Dancing The Sacred Calender

Dancing the Sacred Calendar is a workshop that has been offered three times at Neskaya. It is also available as a workshop that could be done over a weekend at another venue.

In this workshop we celebrate the sacred year in the space of one 24-hour day. We'll talk about the astronomical background, and the symbolic meanings of each major festival, as well as (of course!) dancing appropriate dances.

Schedule: Noon Saturday -- Summer Solstice
3PM -- Lughnasad
Sunset -- Autumn Equinox
9PM -- Samhain
Midnight -- Winter Solstice
3AM Sunday -- Imbolc
Sunrise -- Spring Equinox
9AM -- Beltane

The equinoxes and solstices divide the solar year into the familiar seasons:

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
the cycle of warm and cold weather and the life cycles of plants:
Germination, Growth, Ripening, Death

In the Old Nature religion of Western Europe, the "Fire Festivals" or "Cross-quarter days" come near the middle of each season, traditionally at the beginning of November, February, May and August. These festivals have a long history, going back to the time before Stonehenge was built. On the Cross Quarter Days, the gates open between the worlds, and the time is ripe for transformation:

Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasad
the poles of the year in the cycle that describes the dance of matter and spirit:
Separation, Inspiration, Incarnation, Crystallization.