I am the old Pagan at the Winter Solstice
May your Yule burn bright at this darkest night. The Summer King stirs.
I am fed up with being told that Christ is the reason fro Christmas. I am fed up with the call for saviours. The only saviour perhaps we need is the saviour who saves us from saviours. We need a Winter festival to celebrate mid winter. All Societies from the beginning of time have celebrated the dance of the Sun . Mithras was said to have been been born on December 25 of a Virgin. The child of Light in the old Celtic Mythology was born at the Winter Festival. How odd it is that so few modern Christians ever point out that Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus were refugees fleeing political repression. Of course today they would be unable to get back to Bethlehem today as the Israeli Government has built a gigantic wall preventing entrance to the Stable.
Greeting to the Winter Solstice Brightener of Darkness, hail! Keeper of Clearness, Opener of the Depths Gifts of plenty are arising Winter wonders, white snows’ fall Joyful be the heart within us Open wide the guesting door Wisdom waken in abundance Warm our beings to the core --“Celtic Devotional” by Caitlin Matthews
Blessing for the Longest Night
All throughout these months
as the shadows
have lengthened,
this blessing has been
gathering itself,
making ready,
preparing for
this night.
as the shadows
have lengthened,
this blessing has been
gathering itself,
making ready,
preparing for
this night.
It has practiced
walking in the dark,
traveling with
its eyes closed,
feeling its way
by memory
by touch
by the pull of the moon
even as it wanes.
walking in the dark,
traveling with
its eyes closed,
feeling its way
by memory
by touch
by the pull of the moon
even as it wanes.
So believe me
when I tell you
this blessing will
reach you
even if you
have not light enough
to read it;
it will find you
even though you cannot
see it coming.
when I tell you
this blessing will
reach you
even if you
have not light enough
to read it;
it will find you
even though you cannot
see it coming.
You will know
the moment of its
arriving
by your release
of the breath
you have held
so long;
a loosening
of the clenching
in your hands,
of the clutch
around your heart;
a thinning
of the darkness
that had drawn itself
around you.
the moment of its
arriving
by your release
of the breath
you have held
so long;
a loosening
of the clenching
in your hands,
of the clutch
around your heart;
a thinning
of the darkness
that had drawn itself
around you.
This blessing
does not mean
to take the night away
but it knows
its hidden roads,
knows the resting spots
along the path,
knows what it means
to travel
in the company
of a friend.
does not mean
to take the night away
but it knows
its hidden roads,
knows the resting spots
along the path,
knows what it means
to travel
in the company
of a friend.
So when
this blessing comes,
take its hand.
Get up.
Set out on the road
you cannot see.
this blessing comes,
take its hand.
Get up.
Set out on the road
you cannot see.
This is the night
when you can trust
that any direction
you go,
you will be walking
toward the dawn.
when you can trust
that any direction
you go,
you will be walking
toward the dawn.
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