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Living in Season: The Magic of Names, Receiving Blessings

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Living in Season

The official newsletter of School of the Seasons

January 12, 2008

Contents

Welcome

My Season: Receiving Blessings

Networking: Getting Creative in the New Year

Living in Season: The Magic of Names

Celebrate the New Year:

French Republican Wall Calendar

Natural Planning Journal (email)

Candlemas Holiday Packet

Slow Time Book: First Chapter Posted

Signs of Spring

Copyright

Subscribe - Un

Welcome

Welcome to my semi-monthly newsletter featuring ideas for bringing the

beauty of the current season into your life.

Please forward this newsletter if you enjoy it. If a friend sent you this

newsletter, welcome! You can for free at my website:

www.schooloftheseasons.com

We never rent, sell or give away r information.

My Season: Receiving Blessings

I'm right in the hinge of the year, with that two-faced God, Janus, still

looking back at the old year while dreaming about the new one. I made a list

of my top ten favorite books of the past year that's posted on my blog (at livinginseason.blogspot.com)and I'm trying to distill all

my myriad wishes for the new year into a few pleasurable themes.

This year I'm sharing my visioning process with the group of students who

signed up for the Introductory session (New Year Dreams) of my Natural

Planner. I was a little afraid they would think I was crazy for developing

such a complicated system but, no, they seem happy with my suggestions while

coming up with their own creative ways of approaching the new year.

One inspiration for starting the New Year arrived in my mail box in the

form of a newsletter from a friend and colleague, Melissa Gayle West. She

wrote about how much she dislikes New Years Resolutions. Around the New Year

she was standing under the cherry tree in her garden (yes, foolish cherry

trees do blossom in Seattle at this time of the year) and she was struck by

the sense that all she had to do was be open to receiving blessings from an

endlessly blossoming universe.

So her goal for the new year is to receive blessings. Nothing active,

nothing productive, nothing goal-oriented. Just noticing the blessings she

receives daily. She passed this idea along to some of her clients (she

coaches women over 45) and they found new applications for her insight. One

woman is playing with receiving love, another is noticing what delights her

and a third is paying attention to contentment.

That got me thinking about what a hard time I have accepting appreciation.

I often feel unappreciated even though I get a lot of appreciation. For

instance, I noticed during my year end review that I received 36 pages of

email messages from School of the Seasons rs in 2007 telling me how

much they appreciate my work, yet I rarely let this soak in. I seem to turn

away from it, just as I turn away from promoting myself, as if it were

unseemly.

So my goal for this new year is to soak up all the appreciation that comes

my way. What would you like to receive in the new year? Melissa is interested

in posting wishes in her next newsletter. She can be reached at Melissa

May the new year shower you with blessings.

Waverly Fitzgerald

Networking: Getting Creative in the New Year

It's almost time for the SmARTist-telesummit, which offers wisdom and

inspiration to artists eager to create and promote their work in the new

year. I will be appearing on the Finding Balance panel on Thursday, January

17 and presenting a workshop on Creative Rhythms on January 21, but you will

love learning from some of the other speakers as well, fantastic teachers who

have inspired me for years, people like Mark Silver, Molly Gordon and

Jennifer Louden. You can learn more and sign up at:

www.smartist-telesummit.com/2008/

Living in Season: The Magic of Names

(An excerpt from the Spring correspondence course.

I'm still trying to figure out how to bring this back. I think it might turn

into a book. I'll let you know when it's available again.)

 

You should try to hear the name the Holy One has for things.

There is something in the phrase: " The Holy One has taught him

names. "

We name everything according to the number of legs it has;

The other one names it according to what it has inside.

Moses waved his stick; he thought it was a " rod, "

But inside its name was " dragonish snake. "

We thought the name of Blake was " agitator against priests, "

But in eternity his name is " the one who believes. "

No one knows our name until our last breath goes out.

— Robert Bly, News of

the Universe

 

I always begin my Writing Your Life classes by asking people to write

about their names. It's amazing how much significance our names carry for us.

Names often say something about our heritage, our ethnicity and our religious

background and people (ancestors, relatives or heroes) who were significant

to our parents.

New names are often conferred during rites of passage. A name is conferred

at baptism. Catholic children choose a new name at puberty; they select a

saint's name as a confirmation name. (Do you remember the name you wished you

had when you were an adolescent? My favorite name was Jenny but there was no

Saint Jennifer, so I had to settle for Julia, a much more dignified name.)

