Christmas Season and Magic

This is the season of magic, traditions, joy, memories and peace.  There is much to be said that when winter comes we follow a star, or go to the woods to talk with the animals; we reflect on a new year to come and the past year to see if our balance sheet really balances out.  Retirement has changed how I look forward and backward-fixed incomes seem to do that to me.  I have always had a job, a steady pay check and knew that tomorrow would bring a routine or at least as much of a routine that education can provide, but now each day brings different challenges.  Whether it is a doctor's appointment for mom, fixing lunch or doing the laundry there is no routine.  Pat has gone back to work in her field of economic development and although the job is labeled as part time, her hours and her dedication is full time and she is really really happy.  I have looked at some part time work but now have an opportunity to unload trucks and stock shelves at a local store starting at 2:00 a.m.-I am sure that this will bring a routine but can I function with the "day duties" after an early morning start!  But the extra money will be nice!

The Santa Claus carving season has been fun, even though the money brought in was down, several Santa's and decoys found new homes and that is always my goal-everyone needs a good home.  Perhaps after I am gone they will be very valuable!  The carving is always fun and looking for new projects is good; Pat evaluates my new work with a very critical eye, which is good!  Of course I listen to her!

One of the things that I try to do is to be a student of wood;  there are many traditions that must be followed if one is going to be a successful wood worker so I have attached the Legend/Mythology of Wood for your enjoyment plus some pictures of wood spirits!

The mythology is very simple. In what are now referred to as Pagan cultures, those that preceeded Christianity in many of the Western countries today as the Germanic States and the British Isles, Mother Nature was the major diety. She was the creator of life and from her everything both mankind, animals, and nature were born.

In some of the earliest stories Mother Nature is the Sun and her consort was the Moon. She would look upon him with her loving nature and that is why the Moon sometimes is full and bright, reflecting her love. But, being a female spirit she would become moody and jealous because her consort, the Moon, would light the earth with the light that she gave him, his reflected (full moon) light. So she would turn her back to him, scorning him, and therefore with hold her love and light. Which is why the moon becomes dark during an old moon. But he would be patient and he would wait because he loved her so very much. Because of his patience she would soon relent and again smile gloriously upon him.

So it was that Mother Nature wanted to come to earth and enjoy the beautiful world that she had created for us, to walk the fields and forests. But she became lonely. To ease her loneliness her consort also came to earth and he did so by inhabiting the trees of both the meadows and the forests. He stands as the single old apple tree that graces the grass lands giving shade to the cattle and goats. And he stands as the gardian of the forest, the large tree right at the forest margin. And he is the oldest twisted tree deep within the black woods. But one of his favorite trees was the evergreen.

Now it was the humans knew that the evergreen was special for even during the coldest and harshest of winters it remained forever green. Other trees around him suffered the 'small death' of winter, losing their leaves and going bare. The people realized that there must be something very special about the evergreen so the story arose that the Wood Spirit of God that walked the earth during the warm seasons went into the evergreen to live during the winter. There he slept until the warmth of spring returned.

Because the people were frightened that the 'small death' might one day not give way to spring they decided that they would go to the forest and bring into their homes an evergreen. They would tend the evergreen giving it water and protecting it from the deeps snows and harsh winds. Therefore they were protecting the Wood Spirit God. When the time came that the 'small death' of winter should be passing they would return the evergreen to it's place within the forest so that the God would awaken and once again bring spring to the earth.

That's why wood spirits are male. They are the consort to the Goddess - Mother Nature.