posted December 25, 2005 06:16 AM         

The History of Christmas and Before...

Christmas Day, December 25th, was celebrated by the Romans as Dies Invictus Solis, the Day of the Unconquerable Sun. This is the day when the Sun begins to move again after the days of Winter Solstice (literally "still standing Sun"). The Solstice lasts for 3-4 days and then the Sun begins to move northward again on Christmas Day.

The Light of the World is born anew at midnight on Christmas Eve. This new light becomes manifest on Epiphany January 6th, the last spoke of the wheel of Yule, the New Year to be.

Along with the Christ, Christmas day celebrates the birth of the Egyptian god Horus, the Phrygian god Attis (resurrected March 25th) and the Mideastern god Mithras whose wisdom tradition influenced all of Europe in earlier times. Mithras comes forth to slay the bull of materialism and overcome the shadow god Ahriman, Saraman, Sauron.

Many present day Christmas customs are inherited from the Druids, the nature technologists of the ancient world. We "deck the halls with boughs of holly" to clear away astral shades. At the close of every cycle nonassimilable psychic energies come up to be
transformed or dispelled. Folkways encode more esoteric wisdom than our books can easily hold. Many of these customs are easier to do than explain though we often need to know why in order to do. Ringing bells will break spells and clear stuck patterns of thought so we can be more open to the new spirit. Gazing into open fire is a common ritual practice of Christmas that has a powerful psychic clearing effect. Dancing and singing in a circle is another simple clearing and enlivening magic we can do. The word "carol" means just that: a circle dance song.

In Arthurian tradition, a sword appeared in the church yard stone on Christmas Day. Drawing this sword from the stone symbolizes
drawing forth the essential from the stone of outworn tradition: a challenge and opportunity for our time.

TRUTH ABOUT SANTA CLAUS

"The key to Santa's travels is a relativity cloud that bends space, time and light and slows clocks down."
- a scientist commenting on NPR Dec 24th 2004

Santa Claus is a Mercurial figure much like the Norze wizard Odin who travels between worlds on his 8 legged horse Sleppnir.
Santa brings gifts from the North Pole, Odin hangs suspended from the World Tree (north pole) to bring the gift of the runes. Odin's 8 legged horse Sleipner and Santa's 8 fleet footed deer represent 8 turning times of year marking solstices, equinoxes
and cross quarters. Fires lit at these times quicken creative spiritual forces.

Santa Claus is real and lives at the north pole. The spirit of St Nich travels throughout the world on Christmas Eve to bring special gifts to boys and girls. Santa enters homes through chimneys, through the heart, through the fire place.

Santa is an anagram for "Sanat." Sanat Kumara is a spirit of the Earth who lives at the North Pole in an etheric city called Shamballa. This appears to be the same city as the City of Revelation (Rev.21) on its "sea of glass" surrounded by the rainbow of the northern lights (Rev.4). The humans in Lord of the Rings call their capital the White City. This is another name for Shamballa.

The North Pole, the spiritual center pole of the world, is the Irminsul Pillar of the Norse. Energetically this column appears like a Christmas Tree of light with a star, the north star of the Earth's soul star above. And this is the White Tree of Middle Earth with its 7 Stars, our Big dipper or Ursa Major, their Sickle of the Valar, sign of doom for the forces of darkness.

The deer is sacred to Winter Solstice because the deer is a creature sacred to the Moon, the mediator of solar light. Santa's 8 deer symbolize 8 annual fire festivals and corresponding hours of the day, canonical hours when bells are rung and candles lit for prayer. Santa's reindeer have a necklaces of bells.

Around the north pole World Tree are the "seven spirits before the throne", the Seven Kumaras of Hindu tradition: The White Tree and Seven Stars of Tolkien.

Sanat/Santa is the biblical Ancient of Days. Sanat Kumara is anciently wise and yet eternally young, "the Youth of Sixteen Summers." (The 16 rays of the compass and 16 rays of the mandala at the top of the world in The Polar Express).

