TWH – Each month, our skies are illuminated by the full moon, each bearing its unique significance. November’s ‘beaver moon’ is, naturally, no exception. The term “Beaver Moon” refers to the full moon that occurs in November. It is also sometimes called the Frost Moon. The names of full moons often have cultural and historical significance, and they can vary among different cultures and regions.
The name “Beaver Moon” is thought to have Indigenous Native American origins. In November, beavers would build their winter dams and set up their food stores. As a result, the full moon of November came to be associated with increased beaver activity. November’s full moon earns its name from the retreating behavior of beavers as winter approaches. This could be attributed to Native American traditions as well. Historically, it was the time for setting beaver traps before the swamps froze, ensuring a supply of warm winter furs.
Other names for the November full moon, like the Frost Moon, herald the colder temperatures and frost that often occur during this time of the year.
In 2023, the beaver moon is in Gemini. Some suggest that this full moon in Gemini sparks intellectual curiosity and a desire to express ideas more effectively. This period favors increased social activities and networking. Gemini’s dual nature encourages adaptability and the recognition of multiple viewpoints in any situation. It’s an optimal time for engaging in conversations, exploring new concepts, and embracing diverse perspectives.
As November’s beaver moon is the last full moon before the winter solstice during Samhaintide, it is sometimes referred to as the Mourning Moon. In some traditions, it is a time to release past troubles or grief as The Wheel turned to a new year at Samhain. It is also a time, some say, to cleanse personal spaces of fear or worry. Lapis lazuli and turquoise are sometimes used to resonate with this full moon as are alder, cypress, and hazel wood.
The Beaver moon reached its full at 9:16 a.m. GMT/ 3:16 a.m. Eastern on Monday, November 27, 2023.
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This Thursday:
TWH- The Troth is organizing an International Pagan Day of Prayer and Action for Peace, a call to foster global harmony, understanding, and unity. It is inviting other Pagan traditions to join in the event.
On the 30th of November, individuals and communities from diverse Pagan traditions will come together to harness the power of intention, prayer, and positive action to promote peace.
This day is not about one conflict but about embracing the interconnectedness of all life and affirming our commitment to creating a world where diversity is celebrated, conflicts are resolved with compassion, and kindness becomes the guiding force in our interactions.
Further, through acts of generosity, promotion of social justice, donations to organizations that promote peacemaking, and volunteering of time toward peace-building: participants will demonstrate the commonality within our diverse Pagan spiritualities lies in building community and nurturing a profound harmony with the giving Earth and all of those who share it.
The International Pagan Day of Prayer and Action for Peace invites individuals to reflect on and within their spiritual practices and to transform that intention to engagement in making the world a better place. Join us on this day of shared reflection, intention, work, and prayer for peace.
Groups interested in joining the event are invited to contact international relations irep@thetroth.org or communications@thetroth.org.
Events
PHILADELPHIA, PA: The Parade of Spirits organizing team has announced the 13th Annual Parade of Spirits beginning in Liberty Lands Park on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
13th Annual PARADE OF SPIRITS – OFFICIAL (DER GEISCHDERSCHTRUTZ)
Liberty Lands Park, Philadelphia, PA, Saturday, December 9, 2023, 16:00/4:00 PM
PARTICIPATORY PARADE: The Parade of Spirits is a family-friendly, grassroots, community-led event rooted originally in Alpine Germanic and Pennsylvania Dutch traditions, but we encourage participants to share expressions from all cultures and backgrounds. Participants are to dress up in costumes reflecting the shady, shadowy, or downright dark-side characters from lore around the world. Please review the rules.
Costumes may be as simple as donning ghoulish makeup to appear as a spirit on the Wild Hunt to as elaborate as a full-on Krampus costume. Hand-made or hand-assembled costuming is preferred, though commercial Krampus costumes are welcomed. BRING NOISEMAKERS! This is most certainly not a quiet event!
Assemble in Liberty Lands Park (913 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA) anytime around 16:00/4:00 PM. Opening remarks begin just prior to sunset, and the Parade steps onto the streets just after sunset (16:35/4:35 PM).
ENTERTAINMENT:
Before and during the Parade, come hear the evocative harmonies of Philadelphia’s own Sing Slavic Choir!
After the Parade has finished its route, please join us in the park for entertainment provided by Squidling Brothers Circus Sideshow (also from Philadelphia!).
Between the end of the Parade and the Squidling Brothers’ performance, the Urglaawe community will present some community-created words honoring Saaga, the Germanic deity associated with history and folklore, as the Parade of Spirits is a revival of Colonial Era Pennsylvania Dutch pre-Yule celebrations.
Yuletide Sock Drive:
Donations are passed out via direct handouts to communities in need or to shelters throughout the area. Please donate new, unworn socks and/or underwear for any size or age! Donations are via direct handouts to communities in need or to shelters throughout the area.
Do you have news to share with our community?
Announcements? Elevations? Events?
Let us know at pcn@wildhunt.org.
Announcements:
Ayu Putri Kenyo Jati of Indonesia, the teen category first-place winner of the 2014 Midwinter Art Contest [via Norse Mythology Blog]
The Norse Mythology Blog Announces Midwinter 2023 Art Contest
Ten years after the website’s first international art contest and three years since its most recent one, the return of the event features the theme “Gods and Goddesses Gather at Midwinter.”
This year’s guest judge is UK comics artist Lee Carter, best known for his intense and often terrifying work for the British weekly 2000 AD and its monthly sister publication, the Judge Dredd Megazine.
