Tag Archive for: Zodiac Mysteries

Julia Bonatti, my crime-solving astrological sleuth in the Zodiac Mysteries, writes an advice column, AskZodia, for her hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle.  Julia’s column stretches reality quite a bit because how many big city newspapers would have space for a ‘Dear Abby’ type of feature? 

Julia enjoys the work, but sometimes really struggles with some of the letters to Zodia.  Some are sad, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain worrying.  And Julia worries a lot about what she’s sending out into the universe in her column.  Here’s one example: 

Dear Zodia ~
My birthday is September 13, 1974 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  I’ve been married for 26 years.  I’m very unhappy and confused.  I care about my husband, he’s a good person, but to be honest, I’m bored.  Bored with him and with married life.  I’ve been thinking about telling him I want a divorce, but I’m really afraid what this will do to him.  Please tell me what to do.
                ~ Growing Older

Dear Growing Older ~
Your sign off name says a lot.  You’re afraid life is passing you by and soon it will be too late for adventure.  What you’re not telling me, and I know because Neptune is opposing your Sun sign, and over the last year or so, opposed your Venus, is that you are attracted to someone else.  Here’s the thing about Neptune transits: they can lend a great aura of mystery or fantasy.  Much if not most of this is not real.  Think very carefully about your choices because in time, you may regret leaving your marriage. 
Wishing you well ~
                ~ Zodia

And here’s another:

Dear Zodia ~
I’m at my wit’s end.  My mother’s new boyfriend is a complete creep.  He makes me very uncomfortable whenever he’s in our house.  I don’t want to be alone with him, and so far I haven’t been, but I’m afraid to be in the same room with him when my mother’s not there.  I’ve tried to talk to her about this, but she thinks I’m imagining things and trying to make her life difficult.  I don’t know what to do.  What should I do?  My birthday is May 6, 2004 in Berkeley at 3:20 p.m.
                ~ Creeped Out

Dear Creeped Out ~
Trust your instincts, no matter what anyone says.  Unfortunately, there are bad people in the world, predators, and some of them date women with young children for that very reason.  By all means, speak out about your concerns.  Your transits show a Pluto aspect to your Moon, this may indicate the difficulties between you and your mother right now, but no matter what astrology can tell you, always trust your instincts.
                ~ Zodia

But the really strange thing — I never wondered if there was a real AskZodia.  I no longer live in San Francisco but manage to visit a few times a year, so I don’t often get to read the Chronicle.  But one day at a street fair, I glanced at a newspaper and spotted the Chronicle’s astro column.  I was stunned!  Why hadn’t I discovered this before?  There is a REAL AskZodia!  His name is Christopher Renstrom, not Julia Bonatti, and he’s a famous astrologer, a real one, unlike Julia! 

I’d be willing to bet Christopher would have no problem responding to AskZodia questions.  After all he has a terrific new book out — The Cosmic Calendar: Using Astrology to Get in Sync with Your Best LifeSo I’m sure he’d offer some great advice and solve all of these AskZodia problems. 

If you’d like some real life astrology, check out Christopher’s website, follow him on Facebook and Twitter @rulingplanets.  You won’t regret it! 

And if you’d like to enjoy a good astrological murder mystery, don’t miss Julia’s first adventure in The Madness of Mercury

Iceland Noir began in 2013, founded by Icelandic writers Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and Ragnar Jónasson. The team today includes Óskar Guðmundsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Kristjan Atli Ragnarsson and probably many more that I didn’t have a chance to meet.  If you haven’t heard of these authors, you’re missing out, so be sure to check out their books.

I first heard about this crime writing festival in 2015 and I was fascinated.  I knew if there was any way possible, I wanted to attend. 

This year, the conference had the biggest press-team ever with journalists from the Sunday Times, The Telegraph, ITV, LBC, RÚV, DV, Fréttablaðið, GayIceland, Mannlíf and Vikan, plus bloggers and freelancers from Crime by the book, the House of Crime and Mystery, the Killing Times and travellingbookjunkie.

