A Little Bit of Real Life Thrown In

Christmas reminds us we are not alone.  We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of something, which holds and sustains us.  As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same.  Christmas shows us the ties that bind us together, threads of love and caring, woven in the simplest and strongest way within the family.--Donald E. Westlake

Wow,  I've been so busy with Solstice, Yule, and Christmas postings that I've not even once touched on the happenings here in Brooklyn, New York.  As you can well imagine, it has been a busy time for me.  Granted, it has not been as hectic as it once was, but there has been enough to do  that I have to question how I ever found the time to do all the things I once did at the holidays.  All that baking; how did I ever fit it in?   Well, perhaps time is not the correct way to look at it.  Perhaps it might be better if I used the word energy.  It's not that I love the holidays any less; it's just that I just don't have that get-up and go that I had when I was younger.  

Why, I even debated setting my village up this year....and that's a biggie to me.  I've been adding a little something to this village for years now...and now it just seems like so much work to set it up.  The books must be removed from the shelves, all of the pieces of the village unwrapped and set up, and the books then packed in the box that the village was in.  I'm talking major energy expenditure.  But, for all my talk, my  family knew all along that my village would be a part of Christmas...that there was no way I could forsake it.  And I discovered an easier way of doing things.  Usually, the tree and decorations are all put up on Thanksgiving day and the day after.  This is because I always have to work on the following Monday, and I need that  Saturday and Sunday as recuperation time.  When you have chronic back problems as I do, even the most enjoyable things can set you back a few days.  Well, this year I had some vacation time that I HAD to take before the end of the year...use it or lose it.  I have to say, I played this one real smart.  I took the week after Thanksgiving off which gave me 11 days off rather than 9.  Allowed me to take it slow and easy with the decorations.  It all worked out so well that I plan to do the same thing next. year.

Presents are wrapped and under the tree.  Did it all between Friday and Saturday.  I know, I could have done it on those 11 days off, but there is something different about last minute shopping.  Can't explain it.  Now, mind you, I am one who used to have the gifts bought and wrapped before the end of October, but somewhere along the line I joined the ranks of those stressed out, last minute shoppers racing to find the perfect presents right in the nick of time.  Adrenaline kicks in, and you find yourself in a somewhat altered state of consciousness.  Addicts call it a Rush.  Actually, I had originally planned to do my shopping on my lunch hour (which I NEVER take) on Monday, but the elevator at work broke down, and I just couldn't carry those bags up the stairs.  So, I left two hours early on Friday and got it all out of the way.  And the darned elevator was out all week and continues to be out.  I haven't had this much steady exercise in years...and I sure do hope they fix this problem soon.  My old body just can't take much more of it. 

Ah, some good news to share.  My son, the eldest, has been working all week on Men in Black 3.   I'm so proud of him.  He is playing a corrections officer, and as I write this, I believe they are sending him  up in space...movie-wise, that is.  On the down side, I could have lost him the other day, and it made me realize just how tenuous our lives really are.  He was walking down the block on 14th Street in  Manhattan when suddenly, out of nowhere, he was struck in the head with a small pineapple juice can.  Now, even though small, the can had been thrown out of one of the upper floors of a high-rise building, and the impact so strong that it sliced his forehead.  He needed a butterfly to close it.  I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, but I shudder when I think of how much worse it could have been.  Had the object been something heavier, he could have been killed.  And, the worst of it is is that it was not something done without forethought.  No, this one done on purpose.  The police officers who were called to the scene stated  that someone is always throwing things down at people, but they just can't pinpoint which apartment.  For the life of me, I cannot understand why, but perhaps I watch too much Law & Order.  Maybe these crimes are NOT so easily solved.   But, let's face it, my son was one of the lucky ones.  One day these gutless wonders might kill someone.  Just another example of the evil that lurks in this world...those mindless creatures who get their kicks out of harming innocent people.  But, I am not going to dwell on them.  There is far too much good in the world, as well.   We hear so much of the violence and evildoers that we neglect that which is good and pure.

I feel  very blessed this year...blessed to be spending the holiday with those that I love and blessed to have so many new friends in my life.  It is truly the love that warms the heart.

Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas.
All else is outward display--so much tinsel and decorations.
For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow.
It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow.
It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men
when the Christmas spirit returns again.

