Messages In This Digest (4 Messages)
- 1.
- The Mystery Of The Pagan Origin Of Christmas From: Silver Fox
- 2.
- The Christmas Witch From: Silver Fox
- 3.
- The Spirits And Ghosts Of Yule From: Silver Fox
- 4.
- The Yule Log From: Silver Fox
Messages
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The Mystery Of The Pagan Origin Of Christmas
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:39 am (PST)
The Mystery Of The Pagan Origin Of Christmas:
Jesus Was Not Born On December 25th But A Whole Bunch Of Pagan Gods Were
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? Most people assume that it has always been a Christian holiday and that it is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. But it turns out that Jesus was not born on December 25th. However, a whole bunch of pagan gods were born on that day. In fact, pagans celebrated a festival involving a heroic supernatural figure that visits an evergreen tree and leaves gifts on December 25th long before Jesus was ever born. From its early Babylonian roots, the celebration of the birth or "rebirth" of the sun god on December 25th came to be celebrated under various names all over the ancient world. You see, the winter solstice occurs a few days before December 25th each year. The winter solstice is the day of the year when daylight is the shortest. In ancient times, December 25th was the day each year when the day started to become noticeably longer. Thus it was fitting for the early pagans to designate December 25th as the date of the birth or the "rebirth" of the sun.
The truth is that thousands of years before there was a "Santa Claus", there was another supernatural figure who would supposedly visit a tree and leave gifts every December 25th.
His name was Nimrod.
The celebration of December 25th goes all the way back to ancient Babylon.
According to ancient Babylonian tradition, Semiramis (who eventually became known as the goddess Astarte/Asherah/Ashtoreth/ Isis/Ishtar/ Easter in other pagan religions) claimed that after the untimely death of her son/husband Nimrod (yes she was married to her own son), a full grown evergreen tree sprang up overnight from a dead tree stump. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod would visit that evergreen tree and leave gifts each year on the anniversary of his birth, which just happened to be on December 25th.
This is the true origin of the Christmas tree.
On Bibletools.org, Mike Ford describes this ancient pagan tradition about Nimrod this way....
After Nimrod's death (c. 2167 BC), Semiramis promoted the belief that he was a god. She claimed that she saw a full-grown evergreen tree spring out of the roots of a dead tree stump, symbolizing the springing forth of new life for Nimrod. On the anniversary of his birth, she said, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it.
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On that same site, John Plunkett described the ancient pagan myth regarding December 25th in this manner....
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From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great organized worldly apostasy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.
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From this original fable peddled by Semiramis (the "Queen of Heaven") came the tradition for pagans to go out to the holy "groves" and leave gifts for Nimrod (who later came to be worshipped as "Baal") at an evergreen tree.
Does that sound like a "Christian" holiday to you?
In fact, in his classic work "The Two Babylons", Alexander Hislop describes the Babylonian origins of Christmas on page 93....
"Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven. It may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ adopted the same festival. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism halfway was very early developed; and we find Tertullian, even in his day, about the year 230, bitterly lamenting the inconsistency of the disciples of Christ in this respect, and contrasting it with the strict fidelity of the Pagans to their own superstition."
In fact, the name "Yule" is the Babylonian word for "infant" or "little child" as Hislop describes on pages 93 and 94 of his book....
"That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies, with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, 'about the time of the winter solstice.' The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among us -- Yule-day -- proves at once its pagan and Babylonian origin. 'Yule' is the Chaldee name for an 'infant' or 'little child'; and as the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, 'Yule-day,' or the 'Child's-day,' and the night that preceded it, 'Mother-night, ' long before they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. Far and wide, in the realms of Paganism, was this birthday observed."
So when you offer "yuletide" greetings, you are actually acknowledging Nimrod's birthday.
The truth is that the pagan holiday of "Yule" has been celebrated by the pagans of northern Europe from late December through early January for centuries and centuries. Yule logs were traditionally lit throughout northern Europe to honor the pagan god Thor. The festival would continue until the Yule log burned out - which could take up to twelve days. This is where we get the so-called "12 days of Christmas".
In fact, Wiccans, neo-pagans and even many witches still celebrate Yule to this day. Many of them think it is incredibly funny when Christians use the pagan word Yule. Yule is one of the most important holidays for them. The following excerpt was taken from a website on witchcraft:
Birthday of the Twins:
Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) holy day. Birthday of the Twins, Heru Sa Aset and Bast, children of Aset [Isis]. Origin of Yule and Christmas. On Winter Solstice Asar [Osiris] dies. Aset [Isis] with the magick help of Nebt Het [Nephthys] creates a Djed Pillar [artificial penis] for Her husband and impregnates Herself. For three full days (December 22-24) Asar lies dead and the Twins grow in Aset's belly. On this day (December 25th) the Twins are born, the reincarnation or resurrection of Their Father. The green tree is a symbol of the green-skinned Asar, God of fertility and vegetation. The colored lights are symbols of Aset, Goddess of magick and divine light. Red, green, and white are the traditional candle colors of Bast (this was Her birthday alone for several thousand years of early Kemetic history), later being adapted to red for Aset (the color of the Mother's menstrual flow), green for Asar (the color of vegetation), and white for the Twins (the color of pure light).
So where did Christmas come from?
Well, the truth is that the word "Christmas" is not actually found anywhere in the entire Bible.
In fact, the word "Christmas" was not even invented until about a thousand years after Jesus left this earth.
The Catholic Encyclopedia even admits this....
"The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038."
