A Reminder of Comment Etiquette

I know this isn't pleasant or fun, but I need to lay down the law my least favorite thing about blogging so I don't have to talk about it again: comment moderation. This turned out to be a big problem with the original blog near the end. To be fair, most of the comments I'm talking about weren't mean, just spammy. But it was draining and not fun to deal with all the same. Which is why on this blog I now screen all the comments before they're published.

Let's get one thing out of the way first: if I choose not to post a comment that doesn't mean that I'm "censoring" the commenter. I'm ignoring him. There's a difference. It might hurt your feelings (which is not my intent), but that is my right.

Now the reason why I delete a comment is not because I don't want to hear views that challenge mine. I have never deleted a comment because I disagreed with what they wrote. Everyone is allowed to state an opinion so long as they are nice about it. I usually wind up deleting comments if a) they're not relevant to the original post or b) the language comes across as antagonistic. So take note on those two points.

In short, my dear readers, you are not entitled to be heard and agreed with by everyone. That's life. So keep comments on topic and be kind. It's not that hard. If you don't pay attention to the way that you comment, then you're going to slowly kill a blog you love.

Name Profile: Janus

Janus is the god that gave us the name for the month of January. Although according to documents from the Roman time period, Juno was actually the main deity for this month. So it might actually be named after Juno. But for the purposes of this post we are assuming that January comes from Janus. Juno already has her own month, okay?

Janus is the Roman god of doors, gateways, passageways, and (if we're thinking more metaphorically here) beginnings and transitions. His name means "covered passage" in Latin. He is usually portrayed with a face on the back of his head, which represents his ability to see both the future and the past. There is no Greek equivalent to Janus, although he might be related to an earlier Italian oak god named Dianus. Regardless, he is distinctly Roman.

Janus was a very important god in his day. There were rituals preformed in his honor at the beginning of each year, each month, and each day. The Romans believed that the way in which a person began a new project was critical to it's success, which seems like good common sense to me. Naturally, they wanted all of the divine help they could get.

Janus might seem like a very unusual name, but if you look through history you can see many instances of usage. The variant Januarius was a given name during the late Roman period and is the name of several saints. There is also an identical surname Janus which according to Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names comes from John. This is why there are many instances of Janus used as an alternative name for John (King John II of Cyprus was also known as Janus).

But as far as recent history goes Janus is definitely an uncommon name. I could see it having a chance. It fits in nicely with the Atticus' and the Atlas' and all the other lovely -us boys names from mythology that are becoming fashionable at the moment. There's just one practical problem with this name: it sounds like Janice. One could see how that could cause some confusion. Overall, it seems like January is getting more attention as a prospective name.

Some modern Pagans have a reluctance to using names of deities. But Janus could be a meaningful name given during a time of transition. A new year definitely qualifies.

Some Combos:

Janus Palmer

Janus Yule

Janus Wilder

Related Names:

January

Januarius

Ianos

John

A Fond Farewell

I was greatly stunned and saddened to hear of the passing of Kay M. Sheard. She ran the blog Nook of Names and wrote the amazing Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names that I use for reference in my astrology posts. She used to post regularly in the old incarnation of this blog and her insights were always invaluable. I wish peace for her family and friends. May she be embraced in the arms of her chosen gods.

The Best Books I Read in 2014



Cover design is copyright Jim Tierney

 

What is the New Year about? Well, if you're anything like me, it's about promising to read X number of books before the year is out. Last year my goal was 75. I made it to 67. That's a very good number, but it is not the number. I try to give myself some credit. Many people don't even read half that much in this country.

Out of all those books, these are the ones I believe are the best:

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life by Twyla Tharp
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
The First True Lie by Marina Mander
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Hopeless Savages by Jen Van Meter
Kabuki: Metamorphosis by David Mack
True Grit by Charles Portis
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

I have a sneaky suspicion that all name enthusiasts are also book nerds. Here are a few inspiring monikers from the selection up top:

Terry

Susan

Teatime

Albert

Violet

Sun

Sprout

Ruth

Nao

Twyla

Herman

Siddhartha

Marina

Luca

Katherine

Abdul

Zehrunisa

Kehkashan

Asha

Manju

Sunil

Sunita

Fatima

John

Green

Hazel

Augustus

Isaac

Rat Bastard Hopeless-Savage

Arsenal Fierce Hopeless-Savage

Twitch Strummer Hopeless-Savage

Skank Zero Hopeless-Savage

Ginger

David

Mack

Kabuki

Charles

Rooster

Mattie

Markus

Liesel

Rudy

Max

Witi

Kahu

Paikea

Koro

Flowers

Ransom

Alma

Peregrine

Jacob

Emma

Millard

Bronwyn

Claire

Abraham

Victor

Cheryl

Angela

Carter

Alice

I'm going to try for 75 books this year too. Wish me luck!

