Astronomy Goals

Why yes, it IS a temple of Isis as well as a Pagan shop.

Wk 4- Jan. 26 –  Any writing for the letters A or B - I am keeping this familiar format on week 4 for those who have joined me from the Pagan Blog Project.

To write about the stars, I have to tell you another story, which is no surprise to anyone who knows me in the physical world. One day many moons ago, I was wandering around at Isis Books & Gifts in Denver, which is a must-see if you're ever out there. I had no goal in mind as I browsed the bookshelves.

Suddenly, Italian Witchcraft caught my eye. At the time, I didn't know anything about the pre-Christian folkways of my ancestors. Though my ancestresses did some witchy things, we were a Catholic family. This was something I had to see. I picked it up and practiced a bit of bibliomancy.

Opening the book, my eye fell upon a passage describing the ancient sects of the Strega. These were groups in charge of different mysteries. The first thing I saw was that they worshipped the Goddess as Tana. [cue eyebrow raise] Then I notice that the sect in charge of star mysteries was called the Tanarra.  [eyes widen] Last, I see that devotees in these sects often took names that were derivatives of the name of the Goddess.

Cimaruta charm in pentacle form. 

Um.

Like Tanaria.

A ball of insight hit me and suddenly, my craft name made sense. It came to me in a vision, you see. I'd never heard a name like Tanaria before the vision, so when it came to me, I had no idea what it meant, or what it signified.

I've always felt the pull of the stars. I'm not really into astrology, though I have studied it. But when I choose symbolism, it often includes celestial images. One of my first business cards had a north star logo, for example. When I sign my name, I tend to underline it and end that line with a star. I am fascinated with watching the heavens at night, preferably on mountain tops or out in deep wilderness.

There's something out there for me in the stars, though until recently, I had no idea what it was. Finding the significance of my name all those years ago was the beginning. Now I see the way forward.  I'm an explorer, and long have I dreamed of using ancient navigational tools like a sextant and astrolabe. Last year I constructed an astrolabe. This year, I'm going to construct a nocturlabe, which is an ancient device that tells time using the stars. This would fulfill yet another long-held dream. 

This year, I'm going to revive my astronomical knowledge. I learned constellations when I was little, but I'm sorry to say that I haven't kept in good practice. I have learned some awesome stories about the myths of the stars and I want to learn more.

This year, more night hikes. More stargazing. More awesome. Blessed be!

30 Days of Deity Devotion: Day 11

Festivals, Days and Times Sacred to this Deity

In keeping with my habit of not regurgitating information that is easily found elsewhere, I won't give an exhaustive list of festivals, days and times for Artemis in this post. Instead I'll highlight a few things that I use in my own practice and with my coven, Clan of the Wildlings.

Artemis is associated with the crescent moon, especially in her role as the Maiden aspect of the Goddess. She is also sometimes conflated with Selene, and full moon worship, but I relate to her as the crescent moon. The sixth day of each month is sacred to Artemis, so for me, the sixth day of a new moon is an all-purpose time to work with her. This is a time when I call upon her aid in spellwork or make offerings to her.

My clan honors each of our five patron deities with a festival day. As much as possible and feasible, I'm following traditional dates and celebrations. Luckily, some of our patrons have set dates and some do not. Some have more than one festival. This allows me some flexibility in spacing the festival more evenly throughout the year. An important thing in this busy day and age!

For Artemis, I've chosen Mounykhia, which is held on the full moon in April. The following is excerpted from Unbound: A Devotional Anthology for Artemis by Bibliotheca Alexandrina:

"The modern Mounukhia honors Artemis as Artemis Phosphoros, the Light Bringer, and Potnia Theron, Lady of the Beasts. If you wish to offer Artemis meat since goats were sacrificed in the ancient festival, please do it in an appropriate manner. Try to offer her organic or free-range meat if you do not hunt. The domestic animals at least are treated better than non-organic/free-range farms. The purpose of this festival is to celebrate our femininity and to know that Artemis will always hold a lit torch for us and guide us on our journeys."

This festival is especially appropriate for me as a priestess of Artemis. My purpose is to bring more light into the world, through using the gifts I was given to help others. Hence Tanaria Lightbearer, savvy? 

I'm also a traditional bowhunter, so the other time I feel especially close to Artemis is during deer hunting season. For my local area (central North Carolina, USA), that's mid-September through the end of December. I don't know if others formally celebrate or work with her during hunting season, but then…I've yet to find any other followers of Artemis who hunt at all. If you're out there, please comment on this post, I'd love to meet you!