Administrator November, 2011

The name is derived from Novem, the Latin word for nine, as November was the ninth month in Rome’s oldest calendar.

THE SNOW MOON
The ninth month in the old roman calandar. In Celtic traditions
it is the beginning of the new year, considered a month of beginnings
and endings.

Astrological Signs: Scorpio, Sagittarius.

Nature Spirits: Banshees and other beings who carry messages between worlds.

Herbs: Ginger, hops, wormwood, hussop, patchouli, mugwort, nutmeg, star anise.

Colors: Black, white, purple.

Flowers: White lily, dahlia, chrysanthemum.

Scents Rosemary, dragons blood, lilac, pine, wisteria.

Stones: Topaz, obsidian, onyx, Apache tear.

Trees: Pine, cypress, yew, elder.

Animals: Bat, wolf, sow, dog, snake.

Birds: Owls, raven, falcon.

Deities: Astarte, Calleach, Cerridwen, Circe, Cybele, Freyja, Hathor, Hel, Holda, Horned God, Kali, Maman, Nepthys, Sekhmet.

Tags: november

• Correspondences

Miss Dana November, 2011

November Musings

November in the US brings thoughts of Thanksgiving Day.  Although it is an American holiday, the idea of devoting a day to gratitude is nice. Especially since it is the kick off weekend to the madness that is Christmas shopping!

Eating meals together around a table.  I will admit when we had all three kids at home it was easier to institute the ritual of coming to

the table for a meal.  We ate at six o’clock each night at the table. No eating in the family room in front of the television (unless mom was not home that night).  Everyone waited until the last person was seated and then a blessing was said and usually a candle lit.    Now we have only three of us at home and it is awfully tempting to just grab food and sit in front of a computer screen or a television.  But it is a matter of the heart.  We come together and join in the sacrament of breaking bread together.  All four elements have been called forth and utilized in the preparation of the meal.  We breathe in and bless the food and enter into the circle of family.

Our kitchen table is a sixty inch round lazy susan table.  I have the chairs placed at the four directions and a candle in the middle.  Cloth placemats and napkins are used instead of paper.  Cloth is kinder to the environment and to our dining experience.  They are very easy to make and cheap.  I have used worn out men’s oxford shirts to cut out 12×12 inch squares.  Either hem the edges by turning under twice and hand stitching or use pinking shears and let them frey.  Any cotton or cotton blend fabric can be used.  Thrift stores and garage sales are great places to find cloth napkins or fabric.

Many times my children had friends over for dinner. We choose not to “worry” our friends or make grand statements about how we believe.  We encourage our children to “walk their talk” and lead by example.

Since we are a homeschooling family, we have a great number of conservative Christian friends. The act of coming together, lighting a candle and saying a blessing is fairly universal among religious households. And in this time of uncertainty over jobs and making ends meet, inviting neighbors and friends to join the dinner table is a beautiful way to “walk the talk”.

Tags: november, thoughts

• Articles

John Conlin November, 2010

A Full Moon in November

A heavier darkness now eats at both the beginning and the end of the day. The colors of Autumn have fallen and yielded to gray shadow. Spring and Summer drift further away, carried deeper into memory, upon the colder winds that have started to blow. The Full Moon rises over the river, Her bright light illuminating a world laying on the edge of sleep, waiting for the Wheel’s inevitable turn to Winter. Native people called this moon the Beaver Moon for they saw them using the last few days before the ice formed, readying themselves to outlast the impending cold. Others call this the Dark Moon or the Hunter’s Moon but I think they all seek to acknowledge the same awareness and sense of purpose. For me this moon is a reminder to be sure that I am prepared for the long dark journey through Winter back to Spring. Some rain laden clouds begin to stack up against the mountain and temporarily obscure the Moon’s light. The path I’m on is quickly swallowed by the darkness and I can feel the cold trying to wrap more tightly around me. Unable to see I simply stand and wait, breathing deeply tuning myself to this exact moment. I can hear the river, stronger now with the Fall’s rains, rushing past. Its sound is deeper and more serious than the carefree sounds it carried past in Summer.  There is nothing else moving this night. I feel the forest withdrawing. The harmony and united breath I felt within this place before, no longer exists. I can feel each tree standing alone, centering its energy within its core and grounding itself to the earth. They are all bracing for Winter’s onslaught. I wonder if those trees standing along the river’s banks now sense the vulnerability of their position. What was enchanted real estate through the Summer can unforgiving turn to misfortune amidst Winter’s storms. As I think about the trees, the Moon’s light breaks free from the clouds allowing me to resume my walk down the path. It was not that long ago when this path was seemingly covered with spider webs of all shapes and sizes. The air was a buzz with insects and the deciduous trees were ablaze in color .That is gone now, returned to the earth to be re-claimed. I am reminded of this with each noisy step I take down upon the crunchy leaves. Only the evergreens look the same, though I sense they worry about the burden of snow they’ll have to endure in the months that lie ahead. I slowly make my way to a spot that overlooks the river from the tree line. There is an old stump there, a tree felled by loggers long before I was born, that offers a perfect vantage upon the river while remaining within the forest’s hold. I sit down on the stump thinking it is not too wet and pull a small cauldron from my pack. I am pleased that I managed to keep almost all of the sand from the river inside the cauldron as I set it on the forest floor. Without a breeze blowing I am able to ignite the charcoal with a single match and shortly it is glowing red. I ritually place some sage on the coal and embrace the magick released. Throughout all the years I’ve tried to walk my path, breathe within a sacred moment and reach into another realm, I have found and collected those things that inspire my spirit. It is so simple a thing to burn sage, yet for me, there are few things that pull me away from the mundane so effortlessly and move me so deeply to another place. My thoughts turn to this Full Moon, the Beaver Moon and I think about what it should mean to me. I am so blessed to live where I do and actually have beavers that live not far from where I currently sit. I remember seeing all the young branches they had gathered a couple weeks ago when I was fly fishing. I think about the basic things I have gathered to prepare for the months ahead. My list is a bit different than what the Native people who were here had to do, but it seeks to capture the same assurance. Elemental basics, food, fire and water that I will need to sustain my physical self through the coming Winter, have all been gathered. What though of my spiritual self? What should I gather to nurture my spiritual self through the dark?  I sit in the dark stillness, staring through the gray smoke from the burning sage, searching the forest for the wisdom of the Crone. Her aspect for me singularly and poetically captures the essence of being alone in the dark. It is She who offers to take me on a journey to let go of everything that binds me to possibly discover what more I am.  I sit here in the cold darkness and I try to glean what Nature is showing me. I feel the forest around me, individually, tree by lone tree gathering strength. I begin to understand that unlike Spring and Summer now is not the time reach outward and spread one’s self too thinly. It is time embrace solitude while strengthening the core of my being. It is time to focus my vision into the great darkness and without fear, wonder. It is time gather my resolve, embracing my singular awareness that I might better understand my connection to the universe. I place one last pinch of crumbled sage upon the charcoal as I think about what I want to accomplish. Peering through the rising gray smoke of the sage to the place where the Moon’s light yields to the dark, I hear the Crone whispering, take what the natural world gives and trust it to lead you.  .

