Hello,
I live in the South Hemisphere, and I was thinking why the old Alchemist says the Dew must be collected in and around the Full moon of May ( North Hemisphere)
Here are my Thoughts:
1- According to old pagan folklore May was a special month , and there were special
festivities related to the May Queen. ( also quoted in Led Zep´s Starway to Heaven song )
The festivities of may I think were in preparation for the upcoming Spring Time ( related to life and abundance ) and the upcoming June´s Equinox.
2- As this was just one month prior to the Summer season in the North Hemisphere, it was easier also to collect the Dew than in the Snowy and Cloudy Winter Solstice Time. ( around Xtmas).
3- The Old Alchemist says the Dew must be bathed by the special light of the Moon ( lua )
and the stars. So we need clear skyes for collection. Altough during may and june the nights are
shorter than days but they might have more Dew than the drier winter nights.
4- The Dew Point in Spring and Summer time is higher than winter, so we have more water vapours in the air. Have to check this one out by looking at the Dew Point formula.
5-So with this things in considerartion I came to the conclusion that for the south hemisphere
the equivalent months of May and June would be November and December . This would be valid for
Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Asia, India etc.
So I´d appreciate any coments on that.
Frm Wikipedia:
"The May Queen is a girl (usually a teenage girl from a specific school year) who is selected to ride or walk at the front of a parade for May Day celebrations. She wears a white gown to symbolise purity and usually a tiara or crown. Her duty is to begin the May Day celebrations. She is generally crowned by flowers and makes a speech before the dancing begins. Certain age groups dance round a Maypole celebrating youth and the spring time.
According to popular British folklore, the tradition once had a sinister twist, in that the May Queen was put to death once the festivities were over. The veracity of this belief is difficult to establish, but while in truth it might just be an example of anti-pagan propaganda, frequent associations between May Day rituals, the occult and human sacrifice are still to be found in popular culture today"