But Jesus was not even born on December 25th.
The reality is that it would have simply been far too cold for shepherds to be out with their sheep at night in Israel on December 25th.
The vast majority of Christian scholars now acknowledge this.
So when was Jesus actually born?
Based on the information we have in the Scriptures, it appears that it is most likely that Jesus was born in the fall. In particular, it seems most likely that Jesus was actually born during the Feast of Tabernacles as the video posted below demonstrates....
So how did December 25th come to be celebrated by Christians?
Well, by the time the Roman Empire legalized Christianity in the 4th century, most of the other religions in the empire were celebrating the birth of their gods on December 25th.
Leading up to December 25th in ancient Rome, a festival known as Saturnalia was one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Saturnalia was a festival during which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of their god Saturn. This holiday began on the 17th of December and it would last for an entire week until the 23rd of December.
Saturnalia was typically characterized by gift-giving, feasting, singing and lots and lots of debauchery. The priests of Saturn would carry wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession throughout the pagan Roman temples.
Later on, the Romans also started holding a festival on December 25th called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, which means "the birthday of the unconquered sun." Basically it was a way for the empire to consolidate all of the December 25th "sun god" birthdays throughout the empire into one holiday.
In the year 350 A.D., Pope Julius I declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on December 25th from then on. There appears to be little doubt that Pope Julius was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans to convert to Catholicism.
However, the new holiday did not really take off with Christians at first. The widespread celebration of December 25th by Christians did not really get going until 378. It was apparently then dropped in 381 and then resurrected in 400.
But the truth is that December 25th was celebrated as the birthday of scores of pagan gods long before it was ever associated with Jesus.
As we discussed earlier, the celebration of December 25th goes all the way back to Nimrod (who eventually came to be worshipped as Baal).
Baal worship spread throughout the known world and provided the basis for all other pagan religions. The following are just some of the pagan gods that had "birthdays" on December 25th....
Mithras
Horus
Attis
Dionysus the son of Zeus
Tammuz
Hercules
Perseus
Helios
Bacchus
Apollo
Jupiter
Sol Invictus - (The "Unconquered Sun")
When the Roman Catholics decided to make December 25th a "Christian holiday" in the fourth century, they simply adopted a long standing pagan holiday and kept most of the same pagan traditions.
For example, the ancient Babylonian "Christmas tree" became known as a symbol of fertility throughout the ancient world. The pole, balls, and tinsel (phallus, testes, semen) represented various aspects of male fertility, while wreaths were always fashioned in a circle to represent female fertility.
In "The Two Babylons", Hislop describes some of the ancient traditions surrounding the Christmas tree on page 97....
"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm tree denoting the Pagan messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the sun-god and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as the 'Man the branch.' And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas Eve, and the appearance of the Christmas tree the next morning."
That sure puts a different spin on Christmas traditions, now doesn't it?
Most Christians don't even realize that God warned us about such things in the Bible.
In Jeremiah 10:1-4, God warns us against putting up these decorated trees like the pagans were doing....
Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel. This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter."
The Puritans understood this. It comes as a surprise to most Americans to learn that the Puritans once banned Christmas trees in many areas of the United States because they were considered so pagan.
According to ancient Babylonian tradition, the springtime fertility festival of Ishtar (Easter) was a time when the "Queen of Heaven" was believed to become impregnated. Nine months later the sun god would be "born" or "reborn".
To the ancient Babylonians, these holiday trees came to be worshipped as the "Queen of Heaven", and gifts were brought to the "groves" of trees that had been grown in her honor and placed beneath them as offerings.
The Babylonians also used wreaths to represent the nativity of the sun, since they were objects that depicted the "womb" of the Earth mother.
Early Christians completely rejected these traditions. In the 3rd century, Tertullian wrote the following about these pagan celebrations....
"On your day of gladness, we [Christians] neither cover our doorposts with wreaths, nor intrude upon the day with lamps. At the call of public festivity, you consider it a proper thing to decorate your house like some new brothel. We are accused of a lower sacrilege because we do not celebrate along with you the holidays ..."
The truth is that the celebration of December 25th and most of the accompanying traditions have always been pagan.
But many Christians will protest and say that it is okay for them to celebrate December 25th because to them it is all about Jesus.
That was the same excuse that Aaron used when he and most of the rest of the people of Israel worshipped the golden calf while Moses was up on the mountain getting the Law of God. Aaron actually said that the worship of the golden calf was being done to the Lord as we read in Exodus 32:5....
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD."
But we know how that turned out.
God was not pleased.
At all.
In fact, He was furious.
In the same way, God is not pleased when we celebrate pagan holidays and keep traditions that have been pagan for thousands of years.
http://unexplainedmysteriesofthewor ld.com/archives/ the-mystery- of-the-pagan- origin-of- christmas- jesus-was- not-born- on-december- 25th-but- a-whole-bunch- of-pagan- gods-were
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
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The Christmas Witch
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:39 am (PST)
The Christmas Witch
I'm a Believer - Stories of the Italian Christmas Witch Our Paesani
By Francesca Di Meglio
Italy is such a magical place for children that they receive gifts from not one but two mythical figures during the holiday season. You see in Italy, the holiday season really lasts through Jan. 6, or the Epiphany, and on that day La Befana, known to some as the Christmas witch, brings goodies to all of Italy's children. When my father was a child growing up in Ischia, a small island near Napoli, he - along with his friends - excitedly awaited the arrival of La Befana every year. They would hang their sisters' old stockings on the side of their beds, and the next morning the stockings would be filled with tangerines, chestnuts, a pencil for school and one piece of chocolate. You'd get charcoal if you were naughty - and that happened to my father one year when he was repeatedly cutting class to play soccer.
