Myths and Legends
Myths and legends have such a deep meaning, and are so important to the human psyche that there is an entire world full of them (as you can well imagine). This is good news if you seek to absorb the rich mythic history that informs our growth and development as people, but it is fairly disappointing news if you were expecting... say... a complete collection of every myth known to man neatly gathered here in our little Garden of the Midnight Moon.
What you will find here is a small sampling of seasonal myths. Why seasonal? The answer is twofold. Firstly; we, as human creatures, are all very accustomed to seasonal celebrations and the myths and legends that underlie them. We know about the seasonal celebrations through our holiday observances both cultural and spiritual. There are certain holidays we associate with the Winter season just as there are certain holiday celebrations we associate with the Autumn season, the Spring season and the Summer season. This gives us a common ground from which we can further our understanding.
Secondly; as products of our individual human cultures, we are also products of our time. This means that in the hustle and bustle of life in the "information age" we are so attuned to the sound of "sand blasting through the hourglass" that we risk losing touch with the firm foundation offered by the eternal and constant repetition of seasonal forces unless we inform our life experience with those touchstones provided by the mythos related to each of the seasons.
Certainly myths and their relationship to mankind can be ordered in any number of ways, alphabetically, culturally, temporally, whatever. But we feel it is important to reflect upon the myths and legends of human existence in a context which will best allow for appreciation of their influence on human experience and understanding as a whole. The endless story of birth, growth, decline, death, and rebirth is a rich tapestry woven of the entirety of the human experience and so we have found it easier to learn from the whole-cloth of this tapestry rather than to focus on the individual threads.
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Winter Mythos
Birth and Re-Birth
In modern times we mark the seasons by the calendar, but in times of old the solstice and equinox delineated the peak of these seasons, and so, the Winter Solstice (which usually falls around December 21st through 23rd) would have been thought to be mid-winter. This is when the Yule celebration marks the time in the Wheel of the Year when the light of the Sun (son) is reborn to the world with the promise of renewed life for the world.
This is also the approximate time of a celebration called the Acca Larentis, a celebration sacred to the goddess Laurentina who commemorates the old year and the potential of the new, as does the commencement of the Celtic Tree Month of Beth (birch) as a time of purification and new beginnings.
Rituals designed to shed the old and welcome the new are also embodied in the festivals of Hogmanay which celebrate the solar diety Hogmagog. These festivities include dressing in hides and horns of animals, burning or smudging, with smoking sticks or herbs (hogmanays) to ward off evil spirits, and, at the moment of the new year, rattling pots and pans to drive out the last psychic remnants of the old year to make way for what is to come with the new.
As the crux of Winter celebrations are dedicated to the welcoming of new (and hopefully better) times, there are many rituals designed to please the deities in the effort of ensuring good fortune in the coming seasons of growth. For this reason offerings of sweet cakes and grains are often made to the various gods and goddesses associated with the season.
In the present time survival may not be so tied to seasonal growth patterns as it once was, however, this does not negate the energy of the season, nor does it alter the way modern observances can be crafted to effectively make the most of this energy of growth and hope.
As Carmentis, Apollo, and other deities of prophecy were once consulted to find the best pathway for the future, so too can people of the present times use the farsighted energies of Winter to forge their own destinies.
You will need to do a little research of your own here, but, we have provided a blue-print of sorts to get you started. Once you have determined the "needful things" for yourself, you will be ready to select a quite time and place for your own private seasonal celebration.
Remember, your focus here is birth and rebirth
First, you will need to name the thing you want to be born or re-born in your life.
Second, you will need to find those thoughts and things that correspond with your need. Assemble a small collection of representative archtypal deities, colors, crystals, scents, images, words, and whatever else serves to strengthen your focus. There is a list of correspondences elsewhere on the God/dess of the Month pages. Feel free to consult it for ideas if you get stuck.
Third, you will need to select the appropriate time and place to explore your own private Winter mythos. Again, there are some fairly well known correspondences for phases of the moon and days of the week, and even hours of the day to be found elsewhere in the God/dess of the Month pages. There are even more out there in the wide world of the web. But, don't forget, what holds special meaning for you will be more important than any other correspondence and you should always let your own intuition about such details be your guide.
Finally, you will need to "do" something with these assembled tokens. Perhaps you will want to write the thing you want to be born on a bit of paper, burn the paper and scatter the ashes. Maybe you will want to sing, dance, or play along with a song that completely encapsulates your desires. You might even want to concentrate your wishes into some small object like a coin or a button or a stone and then carry it with you as a talisman, or bury it on your property, or place it in some safe spot in your house. Whatever action (or combination of actions) you choose, let them express the energies of birth and re-birth, because this is the time for new beginnings.
If you wish to return to return to the Goddess of the Month, please select the image icon to your left.
