Solstice Fun

We have a new holiday tradition. It started while I was in Africa, and this is th first year I have been able to participate. On the morning of the Winter Solstice
(21 Dec this year) we go and sing up the sun. We jump the bonfire to give it strength, and we sing to encourage it that first morning we all know how hard it is to get out of bed when it is cold. Imagine if you were the one expected to warm everything up>. Though, hearing some of us sing, I am not sure if we are encouraging it to come up, or to run away... This year it was at Reid Park.




I think for next year I am going to knit us all matching hats and scarves. Maybe glvoes. Nan thinks I should do element themes, but I am thinking rebirth of the sun theme. Either way, it is COLD at dawn!

A lot of Pagans (some of the BNP's and those who think they are, which is sad) think that a lot of the things we do are just symbolic and stuff. One author told me that the Gods don't exist, that they are just anthromorphic representations of your psyche needless to say, I have not read any of her books since then. Her first wasn't that good to begin with, but how can you write books about dieties you don't beleive in? Or claim to be the priestess of a religion you don't think is anything more than a psyhological construct?. But here is the thing. The ancinets all over the world of every religion belived that if we didn't do these things, the sun would not come back and winter would last forever. Gardnerarians beleive the ones who know what they are talking about. Unfortunetly, like anything, there are a lot out there who are more interested in power and ego and were never trained properly because they were taught by people who were more interested in power and ego. The cycle continues, and we have groups like the Hard-Gards, who are fundamentalists. The kind who would be quite happy to start a new Inquisition to get rid of everyone who does not beleive their exact way or won't bow down to their athority. And I am sure these people also don't beleive in the Gods they claim to worship either that if we stop doing these things - stop celebrating the sabbaths and stop jumping the bonfire ect - then the wheel of the world will stop spinning. You can laugh, but think about it. For the whole of human history, someone out there has always done these things. And the world keeps turning. Do you really want everyone to stop because you think it is a silly superstition? What if we are right?

After, a few of us went up to Mt. Lemmon to play in the snow. Mt. Lemmon is about 7000feet or thereabouts and an hour drive from my house. So you can go up there and have a blast in the snow, then get cold and come back to Tucson and warm up. Nan, Gary, Mike, Dad and I went.

Playing in the snow Neo, Mike's Husky mix and Ava, Nan and Gary's Jack Russel. We think the two of them have a thing going. :)


Trying to sled on some cardboard we found. We need a real sled...


Fresh tracks. Probobly heard us singing that morning...


Harvey wondering why we aren't playing Ava's previous boyfriend. He hasn't noticed he's been replaced

Holiday Fun

I am going to start this post off with my favorite Xmas song. It is sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells"

Kill A Tree

Dashing to the mall in a fleet of rented trucks,
a million hairless apes are out to spend some plastic bucks.
It's Christmas time again -- or maybe World War Three --
and to keep their spirits happy now, they've got to kill a tree.

CHORUS
Oh, kill a tree, kill a tree, kill a tree for Christ.
(Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, accept this sacrifice.)
Kill a tree, kill a tree, kill a tree for Christ,
not sure what we're doing, but it seems to work out nice.


We know we each deserve a ton or two of crap,
but to keep the goodies coming now, we've got to spill some sap,
and string electric lights, and raise the ritual star,
and bribe our friends and families to forget what jerks we are.

Chorus

We always kill a tree. That's always been enough
for videos and GI Joes and all that kiddy stuff.
But Mommy wants a Harley, and Daddy wants a boat;
that's prob'ly gonna cost at least a chicken and a goat.

Chorus

Hehe. Great song, huh?

Ok, here is now my favorite serious song:
It's sung to the tune of "Do You Hear What I Hear" which I love in any version. This is my favorite. I have two credits to the writer, Kal Brennan and Eleen Reed (I think that is how you spell their names).

PENTAGRAM

1)
Said the East wind to the Priestess Witch:
Do you hear what I hear? (echo)
Silence rules the still and sleepy night.
Do you hear what I hear? (echo)
The God, the God, cries out with his birth
and showers His light on the Earth,
and showers His light on the Earth.

2)
Said the South fire to the Priestess Witch:
Do you see what I see? (echo)
Darkness blankets over all the Earth.
Do you see what I see? (echo)
The Sun, the Sun, is reborn tonight,
from the Goddess, He's shining so bright,
from the Goddess, He's shining so bright.

