Do you sometimes see a reference to 'goddess month' or 'goddess calendar' and don't know what it means? Don't worry, you're in good company.

The goddess calendar is not an ancient reality but a modern and arbitrary arrangement used by many Neopagans. In fact, there is not one such calendar, but several, and probably none of them older than the 1980s.

The goddess calendar and zodiacal information outlined by Stein (Stein, Diane, The Goddess Book of Days, Llewellyn Publications, St Paul Minnesota, 1989) is often referred to, but, again, her dates are fairly arbitrary although a useful guide.

The one that has been gained most popularity, and which I use in the Book of Days and elsewhere, is that from Nigel Pennick's popular book, The Pagan Book of Days (Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont, USA, 1992), which draws on the Juno Covella Perpetual calendar which was written by Lawrence Durdin-Roberston, who founded the Fellowship of Isis in 1976. In turn, it is derived, I believe, from the Lux Madriana calendar. 

Sometimes items in calendars may be deliberately in error; I wrote on this here. Caveat emptor: there is a great deal of arbitrariness in such calendars.

Here is the calendar after Pennick:

Hestia  December 26 - January 22 Bridhe  January 23 - February 19 Moura  February 20 - March 19 Columbina  March 20 - April 17 Maia  April 18 - May 15 Hera  May 16 - June 12 Rosea  June 13 - July 10

Kerea  July 11 - August 8 Hesperis  August 9 - September 5 Mala  September 6 - October 2 Hathor  October 3 - October 30 Cailleach/ Samhain  October 31 - November 27 Astraea  November 28 - December 25

 

See also a list of links to Celtic Tree Months

 

This is a graphical representation of the above:

Drawing on Juno Covella, and adding some goddesses of her own choice, 
Stein’s calendar of the monthly goddesses is as follows:

  Lunar phase info (pop-up)

Source: Stein, Diane, The Goddess Book of Days, Llewellyn Publications, St Paul Minnesota, 1989

             

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« Index of Articles on folklore and other topics

Deities of many cultures in the Book of Days

Big Greg: How the West got its calendar

List of pagan virgin mothers

The calendar and primitive almanacs

Celtic Tree Calendar

Almanacs, calendars and time links

Alchemy clock    Barcode clock

Today in the Discordian calendar

Blue Moon: Folklore, or fakelore?

Planet Directory: Goddess

Planet Directory: Mythology general

The Virgin Mary as Goddess  

Epona, the Celtic horse goddess

Madonna, Jesus, Virgin Birth, Crucifixion in other old religions

Lourdes apparitions of Mary

Virgin of Guadalupe, or Aztec goddess?

Taking liberties: Statue of Liberty, pagan goddess

Hathor: Egyptian goddess of sky – and terror

Sacred wells, springs and grottoes 

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Roman calendar  

 

More on Cybele  

 

The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory

 

Goddess Pseudo-History (some links)