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zreligion: a brief description

(aka octavism/trimetrism)

(c) z$ 2022

created 12/20/2021 14:38 PST

updated 1/31/2021 12:51 PST

last updated 9/23/2022 17:18 PDT

contents

[expand table of contents]

contents

main document

  1. miracle of existence
  2. miracle of specificity
  3. miracle of life

appendices

[expand table of contents of appendices]

prelude

my religion doesn’t have a holy book…but it does have a spreadsheet

—me

  • (note on writing style1)
  • what follows is an imperfect and incomplete description of my personal “religion”, readers are encouraged to do with it what they will
  • the reasons for the existence of my religion and its associated ritual practices are mainly the following (tho in truth I don’t really think I need to have reasons per se):
    • to mark the passage of time and prompt reflection
    • to remind me of the oneness and universal connectivity of existence
    • to prompt gratitude for the many gifts I’ve been given
    • and indirectly, to encourage nurturing of myself and others, and to inspire and guide personal growth and constructive action (but I don’t think these things should be the primary goals, this is a way of thinking about and being in the world, not prescriptive techniques for self-help or “personal development”, nor is it a framework for thinking about the nature of reality or the purpose of existence)
  • what I call “one religion” is really two overlapping, interconnected systems: that of the 8 octaves (octavism), and that of the 3 mothers (trimetrism)
    • they are separate, but related and complimentary, as will hopefully be more clear after learning more about each

the shortest version

my “religion” understands and appreciates the outside world and the passing of time in terms of 8 octaves (light, dark, earth, sky, she, he, young, and old), and the internal world and my own origins in terms of 3 mothers (sun, earth, and sea)


I use these divisions to create rituals that mark the eras of my life, prompt reflection, challenge and deepen my understandings, marvel at the world and my place in it, and generally expand the connections between my consciousness and the great everything

the shorter version

and here is my attempt at a relatively succinct (admittedly not that succinct) description of my religion, trying to keep to the most essential parts:

  • the “religion” has two parts:
    • the first part, octavism, is about understanding and appreciating the wider world, it does so through the lens of 8 clusters of concepts, each of which I call an octaveᵍ
      • each octave is associated with a number of parallel attributes, including:
        • a celestial bodyᵍ (or orb, i.e. a planet/star/moon)
        • a classical deity (or rather a suite of similar deities from various traditions with thematic parallels)
        • a single wordᵍ (light, dark, earth, sky, she, he, young, old), mostly for the sake of convenience
        • a divisionᵍ of the year (6ish weeks), beginning with a particular astronomical event (a solstice, equinox, or approximate midpoint between two of them), which I also call an octave, or simply eighth
        • a division of the (24-hour) day (a time of day, i.e. 3ish hours) parallel to the year division
        • a division of the (28ish day) lunar cycle (a lunar phase, i.e. ~half a week)
        • an element (earth/water/air/fire/aether) or an aspect of life (male/female/young/old)
        • an opposing partner (another of the 8 octaves) at the other pole of one of 4 axes (light, place, love, and time)
        • a color, a part of the body, and million other general associations with things, places, activities, human attributes, and so on (truly, it’s quite gratuitous2)
      • the 8 octaves (named by their celestial bodies, with 1-word label in parentheses, followed by a few most salient attributes), in year order, are:
        • the moon or luna (dark) - cold, dark, night, calm, balanced; element of water
        • mercury (young) - youthful, new, momentary, immediate, creative, birth, development, learning, communication; aspect of youth
        • earth or terra (earth) - below, near, stable, ordered, coherent; element of earth
        • venus (she) - convergent, linked, parallel, home, native, intuitive, community; aspect of femaleness
        • the sun or sol (light) - hot, bright, day, energetic, frenetic; element of fire
        • mars (he) - divergent, separate, serial, travel, foreign, logical, individual; aspect of maleness
        • jupiter (sky) - above, distant, chaotic, diverse, disordered; element of air
        • saturn (old) - ancient, aged, timeless, eternal, death, maturation, decay, wisdom, maturity; element of aether and aspect of age
      • each octave has a dedicated part of the yearly, monthly, and daily cycles
        1. luna: starting from the winter solstice (c. Dec 21), from midnight, from the new moon
        2. mercury: from the middle of winter (Feb 1), from the dead of night/earliest morning (c. 3am), from the waxing crescent moon
        3. earth: from the spring equinox (c. Mar 21), from sunrise (c. 6am), from the first quarter moon
        4. venus: from the middle of spring (May 1), from mid-morning (c. 9am), from the waxing gibbous moon
        5. sol: from the summer solstice (c. Jun 21), from high noon, from the full moon
        6. mars: from the middle of summer (Aug 1), from mid-afternoon (c. 3pm), from the waning gibbous moon
        7. jupiter: from the fall equinox (c. Sep 21), from sunset (c. 6pm), from the last quarter moon
        8. saturn: from the middle of fall (Nov 1), from mid-evening (c. 9pm), from the waning crescent moon (til it all repeats…)
    • the second part, trimetrism, is about understanding and appreciating the personal, internal world, and one’s connections and origins. it does so through the lens of 3 clusters of concepts (each of which heavily overlaps with one of the octaves), which are embodied by a motherᵍ
      • each mother embodies some of the aspects of my origins, which I might call her domain
      • the 3 mothers are:
        1. starmother, the sun at the center of our solar system, mother of the earth and the seas, origin of the planets and moons, source of life-giving energy, axis around which everything we find familiar revolves
        2. earthmother, the planet we call home, daughter of the sun, mother of the seas, origin of the substance of which we and everything around us is made, the ground into which roots grow and the dead return
        3. seamother, the great world ocean, daughter of the sun and the earth, origin and birthplace of all life, source of the water without which life is impossible, literally and figuratively embodied in every living cell of every earthly being
      • each mother has her own set of many associations and images, but most fundamental may be her temporal (or tenseᵍ) association with time, namely:
        1. starmother having most to do with the past
        2. earthmother with the present
        3. and seamother with the future
      • and from these follow what might each’s most important associations, one of the 3 miraclesᵍ, basic facts of the universe that I consider to be unexplainable in a way that for me always inspires wonder, they are (in order):
        1. the miracle of existenceᵍ (i.e. that the universe exists in the first place), associated with starmother
        2. the miracle of specificityᵍ (i.e. that this particular universe exists, and as one coherent, omniconnected totality), associated with earthmother
        3. the miracle of lifeᵍ (i.e. that there is life in this universe, and I am alive, and sentient to be conscious of and with it), associated with seamother
      • as well as what I call the 3 facetsᵍ of the mind:
        1. emotionᵍ (mood or affective state, the subjective integration of recent past experiences), associated with starmother
        2. actionᵍ (motivation, attention, or focus, tangible acts in the present), associated with earthmother
        3. imaginationᵍ (feelings about envisionings and predictions of the future), associated with seamother
      • and a whole host of other associations…
  • the octaves and the mothers have a lot of overlap, but they are also distinct and complementary, with appreciation of octaves being mostly outwardly oriented, taking the octaves one by one in their associated time periods, and appreciation of the mothers being more inwardly oriented, and perennial
    • in the [admittedly imperfect] female/male language of the axis of love, there is a male/female complementarity to the two:
      • octavism divides the outside world in order to understand its totality, and where to go next
      • trimetrism connects the inside worlds in order to understand one’s place, and where one comes from
    • and if you like, the unity of the mothers with each’s octave goes to show the connected oneness of internal and external, while the 5 octaves not parallel to a mother stand for there being much more to the universe than we can directly embody ourselves