--Unknown--

  

Full Moon Eclipse and the Winter Solstice on 21st

What a shame that I missed it.  I tried, I really tried, but I just didn't get up in time.  First, I awoke a little after 1 am, thought about getting up to wait, but then turned over again.  If I didn't have to work, I might have gotten up, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep again if I stayed awake for too long.  Then, I fell back asleep and didn't wake up to the alarm. 

The Full Moon of December  is known as the Long Night's Moon or Full Cold Moon.  It is during this month that the cold of winter fastens Her grip; the nights are at their longest and darkest. It is the last Moon phase of the year.  In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the day that the Winter Solstice is celebrated.  It is a time of deep inner reflection and stillness.    The Druids called this day the Festival of Liberation or the Day Out of Time. It’s a time to celebrate and invoke the return of the Light, our Light, to set things right in the world. This will be a powerful time, indeed.   The Winter Solstice marks a season of  faith, hope, and testing.  It is symbolically viewed as the transforming rebirth of the life-giving Sun...going from dark to light. 

The Winter Solstice heralds in a very powerful Full Moon Eclipse in the sign of Gemini which governs communication, and  thought.  The Sun will be in the last degrees of  Sagittarius which governs religion, philosophy, spirituality, and personal growth.  The Solstice occurs when the Sun enters the time of tropical Capricorn. Any eclipse falling on a Solstice is automatically three times more powerful.  The last time this occurred was nearly 400 years ago. was on June 21, 2001.  And, this will be a total eclipse, not partial, thus adding to its strength.  This indicates things coming to an end or culmination in a fairly big way, thus providing a pivotal turning point for us as we seek to more fully align our life’s journey with our inner guidance inspired by our higher wisdom. We are made aware that change is necessary for growth to continue to unfold. 

In Celtic mythology, the Winter Solstice marks the death of the old king, the old year, and the birth of the new king, or new year.  hence, it will be a time of endings, but in these events are the seeds of new growth. This will be a time to remove those things that are not serving us well in our lives, knowing that new positive pathways await us.  Eclipses  trigger necessary changes in our life. It may not be easy, but letting go or releasing possessions, habits, beliefs, and even people, is necessary make room for something better to  come into our lives as we move forward in our life's journey. There is often feelings of sadness and anxiety that arise with these choices, and emotional waves are possible...so be gentle with yourself and others if this triggers a lot of emotions.

The Full Moon occurs just hours before the Sun enters hardworking and ambitious Capricorn, we might get more emotional, more dreamy, more unconscious.   It also occurs at the last degree of Gemini/Sagittarius, signs which rule how we think and what we believe about life, pushing us to resolve the full energies of the two signs with wisdom and compassion. 

The Mother Night, Yule Eve

Christmas is coming very soon now. There are many things that remind us of this. For many of us, the ground is already white with snow, and the ponds are beginning to be frozen hard ; the shops are putting out their brightest show, and all of us have talked of what we shall do in the Christmas holidays. 

The observance of winter solstice was very important in ancient times and its significance was obvious to early human civilizations. As the nights grew darker and longer, the days colder and shorter, and the rural folk faced lean times, it was imperative the sun be "lured" back to the earth.

Of the many pagan customs that eventually became the foundation of the Christian Christmas season, many were adapted from the Norse and their mythology.  The celebration of the Yule month, or Thor's month, began on the night before the Solstice which they called the Mother Night...for it was in the darkness that the goddess Freya labored to bring Baldur, the young son (light) to birth once more.  It was also a night for spirit contact and celebration with one's ancestors in much the same way that the Celts did at Samhain.

The festival itself was called Yule, derived from the Norse word Jul, means wheel,  a symbol of the Sun  revolving across the sky.  It was traditionally held for 12 days or more, beginning on Mother Night and ending on January 6th.  The most important symbols of Yule continue to  live on in our modern Christmas celebrations. For example, the evergreen tree and holly which remain green throughout the long months of cold and darkness,  were widely used in in the Pagan celebration of Yule because they hold promise that spring will once again return to the land.   

Because  ancient Norwegians believed the sun was returning, as part of their Winter Solstice celebration, the Vikings would cut a huge log, drag it back to the village and set it on fire.  This Yule Log was supposed to drive away the evil spirits and bring good luck to the people as well as welcome back the sun.   From Scandinavia, the Yule log custom spread through the European content and England.  Some decked out their Yule log with greenery, ribbons, and paper flowers and sang Yuletide songs as they dragged it home. 

