It's Almost Solstice!, only 11 more shopping days left Options

the evergreen promise-tree had been hunted and killed and dragged into the house and hung with the glittering wish-spells of the family members for the new year

the presents, like morel mushrooms, lay under the tree awaiting the solstice and the warm gifting reminiscent of sun and earth's exchange (and daughter moon!)

i've gathered my gifts for the trees (eggs, cookies, milk duds, even a whole candy bar or two for my really special friends) and some tobacco for the fairies, elves and trolls that live in the woods down the lane

the yule log is ready to be baked (bread log this year as we dont have a working fireplace boo hoo, but we'll throw the spices on it in turn as its baking)

the groceries for the feast are in the fridge and freezer, i've dried the special corn for popping (bought some made just in case this time - we learn through our mistakes), there's baskets of dried leaves and evergreen branches from where we cut the tree

i think we're ready for solstice!

yay!

This post has been edited by esoterica: Dec 5 2006, 07:53 AM

Ill take any of the pagan holidays over the sickness and materialisation of christian holidays.

Ill take any of the pagan holidays over the sickness and materialisation of christian holidays.

Greetings Enochian,

Actually I have read from many Pagan sources that the Christian Holidays such as Christmas, actually started from the Pagan Holidays. Of course the Church had to add their own symbology to the Holidays to reinforce their Doctrine upon the masses.

One of the Reasons many Christian Holidays were originally formed from Pagan Holidays is that when the Early Church began conquering other lands, the Church Fathers found that by implementing Pagan Holidays as Christian Feasts, and Holy Days gave the conquered peoples a chance to still practice a type of their own beliefs under the umbrella of the Churches accepted Holy Days. This also made it easier for the early Christian Church to gain converts since many of the cultures they absorved through force could still practice a form of their original beliefs, albeit even if it were slightly different.

Take for instnace Voodo with its Orisha's which ultimately have been identified in modern times with the Christian Saints. These Pagan and Older Cultures have found ways to adapt and conform in times not to distant that they were torn from their original Religious Practices.

Christmas came from Yule, Yule of course being the return of the Light, Christian symbology Christ born as the Light of the World.

Easter Came from Ostara, a time for new beginnings.

All Souls Day or Halloween came from the Pagan Autumnal Festival of Samhein were the Spirits of the Ancestors were said to intercede to God for their descendants still on Earth, at a time when the veil between worlds is supposed to be the thinnest.

So if these sources are correct then the Pagan Traditions still live in some semblence even in the Christian Holy Days. Of course then there is the modern day commercialization of the Holidays. And I agree they have been entirely to Commercialized as Materialistic Western Society alters the meanings even further for generations of younger people who have lost any sense of the Original Meanings of these Days.

Respectfully,
Helel (Joseph)

This post has been edited by Joseph: Dec 5 2006, 03:01 PM