August
In sharing the meaning and changes of the Months, it is my hope that it plants seeds of awareness, that the calendar we currently live by is only a marking tool for mankind. It is not a true reflection of our planets natural calendar. Remember we are part of nature not apart from nature.
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It was originally named Sextilis in Latin because it was the 6th month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first month of the year.
Then about 700 BC, it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days.
Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 46 BC, giving it its modern length of 31 days.
Then in 8 BC, it was renamed in honour of Emperor Augustus. According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt.
Welcome to August 2024
In my world, Spring begins 1st August. In Celtic tradition, 1st/2nd August is Imbolc in the Southern Hemisphere and is the earliest of the traditional spring celebrations. It marks the cross quarter day, midpoint between winter solstice and spring equinox.
I have felt the shift in the air, the daylight hours slowly getting longer and the first of the springs shoots appearing above the ground, buds are beginning to form and some are even opening. I love this time of year, the shift out of the deep winter.
I dug in deep during the winter weeks, and then finally the energies shifted and I found myself meandering back into the bush with the nudge of a dear friend. She came along at the right time, as we both needed a shift. And that's what friends are for, to encourage, support and join you on adventures.
It also bought home the importance of action, movement, of doing. Showing the universe that you are participating in creating your dreams or mission. That you can trust yourself to actually do the right thing by yourself.
I am a believer that where you start is never where you finish, but start you must or nothing will happen. In the realm of starting something new, don't wait till the perfect time or for when you think you are ready, for those moments will never come. Start with small steps, put energy into it, believe in what you are hoping to achieve. It's ok to not have it all worked out, because chances are you will be thrown a few curve balls that you never saw coming. So may as well start and allow it to grow, evolve, and change as it is meant to.
Temperance - August Tarot
Primary Principle: Self Control
Positive: Harmony/Health/Peace
Co-operation ~ Compromise ~ Moderation
This card reflects the importance of a constant flow between the conscious and sub-conscious, the missing and blending of the two to find the right balance.
Need for balance in a relationship. A need for a flow of feeling in a relationship. Wise management. A situation revealing a new factor, an opportunity to be seized or a renewal in your life or in a relationship.
Patience during difficult experiences. Working together to produce results. Compromise. A feeling of stagnation within a relationship may develop otherwise the potential for a happy relationship is also indicated. Things you thought you had completed or handled may resurface to ‘test’ you to your very core, but by utilising patience & self-control, will bring about a positive result.
The right ideas or actions will be provided, but it will take special effort or concentration to use them to your advantage.
It can be said that this card represents an angel or guardian spirit looking over you.
Look at both sides/facts/feelings for this will enable you to be both objective and compassionate.
Introduction: Temperance is about balance, and relationships of all kinds. Friendships, family, romantic partnerships, and work partnerships all need your attention. Also about alchemy or mixing and matching. You may have to try several approaches before you find what is truly right for you.
General: In general your relationships are going quite well. You may need to look at your deeper personal issues and see if or how these are standing in your way. And if they are, how to work through them and integrate them. Do what it takes to find balance, in yourself, in your relationships.
Work: Aim high, but don't have expectations of yourself or others that you or they can't possibly meet. Do your work with patience and with stamina and it will pay off for you in the long run. Your accomplishments will not be overlooked.
Love: Often, before you can really have peace and wisdom in your relationships, you need to have peace within yourself. Look at what you feel guilty about, mistakes that you feel you've made in your past. Then forgive yourself, and let them go. It's the only way you can truly make progress.
Finances: There is likely to be a good balance between what is going out and what is coming in. However, if you need to increase or collect your earnings, you are going to have to ask for what you deserve. Have courage and pride, and you will not fail.
Health: Balance and moderation is the key. Are you eating well, sleeping well, playing and working enough, getting enough exercise? Look at where you might be out of balance and then remedy this. Moderation is definitely the way to good health right now.
Spirituality: This is an important time to meditate and to listen to your inner voice for guidance, and if you need help, to ask for it. Both from your higher self and from others.
To dive in deeper: https://www.psychic-revelation.com/reference/q_t/tarot/tarot_cards/temperance.html
Poppy - August Flower
The name poppy is derived from the Latin word “pappa” which means milk. This is because when poppy stems are cut, they produce milk-looking sticky latex.
In general terms, poppies symbolize peace, sleep, and death. The reasoning behind this symbolism comes from the sedative aspect of opium harvested from poppies, and the bright red color of the popular red poppy respectively.
Known to have originated from the Sumerians, poppy flowers have for centuries been known as the happy plant and used for sleep induction. As such, they were widely used in funerals and as a sacrifice to the dead.
Poppy flowers were commonplace in ancient Greece. For instance, they were associated with Hypnos, Thanatos, and Morpheus, the gods of sleep, death, and dreams respectively.
While Hypnos and Thanatos were depicted donning crowns made of poppies, it is from the name Morpheus that the drug morphine got its name. Moreover, the goddess of harvest Demeter is said to have created the poppy so that it could help her sleep after the abduction of her daughter Phersephone by Hades. The myth goes that after her abduction, poppy plants grew in Phersephone’s footprints.
