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SPIRIT
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Myth
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Some of the 86 pages in this Myth & Lore section are below.
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Yule, Christmas &
Santa Claus
By MysticSoul
Christmas Day, December 25th, was
celebrated by the Romans as Dies Invictus Solis, the Day of
the Unconquerable Sun. This is the day when the Sun begins to
move again after the days of Winter Solstice (literally "still
standing Sun"). The Solstice lasts for 3-4 days and then
the Sun begins to move northward again on Christmas Day. The
Light of the World is born anew at midnight on Christmas Eve.
This new light becomes manifest on Epiphany January 6th, the
last spoke of the wheel of Yule, the New Year to be.
Along with the Christ, Christmas
day celebrates the birth of the Egyptian god Horus, the Phrygian
god Attis (resurrected March 25th) and the Mid-eastern god Mithras
whose wisdom tradition influenced all of Europe in earlier times.
Mithras comes forth to slay the bull of materialism and overcome
the shadow god Ahriman, Saraman, Sauron.
Many present day Christmas customs
are inherited from the Druids, the nature technologists of the
ancient world. We "deck the halls with boughs of holly"
to clear away astral shades. At the close of every cycle non-assimilable
psychic energies come up to be transformed or dispelled. Folkways
encode more esoteric wisdom than our books can easily hold.
Many of these customs are easier to do than explain though we
often need to know why in order to do. Ringing bells will break
spells and clear stuck patterns of thought so we can be more
open to the new spirit. Gazing into open fire is a common ritual
practice of Christmas that has a powerful psychic clearing effect.
Dancing and singing in a circle is another simple clearing and
enlivening magic we can do. The word "carol" means
just that: a circle dance song.
In Arthurian tradition, a sword appeared
in the church yard stone on Christmas Day. Drawing this sword
from the stone symbolizes drawing forth the essential from the
stone of outworn tradition: a challenge and opportunity for
our time.
TRUTH ABOUT SANTA CLAUS
"The key to Santa's travels is a relativity cloud that
bends space, time and light and slows clocks down." - a
scientist commenting on NPR Dec 24th 2004
Santa Claus is a Mercurial figure
much like the Norse wizard Odin who travels between worlds on
his 8 legged horse Sleppnir. Santa brings gifts from the North
Pole, Odin hangs suspended from the World Tree (north pole)
to bring the gift of the runes. Odin's 8-legged horse Sleipner
and Santa's 8 fleet-footed deer represent 8 turning times of
year marking solstices, equinoxes and cross quarters. Fires
lit at these times quicken creative spiritual forces.
Santa Claus is real and lives at
the north pole. The spirit of St Nick travels throughout the
world on Christmas Eve to bring special gifts to boys and girls.
Santa enters homes through chimneys, through the heart, through
the fire place.
Santa is an anagram for "Sanat."
Sanat Kumara is a spirit of the Earth who lives at the North
Pole in an etheric city called Shamballa. This appears to be
the same city as the City of Revelation (Rev.21)
on its "sea of glass" surrounded by the rainbow of
the northern lights (Rev.4). The humans in Lord of the Rings
call their capital the White City. This is another name for
Shamballa.
The North Pole, the spiritual center
pole of the world, is the Irminsul Pillar of the Norse. Energetically
this column appears like a Christmas Tree of light with a star,
the north star of the Earth's soul star above. And this is the
White Tree of Middle Earth with its 7 Stars, our Big dipper
or Ursa Major, their Sickle of the Valar, sign of doom for the
forces of darkness.
The deer is sacred to Winter Solstice
because the deer is a creature sacred to the Moon, the mediator
of solar light. Santa's 8 deer symbolize 8 annual fire festivals
and corresponding hours of the day, canonical hours when bells
are rung and candles lit for prayer. Santa's reindeer have a
necklaces of bells.
Around the north pole World Tree
are the "7 spirits before the throne", the 7 Kumaras
of Hindu tradition: The White Tree and 7 Stars of Tolkien.
