Today

Light looked down and saw darkness. "I will go there," said Light. Peace looked down and saw war. "I will go there," said Peace. Love looked down and saw hatred. "I will go there," said Love.

Today, I welcome them all and invite them to sit by my fake fire with me and ask them very nicely to spend all of the coming year by my side.

Merry Christmas, friends. And happy new year.

Winter Thoughts

The thing that I love most about winter, I think, is that it makes me feel the same way I feel when I'm praying. I feel cold on the outside and warm on the inside, with just that tinge of shiver, and the knowledge that something larger than me is around me, pressing in on me, making me part of it.

I was raised Presbyterian. I'm not sure how other denominations handle their weekly ceremonies, but in the small, cozy churches I'm used to, we take time each Sunday to 'pass the peace' - a tradition that I've always enjoyed, though for different reasons over the years. As a child, it was fun to meet new people; older now, I always try to pass along a little of my inner joy to the people around me in those quick moments. Today, however, as we greeted our neighbors and introduced ourselves to strangers, listening to the hymn play in the background and saying 'peace be with you' and 'also with you', I had a whole new 'ta da' moment. Peace be with you.

It's a concept that's always been a talking point in the Christian faith, and has often been seen from the outside as a mockery and a hypocrisy. After all, looking at the history of Christianity, there isn't much peace-spreading to see. Wars against other creeds, wars between different denominations of Christians, religious persecution and torture - not very peaceful.

Of course, those aspects of what we consider 'religious fervor' are more representations of human nature than anything else. We fear what we don't understand; and then we seek to either eradicate or control that thing we fear.

Fear is something I deal with all the time, on many different levels. I fear the idea of being alone, I fear persecution and ridicule, I fear failure, I even fear certain individuals; and generally, I'm ashamed to admit, my first reaction when faced with those fears is a quick spurt of anger, lashing out against whoever brings it to my attention (and, my worst habit, lashing out at myself in an attempt to spare the people around me). But anger doesn't kill fear. Generally, it only adds fodder to the fire, placing me in situations when I learn greater fears and worse feelings.

So, peace be with you. Why not? When there's fear and anger lurking on the edges of me, making my shoulders tight and my stomach twist - why not succumb, take a breath, and offer peace to those who need it? I don't mean go up to a stranger and say 'peace be with you'. I mean, offer a helping hand to someone who needs it, give someone a part of yourself - time, a listening ear, a hug. As they say in Avenue Q, 'helping others brings you closer to God' - maybe it does. Have you ever helped someone out of generosity, without seeking something in return, and felt anything but wonderful?

As Christmas draws near (religious or non religious - your choice) and the hussle-bustle of shopping and wrapping, decorating and socializing, sweeps us all into a frenzy - take a breath. Slow down. Relax. Give some of yourself along with those brightly wrapped things. Breath in your own personal peace and breathe it out again, offering that moment of calm to those that need it. I will be trying to do the same.

Let us laugh at ourselves more freely, love each other more generously, and revel in the miracle of life and rebirth that is present in every heart during the winter season, whatever our religious persuasion. Peace be with you.

European Christmas Video

This is a great little video talking about European Christmas traditions and some of their roots in ancient paganism and Saturnalia. :)

Celebrating Winter Solstice and Yule

"Good Yule! Or, as they say in Iceland, Gleðileg Jól!"

The Winter Solstice, also called Yule, Jól, or Jul, has ancient origins as a holiday and even more ancient origins as a scientific event. Yule, or Yuletide, was a winter festival that originated as an Old Norse pagan religious festival and was later absorbed into the general celebration of Christmas. Some historians claim that Yuletide was influenced by such festivals as the Wild Hunt and Saturnalia.Still there are many specifically Yule traditions that have carried through into modern Christmas tradition.

The name Yule has no clearly traceable etymology. Some scholars believe it comes from one of the names of Óðinn, while others have theorized that it hails from a reference to Julius Caesar. It has also been suggested that Jól is derived from the Old-Nordic word for wheel: Hjól, the theory being that the wheel of the year has come full circle, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Scientifically, the Winter Solstice occurs when the earth's axial tilt is farthest from the sun. For people in high latitudes, this event is commonly considered the shortest day of the year. The seasonal significance of this astronomical event is the reversal of the gradual shortening of days. A coming of brighter, longer days. Hope for the season to come.

The Wiccan holiday of Winter Solstice is a time of celebration and rebirth - a time when the sun is once again reborn to the earth and the Goddess, in her aspect of the Crone, is reborn as the Maiden.

Several of the pagan symbols present in both the original Yuletide festival and the modern Wiccan Yule are also visible in the commonly celebrated non-religious version of Christmas.

The Yule tree, for instance, is traditionally considered an ancient Norse tradition celebrating life surviving in the darkest and coldest time of the year. Some scholars believe this tradition may have some roots in the custom of decorating of living trees during the Roman festival of Saturnalia, and that it later became the Christmas tree.

Did you know? Apparently the tradition of the Yule tree was very common in Germany and its neighboring countries due to their shared old Nordic ancestry, but it did not cross the sea to England - and thereby to America and Australia - until around 1830 when Prince Albert went to visit Germany with Queen Victoria. He became so enamored of their yule tree custom, that he insisted they replicate the tradition at court. And from there, the fun and tree-cutting spread like (dare I say it) wildfire.

Similarly, the Yule log was burned throughout the solstice night to provide a light in the darkest night and to symbolize hope and faith that the sun will soon return. In Scandinavia, great Yule logs were burned all throught the night, and people drank mead around the bonfires listening to minstrel-poets singing ancient legends. It was believed that the Yule log had the magical effect of helping the sun to shine more brightly in the coming year.
Another Yule tradition that has carried through to modern times is mistletoe. Mistletoe was sacred in the Yule festival because it mysteriously grew on the most sacred tree, the oak. It was ceremoniously cut and a spray of it was given to each family, to be hung in the doorways as good luck. The celtic Druids also regarded mistletoe as sacred. Druid priests cut it from the tree on which it grew with a golden sickle and handed it to the people, calling it All-Heal. To hang it over a doorway or in a room was to offer goodwill to visitors. Kissing under the mistletoe was a pledge of friendship. Mistletoe is still forbidden in most Christian churches because of its Pagan associations, but it has continued to have a special place in home and non-religious, public celebrations.

In Iceland, there's a Yule tale about the Jolasveinar, or the Yuletide lads, who begin arriving around December 12th. If you leave your shoe on the windowsill and you've been good, these lads will leave a small toy or piece of fruit for you. If you've been naughty, they will leave you something you will not like at all. Especially bad children, they steal and eat.

Another interesting bit of information for you! In 1647 in England, Parliament passed a law abolishing Christmas altogether. When Charles II came to the throne, many of the customs were revived, but the feasting and merrymaking were now more worldly than religious. Yep. The pagan traditions survived even when the religious celebrations were abolished. Interesting, eh?

As with my other holiday information posts, this is all from research. If you have more or more accurate information, I would love to get ahold of it and post it for others to learn from.