So, what's all this 'Moura' stuff about anyways?

Dear Reader,

Moura is the fifth season and thirteenth month of the Filianic calendar. It is the time where one focuses upon practicing self-discipline and growing in faith, much like the Christians do during their holy season of Lent. Unlike Lent, Moura is not a time for the mortification of the flesh. The focus is upon preparation for the coming spring and the holy mysteries of Eastre.¹  It is a time where cleaning and purification is a focus both within the home and for the practitioner.

It is a time that many work on resolutions to improve themselves. I am personally working on deep cleaning my home and improving my self-care habits. I am working on establishing a daily exercise practice and getting back into daily yoga. This is an exercise in discipline and self-improvement. It is also an example of how Moura is different from Lent. Many who practice Lent focus on denial of the body and the denial of the pleasures of life as a function of this.

Moura does not call for us to deny the pleasures of life but to refrain from over-indulgence. Moura calls for us to be disciplined in our consumption of pleasure to be more keenly aware of it and the blessing that it is. Moura is not, however, a festival of delights. It is a generally solemn time because of the holy mysteries of Eastre.

The Daughter aspect of Dea journeys into the underworld and suffers trials and humiliation before dying. This is a journey that she takes willingly and surrenders her immortal divinity by joining us within the incarnate world, by becoming mortal. We must remember that the reason for her doing so is the fact that it is necessary so that Dea's light might reach into all hidden places and all souls be liberated from the cycles of suffering that goes with cycles of reincarnation. It is for our sake that Dea herself descends into the world and dies.

While this is a thing that is both wonderous and terrible, we must be aware that it is necessary. It is out of respect for the Daughter's journey and ordeals that Moura is solemn. It is out of grief for the coming death of Dea that Moura is solemn. And it is out of grief for the necessity of it all that Moura is solemn.

Now, the solemnity of Moura is relieved at Med Moura (which is in a few days) and this gives the faithful a moment of reprieve from their solemn observances. They who are abstaining from pleasures may take Med Moura as a day to celebrate the pleasures of life with gratitude. Med Moura is also the feast day of the Janyati who are closest to representing the three aspects of Dea. Thus, Sai Raya (the janya who is like the Bright Mother, Marya), Sai Candré (the janya who is like the Daughter, Anna), and Sai Rhavë (the janya who is like the Dark Mother, Deam Mysterium) are honored this day. This is also the day that mothers, creative people, and people of spiritual mastery are honored within orthodox Filianic communities.

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1. I use the British spelling of Easter to distinguish it for my fellow USA readers from the typical Easter which is culturally dominated by the Christian mythos of Easter. They're pronounced the same. I don't use Ostara because the Filianic community uses Eastre and their celebrations and observances are different from most communities that use the term Ostara.