Absolutely!

Does it just list them as "Moons in September
(October, etc...)"?  What I never seem to be able to
find out is, what system did each culture use to
reckon its moons before they were blessed with the
Gregorian calendar (and its 31 day, non-lunar months)?
  Did they key it off a solar event, or did they have
some other system of count for their moon cycles?

Josh

--- Cate Kerr <ci.kerr@...> wrote:

> Josh, yes it does, and I have a Word document with
> all the names, listed by culture.  Shall I send it
> to you?
>
> Cate
> > No virus found in this outgoing message.
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>


The Norwegians attributed the power to shapeshift, control weather, and prowess
in kayaks to the Saami ('Finnar') of northern Scandinavia.

Norwegian settlers in the Shetlands had legends of "Finfolk" who could
shapeshift, control weather, had pointed tails, and swam through the water
visible 'from the waist up' at supernatural speeds.

Further south in the Orkneys (the seal islands), there were two races, Fin folk
and Selkie (seal) folk. Fin folk were sorcerous, dark-faced boatmen with
carefully hidden 'fins'. Selkie men could control the weather, and selkie women
would rest on shore in human bodies, who could be trapped on land if their
nearby seal skins were stolen.

Saami kayaks were made of animal skin, and after long journeys had to be laid
out on rocks to dry...

I love genealogy...
http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/origins/index.html

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Thank you, I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt it
would be a good addition.  I've been hoping something
like this would just show up someday.

Regarding "man made" holidays: I love, for example,
Halloween, even in its modern incarnation.  But I know
the Gregorian date it's attached to has no
significance whatsoever to any seasonal cycle (or to
the source calendar from which the Julian and
Gregorian distorted).

And, even though I'm not a practicing pagan per se,
I'm always surprised how much it irked me when I tried
to get solid information from some practicing Pagans
which moon cycle they chose to celebrate Samhain.

The answer was usually "The closest full moon to
Halloween." (cue nails-on-chalkboard)  That's like
keying Imbolc off of the nearest full moon to
Valentine's day or Yule as the darkest day after the
start of, but before the end of, Christmas shopping
season.

I don't know how you mark it (I'd love to hear), but
the way I marked the (lunar) expression of Samhain on
this caledar (and the other three, when I get to
them), is a lot like the Chinese calendar.  Depending
on whether you're a Full Moon celebrator or a Moon
Phase celebrator (corresponding moon phase to the
phase of the year), the lunar cross quarter holiday
would be the 2nd expression of that phase after the
preceding Equinox/Solstice.  The Second lunation
lands, on average, right in the middle of the season.

Example:  Chinese New Year is the 2nd new moon after
the winter solstice.  It falls, like Imbolc somewhere
between the end of January and the middle of February.
  Imbolc, in my mind, is represented by the waxing half
moon, so it would be the 2nd waxing half moon after
Winter solstice.  If you always celebrate under the
full moon, then it would be the 2nd full moon after
the solstice.  It doesn't matter which phase is
important to you, the 2nd one of the season will
always statistically fall mid-season.  Sometimes
early, sometimes late, but the average centers quite
nicely.

What's most important to me is that the cross quarter
holiday have some meaningful link to the solar cycle.
If you're marking it by a lunar phase, then it should
be a specific lunar phase in relation to the points on
the solar cycle.  Or, you could celebrate the cross
quarter dates without the moon, marking it as the
solar midpoint between the corresponding
Equinox/Solstice.  Of course, it turns out there are
several ways to measure that midpoint, falling across
a range of about three weeks, but more on that later.
:)

Like I said before, calendars and Saami culture really
get me going.  Sorry.

Enjoy your walkabout!  Definitely give us a report.

