Greetings to all Full Circle friends and members,
In this December edition of our newsletter we have:
White Sun and Black Velvet Night: Dawn is lighting the morning fog, the last yellow leaves are tumbled from branches. On those rare days when the sun is visible, it is as pale as the mountain snow it illuminates and it hangs anemic in the sparkling blue sky for fewer and fewer hours. When the sun sinks below the horizon in apparent exhaustion and leaves us to long, long evenings, the night sky is obsidian black with the heavy consistency of velvet draperies. These are the nights when lighting a candle is almost second nature, when many long for a fireplace and the warm, popping crackle of live flame. This year most of us desperately need the sparkle and light of Winter celebrations. 2005 has been a grim year for many, one lightened only by the mercy of helping hands and caring hearts, and our thanks go out to all those who sent their FCE sponsership funds into The Witches’ Voice Katrina Relief coffers at our request. Now it’s time thank the Helpers and move into the Yule season with intent, shedding light and warmth on the seeds of a new year filled with hope and recovery.
Labrys
Greeks, Redheads, and Beowulf—Oh My! Deep in the warmth of the well-lit armchair, wonders await in a close look at old Paganism in Greece from the Five Stages of Greek Religion through the Trojan War. And if something more racy is your goal, take a good look at how redheads got such a wicked, sexy reputation. Then jump a bit of time and drool in anticipation of Neil Gaiman’s version of Beowulf with Jolie and Hopkins, as well as a new play in Scotland for the lucky Scots. Thus grounded in the past, plan your next ritual year as a “Carnival of the Spirit.”
Pagan shopping
Reason for the Season? The conventional view seems to suggest shopping is the reason, but at least one tongue-in-cheek definition exists: the real reason is Axial Tilt! But it is the season to grant wishes with the profligacy of a drunken genie, as we remember friends we just can’t neglect and family members who need to have a gift from afar. Whether the funny T-shirt fix, larcenous Tarot cards, gratifying bead lust, music to light the soul, or some liquid refreshment and some real Bah Humbug gift wrap, the last minute saves are “out there” and easier to locate than the truth.
Familiars
Furry, finny, and feathered folk
If Pets Could Talk: The dog would want you to know bird flu doesn’t worry him at all, but a new canine influenza scares him silly. But the pooch would be shouting “Huzzah!” for the lucky legally endowed dogs of Italy. Your cats would loudly remind you of their royal cousins’ prerogatives, proved by mummification and the run of the Tower in London; of course, the kitty’s purr will tell you as much without words. The passion for owls isn’t only in Harry Potter novels, a rare beauty is revived in England, and a rare parrot is graced with human aid in New Zealand.
It Really IS a Trick With Mirrors: Chronic pain can be “mirrored” away even without David Copperfield attending. This is just one of several new secrets of the brain and mind being explored these days. Among old secrets being looked at again: monks meditating and singing had the real deal after all: brain cells grow and recover with such stimuli. But while you “sing for your brain” don’t do it with the MP3 player blaring in your ears at risk to your hearing. If you don’t believe your mind conspires to play tricks, check out this illusion to more than just vision.
Drunken Aeons: ‘Tis the season to possibly make too merry, but that is not a new thing at all. Modern times may be a model of sobriety in comparison to past binging days. Beer, in particular, has a venerable history from antiquity and the Middle Ages. Hangovers are not the only historical plague, however, and looking back in horrified wonder may inform our handling of modern pandemics. Clues in the past offer enlightenment for many fields of modern study, including why venom is linked to the development of mammalian life forms.
Let the Games Begin: The hype has hit and every gamer making a list and checking it twice isn’t envisioning sugarplums this year. The X-Box 360 is the drool-worthy list topper for many, but will it invoke cries of rage as well? Gaming magicians get a lift from Spielberg, and online avatars abound as technology leaps into the imagination’s realm. A Far Cry from Scrabble, and a sci-fi game satire puts the “War of the Worlds” idea on a laugh track. Finally, if the frustration level is rising, cheat sheets are a click away to save the day.
Feast of Sharing: Samhain is behind us, but the good will spread by the Crescent Moon Service Corps feast of the season will not be forgotten. They are an inspiration to us all.
As the season for warm comforting table-time is upon us, it’s hard to beat a hearty, warming casserole reviving British food traditions. If the hectic season offers no escape and leaves you with a burning desire to envy hermits, perhaps a retreat is in your future?
