Awareness for seemingly unimportant things

The 1st of August is one of those four days in between the prominent equinoctial and solstitial positions in the Earth‘s orbit. While the other three found their way into the general public‘s calendar as Candlemas, Labour Day and All Hallows, this day is only really celebrated on a national scale in Switzerland, based in history not season. Modern definitions do not appear to be especially connected to each other nor do they have much of an agrarian connotation: Mahjong, girlfriends and canon singing among others. In my personal case the first weekend in August is usually devoted to open air entertainment, another reason for me usually not spending too much attention to this special day in the wheel of the year.

Myths and tradtions

In Celtic traditions the 1st of August was celebrated as Lughnasadh and to this day it is an official Bank Holiday in Scotland and Ireland. One basic ascpect of the traditions was a solemn cutting and sacrificing of the first sheaves of grain on a field. On the British Isles there was also the custom of making the last sheaves into sometimes very elaborate corn dollies.

In my garden the main thing to observe at the moment is the heat so my most important activity is watering the plants that I so lovingly cultivated so they do not give up on the finishing straight. As it happens, what I most notice in my region are the golden fields of grain, even though the actual harvest date is not fixed according to the calendar but to the variety, the ripeness and the grain moisture, Each year farmers keep their eyes on the weather most diligently and weigh the hours of sunshine that might still be on offer with being able to take in their crops while dry enough.

Transforming grain into bread

Not every type of cereal is meant for baking bread and not all of them are harvested between July and August. In different regions of the Earth different plants provide the basis for the population‘s „daily bread“, for example wheat, corn or rice. While some of us prefer a low carb diet, some have an intolerance toward gluten, I am a very happy fan of bread. Also during 2020 I fell in love with sourdough and the fascinating process of fermentation which humans discovered early to make their food more nutritious and digestible. (And in some cases to transform grain into alcoholic beverages.)

Until very recently, I had not been aware that rye, which needs sourdough fermentation to make a good bread, had been the main staple bread cereal in large parts of Europe for centuries. In general, these days we often have not too much of an idea about the history and the making of bread, the basic food for many people in many corners of the Earth, or about how and when the different plant species are grown. Just like we have a very loose connection with the 1st of August as one stop on our journey through the seasons, we are not often consciously appreciative of the current harvest that secures a big chunk of our food calories. I find this remarkable and intend to learn more about bread and its fundamental contribution to human history. Some things are so plainly visible to us that we hardly notice them. Until they are not there anymore.

What about you?

How does Nature currently present itself where you live? Have the corn fields been harvested yet? How much are you aware of the significance, history and making of bread or other staples you might rely on? What do you have to water and cool, so it does not wilt in the abundance of sunshine? Is there a corn dolly tradition in your regional culture? Where in your life are things that you may take for granted, but which are actually very important? What can you do to increase your awareness of them?

Meditation and looking forward to the wheel spinning onwards

I have uploaded a short meditation about gratitide and successful cooperation for you to try another approach to this holiday. You can find it here.

This post refers back to this main article and is part of a series on each of the eight holidays of the year. During 2020 I wrote a post for every one of those dates. Of course the cycle will carry on and I plan to add new things so stay tuned for the 22nd of September!

Gathering strength in times of plenty

The summer solstice always reminds me of my childhood and reaching the highest point of the swing in my family‘s garden. A bit weightless and undeniably a lot ephemeral. Astronomically speaking, the Northern Hemisphere now tips towards summer and in complete contrast to the equinoxes the difference between light and dark hours of the day is now greatest. On the other hand the rate of change is lowest from one day to the next. At the roller coaster summit we seem to stand still for a fraction of a second, poised for accelerating downward. And yet, contrary to popular belief we are currently not even especially close to the sun in our orbit. The distance between Sun and Earth is greatest at the beginning of July and smallest just after New Year‘s Day. It‘s all a question of inclination.

Ancient Megalithic monuments are often oriented according to the Sun‘s position at the solstices. Of course we have no way of knowing how exactly the people of those days celebrated those special dates back then. But we can be sure that they played a big role in the calendar of humans whose lives depended on natural cycles and agricultural seasons. When the abundance of food, light and warmths reliably oscillates between two extremes, traditions and the general world view will definitely be affected.

