Serenity Sunday

Wassail
(a hot, spiced Punch drink often associated with Christmas. Particularly popular in Germanic countries. The term itself is a contraction of the Middle English phrase wæs hæil... meaning "be healthy".)


* 4 cups apple cider
* 1 jar crabapples (undrained) 16oz
* 2 cups golden sherry
* 4 lemon slices
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


Place cider into sauce pan, bringing to a boil and then add other
ingredients. 
Stir until sugar is dissolved. 
Serve immediately.


My List:

1.) My kids


2.) Happy memories


3.) Yule music


4.) Good friends


5.) New traditions


6.) Handmade ornaments


7.) Sleeping in

8.) Sea salt baths


9.) Ibuprofen


10.) Chocolate santas

Snow Candy And Speckled Chickens

I got my book "Circle Round, raising children in the goddess traditions" in the mail the day before yesterday and started reading it immediately. I cannot begin to tell you how great this book is! I wasn't very far into reading when I came across one of the wonderful traditions, that I felt tears coming to my eyes. It was about snow candy, I had all but forgotten making snow candy (with real maple syrup) at grandma's and grandpa's house every winter.

My grandparents have been in my thoughts a lot lately, I'm not sure why. It seems that I miss them a whole lot more the older I get. It was okay to be that dorky little kid, clumsy, opinionated but even then I loved getting in the dirt and working around the garden with them. (they even let me have one of their banty hens as pet and never batted an eye when I took "Blackie" for a walk in grandpa's old fishing basket, you know...the old wicker type with a square in the top, she fit just perfectly.) There were even a couple times in my life when I was very ill that I yearned for grandma's loving hands and soothing voice to be there to comfort me.

I never told mom about the snow candy (or the chicken, for she was deathly afraid of them), I realized even at that age, what reaction she'd have. It was a special tradition just between grandma, grandpa and me. Now days, as a parent, I would never advocate pouring maple syrup on snow and eating it but life seems so different now than it did back then. Here is an updated recipe that is probably much safer for consumption.

Snow Candy

* 1 cup real maple syrup
* 1/4 cup butter
* Shaved ice (or vanilla ice cream)

* Heat the syrup and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to avoid a boil over. 


* The mixture is ready 6 to 7 minutes after it boils (220 to 234 degrees on a candy thermometer). It should stiffen when dripped onto a plate.


* Remove from heat and cool for 2 minutes before pouring over shaved ice  or ice cream. It cools so quickly and kids can eat it right away.

Mithras

In my research of yesterday's post, I found many mentions of Mithra (or Mithras) and it seemed that every article I read about Saturnalia, the mention of Mithra(s) was not very far behind so today I'm going to explore just what Mithra(s) is really about. I'm not familiar with this concept but I vaguely remember it mentioned in catechism classes at the catholic high school my mother sent me to. So, with no further ado, let us learn together....

 Mitra, Mithra, Mithras

Mithras is the Roman name for the Indo-Iranian god Mitra, or Mithra, as he was called by the Persians.  Mithra is the god of the airy light between heaven and earth but he is also associated with the light of the sun and with contracts and mediation. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.


This is where it gets interesting....


All this may surprise modern Christians but it was very familiar to the Church Fathers who filled their "Apologies"with dubious rationales as to how Mithraism had anticipated the whole nine yards of Christianity centuries before the supposed arrival of Jesus – "diabolic mimicry by a prescient Satan" being the standard explanation. Pagan critics were not slow to point to the truth: Christianity had simply copied the popular motifs of a competitive faith.

 It appears that the Vatican was built upon the grounds previously devoted to the worship of Mithra (600 B.C.). The Orthodox Christian hierarchy is nearly identical to the Mithraic version. Virtually all of the elements of Orthodox Christian rituals, from miter, wafer, water baptism, alter, and doxology, were adopted from the Mithra and earlier pagan mystery religions. The religion of Mithra preceded Christianity by roughly six hundred years. 

Mithraic worship at one time covered a large portion of the ancient world. It flourished as late as the second century. The Messianic idea originated in ancient Persia and this is where the Jewish and Christian concepts of a Savior came from. Mithra, as the sun god of ancient Persia, had the following karmic similarities with Jesus:


* Mithra was born on December 25th as an offspring of the Sun. Next to the gods Ormuzd and Ahrimanes, Mithra held the highest rank among the gods of ancient Persia. He was represented as a beautiful youth and a Mediator


* He was considered a great traveling teacher and master. He had twelve companions as Jesus had twelve disciples. Mithras also performed miracles.