What Color Was That Again, Bing? Bulging trashcans in late December say it all: too much trash and packaging! So how do we “green” the holiday season? Carry a new habit forth when school and workday lunches return, and put crafts to work greening every shopping expedition. Helping the planet can be a mouse click away all through 2006 if online action is your choice. Even the Olympic Games can be pressed into planet saving in gold medal style. Even in endings, one can make an environmental statement that greens the world, literally.
We have hundreds of events listed on our California Community Calendar.
Here is just a handful:
· 4 Dec 05 – FCE Sponsored Event: Holiday Boutique – San Jose
· 7 Dec 05 – Magickal Herbs – Riverside
· 9 Dec 05 – Christmas Revels – Oakland
· 18 Dec 05 – Circle of Life: Dark Mother – Boulder Creek
· 21 Dec 05 – Winter Solstice-Public Circle – Concord
· 27 Dec 05 – House Blessing Bread - Riverside
New events are added daily. Click on the Full Circle California Community Calendar to access the list. If you would like your event listed, please go to our calendar page and click on the link that says “Submit Event.” The on-line form is simple and very easy to use. Questions? Please contact our Networking Coordinator ScoutGhost at scoutghst@sbcglobal.net.
I have a quote button on my office bulletin board that says:
all things should wear a sweater.
Good advice, that. I keep it there to remind me that the Mother Goddess I know is warm hearted, nurturing and very, very practical. Like all good mothers she gently reminds me what is important and what isn’t. I need those reminders on a regular basis and never more so than at Yule.
Don’t get me wrong; I love this time of year. I love the change in the air and in the earth. I love watching the migration of birds and making the wonderful foods that come with cold weather. But I also dread this time of year because with it comes a secular horror I refer to as“Xmas”. (1)
Xmas, the cause of so much winter discontent, is the reason I used to overspend, overeat, and overwork myself in a flurry of Martha Stewart-like activity. But no matter what I did, I could never do enough, buy enough, bake enough, or decorate enough to make myself happy.
Xmas stress and the unreal expectations that come with it added to the seasonal depression I already feel this time of year from lack of sunlight. This is not a good time for me to wander through crowds of grumpy, discourteous human beings. Don’t even get me started on the music.
Xmas, I noticed, isn’t just bad for me alone, it is also very bad for the planet. Think of all those landfills packed with wrapping papers, plastic cartons, tinsel, and the other non-biodegradable remains of the season. "Bah!” I said, “Down and double down with Xmas!”.
So I opted out. I called friends to see how they felt about it. “Would you mind not exchanging gifts this year?” I asked. Every one of them said “No, not at all” in what I can only describe as relieved tones. Within a few years I was free of all gift giving except among a chosen few. Within that circle of friends and family the adults agreed to keep their gift buying below a certain price, thus making the holiday easier on all of us. I still go a little wild when it comes to giving gifts to my friend’s children but I also take them on walks in the woods, teach them to bake cookies or have them over for a movie night. I've found that their parents appreciate having some time off and I get to play Aunt as much as I like.
I was much happier in winter after that, but I still felt something was missing in my life. Then I started on a Pagan path and discovered Yule & Solstice. It is here that I find the joy and meaning in winter.
Yule and Solstice are holidays in tune with our own rhythms. The energy of Gaia becomes dormant, yet remains vital. So too, does my spirit. In my tradition, this is a time for reflection. The animals follow their instincts and take to their dens and shelters. We humans also need a bit of rest and quiet. For me, that is the peaceful meaning of Yule. Add to that the beauty and hope of Solstice; a time of dark, cold reality made easier by the hope we hold of a warmer, more prosperous future. Keeping watch at Solstice links us to our friends in the present day and to our Pagan ancestors long since past.
I began to take back the things of the past several seasons ago. That tree for one thing, that World Tree, that’s mine. And those bright, hopeful candles are mine again, as well. This is a festival of light, after all. That circle called a wreath is mine, so too, the holly bush. Before I became Pagan, I was always drawn to pictures of a stag standing alone in snow. I’d see this design in different forms over the years and it always spoke to me. Now I know why. And look at that old Shaman dressed in furs. He’s mine now, too. He was lost for a time, selling sodas if you can believe it, but he’s back again where he belongs. He still brings gifts, but the gifts he offers are very different than the ones Id known before.