the long version

and now the long version, though note that the definitive explanation of this religion is the spreadsheet, but what follows is my attempt to explain the information contained therein in some semblance of a logical order.

divisions

  • marking of time is the fundamental ritual
    • time is marked by multiple simultaneous cycles, most notably those of the sun (the year), the earth (the day), and the moon (the lunar month)
    • [semi-arbitrary] divisions of these cycles structure the experience of the passage of time and inspire rituals
  • the year is divided into two parts: waxing and waning
    • waxing from the winter solstice to the summer solstice, winter and spring, days getting longer, warming up
    • waning for the rest of the year, summer and fall, days getting shorter, cooling down
  • 8 dimensions, or octaves, describe and constitute the universe
    • (N.B.: I use “octave” to refer to both the 8 dimensions and the 8 roughly 6-week periods I associate with each one)
    • each octave is associated with a heavenly body (and deity, or set of related deities)
    • each octave represents one of 5 elements (earth, water, air, fire, and aether), or one of 4 aspects of life (male, female, young, and old)
      • (with one, Saturn, representing both an aspect and an element)
    • each has its own set of related qualities and associations, including a time of year, a time of day, day of the week, phase of the moon, part of the body, etc

the octaves

  • the 8 octaves are in 4 pairs of opposite polarity on 4 axes
    • the first axis is about light, heat, and energy (dark and light, night and day, cold and hot, wet and dry, too little and too much, asleep and awake, calm and excited), its turnings (the solstices) divide the year into waxing and waning halves
      • at the negative pole on the axis of light is the Moon, representing the element of water, that which is cold, wet, dark, calm, or periodic, that which flows and coalesces, quiescence, liquids, solitude, peace, loneliness, boredom, satiety, satisfaction, depression, apathy, the tides, the water in all living things
        • time of year: winter solstice, around Dec 21
        • time of day: midnight
        • phase of moon: new moon 🌑
        • day of week: monday
        • part of body: lumbar spine, belly
      • at the positive pole on the axis of light is the Sun, representing the element of fire, that which is hot, dry, or active, light, energy, combustion, transformation, reactions, ecstasy, anxiety, overstimulation, hunger, desire, lust, joy, rage, mania, psychosis, photosynthesis, metabolism
        • time of year: summer solstice, around Jun 21
        • time of day: noon
        • phase of moon: full moon 🌕
        • day of week: sunday
        • part of body: thoracic spine, chest, heart
    • the second axis is about place, distance, order, and fixity (here and there, near and far, below and above, under and over, fixed and fluid, order and chaos), its turnings (the equinoctes) divide each half of the year into quarters (i.e. [astronomical] seasons)
      • at the negative pole on the axis of place is Earth, representing the element of earth, that which is fixed, nearby, below, fundamental, simple, regular, ordered, bound, opaque, or stable, minerals, mountains, crystals, solids
        • time of year: spring equinox, around Mar 21
        • time of day: sunrise, around 6am
        • phase of moon: first quarter 🌓
        • day of week: every day :P
        • part of body: sacral spine, base of torso
      • at the positive pole on the axis of place is Jupiter, representing the element of air, that which is untethered, distant, above and all around, transparent, unstable, or capricious, chaos, entropy, mobility, complexity, winds, the atmosphere, the weather, gases
        • time of year: fall equinox, around Sep 21
        • time of day: sunset, around 6pm
        • phase of moon: last quarter 🌗
        • day of week: thursday
        • part of body: cervical spine, neck, throat, lungs
    • the third axis is about time, age, duration, change, and information (young and aged, new and old, future and past, start and end, now and forever, curiosity and wisdom, child and elder, birth and death), its turnings (the colder mid-seasons of fall and winter) mark the first and last non-solstice octaves
      • at the negative pole on the axis of time is Mercury, representing the aspect of youth, that which is new, immediate, instantaneous, short-lived, naïve, curious, stupid, or immature, beginnings, birth, the senses, information, learning, construction, development, creation
        • time of year: mid-winter, around Feb 1
        • time of day: late night/early morning, around 3am
        • phase of moon: waxing crescent 🌒
        • day of week: wednesday
        • part of body: viscerocranium aka face
      • at the positive pole on the axis of time is Saturn, representing the aspect of age and the element of aether, the sky and heavens and outer space, that which is ancient, primordial, long-lived, timeless, or epochal, maturation, wisdom, death, the void, decay, conclusion, destruction, plasmas, electromagnetism, radiation, and other unseen forces
        • time of year: mid-autumn, around Nov 1
        • time of day: evening, around 9pm
        • phase of moon: waning crescent 🌘
        • day of week: saturday
        • part of body: neurocranium aka skull
    • the fourth axis is about love, connection, and relation (woman and man, together and apart, convergence and divergence, parallel and serial, home and travel, receiving and giving, reflection and exploration, nurturing and guiding, adaptation and defiance, synthesis and antithesis, pull and push), its turnings (the warmer mid-seasons of spring and summer) mark the middle two non-solstice octaves
      • at the negative pole on the axis of love is Venus, representing the aspect of femaleness, convergence, flexibility, home, that which is native, passive, peaceful, defensive, maternal, familiar, or nourishing, healing, dependence, origins, collaboration, submission, equality, connection
        • time of year: mid-spring, around May 1
        • time of day: mid-morning, around 9am
        • phase of moon: waxing gibbous 🌔
        • day of week: friday
        • part of body: pelvis, lower inside of body, legs
      • at the positive pole on the axis of love is Mars, representing the aspect of maleness, divergence, rigidity, exploration, that which is lost, foreign, violent, aggressive, offensive, paternal, or challenging, novelty, injury, repair, independence, destinations, guardianship, striving, dominance, inequality, disconnection
        • time of year: mid-summer, around Aug 1
        • time of day: mid-afternoon, around 3pm
        • phase of moon: waning gibbous 🌖
        • day of week: tuesday
        • part of body: ribs, upper inside of body, arms
      • N.B.: this last axis I particularly don’t want to be misinterpreted as a rigid binary, or as equivalent to male/female sex or gender, but rather as a continuum of aspects of connection and relation that are present to different degrees in all people and relationships, nor should the male aspect be viewed as representing total isolation, antithetical to connection per se, but rather an essential half of the push and pull inherent to all connections
  • (the degree to which each octave is literally associated with a heavenly body and/or deity is not important to me, and likely to vary across people, times, and contexts)
  • it’s all very symmetrical you see
    • during the waxing part of the year the polarities are all negative:
        1. winter solstice - Moon - (-)light
        1. mid-winter - Mercury - (-)time
        1. spring equinox - Earth - (-)place
        1. mid-spring - Venus - (-)love
    • then they are all positive as the year wanes, with the axes after the first in reverse order:
        1. summer solstice - Sun - (+)light
        1. mid-summer - Mars - (+)love
        1. fall equinox - Jupiter - (+)place
        1. mid-fall - Saturn - (+)time
  • at each octave turning, the rituals are nothing more complicated than thinking about the octave that is ending, and that which is starting, the aspects of each, what fits and doesn’t fit with one’s life, and above all marking change and the passage of time
    • alignments (e.g. when an octave’s time of year coincides with its lunar phase or its day of the week or any other associations) are additional opportunities for reflection and appreciation

