Lately I've been thinking about how self-hating is such a huge component of CEE identity. There's always been this shared sentiment between me and my friends, whether they were Ukrainian, Czech, Polish or other, that we were always ashamed of where we came from and uncomfortable with sharing our identity with people who were English/American/French/Spanish/German/Russian and proud. But now it's got me thinking: what exactly were those people proud of that we couldn't be? Their history is drenched with blood - colonialism, slavery, genocide, imperialism, world wars etc. more than ours. The cultures that they're so proud of are mostly relevant because they've been backed by military might and forcibly spread across the globe.
Meanwhile we've been forced to endure hundreds of years of oppression, whether by Russia or Austria-Hungary or Germany etc. They've tried to russify, magyarise or germanise us and we survived. So why, in the so-called free 21st century, are we still made to feel so ashamed of ourselves and our roots?
Because the talks about post-colonialism and inclusivity are nothing but empty virtue signaling and the world is still ruled by the old power, methinks.
And if power only comes coupled with financial prosperity, then that is what we should do. People speculate that the real reason why some NATO members are so reluctant on accepting Ukraine is because they are afraid we're going to enforce the so-called Warsaw pact countries and shift the power from Germany-France-Brinain eastwards. And, in this case, I think that's exactly what we should do. If we focus on financial and political cooperation instead of competition, we could move towards the reality where it wouldn't matter what those Western Europeans think of us. And where money go, popular culture will follow.
Btw, if you don't mind me nitpicking, but I find your usage of words "ashamed from where we came from" a great illustration of what is the root of the problem you're talking about. Shame is a social emotion, you don't feel shame unless it's been taught to you. Westerners have created this dichotomy of them being superior to us, and they have softly forced us to internalise it. Like in the nietzschean dichotomy of the slave and the master, they need us more than we need them; because without us feeling ashamed for being CEE they wouldn't be able to feel superior. But this is an illusion. A social construct. The naked king. No country is better than another (expect for russia, which is the worst). So break free and embrace everything that makes you you.
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2024 Witches' Calendar
For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2024 dates for the solstices, quarter days, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom.
Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area. Enjoy!
Solstices, Harvests, and Quarter Days
February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas
March 19 - Spring Equinox / Ostara
April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day
June 20 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha
August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest
September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest
October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest
December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule
Full Moons
January 25 - Wolf Moon ♌
February 24 - Snow Moon ♍
March 25 - Worm Moon ♎
April 23 - Pink Moon ♏
May 23 - Flower Moon ♐
June 21 - Strawberry Moon ♑
July 21 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑
August 19 - Sturgeon Moon* ♒
September 17 - Harvest Moon* ♓
October 17 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon)* ♈
November 15 - Frost Moon (or Beaver Moon)* ♉
December 15 - Cold Moon ♊
*- Supermoon
Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. Once again this year, that month will be September.
New Moons
January 11 ♑
February 9 ♒
March 10 ♓
April 8 ♈
May 7 ♉
June 6 ♊
July 5 ♋
August 4 ♌
September 2 ♍
October 2 ♎
November 1 ♏
December 1 ♐
December 30 (black moon) ♑
Special Celestial Events
January 3-4 - Quadrantids meteor shower peak
March 25 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
April 8 - Total solar eclipse
April 22-23 - Lyrids meteor shower peak
May 6-7 - Eta Aquarids meteor shower peak
August 11-13 - Perseids meteor shower peak
August 19 - Sturgeon Supermoon / Seasonal Blue Moon
September 17 - Harvest Supermoon / Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
October 2 - "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse
October 17 - Hunter's Supermoon
October 21-22 - Orionids meteor shower peak
November 15 - Frost Supermoon
November 16-17 - Leonids meteor shower peak
December 13-14 - Geminids meteor shower peak
December 30 - Black Moon
(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)
Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)
April 1 - April 24
August 4 - August 27
November 25 - December 15
Happy Witching!
SOURCES & FURTHER READING:
Bree's Lunar Calendar Series
Bree's Secular Celebrations Series
Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2024
Calendar-12 - 2024 Moon Phases
Full Moonology - 2024 Full Moon Calendar
AstroStyle - All the 2024 Full Moons
Your Zodiac Sign - Astrology Calendar 2024
Old Farmer's Almanac - Mercury Retrograde Dates 2023-2024
Lonely Planet - Best Star-gazing Events of 2024
Sea and Sky - Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2024
DarkSky International - Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing
Pagan Grimoire - Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar (2024 Edition)
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EDIT: Mercury is stationed direct on Jan 1st, 2024. The source I used which stated it was in retrograde until the 18th had a typo.
EDIT: Fixed the zodiac signs for the full moons using a new source.
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