We are past mid winter. The Menorah is put away. Trees of the ancient mid winter rite exhorting the return of spring are still in great rooms everywhere across the land. Though the memory of why an evergreen is brought into the house is muddled in other dogma. The feeding frenzy at the Mall is soon to gain a new level as the season of want drives shoppers in an excuse for activity, driven by the cold, shortness of days, and a desire for "things" mixed with the satisfied feeling one gets when giving to another, stirred by a pervasive saturation of advertising propaganda...... Ah yes the holidays - although I find it crass to suggest that there is little of anything holy left in the mid winter madness in today's insanely consumer driven 'modern' world ......
To remember what compassion is, to recall the struggles that allow us the comfort and survival against the cold. To remember the miracle of rebirth and renewal that mid winter promises.
To rejoice in the knowledge we have again made it through half the struggle of the season of winter......
To understand the ancient rhythm of the seasons and celebrate the promise of a new spring
So much seems forgotten .....
Yes, I always celebrate longer days and not much else at this time of year--I try to avoid getting too much entangled with any one tradition. I've learned after a lot of years to avoid being absorbed by impossible fantasies of the "perfect" greeting card holiday. I face yet another year of a sending out a post New Year's letter to family and friends--there will be no apologies for it, either. I don't give myself high marks for avoiding commercialism this year, though, because I fully intend to spend some quality time with my newest gadget. The family has had a few laughs at my expense on finding me hidden away in a corner plugged into the i-pod with Kindle on my lap and a thermos of tea close by. Hey, I never claimed to be any sort of Luddite; it's not change but change too fast that bothers me. I wasn't sure I'd like an e-reader, but my over 50 eyes sure appreciate adjustable font size. A nice leather cover helps make up some of the deficit.
ReplyDeleteWas the lunar eclipse visible? I was too fogged from cold meds to drag myself out of bed to watch. A friend in MASS who lives on the coast says it was cloudy so she could see very little, but the fog turned an odd purple.