Tag Archives: Pagan

December 1, 2011 · 11:05 pm

Joy and Love is the Reason……

Merry Meet my friends!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones.  I know I did.  We had a small group this year as some of my family was scattered in all directions, but those of us who were here had a very wonderful day.  Watching my granddaughter Lily open her birthday presents for her 3rd birthday was highest on my list of memories that day. Such a blessing is that little girl 🙂 

Since then, I have been in full Yule mode! 🙂  Shopping and decorating and sending off cards and spending time having fun with the family.  I feel behind so far but taking the time to enjoy the season so I’m having fun either way.  My house should be fully decked out by tomorrow night, shopping is more then half done, cards will be going by the weekend and wrapping and baking will commence soon after.  We have even had our first snow tuesday night and it was beautiful.  It didnt’t stay around for long but I’m quite sure, living in Ohio as I do, there is much more to come..and soon!  I have had fireside, Bailey’s in my glass night, and watching holiday movies nights, and lunch out with family and shopping days…I just love this time of year!

Along with the joy of the Season, comes again the Merry Christmas versus Happy Holidays wars.  *sigh*.  I just felt the need to put in my two cents worth as I see many who feel like me…. and then there are those people who are apparantly completely offended if the “right” words aren’t spoken to them during this time of year. 

As you all know by now, I am a Witch..a Pagan.  I celebrate Yule, the Winter Solstice. It is a very joyful and meaningful Sabbat for me and I celebrate it fully!    I also celebrate Christmas  *gasp* LOL.    I grew up celebrating Christmas and some of my family members are Christians.  I celebrate the day with them.  For me, it’s not  a celebration of the birth of the Christian Jesus Christ, It’s a family holiday…..it’s about Santa, presents, good food, fun, family, love and joy. Just like many Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Pagan families do..we celebrate both!  Now I know that to some Pagans, this is an unpopular decision, and yet I have many many facebook Witch and Pagan friends who do the same. Unless you are born into a family who is all of one faith, it would be disrespectful, in my opinion, not to share in the day with those I love, who celebrate Christmas. 

When I see all the comments about “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”  or “Don’t take Christ out of Christmas”….well, one I agree with and one I sure don’t.  I agree that Christ is the reason for Christmas..after all, Christmas IS a Christian holiday, the birth of Jesus to the Christians.   However, Jesus is NOT the reason for the Season in my mind.  The “season”  is not just a day…the Season is much more..for some people it denotes the period of time from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.  For others, it may be just the December holidays.  For still others, it might be the whole Wintertime..after all, many “holidays” are celebrated well into January.  The birth of Jesus, (Which we should all know by now, was NOT in December)  is not the reason for ANY of the other holidays but Christmas…right??  For me, the Solstice, the turning of the Wheel of the Year, the re-birth of the Sun God, the longest night of the year is the reason for Yule and my celebration of the “season”.  Hannukah, Kwaanza, and other faiths have their own reason for the season as well.  The season is not just about the Christian holiday, Christmas.

Having said all that, I think the argument over what to say or what you want to hear is just absurd. For me, if someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Blessed Yule, or Happy Holidays…I look at it as well wishes for a joyful holiday, joyful season, or joyful day.  Merry Christmas is not a slap in the face to my beliefs.  It is what the OTHER person believes so that is what they say.  Why don’t we all quit being so selfish and just take the sentiment in the way it was meant to be taken? They are wishing you well!!  You can choose to respond as you want too…of course.  There is nothing wrong with saying something different back to them…for instance “Merry Christmas to you and Blessed Yule to me”….or say what you prefer to say…in a nice way..not in a correcting manner. Most likely they will smile and still wish you well.  and keep in mind..if you are being helped by someone in customer service..they HAVE to say whatever the store policy is….don’t get nasty with them for saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas or vice versa.  I have seen this happen and it just gets my Irish up! LOL. I have also seen a Christian get very nasty when told Happy Holidays..and it actually scared me it was so nasty!  Same with other faiths folks who don’t think about anyone but themselves this time of year.  My fear is that some day nobody will be giving a seasonal greeting to anyone out of fear of saying the wrong thing and receiving an earful!  How sad would that be?  😦 

I’m not telling anyone what to do..just saying what I think is the right thing to do.  I try to be gracious, accept whatever greeting comes my way and move on.  I believe if I react kindly, the Goddess will appreciate that I was kind. The Pagan community is growing in leaps and bounds and Blessed Yule is on the lips of many!  Take comfort in that if anything 🙂 Look at Joy and Love as the Reason for the Season..for I believe no matter what you celebrate …those are two good reasons we can all agree on and embrace in unison!