I’m a huge fan of Nordic Noir of all sorts and had become very interested in Icelandic writers after discovering Arnaldur Indridason at my library and caught the series Trapped on Netflix.  I was delighted to meet Dr. Noir, aka Dr. Jacky Collins of Newcastle Noir, a passionate supporter of crime fiction.  Even the first lady of Iceland, Elísa Reid, and the founding director of Iceland Writers Retreat and the Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, both crime fiction aficionados, participated in the conference.  I even had a chance to say hello to Martin Edwards often seen at Malice Domestic and many other attendees.  For a full list of authors, click here.

This year, the festival was held on November 16th and 17th at the lovely Iðnó theatre at Vonarstræti 3, Reykjavik, by a pond filled with ducks and swans.

I was thrilled to be included on a panel exploring the supernatural – ghosts, trolls, elves and things that go bump in the night – with authors William Ryan, James Oswald and Michael J. MaloneDavid Headley of DHH Literary Agency and Goldsboro Books was our moderator. 

Icelanders are unashamedly mystical.  They truly believe in elves and trolls and the hidden folk (Huldufolk).  And let’s not forget ghosts.  it’s a terribly important subject even for locals who admit they’ve never seen an elf.  I chatted with a tour bus driver who told me, very seriously, that his grandmother could speak to the elves.  In Iceland, if a large rock is in the way of a building project or a new road, it must not be moved or disturbed until an elven translator is called in to communicate.  This is serious stuff!  If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a very informative YouTube video about the hidden people.

The panels started at 9:00 a.m. on the first day and continued till 7:00 p.m.  By the way, did you know it’s still dark as night at 9:00 a.m.?  My hotel was a few blocks away and braving the dark, the wind and the cold, I sat through as many panels as I could.  On Saturday evening, everyone was invited to a showing of I Remember You, a film based on the book of the same title by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir.  I hope it reaches the U.S. soon because it’s one of the best supernatural thrillers I’ve ever seen.  The actors were brilliant and the production values were excellent.  After the film, the festival continued with a ‘Drunken Authors Panel’ and a live band.  I wouldn’t have missed this conference for the world!

Needless to say, I did all the touristy things too.  The Golden Circle tour led to a field of active geysers and the Strokkur geyser at Geysir Hot Springs that erupts every five to eight minutes.  We crossed the rift valley between the North American plate and the Eurasian plate on the surface of the land, which is constantly moving and slowly making Iceland grow larger by an inch or more a year.  Then the tour moved on to the gorgeous Gullfoss waterfall.  Certainly not the biggest waterfall in Iceland , but it’s considered to be the most beautiful.

I was hoping to check out the Icelandic Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft, especially in light of the panel I had taken part in, but time did not permit.  It’s located in the town of Holmavik in the Westfjords of Iceland and a little too far for me to travel on this trip.  The museum is curated by a sorcerer and If you’re really curious, you can read more here.  Fascinating and creepy!  There’s even more about Viking magic in this interview with the sorcerer himself at his cottage in Bjarnarfjörður.

Of course, I signed up for the Hop On-Hop Off bus tour of Reykjavik which was very informative, but I think my favorite pastime was taking pictures of the charming Christmas shops and Nordic style homes.

I visited the Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran cathedral in Reykjavík.  At 74.5 metres high at the top of a hill overlooking the city, its architecture echoes the basalt columns of the island.  In the 10th century, Icelanders worshipped the old pagan gods of their ancestors.  But later, conversion to Christianity was a matter of law after a compromise between the Christian and heathen chieftains around 999 or 1,000.  Unlike the U.S., there is no separation of church and state in Iceland, although there are ongoing debates about changing this.  But there are even more changes in the wind.  The old Norse pagan religion is still alive and a new Odinst temple is being erected for the first time in 1,000 years.

The northern lights were at the top of my list but sadly my tour had no luck that night.  The bus took about thirty of us out to a vacant field near the town of Akranes to wait in the cold.  It was a crystal clear night, with clouds low on the horizon, far away from light pollution.  We waited till midnight but only saw a slight glimmer.  Our tour guide’s hopes were high, but the sun’s protons or electrons were not cooperating.  Reykjavik Excursions generously offered a free tour for the following night, but I had other plans and couldn’t make it.  I later learned from other tourists they had a great experience on a boat tour out to sea, where the northern lights cooperated.  Sigh . . . maybe someday I’ll see them.

