The Celtic Moon calendar
Merlin
"But how many merry monthes be in the yeere?
There are thirteen, I say;
The Midsummer Moone is the merryest of all,
Next to the merry month of May."
(Robin Hood and Ffryer Tucke; Percy MS p.10)
The Old Religion and the Old Ways reflect a time when man was still closely connected to the forces of nature and of the cosmos. A time when the changes of the Moon and the seasons of the Sun were still understood. A time when man lived closely in harmony with the land.
The golden light of the sun's rays shooting through the mist of Autumn filled our soul. The lonely call of the crow, seen from the corner of your eye, marked the black ragged edge of reality: he was the harbinger of uncertainty, misfortune and death. The Autumn storms that rattle the bare branches like bones on the gallows chilled our bodies, and spoke of cosmic forces that we could not encompass.
King Winter changed the Earth into a frail world of blue-black flames of ice, and the goddess Hell covered it with a downy blanket of snow which muffled all sound. We retreated into our homes and sat by the fire. We remembered the stories, the legends and myths, and let our minds wander through the world of Faery.
And then, as if by magic, the first flowers appeared and the first lambs were born. Mother Earth became a virgin. The flight of the geese heralded the coming of Spring, and a feverish joy filled our soul. We removed the cobwebs of Winter, and prepared to celebrate the return of fertility. We chose our May Queen, the young woman still so much like a girl, and erected our May Pole with its white and red garlands, clear images of the mysterious life force that pulsed in our loins.
The fires of passion slowly faded to an amber glow in the heat of Summer. Mother Earth is overflowing. How could we ever be wanting? And when harvest time came in the fullness of life, we cut the grain and wove a corn dolly for its spirit. We thanked our Mother for her bounty. Finally, when the early Autumn chill reminded us of the coming Winter, and the squirrel was gathering her nuts, we too had to gather in the seeds of our life, which would help us survive the barrenness to come.
The Moon Calendar reflects the time that is described above. Maybe it was no 'historic' time, but should be seen as an 'inner' time - a way of life, a way of being. The Old Religion reflects the Old Ways that have been preserved for centuries in certain families. They were the wise women and men of the village, who knew about herbs and healing, and understood sickness and death as the dark face of the Horned One. They worked with the seasons and tides of nature. They had knowledge of the powers of the Moon - the Silver Goddess who is our guide in the chill of the night; our Lady Moon who governs life and the sea, the monthly blood and the mood of our dreams.
The Moon Calendar reflects a time from before Stonehenge, a time when the Moon was more important than the Sun. The Moon has three faces: the young Maiden is reflected in the waxing Moon; the Mother is reflected in the full Moon; and the Crone, who is the old hag as well as the wise woman, is seen in the waning Moon. And the final mystery of the Dark of the Moon can be found within, if we dare to look!
The guiding points of the year are governed by the Moon. Festivals were planned when the Moon was full, directly after certain events in nature had occurred. The Harvest Moon was the full Moon directly after the harvest. The Blood Moon celebrated the end of Summer, and the culling of the animals. The Rose Moon celebrated the heat of Summer and the flowering of our love - as the rose still does. And once every two or three years, in the heart of Winter, there was a mysterious moon called the Ice Moon. It is the thirteenth Moon in the year, a 'time that is no time', a doorway to the Other World. She is like the thirteenth fairy who brought her gift of Death only because she was forgotten... But we will not forget Her, nor Her message which tells us that in life there is nothing static: that there is always a 'thirteenth' element just when we think we understand the cycle of the twelve...
With the advent of the solar religions and the conversion of Stonehenge from a lunar observatory to a solar one, mankind began to lose its connection to the forces of nature. Slowly the natural rhythm of the cycles of the Moon had to be tied to the path of the Sun so that the mystery would not be lost completely. You can use this Moon Calendar as a perpetual calendar too, by cutting out the central circle between the edge with the months and days; and the ring with the symbols of the full moons. The very first new moon after the exact moment of Yule or Midwinter is the Snow Moon. If you adjust the central circle so that the Snow Moon is correct, you'll find that all other moons follow from there. And once every two or three years you'll find that there is another full moon between last year's Long Night Moon and the next year's Snow Moon - the mysterious Ice Moon which reminds us of the door to the Other World and the thirteenth element.
If you live with the cycle of the moons, and let their names and the occurrences in Nature guide your dreams, you will find that you too can travel the Old Ways again and regain the knowledge that was lost in the past. It is a solitary path, a path as elusive as your dreams, a path easily shattered by the brittle machinery of your intellect. It is also a very rewarding path, which will slowly put you in touch with the Web of Life that lies 'Between the Worlds of Gods and Man'.
If you want to use the calendar as a perpetual calendar, then cut out the inner circle. You can now turn it so that the full moon symbols point to the correct date. At www.silvercircle.org you can find out which mooncycle it is now.
The Silver Circle Moon Calendar is (C) Merlin.
