Why change the Pagan calendar for DC? Most of us are urban and globalized, and the agricultural Wheel of the Year doesn’t have a lot of meaning for us (sub)urban people. Rituals and holidays have become just one more item to check off in our busy schedules. We go, participate in the ritual, and leave when finished. Convenience is the order of our calendar. Many of us have gotten away from celebrating our holidays and local festivals with visiting and fellowship with friends and family, decorating hearth and home, and being in the rhythm of Nature/the Universe. A local Pagan calendar can a tool to support and express our beliefs and spirituality in the here and now.

Working on my personal calendar, I wondered if the calendar could be used to support my/our spirituality? Our calendar months come from the Romans. A couple of months are God/dess/s related, for example January and April. And some are numbers, albeit wrong: October as 8 and December as 10. As I did some research on the months, I found the website http://www.cauldronfarm.com/bookofhours/rituals/index.html, which gives a solar month, lunar month, and rituals for each day from various ancient cultures. They put all of this together themselves. I found it quite interesting but complicated. We need a calendar that blends well with our daily lives, yet supports and aids us in our spirituality.

I was inspired to rename the present calendar months based on my DC location and Wheel of the Year cycle experiences. I think my experiences are not much different from other local Pagans. This calendar is a work-in-progress—transitional, experimental, and “not engraved in the granite of eternity.” Each holiday spans a few days to give time for ritual, visiting, and celebration, and is within the increased parameters of rural and non-rural Pagan experience. I find it useful as a magickal tool for myself.

Present Month Name : My Pagan Name
January: Cold of Darkness
February: Illumination of Shadow
March: Spring Equinox
April: Blossom Blooming
May: All Souls Returning
June: Summer Solstice
July: Heat of Light
August: Shadows of Illumination
September: Autumn Equinox
October: The Darkening
November: All Souls Passing
December: Winter Solstice

During the Solstices and Equinoxes, extremes and balance are seen in the length of day and night. Even in the urban sprawl, gardeners follow the agricultural cycle. Non-gardeners can appreciate the astronomical aspects and changes of the seasons.
Cold of Darkness is a month of short, dark, cold days following the Winter Solstice. Perfect for reading, meditation, discussion, contemplation, and planning.
Illumination of Shadows. The days, noticeably, start to lengthen. What has come out of the reading, meditation, discussion, and contemplation, the gleaned knowledge and wisdom brighten our SoulSpiritBeing. Light is welcome.
Blossom Bloom refers to the April blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and all over DC. Many other spring flowers are blooming too. Noticeably warmer and lighter.
All Souls Returning. Beltane and Samhain are when the veils are thinnest or non-existent. Since this is the time of fecundity, the rising of sensual joy/sexuality, and the growth of life (look to Nature), I feel/see this as a time of souls coming/returning to earth, to incarnate here.
Heat of Light is a month with record heat waves, reminding us what Victor Frankl said, “what gives off light, must endure the burning.” We slow down and limit our activities to what’s important in our lives, the heat of the day burning away the unimportant/unneeded. It’s Nature/the Universe reminding us to do the same with our SoulSpiritBeings.
Shadows of Illumination means the days are getting a little shorter but are still warm. Shadows are seen, not blocked by the glare of light. It also makes us notice, in our now more essential SoulSpiritBeings, what we have not seen within us, what is just beyond the reach of our light, what we, ourselves, have hidden from us. What still needs to be explored?
The Darkening is the run up to All Souls Passing. We see the days are shorter and colder. The leaves have turned into pretty colors before falling to the ground. The shadows are starker, feelings more raw, and fears start to sigh in the mind. The veils are thinning. The darkness is full.
All Souls Passing. As in All Souls Returning, the veils are thin or gone at the beginning of this month. It is a time to speak with our honored dead, to celebrate and share the lives that have touched and motivated us, and to remember and meditate upon our gifts.

May these ideas be of help to you.

May the Hekatae help you along your journey