mothers and miracles

  • in addition to the 8 octaves, I also revere 3 mothers (akin to the druidic earth, sea, and sky, although this was originally a coincidence) that are related, but not synonymous, with the 3 most familiar octaves
    • starmother, associated with the sun, whose domain is the sky and heavens, space and the light and energy that permeate it, is the origin of everything familiar, the source and fuel, ancient and familiar and radiant
    • earthmother, associated with the earth, daughter of the sun, whose domain is the world we inhabit and everything made on, in, and of it, is the origin of substance, womb, home, and teacher, ubiquitous and beloved and forgettable
    • seamother, associated with the moon, daughter of the sun and the earth, whose domain is the great world ocean and all the water and living things upon the earth, is the origin of life, the vital essence, mysterious and powerful and singular
  • I also think about 3 fundamental miracles, and associate each with a mother
    • (i) the miracle that anything exists at all, embodied by the starmother
    • (ii) the miracle that this particular universe is the one that exists, and that it is one coherent, connected whole, embodied by the earthmother
    • (iii) the miracle that life exists, and that I am alive to experience this universe, embodied by the seamother
    • (I have been known to refer to “god” as being roughly synonymous with the fact of these three universal miracles, though I concede that this doesn’t necessarily overlap with many others’ definitions of that particular concept)
  • somewhat along these lines, the three mothers are also strongly associated with time, namely:
    • starmother - the past
    • earthmother - the present
    • seamother - the future
  • honoring the 8 octaves and the 3 mothers are in some sense independent practices, and in other senses almost entirely overlapping
    • I focus on appreciation of the octaves one at a time, mainly during each one’s designated eighth of the yearly cycle, and around the turnings that mark each octave’s start and end, and I celebrate them as dimensions of reality that broaden and deepen my experience of existence, thus often inspiring awe and a sense of oneness with the great everything
      • more generally I associate the octaves with truth and knowledge, appreciating the natural world and my place within it
    • I try to include appreciation of all three of the mothers all year round, especially when obviously in their presence (e.g. on a bright day, before an awe-inspiring landform, or watching waves break by the sea) and when all three are present together, and I celebrate them as originators and ancestors (i.e. mothers) whose essences I carry within myself, thus often inspiring gratitude and a sense of connection to all other beings
      • more generally I associate the mothers with the social world, appreciating and accepting the family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers in my life, and how I relate to others, human and not, alive and inanimate, concrete and abstract
  • comparing the 8 octaves and the 3 mothers in a more general sense
    • the 8 octaves are about the “external” world, anchored in time, tools to understand one’s place and connections, the what, the how, the when, and the where, taking in the universe by aspects and parts
    • the 3 mothers are about “internal” life, everpresent, tools to understand one’s origins and identity, the who, the why, the whence, and the whither, taking in the universe in simultaneous totality

3 facets

  • more personally, I have what I originally thought of as 3 problems (3 deficiencies, 3 diagnoses), but which are really just 3 fundamental aspects of subjectivity, living in the world as a sentient human
    1. emotion or mood (~depression)
    2. action or focus/motivation (~adhd)
    3. imagination or fear/panic (~anxiety)
  • and they are related to time
    1. mood relates to the past, the sum total of all experience up to now, rumination and reflection
    2. focus relates to the present, to current action
    3. anxiety relates to the future, fears, predictions, what could/would/should/might be
  • thus they relate to mothers
    1. mood being about the sun, emotions being a basic fact of existence as a thinking being, the fuel for mental life, the product of all one’s experiences up to now
    2. focus being about the earth, specific actions, making order, connections to the coherent omniconnected world “out there”, rooted in and feeding back into the ground below
    3. anxiety being about the sea, fundamental to being a living, breathing, thinking, imagining being, capable of conceiving of futures, and therefore feeling some way about them
  • and so the mothers might be helpful to guide one out of times of strife
    1. starmother reminds that mood comes from somewhere, everything up to now, not a black box or a foreign influence, but an evolving process with understandable inputs and interactions
    2. earthmother reminds that motivation is about specific connections, not some abstract substance to be deficient in, motivation comes from something anchored and likewise feeds back into something tangible
    3. seamother reminds that anxiety is life, basic to being able to envision the future, useful and fundamental, not something to be negated or exorcised, but a way of understanding and evaluating what isn’t yet but might be
  • at the very least they give some nice imagery
    1. feeling depressed or apathetic, imagine the bright, warm rays of the sun shining down upon you, lending light, fire, and energy
    2. feeling unfocused or lacking motivation, imagine being rooted in the earth, anchored to something fast, structured, stable, and tangible
    3. feeling anxious or afraid, imagine ocean waves crashing, regularly, powerfully, mysteriously, full of life, never ending, never wavering