Spring Mythos
Fertility and Growth
In modern times we mark the seasons by the calendar, but in times of old the solstice and equinox delineated the peak of these seasons, and so, the Vernal Equinox (which usually falls around March 21st through 23rd) would have been thought to be mid-spring. This is when the Eostara celebration marks the time in the Wheel of the Year when goddess awakens in her aspect as the Maiden of Spring to usher in the fertility and growth of this season.
This is also the time of a celebration called the Alban Eilir, and a celebration sacred to the goddess Iduna who bears the magic apples of life and personifies the light half of the year. She is said to appear on this day as a sparrow bringing joy to humankind. This is also celebrated in the Celtic Tree Month of Fearn (Alder) growth through protection against conflict.
Rituals designed to promote fertility and fruitful harvests are seen in the festivals of Bacchus or Dionysus, which are intended to invoke fruitful grape harvests, the Cerealia, a festival dedicated to Ceres the goddess of the earth and it's fruits, and the Norse festival of Summer Finding which celebrates the sun becoming more powerful than the darkness. These festivities will include the blessing of seeds and driving cattle between two balefires to purify them and promote fertility and growth of the herd.
As Spring celebrations are dedicated to growth and fertility, there are many rituals designed to please the deities and ensure both physical growth and fertility as well as emotional, and spiritual growth. These rituals often take the form of offerings of seeds and other tokens of fertility.
Of course, in today's world our survival may not be as directly related to successful crops as it once was, however, this does not negate the energy of the season, nor does it alter the way modern observances can be crafted to effectively make the most of this energy of fertility.
As Ceres, Cernunnos, and other deities of fertility were once consulted to promote vigorous growth, so too can people of the present times use the vital energies of Spring to promote the fertile growth of their own deepest desires.
You will need to do a little research of your own here, but, we have provided a blue-print of sorts to get you started. Once you have determined the "needful things" for yourself, you will be ready to select a quite time and place for your own private seasonal celebration.
Remember, your focus here is fertility.
First, you will need to name the thing you want to be energized with fertility in your life.
Second, you will need to find those thoughts and things that correspond with your need. Assemble a small collection of representative archtypal deities, colors, crystals, scents, images, words, and whatever else serves to strengthen your focus. There is a list of correspondences elsewhere on the God/dess of the Month pages. Feel free to consult it for ideas if you get stuck.
Third, you will need to select the appropriate time and place to explore your own private Spring mythos. Again, there are some fairly well known correspondences for phases of the moon and days of the week, and even hours of the day to be found elsewhere in the God/dess of the Month pages. There are even more out there in the wide world of the web. But, don't forget, what holds special meaning for you will be more important than any other correspondence and you should always let your own intuition about such details be your guide.
Finally, you will need to "do" something with these assembled tokens. Perhaps you will want to bless and plant seeds of your own, and as the seedlings grow, so too will grow those things you want to flourish in your life. Maybe you will want to fill the empty shell of a painted egg (sound familiar?) with small tokens of those things in your life that need the energy of fertility. You might even want to create an image of the fertile growth of your desire and then carry it with you as a talisman, or bury it on your property, or place it in some safe spot in your house. Whatever action (or combination of actions) you choose, let them express the energies of vigorous fertility, because this is the time for growth.
If you wish to return to return to the Goddess of the Month, please select the image icon to your left.
Summer Mythos
Abundance
Today we mark the seasons by the calendar, but in times of old the solstice and equinox delineated the peak of these seasons, and so, the Summer Solstice (which usually falls around June 21st through 23rd) would have been thought to be mid-summer. This is when the celebration of Litha marks the time in the Wheel of the Year when the light of the Sun is at it's peak of strength and power.
This is also the approximate time of a celebration called the Initium Aestatis, a celebration sacred to the goddess Aestatis who is a goddess of summertime. This is also the commencement of the Celtic Tree Month of Duir (Oak) as a time of strength.
Rituals designed to celebrate abundance are also embodied in the festivals of the Vestalia, a festival of first fruits sacred to the goddess Vesta and the midsummer druidic festival of Alban Hefin marking the longest day and greatest expression of summer's power and strength. These festivities often include balefires kindled in imitation of the sun, and offerings of the first fruits of the growing season to express gratitude for the bounty brought by this season.
Summer celebrations are primarily dedicated to the recognition of abundance and power and so there are many rituals designed to emulate the deities endless abundance and power. Often there will be offerings of the first fruits and flowers of the season in an acknowlegement of the blessings of summer.
Today, our survival may not be as governed by seasonal growth patterns as it once was, however, this does not negate the energy of the season, nor does it alter the way modern observances can be crafted to effectively make the most of this energy of power and abundance.
As Juno, Frey, and other deities who governed the consolidation of power were once appealed to for personal power, so too can people of the present times use the abundant energies of Summer to further their own dreams.
You will need to do a little research of your own here, but, we have provided a blue-print of sorts to get you started. Once you have determined the "needful things" for yourself, you will be ready to select a quite time and place for your own private seasonal celebration.
