Caer Australis Blog

This first quarter moon above in the sky this sunset marks the start of Samon, marking the start of a new Celtic year! Gaullish Samon is the equivalent of Irish cet-Samhin, the first of Summer, maked by the feast of Beltaine; of course Beltaine has become entrenched at the convenient time of May eve on the Gregorian calendar, marking the start of the first Roman month at the beginning of summer, and to May eve the focus today is attendant. Even in the southern hemisphere, the start of the year has power, for althogh the seasons are out by six months, the stars reflect the time just as well down under as they do in the Celtic homelands (all of which have been altered since ancient times when the original calendar was in actual use); still at this time we can all appreciate the magnificence of the dawn rise of the Pleiades and the red star of Taurus, Aldebaran and feel the strength of our Celtic heritage!

Compare with the names of the known planets of ancient Celticity:

Sun: Sauelios, Sonnos/Sonna, Grannos/Greina
Moon: Luxna, Leucara/Leucaros, Diuon, Eidsciia
Mars: Cocidios, Roudios
Mercury: Lugos, Luxtos, Boudios
Jupiter: Tectos, Taranis
Venus: Reiia/Riia, Uasnia
Saturn: Melnos, Uosiros, Nucturos.
and, Uranus (maybe since it was bearly visible in the best of conditions): Cenos (> Cean < Cian).

Have dumped this out of http://cura.free.fr/xx/17bouten.html as a source to begin searching

and this from the French, posted by / l \ Auetos on http://druuidiacto.forumculture.net/les-preceptes-druidiques-f13/astrologie-druidique-t142.htm
Astrology gods and goddesses

Dieux celtes et planètes. Celtic Gods and planets.

Lune : Luxna, est sous la gouverne de Lero > Lir / Lyr, « le Flot », et de sa compagne Aiba > Aobh, « Physionomie », « mine », « air advenant », si ce n’est de Medua Argantoretas > Mebd Arianrhod, « l’Ivresse », « Roue d’Argent », accompagnée de son petit roi Alpillis > Aillil, « l’Elfe », « le Nain » = Medurins < Meduris / Medros, « Cours d'hydromel ». Moon: Luxna, is under the leadership of Lero> Lir / Lyr, “Flot,” and its companion Aiba> Aobh, “physiognomy”, “mine”, “air event,” if not Medua Argantoretas> Mebd Arianrhod, “Rush”, “Silver Wheel”, accompanied by his little king Alpillis> Aillil, “Elf”, “Nain” Medurins =

Soleil : Sonnos, Sulis, est gouverné par Grannos Belenos Oinogustios, le Maponos et de sa compagne Greinna Suliuia Belisama. Sun: Sonnos, Sulis, is governed by Grannos Belenos Oinogustios, Maponos and its companion Greinna Suliuia Belisama.

Mars : Le nom pour Mars est Goac > Coccos / Roudios, « le Rouge ». March: The name for March is Goac> Coccos / Roudios, “Rouge”. Place forte des Cavaliers Rouges ; Rudraidhe / Rudraighe < Rudoreidoi < Roudoriges / Roudorigates. Place strong Cavaliers Reds; Rudraidhe / Rudraighe Ogme / Ogma, « Champion de l’ogham ». The governor is in Ogmios> Ogme / Ogma, “Champion of the ogham.”

Mercure : Elle porte le nom de Luctos et est gouverné par Lugus, « Splendeur ». Mercury: It bears the name of Luctos and is governed by Lugus, “Splendor”.

Jupiter : Pour ce qui est de Jupiter, le terme gaélique ancien était Tectos, « le Voyageur », « le Maître » et avait comme signe deux esses… Jupiter: As far as Jupiter, the term was former Irish Tectos, “the traveller”, “Master” and had as a sign two esses … nous voilà en présence de Taranis < Toueranos, « le Suprême ». we are in the presence of Taranis

Venus : Le nom ancien était Reiia / Riia, « la Libre », est régie par Brigantia / Brigindo, « la Très Elevée », « Sublimité », « Noblesse ». Venus: The old name was Reiia / Riia, "Free", is governed by Brigantia / Brigindo, "Very High", "Sublimité", "nobility".