calendar

  • the year begins on the winter solstice, around Dec 21
    • marking the start of the first, waxing half of the year
      • and the start of the first quarter, i.e. season, i.e. winter
        • and the start of the first octave, the octave of the moon or moonseighth or darkeighth (and the first of three motherseles3, the seasele)
          • the night before the solstice (c. Dec 20) is winternight, marking the end of fall, the departure of saturn, and arrival of the moon
          • the festival of the solstice is yule
          • the december moon is the wintermoon
          • the month of december is erstwinter4
          • the january moon is the watermoon or darkmoon
          • the month of january is mo(o)nmonth
        • middlewinter (aka imbolc5) falls on Feb 1, marking the start of the second octave, the octave of mercury or wedneseighth6 or youngeighth
          • the night before (Jan 31) is darklast7, marking the departure of the moon, and arrival of mercury
          • the february moon is the youngmoon
          • the month of february is wednesmonth
      • the spring equinox (c. Mar 21) marks the start of the second quarter/season, i.e. spring or lenten8
        • and the start of the third octave, the octave of the earth or earth(s)eighth (and the second of three motherseles, the earthsele)
          • the night before the equinox (c. Mar 20) is springnight or lentennight, marking the end of winter, the departure of mercury, and arrival of the earth
          • the festival of the equinox is easter?9 (aka ostara10)
          • the march moon is the springmoon or lentenmoon
          • the month of march is erstspring or erstlenten
          • the april moon is the earthmoon
          • the month of april is earthsmonth
        • middlespring or middlelenten (aka beltane11) falls on May 1, marking the start of the fourth octave, the octave of venus or frieighth12 or sheeighth
          • the night before (Apr 31) is earthlast, marking the departure of the earth, and arrival of venus
          • the may moon is the shemoon
          • the month of may is frimonth
    • the summer solstice (c. Jun 21) marks the end of the waxing half and the start of the second, waning half of the year
      • and the start of the third quarter/season, i.e. summer
        • and the start of the fifth octave, the octave of the sun or sun(s)eighth or soleighth or lighteighth (and the third of three motherseles, the starsele)
          • the night before the solstice (c. Jun 20) is summernight, marking the end of spring, the departure of venus, and arrival of the sun
          • the festival of the solstice is lithe (aka litha)
          • the june moon is the summermoon
          • the month of june is erstsummer
          • the july moon is the firemoon or lightmoon
          • the month of july is sunmonth or summonth or solmonth
        • middlesummer (aka lughnasadh13) falls on Aug 1, marking the start of the sixth octave, the octave of mars or tueseighth14 or heeighth
          • the night before (July 31) is lightlast, marking the departure of the sun, and arrival of mars
          • the august moon is the hemoon
          • the month of may is tuesmonth
      • the fall equinox (c. Sep 21) marks the start of the fourth quarter/season, i.e. fall or harvest15
        • and the start of the seventh octave, the octave of jupiter or thurseighth16 or skyeighth
          • the night before the equinox (c. Sep 20) is fallnight or harvestnight, marking the end of summer, the departure of mars, and arrival of jupiter
          • the festival of the equinox is mabon? (aka mabon17)
          • the september moon is the fallmoon or harvestmoon
          • the month of september is erstfall or erstharvest
          • the october moon is the airmoon or windmoon or lyftmoon18 or skymoon
          • the month of october is thursmonth
        • middlefall or middleharvest (aka samhain19) falls on Nov 1, marking the start of the eighth and final octave, the octave of saturn or satureighth20 or oldeighth
          • the night before (Oct 31) is skylast (or airlast or windlast or lyftlast, aka halloween), marking the departure of jupiter, and arrival of saturn
          • the november moon is the oldmoon or aethermoon or heaven(s)moon21
          • the month of november is saturmonth

