October is here and with it the excitement of wearing cozy sweaters, sipping hot apple cider, playing in leaf piles and snuggling in front of warm fires. Yet there is more about this name that meets the eye.
Do you know the history? Perhaps you do, or perhaps you do not. Let us venture into the annals of time and figure it out. Firstly OCTO- is Latin for 8. But wait October is the TENTH month. Well according to the Julian and Gregorian calendars there were only 10 months. Hence the neighboring months SEPTember is the 7th month, NOVember is the 9th month and DECember is the 10th month.
For completeness here are the original 10 months: Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December ( March through December).
Depending on the source circa 153 BCE or 46 BCE Julius Caesar decided to change the inaccurate 10 month lunar calendar to a solar 12 month calendar, as he wished to honor JANUS the 2 faced God as he looked into the old year and the new year and so JANUary and February ( another whole story) was introduced. And so the displaced October retained its name and hopped into 10th position.
The Anglo Saxons believed winter began with the October full moon and so called the month Winterfylleth, literally Winter full moon. The old English used the word “ember” for smoldering fire, presumably this was the month they would use fire to stay warm, and so OCTO ( 8) and EMBER became OCTOBER. How original of them !!
For my wine drinking aficionados, in Old England, the October was called Winmonath, which means “wine month,” for this was the time of year when wine was made.
The Julian calendar was eventually replaced by the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII.
However, for me this month is about welcoming hot apple pies, warm clothing, enjoying the vibrant foliage and taking stock of my thoughts, mindsets, and cleaning up the judgments. Basically mental housekeeping as I go deeper to keep the inner fires of my heart lit with clarity, love and gratitude for the winter months ahead. As I sweep the leaves off the lawn, I sweep the doubts and fears off my brain, essentially out with the old and making way for the new.
The countdown to Halloween begins, and with it the rich history of tradition, spirituality and magic.
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I love you
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