Saturne : Le nom gaélique ancien pour la planète étant Melnos (Meln / Miln), « l'Indolent » mais aussi Nucturos Uosiros, « le Traînard Nocturne ». Saturn: The old Irish name for the planet being Melnos (Meln / Miln), "Indolent" but also Nucturos Uosiros, "Traînard Nocturne." Son dieu régisseur en tant que divinité Saturnienne est Iuocatus Ollater (> Eochaidh Oll-Athair), « le Combattant par l’If, Père de Tout » alias Dagodeuos (> Dagda), « le Dieu Bon ». His god governor as a divinity Saturnienne east Iuocatus Ollater (> Eochaidh Oll-Athair), “the fighter by If, Father of All” alias Dagodeuos (> Dagda), “Good God”. Sucellos, « le Bon Cogneur », « le Tape Dur », est le nom gaulois du Dagodeuos. Sucellus, “Bon Cogneur”, “Tape Drive,” is the name of Gallic Dagodeuos. Un de ses pseudonymes est Ipadcos (Ipadcos-Sucellos, « le Cavalier Frappeur »). One of his nicknames is Ipadcos (Ipadcos-Sucellus, “Trooper Frappeur”). L’acte de cogner est de fonction guerrière alors que savoir Bien, très bien, Cogner est de fonction cléricale. The act of hitting is to function while warrior know Well, well, Cogner east clerical function.

Uranus : Peut-être parce que les Anciens arrivaient à peine à l’apercevoir par temps très clair ou au moyen d’un cristal grossissant ; Cenos > Cean < Cian, « le Lointain ». Uranus: perhaps because the ancients arrived just in time to see a very clear or through a magnifying glass; Cenos> Cean

Cette liste est un peu schématisée, mais en voici le raisonnement. This list is a little schématisée, but here the reasoning.

Ordre médiéval irlandais des planètes d'après le livre de Ballymote : Order medieval Irish planets from the book of Ballymote:
Lune, Mars, Soleil, Jupiter, Mercure, Vénus, Saturne. Moon, Mars, Sun, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Saturn.

Ordre médiéval gallois des planètes d'après le barde Taliesin : Order medieval Welsh planets according to the bard Taliesin:
Soleil, Lune, Mars, Mercure, Vénus, Jupiter, Saturne. Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn.

Ordre gaulois selon Jules César : Order Gallic according to Julius Caesar:
(Lune), Mercure, Soleil, Mars, Jupiter, Vénus (Saturne). (Moon), Mercury, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Venus (Saturn).

Ordre védique : Vedic College:
Soleil, Lune, Mars, Mercure, Jupiter, Vénus, Saturne. Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn.

Les planètes étaient imaginées par les anciens comme étant la manifestation lumineuse des dieux. The planets were devised by former event as the light of the gods. Effectivement, Deiuos, la lumière divinisée et Deuos, dieu sont d'étymologie commune par deiuo-, diuo- = « relatif à la lumière ». Indeed, Deiuos, light and Deuos deified god are common etymology deiuo-,-= diuo "on the light." La lumière est donc une manifestation du divin. The light is a manifestation of the divine.

Le Cosmos était gouverné par un régisseur, dit Krator (du Grec Kratos = « Autorité »), que les Celtes appelaient Albiiorixs, « Roi de l'Univers ». The Cosmos was governed by a commissioner, said Krator (Greek Kratos = "Authority"), that the Celts called Albiiorixs, "King of the Universe". Voilà l'essentiel du thema mundi, du thème du monde et du temps cosmique. That is the essence of thema mundi, the theme of World and cosmic time. Donc, en matière de cosmologie, les Grecs et les Celtes s'entendaient assez bien. So, in cosmology, Greeks and Celts agree quite well.
Une autre source de renseignements sur la science cosmique antique nous vient de l'auteur latin Macrobius. Another source of information about ancient cosmic science comes from the latin Macrobius author. Et là encore, nous retrouvons cette même croyance concernant la migration astrale des âmes. And again, we find the same belief on the astral migration of souls. Avant de s'incarner, l'âme se perfectionne au travers les sphères dans chacune de ses pérégrinations. Before embodied the soul perfected through spheres in each of its peregrinations. Il va sans dire que chacune de ces sphères, au nombre de sept, est régie par un seigneur (Tigernos). It goes without saying that each of these spheres, seven, is governed by a lord (Tigernos).