Josh


--- Cate Kerr <ci.kerr@...> wrote:

> Josh, brilliant ........... I love your thoughts
> about having a solar/lunar
> calendar (and alert), and I cherish the concept of a
> web place which is
> attuned to the Wheel of the Year and its observances
> rather than the usual
> sort of calendar and all those man made holidays.
>
> ... am off to ramble in the great rocks and forests
> of Lanark today, but
> will return to do a spot of moon watching this
> evening. On return I will try
> make brief note of the natural markers in the
> landscape out there.
>
> Cate
>
>
>
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Wow.  That doesn't happen to come with a list of the
cultures they belong to, does it???

--- Cate Kerr <ci.kerr@...> wrote:

> Since we have been thinking about moons, I thought I
> would share the names of the September moons from
> many cultures.  It is interesting to note that the
> names (almost without exception) are focused on
> harvesting and hunting, on preparing our larders and
> pantries for the for the long nights time and
> gathering fuel for our hearths.
>
> That glorious golden September moon is in her second
> quarter today.....
>
>
> Cate
>
> -------------
> SEPTEMBER MOONS
>
>
> Harvest Moon (Acorn Bread Moon, Acorns Gathered
> Moon, All Ripe Moon, Arbitration Moon, Aster Moon,
> Autumn Moon, Barley Moon, Black Calf Moon, Blood
> Berry Moon, Blood Moon, Breeding Moon, Calf Grows
> Hair Moon, Cenqolew Moon, Chrysanthemum Moon, Corn
> Moon, Cutting Trees Moon, Dancing Moon , Deer Paw
> the Earth Moon, Dog Salmon Return to Earth Moon,
> Drying Grass Moon, Edrinios Moon, Firewood Moon,
> Fruit Moon, Gathering Wood Moon, Geese Feeding in
> Fields Moon, Grevillea Moon, Holy Moon, Harvest
> Moon, Hay Cutting Moon, Her Acorns Moon,
> Index-finger Moon, Leaves Changing Colour Moon,
> Little Chestnut Moon , Maize Moon, Mallow Blossom
> Moon, Middle Between Harvest & Eating Indian Corn
> Moon, Moon of Drying Grass, Moon of Full Harvest,
> Moon of Much Freshness, Moon of Plenty, Moon When
> Calves Grow Hair, Moon When Everything Ripens and
> Corn Is Harvested, Moon When The Deer Paw The Earth,
> Moon When the Plums Are Scarlet, Moon When the Corn
> Is Taken in, Moon When the Leaves Change Colour,
> Moose Moon , Morning Glory Moon, Mulberry Moon,
> Ninth Moon, Nut Moon, Papaw Moon, Rice Moon, Seed
> Moon, Shining Leaf Moon, Silky Oak Moon, Singing
> Moon, Snow Goose Moon, Soaproot Dug For Fish Poison
> Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Vine Moon, Wavy MoonWine Moon,
> Wood Moon
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Yahoo asks for a specific time for each event, or asks
if the event is 'all day'.  I've made the cards all
day, but I wanted a fairly accurate time for the
astronomical stuff (well, except the cross quarter
days, which get wierd).

The astronomical dates/times in this groups are all
Universal Time.  We appreciate the thoughtfulness out
here in the temporal hinterlands, but you don't have
to apologize for living at the center of time. ;)

It does my heart good to go to the United States Naval
Observatory website, quarters of the Vice President
(the observatory, not the website), and copy down
their official movements of the heavens as clocked at
Her Majesty's Royal Observatory.

What's funny is that most Americans don't realize (and
probably wouldn't care) that the dates of the full
moon on most commercially available calendars I've
seen state the day (and often time) that the moon will
be full over Great Britain.

I have my own calendar on an Excel spreadsheet,
converted by hand to PST (Pacific Standard Time),
which was a pain.

I'll add a note at the bottom of each event that
states the time quoted is Universal Time.  To be in
tune locally, you'd have to be attuned to your local
environment, but I think we should keep the official
time here UT/GMT.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll take care of it right
away.