postlude

terminology

  • I don’t yet have a good term to encompass both the octaves and the mothers as one coherent set of ideas, though I believe they are one
    • currently I generally just call it zreligion (which might seem a little self-centered as I gain millions of followers) or octavism/trimetrism (which is extremely clunky, and implies more separation between the two than I’d maybe like)
    • I’ve [somewhat jokingly] thought of using spreadsheetism, since after all the spreadsheet is the Ultimate Truth (all glory to the One True Spreadsheet)
      • but jokes aside, there is a point to this, after all what is a spreadsheet anyway but a way of representing text (and whatever else) in the form of a table, a 2-dimensional matrix of cells, each of which has a row and a column
        • as opposed to say, a linear list (a 1-dimensional matrix of sorts), a 3- or higher-dimensional matrix, a multilevel outline, a story or collection of stories, a dialogue, a mind map, a network graph of connected nodes, a painting, a play, a movie, an infographic, and on and on
        • all of which could and might be used to depict more or less the same information, with various advantages and disadvantages
        • hence the existence of this document, a reiteration of the spreadsheet in the form of hybrid outline/prose narration, facilitating a more linear, linguistic telling, which are disadvantages of spreadsheets
      • in any case, my point is that the use of a spreadsheet is not coincidental, it reflects a fundamental organizing principle of a series of parallel concept clusters (the rows, i.e. the octaves/mothers), each with many parallel, if not necessarily equivalent, associations (the columns)
        • which definitely reflects the particular mental idiosyncrasies of a person whose first word was “all-lined-up”; I like the symmetry of a table that is all filled in, there is beauty and reassurance in this
        • though perhaps on the surface at odds with my strongly held belief that binaries and discrete categorizations are always less true than pluralistic, continuous descriptions, dialogues, paradoxes
        • but in reality the spreadsheet actually allows me to make to sense of this tension in myself, by dividing up the world in octaves, axes, mothers, facets, and associations, I am able to take the overwhelming totality in pieces, and build an understanding of the whole
        • and taking in pieces, especially with regard to cycles of time and a constantly changing, fantastically overcomplicated universe, makes sure I give the many aspects of the whole each their time, going deep on one piece at a time, but having all the different divisions so that I also go broad, and build up an appreciation that gets as close as I can to the whole
      • all that said, there is still a certain danger of reductionism, of seeing the rows of the spreadsheet as truly separate and independent, of forgetting that the divisions are ultimately arbitrary and irreducible pieces of a whole
        • trimetrism is in part my attempt to head this off, to have a set of practices that are perennial, especially as regards the personal and the past, bridged to the more piecewise octavist practices
      • there’s also a danger of what I might call “spreadsheet fascism”, bending concepts to force them to fit into a cell that is not really appropriate, that doesn’t truly fit the row, or isn’t truly parallel to the rest of the column
        • ultimately this consideration is just one that must be balanced, and suspend disbelief a little when one of the octaves doesn’t have a day of the week, or we don’t actually know what the pagan anglo-saxons called the fall equinox, or my intuitive colors don’t match the colors of the chakras I’ve chosen to associate, or X mythological tradition doesn’t really have equivalent deities for all those I want it to (it’s all made up after all, and the stakes as I see them are low, and tolerating such tension is probably a useful excercise for an obsessive like me anyway)
    • in any case I’m very open to suggestions for a better overall name

conclusion

  • honestly I’m impressed if you’ve made it this far…
  • proper observation of these practices is guaranteed to help you achieve nirvana eventually, or your money back!!!!

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appendix[⤒top]

glossary[⤒]