* Mithra was called "the good shepherd"..."the way, the truth and the light"..."redeemer"..."Messiah" and was identified with both the lion and the lamb.


* He was buried in a tomb and after three days he rose again. His resurrection was celebrated every year.


I ran this blog by my good friend (and wise old soul) Fire Lyte and he was able to bring some of this into perspective for me. At first, I became convinced that the christians were trying to pull the wool over people's eyes but after thinking about what Fire Lyte had to say, I began to realize that it isn't about who took who's ideas...down through the ages there have been many cultural myths that have involved similar beliefs and religions that have taken bits and pieces of older deities and beliefs and assimilated them into their practices and thinking. Like Ecclesiastes states so eloquently "What has been is, what will be and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun."(1 : 2–11)

Roman Festival, Saturnalia

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia (a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture) was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a time when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.

Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.


During the holiday, restrictions were relaxed and the social order inverted. Gambling was allowed in public. Slaves were permitted to use dice and did not have to work. Instead of the toga, less formal dinner clothes were permitted, as was the pileus, a felt cap normally worn by the manumitted slave that symbolized the freedom of the season. 

"What Is...?" Wednesday

The Festival of Santa Lucia

(in loving memory of my grandparents)

The festival of Santa Lucia begins before dawn, on the thirteenth of December, which under the old Julian calendar (used in Sweden before 1753) was Christmas Day and the longest night of the year. Throughout Sweden, the eldest daughter in each household comes to her sleeping parents, dressed in a long white gown tied with a red sash, and wearing a crown of lingonberry leaves in which are set seven lighted candies. In her hands she carries a tray of steaming hot coffee and "Lussekattor" (Lucia Runs). The procession includes her sisters and brothers also dressed in white, holding lighted candles, and singing of the light and joy of Christmas.


The sisters of the Lucia Bride wear a wreath of tinsel in their hair and a piece tied around their waist, while the boys have tall pointed caps sprinkled with stars. Awakened by the lights and the singing, the parents arise and eat the breakfast served, thus ushering in the Christmas season.


Scandinavian tradition holds that in Värmland, Sweden, a white-clad maiden, wearing a crown of burning candies, brought food to the starving villagers on the shores of Lake Vänern. No one knows how long ago the tradition began, but it was so far back that the festival of Santa Lucia was marked by a notch on the primitive "primstav" (calendar stick), the precursor of the calendar. It later became customary in western Sweden to finish the threshing by Lucia Day so as to begin the cooking and baking for the long Christmas festivities.

 From its beginnings in Värmland, the customs in honor of Santa Lucia have spread throughout Sweden, and more recently to the rest of Scandinavia. Today, the festival is celebrated in schools, hospitals, businesses, and towns; each of which has its own Lucia Bride and festivities to mark the beginning of Christmas.


Since 1956, the Scandinavian Club of Portland (Oregon) has preserved the beauty of this ancient tradition with a festival celebrating the coming of Santa Lucia preceding the Christmas holidays. In 1960, the club collaborated with Lloyd Center, providing a spectacular setting on their ice pavilion for the coronation of the Lucia Bride each year. 


In the tradition of the charitable life of Lucia, the court members visit churches, hospitals, local businesses, and homes for the elderly telling the story of Santa Lucia and bringing the holiday spirit into the hearts of all they meet. These girls are goodwill representatives of all Scandinavian communities in Oregon and southwest Washington, and of the countries of their forebears- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Tarot Tuesday

The Nine of Wands shows us a character that looks somewhat worse for wear, leaning against one of the Wands as if it is holding him up. He has a bandage around his head indicating an injury or at least proof of having been in a battle....he may be hurt, but it's far from fatal.  This card comes up most often when we have had a bad experience and we feel tired and battle weary. Although we may not be  hurt physically, our psyches are wounded and openness, innocence and trust are replaced  with defensiveness.                      

