Wheel Of The Faery Year

כ"ט אב התשס"ח
Belz 1

(hat-tip to Whispr)

WHEEL OF THE FAERY YEAR

March 15
Festival of river nymphs and water fairies, a dangerous day for swimming.

April 30/May 1 - Beltane/May Day
Fairies ride out from their hills to celebrate Beltaine on May Eve.

August 7
Fairy hills and dwellings are revealed on this day.

September 29
Doors open between our world and the fairy realm.

November 8
Another day when it is possible to catch a glimpse of fairyland.

November 11
Festival of the blackthorn fairies.

Year Of The Witch

י'ד בכסלו תשס"ח
Shamash 16

The first day of the 13 months on the witches' lunar year calendar occurs on the first new moon before Samhain. The 13th month - Alban Heruin - occurs every 2 to 3 years. The 13 months of the Witches' Year (with civil dates running through the year 2007-8) are:

Phasma Priscus (days of ancient spirits): 10/11-11/8
Shamash (days of the witch gods): 11/9-12/8
Grael (days of Earth Dragon): 12/9-1/7
Imbolgen (days of reclamation): 1/8-2/5
Keolwulf (days of the Old Ones): 2/6-3/6
Raven (days of air): 3/7-4/4
Annwyn (days of Avalon): 4/5-5/4
Mab (days of Faerie): 5/5-6/2
Alban Heruin (days of the Druid): 6/3-7/1
Faunus (days of Pan): 7/2-7/31
Lugnasadh (days of Lug): 8/1-8/29
Belz (days of fire): 8/30-9/27
Blodlessing (days of harvest rites): 9/28-10/27

Note: Like Jewish calendar "days", Witch calendar "days" begin at sundown.

Related entries:
Intercalating Time
Time Witchery
Akkadian Names Of The Jewish Months

UPDATE: Witch's Calendar For 2008 and 2009

Intercalating Time

ח' בכסלו תשס"ח

Two new additions to my bookshelf: Understanding The Jewish Calendar by Rabbi Nathan Bushwick

"Understanding the Jewish Calendar presents the scientific and mathematical ideas of the Rishonim on the calendar in a clear and simply terminology and form for the modern reader. The principles are all explained step by step, and the calculations are worked out and explained so that they can be understood without previous background in the subject.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with astronomy and serves as an introduction to the principles of the calendar. The second part explains the actual principles and calculations of the calendar."

Seasons Of The Witch Primer by Victoria David Danann

"Magick as Art, Skill and Craft. Companion guide to Seasons of the Witch calendars and planner systems. Victoria David Danann outlines the magickal system and philosophy that serves as foundation to the details of the witch's calendar. Reference section with alphabetical listing of power days, their meanings and explanations, suitable to keep in your planner. This primer serves as a guide to maximize the results of your castings. Includes answers to frequently asked questions, the list of power energies with explanations, tarot and color correspondences and a reference section."

Jewish-Celtic Calendar

I've created a Jewish-Celtic (Jewitch) calendar for my blog and am making the calendar and its code (for embedding in websites) available for public use. At some point I may be adding events from Native American timekeeping as well, but I haven't gotten that far yet. It's still under development, but it's "good to go" through February 2007 as of now, with regard to Jewish and Celtic festivals. Shabbat Torah portions are also included as well as candlelighting times. All times are U.S. CST.

It's available on Google calendars under the title "Jewitch Timecraft", if any other Jewitches out there are interested in using it, feel free. No credit necessary.

Celtic & Jewish Timekeeping

Celtic and Jewish calendars each have 13 months. Interincluded, together they have 26 months (where 26 is the gemaria of the 4-letter Divine Name, the shem ha-etzem). The 13th month of the Celtic calendar is Ruis; of the Jewish calendar, the 13th month is Adar 2, the month of atzilutic interinclusion. Ruis occurs during winter (while Adar 2 occurs as winter turns to spring), the season of terrible ice (malchut of atzilut in a congealed state, of undefined awareness) and snow (chochmah in a state of permanence, memory). Ruis includes the winter solstice and culminates on a day/night set aside apart from any month. This day/night is called the unhewn dolmen, an unhewn stone marking the sacred doorway to the mysteries. The Celtic calendar operates on a 19-year cycle, as does the Jewish calendar; both intercalate solar time into the basically lunar calendar.

Ruis is the month of the blue moon and of mystic completeness; of that called tamim/temimut in Hebrew. A blue moon, defined as two full moons within a single civil (Gregorian) calendar month, occurs 7 times during a 19-year metonic cycle of lunar phases. A blue moon is associated with rarity, and a mathematical probability of 8 in 228, or 3.5%.

In the Jewish calendar, as opposed to the civil calendar, there can never be a blue moon month. The full moon is always mid-month, although this may not necessarily coincide with the astronomical full moon.

In the Celtic determination of time, blue moons can be. In the Jewish determination of time, blue moons can be not. Consequently, between the two calendars, reality can dance between being and not being, between something and nothing. Koach mah? What is the genius in this?

The ordinal value of Chavah (Eve) is 19. The 19th letter of the alef-beit is kuf, the first letter of kadosh, holy. The first 19 physical, the second 19 spiritual, are both bound together in unity using two systems of 19. Thus, the physical and the spiritual are unified through the essence of both Am Yisrael and the nations.

Double blue moons, 2 months of a blue moon in 1 year, are even rarer. The year of my birth,1961, was a year of double blue moons, a double portion of that which occurs 7 times in a 19-year cycle. The doubling of 7 is 14, the number of hours that the true full moon may differ from the calculated one.

Hashem desired a dwelling ... Midrash Tanchuma Naso 16

Akkadian Names Of Jewish Months

I don't want to lose track of this information provided on the Akkadian names [1] of the Jewish months by Fred at On The Main Line:

Nisanu..................................Nisan
Ayaru...................................Iyar
Simanu.................................Sivan
Tamuzu................................Tamuz
Abu.....................................Av
Ululu....................................Elul
Tashritu..............................Tishrei
Varahshamnu.......................Marheshvan
Kislimu................................Kislev
Shabatu..............................Tevet
Tebetu...............................Shevat
Adaru..................................Adar

Fred also writes: "As can be plainly seen from the list, the consonants /m/ interchange with /b/ or /v/ (and those with /y/)."

Footnote:

[1] "The Fifth-Century Jewish Calendar at Elephantine" by S. H. Horn; L. H. Wood, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1. (Jan., 1954), pp. 1-20.

more on the akkadian origin of cheshvan at DovBear