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tables[⤒]

summary table

below is an abbreviated version of the spreadsheet

octave orb octaveword astro start start date day of week roman/latin greek hindu/sanskrit element aspect body skeleton axis pole polarity ecological season moon lunar phase time hour associations symbol metal lunar alignment day 2021 2022 2023 2024
1 Moon dark winter solstice Dec 21 Monday Lūna, Lūnae Σελήνη (Selḗnē), Σελήνης (Selḗnēs) Chandra (चंद्र) water belly lumbar light/heat dark/night/cold - hibernal 🌑 new moon midnight 00:00 element of water, that which is cold, wet, dark, calm, or periodic, that which flows and coalesces, quiescence, liquids, solitude, peace, loneliness, boredom, satiety, satisfaction, depression, apathy, the tides, the water in all living things ☽ Ag (silver) first new moon (<5%) after winter solstice 1/13/2021 1/2/22 12/23/22 1/11/24
2 Mercury young midwinter Feb 1 Wednesday Mercurius, Mercuriī Ἑρμῆς (Hermês), Ἑρμοῦ (Hermoû) Budha (बुध) youth head internal viscerocranium time new/young - prevernal 🌒 waxing crescent late night/early morning 03:00 aspect of youth, that which is new, immediate, instantaneous, short-lived, naïve, curious, stupid, or immature, beginnings, birth, the senses, information, learning, construction, development, creation ☿ Hg (mercury) first waxing crescent (>20%) in Feb 2/15/2021 2/4/22 2/23/23 2/13/24
3 Earth earth spring equinox Mar 21 (every day) Terra, Terrae/Tellūs, Tellūris Γαῖᾰ (Gaîa), Γαίᾱς (Gaíās) Bhūmi (भूमि) earth lower torso/base sacral place here/below/near - vernal 🌓 waxing quarter sunrise/dawn 06:00 element of earth, that which is fixed, nearby, below, fundamental, simple, regular, ordered, bound, opaque, or stable, minerals, mountains, crystals, solids 🜨 - first first quarter (>45%) after spring equinox 3/21/21 4/9/2022 3/28/23 4/15/24
4 Venus she midspring May 1 Friday Venus, Veneris Ἀφροδῑ́τη (Aphrodī́tē), Ἀφροδῑ́της (Aphrodī́tēs) Shukra (शुक्र) woman lower internal pelvis love female/convergent - vernal 🌔 waxing gibbous morning 09:00 aspect of femaleness, convergence, flexibility, home, that which is native, passive, peaceful, defensive, maternal, familiar, or nourishing, healing, dependence, origins, collaboration, submission, equality, connection ♀ Cu (copper) first waxing gibbous (>70%) in May 5/23/21 5/12/22 5/1/23 5/19/24
5 Sun light summer solstice Jun 21 Sunday Sōl, Sōlis Ἥλῐος (Hḗlios), Ἡλίου (Hēlíou) Surya (सूर्य) fire upper torso/chest, heart thoracic light/heat light/day/hot + estival 🌕 full moon noon 12:00 element of fire, that which is hot, dry, or active, light, energy, combustion, transformation, reactions, ecstasy, anxiety, overstimulation, hunger, desire, lust, joy, rage, mania, psychosis, photosynthesis, metabolism ☉ Au (gold) first full moon (>95%) after summer solstice 6/24/21 7/13/22 7/3/23 6/22/24
6 Mars he midsummer Aug 1 Tuesday Mārs, Mārtis Ἄρης (Árēs), Ᾰ̓́ρεως (Áreōs) Mangala (मंगल) man upper internal ribs, sternum love male/divergent + serotinal 🌖 waning gibbous afternoon 15:00 aspect of maleness, divergence, rigidity, exploration, that which is lost, foreign, violent, aggressive, offensive, paternal, or challenging, novelty, injury, repair, independence, destinations, guardianship, striving, dominance, inequality, disconnection ♂ Fe (iron) first waning gibbous (<80%) in August 8/26/21 8/15/22 8/5/23 8/23/24
7 Jupiter sky fall equinox Sep 21 Thursday Iūpiter/Iuppiter, Iovis Ζεύς (Zeús), Δῐός (Diós) Brihaspati (बृहस्पति) air neck/shoulders, throat, lungs cervical place there/above/far + autumnal 🌗 waning quarter sunset/dusk 18:00 element of air, that which is untethered, distant, above and all around, transparent, unstable, or capricious, chaos, entropy, mobility, complexity, winds, the atmosphere, the weather, gases ♃ Sn (tin) first last quarter (<55%) after fall equinox 9/28/21 10/17/22 10/6/23 9/24/24
8 Saturn old midfall Nov 1 Saturday Sāturnus, Sāturnī Κρόνος (Krónos), Κρόνου (Krónou) Shani (शनि) ether age skull neurocranium time old + hibernal 🌘 waning crescent evening 21:00 aspect of age and the element of aether, the sky and heavens and outer space, that which is ancient, primordial, long-lived, timeless, or epochal, maturation, wisdom, death, the void, decay, conclusion, destruction, plasmas, electromagnetism, radiation, and other unseen forces ♄ Pb (lead) first waning crescent (<30%) in November 11/1/21 11/19/22 11/9/23 11/26/24

