October
This is the third and final harvest of the lunar months. Blood Moon is so named as this is the month of harvesting animals for their flesh for the long winter months and because the moon in this month often has a reddish cast. While in this day and age we have pre-packaged meat far removed from the reminder of the life it once had, it may seem uncomfortable to imagine such a thing. But our ancestors did this not only for themselves, but to maintain healthy livestock, and wild game as well. By culling the sick, old and excess, they ensured that they would have healthy animals to reproduce in the Spring as well as their own continuing survival.To the Celtic peoples this was the Ivy Moon. This is a month of honoring the dead who have gone on before. This is the celebration of Hallowe'en or All Hallow's Eve. In the Mexican tradition this is Dia De Los Muertos, day of the dead. Graves are cleaned, candles lit, food prepared and shared in the graveyard with dead loved ones. A celebration of life in death, and death in life.
Days are slowly getting shorter, and nights colder and longer, the breath of winter and death of the land.This is in Celtic tradition the New Year and the time when the cycle begins again. It was on or around the 31st of Oct that the ancient Celts believed the veil between this world and other worlds (the lands of the Fae and the dead) were at their thinest. Communication with the dead at this time was the easiest. In her globe she holds the pumpkin, which in many traditions is not only eaten in a variety of confections but used to make the scarey Jack O' Lanterns. In her other hand she holds the pomegranate, the symbolic fruit of death and the underworld.The dagger represents the cutting blade for the cord of life. Now is the time to honor not only dead loved ones, but to honor, bless, and let go of all that is not relevent to your life at this moment, and havest what is. What new beginnings can you make from this moment?