Josh

--- The Fool <contact@...> wrote:

>
> Hi Josh,
>
> The idea of having alerts for Wheel of the Year
> "reminders" is great!
>
> Have to be a bit careful not to make some of the
> times too specific, or
> maybe state a range of times according to different
> international time-zones?
>
> BWs
>
>
> 		 TF
>
>
>
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>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
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>

Hi Josh,

The idea of having alerts for Wheel of the Year "reminders" is great!

Have to be a bit careful not to make some of the times too specific, or
maybe state a range of times according to different international time-zones?

BWs


			 TF

Josh, brilliant ........... I love your thoughts about having a solar/lunar
calendar (and alert), and I cherish the concept of a web place which is
attuned to the Wheel of the Year and its observances rather than the usual
sort of calendar and all those man made holidays.

... am off to ramble in the great rocks and forests of Lanark today, but
will return to do a spot of moon watching this evening. On return I will try
make brief note of the natural markers in the landscape out there.

Cate



--
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Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.21/96 - Release Date: 10/09/2005

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Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
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I've been spending a lot of time on the deck this
summer.  Usually, winding my daughter down before
putting her to bed.  I've become very familiar with
the southwestern sky as a result.

It was beautiful watching the moon work it's way past
Venus and Jupiter in the twilight this last week.  I
get emails alerts about these things, but I'd often
notice something before getting to my email.

Last month I casually mentioned to my family, "oh
look, the moon is right in the middle of Scorpio, it's
sittng right on Antares.  I've never noticed anything
like that before."  I was all proud of myself for
being aware of the sky, then the next day I see my
SpaceWeather email "Moon eclipses the heart of the
Scorpion!"

It all rotates so peacefully above us, if we ever have
the time to notice it.

Thanks for commenting on my alert, Cate.  I'm
experimenting with using this group as a place for a
solar/lunar calendar, since I've never found an email
alert that was 'Wheel of the Year' attuned.  The
lunar/solar holidays will always pop up a day before
the fact.

Josh

--- Cate Kerr <ci.kerr@...> wrote:

> A beautiful waxing moon it is.  I went out to the
> garden last evening to greet it, and after a
> harrowing week at the office, it was good to stand
> there for a while and watch that glorious golden
> moon going down.
>
> Cate> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
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> Release Date: 08/09/2005
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Great! Thanks, she will very much enjoy these discussions. I directed
her to request membership, just going through the yahoo groups area,
to this group specifically. . .I'll let you know if that doesn't work
for her.

And, I appreciate the responses and discussion I've seen so far.
Thanks for the insight. I am reading the handbook again that came with
the cards and I hope to contribute more as I learn more.


Jennie



> Heck yeah.
>
> My only reason for requiring approval for membership
> is from past experience with mass-spammers.
>
> Also, it screens out folks whose interest is so casual
> and passive that they're turned away just because
> they're denied instant access.
>
> You have to have the guts to knock. :)
>
> On the other hand, I've also made the message
> archives, links, and calendar public, to minimize the
> impression that this is some kind of private club.
>
> Please, anybody's welcome who's interested.
>
> Josh
>
> PS - Do you have access to invite, or do I need to do
> it?  If you can, by all means do, or just have them
> request membership, and I'll approve it.
>
> --- Jennie Vautrin <visitneptune@h...> wrote:
>
> > Can i invite a friend to join this list?

Heck yeah.

My only reason for requiring approval for membership
is from past experience with mass-spammers.

Also, it screens out folks whose interest is so casual
and passive that they're turned away just because
they're denied instant access.

You have to have the guts to knock. :)

On the other hand, I've also made the message
archives, links, and calendar public, to minimize the
impression that this is some kind of private club.

Please, anybody's welcome who's interested.

Josh

PS - Do you have access to invite, or do I need to do
it?  If you can, by all means do, or just have them
request membership, and I'll approve it.

--- Jennie Vautrin <visitneptune@...> wrote:

> Can i invite a friend to join this list?

Can i invite a friend to join this list?

Well, mostly you've got the idea, in my opinion.  The less formulaic
your approach, the more personal the journey.