Too hot to do much work

In my region currently the air is heavy and sweet with the scent of roses and lilacs. Personally, I am of the type of human who prefers to retreat to the basement when the outside temperatures rise above 30°C. This only contributes to the impression that practically nothing is moving, me included. At the moment strawberries, cherrys and other sweet fruit are in season but also a lot of colourful vegetables. There is not much to do in my garden apart from watching Nature do its work on its own and marvel at all the flowers and berries. Just as in other aspects of life, sometimes you just have to trust in the process and put your feet up without feeling guilty. Not everything is going to benefit from me constantly fiddling with it. And even in this society that praises being busy, sometimes it is perfectly fine to take a break, especially when it is too hot to do anything anyway. In farming this is the time to gather strength for the coming harvest. Having to work hard is going to happen one way or the other, so it seems wise to not unnecessarily wear yourself out beforehand.

Myths and traditions

In some regions Saint John’s Eve marks the end of the asparagus season, another message that the brightest, warmest and loveliest days carry within them an end to some indulgences. The fact that each fruit and vegetable has its season makes them even more precious to me. Knowing that a strawberry will spoil from lying around for too long, I decide to enjoy it now with all my senses fully aware of its transience. (As a second option, I make jam.) Which other things in life can I not hold onto forever but only savour here and now? What do I want to feast on literally and metaphorically, without guilt, because it is available to me only for a limited amount of time?

In some cultures, people collected Saint John’s wort around Midsummer for protection against all sorts of danger real or imagined. The idea of picking flowers that remind them of the Sun at its peak and putting them in their pockets seems to contradict the notion that there are things you cannot hold onto. On the other hand, this herb seems to have given these people strength even though they could watch the actual flowers wither in their hands. So in the end this tradition is an apt metaphor for the message of the summer solstice. What you can take with you going forward is not material but the energy you get from savouring something when it is abundant.

What about you?

How does Nature currently present itself where you live? What in your garden flourishes without your active contribution? What does your current meal plan look like? How does the knowledge of not being able to hold onto a special moment help you in enyoing it even more deeply? Do you always treat yourself to the breaks that you need? What is your level of guilt and regret in relationship with taking breaks?

Meditation and looking forward to the wheel spinning onwards

I have uploaded a short meditation about gathering strength for you to try another approach to this holiday. You can find it here.

This post refers back to this main article and is part of a series on each of the eight holidays of the year. During 2020 I will write another post for every one of those dates so stay tuned for the 1st of August!

The creative potential of reconciliation

Mayday is among the four feast days that are not based on astronomy but are spaced in between the solar feast days. On a secular level we celebrate International Workers‘ Day, in one of the German federal states celebrates a „Day of Peace and International Reconciliation“. Culturally we still observe traditions of lighting bonfires or dancing around a maypole. For some people today is Beltane, or for those on the southern hemisphere it is Samhain. The latter will be the subject of another blog post between October and November.

You surely already have an idea of the themes that, at least to me, are reason for celebration today. Going back in history far enough we can see fertililty rites. Fertility from our perspective sound a bit banal and frivolous. However, back then it was of existential importance that your seeds grew into a harvest that kept you from starving during winter. In those days fertility was more than a romantic occasion for dacing around a big fire.

Endless possibilities in genetic recombination

Where I live Nature now shows itself most prominently in fruit trees exploding into countless blossoms. Female plant parts wait for fertillisation by male parts. Sexual reproduction mixes up the genetics of two parental organisms leading to a wide range of potential new qualities in the offspring generation. The coming together of two halves to make a new complete entity is an evolutionary advantage. On the other hand, each half depends on finding the other on time and the success of fertilisation is not guaranteed.

I do not want to limit this day to the biological categories of male and female. In any case it does not seem especially helpful to me to permanently assign properties to either of them. I am more interested in what happens when two apparent opposites in general connect to synthesize something entirely new which with a bit of luck can be even more than the sum of its parts.

