When Time Stands Still

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This year, 12 Omens after Christmas has become quite a trend 

Spreading around the social media, especially Facebook. I also see there are some opportunist pop up workshops available to explain this, some of them quite expensive.

I was just looking at a packet of ‘just add water’ soda bread making kit, and chuckling, because anyone who makes soda bread knows how its such a quick and easy thing to do, and with better results than these packet kits.

So here is the DIY soda bread style approach to this year’s trend of 12 Omens after Christmas.

So what is this ‘When Time Stands Still’ lark? It is promoted as Celtic but seems to have Babylonian origins, like most calibrated arts such as mathematics, astronomy, and navigation.

Starting point of all of this is the point of Winter Solstice. The Gregorian Time worshipers rigidly stick to 21st December for this observance, no matter what Sidereal Time calculations, of seemingly Babylonian origin, present.

Even megalithic new stone age constructions are tuned in to the sidereal calendar, though some modern rebuilds of these megaliths seem to have attempted to shift their alignments to modern Gregorian dates.

From the point of Solstice we seem to have 3 sunsets, in at least Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, when the sunset time remains the same, stood still. On the 4th sunset it is a minute longer, then each sunset thereafter another minute longer. By Imbolc this is about 2 minutes more per evening, by Equinox 3 minutes more per evening.

Meanwhile, sunrise does not get earlier for 15 mornings after Solstice. The 16th morning is one minute earlier, and it takes another two mornings to become another minute earlier, then its a one minute earlier per day stretch for awhile, towards Imbolc.

The maths of this is 15 mornings less 3 mornings = 12 mornings after Christmas Day, or sometimes the next day, and then we land on Epiphany.

So there we have 15 days when time may seem to stand still.

Before I suggest some lovely DIY ways to approach this, I am thinking of the various Daghda tales, as I have heard them. There is a common thread of him mating and he and his partner creating conception at the point of midwinter.

We had a profound Daghda story about this where I live, though some local versions of the story move this from Winter Solstice to Samhain. The best known story is perhaps Daghda mating with Boanne (Boyne) and the birth of Aengus, a half human half good of love.

This conception is at the start of this ‘Time Stands Still’ season, and I delve into this passionate moment within my follow up book in my Bathing series. I have decided to postpone it’s release until next Samhain.

As for omens, during this Time Stood Still time, hibernating animals usually get active gathering more food at this time as it is often a mild spell between the usual early December cold and icy January.

After feasting and promise of more light no wonder we are like these awoken hibernators doing our own gathering and creative thinking. The conception for the year cycle, portrayed in folklore by Daghda and his various mating partners, has begun.

Thinking of the ‘Beliefs’ article I posted a couple of days ago, I feel this current Omens trend, of this time, may serve us well to mould this universe-solar system-earth system nature flow passage into compartmentalised ritual and rites package.

Is this because it is believed this is how us modern humans can apply this concept of standing still time? I feel this is almost like a step by step manual of why and how we use the toilet.

This standing time is very easily DIY, and most of us are actually doing this without converting it into a ritual curriculum.

It seems that modern human culture  use catalogues to fulfill this seasonal ‘calling’ from Christmas, through New Year, and into mid January. The ‘catalogues’ of today are more likely to be hub style websites and apps that lead us to appropriate web sites and their ‘booking engines’.

I believe it is worth the ‘effort’ to go simple and natural at this time, and even wilder and see what is happening around us.

Bird, animal, and weather movements are indeed inspiring. They are our ‘totems’ because though we try to avoid it we live with all of this. So do we ‘believe’ our intents, during these Stand Still days should be about how we fit into all this?

Also like the break from hibernation enjoyed by squirrel, frog, and hedgehog, its wonderful to be focused on our intentions to feed, clothe, shelter, and sustain health for ourselves?

Our creations balanced with nature, 
just like all trees compete for light to survive 
but support each other as well. 

As our concept of time seems to stands still right now, I believe this gives us the illusion that all has stood still. We feel that we have another chance of conception, of conceiving what we will blossom, fruit and harvest through the coming year.

We give up smoking, attempt to lose weight, enter into more exercise, and create affirmations to recharge and re-balance our mental health.

Journaling what we sense during this standing still time, what we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste can certainly seed us for the year. But do not give up and return to routine mid January.

Stay wild, use this time to attempt to drive senses and the images we imagine into verse, song, doodling words or doodling images ... and maybe share these, perform these, and form bridges from their response. Don’t worry if response seems negative or good, but dance united around these. Out of this will blossom human constructions, art creations, and inventions.

Here’s to a blossoming creative time for you when ‘time’ gets moving again.