Happy Christmas/Brumalia/Saturnalia

So This Is Christmas

I hope everyone is having a loving Yuletide Holiday, and if not, I am sending you love, and big hugs, and smiles at your heart. I appreciate you all so, so very much. Know that I am thinking of you all with the most happy wishes of joy, good health, and abundance! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Saturnalia, and Happy New Year to us All ❤

I want to share an excerpt from my essay, “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight,” I wrote it last December at the end of Fall semester, it talks about the synthesis of Pagan, and Christian holidays, since the story takes place at Yuletide.

The birth of a ‘Christ’ Child lies at the heart of the traditional Christmas story, which has been celebrated since the third century A. D. Such a story also lies at the heart of Pagan myth where rituals dedicated to birth flourish.  The seasonally based time of the year traditionally given over to Christmas also coincides with the winter solstice known as Brumalia, and falls similarly to the birth date Solarus, the Roman Sun God. In addition to Solarus, the Romans celebrated the pagan festival of Saturnalia dedicated to Saturn the God of Agriculture.  Interestingly, the use of evergreens and laurel in the holiday’s celebratory decorations were perceived symbolic of eternal life, as the leaves do not die in winter. As Christianity expanded to become the official religion of the Roman Empire, further Pagan holidays were subsumed or subordinated within the framework of a Christian world-view.

 Essay link

The stag is an animal that is also in the poem, of Sir Gawain, and has interesting symbolism. Here is an excerpt from, The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols, (I am going to paraphrase…)

The horns of the stag lend it an especial significance as a magical and sacred animal, the horns also represent a masculine fertility symbol. (Which is interesting with the strong feminine goddess energy with this Christmas full moon.)  Giving rise to the word “horny” (that’s from the book.)  There are also associations with the pagan god, Pan. It is all about the horns. The stag was also Harry Potter’s patronus! Hmmm?

Here is a Christian view of stag symbolism:

The stag is a symbol for Christ, Who tramples and destroys the Devil. Early bestiaries describe the stag as a relentless enemy of snakes. The stag was believed to pursue snakes into their holes or rock crevices, flushing them out by flooding the hole with the breath or water from its mouth, and devouring them.

Because the snake is a symbol of Satan, the stag’s war against them made the stag a symbol of Christ and the Catholic in his battle against the evil one. The water used to flush out snakes became symbolic of Christ’s wisdom and purity, the Gospel, and the water that flowed from His pierced Side on the Cross.

article

Once again, I wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season, and I am sending you all love and gratitude for being part of my life.

Namaste

Sindy

Blessed Be

I would like to wish a blessed happy Samhain  to all beloved Pagan friends. Most of my best friends have all been Pagan. I am not so much in this life but many others and with my birthday, October 30th, I have always identified as from a Pagan world.

I would like you all to visit a great Pagan blogger and my Favorite Witch, Sammiwithch at The Life and Times of a Forever Witch.

She has some great Pagan friend bloggers, so you can check them out too.

If like me, you were a witch in a past life and want to know more visit my friend Karen Kubicko, and she can tell you about your past life.

Samhain

The fields are bare, the leaves have fallen from the trees, and the skies are going gray and cold. It is the time of year when the earth has died and gone dormant. Every year on October 31 (or May 1, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) the Sabbat we call Samhain presents us with the opportunity to once more celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth. For many Pagan and Wiccan traditions, Samhain is a time to reconnect with our ancestors, and honor those who have died. This is the time when the veil between our world and the spirit realm is thin, so it’s the perfect time of year to make contact with the dead.

A Prayer for the Final Harvest

Corn has been shucked,
grain has been threshed,
herbs have been hung to dry.
Grapes have been pressed,
potatoes have been dug,
beans have been shelled and canned.
It is the harvest season,
and food is ready for winter.
We will eat, and we will live,
and we will be grateful.

Source

Blessed Be Beloveds!

Sindy