Athene writes so beautifully about this issue,

the Winter Solstice and Xmas, that I wanted to post her comment on the front of the blog. I tried to post both Welsh Phil’s comments also, but wordpress is giving me fits…new system here and I can’t get around yet.

Athene:

# Athene Says:
December 9, 2008 at 11:46 pm edit

Paganism is a beautiful religion, and P is correct in that some Christians around are a bit unsettled that paganism is more Christian than Christianity. While I’ve encountered several Christians who believe that paganism is Devil worship (untrue as pagans don’t worship the Devil – the concept of Satan is a Christian belief), I have also encountered those who have similar thoughts of the Anglican minister.

To me, the three religions of Abraham are growing the most fundamentalist. While I’m sure there are fundamentalists in any religion, these three seem to be the most polarizing and isolating in terms of beliefs.

Personally, my beliefs on religion are that you may believe in whatever you wish to. If you want to worship God (Christian), Allah, Zeus, Hera, Thor, Loki, Anubis, Anzu, Nyame, Ananse, Enumclaw, Kapoonis, Ilmater, Tutujanawin, Ba Sin, Guan Di, or even no higher power at all, then awesome. The only time I will object to religion is when others try to push their religion on me (usually, again, fundamentalist behavior, and not widespread among more moderate believers). I, personally, am staunchly against a ban on gay marriage/civil unions/adoption due to the reasoning that the Bible forbids homosexuality. If there is a non-religious secular reason to ban gay marriage, then I’m all ears, but all I hear from the fundamentalists is that the Bible says it [homosexuality] is an abomination, and references to Sodom and Gomorrah. Interestingly enough, while Leviticus forbids homosexuality, it also forbids the eating of shrimp and lobster.

But these are debates for another time…

Christmas, anyway, is essentially a pagan holiday. Christmas trees, yule logs, holly and ivy – they are pagan Solstice traditions that have been adopted into the Christian religion as keeping such traditions would help ease the transition from pagan to Christian for the converts.

The tree (evergreen, able to survive the winter) was the essence of life. It was also a phallic symbol of fertility.

Red holly symbolizes menstrual blood of Diana, queen of the heavens. Holly is also an acceptable wood to make a wand (today, used for drawing down the Moon/Diana)

Mistletoe with the white berries symbolized semen (another sun god fertility reference)

Thus, standing under mistletoe and holly and kissing would empower that couple to be blessed by the god and goddess to be fertile and bear healthy strong children in the upcoming year.

And the 25th? It’s the birthday of the sun god Mithra.

To end my little bit, in good Wiccan spirit – “An ye harm none, do what ye will.”

And for P, namaste.

Athene

Tags: Mithra, paganism, Wiccan, Xmas