Sanat/Santa is the biblical Ancient
of Days. Sanat Kumara is anciently wise and yet eternally young,
"the Youth of 16 Summers." (The 16 rays of the compass
and 16 rays of the mandala at the top of the world in The Polar
Express). Compare J.R.R. Tolkien's
description of King Elessar (Aragorn) with the Santa Claus of
Polar Express: "Tall as the Sea-Kings of old, he stood
above all that were near; ancient of days he seemed and yet
in the flower of manhood; and wisdom set upon his brow, and
strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was above
him." - Lord of the Rings, Return of the King p266
Love is Lord of this creation. The
spring of love is refreshed each Christmas. This revitalizing
spirit travels from its polar source and - as a subtle energetic
charge - alights in hearts and on high places, mountain tops,
holy sites, and chimney tops. The new spirit of love moves from
these anchoring points through the fire elementals - and fiery
human souls - to cover the whole world. Hearts opening and responding
one with the other will always have a Merry Christmas.
"Yggdrasill, the great Ash
tree, the World Tree, omphalos or navel of the world, is 'Yggr's
steed'. Yggr is Odin; his steed, an 8-legged horse (Sleipnir)
that he rides to the underworld. The 8 limbs of Sleipnir are
the 8 spokes of the Wheel, the steed upon which he rides is
one of the many runes found in an ancient rock carving at Hallristingnot
in North Italy, as a Circle of Law. As Plato suggests, the 8
spheres of heaven are fastened to a spindle that 'turns on the
knees of Necessity", all things birthed by Nature revolving
about the World Tree.." (An 8-spoked wheel is illustrated)
- Fruits of the Moon Tree, p 77 by Alan Bleakley
CHRISTMAS STAR & MOON
skyandtelescope.com/ On Christmas morning the crescent Moon
eclipses Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. Spica is identified
with Tarot Key III The Empress and with Mary, mother of Jesus.
The Empress can also be Mother Ceres with her cornucopia, symbol
of abundance. This is a good sign for the new time.
CHANNUKAH MYSTERIES
December 26th Is the first
day of Channukah, the Jewish "Festival of Lights."
Channukah always begins at the start of the last balsamic Moon
of the old year. Balsamic Moon is the wishing Moon when light
shines on inner nature, needs are felt and change is invoked.
The balsamic Moon of Channukah is powerfully invocative on the
subtle planes for the world as a whole and for the year as a
whole. The 8 days of Channukah (26 Dec - 2 Jan this year) represent
the 8 divisions of the coming year. 8 candles at Channukah represent
the fire festivals of the new year beginning with Spring Equinox,
the start of the zodiacal year. There are 8 candles and there
are 9, 8 solar fire festivals and 9 gates of inspiration.
The Chanukah Dreidel www.holidays.net/chanukah/dreidel.html
The Dreidel is a spinning top used
in children's games during Chanukah celebration. The 4 Hebrew
letters on the Dreidel's faces spell out the sentence "A
Great Miracle Happened Here." The first letter Nun means
"miracle" so isn't it strange that Nun is identified
in Kabala with the Tarot card Death. The miracle of Chanukah
is a miracle of purification, a clearing of, death of, shadow,
an end to all that interferes with relationship with spirit.
Nun is the north direction, place of the dying year. Gimel,
the 2nd Hebrew letter, means "great" and is Tarot
key #2 The Priestess whose place is west; Hey, the 4th Hebrew
letter, is south and The Emperor; Shin, the 20th Hebrew letter,
is east and Judgement. Here is seen Gabriel blowing a horn (air
element) to signal new beginning. Death #13 opposite the Emperor
#4 refers to the periodic death/rebirth of the king and calling
forth of the true king (13 reduces to 4). The Priestess #2 is
also paired with Judgement #20, which # reduces to 2, these
archetypes work together.
THE 12 DAYS OF YULE:
A Key to Celebration and Prediction Yule is from Norse Iul meaning
"wheel". The 12 Days of Christmas or Yule (Dec 26
- Jan 6) can be thought of as 12 spokes of a zodiacal wheel
that is a template or embryonic form of the New Year to be.
Yule - "the 12 Days of Christmas" - begins December
26th and concludes with Epiphany, January 6th. In the old tradition
Dec 26th - the day after Christmas Day - is called the 1st Day
of Christmas and Jan 6th is 12th. Christmas Day itself is a
sacred, magical "day out of time." This was/is a day
for spiritual gifts while physical gifts come during Yule and
more especially on Epiphany, the Festival of the 3 Kings. The
Spirit born in the heart of the world on Christmas Eve ascends
and illumines the surface of the Earth on New Year's Day. This
is the day when Arthur first drew the sword from the stone and
so revealed the spirit of the new cycle.