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spreadsheet[⤒]

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lists[⤒]

lists of invocations

list of invocations for the moon
  • blue for luna
    • for seamother
    • for patience
    • for darkness
    • for peace
    • for flexibility
    • for rest
    • for sleep
    • for integration
    • for spirit
    • for aspiration
    • for cycles
    • for the future

list of invocations for mercury
  • purple for mercury
    • for power
    • for ambition
    • for learning
    • for communication
    • for creativity
    • for imagination
    • for beginnings
    • for play
    • for perception
    • for mindfulness
    • for the temporary
    • for the momentary

list of invocations for earth
  • green for earth
    • for life
    • for growth
    • for money
    • for nature
    • for nourishment
    • for fertility
  • brown for earth
    • for earthmother
    • for stability
    • for balance
    • for decisiveness
    • for focus
    • for presence
    • for substance
    • for the nearby
    • for the tangible
    • for consistency

list of invocations for venus
  • pink for venus
    • for romance
    • for connection
    • for receptivity
    • for homecomings
    • for attraction
    • for morality
    • for care
    • for self-love
    • for reconciliation
    • for affection
    • for openness
  • orange for venus
    • for friendship
    • for universal love
    • for encouragement
    • for bonding
    • for devotion
    • for tradition
    • for family
    • for community

list of invocations for the sun
  • yellow for sol
    • for starmother
    • for healing
    • for light
    • for energy
    • for joy
    • for persuasion
    • for drive
    • for emotion
    • for confidence
    • for prosperity
    • for brilliance
    • for inspiration
    • for spontaneity
    • for activity
    • for history

list of invocations for mars
  • red for mars
    • for love
    • for lust
    • for anger
    • for luck
    • for courage
    • for sex
    • for journeys
    • for health
    • for repulsion
    • for disconnection
    • for strength
    • for striving
    • for protection
    • for willpower
    • for determination
    • for resilience
    • for individuality

list of invocations for jupiter
  • white for jupiter
    • for logic
    • for purity
    • for truth
    • for breath
    • for clarity
    • for authority
    • for the far away
    • for the intangible
    • for abstraction
    • for mixing
    • for chaos

list of invocations for saturn
  • black for saturn
    • for death
    • for banishment
    • for wisdom
    • for patience
    • for memory
    • for forgetting
    • for endings
    • for negation
    • for reversal
    • for higher consciousness
    • for the unknown
    • for eternity
    • for the void
    • for the permanent
    • for the timeless