The best tour of all was the Blue Lagoon.  There are other less expensive thermal spas, but the Blue Lagoon is very impressive.  For the basic admission, you receive flip-flops, a comfy robe and a towel.  This also includes a silica face mask and a free drink from the bar in the pool.  A wrist bracelet with a scanner was attached to my wrist in case I wanted to purchase different face masks or drinks that were not included.  A shower in the nude is the first step, then donning my bathing suit, I ventured out to a very cold meeting room and finally to the outdoors.

It was quite cold but utterly beautiful.  A huge baby blue lagoon among black lava rocks with mist rising everywhere.  I hung my robe on a rack and ran down the ramp into the water as fast as I could.  Two hours later, I climbed out, feeling as though I was embarking on a planet with much greater gravity than our earth.  My hair was super shiny from the silica and my muscles felt wonderful.

Oh, and last but not least, I visited the Phallological Museum.  (Dr. Noir had graciously given me a free ticket.)  The “Penis Museum” was started by Sigurður Hjartarson, a retired teacher, who began a life-long search for peni and research into all sorts of animal and sea creatures.  When Mr. Hjartarson’s collection became too big for his living room, his wife put her foot down and insisted the collection had to go, so he set up his first museum in a small Icelandic town.  Later with the help of his son, the museum moved to a location in Reykjavik.

The museum claims that its collection includes the penises of elves and trolls, though, as Icelandic folklore portrays such creatures as being invisible, they cannot be seen.  There are even lampshades made from the scrotums of bulls.  The museum’s quest now is to obtain a human penis and believe it or not, one or two men have volunteered.

I was able to cover a lot of ground on foot and there was no lack of restaurants of all types – Arabic, Vietnamese, French, Italian, not to mention Icelandic.   But I have to say after what I’ve heard, I didn’t want to actually try fermented shark.  Would I visit Iceland again?  Yes, in a heartbeat.  The landscape is absolutely awesome and there is so much more to see there.

My trip may have been a once in a lifetime journey, but I do hope I can return someday and continue to explore this fascinating island at 66 degrees north latitude.

Well, don’t tell a soul, but I have.  That’s how the first inklings of Tail of the Dragon sprouted in my brain.
That’s when I first considered murdering a lawyer or . . . lawyers. 

Whaat, you say?  A lawyer?  Why?  Well, a long time ago, I worked for a lawyer who was loud, abusive, critical and just downright mean.  That’s when I first started to ponder how I was going to do away with him.   Don’t be shocked.  Tell the truth now.  Haven’t you ever considered killing your boss?  Maybe not all of your bosses over the years, but surely there must have been one that irritated you more than any other.  Well, perhaps irritated isn’t a strong enough word.  How about infuriated you until you saw red and you were tempted to throttle him with your bare hands.  Damn the consequences!

It was Shakespeare who said in Henry V, “Let’s kill all the lawyers.”  So it’s definitely not a new idea.  And then of course, Vlad the Impaler invited all the local lawyers to dinner and beheaded them.  So I’m not alone.  Am I a monster?  Certainly not!  I was just an overworked, underpaid, harassed legal peon.

I used to wonder if there was a way I could electrocute him using the cord to his hard drive.  I thought of poison – poison chocolates maybe.  After all, the chocolates could have been delivered by anyone.  Even a client.  Not me.  Certainly not me!  Several years ago, a secretary in a New York City law firm arrived at the office toting a gun and shot her boss dead as he sat in his executive chair.  See?  I wasn’t alone in my deathly fantasies.  I had a lot of sympathy for her! 

Did I do it?  Nope.  That’s why I’m still here.  That’s why I decided to kill some lawyers in Tail of the Dragon.  What else is an evil-thinking author to do but create such a story?  Julia Bonatti, my San Francisco astrologer, has no such lethal leanings.  She just wants to do good.  That’s why she agrees to sniff around her client’s law firm and try to find out who’s sending death threats.

Of course, as the bodies pile up, she soon realizes she’s bitten off more than she can chew.

And worst of all, even though she’s sure of the astrological clues, no one will listen.  What’s a well-meaning astrologer to do except get to the root of the problem and bring down a murderer?