I don’t know if I have Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Athiest readers here..but I know I have a lot of beautiful Witches and Pagans..many I call friends.  I know many of you feel as I do, and some of you may not.  I honor your choices either way.  And by the way,  I do feel the irritation too when someone puts Jesus and Christmas down my throat when it’s unwanted.  That is a whole different thing and I would deal with that much differently..after all, I am a Witch! Hehehe 🙂

Soon I will be posting my Yule recipes, altar pics and some favorite Yule books I love.  So I’ll be back soon!  Please feel free to leave comments…whether you agree or disagree…I love a good discussion!

Blessings and Light, Autumn

 

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December 6, 2010 · 11:40 pm

Yule traditions and symbolism…..

Merry Meet lovely friends!  I am sitting in my easy chair with a warm glowing fire going, my daughter in the chair next to me, chili in the slow cooker, hot tea (cinnamon) in my cup and decided to write a blog post.  It has been snowy again today..we have about two inches of snow so far with more expected as the week goes on.  Winter is here no doubt!  Temps in the mid 20’s during the day, windy, brisk..and I just love it!

Earlier this week I pulled out three books I have on Yule..one is Dorothy Morrison’s book “Yule..a celebration of light and warmth.” and “The Winter Solstice.the sacred traditions” by John Matthews, and “Pagan Christmas”  by Christian Ratsch and Claudia Muller-Ebeling….all three are great books and contain a huge amount of information, history, recipes, crafts & rituals for the Yuletide season.  A common theme all 3 books is the symbolism behind our much loved “stuff” we put all over the place at this time of year.  Thought I would discuss a few of them!

Bells– Pagans, at their festivals, would originally ring bells to drive away the “demons” that surfaced during the cold, dark time of the year.  Christians are taught in the bible “to make a joyful noise”.  Bell ringing seemed to fit the bill.  Have you ever heard a bell ringing choir during a christmas eve service or mass?  Very beautiful.  Bells are very much associated with the season.

Candles-As a witch, the symbolism of a candle is about representing the element of fire, and representing God and Goddess and sends healing and protection when needed.  Candles are thought to have originated in ancient Rome when they gifted them to each other during Saturnalia.  The flame was thought to chase away dark winter demons and urge the Sun back into the sky.  At this time of year especially, my home is alight with candles to add warmth and light to my home.

Evergreens– Evergreens were used to decorate homes and halls dating back to the earliest Winter festivals.  Because the green never fades, they were thought to have power over death and destruction.  That power was again thought to chase away the winter demons and urge the Sun to come back. Evergreens in winter gave the pagans hope for a return of the light and the renewing power of the goddess nature.  I love to bring in the greens for their wonderful scent also!

Holly–  Holly has vibrant green leaves and bright red berries during the winter’s cold, providing a beautiful symbol of rebirth. The Celts gathered holly branches and placed them in their homes the night before the winter solstice as protection against sorcery, lightning, and death.  In Scandenavia, it was believed that holly would bring luck to the house.  In Roman Bacchus, holly was the female counterpart to male ivy and this is why wreaths were made of both and hung on the front door.  Pagans believe Holly is Masculine to Ivy’s feminine.  With this multilayerd symbolism, the holly is indeed the crown jewel of evergreens.  This is why the Green Man wears a crown of holly.  I have beautiful holly bushes in my own yard and can cut fresh stems thruout the season. 

