Solstice literally means the 'sun stands still', and is a biannual astronomical event; for a few days around the time of the solstice the sun appears to stand still in the sky, in that its elevation at noon does not seem to change. The winter solstice marks days with the shortest daylight and longest nights, but it also marks when this starts to reverse and the daylight increases. This solstice is celebrated by many traditions and in many places- basically as the celebration of return of the sun at the darkest time of winter. Continue reading →
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The connections between animals, humans, and nature continue to be explored by science. Here are videos on the interconnections of nature, from the micro (fungi), meso (trees), macro (global human consciousness), and possible planetary (world consciousness) levels. Paul Stamets on 6 ways mushrooms can save the worldMulti-dimensional transfer of nutrients by plants, "Mycelium is Earth’s natural internet", and more. A project in my head since about 2004, here is a comparison of some popular Druid groups in the US. Information is taken from each group's own website and is current to August 2011. Group origins, culture used in worship, festivals and more aspects are covered, with specific links provided for further information. Continue reading → Words of top scientists set to music- worth a watch!Lyrics(Carl Sagan's lyrics written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan and Steven Soter) [deGrasse Tyson]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yemaya-NewOrleans.jpg I went to my beach on the Atlantic today for the promised offering to Yemaya (the orisha mother of the oceans) since our recent move to the southeast US. I gave a necklace to the waves and then started walking back in the opposite direction. Often you don't get a direct answer right off after an offering or sacrifice. But then a little girl in a blue and white bathing suit was weaving between us, splashing and saying 'dancing in the waves'. It wasn't really warm enough to be in a bathing suit; seeing this beautiful little girl in Yemaya's colors dancing in the waves was a wonderful gift. Hail holy mother Yemaya- and may the blessings of the waters be yours in this new year! A happy winter solstice (or summer solstice in the southern hemisphere) to all!  A previous winter in a previous place... Read about the winter solstice in Wikipedia. This year there is a rare full moon, and total lunar eclipse at the winter solstice on late Dec. 20th /early Dec. 21st. For a great time chart and graphics go here, or to NASA.  Mosquito heart muscle- Jonas King of Vanderbilt University, TN, USA, Nikon Small World 2010 competition The gray on gray photos from electron microscopes or microscopes are a thing of the past. It's amazing to see what technology can show us about the geometry and art at the microscopic scale. Continue reading → |
Please join the Wiccans, (neo)Pagans, Witches and fellows lending team on Kiva, a non-profit website that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur across the globe. You can choose to have a loan show up in the team's collective portfolio, so our overall impact will grow! So far this group has loaned over $66,000! |
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Copyright © 2012 Danaan - This website is under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License .
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