The hope for peace

As an example, the reconciliation of two nations afters years of conflict can release large amounts of energy and resources. What before had been absorbed by war activities can now be invested into projects to benefit everyone. Two (or more) people fighting can create synergies by not focussing on what separates them but looking at common ground between them. This may even benefit people not directly involved in this controversy. Reconciling seemingly conflicting qualities, needs or dogmas inside of me can have a similar effect. If for example in some contexts I am happy to take risks while in others I like to play it safe, these two sides of myself can come together and create a new view of things, ideally taking care of all needs involved and also uncovering completely new options on a higher level. You can exchange my examples with an almost endless number of other notions. The fights we keep going within our own minds are very individual after all.

Thematically Mayday picks up the threads of the Spring Equinox. Back then seemingly opposite concepts were brought into balance. Now they find a way to create something new. The blossom and the pollen turn into an apple, warring nations start collaborating and the inner conflict in my head turns into a more relaxed attitude towards myself.

In the end I would like to go back to being romantic again and say it is basically all about love. Love, which can bridge divides and shine a light on what both sides have in common. If that is not a reason to celebrate, I have no idea what is. To be able to connect we have to open up or to actively go searching for blossoms and take the risk that maybe things may not fit together in the end. Dancing around the Mayday fire does not guarantee fertility. But not even dancing at all is sure to prevent any connectionn from the start.

What about you?

How does Nature currently present itself where you live? Is there conflict in your life, either internally or externally? How do you create new concepts out of apparent contradictions? Is there space in your life for blossoms, pollen and love? In which areas are you willing to take the risk of being open or looking for connection? What would be the alternative option?

Meditation and looking forward to the wheel spinning onwards

I have uploaded a short meditation about finding inner peace for you to try another approach to this holiday. You can find it here.

This post refers back to this main article and is part of a series on each of the eight holidays of the year. During 2020 I will write another post for every one of those date so stay tuned for the 21st of June!

A balance of contradictions

The spring equinox is one of two points on the Earth‘s orbit, where the two halves of the day, the light and the dark, are of equal length and where on the other hand the rate of change is highest. So at the astronomical beginning of spring we move towards the lighter half of the at the fastest speed while from this day forward the amount of light we gain is going to progressively decrease.

This brings us to the themes of this festival: Apparent paradoxes, entangled within each other. A perfect balance that will crumble especially quickly. A balance of light and dark. And the signal for the unstoppable bursting forth of life.

Increased activity in nature

While at Candlemas we saw tentative indications of the coming spring, now we can observe shrubs pushing out light green leaves or forsythias painting front yards bright yellow. In sheep herding regions, lambs can be seen jumping around with boundless energy and some people may even still remember that only a few decades back chicken eggs were scarce during winter. During the last couple of days I have noticed increased insect activity and today for the first time this year, a bumblebee knocked on my window.

There is an old German song about a farmer preparing his fields in Marchand there really are several plant varieties that can be sown now. So a few days ago I sprinkled two flower mixtures in our garden, one for butterflies and one for bees. For the moment I am watching robins and sparrows eat (hopefully only part of) the seeds. The involuntary extension of spare time the new Corona virus brought gave me some extra motivation to convert part of our garden into a vegetable patch. At Candlemas I planned and otherwise twiddled my thumbs, now it is time for action. Another good tradition is spring cleaning, sweeping away old dust to make room for the new things in our lives. And now more than ever our immune systems will benefit from us walking or running outside in the fresh air at a reasonable distance to other people. Like I mentioned in my previous post, this will help us appreciate how even while socially distancing we are all inextricably linked in the geat web of life.

As much as we may welcome the days from now now on being increasingly lighter rather than darker: The year goes round in an eternal circle. The more intensely we reject the dark, the more it will hit us emotionally come autumn. Whatever I refuse to accept about myself or the world around me, will inevitably bubble up somewhere else in my life. A more helpful approach is to instead try to see the one within the other. To look at what I can take with me from one half of the year into the other. What inside me wants to be integrated into other more accepted parts of myself? And what should really be swept away so I am ready for new things? How can I create a real (if fleeting!) balance in pondering all this?

Myths and traditions

Jacob Grimm told us about a spring goddess Ostara, who even made it into lists of crossword clues, even though her historic authenticity is widely doubted. While this goddess may never have been celebrated by germanic tribes under this name there are myths about spring goddesses tracing back to a number of civilisations. Often she is kidnapped and has to live in some kind of underworld so the Earth goes barren until the spring goddess returns.We can assume that the people back then, living much more closely with the seasons, sowing, reaping and times of scarcity and who observed the apparent movements of the sun accross the sky, were very much aware of the equinoxes. It it likely they celebrated these days even if the exact rituals have been lost in time. One important aspect of the spring goddess is that she brings both life and death, always carrying part of the other personality with her, only really changing her outward appearance.

Another relevant myth is the one about Cybele and Attis who mysteriously both emerged from one being. After living together for a while, they went separate ways until due to dramatic circumstances Attis died. The grieving Cybele was granted by Zeus only one consolation: That Attis‘ body will not decompose. What is remarkable is that this story of interwoven polarities, of sacrifice, eternity and the longing for unity was the basis for a longstanding festival observed around the spring equinox.

What about you?

How does Nature currently present itself where you live? How do you sense the short moment of equilibrium and how do you especially appreciate its transience? How to you handle (seeming) contradictions, the things you desire and reject? Is there space in your life for new green foliage? Which important things from the dark half of the year will you take with you? What will you (seemingly) sacrifice?

Meditation and looking forward to the wheel spinning onwards

I have uploaded a short meditation about finding balance for you to try another approach to this holiday. You can find it here.

This post refers back to this main article and is part of a series on each of the eight holidays of the year. During 2020 I will write another post for every one of those date so stay tuned for the 1st of May!

Finding the right moment

December‘s darkness is compensated for by mulled wine, candlelight, sweets and carols. Compare that to January, a month that in the Northern Hemisphere is known more for dreary weather and taking inexplicably long. Yes, the sun rises earlier each day, however that is basically it. Still, a lot of us use it to turn our New Year‘s resolution into action, getting motivated for increased amounts of exercise or tidying up our homes.

Now that January is almost over, maybe like me you step outside each day looking out for the snowdrops in your front yard, full of hope that this is the day they finally blossom. Neither plucking at them nor pleading can make them grow. Those lovely messengers of early spring will show up when they are ready. And where I live they are apparently not. In general, February is a weird time to me when everything seems to be in the starting blocks waiting for some kind of sign.

Outside, the hazelnut bushes are in bloom, several bird species have started their chirping contest and the squirrels can be seen speeding around our garden with special vigour. Sun hours have increased by 1 hour and 20 minutes since the solstice. There is quite a lot of leaves and twigs covering the ground, although I am not yet ready to jump into gardening action. This year I plan to grow some vegetables at last and every time I check the tutorials I am still too early. If I had to pick a gesture for this time of year it would be a twiddling of my thumbs.

The mood outside is reflected in some of my projects, one of them being the vegetable patch, some others having to do with redecoration but before I can get to them there is some preparation work to be done. Patience is not exactly my favourite state of mind which is why it is especially important for me. I easily get blocked by wanting to get something done quickly, installing a couple of preconditions, tripping over them and then giving up on the entire thing in a total huff. If I can‘t make it by this one point in time, then I just won‘t at all.

Myths and traditions

The snowdrops can teach me a lesson here. They do not care when anyone else expects them to bloom. They are ready when they are ready. But then they actually are ready and do not hold back the blossom and adjourn the date. This relaxed listening for a sign from within could save me a lot of energy and frustration with all of my projects. We can also see this line of thought in the tradition of Groundhog Day. If the groundhog leaves its burrow to see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If the sky is cloudy on the 2nd of February, there will be an early spring. Of course you can try and keep the animal from looking in the shadow‘s direction and crawling back, but this will not change the coming weather. What you can do is sit, wait and observe.

Candlemas is a catholic holiday celebrated by blessing candles for the future year or making St. Brigid crosses. The latter used to be a Celtic goddess and was later turned into a saint. Among other things she ruled the fire, smithing, contracts and creativity. To me it seems fitting that the signal for the right moment has to do with inspiration as well as working your iron at the right temperature, not striking it to early or too late. This might be a good image for me to keep in mind for a balance between patience and action.

