A Pagan Almanac: Day One

A Pagan Almanac for July 19, 2012

Lunar cycle: Day 1, first crescent

Rome: The Lucaria

Athens: First day of Hekatombaion, “Month of a hundred sacrifices,” sacred to Apollo. New Year’s Day.

Martyred on this day in 1692:
Sarah Good of Salem Village
Elizabeth How of Topsfield
Susanna Martin of Amesbury
Rebecca Nurse
Sarah Wilde of Topsfield
They died in our name. Let us remember theirs.

William Blake wrote:
Let the Priests of the Ravens of dawn no longer, in deadly black, with hoarse note curse the sons of joy. Nor his accepted brethren—whom, tyrant, he calls free—lay the bound or build the roof. Nor pale religious letchery call that virginity that wishes but acts not! For everything that loves is Holy.

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I’ve been collecting data suitable for use in a daybook for years, recorded in a bound, one page per day diary, but was never sure what to do with it. It occurred to me a few days ago that this blog provides an opportunity to share all that. Wondering when to start on that, I discovered that the Athenian year, which began at the first visible crescent after the summer solstice, would begin today. So here we are.

I will later on explain such things as the nature of lunisolar calendars, how I gathered names of persons martyred as Witches, and why I consider Blake to be not only my favorite poet, but also one of the greatest minds of modern times. I believe he thought like a Witch. Or perhaps I believe that Witches should think more like Blake.  However, today time for writing is limited. My wife had abdominal surgery yesterday; so I am taking the kids to visit her.

Perhaps starting a project that requires a daily entry is not quite prudent, given that teaching, editing, other writing, and having three kids at home means I will miss a day or two here and there. But I will simply catch up with the entries. I believe the information will be interesting enough that it will save for a day or so.