You do typically choose a layout that matches the complexity and
nature of your question.  For example, in the companion book to the
Greewood Tarot, Mark Ryan created two layouts: The Bow for more
focussed questions, and The Wheel for a more holistic meditative journey.

In the bow, each card related specifically to the card that was meant
to embody your question (the significator); in the wheel, each card
followed the previous card in a life-cycle style evolution meant to
bring you 'full circle' around whatever issue you were meditating.

So, a layout can be direct, meandering, quick, exploratory, whatever...

The Fool has an amazing oracle at

http://www.greenwood-tarot.com/tarot2/index.htm

There are 18 spreads (and many more decks on another page), and when
you choose one, the description text to the right gives a brief
paragraph explaining the intent of that spread.  Then the script
displays your cards in a wonderful graphic presentation.  It might be
a good primer in layouts.

As to 'why' we would control the random nature of the cards, the
layout is meant to provide an axis for the random element of the cards
to rotate around.  Something ritualistic to tie indefinite symbols to
our definite thought.  Layouts only exist for when you need them as a
tool.  If you aren't needing something to focus, and would rather
explore the cards 'wild', then you should abandon layouts and only
return if your intuition leads you there.

IMHO,

Josh

--- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, "Jennie Vautrin"
<visitneptune@h...> wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I will have to spend some time studying layouts. If the wheel
> represents a journey, then I'm not quite sure how choosing the layout
> affects the journey or journies within the journey. . .So, if you're
> allowing your mind to enter another realm, to open yourself to the
> possibilities,why would you attempt to control one aspect of the path
> by choosing the layout? What exactly is choosing the layout, are you
> focusing on what "type" of issue you want to focus on or how deeply
> you want to consider an issue? I realize that intuition plays a part,
> but I'm asking why and how to make the choice.
>
>
>
>
> Jennie
>
>
> --- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, "Josh Lehto" <Josh_Lehto@y...>
> wrote:
> > ..or Layouts?  I'm not sure which is better suited.  Hmm...
> >
> > Anyway, when I divine, I usually keep it pretty simple.  When my
> > question is specific, I concentrate and feel my way intuitively for
> > the past, present, and future card.  That usually gives me food for
> > thought, and forces me to think from a longer time perspective.  In
> > normal life, I don't usually juxtapose past/present/future when
> > contemplating an issue, so that's helpful.
> >
> > I used to also do a flash-reading of just one card, but that has
> > started to evolve.  It began as just immature 'do-overs', drawing a
> > second card if the first card didn't feel right, but I started to draw
> > more and more cards until the progression began to resemble a sentence
> > of images.  I still cut or draw each card intuitively, feeling for
> > 'that feeling', but my intuition also tells me when the conversation
> > is over, whether it's after 3 or twelve cards.  In the spirit of the
> > flash reading, I try not to think too much about each card in the
> > series, and I usually do this when I'm looking for a feeling, not
> > divining a specific question.  This gives it more of a language or
> > chain-of-thought feeling, and leaves me with an emotional impression
> > rather than a studied readout.
> >
> > Josh

Hi there,

I will have to spend some time studying layouts. If the wheel
represents a journey, then I'm not quite sure how choosing the layout
affects the journey or journies within the journey. . .So, if you're
allowing your mind to enter another realm, to open yourself to the
possibilities,why would you attempt to control one aspect of the path
by choosing the layout? What exactly is choosing the layout, are you
focusing on what "type" of issue you want to focus on or how deeply
you want to consider an issue? I realize that intuition plays a part,
but I'm asking why and how to make the choice.




