🐍Snakes and Snowdrops❄️
...plus last chance to join 9 months of New Moon circles🌒
Dear you,
Welcome to the first of this year’s eight free editions of Moontime Musings in line with the Pagan Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year.
The Wheel of the Year has turned once again which means that this newsletter edition is open to everyone, with seven more scheduled for the year ahead. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive all of the editions by clicking the button below. Thank you.
First things first - hello to new subscribers - thank you for being here. As long-time readers will know, my online offerings, including this newsletter, are curated around the Wheel of the Year and the Lunar Cycle of 29.5 days.
I’ve just completed a beautiful spiral of 13 weeks from Samhain (31 October) to Imbolc (1 February) with 7 other beautiful humans through my journey Rituals for Rest. Holding space to find rest as we entered the darkest phase of the solar year in the Northern Hemisphere was such a magical experience and I feel such gratitude for the participants who journeyed with me.
As we edge towards Spring, I continue to offer space for introspection and intention setting at another dark point each month - the New moon - through my monthly online women’s circles.
If this is a practice that you feel called to for 2025, I’d love you to join my Moontime Magick container. In between circles, you’ll have access to digital resources in the form of 29 plant guides and 8 goddess guides linked to the seasons (such as this one for Goddess Bridgid - who symbolises Imbolc).
Doors to join for the full 9 month Moontime Magick container close at midnight tonight (Friday 31 January).
Next, here are some seasonal dates for the month ahead to set your compass to:
29 January: Lunar New Year ~ The Year of the Wood Snake
29 January 12:35 GMT: New Snow Moon in Aquarius
1 February: Moontime Magick begins
1-2 February: Imbolc
2 February: Candlemas
12 February: Full Snow Moon in Leo 13:53 GMT
14 February: St Valentine’s Day (or gallentines/palentines!)
18 February: beginning of the Ash Moon season in the tree Zodiac (find out more in my free Celtic Tree Calendar)
19 February: Sun moves into Pisces
❄️Imbolc
Imbolc is a liminal time of year. As we emerge from the depths of January we begin to see glimmers of birth and renewal in the more-than-human world as February unfolds. Daffodils, crocuses and, of course, snowdrops are all signs of the promise of Spring, yet there’s still a chance of snow, and we find ourselves in this in-between place. The word Imbolc is often translated as ‘in the belly’ - signifying the pregnant pause taken by the more-than-human world before bursting into life in Spring.
In Christian tradition the festival of Candlemas falls 40 days after Christmas on 2 February. Some Christians will fast on 1 February then feast on Candlemas itself which falls on 2 February, as well as making the journey to their local church to have their candles blessed. Pancakes are a common feature at the feast table - an excuse to have pancakes for tea in February and again in March for Shrove Tuesday!
As with some of the feasts I’ve written about in previous newsletters, such as the feast of St Martin and St Lucy, Candlemas has its own deity: Goddess or Saint Bridgid. She is known by many names and in Celtic languages her name translates as ‘the fiery one’ - a true solar Goddess. She is the patroness of healers, poets, blacksmiths and the saint of holy wells. She is often represented by a Bridgid’s cross woven from reeds and hung above the lintels, thought to ward off evil, fire and hunger.
🐍Chinese New Year (新年) or Spring Festival (春节)
On Wednesday we had the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice (the shortest day) which means that we’ve entered a Lunar or Chinese New Year (新年). Happy New Year! In the Chinese Zodiac, 2025 is the year of the Snake (shennian 蛇年) - an animal symbolising wisdom, transformation, and shedding of the old to make room for the new.
In case you didn’t know, there’s not only an animal assigned to each year in the Chinese Zodiac, but each animal cycles through the Chinese five elements of Earth, Metal, Fire, Water and Wood with last year being the year of the Wood Dragon.
Some folkore and myth for this festival includes:
According to one story, once upon a time there was a world of ghosts. In it there was a mountain with a big peach tree expanding over a vast landscape. On top of this tree nestled a golden rooster. Each morning when the rooster crowed, all the ghosts would hurriedly return from their night out. At the entrance to the ghost world sat two Door Gods (门神) on each side of the gate. If a returning ghost was found to have done harm or evil the night before, it would be punished by the Door Gods. This is the origin of the couplets that people display during the Spring Festival: they are believed to have the power of stopping evils and bad luck.
Source: RMG1
That’s all from me for this first free edition of 2025. Please consider sharing this newsletter with anyone who you think would like it. Your reciprocity is greatly appreciated 🙏
The next edition comes out in the week of the the next New (Wind) Moon on 28 February 2025 and full access will be for paid subscribers only. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for less than the price of a good coffee each month (£3.50) or £35 a year.
Thank you for reading and Imbolc blessings.
Love,
Charly x