In those days, money was scarce and La Befana, was often all the people had in the way of gifts during the holiday season. But now most Italian families get a visit from Babbo Natale (Santa Clause) on Dec. 25 as well. La Befana rarely, if ever, visited our home in America when I was a kid. But whenever we spent the holidays in Italy, she arrived on her broom and we would get a few extra goodies - tangerines, chestnuts and a toy or two. I remember when I was 10 or 11, we went to Ischia for Christmas and on Jan. 6, I woke up to find a baby blue teddy bear that whispered "Ti voglio tanto bene" ("I love you very much") whenever I rubbed his belly. I never really understood why Italian children adored an ugly witch with a big nose and ugly red mole who traveled in rags via broom. But she brought me a sweet blue bear.
How bad could she be? As an adult, I learned that she's not bad at all. And the folk stories behind La Befana are heart warming. Despite her looks, she'll make a believer of anyone - and that, in a nutshell, is what the holidays are all about. Legend has it that she was an old Italian grandma-type happily cleaning her house, when three men showed up at her door. No fool, she was skeptical. She shooed them away when they said they were searching for baby Jesus, the newborn king. After a little while, she had second thoughts.
Perhaps, the men were honest and telling the truth. If so, she missed her chance to help them reach the king. She decided she should try to catch up with them. But they were long gone. So, she handed out gifts to all of the children in the neighborhood in the hopes that one of them was Jesus. Every year she goes to look for the three wise men - and most importantly baby Jesus. When she does, she leaves little surprises for the little Italian girls and boys. Some say she didn't go with the wise men because she had chores to do.
Others believe she promised to find them after she finished the housework. Still others have an entirely different version of the story. I've also heard that La Befana was a mother to a son who lived in King Herod's day. Herod reportedly decreed that each male child born was to be killed because one of them could be the new king. La Befana was so traumatized when her son was murdered that she didn't believe he was really killed. She set out in search of him carrying all of his belongings in a sack. She quickly aged from worry - her face became wrinkled, her hair turned gray and she grew to look like an old, haggard lady. She finally found a male baby in a manger and she laid out her son's belongings at the baby's feet. The baby was Jesus Christ. And He blessed the lady as "Befana," the giver of gifts. After that, every year on Jan. 5, the eve of the Epiphany, she would be mother to all of the world's children and would care for them by bringing them treats.
I personally prefer to believe that last story is the truth. Who can't feel for a grief stricken mamma? What a lovely thought that a woman who lost her baby can turn her sadness into an excuse to nurture all children, including Jesus. But you can pick your favorite legend and stick with it. That's the beauty of La Befana. Traditionally, the Epiphany or Little Christmas is a holiday for children in Italy. But the adults never give up a chance for a feast. Many family and friends go from house to house visiting one another after opening La Befana's gifts in the morning.
There are parades featuring the Christmas witch - at which she is sometimes joined by her companion Befano. The children sing songs to her and dolls are left out in the windows. Some families burn the dolls to cancel out the past year and usher in good luck. You can start your own La Befana traditions. Just leave out your old socks or shoes for her to fill on Jan. 5 - and believe!
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
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The Spirits And Ghosts Of Yule
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:39 am (PST)
The Spirits And Ghosts Of Yule
From: http://www.isisbooks.com/ghosts- of-yule.asp
By Montague Whitsel
Synopsis: The Winter Solstice has long been associated with ghosts and sprits in Pagan as well as Christian Traditions. "Christmas" has its ghosts, as does the Yule; when there are spirits behind every door and in every closet as well as dancing in the flames of candles and hearth-fires. What are these spirits and who are these ghosts, and why are mortals haunted in the tides of Winter's Solstice? In this article we will explore these questions, becoming acquainted with some of the more traditional Yuletide ghosts in Celtic traditions as well as reclaiming one of the more well-known spirit entities in our secular western "December Holiday" celebrations.
We are all familiar with 'Christmas' ghost stories – from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol to Tim Burton's "The Nightmare before Christmas." I have often been asked, though, why there should be ghosts and hauntings at this time of the year when many people want to be focused on family, the return home (either actual or in their imaginations) and deeper quests for personal and spiritual renewal. "Isn't Samhain (31 October) the night of haunting?"
One answer – at least from the perspective of Celtic mysticism & mythology – is simple, and has to do with the nature of the Winter Solstice (21 December). This festival – called Alban Arthuan in Druidic traditions – has long been thought of as a time of death & rebirth when Nature's innate powers and our own souls are renewed. This event – which marks the moment in the spiral of earthen time when the Old Sun dies (at dusk on the 21st of December) and when the Sun of the New Year is born (at dawn on the 22nd of December) – frames the longest night of the year. The birth of New Sun is thought to revivify the aura of the Earth in mystical ways, giving a new 'lease on life' to spirits and souls of the dead.
As such, Yule is probably the second most haunted time of the Celtic year, Samhain being the first. The haunting begins in early December, as if in anticipation of the rebirth of the Sun's powers. Spirits become more animated in the days leading up to Alban Arthuan (from the 6th to the 20th of December). As practitioners of earth-based spiritualities light fires in their hearths and decorate their huts of dwelling for the advent of New Sun, spirits and the deer come near, communing with us as we prepare ourselves for the death of Old Sun. These spirit-visitants gather with us near fires in the hearth and around the Yule Tree. They haunt us in the glow of the Yule's festivities.
