Lichun – Chinese Start of Spring
Lichun First period of the Chinese luni-solar calendar
February in the garden
Vegetable Garden:
Aquarius 2-4 am
Fixed air – breath hanging crystalline in the air. Lightness – After the watery goat sees the way through rules rules rules, Comes The airy water bearer. Fixed air sign right at the end of winter. Time to embrace new potentials and to open our minds to alternate perspectives. The new is moving emerging from the Read more about Aquarius 2-4 am[…]
Winter solstice Murmuration
Tim Dee Dusk on the winter solstice: the shortest day and longest night of the year. I was cold and alone on a track on the Somerset Levels, looking towards the dying light in the west. Moving across the sky in front of me, like the breath of the earth, were thousands of birds – Read more about Winter solstice Murmuration[…]
Winter
Monk: What happens when the leaves fall and the trees are bare?Union: The golden Wind, revealed.Hegikan Roku the blue cliff record.Yoga through the seasons Sandra sabatini,In Buddhism the Golden Wind is a metaphor for the reality that you can only experience and which we call God. From midway between Samhain and winter solstice, so the Read more about Winter[…]
Bear Hibernation December – Spring Equinox
When the weather grows cold and the food supply finally dries up, black bears retreat to their winter dens. Males bed down around mid-December and emerge in mid-March; females, which give birth during the winter and stay with their cubs for two years, remain in their dens longer, from late November to mid-April.
Winter
“On the coldest day you appreciate the warmth of the fireand the blanket around you the most .On the darkest night you can see the stars of the northern skyand endlessness of the universe the clearest.” The Making of Winter Poem – Secret Garden In Celtic nations such as Ireland, the winter solstice is traditionally considered as Read more about Winter[…]
February
Lichen on bare branches, winds howl, birdsong builds, daffodils spear & leafbuds fatten Love is in the air, on the song of courting birds. February comes from the word februum (purification) and februa, the rites or instruments used for purification. Time to spring clean, out with the old, to make space for the new. Lent Read more about February[…]
Imbolc – In the belly & St Brigid’s day
At the mid point between winter solstice & spring equinox Spring stirs This Celtic festival honours the goddess Brigid, who represents the maiden, and heralds the beginning of the awakening of nature. St Brigid and her magic cloak St Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland (c. 451-525) is one of Ireland’s patron saints along Read more about Imbolc – In the belly & St Brigid’s day[…]
The Wheel of the Agricultural Year
The January Man The January man he goes around in woollen coat and boots of leatherThe February man still shakes the snow from of his clothes and blows his handsThe man of March he sees the Spring and wonders what the year will bringAnd hopes for better weather. Through April rain the man goes down Read more about The Wheel of the Agricultural Year[…]
A GOLDEN COMPASS
Forget every idea of right and wrong any classroom ever taught youBecause an empty heart, a tormented mind, unkindness, jealousy and fearAre always the testimony you have been completely fooled!Turn your back on those who would imprison your wondrous spiritWith deceit and lies.Come, join the honest company of the King’s beggars –Those gamblers, scoundrels and Read more about A GOLDEN COMPASS[…]
The best season
Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,this is the best season of your life. by Wu Men Hui-k’aiEnglish version by Stephen Mitchell Flowing in and out of all the cycles of the life. Our breath, the circadian daily rhythmn , Read more about The best season[…]
For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet
Joy Harjo Put down that bag of potato chips, that white bread, that bottle of pop. Turn off that cellphone, computer, and remote control. Open the door, then close it behind you. Take a breath offered by friendly winds. They travel the earth gathering essences of plants to clean. Give it back with gratitude. If Read more about For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet[…]
Moon phases
Watch the animation below to see how the phases of the Moon work during a complete lunar cycle. https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/names-full-moons-throughout-year How many phases of the Moon are there? In between these, the Moon goes through multiple stages of partial illumination during its different phases. These are the banana-shaped crescent Moon, the D-shaped quarter Moon and the almost complete gibbous Moon. Read more about Moon phases[…]
The Natural Flow of Life
In the Complete book of Oriental Yoga Hatha and Taoist Yoga for the Seasons By Michael Hetherington says,“ There is no doubt that energy moves through us differently according to the time of day, the climatic conditions, the attitudes we harbor and the cycles of the moon, just to name a few. With the natural Read more about The Natural Flow of Life[…]
Seasonal rhythms
The Earth’s seasons can be understood as “phases of the Sun”, similar to how the Moon goes through its cycle of phases. This graph shows the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere, with the x-axis being time and the y-axis being intensity of Sun energy (blue) and temperature (pink). (For the Southern Hemisphere, this cycle is Read more about Seasonal rhythms[…]
Dahan – Great cold – The final chapter of Winter
Dahan, meaning “Major Cold,” is the last of China’s 24 Solar Terms and traditionally marks the coldest period of the year. It usually falls around January 20th, when winter reaches its seasonal peak before gradually giving way to spring. It is the cold of a bare branch against a slate sky, of breath hanging crystalline in the air. Dahan emphasizes rest, storage, Read more about Dahan – Great cold – The final chapter of Winter[…]
New moon in Capricorn
Capricorn is identified as the satyr Pan, the god with a goat’s horns and legs, who saved himself from the monster, Typhon, by giving himself a fish’s tail, becoming a sea – goat and diving into a river. Although they can appear boring and unfeeling: its not true! While Capricorn’s top half, the Goat, can navigate Read more about New moon in Capricorn[…]
Capricorn New Moon – First lunation of 2026
January 18th – February 17th Capricorn mountain goat finding a way through even the toughest mountain terrain. Capricorn season is the time of year when people turn inward—the dark and cold time. Capricorn energy invites us to hunker down and find the way through. Roots. Use this Capricorn new moon to consider what work needs to Read more about Capricorn New Moon – First lunation of 2026[…]
Monday 13th January – Plough Monday
The Shepherd’s Calendar – January by John Clare Withering and keen the Winter comes, While Comfort flies to close-shut rooms, And sees the snow in feathers pass Winnowing by the window-glass; Whilst unfelt tempests howl and beat Above his head in chimney-seat. Now, musing o’er the changing scene, Farmers behind the tavern-screen Collect; — with elbow idly press’d On hob, reclines the corner’s guest, Reading the Read more about Monday 13th January – Plough Monday[…]
Xiǎo Hán Slight Cold
The 23rd solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar marks the coldest period of the year and deepest winter. It begins when the Sun reaches the 285° longitude and ends when it reaches the longitude of 300°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of Read more about Xiǎo Hán Slight Cold[…]