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justhuman: General thoughts on Solstice/Yuletide. And then more specifically, we know that pagan practices sprinkled themselves like glitter over Christmas, but nowadays is Christmas glitter back on the pagan Yule celebrations?
So the December Meme kind of died a death after I got sick, but this was the last specific prompt I'd penned in.
I'm not a hundred percent sure how to answer this. I'm a relatively new pagan -- the last four years or so -- and I've not managed really to build up my own traditions yet, although I'm very much a fan of the idea of Eight pagan festivals evenly interspersed throughout the year to mark the passage of time in steps that mean not all the festivities are just plonked at one end of the year in the middle of winter. Because, one, it's marking the passage of time, and that's something we should be doing by more than just thinking about when we have to turn the heating up or the fans on in this modern world where we spend most of our time sitting inside a house or a workplace or a car, because I think it's kind of important to be aware of what's happening in the natural world. Because two, really, it's wishing your whole life away having that one look-forward-to event in the year, isn't it?
Which is actually beside the point in a way, because one thing that I've started really believing in, these last few years, is living in the moment, in the day that's right now, and not pinning all your hopes on some event that's happening in the future. Find something to look forward to now. And the pagan festivals, sure there tend to be actual festivities -- there are very big events not far away from where I live at Beltaine and Mabon, and Samhuinn's always great from that perspective, and I personally enjoy Lughnasadh -- but they're as much or more spiritual milestones.
So winter solstice/Yule/Christmas time is weird for me, a little bit. I very much don't buy into the glitter of the season anymore. But I have a family who do, and work colleagues who do, and cards and presents are still expected, though I've sidestepped the cards by sheer laziness or just making bead snowflakes for everyone the past few years, but definitely the presents are still expected (and honestly I do keep asking my family to tone it down with the ones they get for me). But I haven't really got into a rhythm with it all. The local pagans I hang out with have been doing this much longer than me, but some of them also have families or at least little girls at mainstream schools who still expect Christmas to happen with all the trimmings, and it's kind of so-so how much decoration and glitter and presents and festivities happens with the others so I am not alone in my pagan apathy.
I managed to sidestep being put in charge of the Christmas tree this year at work. Third time of pointing out that this duty seeming to be permanently handed to the one member of staff who does not strictly speaking celebrate "Christmas" perhaps sinking in. *snerk* Usually I do have a tree of my own at home, though, so it's a bit of a snide piece of objectioning (though I still can't help but feel that the thing with ending up doing this at work is inappropriate) and lots of pagans are all "Well, it's as much a pagan tradition anyway" about the whole tree thing. This year my tree is nearly naked and it's only been up about a week. I have no idea where I put the decorations when I was tidying in the summer. I did string fairylights all over the bedroom wall and dressing table, though.
Things keep stopping me from being properly pagan and going out to watch the solstice sunrise. This year -- and I wanted to, I was determined to, I planned it -- and I fell horribly ill with that sickness bug that put me down like a stone.
Now my family have been getting the same bug throughout the Christmas period, so it's been a downright strange festive period all around, this year.
Various emphatically-non-Christians on Tumblr were up in arms earlier in December about their world getting taken over by Christmas and guilting me for not being more determinedly pagan about this time of year. But I kind of had that crisis and then figured fuck it, I am not going to berate people for sending me Christmas cards that have Merry Christmas on them, I am not going to be snotty at people who wish me well, and I don't see any reason to get down on other people's festivities.
Though I kind of wish that it would start, say, around December 1st. And not at the end of August/beginning of September. Because I do not love the commercial emphasis and the hype. Yeah.
I feel like my response to this question should have been cleverer. Probably it would have been more spiritual if I had actually managed to answer it around the solstice and not been in a whimpering pathetic huddle of germs! :)
So the December Meme kind of died a death after I got sick, but this was the last specific prompt I'd penned in.
I'm not a hundred percent sure how to answer this. I'm a relatively new pagan -- the last four years or so -- and I've not managed really to build up my own traditions yet, although I'm very much a fan of the idea of Eight pagan festivals evenly interspersed throughout the year to mark the passage of time in steps that mean not all the festivities are just plonked at one end of the year in the middle of winter. Because, one, it's marking the passage of time, and that's something we should be doing by more than just thinking about when we have to turn the heating up or the fans on in this modern world where we spend most of our time sitting inside a house or a workplace or a car, because I think it's kind of important to be aware of what's happening in the natural world. Because two, really, it's wishing your whole life away having that one look-forward-to event in the year, isn't it?
Which is actually beside the point in a way, because one thing that I've started really believing in, these last few years, is living in the moment, in the day that's right now, and not pinning all your hopes on some event that's happening in the future. Find something to look forward to now. And the pagan festivals, sure there tend to be actual festivities -- there are very big events not far away from where I live at Beltaine and Mabon, and Samhuinn's always great from that perspective, and I personally enjoy Lughnasadh -- but they're as much or more spiritual milestones.
So winter solstice/Yule/Christmas time is weird for me, a little bit. I very much don't buy into the glitter of the season anymore. But I have a family who do, and work colleagues who do, and cards and presents are still expected, though I've sidestepped the cards by sheer laziness or just making bead snowflakes for everyone the past few years, but definitely the presents are still expected (and honestly I do keep asking my family to tone it down with the ones they get for me). But I haven't really got into a rhythm with it all. The local pagans I hang out with have been doing this much longer than me, but some of them also have families or at least little girls at mainstream schools who still expect Christmas to happen with all the trimmings, and it's kind of so-so how much decoration and glitter and presents and festivities happens with the others so I am not alone in my pagan apathy.
I managed to sidestep being put in charge of the Christmas tree this year at work. Third time of pointing out that this duty seeming to be permanently handed to the one member of staff who does not strictly speaking celebrate "Christmas" perhaps sinking in. *snerk* Usually I do have a tree of my own at home, though, so it's a bit of a snide piece of objectioning (though I still can't help but feel that the thing with ending up doing this at work is inappropriate) and lots of pagans are all "Well, it's as much a pagan tradition anyway" about the whole tree thing. This year my tree is nearly naked and it's only been up about a week. I have no idea where I put the decorations when I was tidying in the summer. I did string fairylights all over the bedroom wall and dressing table, though.
Things keep stopping me from being properly pagan and going out to watch the solstice sunrise. This year -- and I wanted to, I was determined to, I planned it -- and I fell horribly ill with that sickness bug that put me down like a stone.
Now my family have been getting the same bug throughout the Christmas period, so it's been a downright strange festive period all around, this year.
Various emphatically-non-Christians on Tumblr were up in arms earlier in December about their world getting taken over by Christmas and guilting me for not being more determinedly pagan about this time of year. But I kind of had that crisis and then figured fuck it, I am not going to berate people for sending me Christmas cards that have Merry Christmas on them, I am not going to be snotty at people who wish me well, and I don't see any reason to get down on other people's festivities.
Though I kind of wish that it would start, say, around December 1st. And not at the end of August/beginning of September. Because I do not love the commercial emphasis and the hype. Yeah.
I feel like my response to this question should have been cleverer. Probably it would have been more spiritual if I had actually managed to answer it around the solstice and not been in a whimpering pathetic huddle of germs! :)
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