What are the spirits and what is the 'modus operandi' of the ghosts that come to our abodes and haunt the landscapes of our inner and outer worlds at this mysterious time of the year?
This haunting is not of the same character as that which happens during the Season of Samhain; I.e., it is not a general 'walking of the dead' or even a general return of any and all ancestors & relatives, friends & lovers from beyond the veil. The spirits that come out during the Yule are often connected in one way or another with the mystical and psychic logic of the Winter Solstice Season. Yes, Celtic people are prone to experiencing visits from ancestors, relatives, spirit-guides and anamchara (soul friends) as Alban Arthuan draws nigh. Most of the spirits haunting this season, however, are closely linked to the main poetic theme of the death & rebirth of the Sun.
One of the most pervasive stories of Yuletide hauntings in Celtic traditions is that of the Sluagh-Sídhe of Brug na Bóinne. "Sluagh-Sídhe" means "People of the Sídhe." A "sídhe" is a mound or barrow where the dead have been interred. All sídhe in Celtic mythological traditions are essentially haunted; they are gateways through which spirits and souls of the dead – and even living mortals like you and I – can pass, back & forth E from one world into another. On the otherEside of the sídhe is the Otherworld; a "Land of Youth" or the "Isle of the Blessed," where living souls continue in their quest for wisdom, wholeness and self-realization. "The People of the Sídhe" is one way of naming the Faeryfolk; that strange race of people living perpetually in the sídhe or just beyond them, in ráths (partly submerged roundhouses) or dúns (Faery 'fortresses;' magical castles) in the Otherworld.
Brug na Bóinne is a great Faery Mound located in the northeast of Ireland, along the Boyne River. It is often connected to the burial mound called "Newgrange." In pre-Celtic times it functioned as a place to lay the bones of the dead to rest. Irish Celtic mystics later believed it to be the residence of a tribe of the Sluagh-Sídhe. The mound is riddled with passageways and burial niches, one of which is lined up with the rising of New Sun on the morning of 22 December. As such, Brug na Bóinne can be seen as symbolically linked into the Celtic logic of the Winter Solstice Season and the mythos of the Sun's Rebirth. Celtic saints later connected the Brug with the birth of Christ, seeing its passageways, metaphorically, as "the Cave [or Labyrinth] of the Nativity."
The Sluagh-Sídhe of Brug na Bóinne are Faery People who come out of their spectral domicile as Winter's Solstice approaches, going off to visit the hearths of devout mystics and practitioners. They are said to come in pairs, one to haunt the kitchen and one to haunt the room in which the fire glows in the hearth during the long nights leading up to Alban Arthuan. Their role is to chant magical runes and in other ways inspire mortals to keep the season of Yule well; inciting us to engage in acts of kindness, compassion and hospitality, going beyond our usual conception of what it means to be human in earthen ways. They are probably the original mythic impetus behind our persistent idea that 'elves' are connected with the Yuletide season.
The Sluagh-Sídhe of Brug na Bóinne are often said to be dressed in the traditional Celtic colors of Yule; yellow, green and red. Red and green symbolize animal and plant life, respectively. Yellow stands for the light of New Sun, and is generally not prominently displayed around the house in decorations until after Alban Arthuan.
The Sluagh-Sídhe who come to us from Brug na Bóinne bless our meals and encourage dreams of a better world as Yuletide observations clarify our spiritual perceptions. They invite other spirits that are friendly and kindly disposed to the celebration of Alban Arthuan to visit your house. They may be imagined standing at the doors of your place of dwelling, receiving spectral guests. Among these is the "Guardian of the Hearth;" the soul of a representative ancestor or anamchara (soul-friend) who will then establish a connection between your hearth and anyone you may know in the Otherworld.
Another Celtic spirit of Yule is The Wandering Stranger, also called the "Mysterious Stranger" and "The Unexpected Guest." This spectral visitor is understood as a manifestation of 'need' in the world. It usually comes to haunt us in the guise of a hard-working middle-aged man or woman not quite in great health, perhaps, as some difficulty has overtaken them in life. To dream of encountering the Wandering Stranger out of doors, perhaps along an open road, is said to signify that someone needs shelter. One response to this visitation is to do something toward the sheltering of homeless people in your area. To dream of the Wandering Stranger coming to your door may signify that you need to engage more heartily in acts of hospitality (perhaps by hosting a meal) as the Yuletide unfolds.
Sometimes the Wandering Stranger is symbolic of the mysterious presence of "the divine" in the world with us, rather than signifying 'need' or 'loss.' In this guise, the Wandering Stranger is said to come to people who need inspired to open up to wider mystical horizons at the tides of Winter's Solstice. In ancient Celtic times it was said that gods & goddesses would visit mortals in their huts of dwelling at crucial crossEroads of the year. One of the Faeryfolk might also come to visit mortals unawares, as might the local chieftain, a Druid or a Gwrach ("wise woman"; the counterpart of a Druid). To be so visited was to be honored, and so it was thought that one must be ready, at all times – according to Celtic codes of hospitality – to receive guests at one's door, whether lowly or grand.