Rebirth of the Sun

Photo of Druids and Pagans celebrating the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge, photo by Mat Cardy, credit to framework.latimes.com

A Joyous Yuletide, or Winter Solstice, to all!

Do you know where the word Yule comes from? Well, it's related to the Norse god Odin. One of his many names is Jolnir, meaning "Yule father." In fact, Yule started as an indigenous midwinter festival celebrated by Germanic Pagans. We still retain many of their Yule traditions including the Yule log, the Yule goat, eating ham or boar, and caroling. Another ancient festival that influenced the holiday season as we know it is the Roman Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a week long celebration held in honor of the god Saturn. It was celebrated with gift giving, gambling, feasting, and granting special privileges to slaves. The Celts also had a midwinter festival, and although not much is known about it we do know that that is where the tradition of hanging mistletoe (a symbol of virility) comes from.

Well, that was then. This is now. How do modern Pagans celebrate the holiday season? Well, there are many different traditions, but in Wicca much attention is paid to the fact that this is the longest night of the year. After this the days grow longer and stronger. This is the time in which the Horned God (in the form of the sun) is reborn again. All matter of young sun gods and mother goddesses are honored on this season.

Here are the ways in which we party:

• Not surprisingly, many traditions will be familiar to people who celebrate Christmas. Pagans also decorate a tree, hang mistletoe and stockings, give gifts, and spend time with loved ones. They give charity and kindness to strangers just like everyone else does.
• It's getting a bit redundant to say that Pagan holidays are celebrated by lighting things on fire, but it's true. It's traditional to keep the Yule log burning all through the night of Yuletide Eve and Yule. At the very least, Pagans will have a Yule log as a decoration.
• There are various gift giving spirits for the holiday season. Some Pagans still wait for Santa Claus, especially if they have an interfaith family. One favorite for Wiccans is the Holly King who, along with the Oak King, represent the Horned God. The two battle for supremacy with the youthful Oak King winning until Midsummer. In some rituals Pagans may reenact this battle.
• For feasting the traditional foods are ham, chicken, turkey, duck, chestnuts, oranges, apples, figs, plums, pomegranates, pears, potatoes, gingerbread, caraway, and the usual assortment of cookies. Some like to make wassail, which is a spicy fruit punch that may or may not be alcoholic. There might also be a yule log cake, a.k.a. a buche de noel.
• Some Pagans like to celebrate "twelve days of Yule" by honoring twelve specific deities or spirits each day starting on the Solstice.
• Yuletide is a great time of year for making plans for the future. Casting spells that have to do with rebirth and new beginnings are common.

And now for a massive holiday dumping of names, because I love giving the gift of name inspiration:

Mythical beings associated with the season:

Holly King & Oak King (So probably just Holly and Oak, Arguably Celtic)

Odin (Norse)

Mithras (Mithraic)

Saturn (Roman)

Apollo (Greek & Roman)

Santa Claus (or Nicholas, Christian)

Alcyone (Greek)

Horus (Egyptian)

Osiris (Egyptian)

Frigga (Norse)

Dionysus (Roman)

Frau Holle (German)

Ameratasu (Japanese)

La Befana (Italian Christian)

Juno (Roman)

Isis (Egyptian)

Ceres (Roman)

Demeter (Greek)

Nephthys (Egyptian)

Arianrhod (Welsh)

Cerridwen (Welsh)

Freya (Norse)

Gaia (Greek)

Morrigan (Irish)

Fortuna (Roman)

Other suggestions:

Yule

December

Decembra

Decimus

Winter

Midwinter

Solstice

Sol

Invictus

Invicta

Sunny

Sunshine

Io

Golden

Silver

Crimson

Garnet

Emerald

Rosemary

Orion

Wren

Robin

Draco

Klaus

Mistletoe

Ivy

Clove

Tannen

Snowlily

Cinnamon

Ginger

Hibiscus

Dove

Paloma

Cardinal

North

Renata ("reborn")

Ravi ("sun")

Zohara ("light, brilliance")

Carol

Phoebus ("bright, pure")

Phoebe

Noel ("birth")

Natalie

Orange

Nutmeg

Caraway

Glimmer

Radiance

Mirth

Joy

Jolie

Dawn

Poinsettia

Lucia

Luz

Lux

Evergreen

Spruce

Pine

Branch

Bay

Juniper

Cressida ("golden")

Rime ("frost")

Frost

Snowden

Alban ("white")

