28339
From: The Hierophant, [DNS_Address]
Subject: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
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I can't believe this - people are THAT ignorant and stupid? That self-rightous? Solstice happened WAY before, like thousands of years before the concept of 'Christmas' happened. (and btw - according to all things religion, the birth of Christ did NOT happen in December....) "Christian conservatives rage at Winter Solstice celebrators: “THIS IS OUR SEASON, NOT YOURS” The anti-LGBTQ+ organization Catholic League put up a billboard in Wisconsin claiming ownership over the season of winter and specifically calling out “atheists” as well as people who celebrate Winter Solstice, a holiday that has been celebrated since the Stone Age. That is, since well before Christianity existed. “Atheists strike out at Christmas,” the billboard reads, “celebrating Winter Solstice is a child’s game.” “This is our season – not yours,” it continues. “Celebrate the birth of Christ. Merry Christmas!”The billboard says that it’s paid for by the “Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.” The group’s website also takes credit for the billboard, stressing that “the Christmas season is our season. We rule. They lose.” The website explains that the billboard is a response to signs that the religious freedom organization Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) puts up each year in Madison, where its headquarters are located. “At this Season of the Winter Solstice, let reason prevail,” their sign says, according to a photo posted by independent journalist Hemant Mehta. “There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth & superstition that hardens hearts & enslaves minds.” Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, told the Christian Post that he hopes “our billboard emboldens Catholics, letting them know that we will not be bullied by our adversaries.” The Catholic League and Donohue have a long history of attacking LGBTQ+ rights. Donohue opposes marriage equality and supports conversion therapy. He has called AIDS “self-inflicted,” said trans people don’t exist, and compared marriage equality with South African Apartheid. Last year, Donohue was outraged against the LA Dodgers for honoring the LGBTQ+ charitable group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during Pride Month. He accused the MLB of spreading lies, “rewarding hate speech,” and “promoting bigotry” with homosexuals “known for simulating sodomy while dressed as nuns.” Donohue was able to get Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to speak out against the Dodgers, and the Dodgers eventually caved to his demands and uninvited the Sisters from the team’s Pride Night. After outcry from LGBTQ+ fans, the Dodgers re-invited the Sisters several days later. There is evidence that Winter Solstice – or the shortest day of the year – has been honored in the Northern Hemisphere since prehistoric times. Megalithic monuments like Newgrange and Stonehenge align with the position of the sun on Winter Solstice, and diverse cultures have written records of celebrations held on that day. Christmas, on which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, likely evolved from Winter Solstice celebrations, historians believe." |
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[28347] [28344] [28341] [28342] [28345] [28361] [28343] [28340]
28347
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: The Twelve Days of Yule: From Mother's Night to Twelfth Night
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Just came across this pretty exhaustive piece about Yuletide's roots, Christianity's influence, its translation into modern times... Some cool graphics and images in the article that didn't copy here... *** HE TWELVE DAYS OF YULE From sagas we have two terms: jólablót (Yule sacrifice) and midvinterblót (Midwinter sacrifice). We’re left with a puzzle, were they two terms for the same observance, or different observances. Scholars are cautious about assuming information, but I believe they are the same. If you’ve ever heard the Christmas Carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” many modern heathens opt to celebrate this as the Twelve Days of Yule, with the last day culminating on 12th Night. Since ancient calendars followed a different method of time, the solstice celebrations as well as later ‘Christmassy’ style observances can vary from place to place as to when they occur, in large part because of differences with changing calendars: lunisolar, Julian, Gregorian. This is further complicated as Christianity and Christian leaders from the church and monarchies also changed dates and celebrations, causing an array of syncretizations. For Christians it was Pope Julius I who said December 25th was the birth of Christ in the 4th Century, and later in 567 CE the Council of Tours would officially proclaim that the 12 Days were to be celebrated from Christmas Day through to the