Yule is also a time for good company and feasting. For our ancestors this was the time when the Harvest was in and the clan gathered to celebrate. Whatever they had gathered or grown that year is all they had to live on until spring. There’s hope in that and terror, too. They knew to watch warily for the winter storms and to fear the floods and freezing temperatures that followed. No merchant ships could bring in supplies in such weather and the game they had hunted so easily in summer was now scarce. This is the time when Death stalked the weak, the sick, the very young, and the very old. For that reason this was a time to gather together with friends around the fire. You and I take pleasure in celebrating with our friends and family. For us, such gatherings make for a pleasant diversion. For them it was a matter of survival. “Send out the call to feast’, they said, “and gather the Clan. For we need to know who to count on in the dark days ahead and who will need our support.”
Gifts were exchanged during this season for a variety of reasons. The most important one of all was to strengthen the bonds of family and tribe. Only the very rich could afford to be frivolous in this regard. The rest of us needed and exchanged useful items like needles and cloth, knives and arrows, food, pots or clothing. These things didn’t sit on a shelf, unused, unwanted and gathering dust. They were thoughtfully given and gratefully received because they were needed. Gifts in those days were serious business.
Shamans used this time to meditate and to gather strength and spirit for the long, dark months ahead. I find that I also need to be alone. Sometimes I feel sad, and no wonder; its a dark time of the year in more ways than one. Yule invites us to listen to that still, small voice inside ourselves. Go back into the cave for a while and come out again in spring. Change comes in this way. So does renewal.
I want that renewal. In order to get it, I have to avoid the temptation to turn Yule into a Pagan form of Xmas. For if I am not careful, I will get caught up in another round of gift giving, partying and pressure.
Some Pagans I know feel pressured to buy Yule gifts for every Pagan friend, Circle member, and teacher. If you look at the amount of money and time they spend on Yule and add that to their Xmas obligations, then our splendid holiday could easily become a burden instead of a blessing.
I realize that merchants have to make a living. How could I not? I make my own living that way. But I wouldn’t want anyone to buy things from me that don’t enrich their life or bring them joy. Gifts are for me, as they were for my ancestors, a serious business. This makes me uniquely qualified to offer absolution to any Pagan who needs it and so I will: Trust your instincts here and use your head, as well as your heart. Buy what and as you like but not so much that you suffer next year. None of your friends and family members will be better off if you do that. We are a kind of tribe. Lets think like one. The good of one of us is the good of all.
Now some of the Pagans I know make or bake every single one of their Yule gifts. I admire their skill and the effort this takes. But as much as I love the crafty part of The Craft, I’ve found that for me, personally, making all my gifts takes up too much of my free time. I’ve learned over the years to carefully preserve some time at Yule to be my loved ones. I am even more jealous of the time I need for myself. I’d make a pretty poor Priestess, otherwise.
The social and sacred rounds pose a challenge for me, as well. I could exhaust myself by attending every Pagan ritual, concert, drumming circle and party or I could go the other way and worry that I’m not doing enough. Some of these “How To”Pagan manuals make it look like everyone else but me is out there having a magickal time of it. As I said, I could go down either path but then I might forget that an obsession with people and things was never good for my spirit in the first place. I want my practice to make me more centered and more whole, not more fractured and stressed.
And so I keep that quote button on my bulletin board. It reminds me that the Great Mother encourages me to stay warm, healthy, and balanced. She would like me to laugh a bit more and to enjoy time with my friends and she also wants me to spend some time just gazing into the fire. These are the gifts she put into the Shamans bag. Like I said, she’s very practical.
Take care of yourselves this season,
Sia
(1) I refer to the secular holiday in this way because I want to distinguish it from “Christmas” which is a spiritual holiday much beloved by Christians. If you ask your Christian friends about the difference between Xmas and Christmas, you may well find that they dislike the commercialization and stress that Xmas brings just as much as you do.
[Editor’s Note: This essay was first published here in winter of 2000. and it appears again by popular demand]
FCE Newsletter Staff:
Labrys is the Editor-in-Chief of the Full Circle Newsletter. She can be reached for comment at Labrys6@mac.com.
Sia is the Publisher of the Full Circle Newsletter and the Council Leader for Full Circle Events. She can be reached at info@fullcircleevents.org.
Charlynn is our new Copyeditor & Grammar Witch. Thank you, Charlynn!
ScoutGhost is the Networking Coordinator for Full Circle Events. She can be reached at scoutghst@sbcglobal.net.
Snakemoon is the Senior Writer of the Full Circle Newsletter. She can be reached at snakemoon@comcast.net.