A SONG for the SEASON

Carvings and photo by earrach

Here's a holiday a song I've been working on... 
It combines a beautiful old shape-note hymn's tune with my own lyrics, lyrics which are intended to blend-in the feel of our long passage from November's bleak Wasteland to the very heart of Yuletide and the Sun's return. The reasoning and imagery of its mythic theme are detailed in my pieces about the post-Samhain Wasteland, and in particular, my essay titled "The Old Man at the End of the Year".

My song is called "The Great Wheel is Turning" 

and the MP3 of me singing it is HERE... 

- the recording at this point is pretty rough, my "studio skills" are very poor but I couldn't hold on another year to share it, it means very much to me and I'm rather proud of it in concept. Please consider singing it yourself, wherever, if you like it...

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The Great Wheel is Turning

Lyrics (c) 2015 Earrach of Pittsburgh; 

The tune is from the Kentucky shape note hymn Brightest and Best (Ritchie Family version)

Through the grey Wasteland of No-vembers twilight

Long-lost we wandered o’er hilltop and moor...

Thanksgiving’s past and at length we discover

Many miles henceforth the smoke from a hall

    (Could)’this be the hearth of our year-ending mystery?

     Will we meet He who will show us the way?

Trudging long onward through cold rain and snowfall

(With)’hope in our hearts we each persevere-on.

Comes now the Yuletide, the Sun’s de-scent en-ding

Standing astride the threshold ‘tween the years

En-ter the corridor on the Night of the Mo-thers

The sacred old cycle of Twelve Nights begun.

On the first morn of our bright Sun’s returning

let us rejoice and all raise up in song…

With eve-ry day now the Great Wheel’s ascending

(Pro)’claiming-its promise that Life will go on.

On the first morn of our bright Sun’s returning

let us rejoice and all raise up in song...

With ev-ry day now the Great Wheel's ascending

(Pro)claiming its-promise that Life will go on. 

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A printable PDF file of these lyrics can be downloaded here...

With Yuletide blessings to all.

DECEMBER SOLSTICE 

occurs at 5:44 AM Eastern Standard Time

Wednesday, Dec. 21st, 2016

Here’s a trove of Book of Sassafras 

YULETIDE goodies from days of yore…

WHAT I BELIEVE AT YULETIDE

"Bah- humbug?" - No way... 

Yes, Christians should keep

"the Christ in Christmas", 

but

YULETIDE

belongs to everybody!

THE OLD MAN AT THE YEARS END

The three faces of the Spirit of the Yule and

the Fractal Mystery of the Twelve Nights

between Solstice Eve and New Years Eve...

A (very) OLDE ENGLISH HOLIDAY

The oldest records of Yuletide may be from

England of the Dark Ages, not Germany...

YULETIDE, FUNDAMENTALLY...

Don't overlook these basic themes when creating

ritual celebrations for the December Solstice...

WHY is it the LONGEST NIGHT?

It's just that simple, if you view it from the appropriate angle...

AND SO TURNS THE YEAR - LISTEN!

 Yes, it's true, you can hear the year turn...

Looking for  D R U I D  - ish 

Y U L E T I D E   T U N E S  ?

Check these out:

 "The Mistletoe Bough" and

"The Unconquered Sun"

by Steeleye Span 

on their holiday album

"Winter"

EoP

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