Epiphany. Remember, Christmas exists in December because Christians’ attached their religious observance to the pre-existing celebrations in the Roman Empire connected with Saturnalia, or the god Mithras. As Christianity spreads into Europe we see that syncretization blend again as it comes into contact with the Germanic cultures. Because of all of this there’s really no 100% right time, because the calendars kept changing and the dates were moved around, we’re looking at a range of possible dates from December well into January. Historically it is doubtful that the pre-Christian Yule lasted for 12 Days. Today, most pagans and heathens celebrate the yuletide as running from approximately December 20 – December 31 (but there are variations), many opting for ease to focus rites around the astronomical winter solstice. We’re told by the writings of German missionary, Thietmar of Merseburg (b975 – d1018 CE) that in Denmark yule fell in the month of January (this after the country had converted officially to Christianity decades earlier). In the archaeological record we have some runestaves (in this case they were a type of runic calendar) that points to a celebration known as “midvinternatterna” (Midwinter nights) occurring from roughly January 12-14th (Julian calendar) or January 19-21 (Gregorian calendar, what we modernly use in the mainstream Western civilization today). While this seems incongruously tied to the winter solstice, we have records from Roman sources that talk of the Germanic tribes tying their gatherings to nights of the new or full moon. Modern recreations of the old Germanic lunisolar calendar would have Yule occurring at the full moon, after the new moon following the winter solstice, taking us well into January. [To better understand ‘timing’ read my article Understanding the Sources of the Northern Tradition with particular attention to the section “Understanding Time and the Seasons”.] We do know that the celebration of Yule wasn’t always twelve days long. In the Norse text Heimskringla: The Saga of Hakon the Good (written in the 13th Century about events 3 centuries earlier) talks about it once lasting for three days, or as long as the ale lasted. The night it began was known as the slaughter night, where animals would be ritually slain. Ynglingna saga also talks of animal sacrifice. The meat later used to feed the community, as well as the Gods. We know there were practices as well of human sacrifice too during other ritual observances across the Northern Tradition umbrella for various rites. In Ynglinga saga ( in Snorri’s Edda) is that of the Swedish King Domalde being sacrificed to help during years of drought and famine, the scene famously imagined by Swedish painter Carl Larsson in his Midvinter’s Blot. One has to remember the awe that early man had to the primal forces of nature, embodied by our Gods. Luxuries like electricity, indoor plumbing, sophisticated means of home building spoils us. We forget just how easily a life can be in the balance at the whims of nature. Sacrifice, is just that, a sacrifice. And the thought that even a King wasn’t immune to the needs of the people is potently powerful, even if scholars debate if it’s based on any real, historical events. We have mentions in the Saga of Hervor and Heidrek, and the Saga of Helgi son of Hjovard, to the tradition of heitstrenging, which was the swearing of solemn oaths over the boar sacrifice known as the sonargöltr, during the observance of the holytide. The sonar-blot, or the sacrifice was also according to the Ynglinga saga a time for divination as well. Now how widespread this tradition was across the entirety of the Northern Tradition umbrella is something we do not know, but it could be in part the origin of the ‘Christmas Ham’ as part of holiday feasting. I mention the sacrifices, because as we see the monarchs convert, many of the early monarchs passed all sorts of laws to curtail pagan observances, including that of sacrificing animals. It was King Hakon of Norway, who as a Christian passed a law that the Christian Christmas Day (which was already a weird bastardization of the Christian story of the Nativity with some of the traditions tied to Saturnalia/Mithraic customs) AND the pagan yuletide celebrations were to henceforth be celebrated at the same time. While this only specifically impacted Norway (and its territories), it illustrates an intentional combining of the holy-days into one celebration. I’m going to include as well that the JULBOCK, or Yule Goat, is most likely rooted in a combination of the Santa like figure’s animal or companion, but also that after various Christian monarchs made it illegal on penalty of death to perform a ritual blot, or blood sacrifice, that straw goats became a substitute for the animal, and some areas would instead burn the goat in effigy instead. Some early costumes for various Wild Hunt like figures also would use straw as part of their costume. So, we may very well have a blending of the Wild Hunt, with the