Messages In This Digest (6 Messages)
- 1a.
- Berchta, The Christmas Hag From: Silver Fox
- 2.
- Betwixt And Between From: Silver Fox
- 3a.
- Birth Of The Candy Cane From: Silver Fox
- 4.
- Celebrating Yule Without Losing Your Mind From: Silver Fox
- 5.
- Starhawk on Tax Cuts - Immoral and Legalized Theft From: Karen Tate
- 6.
- Janie rezner's guest on Women's Voices, Barbara G. Walker, author o From: karentate108
Messages
- 1a.
-
Berchta, The Christmas Hag
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:51 am (PST)
Berchta, The Christmas Hag
Source: Unknown
Berchta comes to inspect your household at the Winter Solstice, she will poke into every corner of your farm and cott, thoroughly examine your barns for cleanliness and investigate if you have tended well to your livestock. She will carefully scrutinise the distaffs and spindles, the hanging herbs and the butter churns, the hooks and the kettles and check if your dining boards are scrubbed to whiteness.
Hearths must be swept clean for her inspection, doors and windows decorated with evergreens, holly and mistletoe, sweet food and fine drink made ready, and hollowed cakes baked.
And she will leave gifts for children overnight. If they are good.
Berchta in Mythology
Her name is Berchta, and she was once the premier goddess of the German hearth, the Guardian of the household, and many more things besides.
Finding Berchta is like reading a crime mystery novel. We see her in the collections of the Brothers Grimm. Jacob Grimm records in Germanic Mythology accounts of the traveling goddess named Berchta or Holla. Now, Frau Holle is one of the names given in Germany to the wife of Wodan. As we move further north, Wodan becomes Odin and Holle is Frigg or Freya. Before that she was Erda, the earth, a word which is not of Indo European origin at all.
Berchta's best known journey was during the twelve days following our Christmas when she traveled the countryside in her wagon bestowing gifts on those who had been hardworking and punishing those who had been lazy. Her entourage consisted of horned animals, elves, faeries and the ghosts of tiny children.
Christianity and Berchta Christianity debased Berchta, and corrupted her into a scary old woman to frighten children and who was also associated with witches. Berchta was sometimes depicted with a long iron nose and one large goose foot. She is now the White Lady who steals softly into nurseries and rocks infants to sleep, but is the terror of all naughty children.
Christian missionaries declared that only those baptized could enter heaven, and in the world of humble folk the Goddess survived, Christianized in folklore as Bertha the Hag, the one who especially cherished the souls of anabaptized infants.
Throughout history we have celebrated the spirit and intention of the seasons in ritual and festival. We celebrated life's renewal as the sun regenerated from winter's cold darkness. We find a connection between the Winter Solstice and the goddess of the land in the Venerable Bede who calls Christmas Modranecht - Mother's night. This and the appearance of the three Berchten during the twelve holy nights hints at that our ancestors did not only worship the reborn Solstice Sun at the time of the Winter Solstice, but also his mother, the Earth Mother, and that she appeared in three aspects.
...was Berchta the original Santa? ...
In Bavaria, there still lingers the custom of three disguised women known as Berchten moving in procession through the village on the Feast of the Epiphany.
In Northern Europe the Yule log burned, keeping back the darkness and blessing the household with the promise that the sun would return again and with its light bring joy. This was the time when an altar of flat stone was made for Berchta on which burned a fire of evergreen boughs.
Berchta is the root word for the tree we call Birch and is related to words Birth, Begin and the Icelandic Birtu meaning Light. All of these words are related and all describe 'the 'bringing forth into the light'. And the light comes forth after the Winter Solstice.
Was Berchta the original Santa? Converting an ancient goddess into a sanitized nursery rhyme is nothing new, and today we know Berchta only as Mother Goose.
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 2.
-
Betwixt And Between
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:51 am (PST)
Betwixt And Between
By Gail Wood
Color of the day: Topaz
Incense of the day: Lilac
Timing: 12-23
Today is Nameless Day, the day on the Celtic Lunar calendar that is not assigned to a month. It is the perfect time to travel to what the Celts call, "betwixt and between."
