at 4:16am. We are moving into the waning of the Winter Sleep Moon. In calendars from the Northern Hemisphere cultures that didn't write things down (for many reasons), the waning of the first moon after Samhaine is probably when… Continue reading The Daily: 27 November 2023
The Daily: 22 November 2023
If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it. — Shakespeare, Twelfth Night November 22nd is St Cecilia’s Day. Nothing of her story bears repeating, but through it she became the patron saint of musicians. And maybe there is more in that story of a feisty Roman girl that we… Continue reading The Daily: 22 November 2023
The Daily: 15 November 2023
Wednesday Word for 15 November 2023 cull You can respond in the comments below or go visit the All Poetry contest for November. Your response can be anything made from words. I love poetry, but anything can be poetic and you needn’t even be limited to poetics. An observation, a story, a thought. Might even be… Continue reading The Daily: 15 November 2023
The Daily: 8 November 2023
It is Martinmas this weekend, an old day of remembrance for the victims of warring, created anew at the end of World War I. It is called Remembrance Day in much of the world. It is Veteran's Day in the US, reflecting perhaps our blinkered perception of who suffers and dies when men use violence… Continue reading The Daily: 8 November 2023
The Daily: 28 October 2023
I saw the moon last night. It was almost full, shining silvery white in the early darkness of the eastern horizon. To the west there were clouds in orange and fuchsia, violet and lavender, festooning lapis skies. There were stars by the time I got home from work and my Friday night errands. I almost… Continue reading The Daily: 28 October 2023
