As The Wheel Turns ~ Legends and Lore

December, the twelfth and final month of the current Gregoriancalendar and the first month Winter, derives its name from decem, the Latinword meaning "ten," as December was the tenth month of the old Romancalendar.

The traditionalbirthstone amulets of December are the blue zircon and turquoise; and holly,mistletoe, and poinsettia are the month's traditional flowers.

December is sharedby the astrological signs of Sagittarius the Centaur-Archer and Capricorn theGoat, and is sacred to the following Pagan deities: Attis, Dionysus, Frey,Freya (or Freyja), Kriss Kringle (the Pagan god of Yule), Lucina, Woden, andthe Wiccan Horned God (consort of the Wiccan Goddess).

During the month ofDecember, the Great Solar Wheel of the Year is turned to the Winter Solstice,one of the four Lesser Sabbats celebrated each year by Pagans and modernWitches throughout the world.

In some parts ofthe world, the first day of December is the traditional time for young girls toperform the ancient art of cromniomancy (divination by onion sprouts) to findout the name of their future husband.

To find out whoyour future husband will be, take some onions and upon each one carve or writea different man's name. Place the onions near a fire and the man whose name ison the onion that sprouts first will be the one.

DECEMBER is . . .

Winter Month, HiNeighbor Month, National Closed Caption TV Month, National Stress-Free FamilyHolidays Month, Read A New Book Month, Safe Toys and Gifts Month, UniversalHuman Rights Month, Bingo's Birthday Month, Moon Before Yule, Long Nights Moon

This Week Is . . .

Tolerance Week,Christmas Tree Week, Travelers With Disabilities, Awareness Week

Today Is . . .

Rosa Parks Day.Take or give a class in overcoming racism. Invoke an African deity and ask Herto help you overcome your own internalized racism.

Theatre Day

Festival ofPoseidon (Greek God of Sea & Rebirth)

National Pie Day

Festival ofPoseidon

Carnival ofCelendonia (Fairy)

St. EdmundCampion's Day (patron of printers)

InternationalPrisoners for Peace Day

Macau Independence Day

Iceland Independence Day

Central African Republic Independence Day

Portugal Independence Day

Mocidade Day (Portugal)

Bizarre Bazaar

Eat A Red Apple Day

Kalends of December

Becky Thatcher Day

Romania National Day

World AIDS Day (UN)

St. Eloy's Day(patron of coin collectors, garage & gas station workers, horses, smiths)

Matilda Newport Day(Liberia)

St. Eligius' Day(patron of jewelers, veterinarians, cutlers, locksmiths, clockmakers,toolmakers, cab drivers, farmers, jockeys, carriage makers, labourers)

Hari Kugo

Japan -Broken NeedleFestival honouring women’s crafts and tools

December Stones and Flowers

Birthstones-turquoise, blue zircon, blue topaz

Turquoise - Turquoise is a blue, green or a bluish green hydrousaluminum phosphate that is colored by copper.

The name means"Turkish stone" so named as the trade route that brought it to Europeoriginally came through Turkey.

Legends & Lore:Turquoise has been used for a long time, since before 4000 BC; Turquoise isbelieved to give the wearer

clarity, calm andthe ability to start something new. It also brings spoils to the warrior,animals to the hunter, and happiness and good fortune to all.

Blue Zircon - Blue zircon should be gently cleaned and abrasivesshould be avoided. Blue zircon is mined in Kampuchea,Sri Lanka and Burma. Legends& Lore: In Greek Mythology, a young boy named Hyacinth was killed where hisblood spilled gorgeous Grecian blue hyacinths grew. Pliny compared the bluezircon to the hyacinth.  During the Middle Ages, zircon was believed topromote sleep, riches, honor and wisdom.  It also drove away plagues andevil spirits; In the 1880's blue zircon was widely used in Victorian jewelry;Heating yellow zircon creates blue zircon.

Blue Topaz - A recent addition to the December birthstones is the bluetopaz.  Most blue topaz is artificially created by irradiation of paletopaz. Legends & Lore: One famous blue topaz was found in 1904 in the HillCountry of Mason County,Texas, North America'slargest known gem-quality Topaz discovery.  This 1,296-gram, pale-blue gemmay be seen in the Smithsonian Institution in WashingtonDC.; Blue topaz was designated the Texasstate gem in 1969.

Flower - Narcissus ~ Also know as the daffodil and the jonquilthe narcissus comes in many colours.  Meanings include conceit andegotism.  It is the symbol of winter and the Chinese symbol of goodfortune.  The colour associated with December is white; its meaning is"stay as sweet as  you are".  The name is derived from theGreek narke, which means sleep and/or numbness.  In Greek mythologyNarkissos was a beautiful youth who rejected all of his suitors.  One dayhe came upon a spring at Mount Helicon where he glanceddown and saw his reflection.  He fell in love with himself and stared athimself endlessly.  He did not eat or drink or leave the spring he justadmired his mirror image and at the spring he withered away and died.  Hewas then transformed into a beautiful flower by the waters edge, the narcissusthat bows its head to see its reflection.

Remember theancient ways and keep them sacred!

•          •          •           •

Live each Season asit passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resignyourself to the influences of each.

~Henry DavidThoreau (1817 - 1862)