Facts About December

 

                                                 Winter snow - Picture by Judy Hirst  

 It is December and Christmas is very close.  Do you know the following things about December?

1.  The Moon celebration is called "The Moon of Long Nights".

2.  During this time, the water is believed to be revitalized.

3.  The event of Winter Solstice, held on either December 21st or 22nd depending on the length of the year. This honours the longest night and the return of the Sun Goddess, Lucina.

4.  Our Ancestors thought that December was a time to  endure, for the elderly to die, and for the world, and their life, to be reborn.

5.  During this cold time of December, our Ancestors spent time on introspection and renewal - weaving new clothes, creating new tools, honouring the Gods and Goddesses.

6.  It is common for people to use this time as time of purification.  People have saunas and roll in the snow. Others participate in sweat lodges.  Some simply steam.  The hot and the cold are the balance to purify our bodies.

7.  The trees that we honour at this time are the family of evergreens - pine trees will be decorated for Christmas

8. The colour traditionally associated with Christmas was dark red.

Many blessings,

Judy

Christmas Thoughts - Happiness

 

How do we know what happiness is?  Is happiness the same for everyone?  These are some of the thoughts that wandered through my mind when I was picking up some last minute Christmas things.

I see people rushing here and there, yanking their children after them when all the while, the child wants to play in the play area or hopscotch on the tiles in the mallway. Kids just want to do things and be happy.  One little fellow said to his mother, "Let's go home.  I'm not happy here."

Happy seems to be a state of mind that just is.  One doesn't have to work at it.  It may be that it is a state of grace.  Or, maybe it is just a place of love – love of life and love of everything.

It is one more thought to explore this Christmas.

Many blessings,

Judy

Spirit Animal - Nightingale's Song

  

This picture of a Nightingale Bird from common-nightingale-night-5a959ce8c673350037c9f3a4.jpg (1500×1000) (thespruce.com)

Since I was little, I have been intrigued by tales of the Nightingale.  She is featured in many fairy tales, such as “The Nightingale” by Hans Christian Anderson.  In all of the stories, people want to own the Nightingale to possess her beautiful song.  

For this Christmas, Nightingale brings a message that true freedom is not about being able to capture and control things and people or animals; true freedom is about being free to let all beings act and live exactly as they are meant to… unconditionally as nature intended.

Nightingale’s message is also in this beautiful traditional Christmas carol from Spain. 

The Gift

A poor orphan girl named Maria
Was walking to market one day
She stopped for a rest by the roadside
Where a bird with a broken wing lay
A few moments passed till she saw it
For it's feathers were covered with sand
But soon clean and wrapped it was travelling
In the warmth of Maria's small hand
She happily gave her last peso
On a cage made of rushes and twine
She fed it loose corn from the market
And watched it grow stronger with time
Now the Christmas Eve service was coming
And the church shone with tinsel and light
And all of the townfolks brought presents
To lay by the manger that night
There were diamonds and incense
And perfumes
In packages fit for a king
But for one ragged bird in a small cage
Maria had nothing to bring
She waited till just before midnight
So no one would see her go in
And crying she knelt by the manger
For her gift was unworthy of Him
Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness
Maria, what brings you to me
If the bird in the cage is your offering
Open the door and let me see
Though she trembled, she did as He asked her
And out of the cage the bird flew
Soaring up into the rafters
On a wing that had healed good as new
Just then the midnight bells rang out
And the little bird started to sing
A song that no words could recapture
Whose beauty was fit for a king
Now Maria felt blessed just to listen
To that cascade of notes sweet and long
As her offerings was lifted to heaven
By the very first nightingale's song

                   -Unknown Author  

You can listen to Garth Brooks sing this beautiful Christmas song at The Gift - YouTube.  Remember that links to YouTube change over time so this song may disappear.

Many blessings,

Judy