A Yuletide Message from my Sister

My beautiful sister Ahriana has always had the most beautiful way with words - and at this Yuletide, I defer to her eloquence to express the meaning of the season.

Hello, Dear Friends!

It is Yule, and tonight, friends from far and near will gather in faith that we can survive the longest night. From this night forward, we will experience a little more sunlight each day, until the Spring arrives in all her colorful glory.

There is much romanticizing about this holiday and how the ancestors celebrated. Lengthy conversations are held about the origins of the Christmas Tree, Gift Giving, and the Jolly Ol' Elf himself. I wonder if it might be more important to discuss what these traditions mean in our modern world, where the holiday season can be challenging for so many.

My sweetheart is outside, as I am writing, stringing lights on the Douglas Fir in our yard. We decorate the Evergreen because it is the one living thing that consistently stays green throughout the winter. We see it as proof that Mother Nature has not abandoned us. She is simply resting, in preparation for a new season of growth and abundance. Despite the headlines about unemployment, crime rates and economic decline, the Evergreen reminds us that we have the strength to persevere through the "winter" of our own lives. It serves as a reminder to have faith.

We hang apples and strings of popcorn as gifts to the animals because it is harder to find food this time of year. It is a way to give back to "that-which-is-wild," and to remember that we are all interconnected. As we care for the wild world, we honor our own wildness, the untamable human spirit that tenaciously finds a new way of doing things. This same tenacity delivers us to the doorway of change.

The sparkling ornaments dance and sway, reminding us of the brilliance of our lives. Each dazzling glint of light opens our imagination, attracting the fairy realm - the devic kingdom - the unseen "spirit" of Nature. This "spirit of the season" warms us, comforts us and plays in our hearts, allowing us to find a sense of joy. It is this same "spirit' that sparks the flame within - the radiant flame that burns brightly in our hearts and lights the path ahead of us.

Tonight, in my home, a small group will gather. We will exchange gifts, reminding each other that there is always enough. We will light candles and, as each one ignites, we will share our visions for the future. We will warm each other with our laughter and our stories, and, together, we will face a new dawn. The "longest night" will give way to the eternal sun!

You see, these ancient ways are as important today as they were in times gone by. How they originated is not as important as the fact that they exist,. Our "Winter" is different than the winter faced by our ancestors. What threatens our survival is different. Yet, our need for faith, comfort, courage and strength, is the same. "Spirit' remains the blazing gift that guides us through the darkness into the light.

From my house to yours, a wish for a very blessed Yuletide. May your fires burn warm and the morning light inspire you.

Blessed be,

Ahriana

For more wonderful words of wisdom from my dear sister, please subscribe to her newsletter and check out the important work she is doing at the Colorado Ecospiritual Center - www.ecospiritual.com

Mother Earth & Father Time

Snuggling in to my mid-winter hibernation and tending to a bad cold, I was lucky enough to find on the television the original animated Charlotte's Web - the one with the magnificent Paul Lynde as Templeton the Rat, not that new one with Julia Roberts - and was transported back to being a kid again.

While I was enjoying the movie, this wonderful song is sung by Charlotte, called Mother Earth and Father Time - it's the best sort of lullabye, blending the changing of the seasons with the unwinding of Time.

It moved me so much that I dragged myself out from under the covers to find the lyrics and a link to it on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTuDSP2Nk5Q

Mother Earth and Father Time

How very special are we

For just a moment to be

Part of life's eternal rhyme

How very special are we

To have on our family tree

Mother Earth and Father Time

He turns the seasons around

And so she changes her gown

But they always look in their prime

They go on dancing their dance

Of everlasting romance

Mother Earth and Father Time

The summer larks return to sing

Oh, what a gift they give

Then autumn days grow short and cold

Oh, what a joy to live

How very special are we

For just a moment to be

Part of life's eternal rhyme

How very special are we

To have on our family tree

Mother Earth and Father Time

This is one I want to share with youngsters as they cuddle snug in their beds tonight, waiting on Father Yule to arrive.

Preparing for the time of rest

This time of year always finds me pulled in two directions - in one, the holidays are upon us and there's frantic energy put towards preparing for family visits, cooking for friends and decorating the house inside and out -- and on the other hand, the seasons tell us this is the time for rest, reflection and stillness. Quite the dichotomy.

How to fit both halves of my life into one life - hurriedly decorate while sitting in still contemplation. I need to clone myself. Each year I struggle with this - I have pledged my life to my faith, which strongly dictates this as the season of rest. The trees are dormant, the animals are slumbering, the flowers have retreated into the dark soil of the earth, to rest until Spring.

And yet there are bills to be paid, jobs to do and so much more. I remind myself each morning, to take a slower pace, to move with deliberateness, not swiftness. To think all things through, not act on impulse. I am attempting to teach myself to live my life with the wheel, to match my energy to the energy of the Mother. To find balance in the season and meaning in the theme of rest and reflection.