Age categories for the contest are kids (twelve and under), teens (thirteen to nineteen), and adults (twenty and up).
Past winners and runners-up have come from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and all over the United States.
Past judges have included authors (Joanne Harris, Utkarsh Patel), academics (Helga Hlaðgerður Lúthersdóttir, Kendra Wilson), musicians (Joris van Gelre of Heidevolk), artists (Richard Elson, Erik Evensen, Steve Parkhouse, Anker Eli Petersen, Liam Sharp), and Icelandic elf whisperer Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir.
Entry deadline is 11:59 pm (Chicago time) on December 23, 2023 – Details and rules.
Upcoming Gatherings:
Open Coven is running the following in-person events in Western North Carolina this Fall and early winter. Open Coven is run by TWH writer Liz Watkin, a fiber artist and educator with an online learning background.
Open Coven provides resources on using fiber art for magick. This includes embroidery and fiber art kits, classes, and online workshops. For more info. visit their website:
- 12/9 – Tarot Bag Class: 2 – 5 pm at The Well (3 Louisiana Ave, W. Asheville)
- 1/13 – Altar Cloth Class: 1 – 5 pm at The Well (3 Louisiana Ave, W. Asheville)
The Troth announced this week that Frith Forge 2024, the International Conference of Inclusive Heathenry, will be hosted at the Hotel del Bosque in Costa Rica from April 13th to April 16th. Frith Forge is an international conference among inclusive Heathen organizations, kindreds, and individuals. The broader inclusive pagan communities and interfaith allies are welcome to participate as well. This year the Frith Forge will be the Asociación Ásatrú Yggdrasil.
The Troth wrote that “International Relations and Exchange was founded as a program to facilitate and support international collaboration and education by creating Frith Forge, an international conference for inclusive Heathens. We didn’t just find groups that shared our values, but groups that had already started this work overseas, with long histories of their own, struggles of their own, and problems that we could solve better together than apart. We continue to nurture these lasting alliances and true friendships. We value the chance to participate in such high-quality educational and frithful exchange. This connection helps us all weather the storms together that affect us all.”
More information regarding Latin American Heathenry is available on the Frith Forge YouTube channel:
Positively Noteworthy
In a Positively Noteworthy occurrence reported by the conservation group Save the Elephants, an elephant named Alto in Kenya delivered an unusual pair of twin calves last Friday. Both newborns are female and made their entrance into the world in the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya.
Save the Elephants shared an extraordinary video on social media capturing the twins nursing from their mother, surrounded by other members of the herd. Twin births are exceptionally rare and constitute only around one percent of all elephant deliveries.
Elephants have the lengthiest gestation period among living mammals Their pregnancy lasts a staggering 22 months and typically give birth approximately every four years.
Unfortunately, the prospects for elephant twins are often sobering, however. In a previous case in 2022, an elephant named Bora birthed twins (a male and a female) during a severe drought in the Samburu National Reserve. Despite Bora’s excellent outstanding skills as a mother, one of the twins, the female, did not survive.
Even with the historical odds faced by elephant twins, Save the Elephants expressed optimism regarding Alto’s offspring. “Elephant twins rarely survive in the wild but we’re optimistic about Alto’s twins as there’s lots of food in the park following the rains so Alto should be able to produce plenty of milk to feed her hungry brood plus she also has the amazing support of her herd,” the organization wrote.
The group highlighted favorable conditions in the park following recent rains, ensuring an abundance of food for Alto, who should be well-equipped to produce ample milk for her hungry pair. Additionally, the support of Alto’s herd is deemed crucial for the well-being of the twins.
Researchers on the reserve estimate that Alto’s twins are only a few days old. The African savanna elephant, to which Alto and her twins belong, is categorized as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
But wait! There’s more!!
Zoo Miami announced the birth of a Sumatran tiger cub and released photos this past week. “On this Thanksgiving, all of us at Zoo Miami are not only thankful for this precious new life, but for all of the things that make our zoo family as well as the rest of our families and friends so special,” said Ron Magill, Zoo Goodwill Ambassador/ Communications Director.
Via Instagram, Zoo Miami write “Our dedicated team swiftly assessed her health, confirmed her weight, and revealed she’s a girl – all while mom, Leeloo, patiently waited. After the check-up, Leeloo lovingly reassured her cub, grooming her back to comfort. It’s these moments of care that remind us of the incredible bond between animal families.”
Magill added, “Though the cub appears to be very strong and healthy, these first few months present the greatest challenges in any animal’s life so she will be carefully monitored by the Animal Science and Animal Health Departments to ensure she is meeting all the metrics for continued healthy development.”
Magill added that the cub and momma will be off-exhibit for a few weeks as they continue to bond. The new cub must also pass a swimming test to ensure she can navigate the habitat.
Meanwhile, there’s this cuteness.
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Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: We’Moon Tarot, created by Musawa, featuring the art of 40 years of We’Moon Calendars, published by Mother Tongue Ink Publications.
Card: Earth Matriarch – Saving Seeds (similar to Queen of Pentacles)
This week is liable to offer ample opportunities to not only preserve knowledge and resources but to share them to ensure the success of the future. There may also be reminders to examine what is attempting to take root and grow, and how best to support the new growth.
Conversely, the hoarding of resources and refusal to share vital knowledge is likely to lead to isolation and create resentment. Additionally, allowing undesirable and unwanted elements to grow can result in an undermining or major setback to overall goals and plans.
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