It
is the first week of February, it is cold and it is raining. This is the week
of Candlemas, Imbolc, Imbolg or as I choose to call it; Lambtide. It is a cross
quarter day and still a festival period for many people. For some Lambtide or
Candlemas, is the true beginning of the ritual year. This festival if perceived
as a single day, will fall on a different date depending upon the individual
choice of calendar. Some mark it on the 1st of February and others later in the
week. Candlemas is both the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and
the Purification of the Blessed Virgin in the Catholic Church, falling
traditionally on the 2nd of February.
Festivals
do not always have fixed and unchanging dates. Christmas itself may never move
but as we all know, Easter is a moveable feast. This is true for the equinoxes
and the solstices. People do not necessarily appreciate that the Cross Quarter
Days may also move, when seen as being dependent upon astronomical phenomena. Our modern society fails to recognise and to appreciate the
interconnectedness of calendar cycles. Modern life has forced upon our society
an unfortunate separation and the concept of a gradual seasonal change is often
overlooked by that secular society. The dual lunar and solar symbolism of the
seasonal calendar, remains a mystery to much of the population.
Most people reading this post will be aware that the Spring
Equinox can fall between the 21st and the 23rd of March
and marks the beginning of Aries. That
the Summer Solstice can fall between the 21st and the 23rd
of June and marks the beginning of Cancer. That the Autumn Equinox can fall
between the 21st and the 23rd of September and marks the
beginning of Libra. That the Winter Solstice will fall between the 21st
and the 23rd of December and marks the beginning of Capricorn. This
is all well known.
What
is perhaps less well known is that it is acceptable
to observe or mark Imbolc, on the Full Moon of Aquarius or at 15 degrees of
that star sign. Beltaine on the Full Moon of or at 15 degrees of Taurus. Lughnassadh
on the Full Moon of at 15 degrees of Leo. Samhain on the Full Moon of or at 15
degrees of Scorpio.
Clearly the equinoxes and solstices have an associated solar
symbolism, symbolically representing in order; sunrise, zenith, sunset and
nadir. The Cross Quarter Days mirror this pattern with a lunar symbolism.
Imbolc is represented by the astrological or visible New Moon; the Waxing Moon
of the First Quarter. Beltaine represents the Full Moon. Lughnassadh represents the Old or Waning Moon
of the Third Quarter. Samhain is represented by the Dark Moon, the
astronomical and non-visible New Moon.
The
ritual calendar of the Hearth of the Turning Wheel, incorporates the common
eight festivals of modern Paganism and follows the progression of the four
tides of the year. We begin with Lambtide or Candlemas as our starting point,
it is the tide of Lustration or sowing. Maytide or Roodmas is the tide of
Activation or growth. Lammastide is the tide of Consolidation or reaping and
Hallowtide is the tide of Recession or death, thus leading to new growth and
the start of the cycle once more.
It
has been a year now since the Hearth of the Turning Wheel has met in
fellowship. Many groups are in the same predicament of course. Socially
distanced meetings are not as easy to organise as some would think. This is
particularly true when people are shielding or actually have COVID. Which
does of course lead us to ask, has the Coronavirus killed the Hearth? Time will
tell but we as individuals struggle on as best we can.
The
United Kingdom has been in and out of a series of Lockdowns for almost a year.
Officially we are in Lockdown number three but depending on your geographical
location, if taking regional lockdowns into account; the tally may be
different. Many are of course feeling the strain. The situation does not appear
to be improving and people wonder when the crisis will end. Many of these
concerns I have referred to in previous posts. I provide links below.
We
all hoped of course that a New Year would bring a fresh and uplifting new
start. Yet just because a year ends and another begins, does not mean the evils
of the past year can be swept away. The artificial and arbitrary adjustments of
the calendar are not in concurrence with natural phenomena, whether it be a
disease or a season.
My
own New Year and new start was a new job. I moved to a new department in the
first week of January but I was there for only two weeks. A move to another
unit was in some respects inevitable, I had been expecting such since before
Christmas. The worsening situation within healthcare is palpable to those of us
inside the environment. I have now been redeployed to help with staffing issues
caused by the crisis and I am now on a RED unit. That is to say a ward
designated for the care of patients with Coronavirus.
My
life is a rollercoaster ride. In November of last year I was a nurse in
Orthopaedic surgery. I moved to Endoscopy at the beginning of January and now
in February, I look back on my first two weeks on a COVID ward. It is a busy
unit, it is heavy, hard-work and the patients are very unwell. Things do appear to be slowly improving.
Instead of losing one every day, we lose one every other day. Sorry but there is
little we have to laugh about these days.
I
do not mind moving. I feel a sense of duty. I feel we must all do our best and
play our part, to counter this awful disease. Since I live alone, if we do not
include my two black cats. There is no one else to be put at risk and I had my
vaccination prior to my transfer. I would much rather it was me redeployed,
than one of the women with young children at home. Yes I know. I am terribly
old fashioned, old chap!