Jennie


--- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, "Josh Lehto" <Josh_Lehto@y...>
wrote:
> ..or Layouts?  I'm not sure which is better suited.  Hmm...
>
> Anyway, when I divine, I usually keep it pretty simple.  When my
> question is specific, I concentrate and feel my way intuitively for
> the past, present, and future card.  That usually gives me food for
> thought, and forces me to think from a longer time perspective.  In
> normal life, I don't usually juxtapose past/present/future when
> contemplating an issue, so that's helpful.
>
> I used to also do a flash-reading of just one card, but that has
> started to evolve.  It began as just immature 'do-overs', drawing a
> second card if the first card didn't feel right, but I started to draw
> more and more cards until the progression began to resemble a sentence
> of images.  I still cut or draw each card intuitively, feeling for
> 'that feeling', but my intuition also tells me when the conversation
> is over, whether it's after 3 or twelve cards.  In the spirit of the
> flash reading, I try not to think too much about each card in the
> series, and I usually do this when I'm looking for a feeling, not
> divining a specific question.  This gives it more of a language or
> chain-of-thought feeling, and leaves me with an emotional impression
> rather than a studied readout.
>
> Josh

..or Layouts?  I'm not sure which is better suited.  Hmm...

Anyway, when I divine, I usually keep it pretty simple.  When my
question is specific, I concentrate and feel my way intuitively for
the past, present, and future card.  That usually gives me food for
thought, and forces me to think from a longer time perspective.  In
normal life, I don't usually juxtapose past/present/future when
contemplating an issue, so that's helpful.

I used to also do a flash-reading of just one card, but that has
started to evolve.  It began as just immature 'do-overs', drawing a
second card if the first card didn't feel right, but I started to draw
more and more cards until the progression began to resemble a sentence
of images.  I still cut or draw each card intuitively, feeling for
'that feeling', but my intuition also tells me when the conversation
is over, whether it's after 3 or twelve cards.  In the spirit of the
flash reading, I try not to think too much about each card in the
series, and I usually do this when I'm looking for a feeling, not
divining a specific question.  This gives it more of a language or
chain-of-thought feeling, and leaves me with an emotional impression
rather than a studied readout.

Josh

--- The Fool <contact@...> wrote:
> But it would be pretty difficult to separate
> astrology from the seasons -
> comparative study between north and south
> hemisphere?  Hey, we could even
> factor in latitude!  :-)

Ok, I just spent most of Saturday calculating the
difference in dates when the length of daylight hits
midpoint between equinox and solstice (ie. the diurnal
cross-quarter date), which turned out to be different
by about three weeks in the high versus low latitudes
(I put it all in the group calendar, along with the
astrological/nomical midpoint, and with a sidenote in
the two different lunar phases when Samhain is most
widely celebrated.)

In short, I ain't goin' through that again!
Lattitude, season, region, genetic background...

Thank you very much, I think it's best left in the
hands of the witch doctors. :)

Regarding Astrology, though.  I find it interesting
the schism between Tropical and Sidereal astrology.
Astronomically, the Siderealists have updated the
beginning and end of the signs about 3 weeks based on
planetary wobble.  But the 'out of date' Tropical
astrologists (the traditional 21st-21st of the month
folks) no longer match the actual constellations
traversing the sun during those months, but they DO
still match the seasons (which the sidereals no longer
do).  So, which is more primary to your personality,
galactic star charts or seasonal progression?  What
was the ancients' intent?

I think the stars were a convenient seasonal calendar,
and they never dreamt it would change.

Josh

Hmmm.. thinking more about:-
  >>>
>It may actually stray into astrology.  Not the stars, but the
>seasons of birth.  It's a shame that's too 'fruity' a notion for a
>decent study.
  >>>
  >
You could sell it pretty easily as a purely scientific study... no fruit
involved - hormone levels changing according to light-levels, external
temperatures, stress-levels etc. and therefore affecting the yet-to-be-born
child.  Someone's probably already been there?
  >

e.g. Darkness = more use of fluorescent light-bulbs,
"Mercury can measure a fever and make fluorescent light bulbs more
efficient. But mercury exposure in a fetus can lead to babies unable to
grasp a rattle or ask for a bottle,"  sez a Google-hit.