When at home at night during the Yule (13 – 25 December), listen for strange knocks at the door; especially during storms or windy weather. The door-latch may rattle, and you think you hear a voice – not a threatening one; perhaps just a murmur or a word – but when you go to the door, there is no one there! In Celtic mysticism this is said to indicate the coming of the Mysterious Stranger. If it happens twice or thrice, you might invite the invisible presence into your abode, saying, "May the gods who sent you come and bless this hearth!" Sometimes a kind of strange 'rapping' may be heard at a windowpane on dark Yuletide nights. If you hear it – especially at a window above ground level – throw open the sash and allow the night air to flood briefly into your room. Say as you do so, "May the Mysterious Stranger come in and warm herself/himself at our hearth."
If you are out walking along a lone and rustic road or woodpath at any time during the Yule – but especially at dusk or dawn – keep your eyes open for any sign of a strange visage or 'ghost' as you go along your chosen course, as the Mysterious Stranger is wont to appear briefly to travelers during the Yule, awakening them to supernal possibilities in the mundane rounds of daily life. The Stranger sometimes comes and appears, just briefly, along a path or road you are taking, perhaps standing by a tall Oak or Willow. Yet when you turn to look, there is no one there! If this happens, say, "Hail, Mysterious One, I bless your journey; prosper mine in return." The appearance of the Mysterious Stranger is thought to signify the presence of divine beings (e.g., gods & goddesses) in your vicinity. By hailing the Stranger, you may address deities in their nearness without danger of affronting them.
Today this Mysterious Stranger may be imagined by those of us practicing earthen spiritualities in the guise of the ever-popular "Saint Nicholas" or "Santa Claus." While this idol of our materialistic and consumer-driven society has been debased into a cartoon caricature of its former mystery, there is much about the "Santa Claus" legend that is Pagan and that might still be quite edifying for those of us living close to the Earth today, provided we reclaim the stories of Santa Claus in symbolic terms. If you care to engage in such a mythic reclamation, perhaps the following story will help.
Imagine, if you will, a mystic of Christ in the 4th century CE named "Nicholas" living in what is now Turkey, along the Mediterranean coast. As he grows in spiritual awareness, he finds himself inspired to help the unfortunate, disowned children in his town. He begins to beg money from merchants to help feed and clothe the young who are living in the streets without means. At one point – and here comes the Pagan element into the story – a troop of Sluagh-Sídhe from Ireland, on quest for wisdom out in the wide world, join up with Nicholas to help him distribute food and clothing to abandoned and needy children.
These Faeries find fulfillment of their quest in this work of charity, and so they remain in Turkey until Nicholas dies. Then – by way of their Celtic magic and mysticism – they help him to crossEover into the Otherworld. Once on the Otherside, they travel 'North' in search of the place of their discarnate dwelling beyond the sídhe. Now, "north" in Celtic mythology is the direction of mystery and darkness. "Out of the north have we come, and back into it we shall go," the ancient Celts would have said. Thus it is extremely significant – from a mythical point of view – that Saint Nicholas (now Santa Claus) has his "workshop" at the "North Pole."
Once in the wild northlands, the Sluagh-Sídhe and Nicholas set up a ráth (Faery hut) as a 'home base' from which to carry on the saint's work. Using Reindeer – a manifest form of the Celtic god Cernunnos from more northerly lands – to drive a magical sleigh, they come back across the veil each year during the Yule, hoping to inspire mortals with the kind of generosity and hospitality that once characterized Nicholas's incarnate life. As these Sluagh-Sídhe, of course, got called "Elves" in English speaking countries, you can see that the stories we tell of "Santa Claus" have a certain Pagan ambiance, and that his traditional 'mission' in the world is very similar to that of the old Mysterious Stranger.
All during the Yuletide Season, a 'spirit' is growing; an aura of magic and mystery, that crescendos on the 21st of December and then maintains a climactic intensity until after midnight on 24 December; the night called Matrum Noctem ("The Night of the Great Mother"). This "spirit" is collectively called the Spirit of Yule; a term that applies to the particular anima loci of this sacred time of the earthen year. "The Spirit of Yule" is a metaphor for the Presence of Mystery among us – or perhaps a symbol of the essence of the Universe itself – becoming present to us in our devout earthen sojourns near the Hearth and the Yule Tree as Old Sun's powers wane.
Just as all of the Faeryfolk (Elves) of Yule may be seen to come from Brug na Bóinne, so all of the general spirits that haunt us during the Yule can be said to be manifestations of this "Spirit of Yule." This is the 'spirit' that inspires visions of a better world in our hearts and minds. It causes magical apparitions meant to inspire us with joy and encourage us to throw off our shackles and any self-imposed limitations with which we may be struggling. It is the 'spirit' of psychic clarification that aids us in our soul's quest for rebirth & renewal; a degree of transformation or perhaps self-realization each year as we path our way through the Yule to the thresholds of Alban Arthuan and beyond. To be inspired to keep the Yule in Pagan Celtic ways is to be infused with this "Spirit of Yule," which is to say, "to be attuned to the Mystery of the Universe as it presences to us."
The Spirit of Yule often becomes manifest in the hearth. The hearth has long been a Celtic icon of authentic domestic life, signifying the value of earthen dwelling. It was thought of as the 'center' of the house and the 'heart' of the household's collective psyche. To gather around the hearth during the long nights leading up to Alban Arthuan is to draw close to the source of life itself; for – in Celtic oghams of Wisdom – "life begins in a spark; a fire is the light of the soul."
"The Spirits in the Hearth" are a characteristic theme in Celtic tales of the Yule. This is because the fire in the hearth is thought to attract spirits of all kinds; elves and helping-spirits, gnomes and faery-lights, spriggans and leprechauns, and many others. Thus the hearth is a good place to sit and engage in anal- duccaid (i.e., "breath prayer"; meditation) during the Yule. There you can commune with these spirits and engage in taghairm (i.e., "divination"), seeking wisdom from these spectral visitors.