Create sacred space in your usual way. Light sandalwood incense for inspiration and magic and go into a meditative state. Find yourself standing on the shoreline of a vast body of water. It is twilight, between day and night. The rhythm of the wave lulls you deeper. You see creatures of the water frolic in the deep waves. You are mesmerized by the waves rushing along the shore, creating that special place between the wave and the shore. You watch for a long time and then your spirit guides you into that between place. You explore the wonders of betwixt and between until your spirit guides you back to the shore. You thank the spirits of that place and take a deep breath to return to the here and now.
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 3a.
-
Birth Of The Candy Cane
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:51 am (PST)
Birth Of The Candy Cane
http://inventors.about.com/ od/foodrelatedin ventions/ a/candy_canes. htm
Around the seventeenth century, European-Christians began to adopt the use of Christmas trees as part of their Christmas celebrations. They made special decorations for their trees from foods like cookies and sugar-stick candy. The first historical reference to the familiar cane shape goes back to 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, bent the sugar-sticks into canes to represent a shepherd's staff. The all-white candy canes were given out to children during the long-winded nativity services. The clergymen's custom of handing out candy canes during Christmas services spread throughout Europe and later to America.
The canes were still white, but sometimes the candy-makers would add sugar-roses to decorate the canes further. The first historical reference to the candy cane being in America goes back to 1847, when a German immigrant called August Imgard decorated the Christmas tree in his Wooster, Ohio home with candy canes.
The Stripes
About fifty years later the first red-and-white striped candy canes appeared. No one knows who exactly invented the stripes, but Christmas cards prior to the year 1900 showed only all-white candy canes. Christmas cards after 1900 showed illustrations of striped candy canes. Around the same time, candy-makers added peppermint and wintergreen flavors to their candy canes and those flavors then became the traditional favorites.
Sweet Secrets of the Candy Cane
There are many other legends and beliefs surrounding the humble candy cane. Many of them depict the candy cane as a secret symbol for Christianity used during the times when Christian were living under more oppressive circumstances. It was said that the cane was shaped like a "J" for Jesus. The red-and-white stripes represented Christ's blood and purity. The three red stripes symbolized the Holy Trinity. The hardness of the candy represented the Church's foundation on solid rock and the peppermint flavor represented the use of hyssop, an herb referred to in the Old Testament. There is no historical evidence to support these claims, quite the contrary, but they are lovely thoughts.
Gregory Keller
A Catholic priest called Gregory Keller invented a machine to automate candy cane production during the 1950's.
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 4.
-
Celebrating Yule Without Losing Your Mind
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:53 am (PST)
Celebrating Yule Without Losing Your Mind –
Or Your Life Savings
By Dorothy Morrison
Ah, the Yuletide season! No matter who we are or where we live, it's something we all look forward to. And why not? When it comes to the Winter Solstice, cultural differences don't matter. Language isn't a barrier. And neither is the fact that the traditions with which we commemorate this festival are as varied as the celebrants themselves. That's because it's a time of light and warmth - the time when the newborn Sun appears again in the sky - a confirmation that the dark, bitter chill that envelopes the Earth will soon give way to longer days and the greening of Spring. And in the dead of Winter, that's a promise we can all appreciate.
Even so, it's more than that. The promise of the newborn Sun brings its light and warmth into our hearts, as well. Common courtesy and good will becomes the norm, rather than the exception. Senseless worries give way to something much more important: A sincere appreciation for our neighbors, friends, and loved ones, and all they do to enrich our lives. We find ourselves smiling at each other, speaking to strangers on the street, and going out of our way to practice random acts of kindness. In short, we all become nicer people, and even if only temporarily, the world seems a much better place to live. In this day and time, that's definitely something worth celebrating!
As worthy of celebration as the Winter Solstice is, though, doing so often presents its own set of problems in the form of time and money. There are holiday cards to send out, gifts to buy, and our homes to decorate. There are parties to plan, additional trips to the grocery store, and all that holiday baking and cooking to handle. Unless you've got a staff of personal servants and an unlimited bank account, it's enough to make your head spin. And that's certainly no way to spend the season.
