“As Anna, which means "Goddess Mother," she was known in the Christian tradition as the mother of the Virgin Mary, and thus the grandmother of Jesus.”

 

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LUNAR CYCLES AND GODDESS ENERGIES

by Laura Bryannan

Students of many metaphysical disciplines are aware of the emphasis placed on seasonal timing: one's life flows more easily with universal energy when one follows the laws of nature. On a yearly basis, springtime is the natural time to begin new projects. On a monthly basis, one should look to the New Moon to begin a project, to better utilize the forces of the waxing Moon, and expect to see it's fruition at the Full.

Through much research and experimentation, I have found that the lunar cycles provide further information which can become a starting point for guidance, insight, meditation, and reconnection with the feminine principle.

Many women exploring spiritual paths today have turned to the "old religions" of prehistoric times in which the feminine principle of Universal Energy was revered over the masculine. In these traditions, they find the positive role models, certainly lacking in modern religious practice in the West, and often in New Age teaching also.

By studying the ancient Goddesses, women can reconnect with the archetypes of maiden, lover, mother, healer, empress, teacher, priestess, wise-woman, harvester, and many others. The New Age cliche is, "Seek the God within," but it is often more useful, spiritually, for a woman to "Seek the Goddess within" instead.

Traditionally, the lunar cycles had specific seasonal and Goddess affiliations and associations. One could say that they have very different "personalities." Since working up this information many years ago, I have found that the personalities of the different Moon cycles definitely impact on the emotional, mental, and spiritual "weather" of that period in a similar way that astrological aspects do.

Because my soul's history is mainly European and Celtic, I have emphasized the Goddess energies from these traditions in the following discussion. I'm hoping that, in sharing my work, others will look to their own histories and develop their own way to work with the lunar energies. Those with backgrounds in Egyptian, Indian, African, Asian or Native American traditions may wish to substitute different Goddesses with similar seasonal affiliations in place of the ones I chose. In any event, the game is to tune in and sense which Goddesses personally speak to you at various times during the year and then use those times to get to know them (and yourself) better!

So, how does this system work? The old European traditions placed great importance on the Summer and Winter Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. Of equal importance were the "cross-quarter" days, which marked the halfway points between the solstices and equinoxes. In the European tradition, all of these events had festivals celebrating certain Goddesses:

·         Candlemas (Feb 2)---------------------------Brigid

·         Spring Equinox (approx Mar 22)---------Persephone

·         Beltane (May 2)------------------------------Belili

·         Summer Solstice (approx June 22)-------Cardea

·         Lammas (Aug 2)------------------------------Arianrhod

·         Fall Equinox (approx Sep 22)--------------Demeter

·         Samhain (Oct 31)-----------------------------Hecate

·         Winter Solstice (approx Dec 22)---------Marian

Thus, every year will contain Moons for these Goddesses. However, because the lunar cycles are erratic, there will be years where other Goddess energies come into play. You'll see that, in the discussion following this introduction, I work with the energies of sixteen Goddesses to account for the variations of the Moon's movement in any given year.

To chart out a year, and assign a Goddess to each lunar period, you start with the main seasonal events. Look on a calendar that shows when the Moon is New or check an ephemeris. Find the first event of the year, which is February 2, Candlemas. Keeping in mind that the lunar cycle runs from New Moon to New Moon, the Moon of Brigid is the cycle that contains Candlemas. In 2008, this lunar cycle runs from January 8th to February 6th. Next, find the lunar cycle that contains the Spring Equinox (approx March 22). This will be the Moon of Persephone. In 2008, it runs from March 7th to April 5th.

You will note that there is an additional lunar cycle between Brigid and Persephone. It runs from February 7th to March 6th. When a cycle opens up at this time of the year, I call it the Moon of Morrigan. However, in 2006, Brigid and Persephone ran back-to-back and Morrigan did not occur.

Thus, every year has different lunar energies coming into play, depending on how the cycles fall. This is what I find so interesting to watch and experiment with. There are many ways to use this information. For example, as an astrologer, I've noticed that most of my friends were born during the Moon of Morrigan. Statistically, this should not be, because this Moon period does not occur every year, but there it is.

The following discussion is the result of compiling information from many sources, but I am most heavily indebted to Robert Graves' The White Goddess (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: New York, 1948). This book is a must for anyone looking to delve deeper into the European Goddess traditions. I've listed the times that the Moons fall for this year to help you get the hang of working with this. Anyway, it's a lot easier to do than to explain! The discussion explains the traditional associations with that particular Goddess, and I've also added my own observations in some cases.

MOON OF ANU
Fruitful Mother of Heaven. This is one of the most ancient names of The Goddess in Europe. As Danu, she was considered the mother of The Dagda, god of the Tuatha de Danaan, and occupier of the New Grange barrow. As Anna, which means "Goddess Mother," she was known in the Christian tradition as the mother of the Virgin Mary, and thus the grandmother of Jesus. She is affiliated with the letter F, fearn, ALDER. Bran, a later transmutation of Anu, is god of alder. He is connected to Cronus/Saturn, and is a raven or crow god. Bran is considered to be the occupier of the Avebury circle and the Silbury mound, the original "spiral castle" of Britain. He was supplanted by Belili in later times (Saturn by Jupiter). Alder is the tree of fairies, yielding three dyes: red, green and brown; and of resurrection, as it's buds are set in a spiral. SATURDAY, SATURN.

 

What do you all think??

Charlie