Good Solstice To All

Today is Yule and the Winter Solstice is upon us. It's time to gather friends and family and settle down for the cold months ahead. Traditionally, the months of cold were used for crafts and repairs, making new garments and mending old, embellishing that special pair of moccasins or taking the shorn fleece that had been washed, carded and spun into yarn earlier in the year, settling down with needles or hooks, and making warm outerwear for those who would be going out into the bitter winter chills to hunt or gather. 

Winter Solstice arrives today. Celebrate the shortest day of
the year and the knowledge that from this point on, we'll be
getting a small amount of additional sunlight every day. 

Even though the season can be harsh with killing cold, numerous snows and frozen lakes and streams, there's something incredibly beautiful about this time of the year when Mother Nature settles back and sleeps for a while. It's a season of renewal. While the people are gathered together for protection (and heat) in the bitter cold days ahead, relationships and supplies will be renewed. 

Five hours ago, the sun rose over the Salisbury Plain
and appeared through the stones of Stonehenge. 

It's the season for storytelling. The hunters are out less frequently and roam closer to home. At night, they often will gather around one of the hearth fires and tell tales of the marvelous things they have seen while wandering in the wild. The children listen, eyes wide, while they hide in the shadows of the tipi, longhouse, or hut. Teaching tales were passed down through generations in this manner. 

Be mindful as we move into the next season. Don't forget others
around you who are suffering or who have lost loved ones over
the past year. Honor them, help them,, and prove that even through
the evil in the world, love will prevail. 

For those in the cities and towns, winter was sloppy and messy, with mud beginning to build up for the spring thaw of stuck wagon wheels and turned ankles. Winter pulled down the risks of disease because the miasma of scents and germs that were the open cesspools of the streets and pathways was frozen for the season. Head colds always managed to find their way into lives at any season, but the uncomfortable parts of living in close contact with many others year-round was lessened in the winter months. Still cruel, however, winter still claimed lives and the cold still whistled through inadequately chinked walls and down poorly drafted hearths. 

A look up from the Osage Forest of Peace on this Solstice morn. 

So, it's Yule. Winter officially begins and it's up to you. Will you make it a season of nurturing, learning, and creativity? Or will you make it a season of huddling in corners, skulking about with reluctance, and shivering curses and prayers for a fast and warm spring. All are legitimate possibilities. The season has turned and what you'll make of it is your own, personal choice. Choose wisely. 

It's a new turn of the sun and a new turn of the year. What will you make
of it? Be respectful, spread joy, speak no harsh words, tell no untruths.
That can be so little, yet mean so much. 

I'm certainly not missing my swims for the rest of the week. Today I pick up the ham and the pie (Candy Cane Pie - so yummy!) before heading to the shop. Yesterday I ate too much Chex Mix (it's SOOOOO good), so I ate way too much salt. Although I'll try to be better, I also know better. I'll still be a bad girl. It's Yule - I have to celebrate. Be good, I'll be back tomorrow.