Now tell me the truth.  Have you ever considered murder?  Even if it was just a fantasy?

Be honest now!

This post first appeared on July 26, 2018 at Lori’s Reading Corner.

It’s murder.  That’s what we love to read and that’s what crime fiction writers write.  But have you ever wondered about all the euphemisms we have for murder and death?  There’s a whole bunch.

There are the obvious ones – Uncle Herbert passed on or maybe Uncle Herbert passed over.
And then of course we have these —
He bought the farm
He’s pushing up daisies
He met his maker
He kicked the bucket
He’s gone to his heavenly reward and if Uncle Herbert was a complete scoundrel then we can assume he’s now roasting in hell!

So that led me to wondering why we’re all so fascinated with crime fiction, no matter the genre, whether we read it or whether we write it.
Is it the puzzle itself?  How many people in the mansion had access to the elderberry wine?
The whodunit?  Any one of the sewing circle could have skewered the victim when no one was looking.
Is it the scary thrills and chills of suspense?  Is my husband really who he says he is?
Is it the determined hunt we find in forensics and police procedurals?  Or is it all of these?

I know why I find it so fascinating.  It’s the psychology of the act.  The burning thing that drives an ordinary person to commit murder.  The exploration of the mind of an absolutely normal, everyday person who finds himself or herself in dire straits and doesn’t see any other way out.  I’m not talking about serial killers here.  They’re just completely nuts.  They need to be locked up forever so they won’t hurt anyone.  But the fascinating thing for me is the inner workings of the mind of an average human being pushed beyond the pale.

What about you?  Why do you read crime fiction – whatever the genre?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This post first appeared at A Blue Million Books on June 25, 2018.

This time of year is magical.  I love the holiday decorations, the lights, and the crispness in the air.  Even though I don’t live in a part of the country where I can enjoy the snow, I like to pretend I’m having a white Christmas.

As the Winter Solstice of 2017 rolls around, I dig out my jewelry collection of reindeer and Santa earrings and boxes of decorations.  Each ornament holds a special memory — the pearl-encrusted heart my daughter chose for our tree many years ago.  The tiny porcelain head of Jerry Garcia – yes, someone, have no idea who, hung it on our Christmas tree a long time ago.  It’s such a hoot I keep it.  Styrofoam balls covered in Stockingribbon and sequins that my aunt, gone many years now, made for every church fair.  But my favorite ornaments are the ones my children made in school.  A felt triangular Christmas tree stitched together with yarn and sequins, a wreath of white fuzzy yarn with red balls, a paper stocking, in need of repair, but I still treasure it.

There’s a reason so many religious holidays occur around the time of the solstice — Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Ramadan, Yule, Saturnalia, Bodhi Day.  It’s that special time when our planet tilts away from the life-giving sun.  As if the earth itself pauses in its rotation at that very moment.

This year the solstice occurs today, December 21st at 8:38 a.m. Pacific Standard time.  That’s the moment we creatures of the earth experience the longest night and shortest day.  And if you’re interested in some of the practices and ancient monuments built to celebrate the winter solstice, you can read more here.

Boat ParadeThe first book in the Zodiac Mysteries, The Madness of Mercury, takes place during the holiday season.  Julia, my San Francisco astrologer, knows all the fun and free things to do in her city.  So if you just happen to be in San Francisco this month, don’t miss the Christmas lights, or the tree lighting in Union Square, or the lighted boats at Fisherman’s Wharf.

winter-solsticeTake a moment today, December 21st, to pause and contemplate the magic of the solstice.

Happy holidays!

When I started writing the Zodiac Mysteries, I didn’t know of Sunny Frazier and her astrologer protagonist, Christie Bristol.  But I was thrilled to discover someone else was writing another astrology mystery series.  Later, I found The Precious Pachyderm, by Karen Christino.  Yes, another astrology mystery!
Thanks to Kings River Life,  Sunny and I interviewed each other about mysteries, astrology and our protagonists.  Read on at Kings River Life to learn how we became fascinated with this subject!

