Praise the bull and bless the bee,
thank the mouse and Manatee.
Praise the deer and bless the dog,
hallowed be the horse and hog.
Praise all creatures big and small,
Bless than wide and bless them tall;
for their goodness and their light,
we thank their souls in the winter’s night.
—The festival of stones, Reg Down
Advent means so much more to me than it used to thanks to my path as a Waldorf teacher. There’s a deeper current than what I learned through my Catholic upbringing. It links to early folk soul customs and pagan soul customs as well as gnostic Christian tradition.
The first light of advent is the light of stones. The light found in seashells, crystals and in bones.
The second light of advent is the light of plants. Plants that reach to the sun and in the breezes dance.
The third light honors the animals. And the fourth light honors humans.
A human being is far more than flesh and blood. We are made up of the elements, we are made up of earth, water, fire and air. We are made up of different qualities not just the quality of mind and body, but also of heart and soul or spirit. We have habits that need to be transformed and we have a will force that sometimes needs more strength when it has lost its Hearthfire so to speak. We have an animal nature to which we can transform and bring to a higher level from time to time. And what are we exactly as human beings? We have this thing called ego which gets misrepresented often. The true ego or the true destiny or the true individuality of the human being is here to accomplish great things.
Regardless of the tradition or the name you put to it, this honoring of the different qualities of the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom and the human kingdom have to do with honoring the different elements and what each of those represents within the human being.
I think Of Advent as an inner seasoning in preparation for birthing the light within. You can connect that to the solstice or you can connect that to Christ or you can connect that to the sun. Any which way you look at it the nights are getting dark and long and the days are getting shorter and colder, and it is hard to keep that light glowing and growing bright.
Image: Tijana Lukovic
We have stories and songs and rituals for that to support us on our journeys as human beings, as we are seasoned by everything we encounter, including the seasons of the earth which season the soul.
I am so grateful to deepen my understanding of these rituals that in someways were forced upon me as a child but which did not quite have the same soul and depth as they now have, as I’ve journey deeper through other streams including earth-based, shamanic, gnostic, and Waldorf. So many cultures honor the light this time of year for various reasons. Honoring the light that makes us human and really understanding the different layers of light within the different parts of the human being has been very enriching and nourishing to me.
Blessings on your Inner advent,
and inner Christmas.
🌟🕯❤️🕯🪆🕯❤️🕯🌟
💎🌹🦋👧