Il ya justement là un lien intéressant entre l'idée d'Hésiode voyant la lune comme domicile de la race dorée et celle des pythagoriciens qui enseignaient que les âmes vertueuses devenaient les daimones (génies) de cette race. It is precisely this interesting link between the idea of Hesiod saw the moon as home of the golden race and the Pythagoreans who taught that virtuous souls became the daimones (geniuses) of this race. Platon, en reprenant un mythe politique cher aux pythagoriciens, faisait des daimones les gardiens des activités humaines. Plato, echoing a political myth dear to the Pythagoreans, made daimones custodians of human activities. Ceux-là mêmes qui devinrent par la suite les esprits de la lune. Those very people who became thereafter minds of the moon.

Les planètes, dites étoiles errantes, sont aussi vues comme les résidences des dieux. The planets, stars wandering say, are also seen as the residences of the gods. Le terme sidhe, pour « siège », « résidence » (de l'autre monde) ou « paix », a à peu près le même sens que le terme sanskrit loka, « lieu », qui désigne tantôt « planète », tantôt « résidence (divine) ». The term sidhe, "siege", "residence" (from the other world) or "peace", has roughly the same meaning as the term sanskrit loka, "place", which sometimes means "planet", sometimes " Hometown (God) ".

La tradition irlandaise assigne une résidence ou sidhe à chacune des divinités majeures du panthéon : The Irish tradition assigns a residence or sidhe to each of the major deities of the pantheon:
1- Lir (Lune) : Sidhe Fionnachaidh 1 - Lir (Moon): Sidhe Fionnachaidh
2- Bodb Dearg (Jupiter) : Sidhe Bodb 2 - Bodb Dearg (Jupiter): Sidhe Bodb
3- Midir (Saturne) : Sidhe Bri Leith 3 - Midir (Saturn): Sidhe Bri Leith
4- Ogma (Mars) : Sidhe Airceltrai 4 - Ogma (March): Sidhe Airceltrai
5- Lugh (Mercure) : Sidhe Rodrubán 5 - Lugh (Mercury): Sidhe Rodrubán
6- Gaiar Mac Manannàn (Vénus) : Sidhe Ruaidh to Ilbreach 6 - Gaiar Mac Manannàn (Venus): Sidhe Ruaidh to Ilbreach
7- Aonghus Og (Soleil) : Bruigh na Boinne 7 - Aonghus Og (Sun): Bruigh na Boinne

_________________ _________________
Pour ce qui est de Sirona, du celtique ancien Ðirona < Sdirona, la Stéllaire, il s'agit d'un des noms de la Maiia, la fée principale des Pléïades. As far as Sirona, former Celtic Ðirona

Cean > Qendos Ambeios « la Tête du Dragon », Ambis, « le Dragon, la constellation du », désigne aussi les nœuds lunaires nord (ascendant) et sud (descendant), Cauda et Caput Draconis, c’est-à-dire Pennos / Qendos, la tête et Losta, la queue. Cean> Qendos Ambeios “Dragon Head”, Ambis, “the Dragon, the constellation” refers also nodes lunar north (upward) and south (down), Cauda and Caput Draconis, ie Pennos / Qendos, head and Losta, tail.

Southern Lugnasa basks under the high summer sun, and the acorns on oaks ripen. The coined term Teine Grian Deas, the Southern Sun Fire, recognises that more than just the seasons are marked by the Celtic Fire Feasts - the constellations are just as part of each festival, and wherever we are in the world, it is an Imbolg story being told in the stars for Celts. Still, it is impossible not to celebrate the high summer when that is the season you are in! The oaks at Tranby House on the banks of the Swan River in Perth are bursting with acorns, and soon they will be falling as the autumn comes around; this brings to mind the episode in the Mabinogi of Math ap Mathonwy where Hen Wen goes to eat ‘Lleu’s rotting flesh’, that is the acorns, highly favoured by our porcine friends, and Gwydion sings his englyns to retrieve the wounded Lleu.