Remember, your focus here is power and abundance
First, you will need to name the thing you want to be blessed with abundance or imbued with power.
Second, you will need to find those thoughts and things that correspond with your need. Assemble a small collection of representative archtypal deities, colors, crystals, scents, images, words, and whatever else serves to strengthen your focus. There is a list of correspondences elsewhere on the God/dess of the Month pages. Feel free to consult it for ideas if you get stuck.
Third, you will need to select the appropriate time and place to explore your own private Summer mythos. Again, there are some fairly well known correspondences for phases of the moon and days of the week, and even hours of the day to be found elsewhere in the God/dess of the Month pages. There are even more out there in the wide world of the web. But, don't forget, what holds special meaning for you will be more important than any other correspondence and you should always let your own intuition about such details be your guide.
Finally, you will need to "do" something with these assembled tokens. Perhaps you will want to write the thing you want to be born on a bit of paper, burn the paper and scatter the ashes. Maybe you are more inclined to drumming along with a song that completely encapsulates your desires. You could inscribe your desires on a small candle and concentrate on the power of abundance while it burns down to the stub, which you can bury on your property, or place it in some safe spot in your house. Whatever action (or combination of actions) you choose, let them express the energies of power and abundance, because this is the time for the magical power of abundance in all it's forms.
If you wish to return to return to the Goddess of the Month, please select the image icon to your left.
Autumn Mythos
Death and Regeneration
In the present day we mark the seasons by the calendar, but in times of old the solstice and equinox delineated the peak of these seasons, and so, the Atumnal Equinox (which usually falls around September 21st through 23rd) would have been thought to be mid-autumn. This is when the celebration of Mabon marks the time in the Wheel of the Year when the god weakens with the first harvest to eventually leave the world altogether and journey into the underworld of seeming death.
This is also the time of a celebration called the Alban Elfed, and a season sacred to the goddess Samhain who bears the seeds of the next year into the underworld with her in search of her departed consort. This is also celebrated in the Celtic Tree Month of Gort (Ivy) representing the spiral ascent of the spirit from the material world to the world of spiritual enlightenment.
Rituals designed to penetrate the mysteries of death and decline are seen in the festival of Mabon, a harvest time when the raw materials of life are gathered for processing into something which will sustain both body and spirit through the darkness of winter to come. These festivities will include the burning of dross and unnecessary byproducts of the harvest in balefires as an act intended to promote the balance of loss against the gain of a secured harvest.
As Autumnal celebrations are dedicated to decline and eventual death, there are many rituals intended to please the deities and ensure survival through careful preparation for the dark, unfertile times to come. These rituals often take the form of offerings of corn husks braided into figurines and filled with the sorrows of today. These husks, or corn dollies, would then be thrown into the balefires in the hopes that the declining god would take the troubles with him to the underworld where they would be regenerated into something more useful with the next season of growth.
Of course, in today's world our survival may not be as directly related to successful crops as it once was, however, this does not negate the energy of the season, nor does it alter the way modern observances can be crafted to effectively make the most of this energy of decline.
As Hecate, Lugh, and other deities of the mystery of death were once consulted to promote safe passage through the season of infertility and apparent "death" to come, so too can people of the present times use the mysterious energies of Autumn to secure their own safe passage through uncertain times.
You will need to do a little research of your own here, but, we have provided a blue-print of sorts to get you started. Once you have determined the "needful things" for yourself, you will be ready to select a quite time and place for your own private seasonal celebration.
Remember, your focus here is decline.
First, you will need to name the things you want to decline in your life.
Second, you will need to find those thoughts and things that correspond with your need. Assemble a small collection of representative archtypal deities, colors, crystals, scents, images, words, and whatever else serves to strengthen your focus. There is a list of correspondences elsewhere on the God/dess of the Month pages. Feel free to consult it for ideas if you get stuck.
Third, you will need to select the appropriate time and place to explore your own private Spring mythos. Again, there are some fairly well known correspondences for phases of the moon and days of the week, and even hours of the day to be found elsewhere in the God/dess of the Month pages. There are even more out there in the wide world of the web. But, don't forget, what holds special meaning for you will be more important than any other correspondence and you should always let your own intuition about such details be your guide.
Finally, you will need to "do" something with these assembled tokens. Perhaps you will want to write down every negative aspect of your life and then burn the writings, thanking the energies of this season for transforming the negatives into something more useful. Maybe you will want to find stones or coins to represent the positives and negatives in your life and then re-arrange them (if necessary) until they are in a balanced formation. You might just want to meditate on some symbol of transformation, like the cocoon of a butterfly, which is now dormant and seemingly dead, but will emerge from an apparant deathlike state transformed into something wonderful. Whatever action (or combination of actions) you choose, let them express the energies of mysterious transformation, because this is the time for death and the inevitable regeneration which follows.
If you wish to return to return to the Goddess of the Month, please select the image icon to your left.