Moonweaver’s Dance

Keep Sharing the Light! 

As we go through the Wheel of the Year all living creatures have experienced the yearly cycle of life, from the time of planting, growing, harvesting and, eventually, clearing. For most nature based spiritual practices, Yule or Winter Solstice is a celebration that takes form and meaning from ancient pagan (country folk people) practices. The wreath’s circle symbolizes a no beginning and no end, the cycles of life. 

The Wheel of The Year is the Eight Sabbats, or eight holy days sacred to pagans and witches alike. The wheel is divided equally, illustrating the four quarters as east, west, north and south, or the four seasons: spring equinox, autumn equinox, summer solstice and winter solstice. In astrology these days also correspond to the entry of the sun into the signs of Aries/spring, Libra/autumn, Cancer/summer, and Capricorn/winter. (The other four holy days will be discussed later in another article) This year, 2008, the sun’s entry into Capricorn is on December 21^st, Winter Solstice – the day when the rebirth of the sun gods were celebrated in many parts of the world, including Rome, Greece, Egypt and Minor Asia.  

 The Roman pagans practiced the yuletide gift giving, a festival in honor of Saturnalia, or the God of Saturn. The Norse used bells to celebrate the dawn after a long dark night. The bells were also used to drive away the powers of darkness. In Sweden, a brightly painted wooden rooster decorates a dinner table as a centerpiece on Yule Eve to remind them of the return of the Son God. The Celts have brought the tradition of the Yule log, a phallic symbol, cut from an oak tree and carved into small section to decorate and to adorn the room where dancing and merry making were held. The Celtic Druids decorated the evergreen trees of images of things they wished to have in their life, as the Wheel of the Year turns. And, so the invocation goes…   

 May the log burn,  

 May the wheel turn,

 May evil spurn,

May the Sun return!  

 It’s been awhile since I last posted the first “Musing in Troubled Times”.  I asked myself why I waited so long. What came to mind was the concern that my saying what I truly think can sometimes ruffle many feathers. Have you noticed? People are losing their sense of humor, nowadays. 

One character in the movie “Lord of the Rings” I truly enjoyed watching, was Pippin. He was so content with life; eating two breakfasts, smoking tobacco, drinking beer in the pub and he went on living Life, until one day… He found that his cousin, Frodo, was on his way out on a secret mission to destroy the “Ring of Power” - a cursed ring that had created havoc between elves, dwarves and humans alike. The humans, more susceptible to material greed than the other two races, suffered the most over the temptation to dominate the whole world – the energy the Ring of Power held. In human thinking, whoever owns the Ring of Power shall gain power and dominate mankind. 

So, what we’re saying here is that there has always been class envy. “How come he has more than I have” or “Why can’t I have part of what he has since he has so much?” And, the media makes sure that these messages are kept repeated. “The corporations are evil, they make a lot of money, they should share them with the less-fortunate.” I do not own a corporation but perhaps we should also ask questions such as, “How much work and effort have the owners put into those corporations or, how many people have they employed so these people can afford their wants and needs or, how do people earn money if there are no businesses to hire them? Ahh… they can always start their own business. Amazing!! It’s a cycle and the majority of us seem to forget that.          

 Desiring for “the more the better” always plays a big role in people’s discontent in life. So, let’s see… Who are playing this role? All of us, it’s human nature. But, the “smart, big guys” in politics, the ones who hunger for Fame and Power do this role-playing magnificently. I think we have heard enough about this on TV, on the Internet and so forth – the ones involved in the Fannie Mae, the Freddie Mac, the AIG, etc. But, we “little guys” have our share of the big “G” as well, only in a lesser degree. No, I am not talking about the ONE looking over us. In the case of “little guys” like me, it is more like …“Why should I have to work when the government can take care of me? Ooops! And, how does the government make money?  From the businesses and the people who are working and paying taxes!! Simple. 

Life in the Shire of the hobbits like Frodo and Pippin’s was once peaceful, full of joy and innocent of material desires. They lived simply, contented with their lives until Bilbo Baggins, Frodo’s uncle, returned from a journey where he was paid handsomely on services rendered. The other villagers started to classify themselves as “having less” and started suspecting Bilbo of ill doings.  As the story goes, Bilbo had to leave behind everything he owned, including the Ring of Power, as he saw from the villagers’ unrest in their constant desire to obtain a part of anything Bilbo owned. He had to leave his favorite nephew, Frodo and his beloved Shire to find peace and serenity in the Elvin World. Now, can we, humans do the same?  

Fame and Power - two of the greatest human desires that challenge humanity to learn how to manage, in order to live a life of Becoming …  to be continued…   

According to the “smart guys” in Washington to live a prosperous life, we have to have a job and pay taxes. According to the “wise men,” to live a happy life is to live simply. Hmmn… Now, why can’t we live simply, happy and prosperously? I don’t see a separation here, do you? I believe in working and being happy so prosperity comes easily.

Now, when we measure prosperity and happiness with cash on hand only it would be a different story and a sad one at that.

In the classic movie, “Fiddler on the Roof”, Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, has a wife and five unmarried daughters to support. He constantly talks to God about his troubles. yet the feeling of lack did not deter his good disposition. His wife on the other hand is determined to find a good husband for each of the daughters in the hope of giving them a better life, so she consults a matchmaker. To make the story short, Tevya’s faith in God gave him the strength to overcome his obstacles. But one day, he finally came to ask God some justification of all his sacrifices. “God, if money is a curse, may you smite me with it, and may I never recover from it!”

I’m with Tevya. If I am not qualified for the full “curse” of being a full time  millionaireJ) I’d like to be considered at least for a part time one. I don’t know about you, I have this notion that “living simply” is overrated. Perhaps the true meaning of this phrase has not been explained thoroughly or explored well enough.

Cheers!

Inspiration:

In life, ‘Change is the only thing that is constant’. We hear this saying over and over again but what are we truly talking about? Does the change have to do with changing the location where you reside to another, a new occupation, a change of relationship from one person to another, a different religion or, how about a new political affiliation? The majority of us believe it to be so, for it’s what the society tells us is true. What’s the purpose?� Here’s what an author/educator I admire had to say on the subject: