Even in the centre of a city, it is possible to connect with the natural changing rhythms of light and darkness through the year and the passage of the moon through the month and to become more aware of their effects upon our moods and energy levels. This chapter looks at how you can return to the natural rhythms of the day.
The physical effects of lack of sunlight in the winter, especially in northern lands can be manifest as an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder. This was first described by the sixth-century Goth scholar Jordanes who called the condition, common then as now among modern-day Scandinavians, short day sickness.
At the other end of the spectrum with 24/7 lighting, round-the-clock supermarket opening and the potential for 24-hour access to the television and internet, many people are suffering spiritually from the adverse effects of excess artificial light and sound that can cause insomnia and an inability to relax.
By surrounding ourselves with noise and stimulation, in the form of television, work or even coffee, on dark winter evenings, we are denying the natural sleepiness, which would make us want to go to bed much earlier.
This can make us irritable or depressed as we are going against the prevailing ebbing light energies of the day and our corresponding bodily biorhythms.
The Native North Americans, the Australian Aboriginal people and both Celtic and some modern-day druids and druidesses spend regular time alone in the wilderness to reconnect with and get messages from nature.
There are numerous retreats and spiritual journeys organised with the same aim, but you can as easily go alone into the countryside or with a friend or the family. Nor do you need deprivation of basic comforts to experience spiritual enlightenment in nature.
Real pagan living is about simple pleasures, relaxation and bringing the best of the old ways into your world without feeling you have to endure undue hardships.
During the week or a weekend around the seasonal change points - 21 March, 21 June, 21 September and 21 December - or any time when you feel that work is taking over or you are too stressed to enjoy a day or evening off, literally stop the clock and create some time out of time.
Spend a day or two - or longer if you can - close to the natural world (if possible, away from home), following the natural light patterns of your chosen time of year.
You can rent a cottage, chalet or caravan on a quiet site quite cheaply out of peak holiday season. For midsummer and maybe spring and autumn equinox you could go camping in a forestry or nature reserve area.
If you have to stay at home, be strict about not answering phones or inviting in neighbours and make sure you spend as much time in the open air as possible. Local botanical gardens, parks, woodlands or country parks can be very magical and spiritual.
Preparing for your time out of time
If you have responsibilities that may distract you while you are away, try to make plans for them to be dealt with so you can forget them. Designate a friend or relative to look after the children - although they make wonderful companions on this experience if you take them with you - or keep an eye on the house.
They will sort out any minor crises on your behalf in your absence and will know where you are if they need to reach you in a real emergency. I have found that letting go of life temporarily is harder for me than the people I leave behind - they really do not need me as much as I imagine.
Pack only what you need - don't load yourself down with too many things that aren't important. Don't take any toys, electronic games or gadgets, books or puzzles.
Making the most of your time
Try to arrive at the place you will be staying early enough to settle in and explore. Start as you mean to go on - slow down.
When you go to bed, stop all the clocks, unplug and switch off phones, switch off computers, televisions and radios and keep it that way for 24 hours at least.
Leave any curtains open at night so you will wake with the light. If you wake and it is still dark and you do not want to go back to sleep, light a small lamp or go out in the darkness for a walk if it is safe to do so. You may see nocturnal wildlife still scurrying around.
Books, even sudoku puzzles, can be a distraction from listening to the inner signals from your body, reacting to the outer light patterns and allowing messages from nature to filter gradually into your psyche.
If you want to write your great literary work this time out of time may inspire you, but for now open yourself to whatever happens. This is hard in a world where we are used to consulting diaries or personal organisers to structure even our leisure time.
Home or away, do not use the weekend to discuss fraught issues or try to solve money or relationship problems if you are with family or a partner. Your only task is to be and not to do, to listen rather than talk, and to be still and observe rather than take action.
You may find a love relationship that has soured or become temporarily cold may revive when there are no external distractions or trouble making by outsiders.
Fully experiencing time out of time
What do you want to do? Do it or do nothing - just sit and watch the world go by. Wasting time is not doing nothing but doing things you do not want to do or spending time fretting about what needs to be done or went wrong in the past.
Time out of time is about escaping from the past and the future, just for this short creative withdrawal from the world. It is about enjoying now.
Commune with nature: Focus on being outside and doing things that bring you closer to nature. Do simple things: walk in the woods, crunch through autumn leaves, swim or paddle in a natural water source as opposed to a water park; in winter, collect evergreens to take back home to decorate the house for Christmas. After any initial complaints of boredom because they don't have their electronic games, children will soon be playing with sticks, stones, shells or making tree houses and you can help them create bivouacs out of branches, ford streams or light fires to cook over.