Mistletoe– Sacred to the Druids, the berried mistletoe symbolized the semen of the gods, and was used to bring about great fertility and abundance.  Brought into the home and hung over doorways, it also protected from evil.    Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?  Norse legend  says that Frigg, loved her son Balder so much that she couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to him.  but Loki (the God of Mayhem) fashioned an arrow out of mistletoe and gave it to Balder’s blind brother.  The arrow was shot and Balder fell dead.  Frigg’s tears restored Her son to life, and in her happiness, she declared the mistletoe plant a symbol of luck, love and promise.  Kissing under the mistletoe means you are receiving Frigg’s blessing.  I think it’s also very romantic and fun!

Reindeer– Pagans believe the reindeer symbolizes the horned God Cernunnos.  Others believe they represent the stags that drew the Norse goddess Freya’s chariot..either way, reindeer have pagan origins.  And how would Santa get all over the world without them??? 🙂

Wreath–  A circle of greens…to a pagan a perfect symbol of  the never-ending cycle of birth, death, and re-birth.  Often used to represent the Sun as well.  The Romans gave wreaths during Saturnalia as a gift to symbolize goodwill, friendship, and joyfulness.  To me, nothing says Yule/Christmas more then a wreath on the front door.  And now many people keep a wreath on their door all year long..decorated for the various holidays or seasons.

Yule Log– The Celts adorned a log (symbolizing the Oak King) with evergreens (symbolizing the Holly King) to signify the  death of darkness and the warmth of the sun during the newborn  solar year.  According to tradition, the log should be burned continuously for 12 days, and a bit saved  to light the yule log for next year’s fire.  I burn my Yule log on Winter Solstice night.  I decorate it with greens from my own yard.  I also make a tabletop version…holes have been cut to support tapered candles in red, green and gold.  Covered in greens, pinecones and a big red bow!

In her book “Yule”, Dorothy Morrison has a beautiful chant to say while burning your Yule log…

Old King we thank you for all you’ve done

For lessons learned and victories won

We must however, bid you adieu

For your reign is finished, it’s over and through

Come forth young King of newest light

Be born with ease; grow strong and bright

Gain strength and stature in the sky

Shed your warmth on us, now from on high!

Now, while decorating  for the holidays, you will know the meaning behind the items you place so lovingly around your home.  You are bringing magick into your home, celebrating rituals that have been practiced since ancient times.  Warm bright candlelight, the smell of pine and fir, the family gathered for wassail while the Yule log burns.  Whether you celebrate Yule, Christmas, Hannukah…the feeling this time of year is universal.  It is approached with great love and  joy.   Take the time to celebrate the Solstice…you will make a new tradition in your own family that will be passed on to your children and grandchildren.  Blessings to you and yours, Autumn

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March 13, 2010 · 10:37 am

A rainy morning…..

After a week of beautiful sunny weather and warm temperatures..even hit 64 one day….this morning though cooler, mid 40’s, and raining, it feels like Mother Earth is waking up and spring is on the way!  The rain has washed away that last piles of dirty snow and washed the muddy roads, parking lots and driveways.  There is a green glow this morning, tulips are pushing up, the crabapple trees are budding, the grass looks greener etc.  Our bird feeder is experiencing lower volumes meaning they are finding food elsewhere now.  Our goldfish in our pond are awake and swimming.  All good signs of Spring!  While I know we may still have some cold weather and another snow is always possible, all these signs along with Daylight Savings Time today gives my soul a lift that Winter is over.

March 20 is Ostara, the first official day of Spring.  The day and night are equal and then the sun gets stronger and the day gets longer.  I’ve loved the sun coming up early in the morning but will enjoy even more the evening staying lighter longer.  For Ostara, we will be coloring eggs.  The house is decorated as much as I usually do.  I have a kitchen altar, a wreath on the front door, and my Sacred altar are all decorated for Ostara with eggs, bunnies, lambs, and the appropriate crystals etc.  Isn’t it funny how the symbols for Ostara are the same for Easter?  You know of course that’s because the early Christians set it up that way to give the Pagans something from their celebration of Ostara.  Our family will celebrate Easter also..because of our extended family and their beliefs.  My little grandaughter will have her egg hunt probably on Ostara and Easter as all the family wants to participate in that!  It will be adorable!  Can’t wait.

