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Reviews of the Lunar Calendar
THE '07 LUNAR CALENDAR:
DEDICATED TO THE GODDESS IN HER MANY GUISES "A
beautiful calendar that helps us see time as a spiral." -Sagewoman THE BELTANE PAPERSA Journal of Women’s Mysteries The ’04 Lunar Calendar 28th Annual Edition This unique lunar calendar is in its 28TH year – where were you and what were you doing in 1975? Nancy Passmore was putting together the first one of these, nine years before the first fledgling form of TBP appeared, This makes the Lunar Calendar more than a calendar – it’s also a touchstone and an icon of the women’s spirituality movement, and fortunately so for many many people, some of whom rallied this past year when Luna Press was in dire straits and helped “to keep (this) little moon boat afloat.” Each of the thirteen calendar pages have all the phases of the moon arranged in an elliptical form and includes information on one of the sacred trees (to learn more about them, read Robert Graves’ classic The White Goddess), and each year’s edition includes new appropriate, interesting and provocative art and poetry. At the back is a year’s worth of moon phases on one page, charts of moonrises and moonsets for San Francisco and London, how to interpret and use the calendar and a lengthy bibliography that includes The Beltane Papers. It is this calendar’s subtitle and dedication that Cybill Shepherd quoted in her now-famous Golden Globe acceptance speech a few years ago: dedicated to the Goddess in Her Many guises. Why a moon calendar? For one thing, moon time was the first “calendar” time, as women counted their cycles by the phases of the moon; the first moon calendar of record is in the right hand of the Venus of Laussel. It is a natural and easily visible-to-the-naked-eye method of keeping track of the months and seasons of the year. It’s where the term “month” comes from! This makes a great gift to yourself or to any woman you know. And of course Nancy Passmore has been one of TBP’s Advisory Council members and supporters for a long long time… - review by Marione GODDESSING REGENERATED Opening Up / Revealing Her Mysteries The ’04 Lunar Calendar: Dedicated to the Goddess in Her Many Guises, Nancy FW Passmore editor, The Luna Press Back from the brink of folding, but fine as ever, The ’04 Lunar Calendar is a visually and energetically rich compilation of musings and information from a most talented array of co-conspirators in this 28TH annual lunacy, based upon the 13 lunar months of the Celtic tree calendar which serve as inspiration for much of the art and poetry. Accompanying the month of Saille-willow, Sarah Fuhro’s “Willow and Moon” begins: Oak pulls lightning from the black sky, but Willow, full of green water draws Moon, invites her to pause from ascent or descent. The Lady likes to nestle in the tresses of Saille, to slurp again upon the silver tube which joins Moon to Willow’s roots. Other poets include our own Asphodel Long, Lourdes Theusen, Marge Piercy, and Robert Graves, whose poem “This Holy Month” during the time of Tinne-holly (overlapping with half of August), describes: The demon who throughout our late estrangement, Followed with malice in my footsteps, often Making as to stumble . . .
