Holiday Stuff
Jan. 7th, 2018 04:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
disgruntled_owlHey, it’s the beginning of January! Like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football, I’ll attempt semi-regular posting again. Let’s see how long I can go before Lucy steals time and progress from me.
Ceremony
I got some pretty fun gifts, including owl socks frombironic and owl-themed housewares from my folks. The most fannish gift I received was this The Art of Hammer movie poster book from my sister. I wish she had been there to see my reaction after I tore off the wrapping paper, which was classic giddy-kid-on-Christmas-morning glee.
Ceremony
This year, I attended my first ever Yule ceremony. I grew up a pretty religious kid (of the Christian variety), and while I’m not what I would call religious anymore, I do have spiritual yearnings that are trying to find a home somewhere. As the seasons change, I’ve been searing for spiritual practice that honors the fact that I am a living organism, with varying needs for darkness and light, shelter and exposure, and activity and rest. I’ve been curious about Wiccan/Pagan spirituality for a few months, and Yule seemed like a particularly accessible ceremony (at least compared to Samhain). I contacted a member of a local Wiccan/Pagan group, who gave me some helpful and reassuring info about their Yule ritual, and I finally got over my anxieties and gave it a shot.
For this ritual, about 30 folks met in an old house that had been converted into a multi-purpose/activist space. The group was a bit more diverse than I expected, particularly along age and gender lines. I am grateful for the great job the group leaders did of acclimating everybody to the ritual before it started. We created a sacred circle and called upon the four elements and several spirits to be present for the ceremony. Each person lit a candle (to make an offering of peace); exchanged a small gift; shared Christmas tree cookies and wassail in fellowship; and then sang together. The whole ceremony took place in relative darkness, except for light from tea candles and holiday lights strung on the walls.
I came away with lots of different feelings about the ritual, but in general they were positive. The leaders were friendly and had a sense of humor about the ritual itself. This light-heartedness made some of the more unfamiliar aspects—particularly calling upon spirits—easier to take in. All the attendees seemed happy, but not too eager, to welcome me, which was good for my introvert sensitivities. It was interesting to be in the presence of people who identified themselves as witches; they were as warm and gentle as anyone I had spoken with that evening, though they seemed to be uniquely moved by the various stages of the ritual. It was also lovely to intentionally be in a space with a so little artificial light, particularly at this time of the year. I would consider going to another ritual in the future, but I would definitely plan to do homework beforehand.
GiftsFor this ritual, about 30 folks met in an old house that had been converted into a multi-purpose/activist space. The group was a bit more diverse than I expected, particularly along age and gender lines. I am grateful for the great job the group leaders did of acclimating everybody to the ritual before it started. We created a sacred circle and called upon the four elements and several spirits to be present for the ceremony. Each person lit a candle (to make an offering of peace); exchanged a small gift; shared Christmas tree cookies and wassail in fellowship; and then sang together. The whole ceremony took place in relative darkness, except for light from tea candles and holiday lights strung on the walls.
I came away with lots of different feelings about the ritual, but in general they were positive. The leaders were friendly and had a sense of humor about the ritual itself. This light-heartedness made some of the more unfamiliar aspects—particularly calling upon spirits—easier to take in. All the attendees seemed happy, but not too eager, to welcome me, which was good for my introvert sensitivities. It was interesting to be in the presence of people who identified themselves as witches; they were as warm and gentle as anyone I had spoken with that evening, though they seemed to be uniquely moved by the various stages of the ritual. It was also lovely to intentionally be in a space with a so little artificial light, particularly at this time of the year. I would consider going to another ritual in the future, but I would definitely plan to do homework beforehand.
I got some pretty fun gifts, including owl socks from
bironic and owl-themed housewares from my folks. The most fannish gift I received was this The Art of Hammer movie poster book from my sister. I wish she had been there to see my reaction after I tore off the wrapping paper, which was classic giddy-kid-on-Christmas-morning glee. 
