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Yule & Solstice Links

There was a post here of Yule and Solstice links that I found on another blog. I gave credit to the person who gathered the links at the bottom of the post when I recoded it that unfortunately did not paste when I copied it over to Typepad for publishing. I was in a pressed for time as I had a meeting and several things I needed to do out  today so I did not check the published version as carefully as I should have.

Ordinarily, I would be gracious enough to not only acknowledge the oversight but also happily include the link to the blog. However, the e-mail I received was so nasty and accusatory that I will not do that in this case. Excerpted from the e-mail:

"You have stolen pages of my work and posted it on your own blog. I ask that you take this down immediately. If you wish to honor my hard work, you should link to my blog without taking my work for your own page.

and stop stealing!

* (link removed here)

what a nasty, meanspirited thing to do at Yule".

*I have removed those links that refer to the blog in question.

From the comment posted here, removed for obvious reasons:

"What are you doing? You have copied an entire page of Yule links - links I spent a month finding - and put it on your own page as if it was your own work. You have not given me credit, and you did not ask permission to copy my page in this way. What a nasty, deceitful thing to do, especially to another Pagan. If you want to respect my work, take this down and simply link to my blog. If you do not, I will make an announcement at my blog about this theft".

I would like to state here that the e-mail was sent  at 1:17 PM and the comment at 1:14 PM. By 2 PM, when I arrived home to find what had happened, a slanderous and nasty update was already posted to the the other blog giving me less than one hour to remove the offending post. Nice. Nothing like a good ol' knee jerk reaction.

For those of you who read my blogs regularly, you know that I always credit others when I post, publish or share their work on my blog and I do not steal other people's work. I am a very talented and accomplished writer in my own right with no need to steal a collection of links and call them my own.

I apologize to those readers who were interested in these links.  While the list was certainly handy, I am certain that just as comprehensive a list will be found by searching Google or Witchvox.

 

Samhain All Hallow’s Eve: October 31

Samhain (pronounced 'Sow-en'), a time when black cats, orange pumpkins, costumed kiddies and of course winter begins to occupy our thoughts. This is the final harvest ritual of the Pagan year, when the ripening apples and nuts are gathered and prepared for meals and future use. The last of the canning and preserving of summer’s proceeds draws to a close as the weather grows colder and the nights grow still longer. In farming communities this also marks the time to thin the herds so there will be enough food for the livestock through the winter months.

Samhain, or Halloween, marks one of the four Great Sabbats celebrated by Witches and many other Pagans, and is the dark counterpart to the more passionate Sabbat of Beltane. Samhain, contrary to what some believe, is not a Celtic god of the dead. Instead, it is a Celtic word meaning "summer's end." The Celts, like many other cultures, saw the dark of the year as the beginning. Thus their days began at sunset and the winter half of the year, starting on November 1st, was the beginning of their new year, just as it is for many Wiccans or Pagans.

Imbolc | Candlemas

Imbolc or Candlemas is a time of new beginnings, a time when the first evidence of regeneration are felt and seen. This is a time to meditate on what you would like to see grow in health and strength this year: for yourself, your family, your community, and the Earth. We notice longer days and warmer temperatures, even though winter blasts are still likely in the Northern Hemisphere. Persephone begins her ascent to Earth's surface and hope is renewed.

Journaling ideas:

Write down the names of the people you’d like to see happy, healthy and prosperous this year. Next to each name, write down 5 positive things about them. Affirm that each will reach their goals, achieve their dreams and grow more healthy, happy and prosperous this year!

OR

On a sheet of paper write down your goals and dreams for the new year. Find or draw images of your hopes and dreams. Spend time decorating the page and celebrating your hopes for your future endeavors. Plant these positive thoughts in fertile ground so they can sprout and grow or light on fire to release your the positive energies into the atmosphere.

Everything that IS was first a thought. New beginnings take some thought. A bright new future takes some planning. What which you focus on expands and grows.

What are you focused on?