If you have a fireplace and the space to spare in front of it, cast a ritual circle. Then imagine Spirits of the Hearth dancing with you as you go round and round. Imagine such spirits leading you on out-of-body journeys, perhaps running with great reindeer herds through the wilderlands or maybe going in search of the Ráth of Nicholas at the top of the world, hoping for a glimpse of the Faery-Workshop!
If you do not have a hearth in your house or apartment, set up a "Yule Table" with plenty of candles on it, along with various symbols of the Season (e.g., pine cones, evergreens, a sprig of mistletoe, holly and cinnamon sticks, etc.). Consecrate this table by sprinkling it with salty water in the name of Mabon, a Divine Child in Celts myths and the god of Winter's Solstice. Then practice anal-duccaid (i.e., "meditation"), either sitting before the table or on a chair near it, seeking to commune with the Spirits of the Hearth. Cast a circle in front of the Yule Table and then dance, going off on wild, imagined journeys during the dark nights leading up to Alban Arthuan (21 December).
The Yule Tree is another place where the Spirit of Yule becomes present to us as Winter's Solstice draws near. Though originally a Germanic custom, the erection of a pine tree in the house during December has been adopted into the mysticism of many spiritual traditions around the world. This tree, being green and never losing its needles, represents the powers of life that never fade and never wane during dark, cold seasons. The Yule Tree is a representative of the primary masculine forces in the Earth, just as the Hearth (or Yule Table) represents the primary feminine forces in Nature. By bringing it into the house we invite this ever-present natural power into our abode, to keep us 'charged' and healthy as Old Sun dies and then as New Sun grows in power after Alban Arthuan.
Bring the Yule Tree into the house on the 14th of December; the Second Day of Yule, which is called "Cedar Day" or "Lighting Day" in "the Thirteen Dayes of Yule" (for a description of this spiritual paradigm based on ancient Celtic symbolism, see my book, The Fires of Yule, 2001). One old custom is to decorate it in the evening and then "leave it alone" until midnight, at which point you may return to the room where it is set up and turn on the lights on the tree. Then sing an olden carol (a song intended to accompany circle dancing). At this point the Yule Tree is said to "come to life." It will now be filled with the Spirit of Yule and remain green until after Matrum Noctem (the night of 24 December).
It is at this point that the Yule Tree becomes the "house of Yuletide spirits" in our mortal dwellings. The Tree itself represents both this world and the Otherworld, in that it normally grows in natural soils, but is now being 'fed' in part by the basic power of reality, called shunnache in Celtic mysticism. The Yule Tree is also a 'house' for any spirits that have come to stay with us during the Yule. You can imagine that you "see" these spirits in the blinking of the lights and in the light reflected in the shiny glass ornaments and other trinkets adorning the tree.
When you trim the Yule Tree, think of its mystical symbolism and decorate it accordingly. As the tree itself is important as a symbol of the presence of 'life,' try to avoid so covering the Yule Tree with wrappings (e.g., angel hair or foil icicles, etc.) and garlands that the green of the tree ends up obscured from view. Consider trimming the Yule Tree in such a way that the tree itself is primarily what you see when the lights are unlit, but so that there is as much light as possible reflected in the various decorations when the lights are lit up. This will facilitate the impression that this natural icon is 'alive' with the Spirit of Yule, thus encouraging mystical communion with the spirits that dwell in it.
Another manifestation of the Spirit of Yule is what is called the Gifting Stag; a revelation of Cernunnos, the Horned God of the Celts – at the tides of Winter's Solstice. This Stag comes to inspire moderation and balance in our hearts as Alban Arthuan approaches. This is necessary, as it is so easy to go to extremes as the days get darker and we find ourselves seeking for ways to keep ourselves buoyant and more or less on an even keel, emotionally and mentally. We can go toward excess in our decorating, in our eating and drinking, and in our buying of gifts. What the Gifting Stag represents is a spirit of good sense as the days get darker and ever shorter. He comes to show us a 'middle path' through the wildwood of spiritual desires at the darkest time of the earthen year.
The Gifting Stag usually shows up on the eve of the 6th of December, the Feast of Nicholas and the Elves. The Stag may be imagined as standing at the edge of the woods in the Otherworld that surround our place of dwelling in this world, peering in toward (usually) the kitchen window, his eyes flaming yellow with compassion and spiritual succor! If he appears to you – in either dream or apparition – accept him as an anamchara for your journey toward Winter's Solstice.
On the 13th of December – the First Day of Yule – the Gifting Stag may be imagined as coming to the side door of the house and 'knocking' with either his hoof or his antler. If you hear such a 'knock' near dusk on this day, go to the door and open it, saying, "Hail Cernunnos, Stag of the Wildwood, come to our hearth, we pray you." Then, as you proceed through the Season of Yule, imagine the Gifting Stag as standing by your Hearth (Yule Table) or Yule Tree whenever you need to regain a sense of natural or spiritual verve as the days wane away. The Season of Yule is a time to go into darkness and experience its wonders and its power; but we must adjust to this lack of light if we are to avoid getting either depressed or else too listless to enjoy the Season's deep spiritual ambiance. Seeing the Gifting Stag as an icon of what it means to be 'balanced' as you journey through the Yule can aid you in this adjustment.
