JUNE SOLSTICE: Summer begins in the northern hemisphere on Sunday, June 21st, at 5:45 am UT (1:45 am EDT) when the sun reaches its maximum declination above the celestial equator. At the same moment, winter begins in the southern hemisphere. Happy Solstice!

Here Wizitch HQ it's mid-winters day - this is usually the sign for the start of the really cold weather, a six week period until the next Cross-Quarter Festival day, half way between the solstice and the following equinox. Some New Zealanders celebrate Christmas at this time as the original festival was a celebration of the Winter and the promise of rebirth with the return of the sun in the Springtime. With a great number of expat Brits living here (around a third of New Zealanders where born in Britain) there is a strong association with Winter as the Christmas season.

In practices that predate Christianity many European cultures celebrated the Yule Festival. A tree would be decorated to symbolize fertility and great fruitfulness for the coming cycle, and gifts were often exchanged as a symbol saying that even in the darkest times we still have enough to share with others! What a great affirmation that is!

Wizitch favours the name Xmas for this festival. 'X' is one of the oldest known Rune markings known amongst the Northern European tribes - it is the one Runic symbol which has no opposite or negative meaning. The symbol, 'X' is called Gyfu and it means 'gifts' and the giving and receiving of gifts. A closer look at the symbol soon reveals it's appropriateness.

The extending arms of the 'X' represent expansion, energy spreading from the centre and this is traditionally associated with the Sun, the greatest radiator and giver of life's gifts we can have. All life stems from the Sun and from a 'Spiritual Centre'. Between the arms of the 'X' is four inward pointing arrowheads, representing the Four Seasons, the Four Cardinal Directions and the Four Alchemical elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. This can be seen as the 'Gift's of the Universe coming to each individual centre of awareness, each person that is open to receiving. Additionally, the left and right sides of the 'X', ">" and "<" illustrate giving and receiving, Male and Female principles meeting in equal yet different harmony.

'X' of course has other associations with abundance, wealth, gifts and giving - any self respecting Pirate knows that 'X' marks the spot where the treasure is buried. And additionally many folk also sign off letters with 'X's as a symbol of giving and love, the Kiss.
For this reason, amongst others, Wizitch likes to refer to the Yule Season Festival as Xmas. This seems like a good way to remember the original 'reason for the season' prior to it's cultural pollution and subsequent assimilation by Christian thought. Christ, whose personality is archetypically 'Sun-like'. He is the 'Gift of God' and the pathway to a personal spiritual connection. Christ's birth is surrounded with 'Gift-giving' symbolism. The innkeeper who gave them shelter when he had none left to give, the Three Wise Kings with their Gifts of Gold, Incense and Myrrh, the actual Gift of Life itself as symbolised by the act of giving Birth.

So, in the spirit of giving and with goodwill to all humankind, Wizitch would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone, everywhere a very Merry Xmas!

Article taken from www.wizitch.com Blog/News

Merry Xmas friends !!!
Every day is a holiday !!!

Speaking of a warm Xmas, here's something to ponder:

Dionysius (a Christian in later history... around 500 A.D.) began the new system of dating - A.D. and B.C.
He dated his finds according to the Ceasars of Rome. He back dated his finds until Ceasar Augustus who ruled at the time of Jesus' birth. Thus became the time standard as we know it.
However, Dionysius did not take into account that Ceasar Augustus was called Octavian for 5 years of his reign. So that puts Jesus' birth instead at 5 B.C.. Also, Dionysius did not account for the "0" year in between 1 B.C. and 1 A.D.. This adds one more year, making Jesus' birth at 6 B.C..
The Magi (who were from Persia - modern day Iran) were Astrologers - from Magi we get the word magic: they were Wizards and Dream Interpretors. There was already talk about a Messiah coming sooner or later from the ancient Prophets. The planet Jupiter was a morning star, which is very rare. Jupiter is the Astrological sign of a King. Jupiter was in the Astrological sign of Aries (which is a Ram) and meant to the Magi that a King was being born in Judea. By studying the ancient movement of Jupiter over Bethlehem, this took place on April 17th in 6 B.C.. The 3 Kings set off from Iran towards Judea. At this point in time, Jupiter was in a process of changing directions - thus it was standing still in the sky while the other stars kept moving.
There were no Inns back then as we know it, but the people lived in two story dwellings - the sheep lived downstairs in a garage like area - this was the only area that Mary and Joseph could find to stay. Also, (which helps prove April 17th) the scripture states the shepherds were watching their flocks by night - this only happens in the warm months of April through September. By the time the 3 Kings got to Bethlehem from Iran, it was late December and Jesus was already 8 months old.
The Romans observed a day of Dies Natilis Solis Invicti on December 25th (the Sun God Day). This celebration was adapted over later years for the birth of Jesus.

Thanks Mr 3d - looks like we share a common interest in the history of our Holy Days and festivals. I've always been passionate about the subject as it seems to me to be really silly to celebrate a winter festival in the middle of summer as so many do here in the South. I imagine some Alien visitor asking why we celebrate , say, Halloween when we do. In the Northern Hemisphere it makes sense - the pumpkins are ripe so the folk make pumpkin lanterns.

What happens when the Alien jumps back into his spaceship and zooms to the Southern side? Here he finds the people also celebrating Halloween, the archetypal Autumn festival, in mid spring when there are no ripe pumpkins to be found in the entire Hemisphere! It seems inevitable that the Alien, when filling out his ships log for that evening would say - "visited planet Earth, no sign of intelligent life!"

Merry Xmas Wizard




... or maybe he'd just write "Mostly Harmless"