Pagans believe that in Spring, The Goddess and the God become lovers and equals and the Goddess will become pregnant.  This brings forth the abundance of Spring, flowers, trees blooming, birth of baby animals, longer days and food from the earth.  It is a joyous time after the long Winter.  So long walks are in order, being outside and watching and listening to the earth coming alive.  Feel the warm breezes on your face, dance in the rain, plan or plant your garden and herbs, raise your arms in praise to the Goddess and God for the wheel of the year turning once more.  It is a Blessing!

Also a wonderful thing happened this week!  My unbelievably awesome Book of Shadows from Witches Moon finally got here!  I waited 7 months but it was well worth the wait!  I got the Practical Magic book..it has two sections and flips over to open the other side..one section has 300 pages of aged parchment, the other has 200.  The leather is red/brown and very aged and old looking, the inside cover lining  is maroon/black/brown marbled and it has 5 long copper ribbons.  It smells heavenly, like lavendar and rose.  It is the ultimate Book of Shadows and I can’t wait to get my pages I’ve been working on for months, in the book.  I’m thrilled with it!

Bright Blessings,

Autumn

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March 5, 2010 · 6:30 pm

My little nature girl….

The sun has been shining here in Ohio for two days straight..finally!  We even hit 40 degrees with 50 degrees coming for several days.  I’m soooo happy to see the Sun God in his shining golden glory!!  We have had weeks of gray and dreary days and for a few days at least it looks like we’re going to get a taste of Spring.  The huge black ugly snow mounds piled everywhere are starting to melt and we see grass in our yards again.  Today I saw robins, cardinals, squirrels, bluejays and even little Chipmunks out and about today..feeding from our bird feeders.  I have a little raccon that comes out during the day (which is not supposed to happen) to drink from our fish pond and wash his hands and face..so cute.  We have had deer in our yard a few times too recently.  I love watching the wildlife!  Makes me happy.  Spring is coming my friends..just 15 days til the 1st day of Spring or Ostara is here!

My favorite part of the day today has been when my daughter and her daughter, my little Lily, my beautiful grandaughter, came to visit today.  I could tell that she was enjoying being able to walk in instead of being carried and was taking her sweet time doing it.  Her mom who is so patient and gives Lily the freedom to explore had a smile on her face, enjoying Lily’s morning walk too.  When she finally made it in, she had two fistfuls of stones from her walk to our back door.  She made sure to bring them to me and show me what she had.  I of course, made a big deal out of them.  You see, as witches, my daughters and I love stones, crystals, gemstones etc and it’s very pleasing to see our little one following suit.  As she gets older, she will learn the magickal properties of the stones and how they can be used to aid in magick or healing.  How lucky for her to have her mom, Nana, Auntie and Great Aunt to teach her such things.  Sure wish I had that advantage when I was a kid.  I’m so anxious for Spring to come as this year Lily is a walking, talking toddler who will be so much fun to explore with and to watch nature from her eyes.  Can’t wait.

When I was a kid, I loved nature too.  I found myself enchanted with a starry sky and full moon, the smell of autumn and the crisp leaves crunching under my feet, the smell of fresh mown grass, the beauty of flowers, the sound of the ocean, the birds, the crickets and frogs.  I spent most of my waking time outside riding bikes, exploring the woods, playing yard games with the neighborhood kids, laying on a blanket reading a book, sitting on the front steps watching the sun go down.  I was a natural, nature loving witch and didn’t know it!  LOL…I still am but now I understand better why I feel that way.  Being Pagan, Wiccan, Witch, brings me close to the love of the God and Goddess in the form of nature and the beauty of it around us all the time.  God and Goddess have given us simple everyday things to enjoy everyday and to remind us that they are here with us…not above looking down on us..but right beside us! I love that feeling..it brings me great comfort.  All I have to do is sit under a tree and listen to the wind blowing thru the leaves, the birds nesting it, the flowers growing under it and the moon and stars shining on it to know that I’m loved and that I send love back to them.  My grandaughter who feels love everyday from her family, will also feel the love of the Goddess along with God and be my little nature girl!!

Bright Blessings,

Autumn

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