Baldor, Divine Plants, Mithraism & Christmas

[Dillinger]

We cast the circle of ancient lore;
Waves upon a timeless shore.
With no beginning, nor an end;
It always knows a foe from friend.
Oroboros, of legends old;
Rings of power, forged in gold.
Circle of Life, ring of stones;
Cycle of creation, birth to bones.
A ring around the silv'ry Moon;
We cast you now, o ancient rune!

Happy holidays my friends... its all more ancient then most realize - its all more pagan then most care to believe. It is stag and maiden. it is trees and fertility, it is death and rebirth again and again and again...

Do you know that as late as 1800, some devout Christian sects, like the Puritans, forbade their members from celebrating Christmas because it was considered a pagan holiday?

Most, if not all, the rites and customs of Christmas that are celebrated nowadays come from ancient - and often pagan - traditions. (Don't you think that the Big G-O-D could have thought of something original... but hey, why mess with what works, just take it over and call it your own.) These are just a few...

In Scandinavia the evergreen tree was the special plant of their sun god, Baldor and they hung apples from evergreen trees at the winder solstice to remind themselves that spring and summer will come again. Yultide was their ancient festival that celebrated the return of the sun. Part of this festival was the burning of the Yule Log. It was supposed to burn for 12 days... hence the 12 days of Christmas.

Mistletoe is from an ancient Druid custom at the winter solstice. Mistletoe was considered a divine plant and it symbolized love and peace. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is Druid in origin.

Guardians of the East (South, West, North), Powers of Air
(Fire, Water, Earth), we thank you
For joining in our circle
And we ask for your blessing
As you depart
May there be peace between us
Now and forever. Blessed be.

It is the wheel... it is the cosmos... it is primal unending liquid life...It is whatever you want and deeper then you know...

Pagans of old honored the beliefs of others - they were the most open and accomodating religion. Honor your friends by honoring their beliefs... honor your friends parents by honoring THEIR beliefs... it matters not whether you're in a church or synagogue or dancing under the stars...

As for me, on Christmas Eve? I'll be out, as always, HOWLING at the moon.

(Raising the symbolic Athame to the sky and touching it to the earth.)

The circle is open, but unbroken,
May the peace of the Goddess
Go in your hearts,
Merry meet, and merry part...............
And merry meet again. Blessed be.

Oh - and BTW - December 25th? That was Mithrais' birthday long before it was Jesus' (the actual choice of December 25 for Christmas was made under the Emperor Aurelian because this was the date of the Winter Solstice and was the day devotees of Mithras celebrated the dies natalis solis invicti - birthday of the invincible sun).

Hail Eris, All Hail Discordia.

It's all about the SUN baby!

I bless Ra the fierce Sun burning bright
I bless Isis-Luna in the night
I bless the air, the Horus Hawk
I bless the Earth on which I walk.

More?

How Saturnalia became Christmas - http://www.geocities.com/sisteroffortune/Saturnalia.htm

Solstice Celebrations - http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa122397b.htm

Christmas: a multicultural festival - http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/christmas/#pagan

 

[Ms Santa Claus]

Too many people accept the traditions they are brought up with as fact, never finding out the true orgin of them...

good post.

 

[Cleopatra]

I love when people find the incredible connections to our past, and hopefully, to our future.

Thanks, Dilly.

 

[Epiphany]

Very informative.....ty Dilly.


And Happy Holidays to you and those you love.

 

[zipman]

I never understood all the words to this Jethro Tull song until rather recently. I thought it might fit well in this thread.


Cup of Wonder

May I make my fond excuses for the lateness of the hour,
but we accept your invitation, and we bring you Beltane's flower.
For the May Day is the great day, sung along the old straight track.
And those who ancient lines did lay will heed the song that calls them back.

Pass the word and pass the lady, pass the plate to all who hunger.
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, pass the cup of crimson wonder.

Ask the green man where he comes from, ask the cup that fills with red.
Ask the old grey standing stones that show the sun its way to bed.
Question all as to their ways, and learn the secrets that they hold.
Walk the lines of nature's palm crossed with silver and with gold.

Pass the cup and pass the lady, pass the plate to all who hunger.
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, pass the cup of crimson wonder.

Join in black December's sadness, lie in August's welcome corn.
Stir the cup that's ever-filling with the blood of all that's born.
But the May Day is the great day, sung along the old straight track.
And those who ancient lines did lay will heed this song that calls them back.

Pass the word and pass the lady, pass the plate to all who hunger.
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, pass the cup of crimson wonder.

 

[Guest]

absolutely right...

but dude, boil the frog one degree at a time. IME, the best way to broach Christian understanding of the true meaning of christmas is to educate them about Christ's birth. Just dropping all the flowery, huggy Pagan stuff on them with no factual basis or rationale is a little too pop-wicca (or un-wicca) for me.

 

[Dillinger]

Re: absolutely right...

but dude, boil the frog one degree at a time. IME, the best way to broach Christian understanding of the true meaning of christmas is to educate them about Christ's birth. Just dropping all the flowery, huggy Pagan stuff on them with no factual basis or rationale is a little too pop-wicca (or un-wicca) for me.

Ah dudess... I've been boiling that particular frog for over 4 years here now.

 

[Dillinger]

Good connection. I love Tull. Great song.

I never understood all the words to this Jethro Tull song until rather recently. I thought it might fit well in this thread.


Cup of Wonder

May I make my fond excuses for the lateness of the hour,
but we accept your invitation, and we bring you Beltane's flower.
For the May Day is the great day, sung along the old straight track.
And those who ancient lines did lay will heed the song that calls them back.

Pass the word and pass the lady, pass the plate to all who hunger.
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, pass the cup of crimson wonder.

Ask the green man where he comes from, ask the cup that fills with red.
Ask the old grey standing stones that show the sun its way to bed.
Question all as to their ways, and learn the secrets that they hold.
Walk the lines of nature's palm crossed with silver and with gold.

Pass the cup and pass the lady, pass the plate to all who hunger.
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, pass the cup of crimson wonder.

Join in black December's sadness, lie in August's welcome corn.
Stir the cup that's ever-filling with the blood of all that's born.
But the May Day is the great day, sung along the old straight track.
And those who ancient lines did lay will heed this song that calls them back.

Pass the word and pass the lady, pass the plate to all who hunger.
Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, pass the cup of crimson wonder.

 

[killallhippies]

yeah, but i don't care. i just want my fucking presents.

 

[sweet soft kiss]

Hello there Mr. Dill...A Happy Winter Solstice to you ..

 

[Byron In Exile]

I'm partial to A Passion Play and Thick as a Brick, but Songs from the Wood certainly works for this occasion...

Cool thread, Mr. D!

Happy Solstice, which according to the US Naval Observatory is due to occur in about two minutes, at 12:42 PM UTC. (4:42 AM PST, 7:42 AM EST)

For those with rituals which may want to be accurately timed, here are the Equinox and Solstice dates and times for 1992-2020:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.html

 

[angelika]

Dilly

Very nice thread!

Happy Howling!!

 

[Dillinger]

HOWWWWWLLLLL!!!

I saw the best minds of every generation celebrated by madness, egg-nog naked, dragging tannenbaums through the streets at dawn looking for multi-coloured lights, startopped shoppers burning for the ancient heavenly connection they have lost to the rites and reasons for their being.

 

[NonSexWithHer]

Wouldn't it be funny if instead of Christianity we'd picked Mithraism?

Headbands for everyone!

 

[Dillinger]

Wouldn't it be funny if instead of Christianity we'd picked Mithraism?

Headbands for everyone!

YES!!! And we'd all be wearing psychopompadours and celebrating Mithramas on the sixteenth day of the seventh month! (And listening to the White Stripes, of course - 7th son and all that.)