Yet,
We both know well he was the same demon, Arch-enemy of rule and calculation, Who lives for our love, being created from it, Astonishes us with blossom, silvers the hills With more than moonlight, summons bees in swarms From the Lion’s mouth to fill our hives with honey, Turns flesh into fire, and eyes into deep lakes; And so may do once more, this holy month. Each year I always look forward to Agusta Agustsson’s delightful and often whimsical artwork, and her accompanying image of lion-begotten bees to his poem does not disappoint. Other artists include Cathy Weaver Taylor, Sandra Stanton, and Donna Iona Drozda, with Joan S. Anderson’s beautifully delicate “Ceremonial Coat: Full Moon Rising Jacket” gracing the cover. And Jean Vallon’s poignant image, “Sharing a Dream of Peace” during the month of Fearn-alder, reminds us of the precarious state of world affairs, but does so with a stately serenity. All 13 lunations begin at the New Moon and spiral counterclockwise through the month, with information provided about the astrological signs throughout the lunar cycle, the times of Moonrise and setting, and the Celtic tree name of each month with a rubbing of the corresponding leaf. Editor Nancy F. W. Passmore ends her explanation of “Why a Lunar Calendar” with: Our ancestors were intimately familiar with the movement of earth, sun and moon, something too often obscured by our modern buildings, artificial lighting, and popular mythologies and mysogynies. Yet her powers remain intact and as vital as they have always been. This is where The Lunar Calendar becomes such a useful tool: even when invisible to us on earth because of clouds, sun, smog, etc., a glance at the calendar will “reveal” her face. The Lunar Calendar actually provides you with two calendars: one a record of the moon’s many changes, the other a complete cross-reference to the “familiar” day, dates, and times. Look up! Congratulations, Nancy, on your lunatic survival! You spiraled out of the waning, just like She always does. And so it is, and Blessed Bee! Willow LaMonte
Thank you Goddessing readers, and the many other people, who have sent donations to Luna Press. Editor, Nancy FW Passmore, received enough financial support to publish the 2004 Lunar Calendar, but Luna Press is still in great difficulty. Donations may be sent to : Luna Press PO Box 15511 Kenmore Station, Boston, MA 02215-0009 USA. Phone 617-427-9846, www.thelunapress.comThe ’04 Lunar Calendar: Dedicated to The Goddess in Her Many Guises, Luna Press 32 pps., wall hanging calendar, recycled paper, soy ink, printed in the US, $23.00 And worth every penny. The 28TH year for this work of love, with one of the most beautiful covers I can recall. Working with the thirteen lunar months , each moon is corresponded with one of the trees Robert Graves associated with The White Goddess. The Lunar Calendar provides you with the tools to live your life with the rhythm of the Moon, in harmony with the natural flow of nature. From the rising and setting times of the Moon to being a rare commodity in today’s world: a calendar produced with a complete love for the environment and published in the US even though it makes it more expensive to put into print. There is no calendar like this, none which embodies a deep love of the lunar Goddess. No Wiccan home should be without one! THE UNICORN Autumn 2003
"...the most original, creative, and informative calendar available today. The bottom line: Get this calendar!" ---The Shaman Papers
The '03 Calendar "Each month begins not in the traditional Gregorian way, but with the New Moon and Celtic/Druidic tree calendar designations for each month. This is truly a feminist, Goddess oriented calendar that is available for tuning in to the Moon and Her cycles. It is always a joy to greet this old friend once again; we hope you feel the same." --review by Marisa Young The Beltane Papers The '02 Lunar Calendar "It is with great joy that I have the privilege of reviewing the 26th annual edition of this exceptional work. Many years have passed since we first reviewed The Lunar Calendar in The Unicorn. It made a great impact upon me, providing a graphic way to measure the passage of time in lunar days. Each of the thirteen lunar months is corresponded with the magickal trees in green. All inks are soy-based and the paper is recycled. Not only is the homage to the Mother in words, it is also in deed. As always, the wide variety of artwork is breathtaking and we are delighted to see Unicorn artist Cathy Taylor represented with her exuberant spring hare and egg/serpent designs. If you cannot believe me when I say that this is a calendar which can only enhance your life, try visiting www.thelunapress.com and see for yourself. Of course, web site pictures do not compare to the published calendar, a true work of love." --The Unicorn http://www.therowantreechurch.org