In readings, the Nine of Wands can be a warning to proceed with caution and to keep an eye out because there is the possibility that you will be hurt. If you have already been in a hurtful situation, you know  all too well what this man is feeling. Life  can be hard  on us sometimes and more so  when  our hopes  have been crushed. It is natural to feel defensive in situations such as this but it's important to avoid becoming bitter and resentful. Life experiences might  have wounded you but it has also  produced a strength you  may not have had before.

One aspect of  the Nine of Wands is the green leaves poking out, it shows me that this time out or rest before the next battle has potential. I see the green leaves as showing me that through this experience, there will be growth even if I am unable to see it now, I will have gained valuable life lessons that will assist me along my journey on this sometimes crazy ride called "life."  The other aspect of the Nine of Wands is strength... this individual is a fighter and  he is tough.  He has the physical stamina and the inner drive to persist despite all setbacks.

On another note....

There are two terrific blogs I'd like to bring to your attention

 The first one is called Magaly Guerrero, the official blog of an Author in the making to quote her bio..."Magaly pursues a Creative Writing degree, while she works on short stories and on her first novel length manuscript. When not working on her fiction, Magaly can be found on her personal blog, discussing life, love, and everything in between, with her beloved Wicked Darlings."

This is a wonderful and greatly entertaining blog and I encourage you to stop by...just tell her I sent you!

The second blog I'd like to bring to your attention is Save Moki which chronicles the life and adventures of (of course) Moki, a little tiger striped guy with with lots of heart and truly a real trooper. Mama Bean has recently updated how Moki is doing and I hope you will stop by his page to see his Christmas surprise!

Family Traditions

There's a book that I've ordered recently called Circle Round raising children in the Goddess tradition. I first became aware of it a few months ago on Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom's blog where Mrs. B gave it a great review. I have been mulling over this book, checking reviews and putting a lot of thought into whether or not I should buy it to introduce (more in depth) my beliefs with my youngest two children. My kids know that I'm pagan and  have a basic understanding of what that means but I never really taught them exactly what my spiritual path is all about.

When I was their age (after my father passed away), it was not an option to choose which spiritual path I wanted to follow, I was going to go to the catholic church and follow the belief system that my mother thought I should. I began resenting "church" because deep down inside it did not resonate with me. I could not reconcile the belief that people who commit suicide went to hell...sure, my father took his own life but he suffered from manic depression and alcoholism...did god sentence cancer patients and the mentally ill to  suffer fire and brimstone for all eternity... hadn't these people suffered enough in this world? How is that an example of a loving god?

So I made a vow to myself that when I had children, I would raise them to be respectful, conscientious, loving and kind but not shove my idea of spirituality down their throats as had been done to me. I'm very proud of my children (all five of them) and have always supported them in their search for

meaning...which ironically is more earth based than mainstream beliefs and makes me chuckle to think they have a  mostly pagan belief system and they don't even realize it.

However, now that I'm older, I want my youngest two to experience the world with a more grounded view of life and how they fit in, so I finally made the decision to teach them my spirituality on a level that they can understand. I want them to experience the freedom of a spirituality that does not base it's teachings of fear or control..that being who they are is exactly as deity made them to be.... I want them to embrace their gifts and not stifle them as I did.

In this book, there are many activities and things that we can do together that also teach them about the turning of seasons, about the god and goddess and traditions that we can build together that they can pass along that teach and promote a healthy outlook on the  natural world and how it works. I'm so excited to start reading and sharing with them and maybe I'll post our progress in a few entries. I think it will deepen my own spirituality in the process.

Serenity Sunday

The other day I published a post on pet safety during the holidays, I received an comment yesterday morning thanking me about spreading the information. In this comment,  Pet Poison Hotline gave me a few more things to keep in mind like  holiday foods, ornaments and other things that can be life threatening to your pets during the holidays. Dr. Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC, Associate Director of Veterinary Services at the Pet Poison Helpline in Minneapolis, has a wonderful website that gives additional information on things we can  easily overlook during the busy holiday times. Please stop by her website and read her list of dangers.

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) My good friends

3.) Incorrect weathermen (no snow/freezing rain...Yay!)

4.) Good health

5.) Yarn on sale (squee!)

6.) Scrooge (with Alastair Sim)

7.) Candy canes

8.) Good books

9.) Electric blankets

10.) Scented bath oils

Psychic Abilities

Psychic abilities are a phenomenon that takes place when a persons mental sensitivity is heightened and above the average capacity. It’s like having a transfer of thought between your subconscious and conscious mind, allowing you to see things before they happen or to simply “ just know”. Below are only three out of many different types of abilities.