Brooke Medicine Eagle writes that children in the Native American tradition

were given an adult spiritual name at puberty. " Sometimes this name was

received in vision by the young person herself, sometimes it was given by the

Great Mystery through the elders, and sometimes it was given because it had

been earned by the young person's conduct during her first thirteen or so

years. "

Marriage is another rite of passage when women often change their name,

adopting their husband's last name. I was once told the story of a girl named

Fleur-de-Lis Gottbaum whose mother chose this mellifluous first name because

she hoped her daughter would marry a man with a distinguished last name, like

Stern or Marvin. But Fleur-de-lis married Mr. Fudderman and became

Fleur-de-lis Fudderman. Of course, many women choose to retain their birth

surname, while other couples hyphenate their last names or choose a new last

name altogether to share. Tom Hayden and Jane Fonda gave their children a

completely different last name than either of theirs to make the point that

their children were separate individuals.

In many cultures, the person's true name is hidden because to know a name

is to have power over the individual, as in the fairy tale of

Rumpelstiltskin. In Egypt, the child's soul name was breathed by the mother

on her child as she put the child to her breast. Without a name, the child

wouldn't eat. The name of the Hebrew God was too sacred to be spoken, so the

initials YHWH were used instead, but soon this too acquired too much power so

the appellation Adonai (Lord) was substituted.

In many cultures, individuals take spiritual names as the result of an

initiation or powerful experience. Important social or emotional events or a

vision quest may bring forth another name. Witches often take a magical name

which they use only in circle. Walker says that in many languages the word

for name is similar to the word for soul. In Latin, nomen, numen and anima

are cognates.

I am particularly interested in names because I was given the name Nancy

at birth, a name which felt wrong from very early on, although I loved it's

meaning; grace. I knew that I wanted to change my name but I couldn't decide

upon a new name — it seemed too important. Then when I turned 30 and moved to

Seattle, I seized the opportunity. Some friends who knew of my quest for a

name had just suggested " Waverly " to me. I liked it for lots of

reasons but particularly because I'm a historical novelist and I associated

it with Sir Walter Scott, the first historical novelist, who wrote the

Waverley novels. It took about a month before I would respond when someone

called me " Waverly " and almost a year before I stopped talking to

myself as " Nancy " but now, it's my name (although I keep threatening

to change it again when I turn 60 — I figure everyone should change their

name every 30 years).

It was a while before I found out what Waverly means. I knew it was an

English place name because of the suffix ~ly

which means meadow. My favorite explanation for the " waver " part is

that it's short for " weaver " and means " the weaver's

meadow. " I like all the implications of this image. I also like the fact

that my name is androgynous (in fact, the name Waverly is a male name in

England).

Candlemas (February 2) is a good time for taking a new name, as it's a

time of initiations, of pledges. Circles of women or covens often choose this

date for an auspicious beginning. Choosing and using a new name can call

forth new aspects of your personality.

If you haven't already done so, research the meaning of your names: first,

middle and last. Surnames are often interesting since they may give you

indications of ancient family occupations or totem animals or family

qualities. Go back farther and research saints and goddesses associated with

your names. My old name, Nancy, comes from Anne and Hannah so I could

research the goddess Anath and St. Anne.

If you are named for a Catholic saint, you have a name day as well as a

birthday. This day is often celebrated like a birthday. In addition, your

saint is seen as a personal patron, someone to whom you could turn for

advice, like a heavenly godfather or godmother. So this is also an

appropriate time to make an offering to your saint. To find out your name

day, go to:

www.americannamedaycalendar.com/

Perhaps you feel like taking a new name. Some of you will already know

what that is. It may be a name from your past. If not, ask to have it shown

to you. Look through name books. Ask your friends. Check out the

numerological possibilities of your new names. When you've decided upon a

name, confer it upon yourself with a ceremony.

References:

Bly,

Robert, News of the Universe, Sierra Club

Books 1980

Medicine-Eagle, Brooke, Buffalo Woman Comes Singing, Ballantine 1991

Walker, Barbara, The

Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, Harper

and Row 1983

New Years Gifts from School of the Seasons

Though I spent a lot of time exploring options, I just wasn't able to pull

off the Calendar Companion Weekly Journal. Sorry. I hope to find a publisher

who will do it for me so I can provide it next year. But I am very happy with

the two items I did create: the French Republican wall calendar and the

Natural Planner.

