jaimethepooh
12-22-2004, 07:47 AM
http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/yule/yule_ahmp.html
Only 2 more days until Yule is here. And 5 more days until Christmas. As ever, I am trying to find my niche. That place where all that I love and believe are complete, and I can be me. That place of perfect peace and balance. I sit and wonder about the traditions of Christmas, and the ways of Old that I have found and call my religion. So many similarities. The differences are so subtle.
I think of the traditional Nativity story. We all know the one -- where a woman is about to give birth to the "son" of God. In a place that is not a traditional inn, but semi-exposed, and all about are the noble animals, under a starry night. Three wisemen travel from afar bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
I think of a religion even Older. A long time ago a young woman goes to a dark place with her beloved. After a time she must return to the Earth above. During this time, when it begins to get darker at an earlier time each night, she reflects upon herself and her changing body, as she discovers she is pregnant with the fruits of their love. As the Wheel of the Year turns ever slowlyŽ,she too gives birth to a son.
Though the stories differ, they hold similar meanings and symbolism. A time of darkness, slowly becoming a time of light. After a long, cold, dark season, the sun/son being reborn, and bringing with it, its warmth and light. Making way for the rebirth of nature and all of life in the Spring.
Though now days not many remember the religions and stories from Old, be they, the Christian stories or the Pagan stories. The Battle of the Oak King and the Holly King are lost to may, just as the story of the holy night in Bethlehem are. They have become filtered, water down, diluted, and sometimes all but lost.
New traditions have sprung up and taken their place in society. Christmas lights adorn storefronts and houses all across the countryside. Holiday music, both religious and humorous fills the airwaves on the car radios as we go about the business of the day. Folks dressed up in Santa suits sit in front of stores, ringing bells for favorite charities. All around us, on TV, emails, radios, and even in the mail we are bombarded with pleas to help the needy. Folks planning elaborate dinners, and family get-togethers. Exhausting office parties, and cookie exchanges, frenzied spending, and the list goes on and on.
This year, with jobs running scarce, gas prices high, and inflation increasing, as much as we would love to help and "save the world" we find that we just cannot. No matter how many people we try to give toŽthere is always "one more" to fill the place of the one we have just helped. It becomes hard to choose whom we will help, and whom we cannot. When all is said and done, have we even helped ourselves? Somewhere within ourselves, we must consider the old adage "charity begins at home".
This is a supposed to be a season for reflection. The nights are long, and we should have ample time to sit before our hearths and reflect upon the events of the year, as well as the goals we wish to set forth for the year to come. However, this time is filled with the myriad of tasks to be done, presents to purchase, make and wrap, cookies and treats to bake, the house to decorate, the lights to set up.
What is the reason for this flurry of activity? Is it to out-shine our neighbors' homes? Too keep up with and surpass the Jones'? Is it commercialization that we are buying into? Which holidays do we celebrate and honor? How can we blend them both? Should we blend them both?
For me, it is a time of honored tradition. Doing those things that the women of my family have done since even longer than I can recall. A time to cook for and feed the friends and loved ones who mean so much to us. To buy and make gifts as a token to remind these loved ones just what they mean to us. A never-ending quest to find the perfect gift for that someone special. To give to those the things we were never given. The lights that adorn our tree, and the lamps on our end tables that light our house, cause me to think about the warmer times to come, and the sun that will shine once more. The fragrances that pour forth from my kitchen remind me of the women who came before me who are now departed, or living far from this place I now call home. The frenzied cooking is my way of honoring those women and remembering them.
Being a Solitary Practitioner of Neo-Paganism has its advantages and disadvantages. It allows me to celebrate the traditions of my Christian friends and family, as well as have the opportunity to honor my own religious ways. It is indeed a melting pot, just like this great country of ours. It offers me a place to find that comfortable if hectic niche.
This year I will share a day with my husband's family gathered around a dinner table, opening presents, and sharing stories, on Christmas Day. But I will also make time to honor Mother Earth, lighting my Yule log that he so lovingly drilled out for me where i can place my tapered candles; reminding me of the sun which will return. I will make some pop corn to throw outside, and scatter under the pine tree for the birds, rabbits and squirrels, not wanting to forget the little creatures here on Earth. I will nurture the animals here within our home, by feeding them scraps from our bountiful table. I will love and nurture all life, as I place the food upon the table, to share with him, and all who grace our table.
I will use some time to reflect upon all the blessings I have been given this year. Instead of fussing and complaining about all of the work that must be doneŽ I will be thankful and find satisfaction knowing that there is work to do, and health and strength to do it, and having the means to do all that must be done, in preparation to make the season special.
Happy Holidays; whichever one you choose to celebrate! I am so happy to have this opportunity to celebrate both of them!