Eat simply: Eat and drink when you are hungry. Eat natural, easily prepared food that even fussy eaters will not argue about or ready-prepared food that does not need cooking. Time out of time is not about one person cooking and clearing and getting stressed while the others commune with nature - get everyone to help.
Enjoy the weather: Do not be deterred by bad weather. As my mother used to say, 'You won't melt in the rain', and if you have spare clothes you can enjoy getting thoroughly soaked.
Cherish the silence: Whether alone or even with others, have periods of silence - again very hard for modern people. Look for cloud pictures in the sky or the patterns made by wind and overhanging trees or clouds reflected in water; listen to the rustle of leaves in the trees or the sound of the sea. Accept whatever you see, hear or feel or just enjoy the experience.
Free your imagination: If you are alone in your daily life, use this time to learn to love silence rather than fear it. I am discovering in my now almost-empty nest that I do not have to turn on the half-hour news update or play music to break the silence, and I am actually less lonely than when I was in an unhappy relationship. In creative silence, imagination grows and nature's sounds, such as birdsong, are sweeter than the finest mobile phone ringtone.
Embrace the dark: Go to bed when you are tired or when it gets dark, or light a candle or lamp and sit in the darkness watching the light patterns on the walls. If you are with others, tell old stories, legends and myths softly in the darkness. If there is a moon or stars look up at them and you may see a shooting star or make out the constellations. Create other animal and bird forms in the star patterns and choose your special star.
When you go back to the world it will still be turning and will not have noticed your absence. But you will know as you check your messages - most of which will not be as essential as you thought - that there is a world beyond the clock and you can step off the hamster wheel and rediscover it again any time.
Experiment at different times of the year with time out in nature so you get to know from the inside the rhythm of the changing day and night, heat and cold.
The sun has long been worshipped, in classical tradition as the magnificent sun gods Helios and Apollo who drove their golden sun chariots across the sky. In the Celtic and Northern traditions and among the Australian Aboriginals, the Sun Mothers emphasise the nurturing power of the sun and often, according to myth, take an active part in the ripening and harvesting of the crops.
In the Baltic, the sun goddess Saule would be seen in the summer walking among the growing crops, her golden hair streaming down her back. The Egyptian sun god, Ra, was considered all-powerful.
The sun is vital to humanity. For without the sun there could be no life, no growth or fertility. Yet in excess it can be a destructive force. It affects winds, weather and (like the moon) the tides. The sun can be gentle, empowering and healing or it can beat down over parched deserts, burn skin and wither crops.
Traditionally the sun, the moon and other planets have crystals, herbs and elements that have become associated with them over many centuries. These are believed to reflect the same properties as the heavenly body, for example confidence and energy are considered strengths associated with the sun.
Some sun herbs have bright yellow flowers, like St John's Wort and chamomile that in the northern hemisphere bloom around midsummer. The following associations can be used to reflect the properties of the sun.
The daily solar change points are dawn, noon, dusk/twilight and midnight (the time of the invisible sun when it is at full height on the other side of the world). Once you are aware of these times, you can draw strength from them, whether you work at or from home, commute or travel longer distances, are part of a big company, are on a regular night shift or have retired.
You do not have to rise with the dawn at four o'clock in summer but can celebrate dawn whenever you wake. Dawn is the time of new beginnings and renewed energy and can be a helpful boost if you have been awake with a teething infant or are going through a bad patch and dread the morning.
Lunchtime, however brief, is your noon, the time of full power or getting back on track mentally if the morning has proved frustrating or for refreshing yourself for the sustained effort of the afternoon.
Going home can be designated your dusk or closing down period and if you often work late or are wrapped up in regular evening children's activities, it acts as a reminder to slow down occasionally and go with what your mind and body are saying rather than being totally at the mercy of your timetable.
Going to bed, the everyday equivalent of midnight, marks the transition between one day and another. It is a crucial but often forgotten period when you need to prepare for sleep by spending time winding down rather than working, sending MSN or text messages or doing chores until you fall into bed exhausted yet restless.
Each of the four daily marker points is the equivalent of a mini season: dawn for spring, noon for summer, twilight or dusk for autumn and midnight for winter.
In winter in the northern hemisphere, dawn is far later than in summer and dusk is far earlier. This also means that except on the equinoxes, 21 March and 21 September, you do not get equal divisions between the four daily solar change points.
Depending on where you live you may have almost continuous daylight at the height of summer and a true midnight sun. When I was staying in Sweden around midsummer in 2007, even though I was in the central lake lands rather than the north, the sun only went down for about an hour each night.
When you have time, try to mark the four points of the day fully, focusing on what each marker point currently signifies to you and on some of the needs it symbolises that are relevant to you right now. (Your time out period may be the ideal opportunity to do this.)
Try for a few days marking the four transitions of your day even briefly and you will notice that your energy levels avoid the customary sudden energy dips mid afternoon that demanded an instant sugar lift.
Gradually too you will feel generally more in control of your life and emotions and find that sleeping and waking become more natural and harmonious. If you carry on for a few weeks or months, you may start to wake just before the alarm and gradually be able to dispense with alarms and wake naturally and harmoniously.
Go out at sunrise, noon and dusk and experience the different energies and emotions that flow through you whether you are on a sunny seashore or city street. We all have our favourite times of day, evening and night, but those we like less may also have their strengths to offer.
Walk out in sunshine, especially as it appears unexpectedly on a winter day, splash in puddles of sunlit water after rain or paddle or swim in the light pools in the sea or a swimming pool. Observe sunlight rippling on water, or sunset colouring the leaves crimson as it catches a tree.
Sit in pure darkness at midnight without switching on the light or even a candle and embrace the velvety darkness. If you are afraid of the dark, as many adults are, do this just for a minute at first with your hand on a light switch and gradually your fear of the blackness will lessen.
Buy four small crystals to represent the four segments of the day: citrine for dawn/when you wake up, carnelian for noon/your lunch break, amethyst or moonstone for dusk/going home and garnet or jet for midnight/going to bed.
Keep these in a drawstring bag that you carry with you and take each crystal out at its special time each day. Once a week, when you are at home, wash them first thing in the morning and set them in a circle all day from dawn until dusk to represent the circle of the solar day.
The four solar periods will now be looked at in more detail. Each day, try to choose one of the suggested activities for each marker point (more if you have the time).
Dawn varies each day. Its precise time can be found in a diary or the weather section of a newspaper. Dawn-tide energies last from when you wake until about half an hour before you break for lunch.
The same is true of the other periods in that they decline in strength half an hour before the next period. In this time, you will experience transition energies.
Every dawn is a spring equinox written small, a resurrection, a birth of new hope. Today is the day you anticipated with excitement or feared in many sleepless nights or anxious moments.
So walk into the dawn with courage, knowing that this day will be absolutely the best one ever, because you will make it so.
In the winter months the actual rising light energy band from dawn to noon is quite narrow and so should be maximised. Within dawn energies you can initiate projects, spend time forward planning, send e-mails before the system gets clogged up, capitalise on all those brilliant ideas you carried over in your subconscious from sleep, and generally launch yourself on the first tide of the day. People are usually more open, fresh and optimistic during this period.
Of course there will be times when you wake late and in a panic because you were exhausted when you went to bed or you are irritable because an infant or pet has woken you much earlier than you would have wished.
But, ideally, how would you like to begin each day and how can you adapt some of those ideals to give a better start to the working day as well as to days off? How too can you refocus a start that was less than ideal?
I am (name yourself to establish your place in the world).
I greet the morning and this morning I go into the world with the intention of ...
Name those small pleasures or goals that will make this your day.
Noon-tide energies operate from about 12 noon through to 4 pm, though in wintertime you may start to feel the dusk energies drawing in from early afternoon.
Noon itself is recognised as the most powerful solar marker, though the day may get hotter after noon and the energies will then move into overdrive. Each noon forms a mini midsummer solstice of peak power.
Even in midwinter in lands where it barely gets light, you can tap into the maximum power of this period by surrounding yourself with lots of light, sparkling crystals and, if necessary, lamps rather than harsh overhead lights.
You can adapt this marker point to when you take a break from work which you should aim to do whether you are at home, travelling or in an office.
This noon or lunch break time should be sacrosanct, except in an emergency, and should be long enough for you to eat your lunch away from your workspace and to get out in the fresh air - unless there is a tornado blowing.
I absorb the full power of the sun and I leave for the cosmos to bring to fruition anything that did not go well this morning.
If you really cannot stop, at least try to carry out this ritual.