3)
Said the West waters to the Priestess Witch:
Do you feel what I feel? (echo)
Hopelessness is heavy in our hearts.
Do you feel what I feel? (echo)
The God, the God, the Mother's newborn child
is the symbol of hope and rebirth,
is the symbol of hope and rebirth.

4)
Said the North land to the Priestess Witch:
Do you know what I know? (echo)
Winter grips the cold and naked land.
Do you know what I know? (echo)
The Sun, the Sun, warms the Earth again
as the Goddess suckles her child,
as the Goddess suckles her child.

5)
Said the Inner Spirit to the Priestess Witch:
Do you understand now? (echo)
Life is like a circle, spinning 'round.
Do you understand now? (echo)
For I, the Goddess, am the endless source
and the web that binds all the Earth,
and the web of the whole universe.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

In Defence of Arizona

In November, Arizona had several controversial propositions to vote for. The three biggest ok, the three I actualy cared about were the one about the pay day loans this one pissed me off. The comercials about them had no basis in reality. They flat out lied!! How can you legaly or moraly lie like that. I understand twisting the truth. It is moraly repugnant. But a flat out lie?!? that would extend the pay day loans exemption from the AZ State usury laws indeffinitly, while now they end in 2009. It would also raise the intrest rate from 390+% to over 400%. Luckily, Arizonan's voted this one down. The second was a proposition to require a measure to pass it had to have the vote of the majority of eligable voters. Not a majority of people who voted, but a majority of all the people who could have voted, whether they decided to or not. Stupid, huh? Fortunetly, Arizonan's showed good sense again and voted this one down as well. I was feeling pretty confident. My state had voted down two stupid propositions. Then they faced the third.
The so-called Defence of Marriage Act. Yes, I am sure you have heard of it. Arizona, along with Florida and California, amended our state constituton to say marriage is between one man and one woman. What pisses me off the most about this is that it is the first time we have voted to limit the rights of an entier group of people. It doesn't really matter if you agree with homosexuality or not. It doesn't matter if you beleive marriage is a religious institution under god this is a completley different topic. If marriage is a religious institution, what does the state have to do with it? If it is a governmental thing (and since you have to get a lisence from the government it is) then what does religion have to do with it? Choose. Either marriage is a religious thing, and the individual church can choose who gets to get married or not and the state stays out of it; or it is a governmental contract and equal right for everyone and the religons get no say. I could go on, but then you'd forget what my original point was. Actualy, so would I. It matters if you beleive that a whole group of people should be denied a governmental sanction because of their membership in a group. I understand that the majority of the people in government grew up beleiveing this was ok. Until 1976 the law may have been changed earlier, but it was on the marriage lisence until then it was illigal in the State of Arizona for a white person to marry a "coloured" person; this means hispanic, asian, black, native american, ect. Until the 1980's there were parts of Tucson that were segregated by law. There was actualy a law that said interracial couples and non-white people could not live in certain neighborhoods in some areas there was a provision that they could not live in a house. This made it possible to have live-in help. They got a shed on the property. To many guys from DMAFB were comming back with their foreign brides and the military got this one overturned. They didn't have enough houseing on base and were getting sick of guys comming in saying they were denied houseing after fighting and bleeding for their country because their wife was not a WASP actualy that would be WASC since it is southern AZ. But that doesn't roll off the tounge that well.

Anyway, you get the impression that we/Arizonan's don't really care. Well, knitters care!!

The local Tucson knitting group was approached by Tucson Medical Center to come in and teach their antipartum mothers to knit. These are women who are pregnant and for whatever reason are stuck in the hospital, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months. There are only so many movies you can watch. So we will go in and teach them to knit, and to make stuff for their babies. Booties, hats, blankets, sweaters, ect, depending on their skill level. Should be interesting. So if you are a knitter in Tucson and want to get involved in this, email me cerridwencolleen at gmail dot come or the group and we will get you information. You need to pass a background check and have had a measles vaccination.

ok, the first and the second really don't have much to do with each other, and my seque sucked. But I wanted to bitch about the first and mention the second. Yay, two birds! But seriously, if you are a knitter in Tucson and want to help. Or even if you aren't a knitter. There are many volunteer opertunities at TMC and the other hospitals, as well as many other worthy causes in Tucson that need people. And if you aren't in Tucson but this still sounds interesting, call your local hospital. If they don't have a program like this, maybe you can start one. Or find an other program you can help with! The best things I have ever done have been volunteer. First at Souther Arizona AIDS Foundation then the Peace Corps, and am grateful everyday that I was given those oppertunities.