sacrificial animal happening as well (the Krampus probably evolves from this syncretization). Famously today the small town of Gavle, Sweden builds a huge multi-story straw goat, and apparently it tends to get vandalized and burned down, a recent 20-minute English friendly documentary pointing to it being a modern-day example of Christianity and Paganism butting heads, which you can view at THE GUARDIAN. After viewing you can then check out this link to see the live webcam to determine for yourself if the goat is still around this year at the official website and webcam. Today, the high holy tide is celebrated for twelve days. Whether this was because in some areas it was celebrated for that long originally, or was perhaps some odd creation that came from blending old pagan time-keeping methods and calendars with the modern ones together the end result is the same. It is customary that NO work is done during the yuletide. From Germanic sources we see stories of the Goddess Berchta punishing those who had left work undone. Old folk tradition tells us of Sweden’s Lussi who would destroy chimneys if work was left unfinished. In the Icelandic Svarfdæla saga, we see a warrior who postpones a fight until after the Yuletide. The Saga of Hakon the Good also speaks that the Yule was to be kept holy. Some practitioners of the Northern Tradition will even opt to completely withdraw and go incommunicado from online mailing lists, bulletin boards, and social media outlets like Facebook so they can stay focused on spending the yuletide with friends and family. While it’s not always an option for everyone, there are those who choose to use vacation time from work so they can have the entire yuletide off as well. In Gulathingslog 7 we see that Yule was celebrated ‘for a fertile and peaceful season’ we also see in the Saga of Hakon the Good that Odin was hailed as a bringer of victory, Njord and Freyr were also hailed for peace and fertility. Saga of the Earls of Orkney tells us that in midwinter Thor was especially venerated in Sweden. Grimm’s Teutonic Mythology speaks of how Frau Holle’s annual wagon toured the countryside during the yuletide season for blessings of a fertile year ahead. Beyond what we know historically, deities associated with winter like the winter hunters Ullr and Skadhi are also sometimes hailed among modern polytheists. Since this is the time of darkest night, but also for many the turning of the year, I like to honor our time-keepers during the yuletide, especially on Twelfth Night: Mundilfari the time-turner, and his children Sunna, Mani, and Sinthgunt. Additionally, other time and daykeepers like Dellingr, Dagr, Nott, etc. are also appropriate. Thor is also honored by those who view him as the origin of the various Santa Claus like traditions. Additionally, I will honor Saga. Saga means history or story, and I see at this time of year when Winter is cold, that people will naturally huddle together around the hearth-fire and tell the old stories: the stories of our ancestors and of our Gods. So, I honor Saga at this time, as well as my ancestors too. It’s interesting to note that while some pagan solstice celebrations focus on the Sun and related solar deities, I’d say that in the Northern Tradition the traditional focus is more on the deities associated with the Wild Hunt (including Berchta, Odin, Lussi, Frau Holle, Thor, etc.), and the hopes for the fertility to come in the planting and subsequent harvest season ahead. It’s not to say that the transition and long night was not recognized by these ancient groups, but rather what has survived to us tends to focus more predominantly upon the Wild Hunt figures we find within the Northern Tradition. We see among their calendars there was a very obvious demarcation in month names for the summer and winter solstices. MOTHER’S NIGHT – THE START OF YULE The modern yuletide usually begins for most Heathens with Mother’s Night. In Bede’s De Temporum Ratione he describes what he knows about an old Anglo-Saxon celebration that he states was called Módraniht, which marked the beginning of a new year and was celebrated at the time of Christmas. Apparently, Mother’s Night was observed the entire evening through. While little information exists to describe what Mother’s Night was, by looking at the Northern Tradition umbrella we see what appear to be similar rituals. While Yule marks the start of the year for the Anglo-Saxons, we see in Scandinavia that this distinction was at least for some geo-specific locations given to Winter Nights (in the autumn), which had a separate observed ritual to the Disir as part of their celebration, and elsewhere in Sweden there was another ritual known as Disablot that was held in February/March at the time of Disting in Uppsala, Sweden. Disablot is mentioned in the sagas of Heimskringla, Hervarar saga, Víga-Glúms saga, and Egils saga. The Disir can be understood to be the ancestral mothers, and other female spirits (including deities) that oversee, influence, and