Tag: Winter Solstice

The God as Superhero

Posted C. LaVielle1 CommentPosted in Wheel of the Year

  Back in the 70’s, when I was a baby witch and just figuring out the difference between a pentagram and a pentacle, pagans generally ignored the God. After all, we had become pagans to get out from under the stern, patriarchal thumb of the Judeo-Christian God and weren’t about to make the same mistake again. We were drunk on the amazing “new” concept that, as Merlin Stone* assured us, God was a woman. The God, when we deigned to mention him, was described as Her consort. Even as late as 2000, when I was going over my Wicca 101 syllabus with my students, one very young woman commented, “I see we have a class on The Goddess; why don’t we have one on The God?” I was speechless. This was a glaring omission. I was ignoring half the pagan pantheon and hadn’t even realized it. Bad Witch. Needless to say, from that time on, my course included a class on The God. The God… Read More »

Wishing You a Warm and Peaceful Winter Solstice

Posted C. LaVielle3 CommentsPosted in Wheel of the Year

We are solar powered creatures. The further north we live, the less daylight we see at Winter Solstice and the lower the charge in our biological batteries. The cold and dark take their toll at all levels. They dull our spirits, sap our energy, and make us susceptible to every nasty virus that comes along. So what do we do? We deck the halls and party till we drop. We stress over what gifts to buy everyone and how to get it all done in time. We battle virus-laden crowds in soulless shopping malls. And we wonder why we get sick. This is a time for rest, contemplation, and meditation. A time to put another log on the fire or light some candles and watch the flames. A time to snuggle down with a hot drink and a stack of good books and inspiring movies. Winter Solstice is a beginning and an ending. The old sun dies and a new one is born. It’s a… Read More »

Winter Solstice

Posted C. LaVielleLeave a commentPosted in Wheel of the Year

This year, Winter Solstice, December 21st, comes with a bonus—a full moon and an exceptional lunar eclipse, visible on the night of the 20th on the west coast, because full moon occurs at 12:13AM on the 21st. Since a full moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise, a full moon on Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, shines over us for a very long time. Almost 16 hours in Portland, Oregon. </Most of our Winter Solstice or Yule traditions come from Scandinavia and Germany. Even the name, Yule, is ancient Scandinavian for “the festival at Winter Solstice”. This year I attended a Scandinavian Yule ritual at a friend’s house that was totally new to me—the sacrifice of the Yule Goat. It seems that Thor, the mightiest of the Norse gods, rides through the worlds in a chariot pulled by two goats, tanngrisnir (teeth barer) and tanngnjostr (teeth grinder). He periodically kills them and serves their delicious, nourishing meat to his guests. The… Read More »