Month: December 2010

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse

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Like most Minnesotans I was unable to watch the lunar eclipse take place due to thick cloud cover.  Likewise, due to that same cloud cover, I was unable to see the Sun reborn this morning.   I’ll have to settle for watching it second hand on youtube.

In some Pagan traditions Winter Solstice day is a time of omens that tell what will happen during the coming year.  The day is seen as a parallel for the year, with the dawn showing how the year will start and sunset showing how it will end.  Any changes in weather, clouds, wind, bird sightings, and even things such as money found on the ground or an overheard bit of conversation are carefully recorded along with the time of day that the omen occurred.  This time line of events is then related to the months of 2011, similar to a horoscope.

Others are honoring the god Freyr for Yule, spending the day eating a ham, hanging holly, mistletoe and exchanging gifts.  Or perhaps you are celebrating the Saturnalia or Sol Invictus.  Most Pagans are celebrate the Winter Solstice as one of the eight Sabbats, when the god is re-born by the mother goddess.

I am celebrating the Heliogenna, a holy time of somber remembrance and exuberant joy as Dawn leads a re-Born Helios across the sky once more.

My your Solstice day be a joyous one, filled with family, friends, and good food – and my all your omens be positive ones.

The Best Gift is Hope

This is dedicated to one of my best friends, Debbie. I love you.

These ornaments are getting old and the bow is a bit wrinkled but I can’t help feeling joy when I look at them.

There’s a bit of a story to these, so I hope you will indulge me. About 16 years ago, my husband left me, so it was just me and my son together. He also racked up a considerable debt before leaving the state, and I was left to pay it off. It was near Christmas and I had no money. When I say “no money” I mean I had NO MONEY – I was eating rice and would get a bag of veggies each week that the grocery store was going to throw out. I would buy 1 package of hotdogs a week so my 3 year old son had meat. We had no phone. No tv. No car. The electric company was threatening to shut our heat off.

And I was losing sleep over holiday gifts.   All that to deal with and I was worried about gifts.  Can you believe that?  Yes, I bet you can.

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Paganistan Weekly; December 20-26

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Yuletide blessings to you.

Once again UMPA will be feeding the needy for Christmas. Let’s face it, we’re Pagans, which means that for many of us our celebrations fall on days other than December 25, and very few of us work on December 25, so we’re available to help out. The Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance has been organizing this for four years, and it is always a fulfilling event. Meet at the Union Gospel Mission- located at 435 E University Ave. in St. Paul at 11:30am. Email; board@umpaganalliance.com if you can commit to attending. Afterward we all go to Cecil’s Deli for lunch.

The Paganicon planning committee met this morning. There is a lot of excitement about this new local Pagan gathering. If you are planning to attend, sign up right away. Also, if you are intending to vend or would like to present programming, sign up right away. It will be Friday, March 25th through Sunday, March 27th, 2011 at the Doubletree Park Place in St. Louis Park, MN. The hotel has ample free parking, lots of local food options, and is easily accessible by bus.. http://tcpaganpride.org/paganicon/

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** EVENTS THIS WEEK **

MONDAY; December 20

  • 6pm weekly Community Potluck at the Sacred Paths Center followed at 7pm by Shamanic Journey Practice for those who know how to journey and want a safe place to practice.
  • 7pm Mindful Mondays (meditation) mvanavery@yahoo. com for details
  • Midnight-2:30am: Coldwater Solstice Eclipse at Coldwater Spring: http://friendsofcoldwater.org/home.html

 

TUESDAY; December 21: YULE

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Anubis Sighted in St Paul

Anubis at Landmark Plaza - Photo by Valerie Gallagher

An icon of Anubis, Protector of the dead and Judge of souls, was spotted at Landmark Plaza. This 26-foot, 10-ton statue was installed to advertise Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, a major exhibit opening February 18 at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Having Anubis precede King Tutankhamun makes sense on two levels. Anubis is the protector of the deceased and their tombs and one of His names is He who is in the place of embalming. As Tutankhamun is one of the few royals to survive the centuries with his body undefiled and his tomb intact, Anubis has shown him special favor and appears to be continuing His protection over the young king. Less known to all except scholars and Kemetic Pagans, Anubis marched at the head of all public processions in Egypt. It would be sacrilegious for the Pharaoh to travel across the world without Anubis leading the way.

Interesting that Anubis is honored in His traditional role by those who profess not to believe in His existence, even if the honoring is not done in a traditional manner. When Anubis arrived on November 24th, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman was on hand to greet Him and welcome Him to the city. Mayor Coleman also placed a St. Paul sticker on the suitcase which lays at Anubis’ feet. The sticker isn’t incense and the suitcase isn’t a golden vessel, but it is an offering just the same. I see this as one more sign that the Gods of old are once more fully active in our world, after receding during the rise of Christianity. Our prayers and offerings are calling to Them, and They once again walk the earth.

Coldwater Spring:Amazing Double Sky Event Dec.20/21st

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Celebrate an Amazing Double Sky Event at Coldwater Spring:  A Full Moon—Winter Solstice Eclipse!

Join us this night in a  “Devotion to Sweet Darkness,” Monday, December 20 at midnight into Tuesday, December 21, 2010

On the darkest night of the year, celebrate the full moon lunar eclipse—an amazing double sky event, outdoors, at the last sacred spring in Hennepin County. The eclipse, visible here, begins at 12:32 AM Tuesday morning and is full at 2:13 AM. A special permit from National Park Service has been secured for this rite. (Normally Coldwater Park is closed at sundown.)

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