So when should you unfurl tissue wrapped baubles and detangle last years lights? It depends as Yuletide is steeped in a seasonal cocktail of tradition, folklore, personal bias and how long your eyes can handle the visual display. Shopping malls may well be dripping with ubiquitous tinsel tinged displays . . . but has the “magic” that surrounds true Yuletide faded?
Read morePEACE DEAL
Peace Doves by Dark Dwarf via Flickr. Match by Sebastian Ritter CC2.5 viaWikicommons
PEACE DEAL — Firstly, this is not a political post just a little ponder on some verbatim astro in motion.
As the year draws to a close we’ve all become familiar with Elemental friction between the two elements in the annual pillar Wood & Fire (Snake) something I highlighted in my 2025 forecasts. “Fire is the child of wood; a metaphorical match offers momentary flashes into the future, a light bulb moment." Striking deals is another obvious manifestation - and arguably a more relevant than the ubiquitous and overly reliant theme of ‘shedding’ that flooded the socials as a key theme. Snake is not the only animal that sheds; Tiger, Monkey and Pig the other zodiacal ‘growth’ animals all shed. Also it’s the elemental union of Heavenly Stem and Animal sign that offers the most accurate analysis. I digress, back to deals 😉
Read moreROSEMARY, REMEMBRANCE & MARTINMAS DAY
Rosemary by Mark Bonica via Flickr CC02
Remembrance Day is a Memorial day that falls on 11 November to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Originally evolving out of Armistice Day. On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, in the 11th month, folk stop for a minute silence to remember those no longer with us. In Australia, Anzac Day is reserved for veneration of fallen service men and women during World War One - it falls on April 25th annually - Lest we forget. Rosemary and Remembrance, features heavy on both days. With a swag of benefits, Rosemary’s uses got way beyond it’s culinary uses.
Read moreFEAST OF APPLES - SAMHAIN
Michela Simmoncini via Flickr CC BY 2.0
I’ve no doubt candy filled bags of loot and masks of the ghoulish variety are all that’s on the minds of kids. If Halloween fancy dress isn’t your jam, then here’s the download on the true meaning of Samhain. With some very on point cross cultural synergies with Humble apple.
SO WHAT IS SAMHAIN?
Halloween or 'Samhain' (pronounced SOW-win) as Celts called it, was first and foremost a celebration of the end of harvest time and the beginning of a dark half of the calendar year. Naive Irish speakers will know that the calendar months of May and November are called Beltaine and Samhain respectively (oh and August is called Lunasa). These are three of the four Cross Quarter days on the Wheel of the Year, Imbolc in spring completes the quartet. Witches know these markers as Great Sabbats. These power points are Midpoints or Culminating points of a given season - Samhain occurs between the Fall Equinox and Yule (Winter Solstice).
Read moreHalloween + APPLE + Samhain Symbol
How many times have you pressed the Apple command key today?
Well if you're sitting in your office and thought you'd escaped Halloween then think again. Because apart from the humble fruits ties to the festival, so too unbeknownst to most Mac users has Apple's ⌘ Command symbol.
Read moreDouble NINTH Festival
Landscape Painted on the Double Ninth Festival by Shitao (Zhu Ruoji) dated 1705. Public Domain Met Musuem.
Happy Seniors’ Day! Since 1966 the Double Ninth Festival has celebrated Senior members of the community. The ‘Double Ninth Festival’ is also known as Chong Yang Festival; which burrows its name from the calendar date meaning the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the Chinese calendar. In Chinese ‘Chong’ means ‘double’ and ‘Yang’ is a nod to the number nine (9) which is the highest Yang number. and its also known as as the Chrysanthemum Festival. This year the festival falls on Sun 22 Oct 2023, in the Universal calendar.
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