Yuletide Celebrations and Musing

November is finished and we are a few weeks closer to the end of 2020. It is been a hell of a year for many of us, if not all of us! The global pandemic of COVID-19 has taken many lives, and this is a time to honor and remember those we have lost. While many have lost this year, there are many who have also gained. 2020 has been a year of clear vision. It has been a year that reminded us to look for clarity in our lives and expand our knowledge, resources, really take inventory in our lives as to what is important and what can be left behind or given to others who can use it to enrich their own lives, and hopefully pass it down to others who need it more.

Tonight, and into tomorrow (Dec 20-21) two planets, both dealing with social interactions and enter a new age for the world. We will finally be entering the Age of Aquarius. This convergence and transition into a new world will usher in new values and philosophies to humanity. These two planets leaving the sign of Capricorn and moving into Aquarius will allow greater ease for us to start to abandon our dependency on the physical, tech, and material possessions and move us into a world of personal intellect, wisdom, philosophy, mysticism, and enlightenment.

Along with this convergence and transition into a new age my lovely wife and I will be celebrating our 8-year wedding anniversary. 8 years ago, we celebrated what was supposed to be a small gathering of friends and family, potluck, and exchange of vows. It became a massive party and one of the most memorable moments in our lives. To celebrate we will be holding a fire in the evening and scoping out the brightest “star” in the sky which will be created by the merging of two planets. It could not have been more perfect.

This Yule we have been busy decorating with some more unique decorations. We wanted to be able to honor the land spirits and animals this year once the holiday has ended. This year we decided to string popcorn and cranberries and decorate the mantle and our fae altar. I popped two batches of popcorn. One for us, and one for the stringing! The stringing popcorn was left without seasonings. I am not sure how deer, crows, and others feel about garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and chili powder.

My daughter started the first string with two pieces of popcorn and thus the pattern was set. Two popcorn, one cranberry, two popcorn, one cranberry, and so forth. This was a great idea as it helped the popcorn to really separate and bring out a good balance between the two items. We used sewing thread, so before we throw them out into the wild as offerings, we will need to de-thread all of them. We also used shorter strings to prevent everything from twisting together and make it easier for the little ones stringing them up.

As we move into a new time and year, I get to thinking about what rune and often runes, can we use to work with and grow. We are in the half-runic month of Jera. This is the rune of the harvest, of the is a rune that reminds us that we harvest what we have sown this past year and how it will work into our lives in the next year. Were our intentions positive? Did we cultivate a positive growing environment for ourselves spiritually and physically? Or did we dwell on negative thoughts? Did we focus on what we don’t have and not being thankful for what we do have through daily gratitude? Did we help others in need, or spend time only thinking about ourselves? What will you reap for your harvest this half month? Jera teaches us to take inventory of what we have to keep us ready and prepared for the upcoming cold winter, or brutal heat summers if you are in the southern hemisphere. Have we maintained our stores or tossed them away without care? Have we created equal exchange in our homes, work, and general lives? Jera also represents cycles. The cycles of the seasons are most notable, but also of our daily lives. Have we listened to our own cycles when we start to fall prey to negative things that happen to us? We often are faced with situations that have a negative feel or outcome in our lives that create problems and difficulties. It is how we deal with them that makes the difference. Do we fall into a cycle of negativity? “Oh, this crap always happens to me.” “I can’t get anything right.” “Why does this always happen to me?” This type of cycle will continue to bring in the same over and over. Jera will harvest whatever seeds we plant, and the seeds of problems and defeat will grow more of the same. Rather, we could look at these situations as a time to create a new cycle. Turning problems into projects. This places the roadblock into something that we can create into a quest and an adventure. How can we step aside and begin to process these events as something to enrich us, grow us, and become a positive thought? Only then can we begin to plant seeds of positivity and harvest the good!

I hope everyone has an amazing winter and holiday season! Thank you all for your unending support on RowanWolf Rune Craft! Be on the look out for some new and fun things in the coming year including some new classes, and some guest appearances on some amazing pages! Follow me on Facebook at @RowanWolfRuneCraft for all the details as they emerge!

Happy Holidays!!