Merry Yule!

Yuletide Blessings to all! 

In the northern hemisphere, we celebrate the winter solstice, the coming together of friends and family. 

I love the idea of snuggling up by the fire, telling stories and sharing what we have with each other during the darkest time of the year.

It is a celebration of the re-birthing of the sun, and, also, all the sun Gods around the world. 

We honour him, we thank him, and we give him strength to him to return to us with the fires in our hearts and belly’s. 

We bring winter greens into our homes, hoping to bring the energy of life back into our lives.

There is so much symbology and similarities between other winter celebrations, including Christ’s Mass, that I’d be writing a book rather than a blog, and I am writing about something a little different now.

In the southern hemisphere, it is summer. 

The summer solstice. 

The sun it big, bright and power-full. 

For the Q’ero people they are celebrating Copaq Raymi, Feast of the Sun. 

Traditionally gold and silver was gifted, sacred to the sun God, Intitayta; they may as well have gifted frankincense and myrrh too.

It was and still is a magnificent celebration, honouring the passing of youth to adulthood. 

A time to plant crops that bring us joy and pleasure, rather than food that will sustain us, like coca for example. 

Despite Copaq Raymi’s focus on the Great Sun, the All Father, the Holy Son, it is considered a feminine celebration, often called Warmipacua, The Feminine Passover.

It was really a time that young children were to find the dharma, their reason for being, finding the gift, talent and heart desire that they brought with them to this world.

So, over the Christmas period, let’s all connect with our innocent, inner child, and see the world with wonder and awe, let’s be delighted with the twinkling lights, the Christmas stories, and let’s enjoy those chocolate treats!

Let’s find our dharma, our gold, and share it with everyone.

This Yule, during this dark period of our life, let’s plant crops of love, lets gestate seeds of joy and happiness, so we all have something even more beautiful to look forward to in the spring, lets share this gold unabashedly and generously.

Brightest of Blessings

Danny aka The Bearded Shaman.