56daf092   
   XPost: talk.religion.newage, alt.religion.orisha, alt.religion.asatru   
   XPost: alt.religion.shamanism, alt.satanism   
   From: dalton@nfld.com   
      
   It seems that this waxing crescent is an auspicious one.   
      
   According to my Oxfam calendar, Ramadan started at sundown.   
      
   Actually I think my Oxfam calendar says it started at   
   sundown since the calendar’s lunar phases are   
   calculated in western North America, and google   
   says that Ramadan starts at sundown tomorrow (April 13)   
   this year. It is supposed to be the first sighting off   
   the waxing crescent. This year, coincidentally,   
   Vaisakhi is also on April 13 (it is usually on April 13 or 14   
   but the coincidence is with the first waxing crescent   
   and the start of Ramadan).   
      
   The Silver Bough thumb   
      
   Once in 1996 or 1997 I thumbed at random a book on Scottish   
   folklore called The Silver Bough Vol. 1 by F. Marian McNeill. It   
   came out to a page with this poem on it, which oops of   
   uk.religion.pagan told me is of Christian origin:   
      
   Ri faicinn domh na gealaich uir,   
   Is duth domh mo shuil a thogail.   
   Is duth domh ma ghlun a leagail,   
   Is duth domh mo cheann a bhogadh,   
      
   Toir cliu dhuit fein, a re nan iul,   
   Gum faca mi thu a rithist,   
   Gum faca mi a ghealach ur,   
   Ailleagan iuil na slighe.   
      
   Is iomadh neach a chaidh a null   
   Eadar uine an da ghealaich,   
   Ged tha mise a' mealtainn fuinn,   
   A re nan re 's nam beannachd!   
      
   which translates as:   
      
   When I see the new moon,   
   It becomes me to lift mine eye,   
   It becomes me to bend my knee,   
   It becomes me to bow my head.   
      
   Giving thee praise, thou moon of guidance,   
   That I have seen thee again,   
   That I have seen the new moon,   
   The lovely leader of the way.   
      
   Many a one has passed beyond   
   In the time between the two moons,   
   Though I am still enjoying earth,   
   Thou moon of moons and of blessings!   
      
   In the above, by new moon the author means   
   the first sighting of the waxing crescent, which   
   I think here at the farthest east of North America   
   would be at the earliest tomorrow (April 13) evening,   
   though we have a stalled low pressure system   
   with a cloudy forecast for many days from now.   
      
   However I guess this means I am starting my   
   Sisyphean moon rock rolling up the hill   
   once again. But I am hoping for the   
   blessings soon, including immunity to infection   
   by SARS-CoV-2 for those not yet infected,   
   and healing for those who are infected, though   
   that is less certain for worse than minor criminal   
   who are not following their healing circle prescription.   
      
   --   
   David Dalton dalton@nfld.com https://www.nfld.com/~dalton (home page)   
   https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html Salmon on the Thorns (mystic page)   
   “But you come around in your time/Speaking of fabulous places,   
   create an oasis/Dries up as soon as you're gone" (Sarah McLachlan)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)