What about you?

What is Nature up to where you live? How do you manage to know when the time has come to start your projects? Do you have an idea on where you receive your inspiration from? Is your inner energy level in line with the outer seasonal processes? Which contracts are you concluding right now with yourself and with the world?

Meditation and looking forward to the wheel spinning onwards

I have uploaded a short meditation about finding the right moment to start for you to try another approach to this holiday. You can find it here.

This post refers back to this main article and is part of a series on each of the eight holidays of the year. During 2020 I will write another post for every one of those date so stay tuned for the 20th of March!

Around the sun in 365 to 366 days

I am a big fan of living with the seasons. In mid-latitude regions you are never bored but also there are no days when the sun cannot be seen all day either. Throughout history humans have observed the changes in weather patterns and the hours of sunshine per day. This resulted in special holidays, the so called wheel of the year. It is still meaningful to celebrate and look into today even if you might not be religious or have any spiritual affiliation at all.

There are four astronomically interesting points within one journey of the Earth around the Sun: The solstices which mark the beginnings of summer and winter, respectively. Also the equinoxes at the start of spring as well as autumn and roughly in between are four dates that have partly made their way into Christian and secular calendars: Candlemas on the 2nd of February, May Day on the 1st of May, the 1st of august and All Saints’ Day on the 1st of November. The time intervals between these eight days are not exactly identical, due to the elliptical shape of Earth’s orbit. But then one day more or less does not make that much difference for observing Nature. Things in the Southern hemisphere are quite similar only the seasons are obviously shifted by half a year.

How can observing the wheel of the year benefit you?

If you give it a try you will experience on a personal level that what happens around us is reflected inside us. Just like there are more hours of sunhsine in summer, we ourselves sometime feel more energetic than at other times. Sometimes we feel the urge to engage with the outside world and sometimes we need to retreat. Just likeaccording to the seasons plants blossom, bear fruit, die and disintegrate back into the soil, there are phases in our lives for planning, starting, finishing and letting go of projects. Especially now that electricity means we never have to accept the darkness of night and can at least in theory travel to warmer countries in winter, it can be healing to consciously feel our connection with Nature. Without the need for any esoteric background. Or, in case you feel like it, including all the frills you can think of.

How do you observe these eight days?

The first step should take you outside. Look around yourself and see what the plants and animals in your region are doing at any given time. Which parts of the plants are visible? Which plants have already shed their leaves again? Which birds have returned or migrated away? Which animals have recently had their offspring? How many sunshine hours do you currently get each day? If you want you can take notes in a journal. Of course you can just mentally observe this journey through the year without recording anything.

Your second step will lead you inward. What is your level of energy? Have you just started or finished any projects? What in your life would you like to celebrate? What do you wish to let go of? How does your inner state correspond with what you can see happening outside your door? You might also want to write this down or express your insights in a drawing or some other creative way. I would actually recommend to at least record the most important points so that at the end  of one year you can look back on the whole journey. It does not matter at which date you start, that is the beauty of a cycle. It is also totally okay to make your observations on the weekend nearest to a particular holiday.

This podcast episode offers another perspective on how we can get in touch with the annual changes of the seasons.

I am going to blog about my own personal thoughts and ideas concerning each of these eight days throughout 2020 and would appreciate very much you joining in and telling me what you found out about yourself. For 2021 I plan on adding meditations fitting the themes of the different holidays.

Blog posts for the eight holidays

These were originally written in 2020.

• 2nd of February
• 20th of March
• 1st of May
• 21st of June
• 1st of August
• 22nd of September
• 1st of November
• 21st of December

Meditations for the eight holidays

These were witten and published in 2021 on my Youtube channel:

• 2nd of February
• 20th of March
• 1st of May
• 21st of June
• 1st of August
• 22nd of September
• 1st of November
• 21st of December

Activities for the eight holidays

These were written in 2022 with one initial main blog post. They will be completed by the end of 2023. I hope 😉

• 2nd of February
• 20th of March
• 1st of May
• 21st of June
• 1st of August
• 22nd of September
• 1st of November
• 21st of December