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December
2012
Greetings Sisters &
Brothers, this is our December newsletter.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our new members.
This month we have 12/12/12 Divine Feminine day coming up. We are
having a special ceremony at the Temple of Theola to celebrate the Divine
Feminine.
Also this month we celebrate Winter Solstice on 21/12/12
The winter solstice is the time at which the Sun is appearing at noon at
its lowest altitude above the horizon. In the Northern Hemisphere this is
the Southern solstice, the time at which the Sun is at its southernmost
point in the sky, which usually occurs on December 21 to 22 each year. In
the Southern Hemisphere this is the Northern solstice, the time at which
the Sun is at its northernmost point in the sky, which usually occurs on
June 20 to 21 each year.
The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the planet's daily
rotation keep the axis of rotation pointed at the same point in the sky.
As the Earth follows its orbit around the Sun, the same hemisphere that
faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face
towards the Sun and experience summer. Since the two hemispheres face
opposite directions along the planetary pole, as one polar hemisphere
experiences winter, the other experiences summer.
More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere's winter solstice occurs on
the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun's daily
maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest. Since the winter solstice
lasts only a moment in time, other terms are often used for the day on
which it occurs, such as "midwinter", "the longest night", "the shortest
day" or ""the first day of winter". The seasonal significance of the
winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights
and shortening of days.
Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture,
but most Northern Hemisphere cultures have held a recognition of rebirth,
involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations
around that time.
The solstice itself may have been a special moment of the annual cycle of
the year even during Neolithic times. Astronomical events, which during
ancient times controlled the mating of animals, sowing of crops and
metering of winter reserves between harvests, show how various cultural
mythologies and traditions have arisen. This is attested by physical
remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological
sites such as Stonehenge in Britain and Newgrange in Ireland. The primary
axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a
sight-line pointing to the winter solstice sunrise (Newgrange) and the
winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). Significant in respect of Stonehenge
is the fact that the Great Trilithon was erected outwards from the centre
of the monument, i.e., its smooth flat face was turned towards the
midwinter Sun. Neolithic site of Goseck circle. The yellow lines are the
direction the Sun rises and sets at winter solstice.
The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities
were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared
during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between
January and April, also known as "the famine months". In temperate
climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before
deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to
be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a
supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made
during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time.
The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing
at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which
falls on the previous eve.
Since the event is seen as the reversal of the Sun's ebbing presence in
the sky, concepts of the birth or rebirth of Sun Gods have been common
and, in cultures using winter solstitially based cyclic calendars, the
year as reborn has been celebrated with regard to life-death-rebirth
deities or new beginnings such as Hogmanay's redding, a New Year cleaning
tradition. In Greek mythology, the Gods and Goddesses met on the winter
and summer solstice, and Hades is permitted to enter Mount Olympus (his
domain is the underworld so he of course does not get accepted any other
time). Also reversal is yet another usual theme as in Saturnalia's slave
and master reversals.
Yule or Yuletide ("Yule-time") is a winter festival that was initially
celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a shamanistic religious
festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the
Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated
from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar
Germanic calendar. The festival was placed on December 25 when the
Christian calendar (Julian calendar) was adopted. Scholars have connected
the celebration to the Wild Hunt.
Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are used in the Nordic
countries for the Christian Christmas (with its religious rites), but also
for other holidays of the season. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in
English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule
log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule.
Germanic Neopaganism has adopted the pre-Christian festival, as have some
other new age non-Christian religions, such as Wicca.
For us as an Order winter solstice is a time for getting together, holding
a beautiful ceremony where candles are lit and wishes for the future are
made. We feast and drink ale to help celebrate the Sun's death and it's
rebirth which will keep us warm again in the Spring and Summer months
ahead. We sing songs and read poems.
And now we hear from Hon. Lady Kristina Henriques LKHT. our Guardian of
Sagittarius, who will tell us more about this months star sign.
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Sagittarius
Meaning of the name: The Archer
Sun sign dates: November 23 to December 21
Element: Fire
House: The Ninth House
Quality: Mutable
Ruling planet: Jupiter
Polarity: Gemini
Appearance:
Elegant, Graceful, Strong, Tall and athletic, Thick hair, Smiling and
Charming, Coordinated and Well developed
Characteristics and Personality:
Honest and Forthright, Free spirited, Life-Loving, Optimistic, Often
moving from location to location, Likes to travel, Enjoying outdoors, Will
adapt well in most situations, Often looks at the positive impact of life,
Big picture oriented, Enthusiastic and stimulating, Tends to exaggerate,
Non-conservative in thought – open to all thoughts and views of the world,
Constantly seeking spiritual growth – often finds unhappiness in
situations with conservative or possessive personalities, Doesn’t want to
be tied down, The professor, The preacher/ The judge
Positive Qualities:
Generous, Frank, Fun, Fearless, Optimist, Good-natured, Nature-loving,
Sociable, Spiritual.
Negative Qualities:
Impatient, Independent, Fears responsibility, Self-indulgence, Fanaticism,
Tendency to gamble, Negative.
Physiology:
Liver, Pituitary gland, Hips, Thighs
Diet & Life style:
Avoid a poor diet heavy in fats, starches and alcohol which puts an extra
burden on the sensitive liver. Moderation in all things is a good advice
for the Sagittarius. Drink lots of pure water and preferable is a few
mini-meals a day instead of a couple of large ones. Sagittarius’s cell
salt is silica and lack of this mineral may result in lank hair, dull skin
and sores and receding of the gums.
Outdoor exercise is recommended, Sagittarius’s love to walk.
Gemstone: Topaz, Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire and Turquoise
Colour: Blue
Best day of the week: Thursday
Herb: Rosemary, Frankincense
Flower: Calendula
Lucky numbers: 3, 12, 21, 30
Most compatible with: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Can be good with: Aquarius, Libra, Gemini
A 50-50 chance with: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Doubtful with: Scorpio, Pisces, Cancer
That is all for this month.
We wish you all very Happy Holidays & a wonderful peaceful new year, full
of joy.
 
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