JANUARY, the first month of the year. A perfect time to start all over again. Changing energies and deserting old moods, new beginnings, new attitudes. ~ Charmaine J Forde
January Dates of Interest:
- Jan. 1 - New Year's Day - Welcome 2022!
- Jan. 2 @ 10:33 am - New Moon in Capricorn
- Jan. 3 – J.R.R. Tolkien Day
- Jan. 3 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower
- Jan. 16 - Appreciate a Dragon Day
- Jan.17 @ 3:48 pm - Full Wolf Moon
- Jan. 18 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Jan. 25 – Opposite Day
- Jan. 31 - Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
Musings from the Desk of...Priestess Laurelinn
~ G.R.I.T.S. ~
Girl Raised In The South (New Year's addition)
I was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My family is deeply rooted in the South going back generations. Apparently, my ancestors landed in South Carolina and decided to never leave! As such I was subject to a wide array of New Year's Day traditions which I must admit I try to adhere to even now.
Every year after Christmas I'd see my Mom (and Grandmother) starting to get ready for New Years Eve. There were trips to the Piggly Wiggly and the bank, followed by lots of activity at home - washing clothes, sweeping and mopping the floors, plus general cleaning all over.
My Grandmother said, "whatever you do on New Year's Day, you will repeat all year long" so doing any chores will essentially bring with it a year of hard work. The traditions that were always carried out without fail were:
- Cooking black-eyed peas/collard greens - for good luck and prosperity
- Putting cash outside before sunset (the larger the denomination the better), to be brought back inside on New Year's Day - insures you will bring in money all year
- No sweeping or washing clothes on New Year's Day - you will sweep/wash away good luck or could even lead to ‘washing a loved one away'.
Other long held traditions are:
- Never take anything out of your home on the first day of the New Year. This includes trash, delivering presents, moving furniture.
- Wear something new on the first day of the year.
- Do not pay back any loans or lend money on New Year’s Day.
- Avoid breaking things on the first day.
- Don’t cry on the first day of the year.
- At midnight, open all doors to let the old year escape.
- Make loud noises at midnight to scare away evil spirits.
- Babies born on the first day of a New Year will always have luck on their side. (sigh...I was born on the 3rd - doesn't it just figure?!)
- The eating any of the following food on the first day of a New Year will ensure a successful and fortunate New Year: black eyed peas, lentil soup, long noodles, ham hocks, collard greens, cabbage, round fruits, whole fish with the head and tail, pomegranates, cornbread, pork with sauerkraut. The reason for pork only is because poultry scratch backwards, cows stand still mostly but pigs always root forward.
- As far as the weather on the first day of the New Year, if in the early hours of the first day the wind is blowing from the south the New Year will have fine weather and there will be prosperous times. If the wind is blowing from the north it will mean a bad year for the weather. If the wind blows from the east, famine and calamities will follow and if the wind blows from the west, plentiful supplies of milk and fish will exist. If there is no wind at all it will be a prosperous and joyful year.
The US isn't alone, here are some New Year’s Traditions and Superstitions from Around the World:
- Denmark – people climb on chairs and jump into the New Year and some shatter unused dishes against the doors of friends or family.
- Ecuador – many burn paper filled scarecrows and photographs from the last year to ensure good luck.
- Spain – stuffing 12 grapes into your mouth at midnight will bring good luck.
- South American Countries – wear colored underwear to determine your fate. Red will bring you love, gold will bring you wealth and white will bring you peace.
- Japan – people ring the bells in their homes 108 times. This is in alignment with the Buddhist belief that this will bring cleanness to your life.
- Switzerland – eat ice cream and drop it on the floor to celebrate the start of a New Year.
- Romania – many throw their spare coins in a river for good luck.
- Puerto Rico – throwing pails of water out of a window will drive evil spirits away.
- Bolivia – bakers bake coins into sweets – whoever finds the coin will have good luck.
- France – Everyone must have pancakes on the first day of the New Year.
- Columbia – many can be seen carrying a suitcase with them all day on the first day of a New Year in hopes of having a travel filled year.
