Yule, twelve nights and winter solstice for Pagans

Smashing_Blouse

emmaBZ wrote:

well i guess some would say im an athiest ? i do not believe in god or religion of any concept ( i dont wish to offend anyone ) ....i accept everyone has thier own beliefs and thats completley up to them...as long as no body tries to force thier beliefs onto anyone else thats fine.....but in saying that I LOOOOVVVVEE XMAS....... what i love is the magical feeling the kids get.;) ....and being all together for the holidays....as a family...:p i also believe people should live there lives to the limit and be happy in what they choose to do..........:p

As another athiest I agree with everything you have said. Lifes too short to argue about religions.

pavlovs_dog

amosworks wrote:

I could never burn any of my decorations! I'm going to do what I do every year and neatly pack them away back in their box in the loft. I just hope that next year they're not all rotten or something. I think anything that looks like it might rot will just go with the ashes of the yule log and in to a corner of the garden.

if you want things to keep, have you thought about protecting them with a coat of clear varnish? its widely available in craft shops etc. or PVA glue mixed with water dries clear but leaves a protective coating. you could also add a bit of glitter too if you felt so inclined (not sure how glitz rests with paganism - my knowledge is basic but im eager to learn more )

although *if* ive read things correctly, surely them rotting is a good thing? its what nature intended, and part of the natural life cycle of the woodland area where the items were collected from? (ie, if you had left them on the ground instead of taking them home, they would have decomposed, and the nitrogen etc that is released by that process would fertilise the soil, helping the trees to grow, thus ensuring an amundant supply of pine cones/acorns/holly/yule logs etc the following year :think: ?

re the problem with a place to safely burn yule logs... if burning candles isnt authentic enough to sit with the pagan customs/rituals, perhaps one of these would be a happy compromise? admittedly you would need a smaller log (perhaps even several smaller logs, i dont claim to know what the specifications for a yule log are), but it would enable you to safely burn an item without scorching the earth or setting the whole garden alight.

Descending-ash

Hi, your trouble finding a Yule log may be solved if you go to a local nature reserve. Sometimes the weather at this time of year causes trees to be uprooted, ask if this is the case (or if they coppice trees at this time of year). If it is ask for a portion of the tree. If they agree bring back the ash from the log as they can use it for fertiliser, so very eco friendly. They may also allow cuttings of evergreens if you ask nicely. Also I keep a small amount of the ash in a jam jar or small each year to sprinkle into the fire the next (my way of having a traditional method to remind me of the past). Wyevale garden centres are going to be giving away free mistletoe soon with no purchase required to qualify. You can also make symbolic decorations out of salt dough (not kid anymore but still fun). My first post so I hope it works out and is helpful.

Ems*Honie

What a shame your so far away, we're surrounded by tree's, and a good few fallen logs.

I understand that Yule is the celebration of the turn of light (sun) but can you explain to me in more detail what it's all about at this time of yr.

I love the idea of studded fruit for smelliness,, just what my damp needs!!

suep

I havn't got anywhere to burn a Yule log either, so I usually buy a chocolate log and burn birthday cake candles on it before eating it. Maybe it's not completely pagan or MS, but it sure tastes good LOL

Jay-Jay_4

So to all the lefties who totally got on the defensive and read undertones in my post that aren't really there: go abort yourselves. Seriously, the world will do nicely without you. As I said, blunt.

What a nasty piece of work you are!!!

I cannot actually believe that your comment has been allowed to remain on the boards.

Admitting yourself as 'blunt' does not give you the right to insult members for no reason. Nobody here is demanding that Christmas is or isn't Pagan/Christian/Roman etc, we were genuinely interested in hearing more about another point of view because most of us are nice people who are interested in other people.

MrsTinks

And I quote: "If you spot an abusive or illegal post then please report it to abuse@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with abuse." If no-one reports the post because they feel it's abusive then it won't get removed... trust that if you feel it's abusive you of course have now reported it?

amosworks

Jay-Jay wrote:

What a nasty piece of work you are!!!

Hush. Go and eat your Galaxy We have all moved on from that now. Besides you don't even know me. I give a large % of my income to charity and do lots of work for community projects and stuff so don't even start judging me Shazeece.

Anyhow, back on to a more useful thread, pavlos_dog - the fire bowl seems very nice but I want to do Yule the MSE way so will probably reuse the bricks in the garden to make a platform than buy something. I don't mind too much about about scorching the earth as I have a huge patch in my garden devoted to it. It's about 4m square Ok so I do a lot of ceremonial burning lol Us Ásatrú like our fire :rolleyes:

I just wanted really to do the Yule log inside which really isn't a safe or smart option so I'm thinking about building something for it on the patio where it's close to the house and I can keep it burning for ages

Although you are right and that decomposition is a vital part of the natural life cycle and I support that - I'm still not going to put myself in to a position where mid-summer I wonder what the strange smell is coming from the loft and having a brown patch appear on my office ceiling lol Pagan yes, but would still rather avoid that at all costs :rolleyes:

Anything that will keep, I will keep and hopefully grow a collection over the years. As I do crafts and make things I'd like to phase out all of the artificial decorations I've so far accumulated and replace them with nicer hand made natural things.

suep - Nobody said pagan couldn't be tasty I think your idea is really smart for those with limited space too (like those in flats). It's all about the intention after all, not the results.

Thanks to everyone else who's given suggestions on where to get a Yule log also. I'm going to be looking to get one as soon as it starts getting a little colder so I can bring it home and dry it out. Ideally I'd like it to dry for a couple of weeks before lighting it, so am going to take over the airing cupboard That'll really put a smile on my housemates face hehe

Jay-Jay_4

tine wrote:

And I quote: "If you spot an abusive or illegal post then please report it to [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]. It is not part of my role to deal with abuse." If no-one reports the post because they feel it's abusive then it won't get removed... trust that if you feel it's abusive you of course have now reported it?

Of course, been around long enough to know the rules

Amos......Shazeece??? :rotfl: Not judgmental yourself then? :rotfl:

amosworks

Jay-Jay wrote:

Amos......Shazeece??? :rotfl: Not judgmental yourself then? :rotfl:

Everybody is Shazeece deep down. I judge myself more than I judge anyone else and for some stupid reason usually end up doing the right thing :rolleyes: