solstice

[Norman Albers]

I feel the solstice, the low sun and gathering cold; I appreciate our lights. Religion must honor the physical or it is perverse.

[Mr Skeptic]

Shall we celebrate in the Saturnalia spirit?

[Norman Albers]

Pray, tell! I claim to be a born-again-pagan and am not sure if I need a THEOLOGY.

[Realitycheck]

Religion must honor the physical or it is perverse.

 

The physical is definitely something to be reckoned with.

[Norman Albers]

Goddamn betcha. Pangloss, where are you when I need you? Sayonara, dig it, babe!!

[Ophiolite]

I feel the solstice, the low sun and gathering cold;

You sound sad. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder)

[Norman Albers]

Ophiolite, yes that is part of what I feel every solstice, and I find it important to honor such feelings. Especially in recent years I welcome this and try to find ritual expressions, like Paul Winter playing music in Grace Cathedral. He rings in the "turning of the light" with crashing gongs and bluesy saxophone. The entire crowd howls like wolves.

[JohnB]

Shall we celebrate in the Saturnalia spirit?

Of course.

 

All together now,

 

"Bad King Atrius looked out,

On the slopes of Pindus,

Lightning came and rubbed him out,

Blowing him to cinders.

 

Atrius the silly sod,

Came to Jove's attention,

People who offend a God,

Don't collect a pension."

 

(Apologies to Tom Holt.)

 

You gotta love that old time religion.

[Phi for All]

Know what's good for you when you're feeling sad? Haiku.

[Norman Albers]

Lovely, my friends. I honor all my emotions, and have learned to see the word as "that which moves me to motion". Grateful for the Blues, verse 1: "When the way is dark, with no sign to show... and nobody can find the right way to go, I feel something inside me rise up like a snake. It rattles me deep, saying, "Take this on faith! I will show you the truth, if you'll pay me the dues. Are you ready, to be grateful... for the Blues?" Now, in the spirit of JohnB, Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, and had a symmetry-breaking fall. Unification finally came, so Humpty's back on the wall again!"

 

Here's a little European history: <A time of magic.

In many cultures, customs practiced at Christmas go back to pre-Christian times. Many involve divination--foretelling the future at a magic time: the season turning of solstice.

 

In Russia, there's a Christmas divination that involves candles. A girl would sit in a darkened room, with two lighted candles and two mirrors, pointed so that one reflects the candlelight into the other. The viewer would seek the seventh reflection, then look until her future would be seen.

The early Germans built a stone altar to Hertha, or Bertha, goddess of domesticity and the home, during winter solstice. With a fire of fir boughs stoked on the altar, Hertha was able to descend through the smoke and guide those who were wise in Saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those at the feast.

 

In Spain, there's an old custom that is a holdover from Roman days. The urn of fate is a large bowl containing slips of paper on which are written all the names of those at a family get-togehter. The slips of paper are drawn out two at a time. Those whose names are so joined are to be devoted friends for the year. Apparently, there's often a little finagling to help matchmaking along, as well.

 

In Scandinavia, some families place all their shoes together, as this will cause them to live in harmony throughout the year.

 

And in many, many cultures, it's considered bad luck for a fire or a candle to go out on Christmas Day. So keep those candles burning!>

[Pangloss]

Goddamn betcha. Pangloss, where are you when I need you? Sayonara, dig it, babe!!

 

Well I dunno, for me the Solstice is kind of a year-round event.

 

[Norman Albers]

Careful, that giant salt flat in Bolivia (Salar de Uyuni) which is used to calibrate GPS heights has a long-scale hump of seventy centimeters' variation. Don't take it too fast!!

[Norman Albers]

Getting there is clearly another story: http://neeladri.wordpress.com/2006/10/12/stremnaya-road-yungas-road-the-roads-of-death/.

[doG]

Tis time for Yule. Someone light the log and spike the eggnog....

[Norman Albers]

Another glass for our friend doG. My brother grew up to Sesame Street, so here's an add your own verse poem: "Bend and stretch, reach for the stars. There goes Jupiter, here's my arse, Caught on this planet so blue and so fair, except we're spoiling the water and air!"

[Realitycheck]

From the frigid reaches of the netherworld Pluto to the basking Mercury in front row seating, we see hear and feel the source of our needing, Mother whose milk pours on the grinning.

 

Get it? Milk -> cows -> Hindus -> belief in multiple deities -> pagans

Oh well, you get the picture

[Norman Albers]

Q-Q-Quite C-C-C-Cool!!

[Taq_is_hot]

(to the tune of "We Wish you a Merry Christmas)

We wish you a merry solstice

we wish you a merry solstice

we wish you a merry solstice

and a happy new year

 

Good tidings we bring

to you and the sun

good tidings of insolation

that won't last for long!

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA! I wrote half of that myself and the other half was from some parody I heard on the raido.

 

I have always been curious as to why Pagans celebrate the solstice. I never really understood why. All I know is that way up nawth here at 43 degrees it feels dark in the winter! I need my sunlight or I zzzzzzzzzzzzz...maybe it has to do with wishing for sunlight LOL or maybe during the summer one its praising how much daylight there is...but what about those who live on the equator??????

[swansont]

Did everyone have a happy perihelion yesterday?

[doG]

I have always been curious as to why Pagans celebrate the solstice. I never really understood why. All I know is that way up nawth here at 43 degrees it feels dark in the winter! I need my sunlight or I zzzzzzzzzzzzz...maybe it has to do with wishing for sunlight LOL or maybe during the summer one its praising how much daylight there is...but what about those who live on the equator??????

 

Yule was a celebration of the passing of the shortest day. The time in the year when the days would begin to get longer.