Compare J.R.R. Tolkien's description of King Elessar (Aragorn) with the Santa Claus of Polar Express:

"Tall as the Sea-Kings of old, he stood above all that were near; ancient of days he seemed and yet in the flower of manhood; and wisdom set upon his brow, and strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was above him." - Lord of the Rings, Return of the King p266

Love is Lord of this creation. The spring of love is refreshed each Christmas. This revitalising spirit travels from its polar source and - as a subtle energetic charge - alights in hearts and on high places, mountain tops, holy sites, and chimney tops. The new spirit of love moves from these anchoring points through the fire elementals - and fiery human souls - to cover the whole world. Hearts opening and responding one with the other will always have a Merry Christmas.

"Yggdrasill, the great Ash tree, the World Tree, omphalos or navel of the world, is 'Yggr's steed'. Yggr is Odin; his steed, an eight-legged horse (Sleipnir) that he rides to the underworld. The eight limbs of Sleipnir are the eight spokes of the Wheel, the steed upon which he rides is one of the many runes found in an ancient rock carving at Hallristingnot in North Italy, as a Circle of Law. As Plato suggests, the 8 spheres of heaven are fastened to a spindle that 'turns on the knees of Necessity", all things birthed by Nature revolving about the World Tree.." (An 8-spoked wheel is illustrated)
- Fruits of the Moon Tree, p 77 by Alan Bleakley

CHRISTMAS STAR & MOON
http://skyandtelescope.com/
On Christmas morning the crescent Moon eclipses Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. Spica is identified with Tarot Key III The Empress and with Mary, mother of Jesus. The Empress can also be Mother Ceres with her cornucopia, symbol of abundance. This is a good sign for the new time.

CHANNUKAH MYSTERIES

December 26th Is the first day of Channukah, the Jewish "Festival of Lights." Channukah always begins at the start of the last balsamic Moon of the old year. Balsamic Moon is the wishing Moon when light shines on inner nature, needs are felt and change is invoked. The balsamic Moon of Channukah is powerfully invocative on the subtle planes for the world as a whole and for the year as a whole.

The 8 days of Channukah (26 Dec - 2 Jan this year) represent the 8 divisions of the coming year. 8 candles at Channukah represent the fire festivals of the new year beginning with Spring Equinox, the start of the zodiacal year. There are 8 candles and there are 9, 8 solar fire festivals and 9 gates of inspiration.

The Chanukah Dreidel
http://www.holidays.net/chanukah/dreidel.html
The Dreidel is a spinning top used in children's games during Chanukah celebration. Four Hebrew letters on the Dreidel's faces spell out the sentence "A Great Miracle Happened Here." The first letter Nun means "miracle" so isn't it strange that Nun is identified in Kabala with the Tarot card Death. The miracle of Chanukah is a miracle of purification, a clearing of, death of,
shadow, an end to all that interferes with relationship with spirit. Nun is the north direction, place of the dying year. Gimel, the 2nd Hebrew letter, means "great" and is Tarot key #2 The Priestess whose place is west; Hey, the 4th Hebrew letter, is south and The Emperor; Shin, the 20th Hebrew letter, is east and Judgement. Here is seen Gabriel blowing a horn (air element) to signal new beginning. Death #13 opposite the Emperor #4 refers to the periodic death/rebirth of the king and calling forth of the true king (13 reduces to 4). The Priestess #2 is also paired with Judgement #20, which # reduces to 2, these archetypes work together.

THE 12 DAYS OF YULE: A Key to Celebration and Prediction

Yule is from Norse Iul meaning "wheel". The 12 Days of Christmas or Yule (Dec 26 - Jan 6) can be thought of as 12 spokes of a zodiacal wheel that is a template or embryonic form of the New Year to be. Yule - "the 12 Days of Christmas" - begins December 26th and concludes with Epiphany, January 6th. In the old tradition Dec 26th - the day after Christmas Day - is called the 1st Day of Christmas and Jan 6th is 12th. Christmas Day itself is a sacred, magical "day out of time." This was/is a day for spiritual gifts while physical gifts come during Yule and more especially on Epiphany, the Festival of the Three Kings. The Spirit born in the heart of the world on Christmas Eve ascends and illumines the surface of the Earth on New Year's Day. This is the day when Arthur first drew the sword from the stone and so revealed the spirit of the new cycle.