protect the family, clan, or tribe. They can also be understood in some places to most likely also encompass the spirit loci. When we reach back to ancient Germania, we also see a thriving cultus dedicated to the “matrons” (aka the Matrae and Matrones), as well as mention to the Idis. In the archaeological record, we have found over a thousand votive stone monuments erected to the honor of the matrons across the Rhineland (and beyond) in Europe. So this was a very major cultus. There are many scholarly suggestions that the figures of the Norns, Fylgia, and Valkyries may also be included under the ‘disir’ umbrella. I suspect, that while geo-specific cultures had their own rites around the Disir, that in all likelihood there were multiple religious and cultic observances to these figures throughout the entire year. The over 1,000 votive altar stones we find of the Matrae / Matrones often times have depictions of sacrifice or offerings including pigs, bowls of fruit, and incense that is burning. In all likelihood these depictions show us religious practice and can be used as inspiration for us today. I personally theorize that Saint Lucia’s Day (celebrated primarily in Scandinavian countries) occurs on December 13th and features a female ‘light-bringer’ may be a Christianized remnant of an ancient Disir-related ritual. Some scholars have posited that the Christianized Saint Lucia, may very well have pagan origins related to the figure of Lussi. The practice of Lussevaka – to stay awake through Lussinatt to guard oneself and the household against evil, not only fits symbolically well with a solstice celebration of longest night, but also brings to mind the description of Mother’s Night being observed for the entire night as well. While there’s a few different Christian origin stories for Lucia, or Saint Lucy, one of them has her bringing light to persecuted Christians hiding in the catacombs surrounded by the dead with nothing but a lit wreath to guide her. Symbolically, traversing the dark and realm of the dead with light, seems to fit with pre-Christian symbolism. In modern times Saint Lucia’s Day is observed on December 13th, 12 days before Christmas. So, this very much syncs as a parallel to yule starting with Mother’s Night for the 12 days of the yuletide, even though the dates between modern pagan and Christian observances vary. Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar, her feast day fell much closer to the astronomical Winter’s Solstice. lussi On a side note, the traditional depiction of Saint Lucia is of a woman clad in white. We know this is sacred iconography that is referenced time and again in Northern Tradition areas. We see this mentioned in Tacitus’ Germania that priest or priestesses wore white, we also see in the folk traditions mentioned by Grimm that women clad in white appeared at dawn for the first day of summer (which as Germanic custom has only 2 seasons, so that probably means Spring). YULE LOG, FIRE & LIGHT Most folks have heard of bonfires as part of solstice celebrations, in the Northern Tradition we also have folk traditions concerning the yule log, as well as the ashen faggot (more in the area of modern England) which was a collection of bundled branches that were burned instead. We see in the Christian practice of Saint Lucia’s Day, what I feel is a pre-Christian practice of bringing light on the darkest and longest of nights. Among English sources on folk tradition, we know that remnants of the previous year’s yule log, was used to help light the next year. By doing so we have a tradition that has the light (while now extinguished) ‘kept’ throughout the year. In part this becomes something like a folk amulet of good luck, but also a means to ‘restart the light’ on the coldest, darkest, and longest night of the year when it rolls around again. There’s similar customs with the ashen faggot instead from around Devon in England. For a suggestion of a Mother’s Night ritual making use of the yule fire, hop over to my older article it describes a modern created ritual. THE END OF YULE – TWELFTH NIGHT & THE WASSAILING TRADITION Yuletide festivities conclude on Twelfth Night. Many modern Heathens will sync this with New Year’s Eve. It’s the last big party to celebrate a new year, celebrate the passing of the darkest (and in theory coldest of times) and to look forward to the lengthening days and warming temperatures. Of all the nights of Yule, this night seems to be the one most closely associated with the custom of wassailing, which embodies in part the customs around caroling as well. Wassail, Hail, Heilsa, are all different versions of the same root word across a few different languages, which essentially relates to health, prosperity and luck, which was used prominently as a type of salutation. Not only would you use the word to greet someone, but the greeting also had the implication that you wished them good health. During the yuletide there is a specific type of beverage, that of wassail that was imbibed. This