The three days surrounding the turning of the month are my favorite sacred days within the Hellenic calendar and lifestyle. An evening and night of cleaning, paying bills, doing the tasks I've been putting off and then--with a big sigh of relief--stepping into the new month with fresh flowers and a positive attitude, cleansed of miasma by Hekate, and blessed by Zeus.

While I observe the festivals, it's usually a more formal and slightly longer version of my daily rituals. Somehow, I find I don't do anything truly outlandish when it's just me and the Theoi. On the Deipnon, though, I perform outdoor ritual, I cycle to the forest to give offerings to Hekate at a beautiful crossroads, I clean out my kathiskos, and then clean all my ritual tools as well as scrub down my altar and shrines. On the Noumenia, I perform outdoor ritual again, I fill my kathiskos, give libations at my door-shrine, I buy beautiful flowers, prepare for the month ahead and finish the cleaning. Agathós Daímōn, I give libations at His shrine, finish preparations for the month and settle into the month itself. It's a beautiful trilogy that gives me great peace of mind.

Today, I'm out to celebrate Noumenia, and thus you're getting an update about me and this blog, as put together on the Deipnon. Enjoy these beautiful sacred days, and I'll see you again tomorrow.
  • work on the labeling is moving along nicely. You may have also spotted that I'm going back to change the spelling of some of the names of the Theoi to reflect the Greek spelling. It's a bit of a process, but I'm getting there
  • I have started the second year of the Pagan Blog Project, and so far I have been on time every week; go me!
  • the blog will reach 30.000 hits today, which means that you guys rock!
  • if any of you are looking for a very nice, Traditional Hellenismos, online organization, Elaion--which I joined a little while ago and will soon be a full member of--is accepting members; Bob, the most active of the founding members, and I are putting our heads together for a round of improvements and a pooling of resources for seekers; it's exciting work, and I will keep you informed about it
  • the new 'Flora Series' has gotten its own link on the left sidebar, in the series box
  • the festival page has been updated to include links to the festivals I have written about
  • the terminology page has been updated as well
  • did you catch the new videos?
  • the Pagan blogroll on the left hand side has been updated with more Hellenic links
  • a few days ago, someone found this blog by searching for my name! Yes, this is a big deal in my world
Thank you, all for reading, for commenting, or even for simply stopping by. More Hellenism tomorrow, now go out, and enjoy today. I'm relieved this month has ended. Have a blessed new month, everyone. See you tomorrow.

Update: my public Google festival calendar has been updated to the end of the year. Yes, that means that Elaphebolion, Mounukhion, Thargelion and Skirophorion have been added.