So, what do you do? How do you get everything done on time? Or handle all that extra expense without taking out a mortgage-sized bank loan? More to the point, how do you manage to relax, enjoy the season, and actually have some fun?
Contrary to popular belief, the answer is not double-dipping into the eggnog. But it's almost as effortless, and comes in the form of three little words. Simplify. Organize. Delegate.
At this point, I can almost hear what you're thinking: It starts with "yeah, but" and ends with "nobody else can do this the way I want it done." And believe me, I understand. By the same token, though, Yuletide meals don't have to be twelve-course extravaganzas. Nobody will gasp in horror because every loop of garland on the tree doesn't measure exactly nine inches at its drop. And no one—not one single person in the entire history of Yule—ever died because a Yule card arrived addressed in a childish script or with a printed computer label adorning its envelope.
If you're still not convinced, though, consider this: The whole idea behind any celebration is to celebrate. And you just can't do that if you're so worn out you can't even remember your own name. That said, take a deep breath and regroup. Then get started with some of the tips below. You'll be glad you did!
Holiday Cards: These little goodies can be terribly expensive, to say nothing of the time involved in signing, addressing, and stamping them. That being the case, start by taking a good, hard look at your greeting card list and decide whether you really need to send all those cards. If not, shave the list to a more appropriate size.
Then set about designing your own cards via the personal computer. (You can even scan in your signature so it prints out with the rest of your message, if you like.) Just print them on heavy card stock (readily available at all office supply stores) and have your children or grandchildren handle the addressing and stamping.
Don't have kid-power at your disposal? Not a problem. Simply type your address list into the computer, print it out on labels, and slap them onto the envelopes with the stamps. One quick dash to the mailbox and you're done.
Decorating: Since we want our homes to look festive and elegant and reflect our own tastes, this is the one job that most of us have trouble relinquishing to others. However, it's also the one job that usually takes more time than anything else. So, dig out those boxes of holiday decorations and invite the neighborhood kids over for a decorating party. All you'll have to do is supply hot cocoa and cookies—and that will give you plenty of time to supervise.
Worried that it might be more trouble than it's worth? Invite your friends over for a decorating party, instead. Even if you have to serve more food - meat, cheese, and vegetable trays are likely options - you'll get the help you need and it won't take as much supervision. Best of all, the job will be done, and you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Shopping: I don't have time to go to the mall anymore—and my last holiday shopping experience there was so unpleasant that I doubt I'd go even if I did. For that reason, I do most of my shopping online. This doesn't just save the nerves, though. Since most online stores will handle gift wrapping and shipping, it saves a ton of time as well.
Of course, there are those folks who require something special in the way of holiday gifts, and ordering something sight unseen simply isn't going to get it. In that case, why not get back to the basics and make the gift yourself. (Don't groan. With all the time you've already saved in other areas, you'll have plenty of time for this. Besides, the gift doesn't have to be fancy to be special.) Some quick and easy gift ideas might include a spa basket, a flowerpot birdbath, or a potpourri lamp. You could go with freshly baked goods, a kitchen wreath, an herbal tea basket, or maybe even a set of scented mug coasters. And if you've got some time left over, you might even whip up a batch of bone-shaped biscuits for your loved ones' favorite pets.
But what if you aren't particularly crafty? What if you're the type whose fingers stick together at the mere mention of high-test glue? Not to worry. The projects listed above are absolutely foolproof, and you can find all the instructions in Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth.
Party Planning: I doubt there's s single person who, caught up in the spirit of the season, hasn't at least dreamed of having a Yule party. But few of us ever follow through. The reasons are many, but most of them finally boil down to two things: the amount of time it takes to plan such an affair, and the expense involved in making it happen. Sadly enough, the idea is put on the back burner until such won't be a problem.
