Disting

It's close to the full moon and Febraury. Snowdrops remind us that winter is leaving and spring is not far. That time has come to celebrate the festival of the new season, called Disting, where the soil is cool and ready for the planting. The holiday itself is honouring the Disir, the name of female spirits of fertility who also protect the land. They could also be nature guardians that also kept close to certain families and areas or sites, including farms, wells, stones, houses. It was often believed that the Disir spirits could be angered if they felt disrespected, and they would take revenge against the individuals. No one really knows who exactly the Disir may be, in the order of deities, because they're mysterious. Some believe they could be goddesses or ancestral spirits. That may be because another name for Disting is Oimelc, an Anglo Saxon term for "ewe's milk" as implies a celebration of new life being born. Another name is "Charming of the Plough" when people have feasts in early February. When people worked close to the land these celebrations were in tune with nature.  

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Magic of opals

Opals are enchanting gemstones that change colours. The ancient Greeks associated opals with the thunder god Zeus. They believed that the gems were once tears of happiness shed by Zeus after winning a battle against the Titans. The Roman historian Pliny the Elder said this about opals: "There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendour rival the colours of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or fire quickened by oil." The Romans themselves considered opals as gems of purity and hope, a protection stone against illness, a cupid paederos or "child as beautiful as love."  

Despite that lovely belief, many considered opals were unlucky. It was considered bad luck to wear white opals with diamonds. Opals were thought to be an unlucky engagement ring. Some believe black opals are lucky but it was always believed these black opals were used by witches. Some strange superstitions about opals include the idea that opals will lose their shine if the owner passes away, that opals help turn people invisible, change their hair colour, or make golden haired women's hair even shinier. Opals were believed to help some people foretell the future and helps eyesight. Opals were considered evil during the Middle Ages. During the 11th century, Bishop Marbode of Rennes wrote about the opal: "Yet tis the guardian of the thievish race; it gifts the bearer with acutest sight; but clouds all other eyes with thickest night." 

Opals were once thought to be magical enough to ward off evil spirits and predators so they were used as a talisman to protect children. The Bubonic Plague was responsible for killing many people during the Middle Ages, and opals were worn by those who were sick from it. Often it was rumoured that those infected with the plague who had been wearing opals noticed that the gems turned vivid colours and then paled when the person died. Apart from the ill omens associated with opals, the gem is thought to be a very lucky stone, and was once linked to healing. It was believed that the Rainbow Goddess in Hindu mythology transformed herself into an opal to  escape from many unwanted attention. Also the Australian Dreamtime belief in the creator god called the Rainbow Serpent had left a path of opals after visiting the earth. There is much beauty in an opal as well as abilities to help relieve stress and increase psychic visions and immunity.   

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Tektites

Tektites are black alien crystals that come from meteorite impacts. These crystals are shiny and resemble oil and tar. Some confuse them with obsidian stones. However, tektites are actually forms of natural glass. Regarded as somewhat magical in power, ancient people used to gather these tektites and use them to make amulets. Different tektites come in various colours ranging from brown, black, yellow, green, grey and even opaque. The term comes from the Greek tektos which means "molten". These glassy stones are associated with the crown chakra, the star signs Aries, Cancer and Sagittarius. Regarded as otherworldly as they come from the stars, tektites have long been considered as "heaven's emeralds". Tektites are also thought to be from Thunder gods after a rain, according to an old book by Liu Sun, who lived during the Tang dynasty, 900 BCE. That was the earliest written mention of tektites. Linked also with healing properties and enhancing telepathy, people can wear tektites also for its lustre and prettiness. So for this I wanted to share an image of my own Mjolnir pendant made with tektites, as this is truly a lovely gift from my boyfriend. 

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January predictions

Happy New Year! The months change and 2023 will be a fresh start. I shall mention a few small predictions that you can also observe. 

Weather: it's often believed that good weather can be foretold in nature. The old saying "red sky at night, shepherds delight" is true, because it means less clouds likely the following day. Also the next saying: "red sky in the morning, shepherds warning" is a sign that a gathering of clouds will produce heavy rain and thunderstorm.  Another interesting notion is that the weather during the first three days of January will be a forecast for weather in the following three months.   

Birds: Another observation is birds. The change of seagulls behaviour can be a sign of future weather. If seagulls fly low in spinning patterns, this is a sign that bad weather is coming, especially snow and blizzards. If birds whistle in January, this is a sign of more frost to come. Robins and blackbirds singing from the tops of trees is a sign of good weather

Light: January is always associated with winter thaw but it's actually deep in winter, although it gets lighter. As the days grow longer, it makes the weather feel cold and harsh. As the earth is far away from the sun on 21st December, it's dark but not the coldest. The coldest day of the year is 13th January, according to folklore and weather lore. 

Plants: Yes the plants themselves can tell us what the weather will be like. Seaweed that feels dry is an indication of nice weather but puffiness and dampness will be a sign that the weather will go bad. Pine cones open for fine weather, and close during rain and storms. Fruits such as persimmon have seeds that predict weather. A forked seed will reveal calm winter, a spoon shaped seed will predict heavy snowfall, and a knife shaped seed will predict bitter cold harsh winter ahead. 

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