Christmas is nearly here, the new Year approaches and everyone is geared up to celebrate, or be miserable as their world demands.
2009 will no doubt go down in my memory as one of the most difficult, challenging and amazing years in my entire life ! I have moved home twice, been mentally and physically challenged with my health, met some amazing people and above all...I learned to be true to my own ethics and principles.
As a practising Shaman-Ka I live my life with the hopes of being in tune with our Mother Earth, the people I 'rub shoulders with', the animal life around me and in general try to keep a peaceful lifestyle amongst the noise and bustle of this busy world.
Living in Harlech has been a singularly wonderful experience. The small village itself is pretty and can display the most amazing amount of human emotions . i 've witnessed real passion for the heritage of this place from The Castle Harlech to the tiniest of cottages, I've been privileged to see true patriotism and equally so I have witnessed the massive change in society as a whole as young people went on a drunken rampage around the village with no thought or care for the many elderly and infirm who live here.
Equally so the challenge to my own health has caused a great deal of introspection and my thoughts have wobbled around fears and strengths until I simply accepted that I have to wait and in doing so have come to accept that if the doctors tell me I am on my way to the next realm...then I hope I manage to leave with some dignity and if the doctors say differently I am determined I will live my life to the fullest I can manage.........because I have discovered there is so much I have yet to do, yet to take on board.
In particular as the Christmas period approaches I am aware that I have not had contact with my grandchildren this year , as much as I would wish. I have missed Katy Ann and Leah's first steps, first words and first moments of Independence, something I regret deeply. I was not around to see my eldest grandchild go to her first prom night and didn't see the excitement on Bex's face as she visited Euro Disney for the first time and I do genuinely regret that too.
these are special moments I will never be able to witness again in some 'catch up' style, I didn't have the opportunity or so I thought..............but I could have done. I should have made the time..it is easy to let time become a mortal enemy.
As human beings we invented time to mark our days energies. We created clocks and calenders to make it easier to keep track of events and situations, needs and wants but we allowed time to master us and now we have lost the 'time out' that is so important to our balance. We get pushed and shoved by times need for us to keep up and to me, as I approach my middle age I can almost feel time slipping by. Wasting itself in simply passing. Not filling each minute with glorious memory but emptying my own time bank to replace it with vain regrets, might have beens, wish I hads' and moments of blankness as boredom sets in.
How can I be bored !!!! time is slipping away, I live on the coast with a glorious beach, a huge old castle, wild woodlands and forests, fields and houses that reach back into antiquity, museums and craft halls, so many wonders......and I sit at a computer typing..because I am bored...how wasteful, how very stupid...wasting times gift.
Christmas is a simple affair, a day of celebrating the birth of Christ into the world...what do humans do? spend a few hours in thankfulness ? go to Church ? pray their gratitude...erm no.......get drunk, get in debt, get into trouble, get stuffed with food, make a great fuss about presents and cost and eat far too much or drink far too much, but actually pray...no.
Christmas is also the Solstice for winter a time of looking at the past, accepting it and balancing the events remembered and celebrating the great spiral of life and welcoming the Lord of the Hunts power, the male energies and the seemingly endless cycles of the seasons. How many People of a pagan persuasion will find a hill top, a circle of stone, spend a few bitterly cold hours saying thank you in the style of their religion...precious few. A ritual in the home, with lots of drink,. lots of food and the central heating is what will happen the world over for both celebrations.
Many ceremonies are similar. The origins of the celebration all seem to be about simplicity and sharing and giving selflessly and being thankful...but time has passed. People no longer value the same things or are aware in the same ways as in the past and modern celebrations are not about giving and sharing so much as who gave to whom, how much was spent. getting the same as everyone else, being up in the list as a top party giver a great host or hostess, who was remembered on the card list and who was struck off. Your popularity marked by the amount of Christmas cards you're sent or the size of the office present you get.Even the kiddies at school are in on the act, the present bought for teacher, did you buy the headmaster or mistress a present , was your child in the school nativity and so on. It all starts so early in life so that the grabbing and selfish lifestyle has the time to develop fully for when your grown up.
So I began to write what i thought would be a Christmas message and ended on a rant...par for the course. My time this year seems to have had a lot of ranting in it. I ranted for ages about our army, navy and raf guys n gals being supported properly. I had a good old rant about Sam Hain and so on , I seem to have spent a lot of time doing little pieces for my blogs and building my websites which in a way are part of my immortality...and then there is this time right now.
What can I say that will be memorable, honest and truthful. What can i possibly say about Christmas and the Solstice that is apt and profound..I really want to say the right thing, so that in time...you will all remember my words and in so doing, remember me too.
I wish you the equal of the joys and happiness's I have experienced and none of the fears, pains or hurts. May your God and you become good friends , I wish you well.
Merry Christmas
Solstice Greetings
Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again.
May Light always find you in your darkest of hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment