An evolving expansion of my practice.
(Image description: A photo of a full moon surrounded by clouds in the night sky. The moonlight reflects off the clouds in different colors.) Credit: Photo by Swapnil Potdar on Unsplash
As of this week, it’s been approximately three years since this blog was started! That’s a small achievement in and of itself, and as a marker of that, I would like to include the realm of Sky into my path more.
I’ve always had difficulty including the observation of the lunar phases, as I wasn’t sure how to do this. With my interest in Gallo-Brythonic Polytheism, I’ve learned about the concept of atenoux, a time of marking the light and dark in the month. More emphasis seems to be placed on the full moon, rather than the new moon. However, I’d like to emphasize a balance of both.
For now, I’m learning as I go. I want to focus on Brigantia with the upcoming full moon on the 21st. The next phase occurs close enough to the summer solstice, and I feel like celebrating the atenoux is a good way to honor this time of the year.
The focus for it will be on Her role as a hearth goddess and the light She provided when hillforts were being built. The builders of hillforts would have needed fire from the hearth for light, cooking, and warmth (depending on the time of the year and the weather).
As moonlight is a reflection of sunlight on the moon’s surface, a symbolic connection with the lunar phases can be connected with Brigantia’s epithet, Caelestis (“heavenly, celestial”). It’s more of an indication of how important Her status was, but I think linking the title with sky-related events emphasizes the animistic qualities found within nature and the deities.
Additionally, while my practice is focused on Brighid and Brigantia, I also wanted to have a time where I can focus on Nodens. I asked a member on the Albion and Beyond Discord server about when an appropriate time would be to honor Him. He told me that the new moon could be a good time for doing so.
I still feel very new to this branch of Celtic Polytheism, and I’m finding what works for me and what doesn’t. However, balance between the realms, as well as light and dark, is of particular significance for me. We aren’t just one aspect or another, and understanding ways to see nature and the deities within ourselves just shows how deeply everything is interconnected as a whole.
This post is more of an update on the evolution of my progress, and I hope to possibly delve into this more in the next or other future entries. However, it’s been a fairly busy time, and I’m taking things slowly. After all, my path is a journey and not a destination.
Until next time, have a blessed summer or winter solstice, wherever you might be reading this from!
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