April 20 -May 04 Gu yu is the last solar term of spring & marks the beginning of warmer temperatures and the onset of the rainy season, marking the time when rainfall becomes sufficient to nourish crops, allowing growth to take root and develop more fully. It is therefore an important period for farmers to Read more about Chinese Gu yu Grain Rain[…]
Time of Blossom, Migrating birds, Rainbows and Honouring the ancestors China Japan Qingming festival one of China’s largest events based off of the lunar calendar when Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make ritual offerings to their ancestors. Honoring one’s ancestors is deeply rooted in Chinese culture, as Read more about Chinese season of Clear and Bright / Pure Brightness[…]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000tp83 Radio 4 Good Friday meditation – Behold the Man
April takes its name from the Latin word aperire, meaning ‘to open’ New life bursts forth from translucent red pomegranate tips on the branches of the handkerchief tree and I stand surrounded by a choir of lilac leaves as they open soft, furry, almost-purple buds and unfurl into delicate new leaves with blushed red tips sounding their Read more about April[…]
Earth aerated Jīngzhé, 惊蛰, is the 3rd of the 24 solar terms (節氣) in the traditional Chinese calendars. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 345° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 360°. More often, it refers to the day when the Sun is exactly at a celestial longitude of 345°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually Read more about jīngzhé – hibernating insects awaken[…]
March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. This statue shows him in battle gear. The Roman calendar originally began in March, and the months of January and February were added later, after a calendar reform. Sun in Pisces until the 19thDreams, liminality, the place between sleep and waking. The time of reawakening, stirring Read more about March[…]
Michael hetherington liver and gall bladder meridians connected with smooth flow of energy around the body and detoxifying. Yoga opening the side body and shoulders, pummelling and qigong. Spring is that time of year when new energy, new life and new dreams blossom. As we move out of the colder and more introverted months of Read more about Spring[…]
First pentad / 獺祭魚 : ‘otters make offerings of fish’. As fish begin to swim upstream, they are hunted by otters, which are believed to offer the fish to heaven. Second pentad / 鴻雁來 : ‘the wild geese arrive’. Wild geese begin to make their northward migration, following the onset of spring. Third pentad / 草木萌動 : ‘trees Read more about yǔshuǐ – More Rain than Snow[…]
Lichun First period of the Chinese luni-solar calendar
Full Snow Moon in Leo, sun in Aquarius. The Farmer’s Almanac tells us that February’s full moon is known as the Snow Moonamongst the Native Americans – Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred Read more about Snow Moon in Leo – Dreams become reality – first blossoms[…]