- Thailand – people can be seen throwing buckets of water on each other and smearing others with gray talc.
- Chile – some families spend New Year’s Eve in the company of their deceased ones sleeping overnight in the cemetery.
- Ireland – hitting the walls with bread to get rid of evil spirts is one New Years past time.
- South Africa – some can be seen throwing furniture out of windows of their homes to ensure the start of a new year.
- Siberia – jumping into a frozen lake carrying a tree trunk begins a new year for some
- Panama – burning the effigies of everyone and anyone famous is a popular tradition.
- Scotland – the 1st person to cross the threshold of a home in the New Year should carry a gift for the home owner to ensure good luck.
- Estonia – you should eat seven times on a New Year’s Day to ensure abundance in the New Year.
Whatever your superstitions or traditions are, make sure you don’t forget to do them and above all, have a Safe and Happy New Year! ~L.
Snow is diamonds for a faery's feet; Blithely and bonnily she trips along, Her lips a-carol with a merry song, And in her eyes the meaning... Life is sweet! ― Ruby Archer
Tales of the Old Forest Faeries
I shall
Gather up
All the lost souls
That wander this earth
All the ones that are alone
All the ones that are broken
All the ones that never really fitted in
I shall gather them all up
And together we shall find our home
Poem written by Athey Thompson
Art by Elicia Edijanto
Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. – Edith Sitwell
Auld Lang Syne
and the history of New Year's Day
Excerpts from Myth & Moor; by Terri Windling
In myth cycles to be found around the globe, the death of the year in winter was echoed by the death and rebirth of the Winter King (also called the Sun King, or Year King), consort of the Great Goddess (Representing earth's fertility) in her local guise. The rebirth or resurrection of her consort (representing the sun, sky, or quickening winds) not only brought light back to the world, turning the seasons from winter to spring, but also marked a time of new beginnings, cleansing the soul of sins and sicknesses accumulated in the twelve months passed.
The date chosen for New Year's Day in the Western world is a relatively modern invention. When Julius Caesar revised the Roman calendar in 46 BC, he chose January 1 -- following the riotous celebrations of Saturnalia -- as the official beginning of the year. Early Christians condemned the date as pagan, tied to licentious practices, and much of Europe resisted the Julian calendar until the Gregorian reforms in the 16th century; instead, they celebrated New Year's Day on the 25th of December, the 21st of March, or various other dates. (England first adopted January 1 as New Year's Day in 1752).
In Scotland, New Year's Day inspired the now traditional song Auld Lang Syne. In 1788, Robert Burns sent a copy of a song to the Scots Musical Museum with the remark, "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man." Some of the lyrics were indeed "collected" rather than composed by the poet; the ballad "Old Long Syne" printed in 1711 by James Watson shows considerable similarity in the first verse and the chorus to Burns' later poem and is almost certainly derived from the same "old song". It is a fair supposition to attribute the rest of the poem to Burns himself.
Auld Lang Syne
(Standard english version)
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you'll buy your pint cup!
and surely I'll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
(Chorus)
We two have run about the hills,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we've wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
(Chorus)
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
(Chorus)
And there's a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o' thine!
And we'll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
(Chorus)
Singing the song on Hogmanay or New Year's Eve very quickly became a Scots custom that soon spread to other parts of the British Isles. As Scots (not to mention English, Welsh and Irish people) emigrated around the world, they took the song with them.
The Chinese, Jewish, Wiccan and other calendars use different dates as the start of the year, and do not, of course, count their years from the date of Christ's birth. Yet such is the power of ritual and myth that January 1st is now a potent date to us, a demarcation line drawn between the familiar past and the unknowable future. Whatever calendar you use, the transition from one year into the next is the traditional time to take stock of one's life -- to say goodbye to all that has passed and prepare for a new life ahead. The Year King is symbolically slain, the sun departs, and the natural world goes dark. Rituals, dances, pageants, and spiritual vigils are enacted in lands around the world to propitiate the sun's return and keep the great wheel of the seasons rolling.
