This November has been heavy on my heart. Last weekend, we celebrated Father’s Day in Finland for the first time without my father, who passed away late last year. I carry thoughts of him with me every day, but these past weeks have felt especially heavy. To add to the weight, our beloved dog was…
Author: Reetta Ranta
October: Harvest Festivals and Remembering the Dead
Gray, dark, wet, and muddy. That’s how we Finns perceive October, especially if we have to recall the dark fall days around midsummer. Another name for the month has sometimes been likakuu, “Dirt Moon”. But our perception of October is quite wrong, as it is indeed a month of celebration! NAMES:Lokakuu (Finnish), formerly also likakuu,…
September: Full Harvest Moon, Fall Equinox and Glowing Colors of Nature
In the fall, nature shows its glory as if with its last strength. This autumn has been exceptionally warm and sunny, and although the nights have begun to cool, the days in Southern Finland still feel almost like summer. Our bees are still buzzing actively around their hive, and the sun is so warm that…
August: Enchanting Warm Nights and the Joy of Hugging Trees
August is characterized by warm but subtly darkening, magical evenings, with stars reappearing one after another in the night sky. It feels like encountering an old friend after a long time when you realize one evening that the starry sky is visible once again! After the sun sets below the horizon, the Big Dipper appears…
July: Cool Down Amid the Heat Wave
In the north, the bright nights continue well into most of July, even as the days begin to shorten and the Sun’s path in the sky starts to decline. The starry sky is hardly visible due to the brightness, but instead, thunderstorms may rumble, especially at the end of hot afternoons. In July, the air…
June: Embrace the Summer Solstice and Unwind
The northern midsummer is magical. The starry sky is hidden as the glow of the sun illuminates even the nighttime sky. In June, the Earth’s axis tilts closest to the Sun. Our golden orb travels along the tropical zodiac towards the constellation of Cancer, slipping from the constellation of Gemini at the time of the…
May: Enjoying Wild Herbs and Blossoms
In May, spring is at its most beautiful as warmth and sunlight persuade the buds of trees and flowers to bloom. The air is filled with the intoxicating scents of spring: the fragrances of blossoming bird cherry and apple trees blend into the moist spring air. The days lengthen, and the night sky becomes brighter….
April: Opening the Spring and Embracing Mother Earth
In April, nature still looks barren, but a lot is happening beneath the rough surface: tree buds are starting to swell, the dew is losing its grip, and underground, seeds are furiously pushing the soil away to give space for their sprouts to rice. A few of the first spring flowers, such as liverworts in…
Happy Spring Equinox: New Oracle Cards Coming Soon and It’s Time to Build Your Spring-time Altar
There’s no doubt, it’s here. Spring, that is! I can feel it in my veins, smell it in the air, and even though my body is still stiff after the long, cold winter and my eyes are sore, and I feel like a tired mole coming out from the dark to the bright sunlight, I’m…
February New Moon – From Celebration to Radiance: Embracing the Journey of Purification and Shine!
I rise from my bed to sit on its edge, slipping my sleepy toes first into wool socks and then into sheepskin slippers, trying to keep the comforting warmth I had under my thick blanket. I find myself captivated by the frosty snowflakes delicately clinging to our bedroom window. In the distance, the morning sun begins its ascent from the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow upon the wooden walls of my sanctuary. It’s freezing cold: –18 celsius outside and barely +15 inside. It’s a signal for me to kindle a fire and brew a steaming cup of coffee. Or, should I skip the coffee and start caffeine fast as my purification ritual? What could be my February New Moon ritual that would align with the month’s theme?