drink would vary by household but it was meant to be alcoholic, with some fruit juices in it and other seasonings to help fortify all who imbibed it for the year ahead. If you’ve ever heard the Christmas carol “Here we come a wassailing among the eaves of green” that’s where the tradition comes from– the wishing of good health and the drinking of wassail (a specific type of beverage imbibed for good health) during the yuletide celebrations. In some specific areas, those from lower socio-economic tiers would go singing to those of greater wealth, and the higher socio-economic household was supposed to give wassail to the carolers. We also see a number of folk- traditions that show not only songs sung in ancient yuletide celebrations, but also that people sometimes went into the orchards or fields and sang, no doubt asking for fertility and to reawaken from winter slumber in the time ahead. In fact, we see this ancient connection in the very relationship between the keeper of the apples the Goddess Idunna, and her beloved God Bragi who was known for his poetry. Poetry is but words given form and verse, which is a component in part to music. A tradition present in the apple tree wassail, and lambswool (a drink). One of Iðunn‘s heiti in the skaldic poem HAUSTLÖNG, öl-Gefnar (ale Goddess) reinforces the connection too. [You can read up more on this at my blog entry: Iðunn – Norse Goddess of the Apples.] For a heathen take on wassailing music (and other music of the season), you can check out Skaldic Hearth Kin’s “Winter Wassail” album available on iTunes, Amazon and other outlets. While the concept ‘hail’ may seem antiquated, it’s still in use far outside modern heathen venues, or in connection with Christmas or yule celebrations. For instance, the President of the United States has a ‘theme song’ that is played as he makes his ‘entrance’ into many of his public appearances, the song is titled “Hail to the Chief” which colloquially means ‘greetings and good health to the chief/president’. It’s actually really common in many schools (college or high school) fight songs as well, like Purdue University. Infamously, most people remember it used in the ‘Heil Hitler’ of Nazi Germany. THE 12 DAYS OF YULE IN MODERN PRACTICE While we do not have clear historical evidence pointing to how each day of Yule was celebrated, that hasn’t stopped modern practitioners of the Northern Tradition from creating their own customs and practices. While some Heathens may simply bookend Yule with Mother’s Night and Twelfth Night and not have specific observances in-between those days, there are some other Heathens who have taken things a step further. Pulling inspiration from the Nine Noble Virtues, and combining it with candle-lighting celebrations like Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, they have come up with a reason to light a candle every night during the Yuletide. An example of which that some Asatruar follow (I do not) lies below (there are a few variations out there, some focus on different Gods on different nights instead of the virtues): Mother’s Night The Winter Solstice Virtue – Courage Virtue – Truth Virtue – Honor Virtue – Fidelity Virtue – Hospitality Virtue – Discipline Virtue – Industriousness Virtue – Self-Reliance Virtue – Perseverance Twelfth Night The use of the virtues is controversial because it’s a modern practice not supported in historical sources, but mainly because it (and the nine noble virtues it’s based upon) are promoted by Stephen McNallen. PoliticalResearch.org provides background on him: he co- founded the Viking Brotherhood circa 1972 with Robert Stine. “This group in turn became the first American Ásatrú organization, the Asatru Free Assembly, about four years later. By 1978, McNallen sought to lessen Odinism’s association with Nazism, even though he expressed sympathy for the “‘legitimate frustrations of White men who are concerned for their kind.’” He ultimately shut down the Asatru Free Assembly in 1987 before founding the folkish Asatru Folk Assembly in 1994. In the years between the closing of the Asatru Free Assembly, and the founding of the Asatru Folk Assembly he became a writer. He wrote Metagenetics promoting his ideas of an ethno- genetic spirituality. He also was a freelance journalist with Soldiers of Fortune magazine. During which he wrote fawning articles about a mercenary squad composed of former Civil Cooperation Bureau members (apartheid South Africa’s government sponsored death squad). He wrote in a fall 1994 issue that as apartheid ended in South Africa, soon you would find a race war and all whites murdered in the country. He recently formed the Wotan Network, a white nationalist organization that supports Defend Europe (which was busted for human trafficking). He was at the Unite the Right Rally on August 12th in Charlottesville, Virginia. Considering we have dozens upon dozens of deities, I think it’s a far better use of the yuletide to dedicate the yuletide not to the modern virtues (created