Happy Winter Solstice, everyone! This year, Winter Solstice in on December 21. That is the ancient celebration of the new birth of Light, or the Sun King. Odin and Frigga and the newborn God and Isis, Osiris, and newborn Horus are the legends with which most modern Americans would be likely to find some familiarity. Almost every culture in the Northern Hemisphere has a festival involving candles, fire or light during this time of year. It has been speculated, probably correctly, that this is because we need and crave light, and it is healthy during the days of the least sunlight, to surround ourselves with as much light as we can.
Since it's healthy to be surrounded by cheery light displays this time of year, why would residents of Hudsonville, Michigan get an ANONYMOUS letter explaining that their holiday lights are Pagan, and therefore unacceptable to....to....whoever wrote the letter? In my world, only people can be Pagan, not household items, such as lights! And, as a person who was actually brought up in a Pagan path before the days of Goth and New Age "coolness", I can attest that "Christian" displays, with all of the hollow hypocrisy of those who erect them, are just as offensive to anyone forced to think of the crusades, the inquisition, slavery in America, the KKK, and Westboro Baptist Church every time we see a visual reference to the religion. At least, it is possible to take some comfort in the fact that the Newborn God is really the occulted celebrant here, and not the icon of those who would kill and uproot, leaving heartache and destruction in their wake. Why would the writer of the Hudsonville letter assume that all of the recipients are Christian? Why would the writer insist upon remaining anonymous?
Since it's healthy to be surrounded by cheery light displays this time of year, why would residents of Hudsonville, Michigan get an ANONYMOUS letter explaining that their holiday lights are Pagan, and therefore unacceptable to....to....whoever wrote the letter? In my world, only people can be Pagan, not household items, such as lights! And, as a person who was actually brought up in a Pagan path before the days of Goth and New Age "coolness", I can attest that "Christian" displays, with all of the hollow hypocrisy of those who erect them, are just as offensive to anyone forced to think of the crusades, the inquisition, slavery in America, the KKK, and Westboro Baptist Church every time we see a visual reference to the religion. At least, it is possible to take some comfort in the fact that the Newborn God is really the occulted celebrant here, and not the icon of those who would kill and uproot, leaving heartache and destruction in their wake. Why would the writer of the Hudsonville letter assume that all of the recipients are Christian? Why would the writer insist upon remaining anonymous?
Isis, Thoth, and in the tree, Osiris. The genuine article, as Christmas trees go. Soon, Isis will bring Horus into the world, to begin the cycle anew.
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