Then there's all those other unfriendly bits around - dioxins, chlorine,
ozone and/or the lack of it - all unnatural  substances in the environment
are probably seasonal to some extent.
__________

But it would be pretty difficult to separate astrology from the seasons -
comparative study between north and south hemisphere?  Hey, we could even
factor in latitude!  :-)

Best,

TF

Hi Josh,
At 20:28 06/09/2005, you wrote:
>--- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, The Fool <contact@g...> wrote:
> > "unhappiest" time of year.  Or maybe I just had more energy in the
> > past, with which to react negatively?
>
>Sadly, I vote for that solution.

Damn!  I was hoping for a denial!  ;-)

>  The more turns, the less easily
>the seasons can fool you, and the less energy you have to react even
>when you are fooled.  ;)
//snipped

[In response to Jennie]
>My favorite season is just after my birthday, which was August
>19th.  Actually, it's when the heat first breaks, which here in
>Oregon is... today!  It's only in the mid-60's outside, even though
>it's still sunny.  But I am burnt by the short hot summers were
>have, and bored during our 8 month wet winter.  It's the change of
>Autumn and Spring that are best for me.
>
>It may actually stray into astrology.  Not the stars, but the
>seasons of birth.  It's a shame that's too 'fruity' a notion for a
>decent study.

You could sell it pretty easily as a purely scientific study... no fruit
involved - hormone levels changing according to light-levels, external
temperatures, stress-levels etc. and therefore affecting the yet-to-be-born
child.  Someone's probably already been there?

TF

--- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, The Fool <contact@g...> wrote:
> "unhappiest" time of year.  Or maybe I just had more energy in the
> past, with which to react negatively?

Sadly, I vote for that solution.  The more turns, the less easily
the seasons can fool you, and the less energy you have to react even
when you are fooled.  ;)

>  Going up and down the map, the difference
> in the timing of the harvest between North and South was v
evident... not
> fixed but flexible, varying according to local conditions as well -
  soil,
> exposure to wind etc. -  not just to latitude.

I've noticed that.  It makes generalizations about seasons entirely
metaphorical.  We haven't had a 'violent storm' in Oregon in August,
but it's a part of my memory for thunderstorms to happen in late
summer.  But what about Mexico, Ireland, Japan, New Jersey.  They'd
have to experience Lammas differently, let alone what week/month the
harvest comes in (if any) or the leaves change (if any).

>
> At home, we use the Moonwise calendar -
http://www.moonwise.co.uk/index.php

Wow.  That is impressive.  Very complete little calendar.

> From: "Jennie Vautrin" <visitneptune@...>
> Date: Tue Sep 6, 2005  7:29 am
>
> These are good questions. I often find that I am running toward the
> winter season. It is a more emotional and sensitive time, but most
> welcome compared to the desperation I feel in August. The "dry
> burning of August" burns me a bit too deeply each year. I've often
> wondered why some people seem to thrive more in one season than
> another. It can't have anything to do with the time of year one
> is born, so I'm not quite sure.

My favorite season is just after my birthday, which was August
19th.  Actually, it's when the heat first breaks, which here in
Oregon is... today!  It's only in the mid-60's outside, even though
it's still sunny.  But I am burnt by the short hot summers were
have, and bored during our 8 month wet winter.  It's the change of
Autumn and Spring that are best for me.

It may actually stray into astrology.  Not the stars, but the
seasons of birth.  It's a shame that's too 'fruity' a notion for a
decent study.

Josh

These are good questions. I often find that I am running toward the
winter season. It is a more emotional and sensitive time, but most
welcome compared to the desperation I feel in August. The "dry burning
of August" burns me a bit too deeply each year. I've often wondered
why some people seem to thrive more in one season than another. It
can't have anything to do with the time of year one is born, so I'm
not quite sure.