The '02 Lunar Calendar "I can't believe I just discovered this remarkable and original calendar in its 26th year of publication! What's so different about The '02 Lunar Calendar is that unlike traditional calendars based on the Gregorian grid of the seven-day week, this one is based on the phases of the moon. Graphically, each month is depicted as an elliptical spiral of 28 moons, each in its distinct phase and position in apogee or perigee from the earth, and each labeled with the day, date, rising and settings times, and other significant astrological and astronomical data. What's more, the months teach the names of the Celtic/Druidic tree-alphabet from Robert Graves' The White Goddess. Aside from being just beautiful, this calendar is an education--and a true 'lunatic' inspiration." --Susan Dobra Natural Beauty and Health Magazine, Winter 2002
The Lunar Calendar 2001 "When I realized this year's Lunar Calendar is 25 years old, it sunk in that I've had that work "dedicated to the Goddess in Her many guises" by Nancy FW Passmore on my walls and desk (and sometimes floor) my entire adult life. Although I've lived many places, the Lunar Calendar has been a constant seeping into my consciousness for over half of my life. The cyclical spiraling depiction for each page of the 13 Celtic tree lunar months, accompanied by the leaf imprint and symbol for that cycle, is a unique feature of The Lunar Calendar. This year's contributors of poetry and artwork include Asphodel Long, Robert Graves, Lourdes Thuesen, Robert Spellman, Jabulani, Agusta Agustsson, Sarah Fuhro, Epona, Sarah Teofanov, and Marge Piercy. Jamie Hogan's cover art, "Sacred Vessel, " is a playful, vibrant piece of a crowned Black Mermaid Goddess popping out of a spiral seashell under the watch of a Full Moon." --JOY RELEASING/SUN GODDESS BRIGHTENING, 2000
"A favorite among many of our Rowan Tree Members...Nancy does a remarkable job in providing us with this beautiful calendar....This is one of our most highly recommended calendars...there may be no other calendar so filled with love." --THE UNICORN
"The '01 Lunar Calendar from Luna Press is an extraordinary teaching calendar that makes it easy to follow moon cycles and energies...This structure facilitates life planning and actions following the cycles of the moon and is useful both to newbies and longtime moon-cycle followers." --NEW AGE RETAILER | |||
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...the most beautiful calendar I have ever seen...
"Extremely
well produced, this is one of the foremost calendars themed toward
the interest of women."
"...the information is invaluable...the
illustrations are more than illustrations: they are works of
art."
"...features excellent
graphics and
inspired poetry...it adds a touch of the Goddess to any room."
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uses moon cycles to track time | ||
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You'll also want to offer loyal moon customers The '00
Lunar Calendar: Dedicated to the Goddess in Her Many Guises
(1-877920-10-X, full-color cover, black and white pages, $23
retail).
If 24 consecutive years of publishing indicates anything it
is that this calendar is a long-term bestseller Even more
interesting is the look on people's faces when they see this
calendar for the fist time and realize it does not track the days of
the month in typical Gregorian fashion but rather tracks the
movement of the moon through its cycle.
The basic calendar is divided into 13 lunar segments, each
one illustrated with original art, poetry, and moon lore. Whether
you are an expert or a novice at moon tracking, this calendar is an
essential tool. Each lunation begins with a dark circle indicating
the first day of the cycle, which is the new moon day. The rest of
the 28 days in the cycle are represented in a spiraling design,
which gradually shows the changes in the phases of the moon.
Besides the phase of the moon, each day is accompanied with
the actual date and information about moonrise and moonset, tracking
the moon through its astrological phases. If you or your customers
don't know how to use this information, or why you would want to use
it, just flip to the last few pages of the calendar and all will be
revealed.
The illustrations and poetry are from people who have
experience with Lady Moon.
After so many years of publication, editor and publisher
Nancy Passmore gets to choose from submissions from all sorts of
folk, and the resulting mixture is a delightful combination of
popular writers and artists as well as unknowns. Each turn of the
page reveals delightful surprises. Hats off to Passmore and her
associates, who produce this calendar mostly as a labor of
love. The New Age Retailer July/August 1999
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"The delight of this calendar is that the
days are shown in a spiral...
...an elegant lunar spiral for each of the 13
lunations. Save yourself from the urban shame of not
knowing if the moon is waxing, waning, at last quarter or even still
there!" TALKING RAVEN QUARTERLY
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