Witches Brew

I said in my last post that I did not have a bucket list. I had come to the conclusion that I was too gimpy and too poor to ever fulfill a fancy bucket list so I had wiped the whole notion from my mind. I find, however, that my heart is more devious and perverse than I had imagined. I DO have things I want to accomplish before I die, and apparently my heart is not prepared to curl up and pretend that I don’t.

For almost a decade I have made noises about creating my own Pagan tradition. I am devoted to God as Daughter: Hathor, Hecate, Artemis, Athena, and Brigit, on occasion. And I have wanted to create a circle to study and worship the Daughter in all her aspects.

I also have a series of unpublished novels, which will not let me be. I would also like to belong to a book club that enjoys the kinds of books I like. And I am tired of being weak, broken, and in pain. I would like my mobility back.

Truthfully none of these items require a great deal of money or fancy equipment. They do require resolve and perseverance. And some pain.

Double, double, toil and trouble,
Cauldron boil and cauldron bubble!

The new year is here, ready or not. I found this brief animated version of “Auld Lang Syne” on Celestial Elf’s website The Dance of Life. Mind the volume; the bagpipe scared my cat!

Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, wrote the lyrics “Auld Lang Syne” for a traditional Scottish tune. He was born January 25, 1759, and his birthday is celebrated by Scots all over the world with whiskey, a traditional Scottish meal (haggis), and Burns poetry. My mother’s family hailed from Scotland. If I kept a bucket list, attending a Burns Night Supper would be high on the list.

The clock is running out on Christmas. I spent a very pleasant day with my relatives. Before the clock strikes midnight, I offer one more Christmas Carol.

It looks like we’ll have a Green Christmas this year (which is fine with me). But for everyone craving snow, here’s “Walking in the Air” sung by Peter Auty.

Officially the Winter Solstice occurs about 11:30 pm CST. I am going to get ready for my little celebration.

A Cool Yule and Blessed Be!

Winter Solstice falls on December 22 this year. Bring back the sun!

So here’s Jethro Tull with a rare animated promo for their “Ring Out The Solstice Bells” single. (1976)

Just when I think Christians are a lost cause, some of them will make me smile.

St. Matthews-in-the-City Church in Auckland, New Zealand, actually wants people to think! Imagine that! The church has a history of producing provocative billboards guaranteed to make stop and take inventory. This year’s offering is called “Mary is in the pink.”

"Mary is in the pink."

According to the 3 News online staff in Auckland: “This year Vicar Glynn Cardy says St Matthews wanted to focus on what it was like for a real mother with a real child.”

The billboard will remain until Christmas Day.

Forgive me but I am full unto puking of “Christian spirit” right now. I am gagging on the religiosity of Survivor: Brandon Hantz is a headcase, and Coach has been willingly sucked into his drama–and Goddess knows Coach has always been a headcase and a drama queen in his own right.

And a former coworker–or her husband DAN LEMASTER! There, I have said it DAN LEMASTER, may I never hear from him again–emailed me some religious crap this evening. I have told them to take me off their mailing list, but I still get these little burning bags of Right-Wing crap from time to time. This one was entitled “Fw: IF I ONLY GET 3 BACK. It is a sad day in America!”

Mr. LeMaster informs me:

Snopes.com confirms that the President issued the traditional proclamation for a National Day of  Prayer but did not attend a public observations.  Snopes says, “Claiming that the National Day of Prayer was ‘cancelled’  because a president opted not to a public prayer ceremony is therefore akin to claiming that Independence Day was ‘cancelled’ if a president opted not to attend a fireworks show on the 4th of  July.”

–Though you know the Right Wing-dingers would probably have his balls if the president did not appear at the fireworks somewhere on the 4th.

And do I have say that Capitol Hill is NOT beside the White House?

CNN reported:

“America is not perfect,” Abdul Malik, an organizer of the event called Islam on Capitol Hill, told the crowd.

“But I will say something it took me my whole adult life to come to: America is not perfect, but I want to tell the truth: It is one of the best places in the world to live.”

Forget the Grinch. Everybody this year seems to be talking Krampus. Apparently he is the Alpine–Swiss/Austrian–version of the Dutch Black Peter or Knecht Ruprecht (Ruprecht being a nickname for the Devil in Germany), who accompanied St Nicholas and left birch switches or lumps of coal for bad children.

According to this weekend’s story on NPR Horror For The Holidays: Meet The Anti-Santa (Dec. 10, 2011): “For hundreds of years, the Krampus and Saint Nicholas have worked a kind of good cop-bad cop routine.”

(Per NPR: “[In this video] A Krampus roams the streets during a ‘Krampuslauf’ near Merano, Italy, last weekend. People around America are also taking up the European Alpine folklore tradition, dressing like the creature who steals naughty children around Christmastime.”

I said last year that I have fantasied about having a Yule float in the Peoria Santa Claus Parade. Last year it was a float with the Oak King and the Holly King dueling for supremacy at the Solstice. Today, I am thinking we need a Krampus marching unit.

Druids, lead by Damh the Bard, rock out at the Glastonbury Gathering Eisteddfodau