Thought for the day - December 18th - 99

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 18th - 99
From:
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 08:23 PM

Is that our Allison listed on the e-mail?

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 18th - 99
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 03:16 PM

Well, phoaks, even though I am here in Wyoming, I would like to say I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE ABOVE POSTING.

While I am always open to people posting about their path, I find the above to be blatant and inappropriate. I guess if Wyoming Wiccan is a newbie, I should be understanding and all of that, BUT, it smells like a rat to me and I am wondering just *who* might've dug this up & posted it, as if I didn't have a clue!

So...if you are indeed a newbie welcome and how about getting to know the people you are posting to a little bit, first?!

If it is who I think it is, well, that would Mr. Nobody who doesn't exist, so fawk off.

kat

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 18th - 99
From: Wyoming Wiccan
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 02:34 PM

"Never again the Burning!!"

WYOMING RITUALS
CHILDREN OF THE MOONLIT FOREST
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Group Overview: We are a local group of eclectic wiccan practitioners, we are a dominantly new group and we are also open to any new members. We have an ordained high priest of the third degree wiccan tradition. For more info please contact Dejah. BLESSED BE and Bright blessings to you all.

Evanston State: WY Zip: 82930
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New Circle Forming

Bi weekly

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Forming an Open Discussion/Teaching circle open to all who follow the rede. Any and all welcome. Pot Luck to follow each meeting
contact: Kevin & Julie Kissler
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WYOMING WICCANS

Torrington: Willow (Libra) ... animal lover-eclectic path-seeking friends on the path. [e-mail]

Sheridean: Firhorse (Scorpio) ... nature and animal loving Wiccan - looking for others in the area to communicate with [e-mail]

Rock Springs: Kendra (Pisces) ... Solitary eclectic always willing to share and listen. Blessed Be. [e-mail]

Rawlins: Kari Allison (Aries) ... Looking for someone to research WiccansPagans. Please email. [e-mail]

Gillette: Libby Lemons (Cancer) ... Put Rosmary by your garden gate plant Lavender for luck and fall in love whenever you can. [e-mail]

Cheyenne: IshvaraIshy (Libra) ... 30 yr. old swm. 8 sabbats and so little time. Lets dance under the moon. [e-mail]

Carpenter: Shadowwalker (Scorpio) ... Warrior Wiccan following a martial interpretation of the path. [e-mail]

BACKGROUND The Wiccan faith is a matriarchal religion which originated in Europe. In this faith there is a belief in a deity, but not in the sense of an anthropomorphic God. Rather, the Wiccan belief is that there is a primordial, supernatural force which is the creator of the world and universe and which permeates everything therein. In the Wiccan faith, there is a deification of this force, and all individuals are seen as divine sparks from this divinity with a concomitant moral and ethical responsibility to themselves and to everything in nature. This responsibility arises from the fact that each individual is connected to all things in the universe in what is known as the "karmic circle," and each individual both causes the events occurring within the circle and is affected thereby.

Adherents to the Wiccan faith do not practice the stereotypical "bubble, bubble, toil and trouble" witchcraft, and Voodoo-like curses and hexes play no part in the Wiccan philosophy. The Wiccan church is not Christian, but it does believe in the teachings of Christ. It does not believe in the devil.

In the Wiccan faith, there are eight Sabbaths per year, which are major festivals celebrating changes of seasons. These include: Yule, Vernal Equinox, Beltane, Summer Solstice, Michelmas, and Lamas. The sacraments and ceremonies of the Wiccan doctrinal theology include: honoring the deity through reverence and homage, communion, marriages (referred to as "hand fastings"), funeral ceremonies, and ceremonies for naming babies.

The Book of Shadows is a customized reference book for Witches, containing useful information such as myths and liturgy. According to Gerald Gardner, such a book should be hand-copied from teacher to student but in practice not every Witch or Wiccan has a "book of shadows" and few are exactly alike. There are many "books of shadows" available in print and online (leading to the "disk of shadows" or even "directories of shadows" several megabytes large). If you'd like to copy from these sources for your personal use, you may assemble your own book. But please observe copyright laws in your newfound enthusiasm.

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 18th - 99
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 07:19 AM

Thanks, Bassen. I was just quoting, but also dimly aware of some old stuff learned in Latin class which seemed to not so much contradict as expound, which you've done quite nicely. Oh, and about that quiz? I AM exempt, right, since 'twas I started it?!!**BG**

kat

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 18th - 99
From: bassen
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 06:18 AM

Kat Icelandic would be norse, old norse the language of the settlers of Iceland who were mainly from Norway. They settled Iceland long after the anglosaxons were celebrating Yule. Christmas in all scandinavian languages is still called Jul, pronounced more or less like "Yule". The midwinter "blot" was the most important in prechristian Scandinavia.

According to my etymological dictionary the word Jul has the followinig etymology:(translating roughly as I write) "In pagan times Jul/jôl was the name of the midwinter feast (blot) held on midwinter eve (januar 12). The word is identical with the anglosaxon geoh(h)ol, géol (english yule). Names of the months were derived from this: gothic "fruma jiuleis", ancient norse "ylir", anglosaxon "se ærra géola" december and "se æfterra géola" january. The germanic roots for the word Yule are *jehwla- and *je(g)wla- which are connected to the latin "jocus" meaning joke, pleasant. If this is the case the word has described a saturnalian feast. French "joli", english "jolly" and italian "giulivo" have the same root"...

There will be a short quiz at the end of this thread.

Subject: Thought for the day - December 18th - 99
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 12:15 AM

In honour of Solstice, for those among us who celebrate it and, also for the season in general, from an oldish book found at a library sale. I do not vouch for its accuracy, just find it quaint and interesting.

The tenth month of the old Roman year was numerically designated as December, an anachronism still retained. The Romans consecrated it to Saturn, and on the 17th day of that month the great festival, Saturnalia, was held. .....the celebration continued for seven days.

The Anglo Saxons designated the month as Midwinter-monat and Yule-monat. The original meaning of the word Yule has been traced to the Islandic Hjol, wheel, indicating that at this period the sun wheels or turns the winter solstice.

The yule log is a winter counterpart of the midsummer fire, but on account of the season, the ceremony is held indoors. Consequently it is more of a family festival... On Christmas Eve the yule log is lighted by a fragment of its predecessor which had been saved for the purpose from the previous year.

from the same book:

In 1649, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland appointed a commission of their own number to report to the next General Assembly as to druidical customs observed at the fires of Beltane, Midsummer, Halloween, and Yule. All the old customs were ordered to be discontinued, and people warned against kindling fires for superstitious purposes.

William J. Fielding: Strange Superstitions and Magical Practices © 1945 Hmmmm, sounds like a title our own Fielding might come up with to write about us!**BG*

Tomorrow's thought for the day will continue with words from a very old Scottish song and a Solstice invocation.

For those of you who are Christian, please know that next weekend's thoughts will focus on Christmas.

Thank you,

katlaughing