The Sacred Hearth

A monthly newsletter for Pagan seekers from the www.Sacred Hearth.com

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Welcome to the Year of the Rat!

This new moon marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year and this year is the Year of the Rat, according to the Chinese Zodiac. You can learn more about the Chinese Zodiac at http://www.chinesezodiac.com/

This new moon in Aquarius on February 6th at 10:15pm EST includes an annular solar eclipse (alas, most of us won't see it). This is a good time to begin to make major changes in your life. That means getting rid of anything that is unhealthy or holding you back from fulfilling your goals. Let go of addictions, break bad habits, end unhealthy relationships, find a job you actually like and you know that new haircolor you've been thinking about? Now is the time. Go for it! If you are in a situation where you are spinning your wheels, now is the time to get out.

On February 20th at 10:30pm EST, the full snow moon or hunger moon will rise in Virgo and it will be an excellent time for prayers and spells for healing and balance, not just for individual people, but for the world at large. (Try the one here http://www.sacredhearth.com/bos/rituals/spells/symphealing if you like) If you're sorry North America is going to miss the solar eclipse on the 6th, don't fret becaues we're going to get a great view of the lunar eclipse. You can find everything you need to know about it at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2008Feb21/TLE2008Feb21.h...

February

The word February comes from the latin februum which means "purification" or februar "to purge". It was once a month that wasn't a month as the winter period of the Roman calendar was once a month-less period. It was, and remains among many in the Pagan community, a time of spring cleaning type purification rituals focused on the hearth and home, as well as purification of the self.

The early Roman calendar consisted of 10 months, starting in March and ended in December, followed by a period of time that was basically uncharted (even though festivals continued during this time.) An extra month of variable days called Intercalarias or Mercedonius was occasionally added to even things out when the calendar got off track. The priests who were in charge of the calendars were often bribed by politicians to make some years longer or shorter in order to keep certain people in office longer.

Julius Ceasar took it upon himself to fix the calendar, and from his efforts we got the Julian Calendar. He renamed the month Quintilis after himself. Not to be outdone, Augustus Ceasar later named renamed Sextilis after himeself. August originally had 30 days, so the story goes, but Augustus took a day from February and added it to August so that his month would have as many days as Julius's month did!

Today, we use the Gregorian calendar, named after the Pope that approved it. This calendar is very similar to the Julian calendar, but it has fewer leap years. Any year that is divisible by 100 that would normally be a leap year is not a leap year, unless it is also divisible by 400 under the Gregorian system. Confusing? Actually, that was the easiest part. I don't begin to understand the intricacies of calendar-calculating! The moon is enough for me! The Gregorian reform was instituted in order to standardize Easter.

House Blessing

In this spirit, now is a good time to clean out your closets and haul everything you haven't used in the past year to the Salvation Army or Goodwill and to do some organizing and deep cleaning of your living area. Finish with your altar, if you've got one. Give everything a good dusting, scrape off stuck on candle wax and launder your altar cloth.

If you're like many of us, you want to keep your household is free from artificial toxins as possible and reduce the negative impact you have on the Earth. You can find some great ideas for green housecleaning at http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/greencleaners.cfm. Not only will these ideas help keep toxins away from your family and out of the environment, but they save money too! If you must have store bought cleaners, check out the nifty aromatherapeutic ones at http://www.mrsmeyers.com!

Many Pagans perform a blessing and purification ritual of their home when they first move in and repeat it on an annual basis. Right after your spring cleaning is the perfect time to do this. House blessing rituals aren't terribly effective in a messy house because clutter traps energy, as well as dust.

Your house purification and blessing ritual can be as simple or elaborate as you like. I like to open up all the doors and windows to let a fresh breeze run through the whole house. Then I sweep through the whole house with my ritual broom (or besom). Once this is done, I walk through the house, sprinkling holy water throughout. It is best to sprinkle it by dipping a bunch of sacred herb, such as laurel, basil or sage into the water and shaking it to release the droplets, but if this isn't available to you, your fingers will work just as well. Once this is done, I repeat the process with my smudgepot. Some people use incense, and the stick form is the most convenient, but I am fond of sage.

This is an effective method for cleansing any sacred space, object or even a person. (Don't use the broom on people!) Vibrations are also purifying. Try a rattle, a didgeridoo, a drum, a rhythmic chant or try vibrating words. Find the way that works best for you and use it each time. Every time you repeat a ritual it becomes more powerful!