Liber ab Sol (Book of Sun)^133
However, in the Southern Hemisphere we see that the Holidays are:Holiday Counterpart Approximate Date
Samhain (masculine) Bealtaine (feminine) April 30 or May 1
Winter Solstice (masculine) Summer Solstice (feminine) June 21 or 22
Imbolg (masculine) Lughnasadh (feminine) July 31 or August 1 or 2
*Spring Equinox (m & f) Fall Equinox (f & m) September 21 or 22
Bealtaine (feminine) Samhain (masculine) April 30 or May 1
Summer Solstice (feminine) Winter Solstice (masculine) December 21 or 22
Lughnasadh (feminine) Imbolg (masculine) February 2
*Fall Equinox (f & m) Spring Equinox (m & f) March 21 or 22* Note that the equinoxes are both masculine and feminine. The Spring Equinox is mas-
culine in transition into feminine. Fall Equinox is feminine in transition into masculine.One can easily argue that the names of these Holidays are important, and that
being of Celtic origin, we should preserve the dates that have been traditionally associ-
ated with them. But that argument pales when we accept the simple fact that it is the
associations made by our connection to the natural rhythms that are important. Re-
member that I only choose to use the Celtic names because they are most used. What is
important is not the name, but the relationship represented.
Our language is such that it is difficult to express the idea of the sacred dance that
requires both advance and retreat. Imagine a couple waltzing; one person leads the
dance, and the other is lead in symmetry. In this example, the important issue is that
the couple is dancing, not who is leading the dance. It is the relationships between the
Holidays and their mates that are important. It is also not important that the couple is
male and female; the principles of the dance are the same. There is advance (mascu-
line) and retreat (feminine) in all things that are not stagnant. Summer causes a seed to
grow into a plant, but it is the Winter that cracked the seed such that it could grow into
that plant. This is the Wheel of the Year as discussed in the Book of Genesis.p WB Chap 08.p65 133 7/11/2003, 5:52 PM