for 1 January 2023 New Year's Day is definitely one of those holidays that feels out of joint. I don't think it's me. I think this date, this point in the solar year, lacks ties to reality. It is historically wrong. When the Romans created these two new months and set their state calendars to… Continue reading The Daily
Category: Reviews
The Daily
for 24 December 2022 Have you noticed that though worldwide post-agricultural cultures are mostly decidedly patriarchic and grossly misogynistic, much if not most of ritual, imagery, and myth is centered on women? The major pagan celebrations largely honor female deities, or, if they are male, then they're only vaguely human-like with substantial animalistic elements. The… Continue reading The Daily
The Daily
for 21 December 2022 Green Man in the cold morning light Today, 21 December 2022, the sun appears to stand still at its most southern point at 4:48pm. We call this period of slow change, where day length changes incrementally and then not at all, the solstice, the “sun pause”. In the Northern Hemisphere, this… Continue reading The Daily
The Daily
for 15 December 2022 Wasn't I just complaining about the unseasonable warmth? I take it back... It's 7°F as I type this. The heater has been running near continuously. Skies are dark and low, with the tops of the western mountains lost in cloud. There is snow on the ground, but it's grey also. However,… Continue reading The Daily
The Daily
for 14 December 2022 Halcyon Days Here is a phrase that seems to have forgotten its roots entirely. In our times, "halcyon days" refers to a golden past, a time when everything was wonderful. Sometimes it just means "youth" with overtones of innocence and insouciance. But this name has nothing to do with nostalgia. In… Continue reading The Daily
The Daily
for 8 December 2022 Green in December fills the graveyard. — folklore quoted in the Hedge Witch Book of Days Mandy Mitchell (Weiser Books, 2014) The Winter Sleep Moon is past full and now waning. At my latitude, we've hit the earliest sunsets of the year, 4:11pm. It's dark by the time I leave work.… Continue reading The Daily
The Daily
for 3 December 2022 While listening to Nate Hagens talk with Betsy Taylor (another newbie Vermonter!) about "nature based solutions" I finally realized why I am not fond of podcasts. To begin with, I don't generally like listening to talk media because most of it is just horrible in all sorts of sociopathic and stupid… Continue reading The Daily
The Deadly Weight of the Series
Every time you wake up and ask yourself, "What good things am I going to do today?" remember that, when the sun goes down at sunset, it will take a part of your life with it. — Indian Proverb found in Tolstoy's Calendar of Wisdom for 21 November Can I just say that I really… Continue reading The Deadly Weight of the Series
Demon Copperhead & an Idea
Demon Copperhead Barbara Kingsolver Harper, 2022 I preordered Barbara Kingsolver’s latest book from our local bookstore because that’s just something I do, buy Barbara Kingsolver books. I had no idea what this one was about, had only a vague notion on the title, didn’t much care. I’ve never been disappointed by her writing. And I… Continue reading Demon Copperhead & an Idea
Unmediated?
I am usually behind the times. No help for that. I find my kitchen and garden and books and making and doing far more interesting than much of what passes for au courant. Heck, I find sitting staring out the window far more interesting. Especially if there are crows. So I'm normally not motivated to… Continue reading Unmediated?