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lists of locales

list of locales for the moon

TK…

list of locales for mercury

TK…

list of locales for earth

TK…

list of locales for venus

TK…

list of locales for the sun

TK…

list of locales for mars

TK…

list of locales for jupiter

TK…

list of locales for saturn

TK…

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lists of associations

list of associations for the moon

TK…

list of associations for mercury

TK…

list of associations for earth

TK…

list of associations for venus

TK…

list of associations for the sun

TK…

list of associations for mars

TK…

list of associations for jupiter

TK…

list of associations for saturn

TK…

–>

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  1. I realize my style of writing here, with nontraditional capitalization, somewhat different use of punctuation, mixed bullet points and prose, etc, might be annoying to some people. while I may prepare a more “traditionally” formatted version at some point, this is my native writing style, that which is most conducive to thought for me personally, so for now this is the only version there is, take it or leave it I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️↩︎

  2. as of 9/21/2022 19:20 I have the following spreadsheet columns: index (year order; 1- & 0-indexed), celestial orb, single word, symbol emoji, axis name, axis sign, axis pole, octave astronomical start, approximate octave start date, year half, year quarter, season, ecological season, zodiac sign(s), time of day, starting hour, day of the week, lunar phase (emoji, name, type, percent full), lunar alignment day (description, 2021 date, 2022 date, 2023 date, 2024 date), astronomical index, botanical/chinese index, academic/jewish/productivity index, element, aspect, element rung, element groupings (earthliness, ephemerality, stability, fluidity), old english element/aspect words, latin element/aspect words (nominative, genitive cases), greek element/aspect words (nominative, genitive cases; greek, roman alphabets), color, body part, skeleton/bones, sense, brain area(s), brain functions, associations (physical, neutral, positive, negative, mammal, bird, insect), chakra (index, image, sanskrit, transliteration, translation, body location, number of petals, color, hindu/buddhist associations), latin deity/orb name (nominative, genitive cases), greek deity/orb name (nominative, genitive cases; greek, roman alphabets), sanskrit (devanagari, transliteration), old english deity/orb name (nominative, genitive cases), old english-based modern english deity/orb name, old norse deity/orb name (nominative, genitive cases), old high german deity/orb name (nominative, genitive cases), reconstructed proto-germanic deity/orb name (nominative, genitive cases), reconstructed/hypothesized proto-indo-european deity/orb name (nominative, genitive cases), celtic deity/orb name, egyptian deity/orb name, mesopotamian deity/orb name (sumerian, akkadian languages), canaanite deity/orb name, 3 mothers (name, domain, origin of, associations, miracle, tense), 3 facets (name, psychological terms, freudian mental division, problem, psychiatric diagnosis, mother relation, reminder in times of strife, image), octave name, octave celebration (start, eve, name, day, week, festival in the wheel of the year), moon name (first moon, first month, second moon, second month), list of invocations, list of locations↩︎

  3. sele is an obsolete word for ‘season’, thus the motherseles are the 3 octaves that are also associated with one of the 3 mothers↩︎

  4. erst is an obsolete word for ‘earliest’ or ‘first’↩︎

  5. in the neopagan/wiccan wheel of the year↩︎

  6. wednes- from ‘wednesday’, referring to the possessive form of the anglo-saxon god woden (norse odin), considered the germanic equivalent of the roman mercury or greek hermes (cf. interpretatio germanica)↩︎

  7. the last night of january, the month of the moon, whose octaveword is dark↩︎

  8. lenten being the original word for the season of spring (before it was appropriated into christianity)↩︎

  9. easter being the original word for the spring festival (and a pagan goddess), before it was appropriated into christianity↩︎

  10. in the neopagan/wiccan wheel of the year↩︎

  11. in the neopagan/wiccan wheel of the year↩︎

  12. fri- from ‘friday’, referring to the possessive form of the anglo-saxon god frig (norse frigg), considered the germanic equivalent of the roman venus or greek aphrodite (cf. interpretatio germanica)↩︎

  13. in the neopagan/wiccan wheel of the year↩︎

  14. tues- from ‘tuesday’, referring to the possessive form of the anglo-saxon god tue (or tiw, norse tyr), considered the germanic equivalent of the roman mars or greek ares (cf. interpretatio germanica)↩︎

  15. harvest being the original word for the season of fall/autumn↩︎

  16. thurs- from ‘thursday’, referring to the possessive form of the anglo-saxon god thunor (or thunder, norse thor), considered the germanic equivalent of the roman jupiter or greek zeus (cf. interpretatio germanica)↩︎

  17. in the neopagan/wiccan wheel of the year↩︎

  18. lyft (or lift) is the original english word for ‘air’, which I use when I feel like having all the words be good old english germanic roots (as opposed to air/āēr, which is ultimately greek); wind also works↩︎

  19. in the neopagan/wiccan wheel of the year↩︎

  20. satur- from ‘saturday’, referring to the roman god saturn, considered equivalent to the greek cronus (and for some reason the only god not given a germanic equivalent in the interpretatio germanica)↩︎

  21. heaven or heavens is the native english word I use when I feel like having all the words be good old english germanic roots (aether/ether/aithēr being greek)↩︎