It doesn't have to be that way. Regardless of your circumstances, you can still have that party - if you follow a few simple guidelines. What's more, it can be the gala event of the season. Here's how:
Keep the guest list small, and rather than sending out invitations, use the phone to handle the task. Then insist on a call back to confirm attendance.
Make it a potluck meal. That way, you'll only have to supply the entrée, and drinks. (To cut expenses, do not supply liquor. Ask your guests to bring their own bottles, instead, if they'd like to partake.)
If you want to exchange gifts, keep the price to a five dollar maximum. Then hold a gift swap. Number all the gifts, write the numbers on slips of paper, and put them in a pretty bowl. Then ask each guest to draw a slip and retrieve the appropriate gift.
To make it a really special evening, consider an after-dinner caroling expedition. Don't want to sing traditional carols? Not a problem. There's a wide assortment of Pagan-oriented filks readily available on the Internet. Just print them out, don your hats and coats, and get ready to harmonize.
Yule Meals: I'm always amazed at the tizzies folks work themselves into when it comes to preparing Yuletide meals. But perhaps it's because my mother always handled things the easy way: She simply prepared many of the dishes ahead of time and froze them.
While it's a given that you can't do that with everything on your list—dishes that require mayonnaise, cooked potato, or meringue do not freeze well—almost anything in the holiday baking category fits the bill. Take double-crust pies, for instance. These can be prepared weeks in advance, wrapped in aluminum foil, and frozen. And when the big day comes? Just pop them into the oven for the prescribed baking time. (For a special treat, bake them during the meal. That way, you'll be able to serve warm pie for dessert.)
The same applies to both cookie and yeast roll dough. It's only a matter of shaping the dough into rectangular rolls and wrapping it well in waxed freezer paper before freezing. When you're ready to bake, just slice the dough into pieces and pop them in the pan. (In the case of roll dough, be sure to allow an additional 30 minutes or so for the rolls to rise before baking.)
Many other items—fresh fruit salads, most soups, casseroles, and cheese, egg, and pasta dishes—can also be successfully prepared early and frozen as well. If you go this early preparation route, however, please remember to allow plenty time for thawing in the refrigerator. It wouldn't do for someone to chip a tooth on a frozen fruit salad—especially not on Yule!
Of course, I realize that nothing is ever as easy as it appears in print. Things seldom go according to plan, and we often find ourselves changing course in mid-stream. Sometimes, we even find ourselves upstream without benefit of paddles. And a good many of us just don't do well with those sorts of changes. For this reason I urge you, no matter what your Yuletide plans involve, to keep it simple. That way, you'll truly be able to enjoy the season. What's more, you'll know that the light, warm, fuzzy feeling starting at your core and spreading through your entire being is exactly what it should be: that wondrously awesome, magical spirit of Yule—and not the early signs of complete and total holiday exhaustion!
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 5.
-
Starhawk on Tax Cuts - Immoral and Legalized Theft
Posted by: "Karen Tate" karentate108@ca.rr.com specialjourn
Tue Dec 14, 2010 1:39 pm (PST)
*Greetings,
I think its very interesting it takes aWICCAN LEADER to speak out about the morality of the politics going on in the world. And for those who might deem this post inappropriate because it's "political" - I'd ask you perhaps try to see it as commentary on ideals and morality
which in my mind are about our spirituality.
SOME OF HER QUOTES FROM THE ARTICLE....
*
**In a time of massive unemployment, huge deficits and falling income for
the middle class and the poor, tax cuts for the wealthy are a form of
legalized theft.*
* The rich benefit from society and should give back.....Moral people
give back. Moral people care for others, sharing both wealth and
burdens. Moral people ask, not "What more can I take from society" but
"What more can I contribute?
To read the whole article --
http://onfaith.washingtonpost. com/onfaith/ panelists/ starhawk/ 2010/12/moral_ people_give_ back.html? referrer= emaillink
--
Karen Tate
www.karentate.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-22579- LA-Womens- -Goddess- Spirituality- Examiner
http://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=129193467 6&ref=profile
http://www.myspace.com/karentate108
fOLLOW ME On TWITTER @karentate108
Voices of the Sacred Feminine Radio....Extended Edition
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ VoicesoftheSacre dFeminine
Voices of the Sacred Feminine Radio Program Archives
http://www.karentate.com/Tate/ radio_show. html
Author of Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations&
Walking an Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth
You-Tube....http://www. youtube.com/ isisisis13
- 6.
