Thomas Jefferson’s 275th Birthday

Tomorrow, April 13th, 2018, marks the 275th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth. I have had a long relationship with TJ (as some of us call him here in Virginia) ever since I moved here thirty years ago. I was delighted when I learned that he had designed another house, after his famous home (a UNESCO […]

KATHERINE NEVILLE’S Hazel Month Newsletter August 4, 2017

KATHERINE NEVILLE’SHazel Month NewsletterAugust 4, 2017 Lammas Night In ancient times, Celtic months were named for trees. Today, August 4, is the last day of Tinne, the Celtic Holly month. Tomorrow, Coll, the month of the Hazel tree begins, kicked off each year on August 1 by Lammas,  the Eighth and last Celtic fire festival […]

KATHERINE NEVILLE’S Solstice Advent(ure) Newsletter Dec 21, 2014

KATHERINE NEVILLE’SSolstice Advent(ure) NewsletterDecember 21, 2014 Advent: Return of the Sun Today is the last Sunday of the season of Advent (from Latin adventus, a coming) a period of four Sundays when the Christian church traditionally asks us to prepare for the arrival of the baby Jesus’ birthday on December 25th. People keep calendars with 24 […]

Magic Circle: Further Reading

For those Readers who wish to pursue these topics further, here are some lists of suggested reading. On Russia, Central Asia, the East Not long before my final Russian research trip, the Treasures of Schliemann’s Troy had been found in boxes in a basement in Moscow and were on public display, at the Pushkin, for […]

KATHERINE NEVILLE’S Octal Newsletter October 4, 2012

  KATHERINE NEVILLE’S Octal Newsletter October 4, 2012   “Oc” in Rome: the 8th Month In the ancient Roman calendar, which began in March at the equinox, September was counted as the 7th month (“Sept” means 7), October was the 8th month, November the 9th, and December the 10th. I’m partial to all things octal, […]

Storytelling and Mythology

Today, when we use the word “myth,” we often mean something that isn’t true, something that has been fabricated to deceive others. But the myths that have come down to us from ancient times have deep roots and hold a magical significance that still flourishes in our own lives today. The word “mythos” in Greek […]

The Horse Of Carthage

Some say that the name Carthage was the punic word for New City, which would seem an apt title, as it was the new city founded by queen Dido of Phoenician Tyre. However, Robert Graves tells us there was once an incarnation of the universal and ancient Great Goddess, whose name was also Car, and […]