Festus

Allegra ("cheerful, lively")

Drummer

Isolde ("ice battle")

Farah ("joy")

Felicity

Festus

Hilary ("cheerful")

Merry

Turquoise

Elk

Onyx

Jupiter

Lettice ("joy, happiness")

Lowender ("mirth")

Dora ("gift")

Antler

Garland

Acorn

Fun combo time:

Felicity Rime

Yule Evergreen

Klaus Garland

Juniper Allegra

Draco Drummer

Fortuna Lux

Phoebus North

Rosemary Snow

Io Golden

Apollo Wren

Orion Sol

Robin Jolie

Paloma Solstice

Ravi Oak

Noel Caraway

Capricorn the Surefooted

"The Two Goats" by Gustave Dore

"Only a fool hopes to repeat an experience; the wise man knows that every experience is to be viewed as a blessing."

--Henry Miller, author and Capricorn

Many modern Pagans prefer to pick names based on astrological signs. Yes, I know I just finished doing a series of posts very similar to this on the old blog, but this time I'm not limiting myself to thirteen names. Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names by K. M. Sheard is an excellent resource for finding names to go with specific astrological signs, so if you want even more options than the ones I list here go find that book.

The sign of Capricorn starts on the solstice (usually December 22) and ends around January 19. Capricorns are nowadays associated with mountain goats, but in the ancient past they were symbolized by a mythical hybrid goat-fish. This is interesting because the goat's head would suggest a realistic and grounded approach to life, while the fish bottom would suggest emotional and spiritual depth. Capricorn is arguably the most resourceful of all the signs. They know how to work hard and get things done. Generally, they are reserved and standoffish unless the rest of their chart has flamboyant signs. They tend to turn their noses up at things they deem to frivolous and are not the type of people that take a lot of risks in life. They also have a bit of a materialistic streak and can have an obsession with status symbols.

Again, "sensible" names tend to be more appropriate for earth signs, but I got a mix of styles here.

Goat/horn/hybrid creature names:

Faun
Pan
Amalthea
Giles
Thor
Thora
Griffin

Earth and (to a lesser extent) water names:

George ("farmer")
Georgia
Octavian
Octavia
Terra
Ceres ("to grow")
Demeter ("earth mother")
Sita ("furrow")
Gardner
Meadow
Valley
Willow
Turqouise
Rosmerta
Ocean
Fisher
Mina ("fish")

Time names:

December
Decembra
Decimus
January
Janus
Winter
Solstice
Yule

Green, purple, black, and grey names:

Jet
Raven
Onyx
Sable
Evergreen
Olive
Midori
Viridiana
Forrest
Emerald
Esmeralda
Plum
Lavender
Amethyst
Greyson
Wolf
Ash
Shadow
Cole

Attribute names:

Severine ("severe")
Severus
Caprice
Wisdom
Sage
Frodo ("wise")
Cato ("wise")
Sophia ("wisdom")
Clemency ("mercy")
Clement
Pia ("pious")
True
Truly
Vera ("true")
Fidel ("loyal")
Loyal
Perseverance
Faith
Prosper
Boniface ("good fate")
Millicent ("work+strong")
Ida ("work, labor")
Emmeline ("work")
Ophelia ("help")
Amias ("friend")

Other ideas:

Garnet
Hypatia
Siddhartha
Dove
Hazel
Yew
Beowulf
Artemis
Saga
Melissa
Solomon
Saturn
Ruby
Nester
Paloma
Dove
Minerva
Theodore
Theodosia
Deborah
Juniper
Clove
Vesper
Alma

Yuletide Carols

After I became a Wiccan I couldn't bear the thought of playing Jesus-y songs during my Yuletide. Or, for that matter, very materialistic songs. I hate "Santa Baby" with a flaming passion. Anyway, a few years ago I started aggressively looking for proper Yuletide carols. I love listening to great holiday music. I was in bands and orchestras throughout most of my growing-up years after all.

Anyone who has tried to do this before knows that they'll find a lot of Christian Christmas songs with Pagany lyrics. You know, "God Rest Ye Merry Paganfolk," "Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland," "Share the Light" to the tune of "The First Noel." Pass. They bother me because they feel like mockery. It's okay sometimes, depending on how it's done but mostly I wanted something more genuine. And in any case, you can't find mp3s for any of these.

So how did it go? Terrifically, actually. I really don't understand it when other Pagans say that it's so hard to find non-Christian holiday songs. You just need to know where and how to look.

So as a present to all of you, here is my Yuletide carol playlist. It would have taken forever to find links for all of these, but rest assured that I found all of these on the Internet. Some are from amazon, some are from bandcamp, and some are from free music blogs. You could probably tell that my music tastes generally fall into the indie/folksy camp. If you guys know any other great Yuletide songs feel free to leave them in the comments!

