Yule 2002 arranged by ---Shining Spider- 2002 The astrology of today: Moon- waning (3rd phase- cancer-) Changing from sun to Capricorn (phase) The myth of Yule: Also known as: Yuletide, Alban Arthuan, Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year. It is from this point that the days begin slowly to become longer and longer. The sun is at its most southeastern point over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Northern Hemisphere and has no apparent northward or southward motion. In the time of the ancient tribes this was a time of celebration, for it meant the turning point of winter and the eventual return of spring. Yule is the time when we honor the Goddess for giving birth to the sun once more. May stories revolving around this holiday involve the mother goddess birthing the sun god, or a great battle between the holly king, and oak king. Today, instead, we will focus on a sun goddess who experiences a rebirth. Ritual I. Creating A Sacred Space A. Cleanse space B. Ground and Center C. Call Elements D. Cast Circle II. Calling And Honoring the Divine A. (lighting candle) We invite you, Amaterasu, into this circle B. Her story: Amaterasu had a beautiful garden in her families’ kingdom. When she was walking its grounds nature rejoiced; birds sang, flowers bloomed and the air was full of vitality. Susanoo, her younger brother and a storm god, was always in search of mischief. While his sister was away from the garden he blew strong winds scattering the flowers all over, and scaring the birds off to distant lands. Amaterasu was saddened by this and hid herself in a cave behind a thick and heavy door. The whole world became dark and cold lacking plants or sound. Days and weeks passed with out light, with out joy. One day another female deity said ‘I cannot take this anymore, I will dance to cheer you all.’ So she began her dance. As the music picked up the young goddess danced more lewdly, laughing so that everyone soon began to laugh and cheer. It was a great party in the darkness. And in the cave Amaterasu heard all of the raucous laughter and exciting music. She approached the door and could make out the voices of her friends and her favorite musical instruments. A deity who had been sitting by the cave entrance saw the beams of light outline the cave door, and knowing that Amaterasu was right on the other side flung open the door revealing her beauty, radiance and power. This was the beginning of the New Year. C. Honor the sun within us (eat a piece of the orange being passed around) III. Pathwork A. Surrendering to the Dark (night); Surrendering to Nature: The Quarrelsome Demyan Myth*. 1. Once there was a man named Demyan who loved to pick fights. Everyone in the village knew of this chararistic, so they did their best to avoid the man. The villagers did such a good job keeping Demyan at bay that he became frustrated because he could no longer pick fights openly. So he began to resort into trickery. One day he invited another villager into his house. Once the villager was inside Demyan told his wife to set the table, and he asked his guest to sit down for supper. The guest politely said to Demyan ‘You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.’ With that Demyan slapped the man in the face and said ‘Always obey the master when you’re in his house!’ The guest falling for the trick sat down, and when the host offered him food, he ate. Soon into the meal Demyan began to cut countless slices of bread. The guest asked, ‘Why do you cut so much bread, Demyan?’ Demyan gave the guest another slap, saying ‘It is impolite to give advice to the host! Obey the master when you’re in his house.’ The guest became distraught. When Demyan finally offered him some bread, the guest refused to eat, thus disobeying Demyan, who kept beating him, saying, ‘In someone else’s house, obey the master!’ The guest fled from Demyan’s house beaten and upset. Soon after that, a shabbily dressed man rode up to the house on an old horse. Without being invited, he entered Demyan’s front gate and rode into the yard. Demyan thought to himself, ‘aha! Another guest to thrash!’ ‘Welcome stranger’ said Demyan. ‘Thank you, Demyan.’ Said the stranger, ‘but please forgive me for having come without first asking permission.’ ‘Never mind that, come in, you are welcome here!’ The stranger entered Demyan’s house and was entreated to sit down at the table. Soon, Demyan commanded his wife to serve the dishes of food, and to bring the bread. The fellow ate and ate without contradicting his host. No matter how much Demyan tried to provoke his guest, he could not find a pretext for striking him. Finally, frustrated beyond words, Demyan decided to resort to trickier tricks. He brought out his very best clothes and told the stranger, ‘Take off what you are wearing and put this on.’ Demyan, expecting the stranger to refuse out of out of politeness, was shocked when the fellow did not refuse. The stranger put on the clothes that his host gave him. Demyan began to offer the stranger this and that around the house, but still the man would not quarrel. Demyan brought out his best horse, saddled it with his best silver gear, put the gold bridle on the horse, and said to his guest, take my horse. Yours is poor looking and ungroomed.’ Demyan expected the man would surely refuse, but the fellow mounted the horse. Frustrated beyond his limits, Demyan finally told the guest to ride forth. The fellow urged the horse on, rode out of the yard, and disappeared down the road. Demyan followed the man with his eyes, clapped h is hands, and said ‘Well, at last I’ve found my equal! Not he, but I was fooled. I wanted to thrash him, but instead I lost my house.’ 2. Discuss the metaphor of Demyan as nature, and his guests as differing philosophies B. Surrendering to Movement 1. dance C. Surrendering to internal stillness ** 1. Close your eyes and take several deep, slow breaths. With each breath allow your body to become still. With each breath, quiet your mind. With each breath, imagine that you move closer to the center of your being. Mentally travel through your body, from your toes to your head, and relax each part as you go along. When you have finished, imagine that a blue mist begins to swirl around your feet. It moves upward and covers you completely. The mist is warm and comforting. Soon it begins to lift you up and take you on a journey to a place of learning pause the mist sets you down now, and it dissipates. As it does, it reveals a new scene. You find yourself in front of a large oak tree in the middle of a warm, sunny field. Take note of its immense size. Walk close to it. Touch it. As you do, notice that your hand slips easily into the tree, as though it was an illusion. Let your arm go inside, then allow the rest of your body to follow until you are completely inside the oak tree. Suddenly, a transformation takes place. Your arms become branches and leaves, your feet become roots you become the oak tree. Imagine how it feels to have branches and leaves. Feel your root system in the earth below you. Imagine how you take in nutrients from the soil, and clear, still water from underground springs. Now, feel the warmth of the sun on your leaves. A wind picks up now and sways your branches. Feel the rush of the breeze as it moves your body. Time begins to speed up now; the sun moves fast through the sky, and soon it is dark outside. Look up and feel the cool light of the waning moon and stars on your leaves, branches, and trunk. Just as suddenly as before, another transformation takes place, and you find yourself back outside of the tree. Look at it again and know that its life is not independent. Its life falls into a vast web of interdependency that reaches into the deepest parts of the universe. See now how the web sustains your life. Pause The blue mist swirls at your feet, climbs, and covers you again. It lifts you and brings you back to the place where you began the journey. It takes you back to your physical body. When you are fully back, open your eyes. Take a moment to assimilate the experience. C. The questions: (paper is provided, although you don’t have to write anything) 1. What was the lesson of last year? 2. What cave are you leaving? 3. What forces do you need to surrender to? 4. Who is in your web of connected-ness? 5. What harmony are you seeking? IV. Spellwork letting go *** A. chanting (round robin style to answer question) All: To die and be reborn The wheel is turning What must you lose to the night? Priestess (going first): fear All: Fear is lost to the night Fear is lost to the night. To die and be reborn The wheel is turning What must you lose to the night? V. Thanking A. Poem: **** Birthing Light Out of this nowhere time between the harvest and the planting some things still germinate some things still ferment. Her eye is like the sun warm and enriching. Her voice is like the moon, my mother so knowing. Sing the praises of every sun goddess and god. Sing the praises of those divine and mortal who lift us higher. B. Thank Amaterasu C. Thank the elements D. Break the space VI. Crafts and Dinner! Credits: * & ** from: ‘Dark Moon Mysteries’ by Timothy Roderick *** from: ‘Spiral Dance’ by Starhawk **** by Laura Craig Mason © 2002 |