Dusk also varies each day according to the time of year. 'Never let the sun go down on anger,' my late mother used to say. This is the daily message of twilight, the mini autumn equinox that falls each day.
What is gained and what is lost all merge into the darkness and with them we should allow resentment and regrets to drain away and also be pleased with ourselves for what we have achieved during the day, however modest.
The hardest thing in the modern world is to call a halt to the working day, whether you work at home or not. People are working longer hours than ever and productivity actually dips as the hours increase.
After school can also become a frantic dash of going to other children's houses or organised activities and, as in working life, the sheer volume of demands on your time can diminish the quality of what you do.
As Bert, a local pagan wise man who helps me with my garden, says,
Think of your life as a torch beam. The more you try to cram in, the wider the circle your personal light must cover; the higher and further away the torch beam must be held to cover the wider area, and so the centre, what really matters, is left without light.
So dusk is about priorities, what is lost and what is gained, what should be abandoned and what is precious and so given priority.
You may go home long after dusk has fallen in winter or before dusk in summer, but the energies represented are the same. Even if you are self-employed or are at home with children, marking this point will help you to relax into any unavoidable unfinished work or chores, and acts as a mini recharging of your batteries.
Flow from my life what is not lovely, peaceful and of worth. Flow from me, go from me, leave only harmony. Blessings be on my home, on my life and (name anyone you wish) this evening.
Let all be set to rest.
What takes root may grow, for the rest this is neither the time nor place and so I let it go in peace.
Just as sunset began a new day for the Celts and Vikings, so in the modern world midnight is the transition point.
'The darkest hour is before the dawn' is a popular saying that rings true. But in another time zone the sun is shining brightly and we know, unlike our distant forebears, that the sun does not disappear into the sea or back into the womb of the Earth Mother to sleep until morning. Nevertheless, each morning when the sun reappears it is a small miracle and affirmation of hope.
Midnight heralds the new day, 10 pm is the healing hour and can draw on midnight energies, but whenever you go to bed, early or late, try to let the day drift peacefully towards its ending so you may sleep calmly and not lie awake tossing and turning or writing mental lists and worrying how tired you will be in the morning if you cannot go to sleep.
The sun will rise again. But for now I consign all to the flame: worry, fear, pain, loss, joy and achievements of this day and those concerns that rightly belong to tomorrow.
Even more subtle but just as valuable as the major sun points in the day are the ancient Aetts or Anglo Saxon and Scandinavian eight markers within each day. These eight divisions are the same in winter and summer and form the unchanging rhythm behind the changing sun and moon patterns.
They bring order, stability and a way of measuring the energy ebbs and flows within each day, in earthly terms as opposed to the more cosmic lunar and solar biorhythms.
The eight divisions made the transition from the pre-Christian to Christian world and in rural places survived for hundreds of years until the Industrial Revolution that took place in Europe and especially England in around 1760-1840.
These divisions (or tides) are not something you would mark every day but occasionally when you have a day off, you could work with some of the Aett times that are relevant to your life.
So shall it be.
Chime hours
The chime hours (3 am, 6 am, 9 am, 12 noon, 3 pm, 6 pm, 9 pm and 12 midnight) and the five minutes before and just after them, are said to be the most powerful time of each three-hour period. The energies build up and fall away from the central point, thereafter rising towards the next period of energy.
The chime hours are named after the chiming of the church or town clock or the small musical peal that was once a feature of many areas in Europe dating back to Saxon times.
Those born on or close to a chime hour (especially midnight) are considered especially psychic and intuitive and able to look backwards and forwards in time.
The power of the Aetts
Each three-hour period has special energies that are good for particular endeavours. Use the lists below and possibly a small chiming clock and you can start to work with the Aetts. Some of the periods coincide with the dawn/dusk, waking/sleeping energies and enable you to fine tune these times.
Midnight and noon are the same in both systems, but the Aetts do work on the actual hours rather than regarding midnight and going to bed as synonymous. You can mix and match the two systems according to your focus and what fits best with your free time on a particular day.
4.30 am-7.30 am: Morning-tide is the time of awakening, fertility and new beginnings. The chime hour begins at 6 am. Use its energies for starting something new and all matters concerning infertility, conception, pregnancy and birth of both babies and projects. This Aett can be a good time to make love if you are having conception anxieties or to get up early and put the finishing touches to your novel or some craft work you hope to sell.