-Jennie


--- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, "Josh Lehto" <Josh_Lehto@y...>
wrote:
> The season of Lammas is past, and the daylight is fast fading.  The
> dry burning of August, broken perhaps by a brief, violent storm, is
> already losing its energy.  The year knows it is done, even though it
> is not yet over.
>
> Harvest smells, cool breezes, and preparations for winter are starting
> to intrude, even while we still enjoy outside activity and seek shade
> from the sun.
>
> To bring the metaphor inside, how do you prepare yourself when you
> know the peak of something is past, and a slower, darker (fallow)
> period is ahead?  Sometimes you are relaxing from a completed task,
> sometimes you are burnt from over-extending yourself.  Either way, the
> heights are behind you, and the depths ahead.  How do you approach the
> fall that makes the difference between healing and regeneration, or
> depression?
>
> Josh

Hi Josh,

//snipped

>To bring the metaphor inside, how do you prepare yourself when you
>know the peak of something is past, and a slower, darker (fallow)
>period is ahead?  //  How do you approach the
>fall that makes the difference between healing and regeneration, or
>depression?

This isn't a problem for me, though it has been in the past when I used to
get a dose of the pre-winter blues, experiencing late Oct/Nov as the
"unhappiest" time of year.  Or maybe I just had more energy in the past,
with which to react negatively?

Nowadays/nowayears (!) I see everything as cyclical, and being part of a
greater whole, and this time of year as the beginning of a period of
consolidation and quiet regeneration, of perhaps looking back and seeing
what lessons are to be learned. Again ;-)

Also of knowing - particularly from trees - that the growth and energy of
the next season/s has already been prepared for... the buds are already there!

We recently had 2+ weeks holidays, travelling from the UK's south coast
almost up to Scotland, staying in Northumbria, on the coast for a week and
then camping in Kielder forest.  Going up and down the map, the difference
in the timing of the harvest between North and South was v evident... not
fixed but flexible, varying according to local conditions as well - soil,
exposure to wind etc. -  not just to latitude.

At home, we use the Moonwise calendar - http://www.moonwise.co.uk/index.php
- which also helps us keep in touch with the Wheel of the Year. (If you're
curious about it, there's a "click to enlarge" link on the above page,
which gives you a good-sized example).

TF

The season of Lammas is past, and the daylight is fast fading.  The
dry burning of August, broken perhaps by a brief, violent storm, is
already losing its energy.  The year knows it is done, even though it
is not yet over.

Harvest smells, cool breezes, and preparations for winter are starting
to intrude, even while we still enjoy outside activity and seek shade
from the sun.

To bring the metaphor inside, how do you prepare yourself when you
know the peak of something is past, and a slower, darker (fallow)
period is ahead?  Sometimes you are relaxing from a completed task,
sometimes you are burnt from over-extending yourself.  Either way, the
heights are behind you, and the depths ahead.  How do you approach the
fall that makes the difference between healing and regeneration, or
depression?

Josh

I have no knowledge of the classic tarot.  I mean, I know it's layout
and could probably name the images of the major arcana in the
Rider-Waite with about a 75% accuracy, but their symbolism is
arbitrary and 'arcane' to me.  It was put together by some ancient
learned group and developed as a kind of secret for court mystics and
carnival practitioners.

Somehow, in the modern day, we've actually managed to personalize that
  system into thousands of decks, each meant to be somebody's ideal
lens for introspection.

Truthfully, I don't even use the tarot that much.  But the Greenwood
Tarot was so beautiful, and so 'nearly' perfect for me, that my mind
has used it as a springboard for many, many tangents over the years.
(Like, I'm going to start talking about calendars, seasons, sun/moon
cycles and how they relate to the Wheel of the Year eventually, just
because I inevitably always do.  Saami legends and cultural history
too.  Fair warning.)

What I'm getting at is, don't feel like a novice or initiate in some
elite circle of tarot experts.  I haven't got a clue what the Tarot
world thinks.

If you have a spread you're trying to interpret, I have no idea what
it will ultimately mean to 'you'.  However, I and hopefully several
others will be able to fill you with so many opinions your head will
spin.  Hopefully, out of all the suggestions will help in some small
way to lead you to the right imagery in your own mind.