Bare branches of each tree on this chilly January morn look so cold so forlorn. Gray skies dip ever so low left from yesterday’s dusting of snow. Yet in the heart of each tree waiting for each who wait to see new life as warm sun and breeze will blow, like magic, unlock springs sap to flow, buds, new leaves, then blooms will grow. – Nelda Hartmann (January Morn)
January's Lunar Spotlight
New Moon in Capricorn
The first new moon for 2022 hits is quickly, coming on the 2nd in Capricorn. Capricorn rules our goals and direction, so it's a perfect new moon to have right at the start of a new year! We're giving more attention to our resolutions, and want to at least try to get on the right path to having some success in 2022.
We may focus on opportunities that help us get on the right path, achieve some success quickly, and those who have already been working hard and smart toward their goals may see some progress made now. Some may feel they're hitting high points or hitting their stride in some way.
It's not all good though - this new moon comes with Venus retrograde in Capricorn, though it isn't actually conjunct (aligned with it), thankfully. Opportunities may be second chances, and we may prefer a do-over.
The new moon is trine (positive aspect, 4 signs away) Uranus in Taurus, so we may be feeling like stepping outside of our comfort zones just a tiny bit, finding different ways to do what's always been done, or finding new ways to improve discipline and focus.
The new moon occurs at 12 degrees 20 minutes Capricorn. The aspects to this new moon are:
- Conjunction: 10 degrees 20 minutes - 14 degrees 20 minutes Capricorn
- Sextile: 10 degrees 20 minutes - 14 degrees 20 minutes Scorpio or Pisces
- Square: 10 degrees 20 minutes - 14 degrees 20 minutes Aries or Libra
- Trine: 10 degrees 20 minutes - 14 degrees 20 minutes Taurus or Virgo
- Opposition: 10 degrees 20 minutes - 14 degrees 20 minutes Cancer
Excerpt from article on: The Dark Pixie Astrology
January's Full Wolf Moon
Adapted From The Farmer's Almanac: https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-january
When to see the Full Moon in January 2022:
January’s full Wolf Moon reaches peak illumination on Monday, January 17, at 3:48 P.M. PST. Look for the Moon to rise from the northeastern horizon around sunset that evening. What makes this full Moon special? It’s most distinctive for its high trajectory across the sky, which results in the full Moon sitting above the horizon for a longer period of time.
It’s thought that January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that wolves howl for different reasons. Howling and other wolf vocalizations are generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.
Another fitting name for this full Moon is the Center Moon. Used by the Assiniboine people of the Northern Great Plains, it refers to the idea that this Moon roughly marks the middle of the cold season.
ALTERNATIVE JANUARY MOON NAMES:
- Cold Moon (Cree)
- Frost Exploding Moon (Cree)
- Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin)
- Severe Moon (Dakota)
- Hard Moon (Dakota) highlights the phenomenon of the fallen snow developing a hard crust.
- Canada Goose Moon (Tlingit)
- Great Moon (Cree)
- Greetings Moon (Western Abenaki)
- Spirit Moon (Ojibwe)
MOON PHASES FOR JANUARY 2022 (dates and times are for Las Vegas, NV )
- New Moon: January 2, 10:33 A.M.
- First Quarter: January 9, 10:11 A.M.
- Full Moon: January 17, 3:48 P.M.
- Last Quarter: January 25, 5:40 A.M.
MOON FOLKLORE
- A bright first Moon promises rain and a bountiful harvest; a red-tinted Moon means a dry year.
- A growing Moon and a flowing tide are lucky times to marry.
- A halo around the Moon predicts wet or stormy weather.
MOON FACTS:
- The bright star appearing near the Full Moon on Sunday and Monday will be Pollux, the brighter of the twins in the constellation Gemini.
- The full moon names used in the southern hemisphere are the same as the northern hemisphere, just the seasonal difference. This is because most of the people living in the southern hemisphere (let’s say Australia or New Zealand) are none other than the European settlers. In other words, one can say that European settlers, at first, integrated the native American full moon names into their modern Georgian calendar. And, later, many of these full moon names went with them to new places around the world.