 

Blue Astro Chart

City FogJulia Bonatti, my protagonist in the Zodiac Mysteries, is an astrologer who grew up in North Beach and is often found visiting The Mystic Eye, an occult shop and bookstore owned by her good friend Gale.  The Mystic Eye is right on Broadway and just around the corner is perhaps the most famous bookstore in the world — City Lights at 261 Columbus Avenue, a San Francisco icon.

City LightsWhenever I’m in North Beach, I always make it a point to visit and explore every creaking wooden floor of books.  The first room on the right houses recent additions, history and politics.  Climbing to the third floor, you’ll find the poetry section.  But my favorite, the mystery section, is one floor down via a narrow wooden stairway.  It’s a must see place for booklovers!

banned booksCity Lights was founded in 1953 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin.  The independent bookstore has always specialized in world literature, the arts and progressive politics.  It was the first bookstore in the U.S. to sell only paperbacks.  To quote their website, “City Lights is . . . a place where booklovers from across the country and around the world come to browse, read, and just soak in the ambiance of alternative culture’s only “’Literary Landmark.’”  The bookstore is still committed to innovative and progressive ideas and resisting the forces of conservatism and censorship.  City Lights grew out of the “beat” movement and its legacy of anti-authoritarian politics and insurgent thinking.

GuysA bit of history here ~ the core group of Beats were friends who joined together and became a movement – Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso, Herbert Huncke, and William S. Burroughs.  They met at Columbia in the mid-1940s, then moved west to San Francisco and added Gary Snyder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Philip Whalen, and Lew Welch to their cadre.  To quote Allen Ginsberg, “Nobody knows whether we were catalysts or invented something, or just the froth riding on a wave of its own. We were all three, I suppose.”
CrowdBeat culture — the rejection of standard narrative values, the spiritual quest, exploration of Western and Eastern religions, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, rejection of materialism, explicit portrayals of human life — has always been entwined with the city of San Francisco.  The members of the so-called Beat Generation developed a reputation as bohemian hedonists who celebrated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity. Works such as Allen Ginsberg’s Howl (1956), William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch (1959), and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (1957) are some of the best known examples of Beat literature.  These novels were attacked in obscenity trials, although those trials ultimately helped to liberalize publishing within the United States.

NY MirrorThe Beat Generation unwittingly sired a parody group known as the “beatniks.” The phrase was coined by Herb Caen, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, and an icon in his own right, by combining the name of the Russian satellite Sputnik and Beat, implying that the beatniks were far outside of mainstream society and possibly even Communists! The name stuck and became a well known label for the stereotype of the Beat — a man with a goatee and beret, reciting poetry and playing the bongos.

In the 1950’s, Vesuvio’s, a bar that’s still going strong in North Beach, hired an artist to sit in their window and paint.  The artist was dressed in a full beard, turtleneck, and sandals.  By the late 50’s, tourists visiting San Francisco could take bus tours to view the North Beach “beatnik.” I doubt such a character would even raise an eyebrow today on the streets of the city.

City Lights.2City Lights is a unique San Francisco experience, almost as interesting as the fictional Mystic Eye around the corner.  The bookstore is world famous but still retains a casual and intimate charm.  Lawrence Ferlinghetti said, “It is as if, the public were being invited, in person and in books, to participate in that ‘great conversation’ between authors of all ages, ancient and modern.”

If you do visit the city, don’t miss City Lights.  You can check out their website for more information.  And if you’ve enjoyed Julia’s adventures in San Francisco, try to imagine The Mystic Eye, right around the corner on Broadway.
[This post first appeared at Bibliophile Reviews on July 1, 2017.]

When I first thought of writing the Zodiac Mysteries, featuring San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti, I knew that the city itself, its history, its atmosphere, its constantly changing faces should play a big part in Julia’s world.  And one of the most important features of San Francisco is its fog, especially where Julia lives on the outer avenues close to Land’s End and the Pacific.
Julia doesn’t mind the billows of fog that arrive almost every day around three o’clock in the afternoon.  She loves the way it carries the smells of the sea and the silence it creates.  She adores the mist on her face and the way it softens the hard contours of buildings.  And she particularly loves the deep voices of the foghorns as they lull her to sleep at night.Bridge Fog
What causes all that fog?  Well, California’s very hot in the summer months, while San Francisco is perched on a peninsula at the edge of the continent surrounded by water, water that brings freezing cold Alaskan currents.  When the cold air of the ocean meets the rising inland heat, fog is formed and it occurs most heavily in the months from July through October.