Dove Broadfoot
Only 2 more days until Yule is here. And 5 more days until Christmas. As ever, I am trying to find my niche. That place where all that I love and believe are complete, and I can be me. That place of perfect peace and balance. I sit and wonder about the traditions of Christmas, and the ways of Old that I have found and call my religion. So many similarities. The differences are so subtle.
I think of the traditional Nativity story. We all know the one -- where a woman is about to give birth to the "son" of God. In a place that is not a traditional inn, but semi-exposed, and all about are the noble animals, under a starry night. Three wisemen travel from afar bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
I think of a religion even Older. A long time ago a young woman goes to a dark place with her beloved. After a time she must return to the Earth above. During this time, when it begins to get darker at an earlier time each night, she reflects upon herself and her changing body, as she discovers she is pregnant with the fruits of their love. As the Wheel of the Year turns ever slowlyŽ,she too gives birth to a son.
Though the stories differ, they hold similar meanings and symbolism. A time of darkness, slowly becoming a time of light. After a long, cold, dark season, the sun/son being reborn, and bringing with it, its warmth and light. Making way for the rebirth of nature and all of life in the Spring.
Though now days not many remember the religions and stories from Old, be they, the Christian stories or the Pagan stories. The Battle of the Oak King and the Holly King are lost to may, just as the story of the holy night in Bethlehem are. They have become filtered, water down, diluted, and sometimes all but lost.
New traditions have sprung up and taken their place in society. Christmas lights adorn storefronts and houses all across the countryside. Holiday music, both religious and humorous fills the airwaves on the car radios as we go about the business of the day. Folks dressed up in Santa suits sit in front of stores, ringing bells for favorite charities. All around us, on TV, emails, radios, and even in the mail we are bombarded with pleas to help the needy. Folks planning elaborate dinners, and family get-togethers. Exhausting office parties, and cookie exchanges, frenzied spending, and the list goes on and on.
This year, with jobs running scarce, gas prices high, and inflation increasing, as much as we would love to help and "save the world" we find that we just cannot. No matter how many people we try to give toŽthere is always "one more" to fill the place of the one we have just helped. It becomes hard to choose whom we will help, and whom we cannot. When all is said and done, have we even helped ourselves? Somewhere within ourselves, we must consider the old adage "charity begins at home".
This is a supposed to be a season for reflection. The nights are long, and we should have ample time to sit before our hearths and reflect upon the events of the year, as well as the goals we wish to set forth for the year to come. However, this time is filled with the myriad of tasks to be done, presents to purchase, make and wrap, cookies and treats to bake, the house to decorate, the lights to set up.
What is the reason for this flurry of activity? Is it to out-shine our neighbors' homes? Too keep up with and surpass the Jones'? Is it commercialization that we are buying into? Which holidays do we celebrate and honor? How can we blend them both? Should we blend them both?
For me, it is a time of honored tradition. Doing those things that the women of my family have done since even longer than I can recall. A time to cook for and feed the friends and loved ones who mean so much to us. To buy and make gifts as a token to remind these loved ones just what they mean to us. A never-ending quest to find the perfect gift for that someone special. To give to those the things we were never given. The lights that adorn our tree, and the lamps on our end tables that light our house, cause me to think about the warmer times to come, and the sun that will shine once more. The fragrances that pour forth from my kitchen remind me of the women who came before me who are now departed, or living far from this place I now call home. The frenzied cooking is my way of honoring those women and remembering them.
Being a Solitary Practitioner of Neo-Paganism has its advantages and disadvantages. It allows me to celebrate the traditions of my Christian friends and family, as well as have the opportunity to honor my own religious ways. It is indeed a melting pot, just like this great country of ours. It offers me a place to find that comfortable if hectic niche.
This year I will share a day with my husband's family gathered around a dinner table, opening presents, and sharing stories, on Christmas Day. But I will also make time to honor Mother Earth, lighting my Yule log that he so lovingly drilled out for me where i can place my tapered candles; reminding me of the sun which will return. I will make some pop corn to throw outside, and scatter under the pine tree for the birds, rabbits and squirrels, not wanting to forget the little creatures here on Earth. I will nurture the animals here within our home, by feeding them scraps from our bountiful table. I will love and nurture all life, as I place the food upon the table, to share with him, and all who grace our table.
I will use some time to reflect upon all the blessings I have been given this year. Instead of fussing and complaining about all of the work that must be doneŽ I will be thankful and find satisfaction knowing that there is work to do, and health and strength to do it, and having the means to do all that must be done, in preparation to make the season special.
Happy Holidays; whichever one you choose to celebrate! I am so happy to have this opportunity to celebrate both of them!
Dove Broadfoot