Thousands of years ago, the Scandinavian god, Odin, rode through the world at Midwinter bringing reward or punishment, and Thor, his son, came from the far North.  His color was red, and at Midwinter, he fought the gods of ice and snow ...conquering the cold.  The elves connected with our current Santa Claus are remnants of the supernatural nature folk of the Old Religion, and our modern  custom of leaving cookies and milk for Santa is most likely a modern continuation of leaving offerings for the Alvar and other nature folk.   Although usually associated with Santa, many believe that the reindeer, northern animals,  actually represent the stags that drew the chariot of Freya, the Sun Goddess of the North.

For the Norse, it was a time of rejoicing for the labors of the old year were done, and the laborers were ready to rest before beginning the round afresh for the new year.  The earth, too, takes Her rest at this season and lies asleep under her covering of snow...so that all the seeds may be matured in her bosom and burst into life when the spring is come.  For many of us, this is also a time of cold and darkness.  It is a time for balancing our spirit, our nature, our physical bodies as we, too, await the season of rebirth.  Our meditations should focus on the hidden energies lying dormant within the earth and within ourselves.  It is a time of returning hope. Yule reminds us to take care of the earth and all of her creatures in this magical season of hope and good will.

Saturnalia

Harvest time in ancient Italy belonged to the god of reaping, whom the Romans called Saturn. A symbol curved like his sickle represents the planet.  Right after the Solstice, the Sun will move into Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn, who is also known as old man time.

The 25th of December hasn't always been Christmas Day. The origin of the celebration of this day seems to be very ancient, but its most direct affiliation comes from, among others, the Romans, who celebrated, for a long time, the god Saturn, the god of agriculture and plenty.   In pagan Rome, the celebration of the Saturnalia (Winter Solstice) began on December 17th and continued until the 24th. It was one of Rome's oldest holidays which recalled the golden days.  And, for one day of Saturnalia, the Romans celebrated the birth of the Sun. Saturnalia centered on giving thanks for the fruits of the earth, for plentiful crops, and praying for the same in the coming year.

Saturnalia also marked the beginning of winter and the start of the new year. It was a joyful time with much merrymaking and the exchanging of gifts in honor of Father Sun and Mother Earth. Crowds of people flocked to Rome in various forms of masquerade, and practical jokes were played on each other. People decorated their homes with lights and evergreen branches and berries. Wars stopped, and people wished each other good
During the holiday, restrictions were relaxed and the social order was inverted. Gambling was allowed in public, and slaves did not have to work. Instead of the toga, less formal dinner clothes were permitted. Within the family, a Lord of Misrule was chosen. Slaves were treated as equals, allowed to wear their masters' clothing as well as be waited on at meal time in remembrance of an earlier golden age thought to have been ushered in by the god. 
 
Ornaments in the outdoor trees included sun symbols and stars.  Food was

also a primary decoration.  Gilded cakes in a variety of shapes were quite popular, and children and birds vied for the privilege of gathering the treats from the trees.  The commonest shapes were fertility symbols, suns and moons and stars, baby shapes, and herd animal shapes.  People, too, were  likely to be ornamented as the trees.  The wearing greenery and jewelry of a sacred nature was  common, and although the emphasis was on Saturn, Sol Invictus, the Sun, got his fair share of the revelry as well. 

The Christians did not believe in the Roman gods, but they wanted to keep some part of the Saturnalia celebration, so they gave it a new name--Christmas and celebrated it the day after Saturnalia on December 25th. But although the name of the honored deity may have changed, most of the ancient rituals such as gift giving and the decoration of trees survives to this day.
For modern Saturnalia, those golden glass ball ornaments are ideal, as are gold sun faces, gold stars, and gilded anythings. Gilding nuts and pine cones and nestling them among the swags and wreaths of greenery would be a lovely way of acknowledging the ancient roots of this ceremony.

Poinsettias

 On Friday, our office manager brought in two of the most beautiful Poinsettia plants...which now adorn the front desk.  These joyously rich flowers are the first thing you see when you step off the elevator...when it works, that is.  They are such a treasured part of Christmas, which, alas, I cannot enjoy in my house for my cat loves to eat such things.  Why, she has even been known to attack artificial flowers!!!