French

Republican Wall Calendar

I didn't fully describe its glory in my last newsletter because I

was still working on it and I wasn't altogether sure I could pull it off, but

I did. The first thing everyone notices are the incredible photographs by

Christine Valters Paintner, which illustrate the themes of the French months

(right now we're in Nivose (Snowy) but we're about to enter Pluviose (rainy).

You can see how gorgeous it is by looking at these sample pages:

www.schooloftheseasons.com/pdfdocs/french-cal-sample.pdf

The new system developed by the French Revolutionaries in 1792 assigned an

item to each day of the new 30 day months. Every fifth day has an animal,

every tenth day a tool, and the days in between are usually plants, but

sometimes minerals. These are surprisingly seasonal and applicable two

centuries later. I enjoy the scavenger hunt aspect of looking for these items

in my daily life or meditating on their importance to me.

There's both a print version (which costs $16) and a download version (for

$10) which you can order through our Store.

Living

in Season Natural Planning Journal

For 2008, I'm launching a new email service that I'm calling the Living in Season Natural Planning Journal. This will

be a way of formulating themes and goals for each season and moon cycle and

using those natural rhythms (and the balance between action and rest they

offer) to accomplish your dreams. The service will include four weeks of

preparatory assignments via email in January, to help you identify your

themes and goals for the new year. (Those of you who start your new year in a

different season, can do this at any time.) For the rest of the year, email

messages will arrive shortly before each new season and new moon, suggesting

possible themes for the season or lunation, and reminding you of your

intentions at the start of the year. You will have the option of posting your

responses to a list-serve, if you would like to share the experience with

others.

Sign up for a full year for only $120 ($10 a month). You can also sign up

in modules. Each season will be $40. The introductory module, " New Year

Wishes, " is also $40. This will be a new adventure for me and I'm

looking forward to seeing how it works.

You can order it through our Store.

Candlemas Holiday Packet

It's a good time to order your Candlemas packet if you want to prepare for

the next big seasonal feast on February 1st and 2nd.

The Candlemas packet contains 45 pages of ideas for celebrating early

spring holidays.

This illustrated 45 page portfolio includes:

 

Ancient

holiday customs for the early spring festivals of Candlemas, Imbolc,

Groundhog's Day, St Brigid, Chinese New Year and Tu B’Shevat

More rowdy

customs from the early spring full moon festivals of Lupercalia,

Valentines Day, Purim and Mardi Gras

Recipes for

fritters, doughnuts, Hamantaschen, Agatha's breasts and other rich

pastries of the season

Instructions

for creating Brigid’s Crosses and candles

Lyrics for

Candlemas songs, including the Ash Grove and a song to Brigit

And much

more.

 

The packet is available in two versions: sent email as a Word attachment

or as printed pages sent via regular mail in a portfolio. Order quickly if

you want to receive your packet in time to prepare for your Imbolc

celebration.

It is available in an email version for $10 (sent within 24 hours) or via

snail mail for $15 (please allow 10 days for delivery).

Order through our Store.

Slow Time Book: First Chapter Up

My new Slow Time book is a great gift for yourself or someone you know

who's already wishing for more time in the year ahead. It provides twelve weeks

of ideas plus gentle exercises for working with different intervals of time

from the moment through the lifetime. To see the book, read an excerpt or

order a copy, go to:

www.slowtimebook.com

If you're willing to take this process slowly, you can download a chapter

of the book every month from the website. By the end of the year you will

have the complete book.

Signs of Spring

In Seattle, the cherry trees and forsythia are already blooming and you

can see green shoots spiking out of the ground. (You can see pictures posted

on my blog at livinginseason.blogspot.com).

What's happening where you live? Do you see any signs of spring yet?

Where ever you live, send me your signs of the season and I will post them

on the website at Signs

of the Season. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, or you wish

to update your profile, please click below.

Copyright

Copyright © Waverly Fitzgerald 2008

All rights reserved. You may reprint material from

Living in Season in other electronic or print publications as

long as you credit me and provide a link to:

http://www.schooloftheseasons.com

Please send me a copy of the publication.

Getting

On and Off the List

To , fill out the form on this page:

http://schooloftheseasons.com/contact.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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www.SchooloftheSeasons.com ©2008 Waverly Fitzgerald

1463 E. Republican #187, Seattle, WA 98112

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No virus found in this

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Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.2/1222 - Release 1/13/2008

12:23 PM

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