Family
and friends have voiced some concern regards my transfer and I am aware that I
have put myself in harm's way. Some of their concerns revolve around my own auto-immune
disorder but since this illness is not respiratory, the risks are manageable.
This is my tour of duty and although I had some contact with COVID patients
last year, this environment is rather more acute. Now I can to look my
colleagues in ED and ICU/HDU in the eye, a little easier. They have been in the
'thick of it' from the beginning and have my admiration.
The
year moves on slowly and the seasons gradually change. Yet as others have noted
(link below), with the Lockdown of last year we were forced into a period of
rest and consolidation. An artificial period of reaping, recession and dare I
say death; long before the tides came. Our lives have been out of
synchronisation since the spring of last year, we are figuratively out of tune
with the seasonal tides and this is far from beneficial. We all of us now face
challenges and a need perhaps, to find our place in this difficult and changing
world.
In
the last week of January here in Derbyshire, we had a heavy snowfall. Heavy
enough to cause some mild disruption on the local roads. I took a walk to the
neighbouring village, appreciating the beauty of the land about me. The fields
and hedges were draped with sheets of bright, white snow. It looked like a
layer of think icing sugar had been rolled over the land, while the roofs and
hedges had an attractive light dusting. The local churchyard looked like a
Christmas card illustration. The thatched cottages of the village, looked like
houses made from gingerbread and marzipan. The world about me looked pure and
clean.
I
took delivery of a case of mead from a local supplier that same week, timely
and in advance of the Lambtide. Included with the order was a complementary
gift, a bottle of 'Little John' mead. Appropriate as the symbolism of the
'Shire-wood' plays some part in my own practice. It is a gift well received and
very much appreciated. It shall be put in a safe place, ready for when the
Inner Court of the Hearth of the Turning Wheel can safely meet again.
This
week we have had rain and in the gardens there are shoots visible. I can see
the green lush growth of bluebells and snowdrops. These are all signs of hope
but the week is tinged with sadness. On the 2nd of February Captain
Sir Thomas Moore died from COVID. This man has been an inspiration to many here
in the UK, raising money for the NHS during the crisis. He served this country
in WWII but his fund raising has made him a hero a second time over. He was 100
years old.
As stated above it has been a year, since the Hearth of the
Turning Wheel has been able to meet physically. The restrictions placed upon us
by the pestilence, together with illness, quarantines and safety concerns; have
curtailed our activities beyond our original expectations. With this in mind I
invited all members and friends of the Hearth, to light a single candle at 8pm
on the night of the 2nd of February. No words, affirmations or prayers were provided
or judged necessary, unless the individual felt such to be appropriate. I simply
asked that people should light a candle, to connect with other members and
supporters of the Hearth.
Candlemas is in the Catholic Church, the Feast of the Purification
of the Blessed Virgin. For many it is the beginning of the ritual year and a time
when the land stirs again, after the long sleep of winter. Purification and
spring cleaning, first snow and then the rain; to wash away the grime of
winter. The 'Virgin' land is alive again and perhaps the plague will be swept away
in our spring clean.
Lockdown
24th March 2020
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2020/03/24/Lockdown-24th-march-2020/
Lockdown
Part Two & Clap for our Carers 2020
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2020/04/09/Lockdown-part-two-clap-for-our-carers-2020/
Lockdown
Part Three – Clap for Boris & Easter Weekend 2020
Lockdown
Part 4 – Maytide & VE Day 2020
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2020/05/18/lockdown-part-4-maytide-ve-day-2020/
LOCKDOWN
PART FIVE – MEDIA LIES
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/lockdown-part-five-media-lies/
Lockdown
Part 6 – When this is over
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2020/09/07/lockdown-part-6-when-this-is-over/
Lockdown
Part 7 – Autumn 2020
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2020/10/21/lockdown-part-7-autumn-2020/
Lockdown
Part 8 – Hallowtide 2020
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2020/11/16/lockdown-part-8-hallowtide-2020/
An
Introduction to the Hearth of the Turning Wheel
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2019/05/21/an-introduction-to-the-hearth-of-the-turning-wheel/
One Pagans Perspective
of the Covid-19 Pandemic
https://knotmagick101.wordpress.com/2021/01/31/one-pagans-perspective-of-the-covid-19-pandemic/?fbclid=IwAR3JVWiWrOpD7FNTnnJ23KvhmPcEkONbNvhfnS_pv4LfaR-QrxlFrdRIhMc
TWENTY – TWENTY VISION –
A YEAR IN REVIEW
https://chatteringmagpie.wordpress.com/2021/01/10/twenty-twenty-vision-a-year-in-review/
Apothecary Mead
https://www.apothecarymead.com/
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