The Poinsettia has become the official Christmas flower of the United States, and it seems that Christmas decorations are not complete without this beautiful red plant.   Their tendency to bloom during the early winter months, along with their gorgeous red, star-shaped leaves, make them the ideal Christmas plant. Yet, surprisingly, until just a couple of centuries ago the Poinsettia did not even exist in the United States.  Poinsettias are recognized in different place with different names. They are referred to as as 'Crown of the Andes' in Peru and Chile where they  are also called Flame Leaf Flowers.  In the Mayan folklore of South America, it is said that the Poinsettias are actually Divine Beings.

The ancient Aztecs were probably the first to note the beauty of the poinsettia plant.  In fact, the plant had been familiar to them for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.  In the Nahauatl language, they called it  cuetlaxochitle, and to them, the plant was a symbol of purity.  They used its red flowers (which actually are the upper leaves) to make red or purple dye, and drew its sap as a medicine against fever.  Montezuma, the last of the Aztec rulers, was very fond of them and had poinsettia plants brought up to what is present day Mexico City by caravans because the plant would not grow in high altitudes. 

An ancient legend connects the poinsettia with Jesus' birth: 

Long ago in Mexico, a little girl stood outside a church on Christmas Eve. She watched others taking gifts inside to place before a statue of Baby Jesus. The longer she watched, the worse she felt because she had nothing to give.

An angel saw the girl and spoke to her. "Gather the weeds beside the road and take them to the Holy Child" said the angel.

Drying her tears, the girl obeyed. She gathered a large armful of the green leafy weeds and carried them inside. But as she walked up the aisle, the people laughed at her gift.

The embarrassed little girl placed her branches beside the manger, and suddenly a miracle occurred. The green leaves turned to brilliant red!

Now every year at Christmastime, the green leaves of the Poinsettia turn to bright red to honor the Son of God born so long ago. 

This was declared a Christmas miracle, and from that day  on, poinsettias were known as the Flowers of the Holy Night.   But how did this plant indigenous to southern Mexico and Central America become a worldwide symbol associated with the holidays?

The history of poinsettia starts in the United States in 1825, when Joel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist and the first United States Minister to Mexico, sent some of the plants home to South Carolina and began propagating them, and although the first commercial poinsettias were developed in 1829, but the plants didn't become common holiday decorations right away.  The popular name "poinsettia" was given to the plant by William Prescott, (one of my great great uncles) and a historian who named the plant in honor of Joel Poinsett. 

Flame Heart

So much have I forgotten in ten years,
So much in ten brief years! I have forgot
What time the purple apples come to juice,
And what month brings the shy forget-me-not.
I have forgot the special, startling season
Of the pimento's flowering and fruiting;
What time of year the ground doves brown the fields
And fill the noonday with their curious fluting.
I have forgotten much, but still remember
The poinsettia's red, blood-red in warm December.

I still recall the honey-fever grass,
But cannot recollect the high days when
We rooted them out of the ping-wing path
To stop the mad bees in the rabbit pen.
I often try to think in what sweet month
The languid painted ladies used to dapple
The yellow by-road mazing from the main,
Sweet with the golden threads of the rose-apple.
I have forgotten--strange--but quite remember
The poinsettia's red, blood-red in warm December.

What weeks, what months, what time of the mild year
We cheated school to have our fling at tops?
What days our wine-thrilled bodies pulsed with joy
Feasting upon blackberries in the copse?
Oh some I know! I have embalmed the days,
Even the sacred moments when we played,
All innocent of passion, uncorrupt,
At noon and evening in the flame-heart's shade.
We were so happy, happy, I remember,
Beneath the poinsettia's red in warm December. 

--Claude McKay--

Gift Giving

You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. --Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

 

Gift giving at Christmas is a very old tradition which  dates back to the Roman Saturnalia festival (also called Kalends).  Gift giving was traditional with the ancient Romans, and the first gifts were simple things such as small candles, evergreens, incense, lamps,  frankincense, and garlands of holly or laurel.  Children were given little images made of clay or paste. They gave presents to family, friends, and neighbors as part of the celebration. This festival, named in honor of the god, Saturn, took place from December 17th to December 25th, and because Saturnalia took place at the Solstice, it was also known as the Festival of Lights; hence, many of the presents given were candles, used to summon the sun back to life. 

