Wheel
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C1325529963/E20060118234241
Patterns and flow
One of the things I love about this time of year is updating my calendar. In my Corporate Clone days, I still used a DayTimer. I was beginning to come to terms with the fact I was Pagan no matter how hard I tried to be Christian.
So I would sit down with a blank sheet of paper and draw a really big circle. Then I would quarter the circle, and then divide each quarter in half. Then I would grab an almanac and carefully figure the days. When I was done there I would carefully look up the days of the new and full moons and add them to the inside of the circle. Then and only then would I add them to the appropriate pages of my organizer.
Things have changed since then. For one thing, the internet makes finding information much easier. I've since learned that astronomical events and calendars are usually calibrated to Greenwich Meridian Time, which is several hours different from my local time. And I use a Palm as an organizer now.
The wheel stays the same though. Every year in January I sit down with a blank sheet of paper and I spend time calculating what is what. It's easier, my Palm recognizes my location and gives me the appropriate figures. And when I am done and I have transferred all the information, I burn the paper.
I know that I probably should be doing this in October, but my birthday is in January and somehow it just feels more appropriate to do it now.
When I first started studying paganism, a wheel cross made more sense to me than a pentagram. Not only was there in the calendar, but it is a pretty potent image. The wheel may travel and the ground may change, but the wheel stayed basically the same.
It didn't matter where you got on, you went through all the seasons before getting off. There wouldn't be two solstices in a row, there wouldn't be a month of full moons. There wouldn't be three dawns.
Everything flowing, fitting.
Even now, my WebTree symbol is just a wheel from a different perspective.
I've been thinking about wheels and perception. And yes, I've been asking Someone for help with this one too.
I think it comes back to that "place between the worlds." There is a time when you stay on the wheel. And there is a time when you use the wheel to gain momentum to fling yourself to the next wheel. The trick is knowing when. And not getting hurt too badly in the process.
Posted: Wed - January 18, 2006 at 07:42 PM
