that time of year...
This is my favorite time of year. Not really because of Christmas, specifically. Christmas is but one of the human expressions of this part of the yearly human cycle. This time of year throughout the length of humanity, in myriad traditions and countless cultures has been about rebirth. The return of the light. Christmas is celebrated on Dec 25 (for we do not know the actual birthdate of Christ) because of the Nativity story's relevance to renewal and rebirth; the coming of the light. Yule is celebrated on Dec 21 (it marks the shift from the days getting shorter to the days getting longer) as the day light begins to increase each day. The harvest has been brought to store, the fields do not require our attention for the moment. Reflection and sharing time with family belongs to these fleeting days in our calendar.
In the Southern Hemisphere they are currently celebrating their Summer Solstice time where they are at the peak of their light as we arrive at our longest night. They will celebrate their Winter Solstice as we celebrate our Summer. They revere their shortest night on June 21 as a time of reflection, renewal, and rebirth as well.
In both hemispheres, be it December in the North or June in the the South, the Winter Solstice is a time of introspection and planning for the future.
All of these world cultures have renewal traditions at the Winter Solsticetime:
I celebrate both Christmas as well as the Solstice. I take every opportunity I can to derive strength from the concept of Renewal and Rebirth. I take this time to forgive myself for my perceived "failings" and look toward who I am today, knowing that tomorrow will be better than yesterday.
The religion into which one is born is merely a first language. Christianity is my first spiritual language, but I have learned and studied others. My openness to understand the parallels of other faiths with Christianity has brought me to understand that we none of us are all that different from one another. The parallels are so many that it takes a concentrated campaign of fear to distract followers from the fact that our neighbor is just like us - even when they seem to think so differently. We spend so much time seeking our differences that we blind ourselves to our similarities. Our differences seem to grow before us. But it is all an illusion. And like all illusions, they, in time, are revealed always. I have faith that we cannot help but increasingly operate toward better understanding among men. But I don't need faith to show me that. The long timeline of humanity shows us that each generation becomes less warring and more interested in knowing one another. The Internet has been our best tool to date. Many would disagree, of course, and do, but there are many facts to support this. Including this video:
I speak Christianity more fluently than other faiths, but my curiosity about them has not diminished the value I continue to find in the faith of my forefathers. And so at this time of year I celebrate Christmas. I also light the Menorah for Hanukkah in celebration of achieving near-impossible goals. I sing the pagan songs and say prayers for the coming of the light at Yule to help me get through the long winter and encourage myself that the light and warmth is returning. And after yesterday's snowstorm, it's a welcome thought indeed. I also include New Year's Day as a part of that renewal. I allow this entire season of celebration to be a tilling of the old fields and of planting the seeds of the new year.
My Christianity teaches me to forgive myself. It is the hardest part; reliving the mistakes of the previous year and trying to make new choices for myself moving forward. Making new choices is admitting delusions about the old ones. Such a hard thing to do. Making change is giving in. Renewal is like running a system defrag your computer when it's all clogged with applications and deleted projects.
This time of year is a good time for a factory reinstall.
In the Southern Hemisphere they are currently celebrating their Summer Solstice time where they are at the peak of their light as we arrive at our longest night. They will celebrate their Winter Solstice as we celebrate our Summer. They revere their shortest night on June 21 as a time of reflection, renewal, and rebirth as well.
In both hemispheres, be it December in the North or June in the the South, the Winter Solstice is a time of introspection and planning for the future.
All of these world cultures have renewal traditions at the Winter Solsticetime:
- Ancient Brazil
- Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Rome
- Atheists
- Buddhists
- Christians
- Druids
- Incas
- Iranians
- Jews
- Native Americans
- Neopagans
- Neolithic Europeans
- and even Vampires.
I celebrate both Christmas as well as the Solstice. I take every opportunity I can to derive strength from the concept of Renewal and Rebirth. I take this time to forgive myself for my perceived "failings" and look toward who I am today, knowing that tomorrow will be better than yesterday.
The religion into which one is born is merely a first language. Christianity is my first spiritual language, but I have learned and studied others. My openness to understand the parallels of other faiths with Christianity has brought me to understand that we none of us are all that different from one another. The parallels are so many that it takes a concentrated campaign of fear to distract followers from the fact that our neighbor is just like us - even when they seem to think so differently. We spend so much time seeking our differences that we blind ourselves to our similarities. Our differences seem to grow before us. But it is all an illusion. And like all illusions, they, in time, are revealed always. I have faith that we cannot help but increasingly operate toward better understanding among men. But I don't need faith to show me that. The long timeline of humanity shows us that each generation becomes less warring and more interested in knowing one another. The Internet has been our best tool to date. Many would disagree, of course, and do, but there are many facts to support this. Including this video:
I speak Christianity more fluently than other faiths, but my curiosity about them has not diminished the value I continue to find in the faith of my forefathers. And so at this time of year I celebrate Christmas. I also light the Menorah for Hanukkah in celebration of achieving near-impossible goals. I sing the pagan songs and say prayers for the coming of the light at Yule to help me get through the long winter and encourage myself that the light and warmth is returning. And after yesterday's snowstorm, it's a welcome thought indeed. I also include New Year's Day as a part of that renewal. I allow this entire season of celebration to be a tilling of the old fields and of planting the seeds of the new year.
My Christianity teaches me to forgive myself. It is the hardest part; reliving the mistakes of the previous year and trying to make new choices for myself moving forward. Making new choices is admitting delusions about the old ones. Such a hard thing to do. Making change is giving in. Renewal is like running a system defrag your computer when it's all clogged with applications and deleted projects.
This time of year is a good time for a factory reinstall.