The folk symbol of a babe carried
by an old man with a scythe (Saturn, ruler of Capricorn) symbolizes
the old time spirit bringing in the new. Each year brings a
new divine being that is to be christened on Christmas Eve,
illumined on New Year's Day, and is brought to Earthly expression,
"divine manifestation", on Epiphany.
Each of the Twelve Days of Christmas
or Yule (Old English for "wheel") corresponds to a
zodiacal sign in the coming year beginning with Aries December
26th followed by Taurus the 27th, and so on round the wheel.
The nature of the new year can be foreseen by noting weather
conditions, signs and gifts that come and other special happenings
on these 12 days. This is a special time to attend to portents
and dreams.
Dreams that come during the 12 Holy
Nights are believed to reveal meaning for their respective time
periods in the year ahead.
In Rudolph Steiner's writings there
is a myth recounted about a man named Olaf Astesen who went
to sleep for these 12 nights of Yule and dreamed all of what
would be in the year to come. Yule is a prophetic time because
it is a microcosm of the coming year. On this account it is
good to keep journal of the day’s events and record your
dreams for the 12 nights!
The Zodiacal 12 Days of Yule and
the 12 Days of Christmas Song
Aries 26 Dec The Partridge in a Pear
Tree - Renaissance Bennu bird.
Taurus 27 Dec 2 Turtle Doves - Dove is the bird of Venus, Taurus.
Gemini 28 Dec 3 French Hens - French are/Gemini is Lovers in
Tarot.
Cancer 29 Dec 4 Calling Birds - Cancer quickens soul response.
Leo 30 Dec 5 Golden Rings - Gold is metal of the Sun and Leo.
Virgo 31 Dec 6 Geese a-laying - Virgo is a sign of birth/creation.
Libra 1 Jan 7 Swans a-swimming - Libra's Venus is planet of
grace.
Scorpio 2 Jan 8 Maids a-milking - Scorpio is a sign of extrusion.
Sagittarius 3 Jan 9 Ladies dancing - Sagittarius is sign of
joy & celebration.
Capricorn 4 Jan 10 Lords a-leaping - Capricorn is sign of Lords
of Light.
Aquarius 5 Jan 11 Pipers piping - Aquarius is a musical air
sign.
Pisces 6 Jan 12 Drummers Drumming - A time for drumming.
Remember Patrick & his
Drum is in this concluding, clearing time.
The 12th Day of Christmas is the last spoke in the Wheel of
Yule. 12 Drummers ring around the light reborn on Epiphany,
January 6th. www.12days.com/library/ca...ofxmas.htm
Mystery Birth Note: Jesus was born
at midnight on Epiphany according to the channeled teachings
of Edgar Cayce (reading 5749-15). A chart drawn for midnight
January 6th Year 1 BCE shows a perfect Star of David with Moon
at the top of the chart and Sun at the bottom. Is this the Star
the 3 Magi who were astrologers followed? Timing Note: The 1st
Day of Christmas begins at Sunset on the evening of December
25th. Then it is that the Fellowship of the Ring sets off and
new year journey begins. (Fellowship is a keynote of this New
Year.) Fire Note: In old Britain celebrants kept a Yule fire
burning through the 12 nights of the season. The old year was
released by burning cedar boughs and oak was burned to power
dreams for the new. Wishes were made while touching the fire
with wooden sticks, which unlike iron, will conduct the subtle
energy of fire.
A Yule Celebration Sourcebook:
THE WINTER SOLSTICE - THE
SACRED TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS
A chapter is given to each of the 12 days of Christmas and to
Christmas Day itself which is numbered "0", this
being a day out of time much like the old Druid Festival of
Liberation. "Since Christmas Day itself is not counted
as 1 of the 12 Days, we shall call it 0 and for this day begin
with spiritual meditation..." ~ John Matthews Steve Nelson
Mythic Astrologer Astrology in Jungian tradition for understanding
personal myths and realizing natural abilities.
SteveNelson@carolina.rr.com
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INDEX
Page 3
(Main Section, Medicine Wheel, Native Languages &
Nations, Symbology)
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INDEX
Page 5
(Sacred Feminine & Masculine, Stones & Minerals)
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