Carols that are either overtly Pagan or about the Winter Solstice:

"Lady Greensleeves" -- Julianne Marx and Craig Olson
"Ring Out Solstice Bells" -- Jethro Tull
"Patapan" -- Damh the Bard
"Solstice" -- Andy Ditzler
"The Cutty Wren" -- Damh the Bard
"Santa Claus is Pagan Too" -- Emerald Rose
"Bold Orion" -- Susan Mckeown and Lindsey Horner
"Holly, Ivy, and Rose" -- Tori Amos
"Solstice Night" -- Julianne Marx and Craig Olson
"Wintry Queen" -- Coyote Run
"Hunting the Wren" -- Steeleye Span
"On Midwinter's Day" -- Damh the Bard
"The Longest Night of the Year" -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
"Winter's Carol" -- Tori Amos
"The Winter King" -- Damh the Bard
"Thank You Sunshine" -- Zucchini Brothers
"Rozhanitsa" -- Julianne Marx and Crag Olson
"The Christians and the Pagans" -- Dar Williams (although I have to admit that I think Darryl Purpose's cover is better than the original.)
"Wintergrace" -- Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum

Carols that could be about either Yuletide and Christmas:

"Deck the Halls" -- 11 Acorn Lane
"Here We Come A-Wassailing" -- Kate Rusby
"Walking in the Air" -- Chloe Agnew (If you grew up watching The Snowman you know this song.)
"The Boar's Head Carol" -- Katie McMahon
"The Wassailing Song" -- The Grizzly Folk
"Dance with the Sugar Plum Fairy" -- Pentatonix (or really anything from The Nutcracker.)
"Patapan" -- Heather Dale
"Mistletoe" -- Indigo Girls
"Frosty the Snowman" -- Fiona Apple

Wintry Carols:

"The January Man" -- Bert Jansch
"Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!" -- Emilie-Claire Barlow
"Wishes" -- The Bird and the Bee
"Congratulations (A Happy New Year Song)" -- Pink Martini
"The Hounds of Winter" -- Sting
"Winter Song" -- Ingrid Michaelson
"Winter Solstice" -- Jordan O'Jordan
"Tracks in the Snow" -- The Civil Wars
"Song for a Winter's Night" -- Domestic Crisis Group (The version by Sarah McLachlan is probably the most famous.)
"Aspenglow" -- Lovespirals
"Sleigh Ride" -- She & Him
"Baby It's Cold Outside" -- Ray Charles & Betty Carter
"White Winter Hymnal" -- Pentatonix
"My December" -- Scala & Kolacny Brothers
"Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)" -- Laura Marling
"The Atheist Christmas Carol" -- Vienna Teng

I know it's for Christmas but I'm keeping it anyway:

"The Bells of Dublin/Christmas Eve" -- The Chieftains
"Jingle Bells?" -- Barbra Streisand
"Christmas is Interesting" -- Jonathan Coulton
"I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus" -- Amy Winehouse
"This Endris Night" -- Heather Dale
"Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake" -- Robbie O'Connell
"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" -- Amy Mann
"Feliz Navidad" -- Jose Feliciano (and another version by Sea of Bees.)
"Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24" -- Trans-Siberian Orchestra (a.k.a. the hard rock Carol of the Bells.)
"River" -- Rosie Thomas

Songs I associate with the season:

"Auld Lang Syne" -- Salsa Celtica (and another version by Pink Martini.)
"When the River Meets the Sea" -- John Denver with the Muppets
"Here Comes the Sun" -- Yo-Yo Ma (The Beatles version sounds more appropriate for Summer Solstice to me.)
"Give a Little Bit" -- Supertramp
"To Try for the Sun" by Donovan

Naturally, these songs will inspire some names:

Carol

Song

Solstice

Greensleeves

Marx

Olson

Jethro

Wren

Damh

Bard

Emerald

Rose

Orion

Holly

Ivy

Amos

Queen

Coyote

Sunshine

Rozhanitsa

Dar

Wintergrace

Acorn

Chloe

Plum

Pan

Heather

Indigo

Mistletoe

January

Emilie

Wish

Bird

Ingrid

Jordan

Fiona

Apple

Snow

Aspen

Glow

Ray

Hymnal

December

Vienna

Chieftain

Bell

Jonathan

Amy

Fogarty

Feliz

Navidad

River

Denver

Donovan

And here are some lovely combos:

Donovan Hymnal

Wren Solstice

Jethro Denver

Amy Wintergrace

River Navidad

Ingrid Bird