The ancient Greeks used opium, harvested from the opium poppy, as a pain reliever, a sleep inducer, and a reliever of bowels. The Greeks also believed that opium could be used to protect one from being poisoned. Opium was a preferred pain reliever because of its pleasurable effects
In the mid-1800s, the British introduced Opium, a derivative of Opium poppy, to China as a way to fund their desire for tea produced in China. This caused a high addiction rate among the people of China leading to the Opium Wars. Later, while working on the American railroads, the Chinese brought Opium to America and distributed it in the infamous opium dens.
The most symbolic use of the poppy flower, however, is that it’s worn on Remembrance Day, November 11. Remembrance Day is a commemorative day set aside after World War I to honor soldiers who died in the line of duty in battles fought in extensive poppy farms.
Peridot - August Birth Stone
Mind: Cleanses and stimulates heart and solar plexus chakras. Lessons jealousy, anger and depression. Effective for those who suffer from recurring nightmares. Release nervous tension, known as “butterflies,” as well as to alleviate fear and guilt, anxiety or impatience.
Body: Soothes ulcers of digestive system. Peridot assists in balancing the endocrine system, especially the adrenal glands, which govern the health of the physical body, and acts as a tonic to liven the entire system making it healthier, stronger and more radiant. This stone supports the digestive system and the proper assimilation of nutrients from food, water and light, and may be used to aid optimal functioning of the gall bladder, liver, pancreas and spleen.
Spirit: Inspires happiness. Helps one to understand changes in one's life. Increases intuitive powers. Peridot allows one to connect to higher realms of consciousness in order to quiet spiritual fears, such as guilt, regret, or feelings of karmic debt. It empowers one to take responsibility and make amends in order to move forward in one’s evolutionary path.
Called “the extreme gem” by the Gemological Institute of America, Peridot is born of fire and brought to light, one of only two gems (Diamond is the other) formed not in the Earth’s crust, but in molten rock of the upper mantle and brought to the surface by the tremendous forces of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Associated with the sun, Peridot has been prized since the earliest civilizations for its protective powers to drive away the forces of darkness. Set in gold and worn around the neck or bound to the left arm, it was used as a charm against sorcery and magic, evil spirits, night terrors, and madness. It cured cowardice, calmed anger, as well as brightening the wit. Peridot is still celebrated for those virtues, protecting the aura, purifying the physical and subtle bodies, and alleviating emotional burdens, guilt and obsessions. It is particularly beneficial for overcoming fear, depression and other psychological disturbances, as well as releasing jealousies, resentment and spite in order to move forward. Peridot promotes responsibility and forgiveness, instilling confidence in one’s own abilities and reestablishing a sense of self-worth. A powerful generator of the frequency of increase, this lovely talisman may be utilized to manifest abundance in all areas of one’s life: wealth, health, happiness and love.
Wear or carry Peridot as a talisman of luck and as a sun stone to prevent personal darkness. It adds charm and eloquence to your presentations, evokes a positive, helpful response from normally unhelpful people, and increases profit in trades. It is naturally protective against envy, gossip behind your back, and people who would deceive you.
Frilled Neck Lizard - August Spirit Animal
Key word for Frilled Neck Lizard is Facade.
Frilled-neck lizard says it's necessary to hide who you are. In this instance, frilled-neck lizard reminds you that you don't need to hide who you are for any shameful reason; but because it Is necessary to care for yourself, and sometimes that involves putting vulnerability aside and showing your strengths and gifts to others, instead of your weaknesses.
There is an element of pretence and deception to frilled-neck lizard. The types of deception that frilled-neck lizard asks you to consider as being okay, involves those kinds of façade that need you to completely change what you look like and how you act around certain groups of people, in order to ensure your safety.
Façades can be used as a mechanism for growth. When the frilled-neck lizard pretends to be bigger than what it is, it does so to survive. Likewise, when you learn or employ techniques to hide aspects of yourself, or when you are able to know what parts of yourself can be hidden safely, and what parts can be displayed safely, you are in an advantageous position. Frilled-neck lizard can indicate the need for pride. Pride can be a very positive force when not employed to excess. It teaches us how to acknowledge and be satisfied in who we are and what we are able to achieve and show to others. There is no shame in showing off, when you have gifts and abilities to show.
When you are able to know what parts of yourself need hiding for your own safety or privacy, you begin to know who you are as a person. There is great potential for self-knowledge with frilled-neck lizard, who says that rather than facading because of fear, we façade because we know how to protect ourselves, because we have ways to display ourselves in ways that incite pride and admiration, because we wish to preserve our inner selves.
Frilled Neck Lizard Key Words
Hiding who you are
Knowing who you are
Pride
Pretence
Deception
Display
Showing off and showiness
Using façade as a mechanism for growth
Doubt and self-confidence
Preserving the hidden self
The Shadow Aspects:
The shadow aspect of frilled-neck lizard cautions against too many facades. While some facades and masks are necessary when operating in the everyday, too many can be harmful to others and yourself. Deceiving yourself by never turning off your showiness or pretence is essentially a form of living a lie. Frilled-neck lizard tells you to tone it down, and drop the facades in front of people who genuinely care for you. Trust in yourself and others, you do not always need the mask, you do not always need to hide who you are.
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