Christiana Aro-Harle

The timing! The moment. Not just on a particular day because it is convenient. Yet!! That is the challenge of living with Sun-Earth-Moon cycles/calendars. They coincide with Life and transformation movement release and coming together.

When I think about the Fire and Story day to happen out in the kota -which is today- I am thinking of this period. Today is -19C and Sun has been dancing with her shadows on this white blanket of cold glistening sparkling frozen water. Sap rings, those deepened depressions around trees, are not visible so I know we are still in winter. But soon, soon. Can you feel it in your heartstrings? I feel something. I hold onto to this small jumping mouse joy amongst all the confused war-ing teenage-like homophobic rape-centred cultured males conquering nations. I hold onto this small pocket of hope. A prayer. More on that long statement later. This is The TIME OF THE MOTHER coming in! the old woman gives way to young, fertile. Honour life-givers.

Astronomically, this is a cross quarter point/day is on Tuesday up here north. The day lies half-way between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. This day is not always on Feb 1. They move a bit, adjust, these pagan, non-religious calendars. The FIXED are the solstices and equinoxes. Those are four time periods or points we humans really cannot influence. Finally. Something humans cannot touch, unless we blow ourselves up or hollow out our seabeds transmuting our living mother into a dried died up heap of bones which are asteroids to someone else’s home.

When we head into non-Europedic adventures of locating when Spring or Autumn occur then we meet with new stories, beings, nature, worldviews, ceremonies, rituals, practises. And here in the Arctic – in the North, in western Siberia, in snow covered lands our dance is somewhat different to this Celtic worldview. What has your local land – the one you live on – shown you? And how to weave in your colonising ancestors – or your refugee – evacuee roots?

Astronomically (includes Sun, Moon) on February 3rd, 2026 10:45 UTC is the TIME – for a changeover. Check your local pagan time and date calendars. For me this will be at 21.45 or 9:45 pm. Or so I am led to understand. For I am still physically counting days, sunrises sunsets. Another reason for community and be in touch with other folk! Some have more knowledge than I!

When i think of this time we have the last full moon before a new year begins. Tuva begins Shagaa. Time for getting the final bits cleared, cleaned, blessed, decorated: house, friends, relations, altars, storages, computers, debts….. We would visit the local Lama- Roshe, Priest for purification and blessings, astrological readings. And then we would visit the Kham-Kadai or Kham for more purification and blessing and divination. Not necessarily in that order and not always both.

Spring she begins to dance in. Old Brown BellyBack, Sweet Honey Tongue, Eater of Ants, Pine Climber, Honey Buns, Honey Paws, Mother of Forest, Mother of Humans – turns over to dream and suckle just a bit longer. But it won’t be long now. To wake up hungry. To not have shat for months! Bees do this also! Mesi-kämmen…. Honey-paws (b e a r). Mesi- is an old word. Enjoy the rabbit hole.

The stirrings of Earth and Sun, a pulling towards ”yes, arise”! Amazing to think that the little crocuses and lilies, daffodils are hiding under a white cold blanket, still sleeping but perhaps a nudge, a stirring? Moon full and shining bright through the windows casting shadows on snow. A time for quiet sitting and being. I saw a lynx one time. Quiet so quiet.

So in thinking of specifics- Tuesday – is the day to light a fire. Funny, the customs in other lands really don’t land here in snow-ladened Finland. But a fire – that is the place. Lighting a fire to spark the dreams and seeds of what has been planted during the dark. She is walking in.

Count your sunrises
your sunsets
move the moon shadows on your wall
Mark the door jambs with growth signs
just as you might with your children
Sacred plant that lies hidden amongst the hard surface of water
and seeks out Sun warming.
Time for planting is soon
plant my feet one after another to make the dance
Golden honey-lighted ones
used to gather on the front door
taking flight for just a moment
to shit yellow golden thick pine-sap scented shits.
Specks of their sleeping gifted to snow,
Never to return to home.

Watch for
Sap rising rings amongst the crystalline cold blankets
Depressions of footprints
slipping through
hollows of warmths
surely She is on her way?
Surely her fire is rising?
a hope of growth and final dying
last shivering of birch bark skins
snake skins in the wind.

A couple of references or places to visit or read because of their knowledge of walking the path year in and year out, making a deep indentation in the land (meaning they are ELDERS in this work). Rabbit holes are possible.:

Glenys Livingstone, PhD and her https://pagaian.org/ Lots to read. Her Links list I highly recommend. And her recent post: https://pagaian.org/2026/01/22/lammas-imbolc-season-planet-earth-2026-c-e/

The Astrology of World Events/The Pagan Astrologer. Just found her recently. I am not a subs**** fan but there it is. https://maureenrichmond.substack.com/

Suomen kielellä For those calculating sunrise and sunset: https://www.moisio.fi/taivas/?paikka=&dy=1&mn=2&yr=2026

I find it difficult in making recommendations for Wheel of the Year- type workshops – courses – trainings because there are many and the few I know of are taught by folk I know or have followed, all with their different ways and worldviews -but here goes: Emilia Blom, Sweden (hope she gets this going again) with in-depth Runic, animistic nature-based Scandinavian lean; Nina Pyykkönen, Finland, from a Jungian depth-psychology/animistic view; Amalia Fonfara, Norway, with animistic-artisic shamanistic focus; and Dr. Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen, Danmark, Nordic Animist Year course. All these are online to my knowledge.

I shall be doing something with this also with not so much about learning of the seasons, cycles, eight-pointed year but going for the working with the energy / power of them and Seidr and the High Seat, song, seer-work and divination, magic (yes), spirits of nature, staff, shamanic betwixt and between which begins at the end of April. On-line and in person in Finland.

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