Clare Gibson's Witches 2001 Calendar.
The Zodiacal month of:
Aquarius Ruled by the planet Uranus and Pisces Ruled by the planet Neptune.
Imbolc, and ancient Pagan fire festival, was reluctantly transformed into a Christian feast by the Catholic Church when it proved impossible to eradicate. February 1 was sacred to the Irish goddess Brigid ("High One") in Celtic tradition, and although it is claimed that the Christian St. Brigid (or Bride), whose feast falls upon that same day, died around A.D. 525, it is clear that the Church co-opted the powerful goddess into its ranks, and with her, her worshippers. The Celtic Brigid was a powerful triple goddess whose spheres of influence included poetry, fertility, healing, and metalwork; because one of Brigid's symbolic attributes was a cow ( signifying fertility), St. Brigid was designated the patron of dairy-maids. Brigid was furthermore the goddess of purifying fire, and, as a result, her successor was believed to act as a guardian of the holy flame. This association with fire is one of the reasons why Christians call Imbolc Candlemas (the feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary). The candles that are traditionally lit on this day also recall the Cerealia festival, which commemorates the torch-lit search for Proserpina (the goddess who enables seeds to germinate) by her mother, the Roman corn goddess Ceres. Similarly, the birth of the Irish fire goddess Brigantia was celebrated on February 2. It was believed that Brigantia's warming breath could revive the dead, much as the growing power of the Sun begins to penetrate the winter earth in February, preparing it to receive and nurture new life.
Thursday, February 1, 2001: Feast of the Celtic goddess Brigid and the Christian St. Brigid. The start of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Friday 2: Groundhog Day. Oimelc, Imbolc, Candlemas, or Lady Day Sabbat. Roman Cerealia festival.
Saturday 3: ------
Sunday 4: Setsuban festival in Japan to exorcise winter demons.
Monday 5: Sacred to Isis, the Egyptian supreme goddess.
Tuesday 6: Waitangi Day (NZ). Dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and fertility.
Wednesday 7: ------
Thursday 8: Tu B'Shevat
Friday 9: Uranus-Sun conjunction. " Narvik Sun Festival" celebrated in Norway.
Saturday 10: Sacred to Anaitis, the Assyrian war goddess.
Sunday 11: Traditional day of Christian pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, France.
Monday 12: Lincoln's Birthday. Sacred to Artemis , the Greek goddess of the Moon and hunting.
Tuesday 13: Sacred to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. Parentalia celebration dedicated to ancestors in ancient Rome.
Wednesday 14: Valentine's Day
Thursday 15: Flag Day (CAN). Nirvana Day (Buddhism). Lupercalia festival, dedicated to Lupa, the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
Friday 16: -----
Saturday 17: Birth of Kali, the Hindu goddess of birth and destruction.
Sunday 18: -----
Monday 19: Presidents' Day, Family Day- Provincial Alberta (CAN). Birth of Minerva, the Roman goddess of war and intelligence.
Tuesday 20: -----
Wednesday 21: The Feralia festival, dedicated to Roman household goddesses, the Lares, and families.
Thursday 22: Washington's Birthday. Charistia festival, honoring Concordia, the Roman goddess of harmony. Sybil Leek born 1917.
Friday 23: The Terminalia festival, in honor of Terminus, the Roman god of boundaries.
Saturday 24: -----
Sunday 25: -----
Monday 26: Pentagram Night. Sacred to Hygea, the Greek goddess of health and hygiene.
Tuesday 27: Mardi Gras. Shrove Tuesday (Christianity). Rudolf Steiner born 1861.
Wednesday 28: Ash Wednesday. Sacred to Zamyad, the Persian earth goddess.
Enjoy February, March Coming Soon.