as a codified listing of values to be like a ten commandments to teach others about our religion), but rather to spend it in connection with the Gods and Goddesses from our tradition. So many kindreds and individual households are developing their own practices along these lines. You can opt to do multiple deities in one night, or focus on just one alone each night. Some ideas to inspire you: Mother’s Night is the perfect time to honor the disir, as well as the mother Goddesses: Freya, Frigga, Sigyn, Nanna, etc. the winter solstice lends itself well as a night to honor the Gods and Goddesses attached to astronomical aspects of time-keeping: Sunna, Mani, Sinthgunt, Nott, Dagr, Mundilfari, etc. a night dedicated to the Vanir a night dedicated to the Norns have a night focusing on deities connected with the bounty and fertility of the land: Thor & Sif, Gerda & Freyr, Freya, Gefjon, Nerthus a night focusing on deities of the waters: Njord, Ran, Aegir and his daughters a night for deities of the winter like Skadhi, Ullr, Kari, Frau Holle Christmas Eve would be perfect as a night for Wild Hunt deities tied to the Santa Claus Mythos, Odin, Perchta, Frau Holle, Lussi, etc. a night dedicated to the Healing Gods and Goddesses a night honoring the alfar and ancestors a night for Loki and his family turn Twelfth night into wassailing with veneration to Idunna and Bragi in Iceland, Christmas Eve is the yule book flood, where there is a modern tradition of curling up in bed to read. Turn one of the nights of yule into a night where Gods tied to poetry, stories and the spoken word are venerated: Odin, Freya, Bragi, Saga. And then grab a book and head to bed to read. Originating in Sweden a new modern candle-lighting tradition has arisen among some modern day polytheists, that of Vantljusstaken, or Sun-Wait. The concept takes an advent calendar sort of approach as you count down towards yule, the candles connect to the first 6 runic letters of the futhark: fehu, uruz, thurisaz, ansuz, raido, kenaz. One rune a week as you approach the Winter Solstice, starting around November 10th (or six Thursdays before the winter solstice). While it began on Thursdays, groups adapt the timing to what makes sense for their circumstances. Since many Heathens have family members who are Christian (siblings, spouses, children, parents, etc.) many Heathens will still set aside Christmas Day as a secular time when they get together with the rest of their non- Heathen family. Many (especially in the United States) will still have gifts from Santa under the tree on the morning of December 25th for the kids. Although some may save Santa for December 6, where shoes set out are filled with treats in parts of Europe as pat of Saint Nicholas Day celebrations (no doubt where the stocking stuffer tradition comes from for others on Christmas Eve). This is slowly being rebranded as Oski’s Day by some modern believers today in honor of Odin. Especially as the night before is Krampus Night. The horde traditions we see with Lussi’s Night and the lussiferda is not only echoed with Krampus, but also in the tradition of the Perchta and the Perchtenlaufen in the observance of Rauhnächte (night of smoke/magic) part of the Bavarian yule tide observed typically from December 25 – January 6, the dates of Yule having been syncretized to the Christian 12 days of Christmas). |
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28344
From: Sue/Seattle, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
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Great rant and agree 100 percent. So much ignorance out there |
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28341
From: pamela, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
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Yep, Winter Solstice way before Christians lumped it together with it-- Yes plenty of historical evidence- its not when Jesus was born. |
28342
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
| it is the celebration of the return of the light...the day when the light of each day stops getting shorter |
28345
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
URL: https://theraven.substack.com/p/a-solstice-meditation-out-of-the
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A solstice meditation: Out of the darkness comes the light A turning point approaches Patrick Mazza Dec 19, 2024 Approaching the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, it is a time for reflection. These are the darkest days of the year, but the light will return in the inevitable cycle of the seasons. This is a good thought to hold as we head into some pretty dark times. In the cycle of life, the interplay of opposites yields movement. I am confident that the dark times we are about to witness will yield a movement to the light. Where will it come from? The very contradictions in which we are entangled. We are seeing the national government of the United States take a hard right turn. For some years, those of us