Tags: moon, november

• Spells & Rituals

Sky_Emmons November, 2010

When eleven was nine

And I walked a mile

Under the blades

You sang

We’re no different

You see the difference?

In you and I

I sank down

Deep down

Under the hatred

Tried to fix it

But you’re still gone

Though I’m still here

We are all alone

November in winter

Cold and dark

Can anyone remember?

The light in the heart

Damp shades linger

Yes, those memories linger

Shadows beyond the pale

I’m forced to remain

In these clouds of rain

Hope living change

Will shine again

Love and Light

Our true self shine

It’s never easy in Winter

Those memories still linger

Dedicated to Matthew Shepard and Rita Hester and all those poppies.

Tags: november

• Poetry

Administrator November, 2010

The name is derived from Novem, the Latin word for nine, as November was the ninth month in Rome’s oldest calendar.

THE SNOW MOON
The ninth month in the old roman calandar. In Celtic traditions
it is the beginning of the new year, considered a month of beginnings
and endings.

Astrological Signs: Scorpio, Sagittarius.

Nature Spirits: Banshees and other beings who carry messages between worlds.

Herbs: Ginger, hops, wormwood, hussop, patchouli, mugwort, nutmeg, star anise.

Colors: Black, white, purple.

Flowers: White lily, dahlia, chrysanthemum.

Scents Rosemary, dragons blood, lilac, pine, wisteria.

Stones: Topaz, obsidian, onyx, Apache tear.

Trees: Pine, cypress, yew, elder.

Animals: Bat, wolf, sow, dog, snake.

Birds: Owls, raven, falcon.

Deities: Astarte, Calleach, Cerridwen, Circe, Cybele, Freyja, Hathor, Hel, Holda, Horned God, Kali, Maman, Nepthys, Sekhmet.

Tags: november

• Correspondences

Administrator November, 2009

The name is derived from Novem, the Latin word for nine, as November was the ninth month in Rome’s oldest calendar.

THE SNOW MOON
The ninth month in the old roman calandar. In Celtic traditions
it is the beginning of the new year, considered a month of beginnings
and endings.

Astrological Signs: Scorpio, Sagittarius.

Nature Spirits: Banshees and other beings who carry messages between worlds.

Herbs: Ginger, hops, wormwood, hussop, patchouli, mugwort, nutmeg, star anise.

Colors: Black, white, purple.

Flowers: White lily, dahlia, chrysanthemum.

Scents Rosemary, dragons blood, lilac, pine, wisteria.

Stones: Topaz, obsidian, onyx, Apache tear.

Trees: Pine, cypress, yew, elder.

Animals: Bat, wolf, sow, dog, snake.

Birds: Owls, raven, falcon.

Deities: Astarte, Calleach, Cerridwen, Circe, Cybele, Freyja, Hathor, Hel, Holda, Horned God, Kali, Maman, Nepthys, Sekhmet.

Tags: month, november

• Correspondences

Administrator November, 2008

The name is derived from Novem, the Latin word for nine, as November was the ninth month in Rome’s oldest calendar.

THE SNOW MOON
The ninth month in the old roman calandar. In Celtic traditions
it is the beginning of the new year, considered a month of beginnings
and endings.

Astrological Signs: Scorpio, Sagittarius.

Nature Spirits: Banshees and other beings who carry messages between worlds.

Herbs: Ginger, hops, wormwood, hussop, patchouli, mugwort, nutmeg, star anise.

Colors: Black, white, purple.

Flowers: White lily, dahlia, chrysanthemum.

Scents Rosemary, dragons blood, lilac, pine, wisteria.

Stones: Topaz, obsidian, onyx, Apache tear.

Trees: Pine, cypress, yew, elder.

Animals: Bat, wolf, sow, dog, snake.

Birds: Owls, raven, falcon.

Deities: Astarte, Calleach, Cerridwen, Circe, Cybele, Freyja, Hathor, Hel, Holda, Horned God, Kali, Maman, Nepthys, Sekhmet.

Tags: Correspondences, november

• This Month