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| Volume I No. 6 November 27, 2004 |
| Of Ducklings and Swans - continued How can modern mystics and neopagans use this season of Advent in our own spiritual journey? Certainly, we cannot ignore the full tilt of commercial and religious orgy that happens in the West from now until late December, and most of us have no wish to spurn the holiday lights and festivities. I, for one, love parties, gift-giving, eggnog, and my own holiday birthday! Then again, for many of us, there is the melancholy which inevitably accompanies so much tradition and nostalgia. Grief for failed relationships and broken homes, disappointments and separation, feelings of inadequacy and lack, are intensified, more difficult to face, during this time. For many years I approached December with a wild mix of emotions, and was basically relieved when January rolled around. With so much emotion tied to things from our past, perhaps it is wise for us to create our own observances and traditions, practices which build within us peace, contentment, fulfillment, reverence and awe at the miracles of life and love. If you are blessed with family and friends, you may want to create ways which can be shared, building community. But you will also benefit by having simply, personal practices which can sustain you if you are alone, or if you wish to keep your devotional path private. For the next four weeks Osireion will explore and suggest ways to maintain our equilibrium in the sometimes overwhelming dark, and ways to prepare for the coming of the Child of Light. For this first Sunday in Advent, here is a very simple suggestion. Make a tiny altar area in your bedroom (I have one on my dresser by the bed) with a votive candle and a sprig of evergreen from your yard. At bedtime light the candle and breathe the scent of the evergreen. Simply gaze at the candle flame and take in the warmth and promise of its light. Let the sprig be a connection to the majestic earth, a reminder of the eternal nature of life and its ever-returning vigor. If you have a gesture of self-blessing, touch yourself with the sprig, and wave your hands over the light as our Jewish mothers have done on the Sabbath. Do this each evening to re-awaken your sense of your own sacredness. Begin to remember again that your spark of light comes from none other than All-That-Is. Tend your flame. For family use, make your little altar the center of a family spot such as the dinner table. Add whatever else you feel might capture the imagination and interest of children. Have someone light the candle before the meal, telling something which makes the flame in their heart get larger. At the end of the meal, extinguish the candle and discuss what darkness means, how it makes us feel. End by having someone touch each person with the evergreen as a benediction/blessing. To delve in further, here are just a few links to a world of information about solar deities and the solstice observations of many cultures around the world. http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa122397b.htm http://www.geomancy.org/quarter&cross/winter_solstice.html http://www.hermes3.net/dec404.htm http://www.artarena.force9.co.uk/yalda.htm http://www.druidry.org/obod/festivals/arthan.html http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/yule/ws_candc_festivals.html http://www.gaelsong.com/arc_WinterSolstice2003.html http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta11.htm Sekhmet lives and writes in South Carolina, and is the founder of Osireion.com; She is a lifelong seeker and mystic, wiccan in practice, with years of study in creative consciousness.; For more information, write sekhmet@osireion.com. |
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| Winter Solstice: an Advent of Awakenings
Most students of comparative religions are aware that the darkest night of the year, the Winter Solstice on or around December 21, has inspired dread and joy from prehistoric times. Over and over noted archaeological sites are found to be built in such a way as to mark key dates such as the solstices and equinoxes. The earliest recorded Middle and Near Eastern mystery cults commonly included worship of a deity who was born in the deep of winter, when the nights were longest. Mithras, Jesus, Sol Invictus, Dionysus, Horus, Osiris, Apollo, and Helios are best known. Many other cultures and religions, from the Celtic lands to the Indus peoples of India, observed sacred mythos at the time of solstice (http://www.echoedvoices.org/Dec2001/DecSolstice.html). In my own family, largely Lutheran for the past four centuries, this weekend was the first Sunday in Advent, from the Latin words adventus, meaning “arrival,” and advenire, meaning “arrive” or “come to.” We cut lots of holly from the two huge bushes in our yard and decorated candle wreaths to use until Christmas. Each Sunday we lit a candle, until a ring of four candles was lighted. At midnight on Christmas Eve the fifth candle was lit to signify the arrival of the Christ Child in the world. During this four-to five week period we were taught that Advent was a time of preparation for the coming of the Light of the World. --continued below |
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| Veni, veni, Emmanuel (Come, come, God with us) --Latin, 9th century |
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