The solar extreme of December was celebrated this year at Newgrange - Bruig na Bóinde - on the Boyne by the Office of Public Works to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the rediscovery of the solstice alignment at there by Professor Michael J. O’Kelly, the archaeologist who excavated the mound. The ‘Mythical Ireland’ website presents a series of images of the event on its Solstice webcast page. In the South, it’s the longest day of the year, and a very popular place to go is the most easterly point of Australia at Byron Bay and view the solsticial sun rise from the Ocean, as recorded on Byron Bay Photo Gallery:

The Forum is now linked from each of the the CA calendar pages, and a link has been added to the Gorsedd. Looking forward to good converstions and discussions about the diverse ideas surrounding the Celtic reckoning of time.
Visit the Celtic Calendar Forum and have a look. To contribute, registration is simple - just click the button and we’ll be notified. You’ll shortly receive your activation code and you’re on. Registration is to prevent spam, of course!

Southern Beltaine is greeted this year with an abundance of sunshine and lifegiving rain. The oaks at Tranby House on the banks of the Swan River in Perth are thriving this year, and their green mantle of leaves mark the start of summer and the beginning of the seasonal cycles in the Southern Hemisphere. November is the southern equivalent to May in the Celtic homelands, concerning the seasons; and to this time at start of the year’s seasons Dafydd ap Gwilym wrote in the mid fourteenth century, "When Spring ended I cared not; May’s golden wealth is purest gold. The beginning of full Summer scattered him, whom tears had nourished; May is faultless: the coming of May is a blessing to me; God and Mary decided wisely and steadfastly to uphold May" The poem has been published in full in the Grove on the Caer Australis website: The poem, ‘May’, was written in the mid fourteenth century by Dafydd ap Gwilym and added to the Grove as part of the southern beltaine summer festival.

The end of October brings winter to completion in the Southern Hemisphere; while Halloween howls through the enthusiastic and care-free, its winter symbolism belies the Southern Season as we enter the beginning of the seasonal procession with the onset of the Celtic summer in the south, our equivalent of Beltaine is at hand! A walk along the banks of the Swan River in Perth to get a picture of the Tranby oaks at the eve of summer took us to meet a family of water fowl - as pictured here - and they serve to remind us of what Dafydd ap Gwilym sang in the mid fourteenth century in his Haf - Summer, "Cnwd da iawn, cnawd dianaf, O’r ddear hen a ddaw’r haf", that is, an excellent crop and untainted life comes forth from the old earth in summer.
Summer has ever been the beginning of the Celtic year,
"So in the South you must remember,
It’s the merry merry month of November!"

A distinguishing feature of Caer Australis is its exploration of the Celtic calendar system. There is great scope for discussion of the Celtic calendar - our understanding of it, how we respond to it, and how it provides insight into the Celtic civilization, in all its developing forms - ancient, historic and current. There is also scope to discuss how the neo-pagan movement and its Wheel of the Year uses the Celtic time points. To this end, the Caer Australis forum has specialised into a venue for the airing of ideas and discussions on the Celtic calendar system. The forum is located at: http://caeraustralis.com.au/forum/ Visit, post and we’ll get the conversations started!

The equinoctial season of spring has arrived in Australia and the flurry of wildflowers and the green of new growth marks the warming of the land. The lunation from 19th September is that of the Aedrini moon in the southern hemisphere, spanning the vernal equinox. Follow the southern lunations on the Caer Australis website. The red bottlebrushes have recently burst into bloom, attracting honeyeaters and bees aplenty!
Their bright red display symbolises the Aedh ‘flame of fire’ of the month.

A Red Roar brings a match between Wales and Australia! A treat all round with two great teams. The best on the day!

Cup news: ABC Sport | Rugby Heaven

Follow the Cup at icWales.

And at 32 : 20, a good fiery game with an exciting finish! Well done both!