The Daily: 30 March 2024

A Confusion of Grain Gods Our culture is confused about food and farming. We believe that we are in a power-over relationship with the world, and particularly with our food. We are so enamored with dominance that we've lost sight of the inherent partnership between plants and animals, between prey and predator, between the farmer… Continue reading The Daily: 30 March 2024

The Daily: 25 March 2024

Lady Day March 25th is Lady Day. This is another Marian holiday which incorporated older pagan traditions — in this case the New Year celebrations which fell on 25 March before Julius Caesar shifted the Roman observance to the beginning of January. Lady Day is nine months before December 25th, so you can probably figure… Continue reading The Daily: 25 March 2024

The Daily: 19 March 2024

The Season of Renewal This year, the Vernal Equinox happens on Tuesday, March 19th at 11:06pm. This is, I think, the most nebulous of the solar festivals. Yes, it does mark an actual solar event, but it’s not the one we typically hear about. It’s not much of an event at all. This festival is… Continue reading The Daily: 19 March 2024

The Daily: 18 March 2024

Mothering Sunday Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent, which was yesterday. In much of the Medieval world, but particularly in the British Isles, the rules of fasting were loosened for a day of refreshment leading into the last weeks of Lent. There were also gatherings to honor mother churches, the place where the… Continue reading The Daily: 18 March 2024

The Daily: 17 March 2024

Today is... the equinox? Vernal Equinox Quiz True or False: The vernal equinox is when spring begins. Not exactly. The beginning of spring depends on where you live, and it is more a cultural phenomenon than a meteorological one. Tradition in Ireland has spring beginning with St Brigid’s Day on 1 February. Spring weather may… Continue reading The Daily: 17 March 2024

The Daily: 12 March 2024

The storm that was not supposed to be a storm ended up dumping over a foot of snow on Central Vermont. My son's town had no power for eight hours on Sunday. Many rural locations did not have power until Monday evening. There were blips all weekend, knocking the electricity out which knocks out computer… Continue reading The Daily: 12 March 2024

The Daily: 11 March 2024

The Hunger Moon went dark at 5am yesterday morning. Today the Sap Moon is a thin crescent on the western horizon. It is the middle of spring. But for all this weather... But maybe that is the point of spring. Maybe it's our ideas that are unseasoned. Humans celebrate the vernal equinox with stories of… Continue reading The Daily: 11 March 2024