who value justice, peace and the health of nature on which we all depend will be in a defensive mode vis-à-vis the federal administration. This will drive us to a new level of political and cultural creativity, one already evidenced at the grassroots. When I look across the landscape I am heartened at the ferment I see in cities and states, communities and bioregions. People taking matters in hand to work for practical solutions to the real problems people face. Movements for public banking, social housing, single-payer health insurance. Experiments in basic income. Ecological restoration efforts resulting in dam removals and restoration of fish runs. Climate action plans in states and cities. People building solidarity economies, turning businesses into worker coops, forming cooperative housing communities, moving money out of banks into credit unions, creating community supported agriculture networks. People are thinking creatively about alternatives to current growth-centered economic models to ones that focus on common well-being. Here’s a recent example. I could go on, but the point is that the picture of reversal at the federal level is in sharp contrast to progressive forward motion at the grassroots where people live and are together working for practical solutions. Over the coming year, I’ll be devoting more attention to these efforts, and how we might weave them together into a new political movement that results in change at all levels. Looking to history, for many decades before the 1930s depression, ideas for social reform were percolating such as old age pensions, unemployment insurance, legal protection for labor organizing, minimum wages and maximum work hours, major public infrastructure investments, and regulation of financial institutions. They were long advocated by progressive movements, but had a hard time gaining traction at the national level until the crisis of the depression when they all came to fruition. Everything seems to indicate we are heading into another time of crisis, when multiple economic bubbles burst while the impacts of climate disruption intensify and social conflict increases. Out of these contradictions change will emerge. I believe the groundwork is being laid at the grassroots, in those movements of political organizing and cultural innovation, and efforts to conceive new economic and social models. The root meaning of crisis is a turning point. We are heading into a big crisis that will produce a major turning when the old models are discredited and people look for new models that work. That is what is being pioneered at the grassroots. At some point these efforts will gain critical mass, spurred on by crisis. Thus, at this moment of the solstice, when the light begins to return and the days begin to grow longer, it is not a time to sink into despair, but to regard the very circumstances that might cause it as a summons to action. As people we are not powerless. We have many avenues to act. The coming years will challenge us. Let us rise to those challenges with the belief we can build a better world. That out of the darkness will come the light. The ferment at the grassroots says we have it in us. We can do it if we come together to make it happen. Let us find the ways to make it so. |
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28361
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
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"Thus, at this moment of the solstice, when the light begins to return and the days begin to grow longer, it is not a time to sink into despair, but to regard the very circumstances that might cause it as a summons to action. As people we are not powerless. We have many avenues to act. The coming years will challenge us. Let us rise to those challenges with the belief we can build a better world. That out of the darkness will come the light. The ferment at the grassroots says we have it in us. We can do it if we come together to make it happen. Let us find the ways to make it so." Indeed we shall...and we are... |
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28343
From: pamela, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
| right- its not the birth of Jesus. |
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28340
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: rage at Winter Solstice celebrators
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Awww...poor sweeties... Next they'll be saying...oh, nevermind...they'll come up w/it soon enough on their own, it's a predictable progression...lol... Clearly it's a time when *everything's exploded out of every box that ever existed,* a divine-comedy/-tragedy free-for-all that'll see anything, everything and More emerge into expression before things even start to think of settling out... ...ah, but as and when they *do* settle out...that's when True Magic will begin to flow in ways no one will be able to deny, or stop... ;) |
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