MoonTimer 2023 Calendar - the affordable Christmas gift that keeps giving all year long

Greetings dear customers,companions, and co-conspirators in the pursuit of preserving the sanity of humanity. I hope you all are surviving these turbulent and uncertain times by keeping yourselves wrapped in love, joy, laughter and faith at every opportunity. We apparently must be the architects building the new landscape as the old one turns to dust and rubble. God Bless Us, Every One.

I am happy that my path to the 2023 Calendar has not been strewn with extraordinary unexpected disasters and obstacles like last year. It still extracted its typical tremendous amount of concentrated energy to excavate these messages from behind the veil. 

 This year I purposefully constructed a couple of very playful images, to alleviate some of the serious stresses we are bombarded with by the Noise Outside.  We need all the levity we can get.

Price of this year's calendar is 16.50. For those who are particularly strapped for cash, I have a new option for you that is incredibly cheap: for $3.50, you can order the Soft Proof -- a digital file of the calendar -- and take it to your own local print shop for printing (what that will cost, I'm unable to say). Of course, it won't be beautifully shrink-wrapped with a gift postcard attached, but this is a fantastic option for people in other countries, where shipping costs would be prohibitive.

So here, for your online window shopping pleasure, are some of the panels in the 2023 MoonTimer, with  abbreviated captions from the Commentary that is always inside the front cover. Images should enlarge when you click on them.

The image of a Cheyenne woman propelled what became an investigation into the Marian Apparitions. Don't ask me how this happens - I don't tell the calendar what to say, it tells me. I just work here!

Georgia O'Keeffe is framed by her famous red poppy, and her painting of the moon floating between the skyline of New York City skyscrapers is also seen. Later in life she painted the pristine purity of bones that she hunted for in the New Mexico desert, after moving to her final home in Abiquiu. Parts of the Colorado Plateau were once underwater; here, we see Picaso, the legendary wild mustang of Colorado, standing with his family overlooking the ancient sea.
This image is also available as a Tin Print, in 3 styles (more info about Tin Prints at the bottom of this page).

The 8^th day of August is called the Lions Gate. At this time of the year, the constellations of Leo and Virgo meet in the sky to birth the New, the Divine Child. In 2023 this time will be made even more powerful by the occurrence of a blue moon - a phrase that has come to mean two full moons within the same month, although originally it meant four full moons in a season. If that isn’t auspicious enough, they are both Super Moons. The quote from Aesop references his fable about a lion and mouse, worth the short read!

 

Women pouring water constantly nourish a river that seemingly overflows the pavilion where a seminar on the life and death of Moon Moths is taking place, led by the Death’s Head Hawk Moth. A nursery is available for care of the cocoons. Security is provided by Rent-a-Moth; no flies of any kind will be allowed in. Moon Moths, by the way, have markings that resemble moons or 'eyes' on their wings. There's a few here without those, but they were included just for their beauty. I am infatuated with moths. 

 

 

The story of Esther is one of taking great personal risk to accomplish a sacred mission, being the only person in position to do so. She could have lost not just her crown, but her life; but there was no other option, and in the end she saved her people with an intervention at the last moment. I talk more about this in the calendar Commentary, and you can learn about her online. In every hero's journey there are allies who appear - in this case the falcon, the leopard, and the horse; the Kestrel on her shoulder is the voice of intuition, as in "a little bird told me." The Persian Griffin at lower right is shocked to see a Menorah in his hand, as the King was no doubt shocked to learn that Esther was Jewish, the revelation that created, at the last moment, the reversal in the fate of the Jews. 

The penguin family is taking a tour of the Day Care Center, where a chick and a kitten are befriending the lonely hedgehog, who previously spent every day staring at his own reflection in a pond. The chirping of the parakeets has lulled the armadillo to sleep, a result we can only hope for where the lion cubs are concerned. Beautifully illustrated female characters are by Armenian artist Gev Mart. 

Back in the day when retreating to the Moon Lodge was standard procedure, all the women of child-bearing age went into seclusion together for their synchronized monthly flow. Young ones were left in the care of the elders. Here, an old lady assures her granddaughter that someday she too will go the Lodge and learn the mysteries of women, and maybe get to ride around the sky on a White Ermine Moth.

