November 28th, 2011

Good evening, ladies and gents! I have a few random things to share with you all today, not the least of which being a most intriguing new book I'm reading for English class. It's a fantasy novel called A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, and is about the four classes of humanoid creatures: humans, vampires, daemons, and witches. The reason I bring this up here is that the witches are Pagan, and I've so far been enjoying all the little references to our culture. I haven't finished it yet (I'm about half through), but so far it's been a great book, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
Also, I happen to knit small bunnies, stuff them with lavender, and sell them. Over Thanksgiving, my Grandma Fran suggested using cornstarch instead of actual lavender, and infusing said cornstarch with essential oils. This gave me the idea for making talismans to be carried in the purse, put under the pillow, in the car, etc. by putting some of said oil and flour in a pouch of cheesecloth or other fabric. It could also include other spices, beads, written incantations, and the like, but personally, I like the idea of just keeping it simple with the pouch and flour, and empowering it in a simple ritual.
Finally, I spent some time today making a simple video of "Glory to the Newborn Sun", one of my favorite Yule carols. Here it is:

Other songs on my Yule carol playlist include Have a Holly Jolly Yuletide, Silver Bells, Solstice Night, The Holly and the Ivy, Moon of Silver, Winter Solstice Song, Wiccan Wonderland, We Wish You a Merry Yuletide, Greensleeves, Joy to the World, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Yuletide.

November 27th, 2011

After a hiatus of something like two weeks, I'm proud to announce that I'm back! :) Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can get really into the Yule spirit, and today I put up my personal Yule tree. Every year, my parents get a real Christmas tree for the living room that we all decorate, but every room in the house gets its own artificial tree, so I've co-opted mine for Yule purposes. It's not decorated yet, because Mom didn't want to get all the decorations out, but it's up. I've also been listening to Yule carols on Youtube. My personal favorite is Solstice Night, a Pagan take on Silent Night. Here are the lyrics, for those who are interested.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Silent night, Solstice Night
All is calm, all is bright
Nature slumbers in forest and glen
Till in Springtime She wakens again
Sleeping spirits grow strong!
Sleeping spirits grow strong!

Silent night, Solstice night
Silver moon shining bright
Snowfall blankets the slumbering Earth
Yule fires welcome the Sun's rebirth
Hark, the Light is reborn!
Hark, the Light is reborn

Silent night, Solstice night
Quiet rest till the Light
Turning ever the rolling Wheel
Brings the Winter to comfort and heal
Rest your spirit in peace!
Rest your spirit in peace!

~~~~~~~~~~