- Recent studies showed that more babies are born during a Full Moon. It's not known for sure why, but the numbers don't lie.
"Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion." - Barry Lopez
January Full Moon Magic:
Wigington, Patti. "Cold Moon" Learn Religions, Jan. 19, 2019
In January, the nights are long and dark, and many of us are trying to stay warm under a blanket of snow as the Cold Moon approaches (in some cultures, the Cold Moon is the name given to December's moon, instead). Some of the native tribes of North America called this time the Wolf Moon, because this was when the wolves were howling, hungry, outside lodges where people stayed warm within. Other groups referred to it as the Snow Moon, for obvious reasons.
This time of year, we're all feeling a bit slow and "off" as our bodies adjust to chillier temperatures. It's easy to just lie on the couch watching Netflix and eating comfort food when it's cold and gloomy outside and making any kind of magical effort can seem like a real challenge right now.
Correspondences:
- Colors: Black and white, silver
- Gemstones: Hematite
- Trees: Birch, Hazel
- Gods: Inanna, Freyja
- Herbs: Thistle, nuts and seeds, marjoram
- Element: Air
Cold Moon Magic:
This is a good time to work on magic related to protection, both physical and spiritual. Use this time to develop your inner self, and advance spiritually, becoming closer to the higher aspects of your deities. Take the time in your busy schedule to meditate and think about what it is you really want out of life, and whether you're showing people your true self.
January is also a great time to work on full moon magic - after all, the nights are long and dark, and in some areas the moon itself is the only source of light. Put aside your lethargy, and focus some energy on developing your intuition and wisdom.
Finally, for many people, winter is a season of simplification. Set aside everything you don't need and try a minimalist approach instead. On a mundane level, try doing a thorough cleaning of your physical space - get rid of the clutter. On a spiritual and emotional level, try to do the same thing - teach your mind to let go of the things that are creating excess baggage for your spirit and soul.
As the calendar year draws to a close, this is also a good time to start planning ahead. Think about what changes you're going to want to make in the coming months. You know all those New Year's resolutions you always make? Put some planning and forethought into them this time around, and you'll be far more likely to keep them. Get ready to break your bad habits, and start forming some good ones, to become a new and improved version of yourself in the new year.
I came across a wonderful Full Wolf Moon ritual while researching online and thought it might be of interest to some of our readers. Follow the link below:
Because the birdsong might be pretty, But it's not for you they sing, And if you think my winter is too cold, You don't deserve my spring. ― Erin Hanson
Craft Corner...
Homemade Bird Feeders for our Feathered Friends.
If you want more birds in your yard, the first thing you need to do is attract them. There are various specialized feeders you can buy for different kinds of birds, but the cost can add up. Consider making your own feeders instead. These DIY bird feeder projects are a fun way to liven up your yard for much less than you'd spend buying a quality feeder from a store.
I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ― Lewis Carroll
The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron
~ Charred Vegetable Ragu ~
I made this for a Temple event a few years ago and it was delicious (according to that night's attendees)! To make it fully vegan simply eliminate the cheese or substitute your favorite vegan cheese - Happy Cooking!
The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. – Melody Beattie
"It sifts from Leaden Sieves"
by Emily Dickinson
Without once using the word "snow," Dickinson writes about "it" in beautiful imagery.
It sifts from Leaden Sieves -
It powders all the Wood.
It fills with Alabaster Wool
The Wrinkles of the Road -
It makes an Even Face
Of Mountain, and of Plain -
Unbroken Forehead from the East
Unto the East again -
It reaches to the Fence -
It wraps it Rail by Rail
Till it is lost in Fleeces -
It deals Celestial Vail
To Stump, and Stack - and Stem -
A Summer’s empty Room -
Acres of Joints, where Harvests were,
Recordless, but for them -
It Ruffles Wrists of Posts
As Ankles of a Queen -
Then stills its Artisans - like Ghosts -
Denying they have been -
Image from: Gallery Yopriceille
I love the scents of winter! For me, it’s all about the feeling you get when you smell pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread and spruce.” – Taylor Swift
January Laughs:
Write for Goddess Speak!
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