Here is another recent Tin Print - "Carry the Light", from the December 2022 MoonTimer, with a choice of 2 different background 'frames' to choose from.

This background is Belgian Lace. Format 12 x 12 - $100

Carry the Light, on Ishtar Lace, 16x20 - $130

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bones of an Ancient Sea, no 'frame', 16x20, $130

The Bones of an Ancient Sea, 12x12 framed in blue gingko leaves.
Also available in 16x20.

The Bones of an Ancient Sea, 16x20, framed in crumbling blue stone. Also available in 12x12 format.

 
Expect to pay approximately $8 in shipping for one print; if you order two, add only another $5 for shipping. Local folks can make private arrangements to pick up from me, so shipping costs can be avoided altogether. They are shipped by UPS.

Any of the images in the 2023 calendar (or earlier editions) can be made into Tin Prints upon request, with a deposit of 50%. Calendrical information is removed, unless you request otherwise. These pieces, printed on aluminum in a process called sublimation, are basically unbreakable (barring being driven over by a bulldozer), and are not costly to mail since they weigh very little - so lightweight that they can hang from a push pin, although a more secure 'hanger' is included. The reflective quality enhances the depth perception - the 3-D effect. A most excellent gift!

 So, get your MoonTiming on! Supplies ARE limited. Allow extra time for Tin Prints: order them now to guarantee delivery before Christmas. Here are the "order by" dates to have a Tin Print reach you, delivered by UPS. 

 

Payment options are below.

Front Cover: From Arnhem Land, Australia, a mother brings her daughter to receive the gift of MoonTiming from Ixchel, who, in Mayan cosmology, initiates the transformation of girls into “the new women,” delivering regenerative treasure to the community. The faint pattern of moon phases found on the Blanchard Bone, among the earliest known lunar calendars, is shared between them. A crop circle floats over Ixchel, and an ancestor whispers to the rabbit – a symbol of fertility – to bring a new soul into the manifest universe, while an angel dreams on the roof. The John William Waterhouse painting of Diogenes is the backdrop, with ladies on the stairs marveling at the cylinder where the multicolored fire of creation churns out myriad forms of infinite variety.

OK - so here's the deal with the payment portal. Colorado Dept of Revenue has decided this year that we must collect sales tax based on the DESTINATION of our shipped packages, not based on our own location. If I ship to Glenwood Springs it's 8.3%, while in San Luis it's 3.5%. Ridiculous bundle of red tape!
Paypal's payment 'buttons' that I've used in the past can't handle this level of sophistication. So I'm forced to take a different strategy this year to avoid your paying more tax than you should. I apologize for any inconvenience.

To order: Send me an email here: RubiconMoon@gmail.com (or, private message me on Facebook, or call/text me at 303-519-3772). Be sure to include your 1) name, 2) address, 3) phone number 4) products & quantity you request 5) preferred payment method, and 6) shipping preference.

Shipping: for calendars, expect to pay $3.75 for 1 - 3 calendars; this helps me pay for the packaging too. 4 - 6 calendars will be a dollar more; 7 calendars or more, I will ship free. I use media mail which is definitely cheaper, although somewhat slower - and, even the Media mail rates went up in October, along with all other forms of mail. If you want your calendar faster please indicate in the email 1) Regular Ground 2) Priority or 3) Pick Up (this option is ONLY for customers IN THE DENVER Metro/Boulder area).
USPS shipping deadlines are here.

I will ship your products and then email you an invoice that includes an accurate shipping cost and any applicable sales tax. You can pay with Zelle, Venmo, personal check, or cash. If you need to pay with a credit card I will generate an invoice directly from Paypal to your email address. If you elect for the Soft Proof, there is no shipping - you will receive it by email.

I'm happy to work out flexible financing options with you. Meanwhile I am going to pursue building a different website that doesn't use Paypal at all. Feel free to contact me at 303-519-3772. Leave a message (I get too many robo calls to answer phone numbers I don't recognize) and I will phone you back asap and also add you to my Contacts list.
 
Thank you, my friends. Happy Holy Days!