As Pine is an ancient icon of this god, to bring the Yule Tree into the house is also to invite the Gifting Stag to come and dwell with you. If you go out to select your own Yule Tree – perhaps at a local Christmas Tree farm or at a Mall parking lot, for instance – invoke the Gifting Stag when making your selection. He knows which tree is best for you; just as he is said to know what you need during any particular Yuletide Season – and he will help you to attain it, if you allow him to be your guide. If you spot deer in a snowy field or along the road as you bring the Tree home, consider yourself 'visited' by the Gifting Stag. After you set up the Yule Tree and decorate it, chant the names of Cernunnos as an evening anal-duccaid (meditation). You might repeat these names, for instance: "Herne—Cernunnos— Downie Hornie" each day at dusk near the Yule Tree. Chanting his names, you may experience a deep communion developing between yourself and this mythic icon of Yuletide moderation and balance.
As the Season of Yule passes, The Gifting Stag will help you maintain a sense of decorum in the midst of revelry. It is important at the tides of Winter's Solstice not to exhaust yourself, as most people experience a falling-off of vigor and energy as the days grow ever darker. It is absolutely ridiculous that, in our society, the "Holidays" of December have become such a hyperactive time! Too many people allow themselves to get caught up in endless tasks and activities. No wonder people experience such exhaustion at this time of the year! Pagans should know better, however. If you desire, ask the Gifting Stag to help you maintain a more contemplative approach to the keeping of Yule.
If you celebrate the Yule in a quieter, more contemplative way, you will find that you have lots of energy for the all night dancing, caroling and magical rites of Alban Arthuan. These celebrations may begin at dusk on 21 December and need not end until dawn the next morning. A good way to begin this night's festivities is by lighting a fire in the hearth (or else by lighting the candles on the Yule Table) about half an hour before dusk. Then, chant the names of Winter Solstice deities (perhaps "Mabon—Coventina—Nerthus—Bran" ) and sing songs that reflect your connection with the mysteries of the Yuletide Season. Then, set up your circle and begin with a spiral dance, going widdershins (counterclockwise) to represent the death of Old Sun. After Midnight, dances should then turn deosil (clockwise) to symbolize the coming birth of New Sun.
As dusk turns to night, invoke the spirits and ghosts of Yule that we have discussed in these pages, inviting them to "become present" to you in imaginative ways. If you know the name of your "Guardian of the Hearth," invoke their name and pour them a glass of good wine or beer. Set this glass by the hearth or on the Yule Table at dusk. If you want, drink it at midnight in honor of your Guardian. This is said to insure that the spiritual revels that take place around your hearth and Yule Tree during the next few nights will bring no harm to you or anyone else living under your roof. This is an old ritual and may be one myth behind the secular custom of leaving an offering out for Nicholas and his Elves on Christmas Eve.
A rush of spiritual energy is released at the birth of New Sun at dawn on the 22nd of December, as a result of which it is believed spirits & ghosts become much more active for the next few days, presencing to mortals more frequently than they did before Alban Arthuan. It is during these days that the ghosts of relatives and ancestors, lovers and friends usually come visiting. Then – beginning on the 26th of December – all of these discarnates will begin to grow quiet and then depart, going back beyond the sídhe. At dusk on this day, say "farewell" to the Gifting Stag. At last, on the night of the 6th of January, say goodbye to all of the Sluagh-Sídhe (Elves) who have spent the Yule in your place of dwelling, as they must return by midnight to their spectral homes in "the Hinterlands" and to Brug na Bóinne.
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.
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The Yule Log
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:40 am (PST)
The Yule Log
By Tomm Larson
http://www.ehow.com/about_ 5436153_yule- log-traditions. html
Need an excuse for a Christmas party? How about a "traditional" excuse. If this year's party is already planned, add this old tradition to it. Burning a Yule log is probably the oldest Christmas tradition there is. It started even before the first Christmas. Celebrating Yule means no work as long as the special log burns. It does require gathering family, friends and neighbors for songs and stories, dances and romances, feasts and fun.
At first, burning a Yule log was a celebration of the winter solstice. In Scandinavia, Yule ran from several weeks before the winter solstice to a couple weeks after. This was the darkest time of year, and the people celebrated because days would start getting longer after the solstice. There was quite a bit of ritual and ceremony tied to the Yule log, for it marked the sun's rebirth from its southern reaches. The Yule log gets its name from the Scandinavian tradition, but the ritual burning of a special log during winter solstice took place as far west as Ireland, as far south as Greece, and as far north as Siberia.
In the fourth century AD When Pope Julius I decided to celebrate Christmas around the Winter Solstice, the Yule log tradition continued, but the fire came to represent the light of the Savior instead of the light of the Sun.
On or about Christmas eve, a big log was brought into a home or large hall. Songs were sung and stories told. Children danced. Offerings of food and wine and decorations were placed upon it. Personal faults, mistakes and bad choices were burned in the flame so everyone's new year would start with a clean slate. The log was never allowed to burn completely, a bit was kept in the house to start next years log. The log brought good luck. Any pieces that were kept protected a house from fire, or lightning, or hail. Ashes of the log would be placed in wells to keep the water good. Ashes were also placed at the roots of fruit trees and vines to help them bear a good harvest.
The log also predicted bad luck. If the fire went out before the night was through, tragedy would strike the home in the coming year. If its flame cast someone's shadow without a head, supposedly that person would die within the year.
The burning of the Yule log marked the beginning of Christmas celebrations. In Appalachia, as long as the log, or "backstick" burned you could celebrate. Often a very large "backstick" was chosen and soaked in a stream to ensure a nice long celebration. In the early nineteenth century, American slaves didn't have to work as long as the Yule log burned, so they would choose the biggest, greenest log they could find. If they did have to work while it burned their master had to pay them for the work.