City FogFor many years, the compressed air horns under the Golden Gate Bridge sounded with deep two-tone baritone voices.  There were two fog horns on the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge that made a single blast every twenty seconds, while a mid-channel foghorn sounded two blasts every forty seconds.  During the foggy season, July through October, they sound more than five hours a day.
Inbound ships heading east into the Bay would steer left of the foghorns on the south tower and right of the mid-channel horn.  Outbound ships would stay to the right of the mid-channel foghorn.  Their voices guided hundreds of thousands of vessels safely through the Gate and forewarned San Franciscans when fog was about to envelope their city.
SF.1But nothing lasts forever and in the mid 1970’s the two-tone horn at mid span stopped working.  Replacement parts were impossible to find.  So for the next ten years, only a one-tone horn continued to sound.  Eventually that horn too began to show signs of wear and tear and had to be replaced.  The replacement horns are one-tone horns that differ in frequency but operate with compressed air, like the originals.  Each horn has a different pitch and marine navigational charts give the frequency or signature of each.
Then, in 1992, the Coast Guard decided to stop operating the fog horns and replaced them with electronic signals!  Romantics of the city arose and protested loudly until the horns were finally reinstituted.  You can listen to them here:
They don’t quite sound the same as the originals but they still lull Julia to sleep at night and their voices can be heard in the city once again.

[This post first appeared at A Holland Reads on June 30, 2017]

SPRING FLING BLOG HOP (1)March 20th ~ The Vernal Equinox is here!

You might not think that’s such a big deal – not like the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year or the Winter Solstice, the shortest day, but the two equinoxes, vernal and autumnal, are just as important.

Maybe I get excited about all this planetary stuff because my protagonist in the Zodiac Mysteries, Julia Bonatti, is an astrologer and she pays a lot of attention to the stars.

X-equinox_full_widthEach equinox and solstice is an astronomical event brought about by the shifting of Earth’s tilt on its axis. On this day the sun will rise exactly due east and set due west. At the moment of the equinox, the hours of the day and night are exactly equal all over the world.  This year the vernal equinox occurs on March 20th at 3:29 a.m. on the west coast.  But here’s an astrological chart of the event set at the Greenwich Meridian.

SunEntersAries2017If you look near the top of the chart, you’ll see the symbol for the Sun  at exactly 0 degrees and 0 minutes Aries.  It looks like a circle with a dot in the middle.  The very beginning of the the zodiac.  A harbinger of the coming spring.

X-Russian eggs

Many cultures and religions through the eons have celebrated this time of the year with festivals and symbols of rebirth and fertility. The egg is a prime symbol, promising new life.  Folklore tells us that eggs balance on their ends most easily at the equinox.  Seeds, like eggs, hold the potential of new growth.  Rabbits, because of their many offspring and constant breeding, are also associated with spring festivals.

X-RabbitPassover takes place in the middle of the Hebrew month of Nisan and although the calendar was constantly being adjusted, the most important factor in deciding the day was the spring equinox. No Ruz (New Day) is celebrated in Iran, a festival rooted in the beliefs of Zoroastrianism.  In Egypt the Festival of Isis was held as a celebration of spring and rebirth.  The ancient Romans observed the Feast of Cybele, a mother goddess at the center of a Phrygian fertility cult.

astarte-1In Poland, a little lamb made of butter or sugar is placed in the center of the Easter table, which is laden with food and decorated with eggs. In Italy, colored eggs are baked in braided loaves of bread at Easter.  In Russia, the celebration of Maslenitsa is observed as a time of the return of light and warmth.  St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th and we’ve all heard that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland .  A double meaning here because the serpent was a metaphor for the early pagan faiths of Ireland.

X-OestreEaster is named for the Saxon goddess, Eostre, a goddess of the dawn. And the date of Easter is determined by a moon cycle – always the first Sunday on or after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.  This year the first full moon will appear on April 9th.  It’s sometimes called the Pink Moon or the Egg Moon or the Sprouting Grass Moon.  So this year Easter will be celebrated on April 16th.