-
Janie rezner's guest on Women's Voices, Barbara G. Walker, author o
Posted by: "karentate108" karentate108@ca.rr.com specialjourn
Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:24 pm (PST)
[Attachment(s) from karentate108 included below]
My guest on Women's Voices, KZYX &Z, Monday, December 20, 7 pm will
beesteemed elder, scholar and author, Barbara G. Walker, discussing her
newest book, "Man Made God.This book expresses her deepest insights on
the nature and history of religion, formed over a period of many
decades, as Barbara now enters her octogenarian era.
From reviews:"Barbara Walker stands out as a leading light not only in
the world of women's spirituality and lost mythological traditions, but
also in the world of free thought. Barbara's clean and clear take on
reality via religious beliefs and ideas dating back many thousands of
years to the present is refreshing."Man Made God" is powerfully helpful
in understanding how human behavior fundamentally transitions from a
mother-child focused culture based on cooperation and kindness to a male
focused culture based on competition and fear.
It sheds light on how male dominated culture encourages abuse, violence,
war and ultimately epic human suffering. Thankfully now, with
anthropological and archeological advances, evidence of our human saga
is being resurrected from the womb, once again reminding us that our
ancestors weren't always barbaric rivals obsessed with sexual dominance
and conquering each other. We're rediscovering we were long ago
harmonious cultures of enlightened people well aware of our natural
surrounding, who honored the Great Mother; cultures that lived
harmoniously for many thousands of years with each other. A time arrived
when these cultures become systematically usurped to serve conquering
rulers and their co-conspiring religious elite.
Barbara G. Walker is also the author of The Woman's Encyclopaedia of
Myths and Secrets; she has written books on the Tarot and the I Ching
and has a wide range of texts on Knitting and Knitwear Design.But it is
this book that establishes her as one of the great scholars and erudite
communicators about the origin and the global domination of the
Christian mythology." http://stellarhousepublishing. com/manmadegod. html
Can be heard live at www.kxyz.org <http://www.kxyz.org > Pacific time and
will be archived at www.kzyx.org <http://www.kzyx.org > and
www.radio4all.net <http://www.radio4al l.net > There will be time for
call-ins.
Janie Rezner, Programmer & amp; nbsp; www.janierezner.com
<http://www.janierezner.com >
Spiritual Feminist
Warrior
&am p;nb sp;
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ø¤º°` Earthwise ø¤º°`
<:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::]]======0
The Worldwide Spirit of Paganism
in Australia, America & Worldwide!
Take a Look at Our Huge EBay Store
For all your Magickal & Ritual Supplies
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Astarte-Earthwise
___________________________________________________________________________
This Earthwise Book of Shadows group holds the expectation
that a tolerant, mature and respectful dialogue be strived
for in our communications with each other. Members are
encouraged to challenge anyone not adhering to these
principles and to notify the list owner Astarte if you are
offended by a posting, write to me at
earthwise@bigpond.com
Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________________
Earthwise is a world wide group.
We are based in Western Sydney, NSW. Australia.
Located in the valley before the beautiful Blue Mountains were
we hold sacred rituals, workshops, social events and outings,
for more information see our calendar of events at Witches Meetup
http://witches.meetup.com/1293/
___________________________________________________________________________
Astarte also works full time as a Psychic Counsellor, Medium,
Clairvoyant, Healer and Teacher.
If she can be of assistance to you, please see her home page at
www.earthwise.net.au
___________________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU CREATIVE?
Astarte is always sourcing new suppliers of quality pagan
related items, to purchase wholesale or even put on consignment,
she willing to purchase worldwide items for the Earthwise Store.
If you have something of interest please contact Astarte
earthwise@bigpond.com
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