I’ve been feeling disconnected. I like to think I’m in tune with nature, being on a farm and all.
As many of you know, I love to study ancient history and what my ancestors believed (Norse – Germanic, Celtic predominantly). I’ve also been feeling called to study more of the ancient cultures of the land I live on. In doing that, I came to some conclusions that sort of changed my way of thinking. The first obvious point is that the climate of my European ancestors is much different than the climate here in the Pacific Northwest. That is what prompted me to look specifically at the Kalapuya tribe and what their seasons looked like. They of course named their months (full moons) based on the activities they undertook to survive. They are roughly:
• February – Snow or Hunger Moon (when food was scarce)
• March – Spring Maker Moon (for gathering early greens or planting)
• April – Sugar or Maple Moon (for tapping sap or gathering roots)
• May – Field Maker Moon (gathering Camas bulbs for fresh eating)
• June – Berry Moon (start of strawberries)
• July – Salmon Moon (during spawning runs)
• August – Harvest Moon (drying fish, nuts, roots for winter)
• September – Falling Leaf Moon (cooling days, hunting deer)
• October – Changing Season Moon (gather acorns and late berries)
• November – Long Night Moon (warned of early frosts, shorter days)
• December/January – Winter Maker or Cold Moon (survival mode)
The Ancient Celts had:
• Bealtaine – start of summer
• Samhain – end of summer
The climate in the northern areas the Celts inhabited were mostly dominated by Summer and Winter weather. The light half and the dark half of the year. Later they added:
• Imbolc – start of spring
• Lughnasadh – start of autumn
These were lesser seasons, however, and indicated when the first shoots started coming up or when harvest season was beginning. I suspect the Ancient Celts acknowledged solstices and equinoxes as well for time keeping. They weren’t as important as the dark half and the light half of the year as they were an agricultural society.
Going back to the Kalapuya tribe and seeing how to blend my Ancient Celtic roots we get:
• Imbolc – late February/early March to coincide with new growth
• Bealtaine – late April when Camas starts to bloom
• Lughnasadh – late August when harvesting is in full swing
• Samhain – still late October/early November when the weather changes and harvesting is finished.
Like the Celts, the tribes acknowledged the solstices and equinoxes for time keeping, but the seasons of nature were most important for survival.
I see so many “Green Witch” practitioners from outside Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, etc, sticking with the dates approximated by these places instead of paying attention to the land they actually live on. You don’t have to celebrate on specific dates based on a climate distant from your own. Pay attention to nature in your own land. Study native cultures that came before you to see what they did. Don’t follow old world dates just because that’s what everyone else does. Do what works for your area and be more in tune with nature. I know I am going to start paying closer attention!
Hollow Hills Ranch 