End of Year Musings

This one’s going out a bit early, as I’ll be away from my computer around January 1.

I hope everyone had a happy Yule. Inexplicably, I missed the Dec. 20-21 lunar eclipse. Deep down, I felt the “once in a lifetime opportunity” of a solstice eclipse was a manufactured “event”, since lunar eclipses themselves are a relatively frequent and impressive occurrence (if it’s not too cloudy). That it occurred on the solstice was an astronomical curiosity, but not worth unusual media attention. Esoterically, I think that the darkening of the full moon at the end of the solar year (rather than at its beginning) may be a positive sign. I know it’s been a rough year for several of us (myself included), and think this means that any darkness we’ve gone through in the past year may be behind us now.

As usual, I was out on the hill on the morning of December 22 with a small but stalwart band welcoming the return of the Sun. The clouds on the horizon obscured actual sunrise, although little beads of the Sun’s disk managed to punch through as it rose.

I’m again lamenting the political correctness of the Christmas season and the widespread use of the word “Holiday”, though I note that a couple of advertisers have gone back to using the word “Christmas”. The Salvation Army found itself under fire on two fronts this year: In Toronto, mall retailers silenced the bells at the Sally Ann kettles because they were driving the staff crazy. The Sally Ann here in Calgary refused to take donations of Harry Potter or Twilight toys, deeming them “anti-Christian”… is it any surprise they found themselves receiving lower than normal donations this year? Margarian, whose maternal grandmother was in the Sally Ann, found herself in an awkward position over which way to lean.

January's Birthdays: Jackie R., Henry K., Gayle, Paulie, Margie F., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

2011 Highlights (dates approximate):
Feb 19-21: COGCOA’s Winter Mysteries.
Apr. 21-24: ATC 26th Spring Mysteries Festival, somewhere west of Seattle.
May 19-23: Gaia Gathering, the 6th Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Montreal.
May 20-23: Gathering for Life on Earth, an hour east of Vancouver.
Jul. 29-Aug. 1: PanFest, at a lake in central Alberta.Aug. 27-Sep. 2: BC Witchcamp.

January's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jan. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jan. 3, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup at the Unicorn. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Jan. 4, 2:03 a.m.: New Moon. Beth (Birch) lunar month begins.
Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jan. 19: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Imbolc Ritual.

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous “Twenty Eleven”!
Hergest

Two Thousand or Twenty?

Happy December, everyone.

Well, the first big snowfall and deep freeze has come, and while temperatures here have normalized somewhat (for the moment, at least) we’re unofficially into winter for the duration.

Since the Winter Solstice falls shortly after sundown on December 21, I’ll be leading the Solstice Sunrise vigil up in Strathcona at 8:00 a.m. on the 22nd. Sunrise is at 8:35, so be prepared for a wait in the cold. We’ll retire to Timmy’s at 17th Ave and 37th St SW (C-Train construction allowing) afterwards to warm up.

And with the new calendar year upon us, my ongoing media test continues: how many syllables (and seconds) does it take before the media and advertisers drop the “two thousand and…” and simply call it “twenty eleven?”. “Nineteen ninety-seven” had six syllables, “two thousand and eleven” (which is even now being used) has seven. Despite the optics of “twenty ten”, the media and advertisers, those makers of popular culture, still wouldn’t change. Love it or hate it, at least the CBC has started using “twenty oh” for the years just past. My personal hope is that the full name of 2011 will prove to be such a mouthful (and “eleven” particularly awkward) that “twenty eleven” will find more acceptance.

December's Birthdays: Jessica, Searia, Andrea P., Ziggy, Azrael, Heather Dawn, Dianne W., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

December Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Dec. 1: World AIDS Day. Info: http://www.worldaidsday.org/
Dec. 2-5: Festival of Crafts at BMO/Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.ourbesttoyou.ca/calgary/
Dec. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Dec. 5, 10:36 a.m.: New Moon. Ruis (Elder) lunar month begins.
Dec. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup at Ceili’s.
Dec. 13: Geminid Meteor Shower.
Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Yule Ritual.
Dec. 21, 1:13 a.m.: Full (Cold) Moon. Lunar Eclipse.
Dec. 21, 4:38 p.m.: Winter Solstice.
Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Dec. 22, 8:00 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil in Strathcona. Coffee at Tim Hortons to follow. RSVP for details.
Dec. 25: “Holiday Day”.

Blessings,
Hergest