GoddessMany holidays dedicated to the great mother goddesses take place in the month of March: Astarte, Isis, Aphrodite, Cybele and the Virgin Mary. The goddess shows herself in the blossoms, the leaves on the trees, the sprouting of the crops, the mating of birds, and the birth of young animals.  We are reassured that life will continue.

earthWe are bound to our beautiful blue ball and its movements. We depend on the earth, so of course our important festivals are celebrated at the solstices and the equinoxes with symbols that hark back to ancient pagan influences.

How will you celebrate this Vernal Equinox?  Will you do something special to show your gratitude to our planet?   Plant a tree?  Call your representative or senator and ask her or him to protect the EPA?  Start a flower garden?
Happy Spring ~

flowersBut wait ~ don’t go away – Click the links below to follow the Spring Fling Blog Hop with all these other authors:

Allyson Charles: https://www.allysoncharles.com/blog
Gillian Baker: http://gilianbaker.com/blog/
K.B. Owen: http://kbowenmysteries.com/blog
Layla Reyne: https://laylareyne.tumblr.com
Kirsten Weiss: https://kirstenweiss.com/blog
Mona Karel: https://mona-karel.com/blog/
Misterio Press: https://misteriopress.com
Shannon Esposito: http://murderinparadise.com/blog-2/
Victoria De La O: http://www.victoriadelao.com/

And you can visit me at Facebook or Twitter @askzodia too!

All Signs Point to Murder
(Book 2 in the Zodiac Mysteries)
Coming soon:  August 8, 2017

Rob Ramer was the perfect husband until he committed the ultimate family faux pas ~ he shot his sister-in-law to death.  Was this a murder plot or a tragic accident? Julia Bonatti, San Francisco astrologer, vows to find the answer in the stars.

winter_solsticeThe winter solstice is a magical time. The shortest day and the longest night of the year has been celebrated in cultures the world over for thousands of years.  This year, 2016, it occurs on December 21st at 2:44 a.m. PST in the northern hemisphere of our planet as the Earth’s axis tilts furthest from the Sun.

Ancient peoples followed the sun’s path to know when to sow, when to slaughter cattle and when to monitor food supplies. Their survival was at stake.  They built monuments like Stonehenge, Machu Picchu in Peru, Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, and Chichen Itza in Mexico to track the sun’s annual progress.

newgrange

New Grange in Ireland, built around 3200 B.C., is one such monument. For five days over the winter solstice, a beam of sunlight illuminates a small room inside the mound for seventeen minutes at dawn.  Every year, thousands enter a lottery in hopes of being one of the hundred people allowed to enter and mark the passage of the Sun.

stonehenge-sunset-photoIn northern Europe and Scandinavia, the celebration is known as Yule from the Norse word, Jul, meaning wheel.  Modern customs, like the Christmas tree, the Christmas wreath, and the Yule log are all descendants of these traditions.  The Romans called this time of the year Saturnalia and decorated their homes with red and gold.

Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) was a Syrian god later adopted as the chief god of the Roman Empire.  His holiday is celebrated on December 25, as are several gods associated with the winter solstice.  In 273 A.D., the Christian church selected this day to represent the birth of Jesus, and by 336 A.D., this Roman solar feast day was Christianized.  January 6, Epiphany in the Christian church, associated with the visit of the Magi, was originally an Egyptian date for the Winter Solstice.

new-grangeToday’s Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (the Roman agricultural god), Cronos (a Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), and Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (a Russian winter god).

goddessAnd let’s not forget the Goddesses. The Great Mother has been honored in many cultures through countless centuries – the Egyptian Isis, Holda, the Teutonic earth goddess of good fortune, Bona Dea, a Roman goddess of abundance and prophecy, and Befana, an Italian witch who gives gifts to children at this season.

No matter how you celebrate the solstice season, it’s a time to be close to loved ones, to give gifts, to share your bounty with those less fortunate, and to feast and make merry. Just think of all the peoples of the Earth who have celebrated on this magical night by building fires and lighting candles against the dark, marking this season and this moment in the heavens.

candles

Happy Winter Solstice to all ~