Seasons and Hermetic Dates

It's a small matter, but often it comes up in Ars Magica that it matters exactly when a season begins and ends. To avoid confusion and aid role-playing I present this quick guide.

Seasons and Quarter-Days

All seasons begin on a quarter-day (an equinox or solstice). The quarter-day is considered to be the first day of the season, and the day begins at sunrise for magical and ritual purposes.

• The Winter season begins on the winter solstice, approximately Dec. 21 or 22
• The Spring season begins on the vernal equinox, approximately March 20 or 21
• The Summer season begins on the summer solstice, approximately June 21 or 22
• The Autumn season begins on the autumnal equinox, approximately September 22 or 23

Hermetic New Year

I view the Order of Hermes as a medieval organization, not a classical one. Therefore it adheres to the same Julian calendar as the Mythic Church and the rest of Christendom, which places New Year's Day on January 1. This means the new year occurs during the Winter season and therefore each Winter season is properly described by noting the two years it spans, e.g. Winter 1220-1221.

Astrological Months

It is often useful to magi to time their rituals and laboratory work to coincide with astrological events. The most prominent of these are the sun entering a new sign of the Zodiac (though the lunar Zodiac is only slightly less important). See the Sun sign dates at Wikipedia for a table that says when each astrological sun sign begins and ends.