Musings on a Small Life

Today is a joyous, joy-full day for me, as the winter Solstice was at 12:30AM EST today. That means we start getting more daylight again and as far as I'm concerned, it's reason to rejoice. It's also a joyous day because I'm using my last vacation day tomorrow, so I'll be away from the office until the university opens again on January 3rd. Yay! I think I'll celebrate both the Solstice and the impending holiday with some chocolate and shortbread cookies now.  :-) Happy Solstice! I received this card in yesterday's mail, painted by my mom's very creative cousin. Universal Blessings, Light and Mercy to All Beings.

A very merry Yule to all! I've been counting down the days for quite some time, because of course the Winter Solstice means a slow return of daylight, at last. And while I'm not Wiccan, Nature resonates with my soul far more than any human construct, and that includes our religious constructs. “When one defines oneself as Pagan, it means she or he follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifest in all creation. The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth is our temple, its plants and creatures our partners and teachers. We worship a deity that is both male and female, a mother Goddess and a father God, who together created all that is, was, or will be.We respect life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation.” -Edain McCoy- http://blessedbe.sugarbane.com/ Image from https://www.painters-online.co.uk/gallery/album.asp?id=9568 History of Yule http://www.twopagans.com/holiday/Yule.html "...This Sabba...