Before I start spouting off thoughts, I'm going to give others a
chance ask or say anything about tarot or shamanism or ancient
cultures or the weather.  I'll keep myself busy putting together the
card database and the calendar (I'm all about natural calendars,
thanks to this deck).

Josh


--- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, "Jennie Vautrin"
<visitneptune@h...> wrote:
> ...and please forgive me, I'm definitely a beginner, so I
> will follow yours and others lead for a while regarding discussions.

Hi Josh and Cate,

I am more than thrilled to have received this invitation to discuss a
realm of life that I've pushed to the wayside for too long!

I bought the deck about two years ago and similiar to you Josh, used
it for introspective purposes. I look forward to learning from others
in this list, and please forgive me, I'm definitely a beginner, so I
will follow yours and others lead for a while regarding discussions.

Another inspirational site is http://www.dailyom.com

Best,
Jennie

It looks like her paper handbook was more or less self-published.
There's no futher mention of it on the internet beyond her website.
My guess is, it's only available at her pleasure to produce copies of
it.  Definitely tell us if you succeed.

I'm working on uploading a local copy of the images and descriptions
of the cards as a photo album and database in this group.  Chesca has
never objected in the past to my use of her images and guide info,
although her permission to me was more a lack of objection than
anything else.  I'll cover it with credit to her and copyright
notices, just in case.

Incidentally, my web oracle has been greatly surpassed.  Check out:
http://www.greenwood-tarot.com/tarot2/

I'm very impressed, but there's no indication who created this highly
interactive and beautiful homage to our favorite deck. (it does seem
to have a tendency to hop over to his non-greenwood tarot page.  That
might be my browser, and besides, that page is cool too.)

Thanks for joining up, Cate!

Josh

--- In greenwoodtarot@yahoogroups.com, "Cate Kerr" <ci.kerr@s...> wrote:
> Greetings Josh,
>
> What a wonderful idea it was to start this group.  It would be
> marvellous to be able to discuss the Greenwood Tarot with other users.
> I've been using the deck since it was first published, and it
> remains my favourite deck of all time, although I own other tarot
> decks.  IMO, this is the most beautiful deck ever created and it is
> the most intuitive too.  If only a tarot publisher would acquire the
> rights to this beautiful deck and issue it again!
>
> I've been trying to contact Chesca Potter for some time and without
> any success.  According to Chesca's web site there is an expanded
> handbook for her exquisite tarot, and I would love to acquire a copy
> of it.
>
> Cate

Greetings Josh,

What a wonderful idea it was to start this group.  It would be
marvellous to be able to discuss the Greenwood Tarot with other users.
I've been using the deck since it was first published, and it
remains my favourite deck of all time, although I own other tarot
decks.  IMO, this is the most beautiful deck ever created and it is
the most intuitive too.  If only a tarot publisher would acquire the
rights to this beautiful deck and issue it again!

I've been trying to contact Chesca Potter for some time and without
any success.  According to Chesca's web site there is an expanded
handbook for her exquisite tarot, and I would love to acquire a copy
of it.

Cate

I've been a fan of the Greenwood Tarot since 1997, and created my own
online oracle for it in 99 (http://bluejay.mind.net/gt/).

I use it mostly for introspection, and as internal imagery for marking
the passage of the seasons.

Through my genealogical research, I've tracked my paternal ancestry
back 300 years to the time when my ancesters, a tribe of Forest Saami
in present-day Finland, were overtaken by Christianity and the
colonization of the north of Scandinavia by the swedish crown.

Before their assimilation, my ancestors had a strong shamanic
tradition and interdependence with nature.

They did NOT use tarot cards, of course, but the 'pre-celtic'
potpourri in the Greenwood Tarot deck has always come closest to me to
depicting their mythscape.

Of course, I'd love to build my own deck more along the lines of their
lifestyle and/or pictographs, but I haven't found that inspiration yet.

Josh