7.30 am-10.30 am: Day-tide is the time of work and money-making. The chime hour begins at 9 am. Use its energies for solving money problems, money-spinning ventures and actively seeking alternative approaches and new contacts. If you work flexi time, operate from home or can go into work early, this can be a time of maximum productivity and creative success, when you are less likely to get interruptions. If you are at home with children they may be in daycare or in a relatively good mood and happy to play while you do something creative. Alternatively, take them outdoors and take a notebook or palmtop along with you. I did some of my best work scribbling down ideas sitting on a bench during this Aett period while the children were happily occupied in the playground or in the local country park watching the early morning rabbits and taking a picnic breakfast. (My children have always been very early risers.)
10.30 am-1.30 pm: Midday is the time of endurance and perseverance. The chime hour is 12 noon. Use its energies for persisting with matters that are proving wearisome, catching officials between meetings, doing the hard work and assembling necessary information for pushing through ideas, and for research, if doing boring detailed work or checking your facts. It is also a good period for persisting with unhelpful people - take them out to elevenses or lunch to raise their blood sugar and bonhomie.
The middle of this period may alternatively coincide with a break from work when it is important to restore your own blood sugar energies for the rest of the day by actually stopping and moving away from your workstation. The habit I have of working through lunch and eating at the computer is actually counterproductive in terms of stamina and can lead to irritability and reduced productivity.
Use this break to get into the fresh air and to give yourself a brief time out to restore your natural stamina. The inspiration will then follow during the next Aett.
1.30 pm-4.30 pm: Undorne is the time for change, transformation and illumination. The start of the chime hour is 3 pm. Use its energies for exploring new horizons and travel plans. This is the time for booking holidays or planning trips, exploring new markets for your products, selling yourself and communicating persuasively, both personally and electronically.
If you want to move house, change jobs or get promotion, focus at the chime hour by putting a pinch of dried rosemary in the flame of a blue candle and naming any place you want to visit or your desired new job or location. Then blow out the candle and picture yourself in the location or job you desire. Apply immediately afterwards.
4.30 pm-7.30 pm: Eventide is the time of the family, of home and reconciliation. The chime hour begins at 6 pm. Use the energies for questions concerning children of all ages, domestic matters, marriage and partnerships. This is a time for strengthening and resolving existing relationships and, if you have a particular concern, for talking it over, visiting or contacting a person who is being cold or unfriendly or making a family time if you have all been busy and not had time to talk. Send a gesture of reconciliation, whether a small gift, a letter or an e-mail at the chime hour for maximum effect or drop dead leaves or petals off a bridge while saying, 'Water under the bridge' and letting anger or resentment, however justifiable, go.
7.30 pm-10.30 pm: Night-tide is the time for love, passion and learning, which may seem a strange mix, but all involve intensity. The chime hour begins at 9 pm. Ideal for students or anyone who has a test, interview or examination the next day, this is the time most favoured for any learning or research. However, it may also be the time people are on a date, chatting online, looking for love or spending time rekindling a passionate connection with a husband, wife or settled lover if everyday life has got in the way.
Lots of the traditional folk spells were practised at this time or at midnight. So, if you are meeting someone special or hoping to find a partner, use your favourite fragrance or rose or lavender natural cologne after a bath and put a single drop on your heart and one on each breast and on your navel before you dress so your radiance and charisma will shine through. As you do this, say,
Love come to me. Love stay with me, willingly, eternally, devotedly and faithfully. So must it be.
10.30 pm-1.30 am: Midnight-tide is the time for healing and restoration of mind, body and spirit. The chime hour is midnight. This is a natural time for letting go of the day and of worry and this Aett will coincide with the solar midnight/going to bed. The energies, therefore, are the same.
However, it is additionally a good time to send healing of the mind, body or a troubled spirit, whether to yourself, a loved one or someone absent. Try this simple ritual:
May you/I be healed and relieved of your/my pain/illness/sorrow.
(Adapt the words to the need.)
May all be blessed and restored to harmony.
1.30 am-4.30 am: Uht is the time of sleep and old age. The chime hour begins at 3 am. Use its energies for concerns about elderly relatives and ageing, and for calm sleep.
You will not often be awake at this time, unless on night shift, when it is a good time to take just a few minutes relaxing and letting the restorative energies of this tide wash over you. If you are awake worrying or caring for a sick relative or child, light a small white tea light or candle in a safe place and say,
I float my concerns on the tides of the night that (name person you are concerned about) will float gently to morning and awake renewed with the light. So may it be.
Leave the candle burning for just a minute or two and then blow it out very gently.