The Cycles of the Year...As Above, So Below

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I have been thinking and planning in all areas of my life as of late. I have always felt a sense of renewal in the fall, as it coincides with the start of the school year! It came to me that I should post on the calendar, and the importance of how we keep/view time. The ancients celebrated a cycle that highlighted 8 important markers/times during the year, coinciding with the cycles of the season.

These cycles mark...

The New Year (March 21/The Vernal (Spring) Equinox: When day and night are in complete balance
May 1 (May Day); This marks the ancient festival of the May Pole (a time of fertility/ hence the phallic nature of the pole that was used)
June 21 (Summer Solstice) The Longest Day of the Year (From this day forward the light begins to wane/summer in Northern Hemisphere)
August 1 (Start of Harvest/ A Festival of Bread in ancient times)
September 21 (The Fall Equinox, day and night are in balance) Thanksgiving
Oct 31/Nov 1 (The time of year when the veil between worlds in the thinnest) hence the celebration of Halloween
December 21 (The Winter Solstice) The longest night of the Year when the ancients celebrated the rebirth of the sun
Feb. 2 (A fire festival) A night to sit by the fire and focus on rebirth/renewal as we head into spring

This cycle ties into the age old axiom "as above, so below" which is an explanation of how the cosmos is reflected in both the micro and macro. The above clip briefly explains how the axiom is related to the map, cycles of the year, our bodies, astrology, and fairy tales/folklore...

The Gregorian calendar is somewhat of an enslaving entity, in that it triggers consumption (Christmas, Valentine's Day are prime examples), and removes us from the natural, seasonal cycles that people have celebrated for thousands of years. The New Year really should be considered March 21, when the Earth is awaking from its slumber, and is headed into the renewal/rebirth of spring (hence the Christian placement of Easter during this time of year, after the first full moon, after the Vernal Equinox), with the egg as a symbol of rebirth.