The folk symbol of a babe carried by an old man with a scythe (Saturn, ruler of Capricorn) symbolizes the the old time spirit bringing in the new. Each year brings a new divine being that is to be christened on Christmas Eve, illumined on New Year's Day, and is brought to Earthly expression, "divine manifestation", on Epiphany.

Each of the Twelve Days of Christmas or Yule (Old English for "wheel") corresponds to a zodiacal sign in the coming year beginning with Aries December 26th followed by Taurus the 27th, and so on round the wheel. The nature of the new year can be foreseen by noting weather conditions, signs and gifts that come and other special happenings on these twelve days. This is a special time to attend to portents and dreams.

Dreams that come during the Twelve Holy Nights are believed to reveal meaning for their respective time periods in the year ahead.

In Rudolph Steiner's writings there is a myth recounted about a man named Olaf Astesen who went to sleep for these twelve nights of Yule and dreamed all of what would be in the year to come. Yule is a prophetic time because it is a microcosm of the coming year. On this account it is good to keep journal of the days events and record your dreams for the twelve nights!

The Zodiacal 12 Days of Yule and the 12 Days of Christmas Song

Aries 26 Dec The Partridge in a Pear Tree - Renaissance Bennu bird.
Taurus 27 Dec Two Turtle Doves - Dove is the bird of Venus, Taurus.
Gemini 28 Dec Three French Hens - French are/Gemini is Lovers in Tarot.
Cancer 29 Dec Four Calling Birds - Cancer quickens soul response.
Leo 30 Dec Five Golden Rings - Gold is metal of the Sun and Leo.
Virgo 31 Dec Six Geese a-laying - Virgo is a sign of birth/creation.
Libra 1 Jan Seven Swans a-swimming - Libra's Venus is planet of grace.
Scorpio 2 Jan Eight Maids a-milking - Scorpio is a sign of extrusion.
Sagitarius 3 Jan Nine Ladies dancing - Sagita is sign of joy & celebration.
Capricorn 4 Jan Ten Lords a-leaping - Capricorn is sign of Lords of Light.
Aquarius 5 Jan Eleven Pipers piping - Aquarius is a musical air sign.
Pisces 6 Jan Twelve Drummers Drumming - A time for drumming.

Remember Patrick & his Drum is in this concluding, clearing time. The 12th Day of Christmas is the last spoke in the Wheel of Yule. Twelve Drummers ring around the light reborn on Epiphany, January 6th. http://www.12days.com/library/carols/12daysofxmas.htm

Mystery Birth Note: Jesus was born at midnight on Epiphany according to the channeled teachings of Edgar Cayce (reading 5749-15). A chart drawn for midnight January 6th Year 1 BCE shows a perfect Star of David with Moon at the top of the chart and Sun at the bottom. Is this the Star the three Magi who were astrologers followed?

Timing Note: The 1st Day of Christmas begins at Sunset on the evening of December 25th. Then it is that the Fellowship of the Ring sets off and new year journey begins. (Fellowship is a keynote of this New Year.)

Fire Note: In old Britain celebrants kept a Yule fire burning through the twelve nights of the season. The old year was released by burning cedar boughs and oak was burned to power dreams for the new. Wishes were made while touching the fire with wooden sticks, which unlike iron, will conduct the subtle energy of fire.

A Yule Celebration Sourcebook:
THE WINTER SOLSTICE - THE SACRED TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS
A chapter is given to each of the 12 days of Christmas and to Christmas Day itself which is numbered "0", this being a day out of time much like the old Druid Festival of Liberation. "Since Christmas Day itself is not counted as one of the Twelve Days, we shall call it 0 and for this day begin with spiritual meditation..." ~ John Matthews

Steve Nelson

posted December 25, 2005 01:24 PM         

Tonight's sky will have 5 visible planets plus the Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and my favorite, Saturn...