Blessed Yule
I raise a glass of good dark beer to toast the holiday of Yule, the winter Solstice. In honor of the occasion, I wear my three year old blue-green dress from Victoria's Secret.
Green is the color that symbolizes the cardinal direction north, the fundamental element earth, plant life, and the feminine essence that bears and sustains life.
If you have ever lived in the far north where days are extremely short this time of year, you'll know why celebrations that honor the seasons are important. Winter used to be deadly and still can be for those who aren't prepared. For the last hundred years rail transportation and modern food storage have enabled food surpluses to reach consumers to the advantage of both. Winter can even be exploited for outdoor sports and tourism as long as everything works. Here in the subtropical Gulf Coast, winter can often be negligible or a brief nuisance, but summer is usually five to six months of very hot weather that brings thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, or droughts, dust storms and wildfires.
For those who honor the old ways, red is the color that symbolizes the cardinal direction south, the metaphysical element fire, animal life, blood, and the male essence that initiates life and kills to hunt for food, defend its own kind ,and fight off rivals. Blood and fire are the ways of war and also represent the violent acts of Nature such as storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, and death that are necessary for life to continue.
Yellow is the color of the risen sun and represents the cardinal direction east and the element air. For over two hundred years we have known that air is really a mixture of gases, but we breathe it in as one and hope that it is pure. Blue is the color that represents the cardinal direction west and the element water. The key to understanding the chemical nature of the world was when colorless water was found to be made up of two colorless gases bonded together and only appears to be blue when it reflects the sky which appears blue only because sunlight acts upon those colorless gases. Mind blowing!
Those who get up early and see the rising sun look upon the east as the place where the sun will rise in the future. This is why many temples face east. Those of us who prefer to get up later look to the west as the place where the sun will set in the future. We look to the night sky and see the stars, planets, and moon as an even greater temple to gaze upon and someday visit.
I considered having a ceremony initiating my girlfriend in the Ways of the Ancients, but the Elements conspired against me while I was putting on my makeup, and I lost too much time and patience. To make a circle requires the right attitude, so I will have to wait for the next appropriate date.
Blessed Yule
I raise a glass of good dark beer to toast the holiday of Yule, the winter Solstice. In honor of the occasion, I wear my three year old blue-green dress from Victoria's Secret.
Green is the color that symbolizes the cardinal direction north, the fundamental element earth, plant life, and the feminine essence that bears and sustains life.
If you have ever lived in the far north where days are extremely short this time of year, you'll know why celebrations that honor the seasons are important. Winter used to be deadly and still can be for those who aren't prepared. For the last hundred years rail transportation and modern food storage have enabled food surpluses to reach consumers to the advantage of both. Winter can even be exploited for outdoor sports and tourism as long as everything works. Here in the subtropical Gulf Coast, winter can often be negligible or a brief nuisance, but summer is usually five to six months of very hot weather that brings thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, or droughts, dust storms and wildfires.
For those who honor the old ways, red is the color that symbolizes the cardinal direction south, the metaphysical element fire, animal life, blood, and the male essence that initiates life and kills to hunt for food, defend its own kind ,and fight off rivals. Blood and fire are the ways of war and also represent the violent acts of Nature such as storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, and death that are necessary for life to continue.
Yellow is the color of the risen sun and represents the cardinal direction east and the element air. For over two hundred years we have known that air is really a mixture of gases, but we breathe it in as one and hope that it is pure. Blue is the color that represents the cardinal direction west and the element water. The key to understanding the chemical nature of the world was when colorless water was found to be made up of two colorless gases bonded together and only appears to be blue when it reflects the sky which appears blue only because sunlight acts upon those colorless gases. Mind blowing!
Those who get up early and see the rising sun look upon the east as the place where the sun will rise in the future. This is why many temples face east. Those of us who prefer to get up later look to the west as the place where the sun will set in the future. We look to the night sky and see the stars, planets, and moon as an even greater temple to gaze upon and someday visit.
I considered having a ceremony initiating my girlfriend in the Ways of the Ancients, but the Elements conspired against me while I was putting on my makeup, and I lost too much time and patience. To make a circle requires the right attitude, so I will have to wait for the next appropriate date.