In England the log was supposed to burn for the twelve days of Christmas, from Christmas eve on December 24th to Epiphany on January 6th. Some English Yule logs were large enough that a team of horses were required to drag it to the castle or manor. Some English preferred a log from an ash tree. In the Slavic and other countries oak was the wood of choice. Almost everywhere, the fire was started with that bit of the last year's log, to symbolize continuity and the eternal light of heaven.
In some parts of France, a special carol was sung when the log was brought into the home. The carol prayed for health and fertility of mothers, nanny-goats, ewes, and an abundant harvest. Of course the French were probably the first to eat their yule logs. They started out burning them like everyone else, but when big open fireplaces began to disappear in France, they moved the tradition to the table by making a cake roll that looked like a Yule log, called a "Buche de Noel".
You have a choice. You can burn your yule log like the English. Or if you don't have a fireplace, you can eat it like the French. If you don't need anymore Christmas goodies around the house, you can light a special candle as they do in Denmark and Norway. Or you can use a decorated log as a center piece like the Italian "ceppo". However you mark your Yuletide, the spirit of the tradition requires gathering family and friends for a warm and cheery celebration.
Burning rites in Europe were common during the Dark Ages, and the Yule Log is most likely another example of a Pagan Ritual being slowly converted into a Christian Tradition. On the darkest day of year, the Winter Solstice, peasants would light a large log on fire to help keep away the evil spirits as they waited through the longest night for the sun to rise.
This marked the sun's victory over darkness; the days would now grow longer. The cinders from the burnt log were thought to protect homes from lightning and the evil powers of the devil.
Later, as Christianity spread, the tradition become more closely associated with Christmas, especially in England where Father Christmas is often seen carrying the Yule Log.
In pagan times different woods were burned to produce different effects:
Aspen: invokes understanding of the grand design
Birch: signifies new beginnings
Holly: inspires visions and reveals past lives
Oak: brings healing, strength, and wisdom
Pine: signifies prosperity and growth
Willow: invokes the Goddess to achieve desires
Sources for the History of the Yule Log:
http://www.ridgenet.org/Szaflik/ history.htm
http://www.bsu.edu/web/01bkswar tz/xmaspub. html
http://crystalforest3.homestead. com/craftsYULELO G.html
The custom of burning the yule log began with the ancient Scandinavians who once a year burned a huge log in honor of their god Thor. After they became Christians, they made the yule log an important part of their Christmas ceremonies. The word yule came to stand for Christmas. In some countries lively ceremonies accompanied the custom of dragging the great log into the house. It was considered good luck to keep an unburned part of the log to light the next year's yule log. This unburned portion was also thought to protect the home from lightning and fire during the year.
Remember your friends at Christmas with a yule log. Choose a small log and secure greenery on top. Wrap with a red crepe paper bow. Attach the yule log legend so they will know that you wish them luck in the coming year.
A jelly roll, pumpkin roll, or ice cream roll can be frosted brown and decorated to resemble a yule log.
A Yule log is a large log that originally burned during a pagan holiday called Yule. Adopted by Christianity, it was then burned on a hearth as a way of celebrating Christmas in Europe. People believed that burning the log would bring prosperity in the coming year. Yule logs also expanded into new traditions and conformed to a more modern world. Whichever tradition or religion is practiced, the burning of the Yule log continues.
Winter Solstice
Winter solstice, or Yule as it was known in ancient times, celebrates the light and the sun's rebirth each solar year. According to "Yule: Customs and Traditions" by Julia O'Farrell, Celtic pagans used oak logs, decorated with mistletoe, ribbons and other like items, to burn for 12 days during winter solstice. Traditionally they tossed the ashes on fields or put them inside amulets. The Celts kept a piece of the charred log to light the new log in the coming solstice. The tradition changed somewhat in that the log usually burns for 12 hours now instead of 12 days.
Tradition in France
French families used the Yule-log burning as a way to bring the family together. Cherry wood was the favored choice. Families cut and burned a piece of the log each night for 12 nights. However, according to the France Guide website, burning the log was largely discontinued in the 19th century when iron stoves replaced fireplaces in homes. Instead, a small log decorated the table as a centerpiece surrounded by greenery. Furthermore, the French created a chocolate Yule-log dessert, colored to look like wood, decorated and served during the holiday.
Great Britian's Version
The British prefer a dried oak log, stripped of its bark before burning. They also gave the Yule log different names, among them "The Mock." Some places do not use logs at all, but instead bundle twigs together for burning. This practice comes from the legend of shepherds burning twigs to keep Mary, Joseph and Jesus warm.
Electronic Yule Log
The newest tradition of burning the Yule log, created by Fred Thrower of WPIX in 1966, is a televised broadcast of a burning Yule log. Thrower originally created the broadcast for New Yorkers, who did not have fireplaces to burn an actual log. This electronic Yule log broadcasts to Canada and the United States and is accompanied by Christmas music and the sound of a crackling fire. It syndicates all over the United States on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Other companies have since offered their own versions of the Yule log on video or DVD.
Scents
Different things sprinkled on Yule logs create scents while it burns. For example, the French traditionally sprinkle the log with wine for a nice aroma. Other spices, salts and oils sprinkled sparingly work well, too. This tradition depends on the preferences of whoever is burning the log.
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
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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
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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.
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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
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