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Dragonswood
Calendar - Samhain 2009 to Samhain 2010
- Now Only £8.99
Spiral
bound, A4, month-a-page calendar running through
the celtic year from Samhain 2009 to Samhain
2010. Packed full of information and illustrated
with full-colour artwork. Dragonswood calendar
is researched and compiled by Christine Stewart
of Dragonswood, with artwork by Gillie Whitewolf
of Gaia's Garden. This calendar runse from
November 2009 to the end of October 2010.
(The 2010 - 2011 Calendar will be available
in September - if you would like to reserve
a copy please email me)
"A
calendar of pagan days celebrating the wheel
of the year from Samhain to Samhain. Featuring
folklore and customs from the Northern Hemisphere,
along with monthly gardening tips, Nature
watching and observations on the night sky.
Accompanied by artwork inspired by the changing
seasons."
Dragonswood
2009-2010 Calendar
A review by Kim Huggens for The
Esoteric Book Review
•
A calendar of pagan days celebrating the wheel
of the year from Samhain to Samhain.
• Featuring folklore and customs from across
the Northern Hemisphere along with monthly
gardening tips, Nature watching and observations
on the night sky.
• Accompanied by artwork inspired by the changing
seasons.
I am always on the lookout for a good Pagan
calendar, but so far have found that either
the content for each month is too prim and
airy-fairy, or the festivals marked on the
calendar only focus on Wicca, or that the
artwork is unattractive. However, the Dragonswood
2009-2010 Calendar has none of these flaws,
and is, in my opinion, the best Pagan calendar
I’ve seen.
From the very front cover it is an aesthetic
joy, with beautiful and detailed artwork that
is also simple and symbolic. Running from
November 2009 to October 2010, each month
is illustrated by images from the same artist.
These images are all set in the same place,
with a tree on the right-hand side and a field
in the background, but each changes throughout
the months. So, in November a hole in the
tree shelters a skull, candle, and empty spider’s
web, a lantern shines in the darkness of the
field, and ravens fly in the dark night. In
May that hole is decorated by ribbons, surrounding
a set of runes; the tree is decorated with
clouties, bees and dragonflies abound, and
a Bel fire burns under a blazing sun. And
in August the tree’s hole carries a corn dolly
and a sickle, the field is yellow and the
corn is baled, and red ribbons and corn dollies
hang from the tree branches in a pink-purple
sunset. Not only do these images make reference
to the main Wiccan Sabbats, they also highlight
the changes in nature at various times of
the year, as well as folkloric customs practised
during these months.
Each month is also accompanied by a detailed
piece discussing the history of the month,
festivals and feast days occurring in it both
today and in ancient times, the flowers, fruits,
and animals that are around at this time,
and what can be seen in the nightsky for star-gazers.
In fact, there seems to be something for everybody,
and I know that I’ll be inspired to go out
and look for the Perseids shower described
in August and the Orionoids meteor shower
in October! A lovely feature of each month
is the very bottom of the page “The Vegetable
Patch”. Only a few lines, but very useful
information nonetheless, regarding what vegetables
and fruits are in season, what can be planted,
and what should be harvested at each month.
The month itself is presented as a grid, beginning
with Sunday, and a small box for each day.
The main Sabbats are highlighted in pale yellow,
and festivals from several different religions
and traditions are written on the relevant
days. I loved this multicultural feature,
because it made me very aware of the holiness
of each and every day, and gave me food for
thought as I went through my daily activities.
It would also be useful for parents who (like
me, if I had children!) would like to raise
their children with an awareness of other
cultures’ traditions, and perhaps plan some
activities relating to those holy days.
The first page of the calendar is devoted
to given a short history of the calendar throughout
the ages very interesting reading! And the
last page is given to poetry on the theme
of Samhain. The back page informs us that
the calendar has been printed on paper which
has received certification from the Forest
Stewardship Council, and the other eco-friendly
steps that have been taken to ensure this
calendar is 100% ethically sound! Fantastic!
I really am enamoured with the love and thought
that has been put into the making of this
calendar, and I know that when next October
is over, I’ll be cutting out the beautiful
images and using them on my altar as the following
year goes by, and purchasing next year’s Dragonswood
Calendar.
† Dragonswood [Samhain] 2009 - 2010 Calendar
† researched and compiled by Christine Stewart
with artwork by Gillie Whitewolf †
Please
Contact to Reserve
your copy of the Dragonswood 2010-2011 Calendar
& Journal
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