Early Christians feared that the Pagan Romans would persecute them during this time, so they began putting up Saturnalia holly, and as more and more people became Christians, it soon became a tradition....and as the early Christians got together to decorate, they began participating in customs similar to the Romans.  Early Christians did not practice gift giving, however, for it was viewed as a pagan and frowned upon.  It was later that tradition ended up prevailing and Christians began giving gifts during their Christmas celebration.  

Most people today trace the practice of giving gifts to the three gifts that the Magi or Three Kings took to Bethlehem for the Christ child.   Each gift foretold something that Christ would become--gold represents Christ's role as king; frankincense represents his divine nature and role as most high priest; and myrrh represents his role as healer.

As we all know, nowadays the more social aspect of Christmas gift giving has taken over, as a means of showing affection to family and friends for instance, but the roots of the gift giving should always be remembered as a Christian religious tradition. The commercial aspect of Christmas is now a gigantic economic operation, as Christmas gift giving is a major tradition...and sadly, this aspect of it has taken away much of what Christmas is really about.   This is why many of us do not feel in the mood.

You don't always have to spend money during Christmas;  there are so many things to give such as your talent, skill, presence, and even your time. You can all give these things wholeheartedly and without any inhibitions as well. You can visit a sick friend, just to show them that you care, or you can spend time with your kids, who, perhaps due to your busy schedule, have felt neglected.  You can make something that you can give for those in need such as blankets or pillows to aid them during the cold season. You can even give some of your old items.  One thing I always do at the change of seasons is to sort out whatever clothing  hubby, my son, or I will definitely not be wearing and put them to the side.  Then, as we near the holidays, I begin bringing them in to work, a little at a time for clients who are in need.   It gives me a warm feeling when I see a needy client wearing something that at one time would have just gone to waste. 

 May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!  --Author Unknown

Day 18 → Your Views on Gay Marriage.

We live in an age where rights are supposed to be equal for all, so it would only be logical that gay marriage should be legal, but logic doesn't enter into it when our lawmakers are involved.  I believe that  marriage, be it gay or straight,  is not something which anyone should need to make a case for, yet reality tells us differently. Making a case in favor of gay marriage should actually a very simple thing to do, that is, assuming that everyone keeps their minds open to the fact that while all people are different, we all have the same basic human need...the need to love and loved. 

When you sit back and think of it, historically, the freedom of marriage wasn't always granted between races, and wasn't too long ago that hubby and I would be frowned upon...I, the pale, blue-eyed Caucasian and he, the handsome dark  Dominican.  Mixed couples were just not the social norm.   Oh, how we would have been scorned!...and, I shudder to think of the treatment any children we may have had would have endured.  I know from first-hand experience that children can be so cruel, and children of interracial marriages were  once easy prey. 

In fact, I know how it feels to be ostracized.  I was often victimized by my ex-husband's family during our tumultuous marriage.  No matter what I did, I was never excepted into that family...and the reason?  Simply that I was Irish, and they were Italian...and they resented that their son married someone not of their nationality.  As a result, they treated me badly throughout our marriage.  No matter how much he may have abused me, I must have deserved it.  I especially loved the old saying 'All Irish are drunks'.... 

....and this saying didn't come from nowhere.  As you know,  I love working with archetypes and mythology... especially Jung or or Joseph Campbell.  So, as an addiction counselor, the title Celtic Queen Maeve and Addiction really caught my eye.  Very interesting book to say the least.   Descriptions of the early Northern Celtic and Germanic peoples show that heavy drinking to intoxication was common, and as warriors, mead was usually a prelude to battle for effects of alcohol ameliorated the fear of injury or death in armed conflict. It has been said that their strength  lay in the ferocity of the first onslaught. They were powerful warriors with a power generated by a belief in the afterlife, a desire to gain glory, and a battle hysteria created by the building crescendo of noise and chanting, which, by the way, was often enhanced by alcohol.   Furthermore, it was found among these groups that heavy drinking was important for religious and socio-political ceremonies.  Could this be a part of the collective unconscious that we of Irish descent inherit?

Okay, so now I have done it.  Once again I have completely diverged from the original content of this post.  Yes, it is true; sometimes my mind tends to wander and other times, all it takes it one word to spin me off in another direction altogether.  Sorry.  So, what are my views on gay marriage?  I believe in love....plain and simple.  If two people have feelings about each other, I say, let them be happy.  Who are we to say who can and who cannot get married?
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