Clairvoyance


Sometimes referred to as "psychic vision". Clairvoyance is the ability to see people, objects, scenes, words and symbols in your inner psychic eye,  aura reading  is also in this category: the ability to see someone's subtle energy levels manifested in either colors or waves of light appearing to come from the body. Often the clairvoyant individual can see the physical body and can describe with almost complete accuracy their hair and eye color, height, body type and other physical attributes that they "see" in their psychic eye (sometimes called the Third Eye).


Clairaudience


Also referred to as "psychic hearing". Clairaudience is the ability to hear words, phrases, songs in your ears without anyone actually speaking. This is one of the most difficult skills to develop because only a small percentage of us are hearing-based naturally (about 15-20%). Writers, musicians and other communicators seem to have this ability more readily available to them because they work with words and sounds in their everyday life. Some intuitives  hear whole dialogues in their inner psychic ear and can repeat verbatim the conversation to the seeker in a reading


Clairsentience


Sometimes called "psychic feeling". There are two forms of clairsentience: empathy and psychic knowing. Clairsentience is the ability to "know" about someone or something without the use of the five senses for input. Clairsentience is probably the most common type of intuitive ability. (Often we refer to it as a hunch, a gut reaction, or instinct...this is the category I fall into) For instance, I often "just know" the emotional state of a person, kind of like feeling their aura or energy instead of seeing it. 


As a child, I never really thought much about this as I automatically assumed everyone saw the world this way. It wasn't until I got older that I realized people wanted to know specifics about why I knew something to be true, "because I just know" was not an answer people wanted to hear so I started stifling my "gut" and tried like hell to fit in with kids my own age. 


"Stuffing it" came with a price though...I began to distrust my gut reactions and ran into many situations that I might have avoided had I listened to what "I knew." It's easier now that I'm older and have learned by hard knocks to always trust in my instinct. People sometimes think that I'm a bit odd when I say "I just know" but I've learned not to let it  bother me. Besides, if I were normal, this blog would not be called "Lizzie's Logic."

Holiday Pet Safety

Pets are an important part of the family, especially during the holidays. While most of us are busy making festive arrangements, we must not forget our pets safety. Once you know the hazards, a little additional precaution and planning will make the holiday a happy time for everyone. Common holiday hazards to be aware of:

Be mindful of holiday decorations...
Something as simple as an electrical cord, tinsel, or a decorative ribbon may pose a threat if your pet thinks it is something to chew. Use cord protectors and learn which plants are poisonous to your pets, including ivy, mistletoe, and poinsettia.


Keep time out in the cold to a minimum...
Just because your pets have fur, doesn't mean they don't get cold. Animals should be kept out of extreme temperatures. Walks in snow can lead to frostbitten paws. Never leave your pet in a car for an extended period in extreme temperatures.


House guests may unknowingly introduce unsafe conditions if their medicines and toiletries become accessible to pets. Outdoor chemical exposure increases in winter--whether chemicals or salt used to clear icy streets or antifreeze that has leaked from your car. Wipe away chemicals and salt from fur and paws after a walk. If you suspect your pet has ingested poison, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center 1-888-426-4435.


Arrange for qualified pet sitting if leaving town for the holidays...
Even though some animals do well for a few days, it's important to have someone check in on your pet. Ask your friend or pet sitter to contact you with daily updates. If you can't find a neighbor or friend, look into kennels or bring your animal to a pet-friendly hotel with you.


Make sure young children are supervised when with an animal...
Young children may not understand the consequences of their actions when playing with a pet. If your animal is exposed to children, make sure both are safe by paying close attention during interactions (or place pet in another room).

If giving a pet, consider giving pet care stocking stuffers...
Giving a pet can be a sweet holiday gift. Before you give a pet as a family gift, take the overall home environment into account: Will the animal be well cared for? Is there enough time to dedicate to a new pet? Are the children old enough to understand the responsibility of pet care? If the answer is yes, giving an animal can lead to years of joy. Consider giving a pet-care book and a super-reflective collar so that health and safety will be the most important thing in the life of a new pet.



On a totally different note...


DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD DO THIS!


Yes folks, keep an eye on your children, lest they end up on MSNBC.